Teaching English

as a Foreign Language
7th-11th Grade

3rd

edition
Manual of Activities, Grammar,
Teaching Strategies, and Vocabulary
for the Nicaraguan Classroom

Table of Contents
How to Use This Manual

Como Usar este Manual

Strategies for the Communicative Classroom

Estrategias para el Aula Comunicativa

Objective Writing and Assessment

11

Escribiendo Objetivos y Evaluacin

14

Preparing Students for Real Communication

18

Preparando al Estudiante para Comunicacin Real

22

7th Grade

26

8th Grade

69

9th Grade

120

10th Grade

162

11th Grade

209

Multi-Purpose Activities

252

Irregular Verb Chart

275

The third edition of Teaching English as a Foreign Language: Manual

of Activities, Grammar, Teaching Strategies, and Vocabulary for the
Nicaraguan Classroom was written and produced by Megan Abbot,
Andrea Morris, and TEFL Peace Corps Volunteers in Nicaragua in 2012.
The second edition of this manual was written and produced in 2011 by
David Ball, Alexandra Baltodano, Melissa Culkin, Emily Diamond, Allison
James, Erin McGee, Christopher Ortega, and Anjanette Price.
Special thanks to Karla Noelia Castro, Misty Ferguson, Joayne
Larson, Greg Macdonald, Karen Ocn, Rachael Ropkey, Ligia Pineda
Ruiz, Carlos Sarantes, Donald Ugarte, and Wuilman Vanegas.
1

How to Use This Manual:

An Introduction to APA/PPP
Welcome To the TEFL Manual, 3rd Edition!
You will not find daily lesson plans in the new TEFL manual.
You will find all the tools you need to guide you through the
planning process so you can create successful daily lesson
plans that incorporate different learning styles and dynamic
activities. The revised TEFL manual is divided into three basic
sections to help you achieve a more communicative classroom.

What are the three sections?

I DO/PRESENTATION (Aprendo)
WE DO/PRACTICE (Practico)
YOU DO/PRODUCTION (Aplico)
These three basic parts of class are known as APA (Aprendo/
Practico/Aplico) in Spanish and PPP (Presentation, Practice,
Production) in English. Each part is necessary to introduce,
practice, and successfully evaluate any MINED content.
However, all three parts do not necessarily have to be
developed completely in one class period; many successful
lesson plans use multiple class periods to complete all three
parts.

How do I use the manual?

Consistency
Think of this manual like it is a menu in your favorite restaurant.
The menu is divided into three different parts: Starters, Main
Dish, and Desserts. Under the title STARTERS, you expect to
find small portions of food to begin your meal. Under the
title MAIN DISH, you can be sure to find different options of
hearty, filling food. Under DESSERTS, there will most likely be a
selection of sweets to finish the meal. You can count on there
being these three essential parts to the menu. Imagine if the
menu was lacking and there were no dessertswhat kind of
restaurant is this?!
Just like the menu, the TEFL manual has three parts and a
good lesson plan will incorporate enough class time to cover
all of them. The PRESENTATION, PRACTICE and PRODUCTION
sections are essential to a complete coverage of any content.
Remember how unsatisfied you felt when there was no
dessert? Imagine how upset your students will feel if you
leave out the production stage and they dont have a chance
to produce all the language they have learned! However,
unlike the menu analogy where you must eat all three parts
in one dinner, you may finish the three parts of class over
multiple class periods or even a few weeks until you have
completed them satisfactorily.

Content
When you look at the three parts of the menu, you more or
less know what to expect in each section. Steak and potatoes
belongs in MAIN DISH. A STARTER might be tajadas. Wouldnt
it be strange to see rice and beans as a DESSERT? Cake? Thats
more like it!
Just as the menus terms identify the types of food to follow,
the TEFL manuals three sections identify the different types
of activities for each content. We will now examine and better
understand the three sections:

1. I DO/PRESENTATION/APRENDO
You, the teacher, present new information during this part. You
will introduce and explain new vocabulary and new grammar
structures. If students are seeing a concept for the first time
(Ex: Spelling changes using He/She), you must present what they
need to know to succeed and master this concept.
The teacher is very active during this part of class. Out of the
three parts, the teacher talks the most in this one. Remember:
you, the teacher, are talking and presenting, but that doesnt
mean students have to be passively copying from the board
(and probably feel bored themselves!) Use innovative and
engaging strategies to make your presentations effective.
Ideas include:
Use pictures to introduce new vocabulary (instead
of translating to Spanish!).
Use Big Story Books (See the Multi-Purpose Activities
Index) or topic-related Readings to introduce grammar in
context.
Use gestures that allow students to actively uncover
vocabulary and grammar meanings.
See any PRESENTATION section in this manual for
more ideas!
Presentations are also a good time to review past concepts
and reinforce connections between past lessons and todays
new lesson. Did you teach chores vocabulary last week?
Review those vocabulary words to help students succeed
in discussing their daily chore schedules.
Quick Summary: During I DO/PRESENTATION, the teacher
presents new concepts actively and engagingly; the teacher
uses this time to talk the most in class; the teacher reviews
past concepts and connects them to the new lesson.

2. WE DO/PRACTICE/PRACTICO
In this part, you, the teacher, and the students practice the
concepts together. Use the information recently presented
during the I DO section and help the students complete
related activities. Because you and the students are working
together to practice, many activities are done on the board as
a class with students participating together on the board or
individually in their notebooks.
Drills and grammar activities are usually good PRACTICE
activities because they allow the teacher to work with the

students and identify any doubts or misunderstandings the

students have about what they learned in the PRESENTATION.
All PRACTICE activities should help students build confidence
in speaking, reading, writing and listening to the content.
PRACTICE activities should also be directly related to the next
part, PRODUCTION, by helping students practice the skills
they will need to produce proof of learning at the end. Ideas
include:
Use Multi-Purpose Activities like Simon Says, BINGO,
Sparkle, Tic Tac Toe, etc.
Use fill in the blank and other similar activities together.
Sing songs to practice new vocabulary.
See any PRACTICE section in this manual for more ideas.
Since the teacher and students complete the PRACTICE
activities together, students will talk and participate just as
much, if not more than, the teacher. Remember, teachers talk
to PRESENT, students must talk and participate in order to
PRACTICE. Your role is a helper. Ask important questions so
students arrive at the correct answer (Ex: What is the last letter
in this word? What rule do we use? Why?) Asking the correct
questions during PRACTICE is as instructive as what you
presented earlier.
Quick Summary: During WE DO/PRACTICE, the teacher and the
students do work together; the students practice speaking, writing,
listening or reading the content already presented; the teacher
talks less and asks important questions so students participate;
the activities develop skills students will need in PRODUCTION.

3. YOU DO/PRODUCTION/APLICO
In this part, students produce on their own with minimal help
from the teacher. Students feel comfortable with the content
they already PRACTICED. Students use language skills in
authentic situations. Students will still make mistakes. It is the
teachers job to give feedback through an evaluation.
Teacher talk time is very minimal and the students are the
main speakers, listeners, writers and readers in this part of
class. Students must use the material the teacher PRESENTED
that they PRACTICED together in order to PRODUCE proof of
learning. Many production activities can be evaluated for a
grade because it is the last step in the sequence. Ideas include:
Students write and perform dialogues or skits.
Students create mini books related to the content.
Students answer questions by writing, speaking,
or illustrating.
See any PRODUCTION section in this manual for
more ideas.
PRODUCTION activities should be related to what has been
presented and practiced. For example, if you presented 10
new vocabulary words and how to describe the weather and
practiced reading a dialogue, students are equipped to use
those words to write a dialogue. However, if all the practice
activities were silent, reading activities students are ready

to write a dialogue but are not ready to say the dialogue

because they did not practice speaking. Therefore, if you
want to evaluate in a certain way (presentations, written work,
listening quizzes, etc.) most of the practice activities must
correspond to the final evaluation to prepare the students
adequately.
Quick Summary: During YOU DO/PRODUCTION, the students
produce without help and the teacher evaluates their work; all
production activities must be directly related to the content
presented and the practice activities; the teacher provides the
authentic, communicative assignments and the students perform
and produce the language needed to complete them.
To return to the menu analogy: just like a menu is certain to list
Indio Viejo under MAIN DISH instead of DESSERT, you can
anticipate the types of activities found in each section in the
TEFL Manual. Do you need to introduce a new concept? Look
at I DO! Do you need an activity to practice with your
students? Look at WE DO! Do you need the students to
demonstrate their learning? Or maybe you would like a good
activity to evaluate what they learned? Look at YOU DO!

Options and Objectives

A good menu has options. If you want to order a MAIN DISH,
you can choose steak, chicken, fish, or pasta. Likewise, there
are many DESSERTS to choose from. Should you order the
cake or the ice cream?
The TEFL manual has many options as well. Some contents
have five or six practice activity options. There are also many
options for production activitiesshould you do a dialogue or
a mini-book? Which option should you choose?
When you choose menu items, you have an objective in mind
to have the most satisfying lunch. If you order a STARTER of
tajadas, the MAIN DISH of gallo pinto and cuajada will taste
delicious! A tasty DESSERT would be arroz con leche. You chose
three options that tasted good together and complemented
each other to meet your objective: eat a delicious lunch.
Similarly, when you plan your lessons, choose an objective.
Instead of a satisfied stomach, think of satisfied learners. Do
you want your students to be able to say a dialogue? Then
choose practice activities and production activities that focus
on speaking and listening. Do you want your students to
understand a text? Then choose reading and writing practice
and production activities. Remember, activities are labeled
according to which English Language competency they
exercise, R for Reading, W for Writing, L for Listening, and S for
speaking.
As a teacher, you have the power to construct the perfect
lesson plan that meets your goal and your students needs.
This manual cannot be copied directly into a lesson plans.
You, the teacher, must actively make choices. Read all of your
options. Think about the objective for your lesson. Choose the
activities that help you to achieve your goal.

Happy Teaching (and Buen Provecho!)

Como usar este manual:

Una introduccin a APA/PPP
Bienvenidos a la 3ra Edicin del Manual de TEFL!
Usted NO encontrar planes diarios de clase en el Manual de
TEFL. Pero S encontrar todas las herramientas necesarias
para guiarle en el proceso de planificar para que pueda crear
planes de clase exitosos que incorporan los diferentes estilos
de aprendizaje y actividades dinmicas. La segunda edicin
del Manual de TEFL est dividida en tres secciones bsicas
para ayudarle a lograr una clase ms comunicativa.

Cules son las tres secciones?

I DO/PRESENTATION (Aprendo)
WE DO/PRACTICE (Practico)
YOU DO/PRODUCTION (Aplico)
Estas tres partes bsicas de la clase se conoce como APA (Aprendo/Practico/Aplico) en espaol y PPP (Presentation, Practice,
Production) en ingls. Cada parte es necesaria para presentar,
practicar, y luego evaluar eficazmente cualquier contenido del
currculo de MINED. Sin embargo, no es imperativo desarrollar completamente las tres partes en cada periodo de clase;
muchos planes de clase exitosos usan ms de un periodo de
clase para completar las tres partes.

Cmo uso este manual?

Consistencia
Piense en este manual como si fuera un men en su restaurante favorito. Este men est dividido en tres partes diferentes:
Aperitivos, Platos Fuertes, y Postres. Debajo del titulo APERITIVOS, uno espera encontrar porciones pequeas para empezar
la comida. Debajo del titulo PLATOS FUERTES, seguro que
encontrar opciones de comidas que le llena a uno. Debajo de
POSTRES, a lo mejor habr una seleccin de comidas dulces
para terminar la comida. Uno puede contar con estas tres
partes esenciales del men. Imagine si en el men faltasen los
postresqu tipo de restaurante es este?!
Igual al men, el manual de TEFL tiene tres partes y un buen
plan de clase utilizar suficiente tiempo para incluir las tres.
Las secciones de PRESENTACIN, PRCTICA, y PRODUCCIN
son esenciales para completar un contenido. Recuerda lo
insatisfecho que se siente cuando no hay postre? Imagine
como se sienten l@s estudiantes cuando falta la seccin de
produccin y no tienen la oportunidad de producir el lenguaje
que han aprendido! Sin embargo, a diferencia de una comida
donde uno tiene que comer las tres partes de una sola vez,
usted puede completar las tres partes de un plan de clase en
ms de un periodo de clase, o an en unas semanas hasta que
ha completado las tres partes de una manera satisfactoria.

Contenido
Cuando usted mira las tres partes del men, ya sabe qu esperar de cada seccin. Carne de res con papas pertenece a los
PLATOS FUERTES. Tajadas podra ser un APERITIVO. No sera
raro ver arroz y frijoles como un POSTRE? Queque? Aja, eso s!
Igual como los ttulos del men identifican los diferentes tipos
de comida, las tres secciones del Manual de TEFL identifican
los diferentes tipos de actividades para cada contenido. Ahora
examinaremos para entender mejor las tres secciones:

1. I DO/PRESENTATION/APRENDO
Usted, el/la profesor@, presenta la nueva informacin durante
esta parte. Usted introduce y explica el nuevo vocabulario y
estructuras de gramtica. Si l@s estudiantes estn viendo un
concepto por primera vez (Ej: El s/-es de tercera persona en el
presente), usted tiene que presentar lo que necesitan saber
para tener xito y dominar este concepto.
Usted, el/la profesor@, es muy activo durante esta parte de la
clase. De las tres partes, es en sta cuando usted habla ms.
Recuerde usted est hablando y presentando, pero eso no
significa que l@s estudiantes tienen que estar copiando de la
pizarra (que a lo mejor les hace sentir aburridos!) Use estrategias innovadoras y dinmicas para hacer la presentacin ms
efectiva. Ideas incluidas:
Usar dibujos para introducir el nuevo vocabulario (en vez
de traducir al espaol!).
Usar los Big Story Books (Vea el Multi-Purpose Activities
Index) o lecturas relacionadas al tema para introducir la
gramtica en contexto.
Usar gestos que permiten a l@s estudiantes descubrir
de forma activa el significado del nuevo vocabulario o
gramtica.
Ver cualquier seccin de PRESENTACIN en este manual
para ms ideas.
La seccin de PRESENTACIN tambin es un buen momento
para repasar conceptos viejos y fortalecer las conexiones entre
clases pasadas y la clase de hoy. Ense el vocabulario de
tareas en casa la semana pasada? Repase esas palabras para
ayudar a l@s estudiantes a tener xito cuando hablan de sus
horarios diarios de quehaceres.
Resumen: Durante I DO/PRESENTACIN, el/la profesor@ presenta
conceptos nuevos de una forma activa y dinmica; l o ella usa
este momento para hablar ms; l o ella repasa conceptos viejos
para conectarlos al nuevo contenido.

