Spanish as a Second Language, Essay Example

Considering that this is a course for beginners in a community center, the first lesson can be very informal. Of course, afterwards you will have to use worksheets in regards to grammar, etc. I am basing the lesson plan on my own experiences in a simliar setting to what you have described, so the emphasis is on language use by the students regardless of skill level, and therefore interactive activities that get them speaking the language, however poorly. Firstly, I suggest that you speak entirely in Spanish, of course slowly, because the immersion method is the best learning technique in regards to language. You can introduce yourself to the students, what your background is, etc. You can also tell the students that they will only speak Spanish in the class, once again emphasizing the immersion technique. You can ask if they have any questions. Always use simple vocabulary and speak relatievely slow enough. (approximately 5 minutes)

1, Then ask the students to introduce themselves to each other. This can be very simple, ask them to state their name, where they are from, perhaps what they do for a living, and why they want to study Spanish. This of course should be done in Spanish. It doesn’t matter how rudimentary their language skills are. This gives them a chance to know each other and you can also assess their skills – you don’t have to correct them if they make a mistake, tell them if they need help saying something you will assist them. This is the importance of »skill-using« in second-language acquisition, and should be the focus of the course. (approximately 3 minutes each student: 20 minutes)

2, Then you can do an activity where you write all the personal pronouns in spanish, seven basic verbs (the most basic verbs), and then some simple nouns from which it is possible to create a sentence (for example). You can split the students into two teams and then ask them to make a sentence from the listed words. This can be done in a game format: for the community center setting it is important that the learning is entertaining and interactive. (25 minutes)