I have found that my senior level Spanish has been in a bit of a rut as we have been in some pretty technical grammar (Heeeeellllllllllloooooo the Subjunctive) plus they have been having a wicked case of Senioritis….yay... I was racking my brain to figure out a way to get them using the language in a fun way. After some reading of other blogs I decided to have them formulate a short skit/movie with certain requirements. I had them get into groups of three and then gave them the project description. The requirements:
               - Use 5 conjunctions that would trigger the subjunctive,
               - Use of the following words/phrases:
                           -Tortugas
                           - ¡Ojalá!
                           - ¿En serio?
                           - ¡Escandaloso!
                           - Tienes razón
Of course there was a more in-depth rubric containing pronunciation, writing of a formal script, grammar etc. After going over all the requirements. I threw a curveball at them:

Each bag contained two mystery props that also had to be incorporated into their skit. I tried to make each bag contain the most random and unconnected props possible. My personal favorite bag had a fake black beard and a plastic waffle. (Which an all girl group received) They have been working on their scripts throughout the week and some students even admitted they are more excited about the project than they were at the beginning. Most groups are choosing to film and edit their projects for the presentation portion. I am always amazed at how creative some of the students get with editing videos. (This same class created "how to" videos earlier this year using commands. Will keep you posted on how the videos turn out!

¡Hola!

I have seen so many interesting foreign language blogs out there and have often times thought of starting my own and I finally came to the decision of "why not?" So here I am! I am hoping to use this blog as a way to share ideas with other foreign language teachers as I am in a very small department and do not have a lot of colleagues to bounce ideas off of. I also am big on self reflections after activities and projects, but my problem has always been that I reflect on it after doing it...but didn't necessarily write it down. Then come the next year I have trouble remembering what changes I had thought about making.

A little bit about me. At this point and time I am in my 7th year of teaching. *gasp* Where did the time go? This is my 4th year at my current district and I have just earned tenure. WOOT WOOT! I teach upper level Spanish courses (juniors and seniors) and rotate years teaching freshmen and sophomore. Feel free to leave comments, feedback, and suggestions as I am always open to a fresh perspective and new ideas!