2. WE DO/PRACTICE/PRACTICO
En esta parte, usted, el/la profesor@, y l@s estudiantes practican los conceptos juntos. Use la informacin que present
durante la seccin de I DO y ayude a l@s estudiantes a realizar
actividades relacionadas. Porque usted y l@s estudiantes estn
trabajando juntos para practicar, muchas actividades se hacen
en la pizarra con toda la clase participando, o de manera
individual en sus cuadernos.

Las actividades de gramtica sirven como actividades de

PRCTICA porque permiten al/la profesor@ trabajar con l@s
estudiantes e identificar cualquier duda o falta de comprensin que tengan sobre lo que aprendieron en la PRESENTACIN.
Todas las actividades de PRCTICA deben ayudar a l@s estudiantes a desarrollar su confianza en las cuatro habilidades en
relacin al contenido. Las actividades de PRCTICA tambin
deben estar relacionadas directamente a la siguiente parte,
PRODUCCIN, ayudando a l@s estudiantes a practicar las habilidades que necesitarn para producir evidencia de lo que han
aprendido al final. Unas ideas para este tipo de actividad son:
Usar actividades de multi-uso como Simon Dice, BINGO,
Sparkle, Tic Tac Toe, etc.
Usar un complete y otras actividades parecidas juntas.
Usar canciones para practicar el nuevo vocabulario.
Ver cualquier seccin de PRCTICA en este manual
para ms ideas.
Como el/la profesor@ y l@s estudiantes completan las actividades de PRCTICA juntos, l@s estudiantes hablan tanto como
(si no ms que) el/la profesor@. Recuerde, el/la profesor@
habla para PRESENTAR, y l@s estudiantes tienen que hablar y
participar para PRACTICAR. Su papel como profesor@ es el
de ayudante. Haga preguntas importantes para que l@s estudiantes lleguen a la respuesta correcta (Ej: Cul es la ltima
letra de esta palabra? Cul regla de gramtica vamos a usar?
Porqu la usamos aqu?) Hacer la pregunta correcta es tan
importante como lo que usted present en la primera parte.
Resumen: Durante WE DO/PRACTICE, el/la profesor@ y l@s
estudiantes hacen el trabajo juntos; l@s estudiantes practican las
cuatro habilidades en relacin al contenido que ya se present;
el/la profesor@ habla menos y hace ms preguntas para que l@s
estudiantes participen; las actividades desarrollan las habilidades
que l@s estudiantes necesitarn para la parte de PRODUCCIN.

3. YOU DO/PRODUCTION/APLICO
En esta parte, l@s estudiantes producen solos con ayuda
mnima del/la profesor@. L@s estudiantes se sienten cmodos con el contenido porque ya han PRACTICADO. Usan sus
habilidades con el idioma en situaciones autnticas. Todava
cometern errores, as que es el trabajo del/la profesor@ darles
retroalimentacin a travs de una evaluacin.
El tiempo que el/la profesor@ habla es mnimo y l@s estudiantes son los hablantes/lectores/escuchadores/escritores
principales en esta parte de la clase. L@s estudiantes deben
usar el contenido que el/la profesor@ PRESENT y que ellos/
ellas PRACTICARON juntos para PRODUCIR evidencia de lo que
aprendieron. Muchas actividades de produccin se pueden
evaluar para puntos porque es el ltimo paso en la secuencia.

Algunas ideas son:

L@s estudiantes escriben y hacen dilogos.
L@s estudiantes crean mini-libros relacionados
al contenido.
L@s estudiantes contestan preguntas de forma oral
o escrita, o con ilustraciones.
Ver cualquier seccin de PRODUCCIN en este manual
para ms ideas.
Las actividades de PRODUCCIN deben estar relacionadas con
lo que ya se ha presentado y practicado. Por ejemplo, si usted
present 10 palabras nuevas de vocabulario y cmo describir
el clima, y luego practic con ellos leer un dialogo, entonces
l@s estudiantes estn preparados para usar estas palabras para
escribir un dilogo. Sin embargo, si todas las actividades de
prctica eran actividades de leer en silencio, significa que l@s
estudiantes estn preparados para escribir un dialogo pero no
estn preparados para hablarlo, porque no han practicado el
hablar. En consecuencia, si usted quiere evaluar de una forma
particular (exposiciones, trabajos escritos, exmen de escucha,
etc.), entonces la mayora de las actividades de prctica deben
corresponder a la evaluacin final para preparar a l@s estudiantes de una forma adecuada.
Resumen: Durante YOU DO/PRODUCTION, l@s estudiantes
producen sin ayuda y el/la profesor@ evala su trabajo; todas las
actividades de produccin deben estar relacionada directamente
con el contenido que se ha presentado y practicado; el/la profesor@ les da a l@s estudiantes tareas autnticas y comunicativas y
ellos producen el lenguaje necesario para completarlas.
Regresando a la analoga del men: como el men siempre
va a identificar indio viejo como un PLATO FUERTE en vez de
POSTRE, usted puede anticipar los tipos de actividades que
va a encontrar en cada seccin del Manual de TEFL. Necesita
introducir un concepto nuevo? Busque en I DO! Necesita
una actividad para practicar con l@s estudiantes? Busque en
WE DO! Necesita que l@s estudiantes demuestren lo que
han aprendido, o tal vez una buena actividad para evaluarl@s?
Busque en YOU DO!

Opciones y Objetivos
Un buen men tiene opciones. Si quiere un PLATO FUERTE,
puede elegir res, pollo, pescado, o pasta. De la misma manera,
hay muchos POSTRES para elegir. Prefiere la torta o un helado?
El Manual de TEFL tambin tiene muchas opciones. Unos de
los contenidos tienen cinco o seis opciones para actividades
de prctica. Hay tambin muchas opciones para actividades
de produccindebe hacer un dilogo o un mini-libro?
Cul opcin debe elegir?

Cuando usted elige cosas en un men, tiene un objetivo en

mente para tener un almuerzo que le va a satisfacer. Si pide
un APERITIVO de tajadas, un PLATO FUERTE de gallo pinto y
cuajada ser delicioso! Y un POSTRE rico seria arroz con leche.
Usted elige tres opciones que tienen buen sabor cuando
estn combinadas y se complementan para lograr su objetivo:
comer un almuerzo rico.
De igual forma, cuando usted planifica su clase, elige un
objetivo. En vez de una barriga satisfecha, piense en estudiantes satisfechos. Quiere que puedan decir un dialogo? Pues
elija actividades de prctica y produccin con un enfoque de
escuchar y hablar. Quiere que puedan entender un texto?
Pues elija actividades de prctica y produccin con un
enfoque de escribir y leer. Recuerde que las actividades son
indicadas por la competencia de ingls que ejercitan, R para
Lectura, W para escritura, L para escuchar, S para el hablar.
Como profesor@, usted tiene el poder de construir un plan de
clase perfecto para lograr sus metas y las necesidades de sus
estudiantes. NO se puede copiar este manual directamente a
sus planes de clase. Usted, el/la profesor@ tiene que elegir de
forma activa. Lea todas las opciones. Piense en el objetivo de
su clase. Elija las actividades que le ayudan a lograr su meta.

Disfrute la Enseanza (y Buen Provecho!)

Strategies for the

Communicative Classroom
This section includes ideas to create a classroom where
students feel comfortable. When students are comfortable,
they are going to communicate more.

Be Positive
1. Have Positive Expectations.
The teacher must believe in the ability of the students. They
can learn English. Students rise to the teachers expectations.
Communicate that you expect great work and explain
what great work is.
Change your negative phrases to positive: Negative: You
didnt do your homework. You were lazy. Positive: You can
do your homework and I expect you to show me.
Encourage students to answer questions with phrases like
Aqu no hay pena.
Encourage students to participate. Give a participation
grade.
- On note cards or wooden sticks, write the numbers 1-60 or
more or less, depending on your class size. When you want
someone to participate, choose a number and that student
must participate or lose their points. This material can be
used for all of your classes.
- For each class make a note card for each student. Choose
the note card like above, but write directly on the note card
a mark for participation and a different mark if the student
does not participate. At each quarter, use the note card to
calculate the participation grade for each student.

2. Give positive reinforcement.

Participation books
- Students make Mini-Books (See Multi-Purpose Activities
Index).
- Give stamps or sign the book as a reward for participation
or good behavior.
- Cross out stamps or signatures for bad behavior. (See Have
Rules in this section.)
- Collect books at the end of the month and give extra points
for stamps.

Letter Game
- On a poster paper or with letters cut out of paper, reward
good behavior with one letter in a predetermined word. For
example, if the word is song, when the students complete
the word (with their good behavior) they can choose a song
in English to listen to and learn in class.
- When students spell the word, do a Multi-Purpose Activity
or give the reward that the word spells.
- Take letters away for bad behavior. (See Have Rules in this
section.)

 Learn students names.

- This shows students that you value them and notice their
presence in your class.
- Make nametags or participation cards with individual
students names in class to help learn names faster.

Praise deeds, not students.

- Ex: Good work! or Thank you for listening.
- Ex: Thank you for being prepared, instead of Juan is
always prepared.
- Ex: Looking at your notes from last time is very
intelligent, instead of Tatiana is very intelligent.

Use Procedures
Procedures are the way you do something. In class,
procedures can be how the students begin the class, how they
pass in papers, how they write in their notebooks, etc. You must
model and practice each procedure with the students.
Procedures must be taught and practiced in the first weeks
of school. With practice, procedures become routines. Then,
you must be consistent and always use the same procedures.
Routines and consistency make students feel comfortable. They
also save you time so that you dont have to spend a lot of class
time on administrative things (like taking attendance or getting
students attention) and you can dedicate your time to learning.
You should practice procedures for the following with
the students:

1. Getting immediately to work.

Bellwork or Warm-Ups. This is work that you put
immediately on the board that the students know they
must begin to work on when the class starts. It can be a
short activity or just the date and agenda for the class.

2. Coming to attention.
It is good to use a silent signal like raising your hand.
Use the phrase If you can hear me, clap once
Use only one method consistently.

3. Listening and responding to questions.

Students raise their hands to answer a question.
Students have their notebooks closed or are taking notes
when the teacher or another student is presenting.

4. Students asking questions.

Students raise their hands.
Students write the question on a piece of paper and pass
it in at the end of class.

5. Indicating whether or not they understand.

Ask students if they understand the content or directions
to an activity.

Before beginning an activity, ask for a student to translate

the directions to Spanish to check understanding.

6. Working in groups.
Assign groups, and give each student a role. Students can
work in these groups all semester or all month.
Arrange the seats in rows so its easy to transition into
group work. Assign groups based on their place in the
row.

7. Writing in your notebook.

Explain to the students when to copy things into their
notebooks and when it is not necessary.
Tell the students where to write vocabulary in their
notebooks. (Ex: a vocabulary list in the back of their
notebook)
Explain that the students must keep a list of vocabulary in
English and Spanish, even if you only present the English
word and a picture.
Tell the students where to put their exercises and how to
label them.

8. Passing in papers.
Pass papers to the right. A person in the last row
collects all of them.
First student in each row collects the papers.

9. When students are absent.

Students must copy the lesson from someone before the
next class.
Create clear rules about when students can make up tests
and missed assignments.

10. When students need a pencil, pen, eraser, etc.

Students cannot ask for materials when the teacher
is talking.
If students need materials during an evaluation, they
must raise their hands and ask the teacher.
Students cannot stand up to borrow materials
from other students.
Students cannot throw materials across the room.

11. When students finish early. (See Take time to plan

in this section)
12. Being prepared for class.
Delegate jobs to the students to save time. Use a system
of student monitors.
- Attendance, Erase the board

Students must finish aseo before the class starts.

Students can indicate their understanding with thumbs

up or thumbs down
7

Remember, if you establish a procedure in your class (like

asking permission before leaving their seats), but you allow
students to leave their seats even when they havent asked
permission, then you are demonstrating to the class that
they dont have to ask permission. For this reason it is VERY
important that you, the teacher, respect the procedures and
be consistent in your class.

Have Rules
Write 3-5 rules with consequences for your class. Do not write
more than 5 because research shows that it is difficult to
remember more than 5. Consequences are necessary because
without them, the student has no reason to follow the rules.

Rule

Consequence

1. Be on time.

- Lose participation points for the day.

- More than 5 minutes late, student has to
write a letter of apology.

2. Listen when
the teacher or
a classmate is
speaking.

- First time: Name on the board

as a warning.
- Second time: Check mark next to
the name, lose points.
- Third time: 2 check marks, lose
points and call to parents.

4. UncomfortableIf a consequence is something that the

student wants (like not entering class) then it wont have
any effect in deterring bad behavior.

When students break rules or do not follow procedures:

Speak softly and slowly.
Ask what? not why? For example, What are you
doing? not Why are you doing that? If you ask Why?
you will get an excuse. If you ask What? you are
reminding the student that she/he is not doing what they
should be doing.
Ask What should you be doing?

Take Time to Plan

As a general rule, it takes about twice as long to develop an
effective lesson plan as it does to teach the lesson.
When you plan your lessons, you should:

1. Break concepts into small learning chunks.

2. Write clear, simple instructions.
3. Plan a lot of time to give instructions. Activities will
work better and you will save time repeating and clarifying to
individual students later.
Write and say the instructions.
Repeat the instructions.

3. Throw trash in
the trashcan.

- Lose points

4. No leaving your
seat without
permission.

- First time: Warning

Model.

- Second time: Teacher takes away points for

discipline.

Give examples.

- Pick up trash during the break

Examples of Rules and Consequences:

If possible, rules should be positive. For example, say listen
instead of dont talk and throw trash in the trashcan instead
of dont throw trash on the floor. Sometimes, it is clearer to use
a negative rule like No leaving your seat without permission.

Consequences should be:

Students repeat.
Check for understanding. (See Use Procedures.)

4. Teach to different types of learners.

Use visuals.
- Maps

- Pictures

- Drawingsstick figures are good!

- Graphic organizers
Venn diagrams

T-chart

Webs/Concept Maps

like dont like

1. Immediatehave a system for immediately writing the

names of students who will receive consequences.
Have a consequences book you can give to the students
to sign their names and recognized the consequences.
Use a section of the board.
Use a poster paper.
2. ConsistentIf sometimes there are consequences and
sometimes not, students will not believe the rules
are serious.
3. Reasonable(See Positive Reinforcement in this section
and consequences above.)

Engage students physically. (See Multi-Purpose Activities.)

5. Have activities ready for students who finish work early.
Being positive, using rules and procedures consistently
and planning lessons carefully all help make a classroom
more comfortable for the students and therefore
more communicative.

Estrategias para
el Aula Comunicativa
Esta seccin contiene algunas ideas para crear un ambiente
en el aula donde l@s estudiantes se sienten cmodos, de tal
manera que les permite comunicarse ms.

Sea Positivo
1. Tenga Expectativas Positivas
El/la profesor@ tiene que creer en la habilidad de l@s
estudiantes. Ellos PUEDEN aprender ingls. L@s estudiantes
alcanzan las expectativas del/la profesor@.
Comunique a sus estudiantes que usted espera un buen
desempeo de ellos y explqueles como es un buen
desempeo.
Cambie sus frases negativas a frases positivas: Negativa:
No hiciste la tarea. Que haragn que sos. Positiva: Podes
hacer la tarea y espero que me lo demuestres.
Motive a l@s estudiantes para responder en ingles con
frases como Aqu no hay pena.
Motive a l@s estudiantes para participar. Deles puntos
para participacin.
- En fichas o palitos, escriba los nmeros de 1-60,
dependiendo en el tamao de la clase. Cuando quiere que
alguien participe, elija un nmero y ese estudiante debe
participar o pierde puntos. Se puede usar estos materiales
en todas las clases.
- Para cada clase haga una ficha para cada estudiante. Cada
vez que un estudiante participe en clase marque su ficha. Si
no participa, mrquela con una marca distinta. A cada corte,
use la ficha para calcular la nota de participacin para cada
estudiante.

2. Deles reforzamiento positivo

Libros de participacin
- L@s estudiantes hacen Mini-Libros. (Vea el Mutli-Purpose
Activities Index)

Aprenda los nombres de l@s estudiantes

- Esto demuestra a l@s estudiantes que usted l@s valora y
nota su presencia en la clase.
- Haga etiquetas en clase para ayudarle aprender sus
nombres ms rpido.

Elogie los hechos, no l@s estudiantes

- Ej: Buen trabajo! or Gracias por escuchar.

- Ej: Gracias por estar preparado, en vez de Juan siempre

est preparado.
-Ej: Revisar el contenido de la clase anterior es una
estrategia muy inteligente para prepararte para la prueba.
en vez de Tatiana es muy inteligente.

Use Procedimientos (Rutinas)

Los procedimientos son las maneras en que hacemos algo.
En la clase, algunos procedimientos pueden ser como l@s
estudiantes empiezan cada clase, como entregan sus trabajos,
como escriben en sus cuadernos, etc. Usted debe modelar
y practicar cada procedimiento con l@s estudiantes. Se
debe ensear y practicar los procedimientos en las primeras
semanas de clase. Con la prctica, los procedimientos se
convierten en rutinas. Usted tiene que ser consistente
y siempre usar los mismos procedimientos. Rutinas y
consistencia les hace sentir cmodos a l@s estudiantes porque
saben qu esperar en su clase. Tambin ahorran tiempo para
que usted no tenga que dedicar mucho tiempo en clase a
asuntos logisticos (como entregar trabajos o llamar la atencin
de l@s estudiantes) y puede dedicar el tiempo al aprendizaje.
Usted debera practicar procedimientos para las siguientes
acciones con l@s estudiantes:

1. Empezar a trabajar inmediatamente.

Trabajo del timbre. o Calentamientos. Es una tarea que
usted pone en la pizarra cuando entra en el aula. L@s
estudiantes saben que tienen que empezar esta tarea
cuando tocan el timbre. Puede ser una actividad breve o
solamente que escriban la fecha y agenda de la clase.

2. Llamar la atencin de la clase.

- Ponga un sello o firme el libro cada vez que el estudiante

participa o demuestra buen comportamiento.

Use una seal como levantar la mano.

- Borre o manche los sellos o firmas por mal comportamiento.

(Vea Tenga Reglas en esta seccin.)

Use solamente un mtodo consistentemente.

- Coleccione los libros al final del mes para dar extra puntos
para los sellos.

Juego de Letras
- En un papelografo o con letras cortadas, premie buen
comportamiento aadiendo una letra a la palabra
predeterminada. Por ejemplo, si la palabra es Song,
significa que cuando l@s estudiantes completan la palabra
(por comportarse bien), pueden elegir una cancin en
ingles para escuchar y aprender en clase.
- Cuando l@s estudiantes completan la palabra, deles
el premio.
- Quite letras de la palabra por mal comportamiento. (Vea
Tenga Reglas en esta seccin.)

Use la frase If you can hear me, clap once

3. Escuchar y responder a preguntas.

L@s estudiantes levantan sus manos para responder
a una pregunta.
L@s estudiantes tienen sus cuadernos cerrados o estn
tomando notas cuando el/la profesor@ u otro estudiante
est exponiendo sobre algo.

4. Hacer preguntas.
L@s estudiantes levantan sus manos.
L@s estudiantes escriben su pregunta en un papel y lo
entregan al final de clase.
9

5. Demostrar si entiende las instrucciones o no.

Pregunta a l@s estudiantes si entienden el contenido o las
dirreciones de una actividad.
L@s estudiantes demuestran un pulgar arriba si entienden
o un pulgar abajo si no.
Antes de comenzar una actividad, un(a) estudiante
traduzca las direcciones para verificar comprensin.

6. Trabajar en grupos.
Asignar grupos, y de cada estudiante un rol. Estudiantes
pueden trabajar en estes grupos todo el semestre o mes.
Poner las hileras en formacin para facilitar la transicin a
trabajo en grupos. Asignar los grupos basado en su lugar
en la hilera.

7. Escribir en su cuaderno.

Recuerde, si usted establece un procedimiento en su clase

(como pedir permiso para salir del aula), pero luego permite
a l@s estudiantes salir aun cuando no han pedido permiso,
entonces usted est demostrando a todos que no es necesario
salir sin pedir permiso. Por esta razn, es MUY importante que
usted, el/la profesor@ respete los procedimientos y que sea
consistente en su clase.

Tenga Reglas
Escriba 3-5 reglas con medidas para su clase. No escriba ms
de cinco porque segn investigaciones, es difcil recordar ms
de cinco. Las medidas son necesarias porque sin ellas, el
estudiante no tiene porque seguir las reglas.
Reglas

Medida

1. Sea puntual.

- Pierde puntos de participacin

para ese da.
- Si llega ms de cinco minutos
tarde, tiene que escribir una carta
de disculpa.

2. Escuche al/la profesor@

o a otro companer@
cuando est hablando.

- Primera falta: Nombre en la pizarra

como advertencia

Explicar a l@s estudiantes cuando deben copiar y cuando

no es necesario.
Dgales donde escribir vocabulario. (Ej: una lista de
vocabulario en la esquina del cuaderno)
Explicar que l@s estudiantes deben tener una lista de
vocabulario ambos en ingls y espaol, aunque se
presente el vocabulario sin traducirlo.

- Tercera falta: Pierde puntos y una

llamada a sus padres o tutor.

Dgales donde escribir los ejercicios y como titularlos.

8. Entregar trabajos.
Pasar los papeles a la derecha. Una persona en la ltima
fila recolecta todos.

3. Ponga la basura en
su lugar.

- Pierde puntos

4. No llevantarse de la
silla sin permiso.

- Primera falta: Advertencia

La primera persona en cada fila recolecta los papeles.

9. Cuando un@ estudiante est ausente.

L@s estudiantes deben copiar la leccin de otra persona
antes de la prxima clase.
Dar reglas claras sobre cuando el.la estudiante puede rehacer examenes o trabajos perdidos.

10. Cuando un@ estudiante necesita un lpiz, lapicero,

borrador, etc.
No se puede pedirlo mientras el/la profesor@ habla.
Si l@s estudiantes necesitan materiales durante una
evaluacin, hay que levantar la mano y pedir permiso.
No puede levantarse para prestar materiales.
No se puede tirar materiales en el aula.

- Segunda falta: Pierde puntos.

- Recolecta basura en el patio

durante receso.

- Segunda falta: El/la profesor@

quita puntos de disciplina.

Ejemplos de Reglas y Medidas:

Si es posible, las reglas deberian ser positivas. Por ejemplo,
puede decir escucha en vez de no hables y ponga la basura
en su lugar en vez de no tires basura en el suelo. Sin embargo,
a veces es ms claro y directo usar una regla como No
llevantarse de la silla sin permiso.

Las medidas deben ser:

1. Inmediatastenga un sistema para escribir inmediatamente nombres de l@s estudiantes que han violado la regla.

11. Cuando un@ estudiante termina temprano. (Vea

Tome tiempo para planificar en esta seccin.)

Tenga un libro de medidas donde l@s estudiantes firmen

cuando han violado una regla.

12. Estar preparado para la clase.

Use una seccin especfica de la pizarra o un papelgrafo.

Delegar responsabilidades a l@s estudiantes para

ahorrar tiempo. Usar un sistema de monitores.
- Pasar la asistencia, Borrar la pizarra

L@s estudiantes tienen que terminar el aseo antes de

que comienza la clase.
10

2. ConsistentesSi usted solo cumple con las medidas a veces

(no siempre), l@s estudiantes no tomarn en serio las reglas.
3. Razonables(Vea Reforzamiento Positivo en esta seccin.)
4. IncomodasSi la medida es algo que es deseable para l@s
estudiantes (como no entrar en clase) no tendr ningn
efecto en detener el comportamiento malo.

Cuando un@ estudiante viola una regla o no sigue un

procedimiento:
Habla con calma.
Pregntele al estudiante Qu est haciendo? y no Por
qu est haciendo esto? Si pregunta porque, recibir una
excusa. Cuando usted pregunta que est haciendo, esta
recordndole de una forma indirecta lo que debera
estar haciendo.
Pregntele Qu debera estar haciendo?

Tome Tiempo para Planificar

Como una regla general, si una clase es de una hora, se le debe
tomar dos horas en planificarla.
Cuando planifica sus clases, debera:

1. Dividir los conceptos en partes pequeas.

2. Escriba instrucciones que son claras y simples.
3. Planifique suficiente tiempo para dar las instrucciones.
Las actividades funcionan mejor y ahorra tiempo porque no
tendr que repetir y clarificar despus.
Escriba las instrucciones y dgalas en voz alta.
Repita las instrucciones.
L@s estudiantes repita las instrucciones.
Chequee su comprensin de las instrucciones. (Vea Use
procedimientos en esta seccin.)
Sea el ejemplo.
De ejemplos.

4. Ensene de una forma que toma en cuenta los diferente

estilos de aprendizaje.
Use materiales visuales.
- Mapas

- Fotos

- Dibujos aunque sean recortes!

- Organizadores grficos
Venn diagrams/
T-chart
mapas conceptuales

Redes/
mapas de burbujas

like dont like

Involucre movimiento fsico. (Vea Actividades de MultiUso.)

5. Tenga actividades preparadas para los que terminan las
tareas antes de los dems.
Ser positivo, usar reglas y procedimientos y planificar con
cuidado son todas buenas estrategias para crear un ambiente
cmodo en el aula, y en consecuencia hacer una clase mas
comunicativa.

Objective Writing
and Assessment
In teaching as well as in many aspects of life, we need to set
goals and know where we are headed. When you arrive at the
bus station, do you know where you want to go? No one
arrives at the bus station without a destination in mind.
Likewise, when you walk into English class do you know what
youd like to accomplish? Do you have a goal for your
students? What skills or abilities would you like them to have at
the end of class, the end of the week, or the end of the school
year? We need to know our destination, and once we know,
we can make a plan on how to arrive there in the simplest
and most enjoyable manner. In the classroom, our destination
is a learning objective that MINED gives us in the form of an
Achievement Indicator, such as 7th grade, Unit II: Personal
Information, The student interacts in short introductions
confidently. But how will I know that my students have
achieved this indicator? This is why we have to write objectives
that are specific to our classes and that are easy to measure.
Student assessment is important, and not only because
students must receive grades: assessment allows students
to monitor their own progress as English learners, and for
teachers to see whether we are effectively transmitting the
information to students. Assessment tells us whether or not
we have reached our destinationthe achievement indicator.
But in order to reach this destination, we have to start
planning our journey from the beginning, always keeping
the end goal in mind.

Objectives
Lets go back to the bus station analogy. Theres much more to
a trip than just choosing a destination. Usually we expect to
see landmarks along the way to know were on the right track.
For example, if Im going from Managua to Esteli, I expect to
see signs for Tipitapa, then San Benito, then Sebaco, etc. If I see
a sign that says Welcome to Rivas, I know Im not going in the
direction of my destination.
As learners and teachers of the English language, Nicaraguan
professors know from experience that communication is the
ultimate goal of our classes. We dream that our students will
graduate from high school with the ability communicate in
English with one another and with native speakers. Whats
more, we have Achievement Indicators to tell us what our
destinations should look like. But how can we measure our
students ability to communicate in English to make sure
theyre on the right track?
This is the reason we write objectives. Objectives are
landmarks along the road to the Achievement Indicator.
Objectives are clear, specific, and measurable, so they help
us assess whether or not we are moving closer to the
Achievement Indicator.
11

Objective

Objective

Objective

Achievement
Indicator

5. In what manner?
What grammatical or vocabulary knowledge will the students
need to achieve the new ability? Will they need to use the
simple present? Will they need to use adjectives?
Look at the examples below and identify the answers to these
five questions in the objective.

So how do we write a weekly or class objective for our class

that is based on our Achievement Indicator and that is specific
to our students needs? Lets imagine that this is your Achievement Indicator:
7th grade, Unit III: Usual Activities
Achievement Indicator: The student describes daily activities
using simple present tense.
A possible weekly objective might be: At the end of this
week, students will be able to describe at least 6 daily
activities using the simple present tense.
In order to write this clear, specific, measurable objective,
we answered these questions:

1. What?
What is the new ability that is going to be achieved? Based on
the achievement indicator, we chose describe daily activities.
The verb is very important. The verb needs to be an action that
the students can demonstrate. For example, understand is
not an action verb that you, the teacher, can observe. (Simply
because a student says, Yes, I understand does not mean that
he or she actually does.) What you can observe is an action
that is the result of understanding, like responding, identifying,
describing, explaining, etc.

2. When?
When will they achieve this new ability? The objective above
is a weekly objective, because it says At the end of the week,
but depending on your needs, you can write a daily objectives,
weekly objectives, bi-weekly objectives, etc.

3. Who?
Who is achieving the new ability? In our classes, our focus is
always on what the students will be able to do. An objective
cannot be, Explain the simple past, because this is an objective for the teacher. The teacher can Explain the simple past,
and the students might not understand anything. Our objectives are based on what the students can do, not on what the
teacher can do.

4. How many?
In this case, how many daily activities will the students be able
to describe? This makes the objective easier to measure. This
also depends on your students needs. In one class, ten may
be enough, but in another class ten would be too many. You
decide based on your knowledge of your students.

12

8th grade, Unit II: National Identity

Achievement Indicator: The student recognizes vocabulary and
tradition associated with major Central American holidays and
contrasts with native customs.
Objective: At the end of the week, students will be able to
explain the customs and traditions of at least one Central
American holiday using the simple present tense.
9th grade, Unit III: Directions
Achievement Indicator: The student communicates effectively
using vocabulary related to locations and directions.
Objective: At the end of the week, students will be able
to give directions to three places in their community
using commands.

Connecting Objectives to Assessment

A well-written objective tells you, the teacher, exactly what to
assess. Now that you have written a clear, specific, measurable
objective, the next step is choosing an assessment tool that
actually measures the objective.
Most teachers are very familiar with traditional forms of
assessment. Some characteristics of traditional assessment are:
Decontextualized: In traditional assessment we often use
written tests with fill in the blank or multiple-choice questions. This doesnt reflect real life. How many times have
you arrived at the bus station and the lady at the window
passes you a paper that says: I would like to go to: A) Leon
B) Matagalpa C) Chinandega D) Managua. Decontextualized evaluation does not measure a students ability to use
the language in a real-life situation.
Discrete point: In traditional assessment students translate vocabulary words one at a time or conjugate verbs in
isolated sentences.
Reliable: One positive thing about traditional assessment
is that since the questions only have one correct answer,
anyone can give the test and grade it. The teacher does
not have to speak English to administer the test.
Not valid: The biggest problem with traditional assessment is that it usually does not measure our objectives
very well. Imagine this is my objective: At the end of the
week, students will be able to give directions to five places in
their community using commands. If my assessment is a
test with fill in the blank and multiple-choice, the results
will not tell me which students can actually give directions
around town. The only thing it tells me which students are

 Valid: Authentic, Performance-Based Assessment is based

on learning objectives. Therefore, if your objective is,
At the end of this week, students will be able to describe at
least 6 daily activities using the simple present tense, then
that is exactly what they will do in the assessment. Maybe
the students do a role play or maybe they write a letter. In
this way, the teacher can see if they are able to use
the language.

good at taking tests. The only way for me to know if my

students are able to give directions in their community is if
they actually give directions in their community.
In this section of the manual, we are promoting a different
kind of assessment. It is called Authentic, Performance-Based
Assessment, and some of its characteristics are:
Authentic: This kind of assessment reflects real life situations. For example, if the objective is that the students will
be able to order food in a restaurant, then the assessment
could be a dialogue play where one student is a customer
in a restaurant and the other is a waiter. The customer
chooses food from a menu and the waiter brings it to him.
This allows the teacher to measure the students ability to
use the language in a real life situation.
Integrated: Authentic, Performance-Based Assessment
combines grammar, vocabulary, culture, and many other
parts of language in a way that is natural.

Requires planning of parameters: One disadvantage

of this type of evaluation is that it is susceptible to the
opinion of the teacher. Two teachers grading the same
students assessment can come up with two completely
different grades. That is why the teacher has to plan the
parameters of the assessment long before the day of
the assessment.
Look at the table below and compare traditional assessment
tools to performance-based assessment tools:

Objective

Traditional Assessment

Authentic Performance-Based
Assessment

9th grade, Unit III: Directions

Students take a written test

with questions like:

In pairs students perform a dialogue where a

person explains to a tourist about three places
to visit in town and how to get there.

At the end of the week, students will be able

to give directions to three places in their
community using commands. (See Rubric for
this activity in the chart below.)
10th grade, Unit VI: Natural Disasters
At the end of two weeks, students will be
able to explain what to do in the case of one
natural disaster using modal verbs should,
have to, and must.

11th grade, Unit VI: Parents and Children

And the end of the week, students will be able
to state two opinions on values related to family life and defend their reasons using at least
one different argument phrases. (Ex: In my
opinion I see your point, but. Personally,
I think that.)

Example Rubric
for 9th Grade,
Unit III: Directions

Where is the bank?

It is __________ the
grocery store.
Students take a written test with
questions like:
In a flood, you must:
A) hide under a table
B) eats lots of fruit
C) move to higher ground
D) all of the above
Students take a written test with
questions like: State two opinions
you have on family life and defend
your reasons.

Students make a pamphlet in English

explaining what to do in the event of a natural
disaster using modal verbs and illustrations.

Students participate in a class debate on one

topic related to family life. (Ex: How much
influence should parents have in their childrens
life decisions?) All students must participate
by stating their opinions and using argument
phrases.

Excellent (25 pts)

OK (15 pts)

Poor (5 pts)

Use of commands

Uses at least 5 commands

correctly

Uses 3-5 commands correctly

Uses 2 or less commands correctly

Use of prepositions
of place

Uses at least 4 prepositions of place correctly

Uses 2-3 prepositions of

place correctly

Uses 2 or less prepositions of

place correctly

Pronunciation

Almost no errors in
pronunciation

A few errors in pronunciation

Many errors in pronunciation

Presence

Speaks loud and clear,

not shy when speaking

A little timid, but easy

to understand

Very timid, mumbles

when speaking

Total points:

13

Rubrics
As mentioned before, authentic, performance-based assessment can be difficult to grade if there are not clear parameters set from the beginning. In order to make sure that both
teacher and student are clear about what will be graded on
the exam, it is very helpful to use a rubric. The chart on the
bottom of page 12 is an example rubric for the 9th grade
assessment in the chart above.
In pairs students perform a dialogue where a person is
telling a tourist about three places to visit in town and how
to get there.
This rubric contains four parameters: use of commands, use
of prepositions of place, pronunciation, and presence. It also
contains a scale of excellent, ok, and poor. For each parameter,
there is a descriptor which describes what an excellent performance, ok performance, and poor performance looks like.
On the day that the teacher explains the assignment, the
students copy the rubric in their notebooks. With this information the students know exactly what to do to receive a good
grade. In addition, the teacher has less work to do on the day
of the assessment: he or she simply uses the rubric to grade
the students, and writes the grade on the rubric in the
students notebook.

Summary
With these toolsobjectives, performance-based assessment,
and rubricsyou, the teacher will be able to assess your students in a way that not only measures your students ability to
use English in real situations, but also in a way that helps you
to be sure that youre on your way to reaching your goal. These
practices are like a roadmap that provides landmarks on the
way to your destinationcommunication in English!

Escribiendo Objetivos y
Evaluacin
Tanto en la enseanza como en muchos aspectos de la vida,
necesitamos establecer metas para saber hacia dnde vamos.
Cuando uno llega a la estacin de buses, ya sabe donde quiere
ir. Nadie llega hasta la estacin de buses sin un destino en
mente. Igualmente, cuando entra en el aula de clase, sabe
lo que quiere lograr? Tiene una meta para sus estudiantes?
Cules habilidades o destrezas quiere que tengan ellos al final
de la clase, al final de la semana, al final del ao? Necesitamos
saber nuestro destino, y una vez que sabemos, podemos hacer
un plan sobre cmo llegar en la manera ms sencilla y agradable.
En el aula, nuestro destino es un objetivo de aprendizaje que
nos da MINED en la forma de indicador de logro, como este: 7
grado, Unidad II: Personal Information, The student interacts
in short introductions confidently. Pero como sabr que los
estudiantes han logrado este indicador? Por eso, tenemos que
escribir objetivos que son especficos a nuestras clases y que
son fciles de evaluar.
La evaluacin de estudiantes es importante, y no solo porque
los estudiantes deben recibir calificaciones: la evaluacin
les permite a los estudiante monitorear su propio progreso
como hablantes de ingls, y para que el/la profesor@ vea si
est transmitiendo la informacin de una forma eficaz. La
evaluacin nos dice si hemos llegado a nuestro destinoel
indicador de logro. Pero para llegar a este destino, tenemos
que empezar a planificar el viaje desde el principio, sin perder
de vista la meta que queremos alcanzar.

Objetivos
Regresemos a la analoga de la estacin de buses. Hay mucho
ms en planear un viaje que solamente elegir un destino.
Normalmente, esperamos ver puntos de referencia a lo largo
del camino para saber que vamos por la va correcta. Por
ejemplo, si voy de Managua a Estel, espero ver rtulos para
Tipitapa, luego San Benito, luego Sbaco, etc. Si veo un rtulo
que dice Bienvenidos a Rivas, s que no voy en la direccin de
mi destino.
Como estudiantes y profesor@s de ingls, sabemos por
experiencia que la comunicacin es la meta final de nuestras
clases. Soamos que nuestros estudiantes se graden de la
secundaria con la habilidad de comunicarse en ingls entre
ellos y con hablantes nativos. Adems, tenemos indicadores
de logros para decirnos como ser este destino. Pero cmo
podemos medir la habilidad del habla o la comunicacin en
nuestros estudiantes y asegurarnos que van por el camino
correcto?
Por esta razn escribimos objetivos. Los objetivos son nuestros
puntos de referencia en el camino hacia el indicador de logro.
Los objetivos son claros, especficos, y medibles, as que nos
ayudan a evaluar si estamos acercndonos al indicador
de logro.

14

Ahora, cmo escribimos un objetivo de clase o semanal que

est basado en nuestro indicador de logro y que es especifico
segn las necesidades de nuestros estudiantes? Imaginemos
que este es su indicador de logro:
7 grado, Unidad III: Usual Activities
Indicador de Logro: The student describes daily activities using
simple present tense
Un objetivo semanal podra ser: Al final de la semana, los
estudiantes sern capaces de describir al menos 6 actividades
diarias usando el presente simple.
Para escribir este objetivo claro, especifico, y medible,
contestamos estas preguntas:

1. Cul?
Cul es la nueva habilidad que ser lograda? Basado en el
indicador de logro, elegimos describir actividades diarias.
El verbo que usamos es muy importante. Necesita ser una
accin que los estudiantes pueden demostrar. Por ejemplo,
comprender no es un verbo de accin porque usted, el/la
profesor@ no puede observar comprensin. (Simplemente
porque el/la estudiante dice, Si, entiendo no significa
que realmente entiende.) Lo que si puede observar es una
accin que es el resultado de comprensin, como responder,
identificar, describir, explicar, etc.

2. Cundo?
Cundo lograrn esta nueva habilidad? El objetivo arriba es
un objetivo semanal, por eso dice Al final de la semana, pero
dependiendo de sus necesidades, puede escribir objetivos
diarios, semanales, quincenales, etc.

3. Quin?
Quin va a lograr esta nueva habilidad? En nuestras clases,
nuestro enfoque siempre est en lo que los estudiantes
pueden hacer. Un objetivo no puede ser, Explicar el pasado
simple, porque esto es un objetivo para el/la profesor@. El/
la profesor@ puede lograr el objetivo de Explicar el pasado
simple, y tal vez los estudiantes no entendern nada.
Nuestros objetivos estn basados en lo que los estudiantes
sern capaces de hacer, no en lo que el/la profesor@ ser
capaz de hacer.

4. Cuntos?
En este caso, cuntas actividades diarias describirn los
estudiantes? Cuantificar el objetivo lo hace ms fcil de medir.
Esto tambin depende de las necesidades de sus estudiantes.
En una seccin, tal vez diez es suficiente, pero en otra seccin
diez es demasiado. Usted decide segn cunto conozca a sus
estudiantes.

5. De qu manera?
Qu gramtica o vocabulario necesitarn saber usar los
estudiantes para poder lograr la nueva habilidad? Necesitarn
el presente simple? Necesitarn usar adjetivos? En el ejemplo
de arriba, incluimos esta parte con la frase usando el presente
simple.
Mire los ejemplos siguientes e identifique las respuestas a estas
cinco preguntas en cada objetivo.
8 grado, Unidad II: National Identity
Indicador de logro: The student recognizes vocabulary and
tradition associated with major Central American holidays and
contrasts with native customs.
Objetivo: Al final de la semana, los estudiantes sern capaces
de explicar los costumbres y tradiciones de al menos una
fiesta centroamericana usando el presente simple.
9 grado, Unidad III: Directions
Indicador de logro: The student communicates effectively using
vocabulary related to locations and directions.
Objetivo: Al final de la semana, los estudiantes sern capaces
de dar direcciones de tres lugares en su comunidad usando
comandos.

Conectando los Objetivos a la Evaluacin

Un objetivo bien escrito le dice a usted, el/la profesor@,
exactamente lo que va a evaluar. Ahora que ha escrito un
objetivo que es claro, especifico, y medible, el siguiente paso
es elegir una herramienta de evaluacin que realmente mide
el objetivo.
La mayora de los profesores estn muy familiarizados con la
forma tradicional de evaluar. Aqu hay unas caractersticas de
evaluacin tradicional:
Descontextualizada: Frecuentemente en la evaluacin
tradicional usamos exmenes escritos con un complete
o preguntas de seleccin mltiple. Este tipo de examen
no refleja la vida real. Cuntas veces ha llegado a
la estacin de buses y la seora en la ventanilla le
pasa una hoja que dice Me gustara ir a: A) Len B)
Matagalpa C) Chinandega D) Managua? La evaluacin
descontextualizada no mide la habilidad del estudiante
para usar el idioma en una situacin de la vida real.
Lenguaje aislado: En la evaluacin tradicional, los
estudiantes traducen palabras de vocabulario una por una
o conjugan verbos en oraciones aisladas.
Confiable: Una cosa positiva de evaluacin tradicional es
que cualquier persona puede aplicar y calificar el examen,
porque cada pregunta solo tiene una respuesta correcta.
El/la profesor@ no tiene que hablar ingls para aplicar
el examen.
No valida: El problema ms grande con la evaluacin
tradicional es que normalmente no mide muy bien los
objetivos. Imagine que esto es mi objetivo: Al final de la
15

semana, los estudiantes sern capaces de dar direcciones

a cinco lugares en su comunidad usando comandos. Si mi
evaluacin es un examen con un complete y eleccin
mltiple, los resultados no me dirn cuales estudiantes
realmente pueden dar direcciones en su comunidad.
Solo me dir cuales estudiantes tienen buenas destrezas
de tomar exmenes. La nica manera de saber si mis
estudiantes pueden dar direcciones en su comunidad es
si realmente dan direcciones en su comunidad.
En esta seccin del manual, estamos promoviendo un tipo de
evaluacin diferente. Se llama Evaluacin Autntica de
Desempeo, y algunas de sus caractersticas son:
Autntica: Este tipo de evaluacin refleja situaciones de la
vida real. Por ejemplo, si el objetivo es que los estudiantes
sern capaces de pedir comida en un restaurante, la
evaluacin podra ser que los estudiantes hagan un
dilogo donde uno es cliente y otro es mesero. Uno tiene
que pedir comida de un men y el otro tiene que traerla.
Este tipo de evaluacin permite al/la profesor@ medir la
habilidad de los estudiantes de usar el lenguaje en una
situacin de la vida real.

Integrada: La evaluacin autntica de desempeo

combina gramtica, vocabulario, cultura, y muchas otras
partes del idioma de una manera natural.
Vlida: La evaluacin que es autntica y est basada
en el desempeo del estudiante siempre est basada
en objetivos de aprendizaje. Como consecuencia, si su
objetivo es, Al final de la semana, los estudiantes sern
capaces de describir al menos 6 actividades diarias usando el
presente simple, entonces es exactamente lo que harn los
estudiantes en la evaluacin. Tal vez hacen un sociodrama
o escriben una carta. De esta manera, el/la profesor@
puede ver si pueden usar el idioma.
Requiere planeamiento de parmetros: Una desventaja
de este tipo de evaluacin es que es susceptible a la
opinin del/la profesor@. Dos profesores calificando la
evaluacin del mismo estudiante puede sacar dos notas
completamente diferentes. Por eso un/a profesor@ debe
planificar los parmetros de la evaluacin mucho antes del
da de la evaluacin.
Mire la tabla abajo y compare las herramientas de la
evaluacin tradicional con las herramientas de la evaluacin
autntica de desempeo:

Objetivo

Evaluacin Tradicional

Evaluacin Autntica de desempeo

9 grado, Unidad III: Directions

Los estudiantes toman un examen

escrito con preguntas como:

En parejas los estudiantes hacen un dilogo

donde una persona explica a un turista sobre
tres lugares para visitar en su comunidad y
cmo llegar.

Al final de la semana, los estudiantes sern

capaces de dar direcciones a tres lugares en
su comunidad usando comandos.

10 grado, Unidad VI: Natural Disasters

Al final de dos semanas, los estudiantes sern
capaces de explicar que hacer en el caso de un
desastre natural usando verbos modales como
should, have to, y must.

11 grado, Unidad VI: Parents and Children

Al final de la semana, los estudiantes sern
capaces de decir dos opiniones sobre valores
relacionados con la familia y defender su
opinin usando frases de discusion. (Ej: In my
opinion I see your point, but. Personally, I
think that.)

Where is the bank?

It is __________ the grocery store.

Los estudiantes toman un examen

escrito con preguntas como:
In a flood, you must:
A) hide under a table
B) eats lots of fruit
C) move to higher ground
D) all of the above
Los estudiantes toman un examen
escrito con preguntas como:
State two opinions you have on family
life and defend your reasons.

*Vea ejemplo de una rbrica para esta actividad en la prxima pagina

16

Los estudiantes hacen un panfleto en ingls

explicando qu hacer en el evento de un
desastre natural usando verbos modales e
ilustraciones.

Los estudiantes participan en un debate en

clase sobre un tema relacionado con la vida
familiar. (ej: How much influence should parents
have in their childrens life decisions?) Todos los
estudiantes deben participar diciendo sus
opiniones y usando las frases de argumento.

Rbricas
Como mencionamos antes, la evaluacin autntica de
desempeo puede ser difcil de calificar si no hay parmetros
claros desde el principio. Para asegurar que el/la profesor@ y
el/la estudiante estn claros sobre lo que ser calificado en el
examen, es conveniente usar una rbrica. Abajo hay un
ejemplo de una rbrica para la evaluacin de 9 grado en la
tabla de la pgina 16.
En parejas los estudiantes hacen un dilogo donde una
persona explica a un turista sobre tres lugares para visitar en
su comunidad y cmo llegar a dichos lugares.
Esta rbrica contiene cuatro parmetros: uso de comandos,
uso de preposiciones de lugar, pronunciacin, y presencia.
Tambin contiene una escala de excelente, ok, y pobre. Para
cada parmetro hay un descriptor, lo cual describe cmo es
un desempeo excelente, un desempeo ok, y un desempeo
pobre.

El da que el/la profesor@ explica la tarea que harn para la

evaluacin, los estudiantes copian la rbrica en sus cuadernos.
Con esta informacin los estudiantes saben exactamente lo
que tienen que hacer para sacar una buena nota. Adems, el/la
profesor@ tiene menos trabajo el da de la evaluacin: solo usa
la rbrica para calificar el trabajo de los estudiantes y escribe la
nota en la rbrica en el cuaderno del/la estudiante.

Resumen
Con estas herramientasobjetivos, la evaluacin autntica
de desempeo, y rbricasusted, el/la profesor@, ser capaz
de evaluar a sus estudiantes de una manera que no solamente
mide su habilidad de usar ingls en situaciones de la vida real,
pero que tambin le ayuda a asegurar que est en el camino
para alcanzar su meta. Estas prcticas son como el mapa que
le da los puntos de referencia en el camino hacia su destino
comunicacin en ingls!

Ejemplo de una rbrica para 9 grado, Unidad III: Directions

Excelente (25 pts)

OK (15 pts)

Pobre (5 pts)

Uso de comandos

Uso de por lo menos 5

comandos correctamente

Uso de 3-5 comandos

correctamente

Uso de 2 o menos comandos

correctamente

Uso de preposiciones
de lugar

Uso de por lo menos 4 preposiciones de lugar correctamente

Uso de 2-3 preposiciones de

lugar correctamente

Uso de 2 o menos preposiciones

de lugar correctamente

Pronunciacin

Casi no hay errores

de pronunciacin

Pocos errores de
pronunciacin

Muchos errores de
pronunciacin

Presencia

Habla fuerte y claramente,

no es tmido cuando habla

Un poco tmido, pero fcil

de entender

Muy tmido, casi no se escucha

cuando habla

Total de puntos:

17

Preparing Students for Real

Communication
Our goal as teachers is to help students use English to
communicate information relevant to their lives. Therefore,
our objective in the classroom is to engage students in
communicative activities that use authentic language.
However, before students are ready to participate in realistic
communicative tasks, they must master the necessary
grammar and vocabulary. This mastery comes only through
sufficient and appropriate practice. The aim of this chapter,
thus, is to present ways to improve practice activities and
offer strategies for transitioning to production activities. If
we adequately prepare our students, they will be able to
use English not just to pass an exam, but rather to really
communicate!

I. USING DRILLS AS PRACTICE

We learn habits through repetition. Using repetition in
the classroom, therefore, helps students establish English
structures as habits, which greatly helps the language learning
process. These habits will help students communicate without
having to think about every single word. This helps build
student confidence, so that they will feel more ready to
produce original language in the You Do/Production phase.
Repetition exercises, or drills, sometimes have a bad
reputation, because they can be very boring if students simply
repeat vocabulary words after the teacher. However, if used
with adequate variation, drills can be a fun and effective
practice exercise for teachers and students. Following are
some techniques that offer variety for the very important
process of learning through repetition.

A. Oral Substitution Drills

In oral communication, drills help students pronunciation.
Students hear the teachers correct pronunciation, imitate
what they hear, and later are able to substitute new language
in the same structure. Students repeat not just vocabulary
words, but rather useful phrases or chunks of language.
To implement oral substitution drills, give students a
common structure that will be useful in their lives and that
demonstrates the lessons grammar. Start with the basic
structure from the lesson and vary the language as the
students engage in the repetition. Students will replace the
language in the sentence with the language you give as a cue.

18

Example:
Teacher says:

In my backpack, I have a notebook.
Class repeats:
In my backpack, I have a notebook.
Teacher says (cue):

a pencil
One student says:
In my backpack, I have a pencil.
Teacher repeats:
In my backpack, I have a pencil.
Class repeats:

In my backpack, I have a pencil.
Teacher says (cue):
a ruler
One student says:
In my backpack, I have a ruler
Teacher repeats :
In my backpack, I have a ruler.
Class repeats:
In my backpack, I have a ruler.
Teacher says (cue):

a marker
Etc.
The teacher gives the original phrase or sentence (which can
be written on the board) and the students repeat it as a group.
The teacher then gives a new word (the cue). Then the teacher
indicates a single student to repeat the sentence, substituting
the new word (in the example above, pencil) for the original
word (in the example above, notebook). The student might
correctly substitute the cue, or he/she might produce an
incorrect sentence. In either case, the teacher repeats the
sentence in its correct form, so that all of the class can verify
if the students response was correct or not. After the teacher
has given the correct sentence, the whole class repeats it
together. The pattern is thus:
1. Teacher says the original sentence.
2. Class repeats the original sentence.
3. Teacher gives the cue and indicates an individual
student.
4. Individual student responds, using the cue.
5. Teacher gives the correct response.
6. Class repeats the correct response.
Change the exercise frequently to keep the students
interested. Subject pronouns, negative forms, and
interrogative forms can also be used as cues.
Example:
Teacher says:
I dont have a notebook in my
backpack.
Class repeats:
I dont have a notebook in my
backpack.
Teacher says (cue):
a pen
One student says:
I dont have a pen in my backpack.
Teacher repeats:
I dont have a pen in my backpack.
Class repeats:
I dont have a pen in my backpack.
Teacher says (cue):
He
One student says:
He doesnt have a marker in his
backpack.
Etc.

The final stage of this process is to use a variety of types of

changes in one exercise:

Students should copy the written drills in their notebooks. The

written drills can then be practiced orally.

Example:

Quick Summary, Oral and Written Drills: Oral and written drills
are one way to improve practice activities, because they are
an opportunity to practice many aspects of language at once.
Although they have a reputation for being boring, drills can
be an interesting and effective practice activity if used with
sufficient variety. Follow the structure provided above in order
to implement drills in your classroom.

Teacher says:

I have long hair.
Class repeats:

I have long hair.
Teacher says (cue):

brown
One student says:
I have brown hair.
Teacher repeats:
I have brown hair.
Class repeats:

I have brown hair.
Teacher says (cue):

eyes
One student says:
I have brown eyes.
Teacher repeats:
I have brown eyes.
Class repeats:

I have brown eyes.
Teacher says (cue):
He
One student says:
He has brown eyes.
Teacher repeats:

He has brown eyes.
Class repeats:
He has brown eyes.
Teacher says (cue):
They
One student says:
They have brown eyes.
Teacher repeats:
They have brown eyes.
Class repeats:
They have brown eyes.
While students focus on substituting nouns or changing
the verbs, they are also repeating the structures (affirmative,
negative, interrogative) and mastering useful phrases. Each
cue is focused on making one small change, but in reality
students are practicing many different aspects of language.
NOTE: Drilling with many different kinds of changes is almost
as difficult as talking in real life, so mistakes are natural and
expected. When students make a mistake, tell them not to
worry. Students just need to focus on repeating the correct
version after you.

B. Written Substitution Drills

Sometimes it is difficult for students to make changes in fastpaced oral substitution drills. Therefore, you can use the same
kind substitution-repetition drills as written exercises.
To use a written substitution drill, write the model for the
conjugation (affirmative, negative, interrogative) on one
side of the board. Write a sentence on the board, then give
a cue for the change you want applied to the sentence. Call
an individual student to come to the board and write (in a
different color) a new sentence, according to the cue that
you gave. Then continue giving cues and calling on different
individual students to apply the corresponding changes to the
sentence.
Example:
Teacher writes:
Cue for Student 1:
Student 1 writes:
Cue for Student 2:
Student 2 writes:

They have brown eyes.

blue
They have blue eyes.
I
I have blue eyes.

II. APPLYING CONTEXTS TO PRACTICE AND

PRODUCTION ACTIVITIES
Many English exercises, especially written exercises, use
language out of context. Real communication, however,
always occurs within a context. Therefore, practice activities
are more authentic and interesting for students when they are
given within a situation or story.
An exercise with context has a theme or specific content, and
all language tasks within the exercise occur within the same
situation. For example, consider the content area Family
Members from 7.2.4. A practice activity without context
would be an assortment of unrelated, random sentences
about different peoples family members. In this case, the
target vocabulary and grammar would be practiced, but
students would have difficulty connecting the new language
to a realistic life situation. Compare that activity with the
family tree activity (7.2.4 I Do/Presentation), which is an
activity with context. In this activity, all sentences are related
in a single context of one family. Furthermore, all statements
about family members can be verified; students can search the
tree for answers to the questions they are given. The grammar
exercise comes from a realistic situation, which helps students
understand the new language structures practical use in real
life. The exercise is even more effective when attached to an
authentic context, like a real family tree of people the students
know.
Following are examples of how to implement contexts into
classroom practice activities.

A. Fill-In-The-Blank Exercises with a Context

Fill-in-the-blank exercises, in which students complete a space
with a correct verb or pronoun, are a very common We Do/
Practice step for any content. However, these exercises are
often a random collection of sentences that are completely
unrelated in their topics. When using a fill-in-the-blank
exercise, maintain a consistent theme or story in all the
sentences in order to give the exercise a context and to keep
student interest.

19

Compare the two sets of exercises below:

Set A. Present Progressive Exercises
1. I _____ medicine. (study) I am studying medicine.

This technique can be useful combined with fill-in-the-blank

exercises as well. For example:
Read the paragraph and then complete the following
sentences using has to, doesnt have to, should, and must not:

2. Joe _____ a sandwich. (eat) Joe is eating a sandwich.

1. Mike ______wash the dishes.

3. We _____ to school. (walk) We are walking to school.

2. He _________wash the car,

4. Donna and Matthew _____ TV. (watch) Donna and Matthew

are watching TV.

Set B. Present Progressive Exercises: The Soccer Competition

3. Alice_________wash the floor.

1. I _____ for a soccer competition. (prepare) I am preparing for

a soccer competition.
2. My brother _____ with me. (practice) My brother is practicing
with me.
3. We ______ to improve our skills. (try) We are trying to
improve our skills.
4. My team ______ tickets to the game. (sell) My team is selling
tickets to the game.
Exercise Set B is more interesting to students, because it
provides a context for the language and allows students to
picture a story for the sentences. It is also a more realistic use
of language, because real communication is always part of a
situation or context.
When writing fill-in-the-blank exercises, try to imagine a
situation for the target language, and maintain the consistent
theme throughout all of the sentences.

B. Scenarios
Scenarios are another type of exercise that practice language
structures within a context. A scenario is a short paragraph
explaining a situation, followed by questions. It is a useful
practice activity, because it shows students how target
language structures are applied to real situations. Scenarios
can be used to practice any vocabulary or grammar structures.
Example (from 10.1.3 Family Ties):
Mrs. Smith asks her son, Mike, to please take out the garbage
and wash the car. She orders her daughter, Alice, to wash the
dishes and sweep the floor.
Questions:
Does Mike have to wash dishes?
Does Mike have to wash the car?
Does Alice need to wash the floor?
Should Alice take out the garbage?
Is it true that Mike must not sweep the floor?
Note how the context makes the grammar much clearer.
Without a situation, it would be difficult to distinguish
between degrees of necessity, but when a clear situation is
given, students can imagine themselves in the story and thus
determine the correct answers.
20

4. Alice _________take out the garbage.

5. Mike and Alice ___________forget to do their chores.

C. Skits
Skits, or role-plays, are another good way to approach
authentic language use within a context. First, give students a
scenario, and ask them to determine what they would say and
do in the given situation. Next, ask groups of students to write
scenes based on their scenarios. Later, ask students to act out
their scenes. If students have difficulty, have them write scenes
based on a model, controlling the kind of language they will
use.
Example:
Students read the scenario in groups:
You arrive at school and you see that your best friend, Mara
Jos, is crying. She is very sad because her ex-boyfriend has a
new girlfriend. Mara Jos asks you to accompany her to the
park to talk to her, but English class is starting. What will you
do?
Next, the group members determine their roles within
the scenario. Then students create a dialogue using the
target language structures. For example, if the students are
practicing have to/must/dont have to/must not/should/need
to, their skit might look like this:
Alicia: Teacher, I have to miss class. I need to go to the park with
Mara Jos.
Teacher: No, you must sit down and be quiet.
Alicia: You dont understand. Mara Jos has a problem, and I
have to talk to her.
Ramn: You should help your friend, but you dont have to do it
right now. You can talk to her after class. We students must be
in class.
Alicia: But Mara Jos is very sad! I think I should talk to her now.
Interesting hypothetical situations are more fun for the
students than thinking about their real life chores, family
problems, etc. You can also include discussion questions
about whether or not students agree with their classmates
suggestions or actions.

Quick Summary, Context: Giving context to language

is another easy way to improve practice and production
activities. Context not only makes language exercises more
interesting but also more authentic. Fill-in-the-blank stories,
scenarios, and skits are all examples of practice activities that
use context.

Many activities in the manual will require this kind of extensive

preparation before students can transition to communication.
Luckily, if you use the same types of activities frequently, the
students will remember them, and you wont have to explain
them each time. See the Multi-Purpose Activities Index for
activities you can apply to many contents.

Preparing and Transitioning to Communicative

Production Activities

Quick Summary, Transition to Production: Even with a lot

of practice activities, students may have difficulty producing
language on their own. Help students make the transition
to production by giving clear instructions, explaining the
language needed for communication, and modeling activities.

The ultimate goal of practice activities is to prepare students

for communicative You Do activities, but students cannot
produce language without sufficient preparation. Remember
that students will need to practice target language structures
with two or three activities before becoming comfortable
enough with the new material to use it to communicate
independently.
Even after a lot of appropriate, effective practice activities, it
is often still difficult for students to proceed to the You Do/
Production phase. You can help students make this transition
from practice to production by giving clear instructions and
explaining specifically the type of language that will be used
in each activity.
Consider, for example, a lesson on family (7.2.4).
For this lesson, you can present the activity Find Someone
Who
Find someone who
_____________ has no sisters.
_____________ has a grandmother over 70 years old.
_____________ has an uncle named Carlos.
_____________ has a niece.
After the students have copied the list in their notebooks, ask
them: What questions will you need to ask to find someone?
How will you find, for example, someone who has no sisters?
What will you ask each person you talk to? How will you
answer the questions? These questions make students think
about the specific language they will need to do the activity.
Next, give examples for the type of language you want
students to produce in the activity (in this case, questions and
answers about family members).
Example:
How many brothers/sisters do you have? I have _____/(no)
sister(s).
How old is your grandmother? Shes ____years old.
What are your uncles names? My uncles names are ______,
_______, and _______.
Do you have a niece? Yes, I do/No, I dont.

Choosing the Right Content

Sometimes there isnt enough time to get all the students to
master all of the material suggested for each lesson. It can
be a long, slow process going from simple repetition to being
able to use new constructions and vocabulary to genuinely
communicate. You cant usually go from I do/Presentation
to We do/Practice to You do/Production in one lesson. So
you need to limit the content that you present and the skills
(reading, writing, listening, speaking) that you focus on.
Think about the lesson and how students will use it in their
lives. For example, take Classroom Actions (7.1.2). Students
need to understand these sentences when you say them in
class, but they dont need to be able to say them, because they
are not the teacher. Therefore, you can focus on just listening
activities for this section, not on speaking, reading, or writing.
In Giving Directions (9.3.2) it may be important for students
to understand oral directions (if they are in a foreign English
speaking city) or to be able to give directions (to a foreigner in
their city). But it is unlikely that they will need to read or write
such directions as often. So you can focus on speaking and
listening, instead of reading and writing.
An important thing to remember: Test students on what
you teach them. If there isnt time to teach both writing and
speaking for a topic, make sure you evaluation reflects what
the students practiced. For example: If you teach Classroom
Actions through listening, you shouldnt give a test that
requires the students to write out the classroom action
commands. This is not authentic to how they will use English
in the real world or classroom, and does not reflect what
you taught. On the other hand, if you teach Folklore (10.2.2)
through reading exercises, a reading comprehension quiz on
the stories you studied would be appropriate.

Always model the activity before starting, so that students

have an example of how the interaction should look and
sound. Also remember to leave examples written on the board
for students reference.

21

Preparando al Estudiante
para Comunicacin Real
Nuestra meta como profesores es ayudar a los estudiantes
a que usen el ingls para comunicar informacin que sea
relevante en sus vidas. Por lo tanto nuestro objetivo en la clase
es impulsar a los estudiantes a que participen en actividades
comunicativas que imiten el uso autntico del lenguaje. Sin
embargo, antes de que los estudiantes estn listos para
participar en tareas comunicativas reales, deben dominar el
vocabulario y la gramtica necesaria. Este dominio viene slo
de suficiente y adecuada prctica. El objetivo de este captulo,
entonces, es presentar maneras de mejorar las actividades de
prctica y ofrecer estrategias para la transicin a actividades
de produccin. Si preparamos a los estudiantes de forma
adecuada, tendrn la habilidad de usar el ingls no slo para
aprobar un examen, sino para comunicarse de verdad!

I. Usando Drills Como Prctica

Adquirimos hbitos a travs de la repeticin. Usando la
repeticin en el aula de clase ayudamos a los estudiantes a
reconocer estructuras gramaticales de forma rutinaria, lo que
facilita el proceso de aprendizaje del idioma. A travs del uso
de la repeticin, los estudiantes pueden comunicarse (de
forma oral o escrita) sin necesidad de pensar en cada palabra.
Esto ayuda a darles confianza, para que se sientan ms
preparados a producir lenguaje original en la fase de You Do/
Produccin.
Ejercicios repetitivos, o drills, a veces tienen una mala
reputacin, porque pueden ser bastante aburridos si el
estudiante slo tiene que repetir el vocabulario que dicta el
profesor. No obstante, si se usa una variacin adecuada, drills
pueden ser ejercicios divertidos y efectivos para el profesor y
los estudiantes. Lo que sigue son algunas tcnicas para ofrecer
una variedad de ejercicios para el indispensable proceso de
aprendizaje a travs de la repeticin.

A. Ejercicios de Sustitucin Oral

En comunicacin oral, los ejercicios repetitivos ayudan a la
pronunciacin de los estudiantes. Los estudiantes escuchan
la pronunciacin correcta del profesor, imitan lo odo, y
despus son capaces de sustituir nuevas palabras en la misma
estructura. Los estudiantes no solo repiten el vocabulario, sino
frases o trozos tiles del idioma.
Para implementar ejercicios de sustitucin oral, d a los
estudiantes una estructura comn que ser til en sus vidas
y que presente la gramtica de la leccin. Empiece con una
estructura bsica de la leccin y vare el lenguaje con cada
repeticin de los estudiantes. Los estudiantes reemplazan el
lenguaje de la oracin con lenguaje que usted da como pistas.

22

Ejemplo:
Profesor dice:

In my backpack, I have a notebook.
Clase repite:
In my backpack, I have a notebook.
Profesor dice (pista):

a pencil
Un estudiante dice:
In my backpack, I have a pencil.
Profesor repite:
In my backpack, I have a pencil.
Clase repite:

In my backpack, I have a pencil.
Profesor dice (pista):
a ruler
Un estudiante dice:
In my backpack, I have a ruler
Profesor repite:
In my backpack, I have a ruler.
Clase repite:
In my backpack, I have a ruler.
Profesor dice (pista):

a marker
Etc.
El profesor da la oracin original (que puede estar escrita en
la pizarra) y los estudiantes la repiten como grupo. Entonces
el profesor da una nueva palabra (la pista). Despus, el
profesor elige a un solo estudiante para que repita la oracin,
sustituyendo la nueva palabra (en el ejemplo dado, pencil)
por la palabra original (en el ejemplo dado, notebook). El
estudiantes puede que sustituya la palabra original por la pista
de forma correcta, o el/ella puede que produzca una oracin
incorrecta. En cualquier caso, el profesor repite la oracin de
forma correcta, para que toda la clase pueda verificar si la
respuesta del estudiante fue correcta o no. Despus de que el
profesor d la repuesta correcta, la clase entera lo repite.

1. El profesor dice la oracin original.

2. La clase repite la oracin original.
3. El profesor da la pista y elige a un estudiante.
4. El estudiante responde, usando la pista.
5. El profesor da la respuesta correcta.
6. La clase repite la respuesta correcta.

Cambie el ejercicio frecuentemente para mantener

interesados a los estudiantes. Los pronombres, la forma
negativa, y la forma interrogativa tambin pueden ser usados
como pistas.
Ejemplo:
Profesor dice:
I dont have a notebook in my
backpack.
Clase repite:
I dont have a notebook in my
backpack.
Profesor dice (pista):
a pen
Un estudiante dice:
I dont have a pen in my backpack.
Profesor repite:
I dont have a pen in my backpack.
Clase repite:
I dont have a pen in my backpack.
Profesor dice (pista):
He
Un estudiante dice:
He doesnt have a pen in his backpack.

En la etapa final del proceso se aplican varios tipos de cambios

a un solo ejercicio:

Los estudiantes deben copiar el ejercicio en sus cuadernos. El

ejercicio escrito puede entonces ser practicado de forma oral.

Ejemplo:

Resumen, Drills Orales y Escritos: Drills orales y escritos

son una manera de mejorar las actividades de prctica, porque
ofrecen una oportunidad de practicar diferentes aspectos
del lenguaje todos al mismo tiempo. Aunque tienen la
reputacin de ser aburridos, los ejercicios repetitivos pueden
ser interesantes y efectivos si se usa suficiente variedad. Sigua
la estructura indicada arriba para implementar ejercicios
repetitivos en su aula de clase.

Profesor dice:
I have long hair.
Clase repite:
I have long hair.
Profesor dice (pista):
brown
Un estudiante dice:
I have brown hair.
Profesor repite:
I have brown hair.
Clase repite:
I have brown hair.
Profesor dice (pista):
eyes.
Un estudiante dice:
I have brown eyes.
Profesor repite:
I have brown eyes.
Clase repite:
I have brown eyes.
Profesor dice (pista):
He
Un estudiante dice:
He has brown eyes.
Profesor repite:
He has brown eyes.
Clase repite:
He has brown eyes.
Profesor dice (pista):
They
Un estudiante dice:
They have brown eyes.
Profesor repite:
They have brown eyes.
Clase repite:
They have brown eyes.

Mientras los estudiantes se enfocan en sustituir el sustantivo

o en cambiar el verbo, tambin estn repitiendo la estructura
gramatical (afirmativa, negativa, interrogativa) y dominando
oraciones tiles. Cada pista esta enfocada en hacer un
pequeo cambio, pero en realidad los estudiantes estn
practicando muchos diferentes aspectos del idioma.
NOTA: Usar muchos diferentes cambias durante un ejercicio
es casi tan difcil como hablar en la vida real, as que es natural
que los estudiantes cometan errores. Cuando esto ocurra,
dgale al estudiante que no se preocupe. Los estudiantes solo
necesitan enfocarse en repetir la versin correcta despus de
que la repita el profesor.

B. Ejercicios de Sustitucin Escrita

A veces es difcil para los estudiantes hacer cambios en
ejercicios acelerados de sustitucin oral. Por lo tanto, puede
usar el mismo tipo de ejercicios de sustitucin-repeticin pero
de forma escrita.
Para usar un ejercicio de sustitucin escrita, escriba el modelo
de la conjugacin (afirmativo, negativo, interrogativo) en
un lado de la pizarra. Escriba una oracin en la pizarra y d
una pista del cambio que quiera aplicar a la oracin. Llame
a un estudiante a que vaya a la pizarra y escriba (en un color
diferente) una nueva oracin, dependiendo de la pista que
usted haya dado. Despus, contine dando pistas y llamando
a diferentes individuos a que suban a la pizarra y apliquen los
cambios correspondientes.
Ejemplo:

Profesor escribe:
They have brown eyes.
Pista para Estudiante 1:
blue
Estudiante 1 escribe:
They have blue eyes.
Pista para Estudiante 2:
I
Estudiante 2 escribe:
I have blue eyes.

II. APLICANDO CONTEXTO A ACTIVIDADES DE

PRCTICA Y PRODUCCION
Muchos ejercicios en ingls, especialmente ejercicios escritos,
usan el lenguaje fuera de contexto. La comunicacin en la vida
real, sin embargo, siempre ocurre dentro de un contexto. Por
lo tanto, las actividades de prctica tienen mayor autenticidad
y son ms interesantes para los estudiantes cuando son dadas
dentro de una situacin o historia.
Un ejercicio con contexto tiene una temtica y un contenido
especifico y todas las tareas lingsticas dentro del ejercicio
ocurren dentro de la misma situacin. Por ejemplo, considere
el contenido de Family Members de 7.2.4. Una actividad de
prctica sin contexto seria un conjunto de oraciones que no
estn relacionadas y que tratan de miembros familiares de
varias personas. En este caso, los estudiantes practicaran el
vocabulario y la gramtica del tema, pero tendran dificultades
conectando estos nuevos conocimientos a una situacin de
la vida real. Compare esa actividad con la actividad del rbol
genealgico (7.2.4 I Do/Presentation), que es una actividad
con contexto. En esta actividad, todas las oraciones estn
relacionadas a un solo contexto: el de una sola familia. Lo
que es ms, todas las declaraciones sobre los miembros de
la familia son verificables; los estudiantes pueden consultar
el rbol para responder las preguntas que se les hace. El
ejercicio gramatical viene de una situacin real, lo que ayuda
a los estudiantes a entender el uso en la vida real de esa
nueva estructura gramatical. El ejercicio es aun ms efectivo
cuando se le conecta a un contexto autentico, como un rbol
genealgico de personas que el estudiante conoce.
Lo que sigue son ejemplos de cmo implementar actividades
de prctica con contexto en el aula de clase.

A. Ejercicios de Rellenar el Espacio con Contexto

Ejercicios de rellenar el espacio, en donde los estudiantes
rellenan un espacio con el verbo o sustantivo correcto, son
muy comunes en el paso We Do/Pratice de cualquier
contenido. Sin embargo, frecuentemente estos ejercicios son
una coleccin de oraciones elegidas al azar que no tienen
relacin alguna al tema. Al usar ejercicios de rellenar el espacio,
mantenga una temtica o narrativa consistente en todas las
oraciones para darle al ejercicio un contexto y mantener al
estudiante interesado.
23

Compare las dos series de ejercicios siguientes:

Serie A. Present Progressive Exercises
1. I _____ medicine. (study) I am studying medicine.
2. Joe _____ a sandwich. (eat) Joe is eating a sandwich.
3. We _____ to school. (walk) We are walking to school.

los estudiantes pueden situarse dentro de la historia y, como

resultado, pueden determinar la respuesta correcta.
Esta tcnica tambin puede ser til en combinacin con
ejercicios de completar la oracin. Por ejemplo:
Read the paragraph and then complete the following
sentences using has to, doesnt have to, should, and must not:

4. Donna and Matthew _____ TV. (watch) Donna and Matthew

are watching TV.

Serie B. Present Progressive Exercises: The Soccer
Competition

1. Mike ______wash the dishes.

1. I _____ for a soccer competition. (prepare) I am preparing for

a soccer competition.

5. Mike and Alice ___________forget to do their chores.

2. My brother _____ with me. (practice) My brother is practicing

with me.
3. We ______ to improve our skills. (try) We are trying to
improve our skills.
4. My team ______ tickets to the game. (sell) My team is selling
tickets to the game.
El ejercicio de la Serie B es ms interesante para los
estudiantes, porque plantea un contexto para el lenguaje y
permite a los estudiantes imaginarse una historia relacionada
a las oraciones. Tambin usa el lenguaje de una forma ms
real, porque la comunicacin real siempre forma parte de una
situacin o contexto.
Al escribir ejercicios de rellenar el espacio, intente imaginarse
una situacin para el lenguaje que va a ensear y mantenga la
misma narrativa a lo largo de todas las oraciones.

B. Escenarios
Escenarios son otro tipo de ejercicio que aplica estructuras
lingsticas dentro de un contexto. Un escenario es un breve
prrafo que explica una situacin, seguida de unas preguntas.
Es una actividad de prctica til, porque le ensea a los
estudiantes como la estructura lingstica del tema se aplica
a situaciones reales. Se pueden usar escenarios para practicar
cualquier vocabulario o estructura gramatical.
Ejemplo (de 10.1.3 Family Ties):
Mrs. Smith asks her son, Mike, to please take out the garbage
and wash the car. She orders her daughter, Alice, to wash the
dishes and sweep the floor.
Questions:
Does Mike have to wash dishes?
Does Mike have to wash the car?
Does Alice need to wash the floor?
Should Alice take out the garbage?
Is it true that Mike must not sweep the floor?
Note como el contexto hace que la gramtica sea ms
accesible. Sin una situacin, seria difcil distinguir entre los
grados de necesidad, pero cuando se les da una situacin clara,
24

2. He _________wash the car,

3. Alice_________wash the floor.
4. Alice _________take out the garbage.

C. Socio-Dramas
Socio-dramas, o dramatizaciones, son otra manera de plantear
el uso de lenguaje autentico dentro de un contexto. Primero,
dle al estudiante una situacin, y dgales que determinen
que diran y haran en esa circunstancia. Segundo, dgales a
diferentes grupos de estudiantes que escriban una escena
basada en la situacin. Ms tarde, dgales a los estudiantes que
acten su escena. Si los estudiantes tienen dificultades, haga
que escriban escenas basadas en un modelo, controlando el
tipo de lenguaje que pueden usar.
Por ejemplo:
Los estudiantes leen la situacin en grupos:
You arrive at school and you see that your best friend, Mara
Jos, is crying. She is very sad because her ex-boyfriend has a
new girlfriend. Mara Jos asks you to accompany her to the
park to talk to her, but English class is starting. What will you
do?
Despus, los miembros del grupo determinan qu papel
interpretarn dentro de la escena. Luego, los estudiantes crean
un dialogo usando las estructuras lingsticas del tema. Por
ejemplo, si en la leccin los estudiantes estn practicando
have to/must/dont have to/must not/should/need to, su
dramatizacin podra verse as:
Alicia: Teacher, I have to miss class. I need to go to the park with
Mara Jos.
Teacher: No, you must sit down and be quiet.
Alicia: You dont understand. Mara Jos has a problem, and I
have to talk to her.
Ramn: You should help your friend, but you dont have to do it
right now. You can talk to her after class. We students must be
in class.
Alicia: But Mara Jos is very sad! I think I should talk to her now.
Interesantes situaciones hipotticas son ms divertidas para
los estudiantes que la realidad de sus tareas de la casa, sus
problemas familiares, etc. Tambin puedes incluir preguntas
de discusin sobre si los estudiantes estn de acuerdo o no
con las sugerencias y acciones de sus compaeros.

Resumen, Contexto: Dndole contexto al lenguaje es otra

manera fcil de mejorar las actividades de prctica. El contexto
no solo hace que los ejercicios sean ms interesantes sino
tambin ms autnticos. Ejercicios de rellenar el espacio,
escenarios, y socio-dramas son todos ejemplos de actividades
de practica que usan contexto.

Preparacin y Transicin a Actividades de

Produccin Comunicativa
La meta principal de las actividades de prctica es preparar
a los estudiantes para las actividades comunicativas de
You Do, pero los estudiantes no pueden producir lenguaje
autentico sin suficiente preparacin. Recuerde que los
estudiantes necesitarn dos o tres actividades de prctica de
las estructuras lingsticas del tema para poder sentirse lo
suficientemente cmodos con el nuevo material como para
poder usarlo para comunicarse de forma independiente.
An despus de muchas actividades efectivas y adecuadas
de prctica, es comn que los estudiantes todava tengan
dificultades al avanzar a la fase You Do/Production. Puede
ayudar a los estudiantes a hacer esta transicin de prctica a
produccin dndoles instrucciones claras y especificando el
tipo de lenguaje que se debe usar en cada actividad.
Considere, por ejemplo, una leccin sobre la familia (7.2.4).
Para esta clase, puede presentar la actividad Find someone
who

Find someone who

_____________ has no sisters
_____________ has a grandmother over 70 years old
_____________ has an uncle named Carlos
_____________ has a niece

Despus de que los estudiantes hayan copiado la lista en sus

cuadernos, pregnteles: Qu preguntas necesitarn hacer
para encontrar a una de esas personas? Cmo, por ejemplo,
encontrarn a alguien que no tiene hermanas? Qu le
preguntarn a cada persona con la que van a hablar? Cmo
respondern las preguntas? Estas preguntas hacen que el
estudiante piense en el lenguaje especifico que necesitar
usar. Luego, d ejemplos del tipo de lenguaje que quiere que
el estudiante produzca en la actividad (en este caso, preguntas
y respuestas sobre miembros de la familia).
Por ejemplo:
How many brothers/sisters do you have? I have
________ / (no) sister(s).
How old is your grandmother? Shes _______ years old.
What are your uncles names? My uncles names are
_______, ________, and _______.
Do you have a niece? Yes, I do/No, I dont.
Siempre d un modelo de la actividad antes de empezar, para
que los estudiantes tengan un ejemplo de cmo la interaccin

debera sonar. Tambin recuerde dejar los ejemplos escritos en

la pizarra como referencia para los estudiantes.
Muchas actividades en el manual requieren este tipo de
extensa preparacin antes de que el estudiante pueda hacer
la transicin a la comunicacin. Por suerte, si usa los mismos
tipos de actividades frecuentemente, el estudiante las
recordar, y no tendr que explicarlo de nuevo cada vez. Vea el
Multi-Purpose Activities Index para actividades que se pueden
aplicar a varios contenidos.
Resumen, Transicin a Produccin: An con muchas
actividades de prctica, los estudiantes pueden tener
dificultades produciendo lenguaje por si solos. Ayude a
los estudiantes a hacer la transicin a la produccin dando
instrucciones claras, especificando el lenguaje que se necesita
para la produccin, y ofreciendo un modelo de las actividades.

Eligiendo el Contenido Correcto

A veces no hay suficiente tiempo para que todos los
estudiantes dominen todo el material sugerido en cada
tema. El proceso de ir de simple repeticin a usar nuevas
construcciones y vocabulario a comunicacin real puede
ser largo y arduo. Normalmente no se puede ir de I do/
Presentation a We do/Practice a You do/Production en una
sola clase. As que va a ser necesario limitar el contenido que
se presenta y las habilidades (leer, escribir, escuchar, hablar) en
las que se va a enfocar.
Piense en el tema y como los estudiantes lo usarn en sus
vidas. Por ejemplo, miremos el tema de Classroom Actions
(7.1.2). Los estudiantes necesitan entender las frases cuando
usted las dice en clase, pero no es necesario que las digan,
porque no son profesores. Por lo tanto, para esta seccin
puede simplemente enfocarse en actividades de escuchar,
en vez de actividades de hablar, leer, o escribir. En Giving
Directions (9.3.2) puede ser importante para los estudiantes
entender direcciones orales (si estn en un pas extranjero
donde se habla el ingls) o ser capaz de dar direcciones (a un
extranjero en su ciudad). Pero es poco probable que vayan
a necesitar leer o escribir esas direcciones con la misma
frecuencia. As que puede enfocarse en actividades de hablar y
escuchar, en vez de leer y escribir.
Una cosa importante que vale la pena recordar: evale a los
estudiantes conforme a lo enseado. Si no hubo tiempo de
ensear como escribir y hablar sobre un tema, asegrese de
que su evaluacin refleja lo que los estudiante practicaron. Por
ejemplo: si ensea Classroom Actions a travs de ejercicios
de escuchar, no debera dar una prueba que requiera que el
estudiante escriba las acciones. Esto no coincide con cmo los
estudiantes usarn el ingls de ese tema en la vida real o en
el aula de clase, y no refleja lo que usted les ense. Por otro
lado, si ensea Folklore (10.2.2) a travs de ejercicios de lectura,
una prueba donde los estudiantes responden preguntas de
comprensin sobre la lectura de un cuento que estudiaron s
seria apropiado.
25

7th Grade
Contents

Target Grammar

Page

7.1.1

Classroom Rules

27

7.1.2

Classroom Actions

28

7.1.3

Greetings

29

7.1.4

Classroom Objects

7.1.5

Plural Nouns

7.1.6

How Many?
Numbers 0-10

7.2.1

How Old Are You?

Numbers 11-20

7.2.2

Introductions

7.2.3

The Alphabet

7.2.4

Family

7.3.1

Demonstratives (This/That) | Indefinite articles (a/an)

Adjective + Noun word order

30

Plural Nouns

32
34

The verb BE | Subject pronouns | Contractions

37

Review verb BE and subject pronouns

40
41

Possessive adjectives (my, your, his, her, our, their) | Possessive s

WH-question Who? | Verb HAVE

42

Everyday Activities

Preposition of time IN + morning, afternoon, evening | AT + night

Simple present verb forms and sentence structure (affirmative and negative)

45

7.3.2

Frequent Activities

Review Simple Present | How often questions |

48

7.4.1

How Many?
Cardinal Numbers 21-100

7.4.2

The Time

7.4.3

Class Subjects

7.4.4

Yearly Calendar

7.4.5

Coins and Currency

7.5.1

Inside My House

7.5.2

Household Chores

7.6.1

Places in
the Community

7.6.2

Describing Places

26

Adverbs of frequency

Review 3rd person singular form of verb BE in How old questions and answers
Review How many questions and answers | There is/There are

51

Preposition at

53

Preposition on with days of the week

55

Review BE

57

How much questions

59

Review How Many? and There is/There are |

Wh-question Where and definite article the | Phrases with the preposition in

61

Simple Present interrogative form

63

Prepositions of place

65

Review adjective + noun word order

67

7th Grade 1.1 Classroom Rules

Target Vocabulary
ARRIVE on time, consequence, homework, name, PARTICIPATE, respect, rule

I Do/Presentation
A. Introduction to Classroom Rules

B. Show Classroom Rules Written in English

1. Discuss classroom behavior with students.

2. Use a concept map to organize students ideas visually.
3. Write Rules in the center circle of the concept map.
4. List student suggestions around the circle.

Arrive to class 5 minutes

before the bell rings.

???

RULES
Be respectful
of others.

1. Bring poster paper with rules written in English.

2. Students copy the rules on the last page of
their notebooks.
3. Ask if students recognize any vocabulary in the rules.
If not, students guess what the words mean.
4. Clarify meaning in Spanish.

Teaching Tip:

Raise your
hand to speak.

Choose vocabulary
from your unique
classroom rules.

Variation: Help students think of ideas by writing an idea.

Ex: Respect and ask students questions about what
respectful behavior looks like in a classroom.

We Do/Practice
A. Play Hot Cabbage/Potato (See Multi-Purpose Activities Index for More
Directions) (R)
1. Write each rule in Spanish on a small piece of paper.
2. Wrap the small papers to form a ball (the cabbage).
3. Students read a rule in Spanish, and match with the English rule on the poster paper.
4. Students copy the rule in Spanish in their notebooks.
5. Explain the consequence to each rule.

You Do/Production
A. Writing the Contract (W)
1. Students write the consequences to each rule in their
notebooks in Spanish.
2. Students sign their name, understanding that these rules
are a contract for the entire school year.
3. During the school year, if a student breaks a rule,
refer them to this contract and enforce the
consequence immediately.

B. Reviewing the Contract (W)

1. In small groups or individually, students create a small
sign with a rule and its consequence.
2. Use these signs to decorate the classroom.
3. Students study the rules and their consequences.
4. Students complete a written evaluation in the next class
on rules and consequences.

Variation: Parents must sign the contract, too.

27

7th Grade 1.2 Classroom Actions

Target Vocabulary

I Do/Presentation

BE quiet, CLOSE your notebook, COME to the board, COPY in your notebook, LISTEN, LOOK,
OPEN your notebook, PAY attention, please, RAISE your hand, REPEAT, SIT down, SIT up
straight, STAND up, thank you, WORK in groups, WORK in pairs

A. Review
1. Review the rules students learned in the last class with a
pop quiz or review homework.

B. Introduce New Vocabulary

1. Pronounce each word and make a gesture.
Ex: Close your notebook (and make the gesture)
2. Write new vocabulary on the board.
3. Students copy English word and Spanish definition.
4. Practice pronunciation together.
5. Students practice the gesture and say the word.

We Do/Practice
A. Practice New Vocabulary and Gestures (L, S)
1. Pronounce each vocabulary command. Students will listen and watch the gesture.
2. Students then repeat after the teacher and repeat the gestures.
3. Say and do gestures together with students.

You Do/Production
A. Comprehension Check (L)
1. Say vocabulary commands without doing the gesture.
2. Students perform the correct gesture.
3. Start slowly to check that each student performs the
correct gesture and understands the command.
4. Give commands faster.
Ex: Sit down! Stand up! Listen! Look! Be quiet

B. Play Simon Says (See Multi-purpose Activities

Index for More Directions) (L)
1. Students perform the correct classroom command.
2. If students 1) perform the wrong command, 2) do
nothing, or 3) act without the phrase Simon Says, those
students are OUT of the activity.
Variation: When students are OUT, they must stand on
one leg or cover one eye, or do another action. These
students then continue playing.

28

C. Play Question Relay Race (See Multi-purpose

Activities Index for More Directions) (L, S)
1. Say classroom commands to the first student in each row.
2. Students respond with the correct gesture. Student 1
says the same classroom command to the next student,
Student 2. Student 2 performs the gesture.
3. Each student must perform and say the classroom
command.
4. The first entire row to successfully perform the correct
gesture wins a point.

D. Mini-Books (See Multi-purpose Activities Index

for More Directions) (W)
1. Students create mini-books and draw pictures for each
command on each page.
2. Students write the vocabulary word or phrase in English
under each picture.

7th Grade 1.3 Greetings

Target Vocabulary
bye, EXCUSE me, good morning, good afternoon, good evening, good night,
goodbye, hello, hi, Im sorry, nice to MEET you (too), please, SEE you later, THANK you

I Do/Presentation
A. Expressions of Time
1. Greet students with GOOD MORNING!
2. Present new vocabulary with images to represent
different times of day.
Ex: Sun=Morning, Clouds=Afternoon, Sunset=Evening,
Moon=Night
3. Discuss what time is appropriate to say Good Morning/
Afternoon/Evening/Night.
Variation: Use a large clock or write hours and minutes
on the board.

B. Greetings and Leavings

1. Identify and pronounce new vocabulary.
2. Use a gesture to differentiate saying hello (greetings)
and saying goodbye (leavings)
Ex: Always shake hands when presenting a Greeting
word and wave when presenting a Leaving word.
3. Students copy and repeat the new vocabulary,
practicing gestures.
Note: Good night is not a greeting; it is a way
to say goodbye at the end of the day.
Nice to meet you is only used when you meet
someone for the first time.

We Do/Practice
A. Fill in the Blanks (W)
Students fill in the blanks with the correct vocabulary word.

Teachers Tip:
In Spanish, Adios is a greeting and
a leaving phrase. In English, goodbye is only used when leaving.

C. What Are They Saying? (W, S)

1. Before class, create 5-10 drawings, using the examples
below.
2. Each drawing should show two people speaking.
3. Students suggest appropriate vocabulary for each
drawing. There may be a few correct answers.
Ex: Hi or Hello, Good night or Goodbye, etc.
4. Check that students do not confuse Greetings
and Leavings.
5. Students present each drawing to practice speaking.
6.

B. Time of Day Expressions (W)

Students write the correct greeting. Use Good Morning,
Good Afternoon, Good Evening or Good Night.

1. Hi/Hello/Good Morning 2. Bye/Good Night

3. Good Evening
4. Bye/See You Later

29

You Do/Production
A. Categories (L, W)
1. Teacher says or writes a new vocabulary word.
2. Students organize the words in their notebooks and
determine if they are a Greeting or Leaving.

B. Hello/Goodbye (S)
1. Before class, write all vocabulary on slips of paper
2. Put papers in a plastic bag.
3. Students select a paper from the bag and respond
appropriately with Hello or Goodbye.

C. Good Morning, Sunshine (L, S)

1. Review the four symbols that represent Time of Day
greetings (Sun rising=Morning, Sun in the sky=Afternoon,
Sunset=Evening, Moon=Night)
2. Students stand in a circle.
3. Each student draws one large symbol on notebook page.

4. Teacher says one of the greetings.

5. All students who have the symbol that corresponds to
the time the greeting is used will step into the circle and
repeat the greeting.
6. Begin to say greetings faster as the students feel more
comfortable with the vocabulary.
Variation: Students must change drawings with their
neighbors, repeat activity.

D. Good Morning Song (Listen to CD Track #2)

Good Morning, Good Morning
How are you? How are you?
I am fine, thank you. I am fine, thank you.
Good-bye. Good-bye.

7th Grade 1.4 Classroom Objects

Target Vocabulary
Classroom objects: a backpack, the board, a book, a corrector pen, a desk, an eraser, a marker,
a notebook, a paper, a pen, a pencil, a ruler, scissors, a table
Colors: black, blue, brown, gray, green, orange, pink, purple, red, white, yellow

Target Grammar

Demonstratives (This/That)
What is this?
What is that?

Indefinite articles (a/an)

This is a pen.
That is an eraser.

Adjective + Noun word order

This is a blue pencil.

This is an orange backpack.

I Do/Presentation
A. Real Objects
1. Students look in their backpacks for classroom objects.
2. Bring extra objects in case students do not have any of
the target vocabulary.
3. Identify vocabulary with real objects.
4. Say English word and show object.
5. Write vocabulary on the board.
6. Students repeat and copy vocabulary in their notebooks.

30

B. Indefinite Articles A and An

1. For singular nouns, use:
a + consonant noun: a pencil
an + vowel noun: an apple

C. This and That

Teacher: Whats this?

(Show object in hand. Ex: Eraser)

Students: Eraser.
Teacher: Yes! This is an eraser!
Teacher: Whats that?

(Point to object far away. Ex: book)

D. Colors
1. Check if students already know any color vocabulary.
2. Use a color wheel, colored paper, or colored objects to
identify color vocabulary.
3. Students copy vocabulary and practice pronunciation.

E. Adjectives + Nouns (Word Order)

1. Identify objects in the classroom and their color. Focus on
word order: in English adjectives come before nouns.

Student: Book.

Teacher: What is this?

Teacher: Yes! That is a book!

Student: This is a pencil.

Teacher: Yes. This is a pink pencil

We Do/Practice
A. Practice Vocabulary (W, L)
1. Use a Multi-Purpose Activity to practice the new
vocabulary for classroom objects or colors. Suggestions
include: BINGO, Pictionary, Run to the Board, Memory,
etc.

B. This and That: Fill in the Blanks (W)

1. Place objects/pictures near you and objects/pictures
farther away.
2. Label items and use them to answer the exercise.
3. Students circle Whats this? (near items) or Whats that?
(far items).
4. Students also write a sentence identifying the object
using new vocabulary.

Fill in the Blank

1. Whats this/that? This/That is a notebook.
2. Whats this/that? This/That is a book.
3. Whats this/that? This/That is a ruler.
4. Whats this/that? This/That is a marker.
5. Whats this/that? This/That is a backpack.

D. Human Word Order (R)

1. Half the class writes a color on a slip of paper. The other
half writes a classroom object.
2. Words should be large enough to read from a distance.
3. Collect these papers. Mix them.
4. Give each student one slip of paper.
5. Students must form pairs matching color and object in
the correct order.
6. Check to see if the pair is assembled correctly.
Ex: Student #1: backpack
Student #2: blue
Correct pair: Blue backpack

E. Flashcards (W, R)
1. Students make flashcards of classroom objects.
2. Students draw a colorful picture on the front of each card
and write a sentence about the color and the object on
the back of the card.
Ex: This is a brown chair.
3. Students use these flashcards to study for an evaluation.

C. Write the Correct Indefinite Article (W)

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

(a)
(a)
(an)
(a)
(an)

backpack
pen
eraser
desk
apple

Variation: Use colors and objects

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

(a)
(a)
(a)
(an)
(a)

blue backpack
green pen
yellow eraser
orange desk
red apple
31

You Do/Production
A. Shopping List (S, L)

C. Whaaaat Is This/That? Circle Activity (L, S)

1. Students work in groups. Half of the group is the Vendor,

the other half is the Shopper.
2. Put classroom objects on the desks.
3. After the vendor sells all the objects, the shopper and
vendor change roles.

1. Divide the students into two teams: boys and girls.

2. Girls form 1 circle and boys form a second circle.

Shopper: I want a pen, please. (The vendor

identifies and gives the object to the Shopper.)

Shopper: Thank You. (If the vendor is correct.

If not, the vendor tries again.)

Variation (W): After the vendor sells the objects, the

group must write sentences describing the objects they
have using a/an and colors.

Hold an object and say:

Teacher: This is a pen.

B. Mystery Bag (S)

Student: What is this? or A whaaaaaaat?

1. Teacher has a bag full of classroom objects.

2. Reach into the bag and grab an object.
Teacher: (show a pen) What is this? (give pen

to the student)

Student: (holding the pen) This is a pen.

Teacher: (show a pen) What is this? (continue

to hold pen)

Student: (points) That is a pen.

Variation (W): Take objects from the bag and ask the
class What is this? Students write the answer in
their notebooks.

Teacher: This is a pen.

Student: Oh, a pen!
3. Give the object to the student. The student takes the
teachers role and says to the student next to him,
This is a pen.
4. Students pass the object in the circle practicing the
dialogue with each other.
Variation: For a challenge, introduce another object
(Ex: a pen, a ruler) and pass it around the circle in the
opposite direction.

D. Correct the Mistake Reading (R, W)

1. Bring a reading with mistakes to class on poster paper:

Hello! My name is Emily. I am a student. This is a

blue pen and a pencil yellow. This is a backpack
black and a ruler green. That is a brown desk. That is
a chair brown too. This is an orange marker and a
notebook white.
2. Read with students. Explain that there are many mistakes.
3. Students work in pairs to correct the mistakes.

7th Grade 1.5 Plural Nouns

Target Vocabulary
ADD, CHANGE, consonant, noun, plural, singular, vowel

Target Grammar

32

Plural Nouns

I Do/Presentation
B. Plural Noun Rules

A. Present Vocabulary
1. In this unit, use vocabulary to explain the
spelling changes.
2. Choose target vocabulary that follows the
rules presented.
Ex: library shows the ies rule, boy shows the s rule,
woman shows the irregular rule.
3. Can choose theme vocabulary or varied words. Meaning
is secondary to spelling rules in this unit.

1. Discuss: What is a plural noun?

2. Show a singular classroom object and plural classroom
objects to illustrate the meaning of plural.
3. Bring poster paper with rules neatly organized
in columns.
4. Introduce 5 rules for changing singular nouns into
plural nouns.

PLURAL NOUN SPELLING RULES

Regular nouns

Add s

Nouns ending in -h, -o, -s, -x

Add -es

Nouns ending in a
consonant -y

Change y to i and add -es

Ex: pen-pens, teacher-teachers, apple-apples, boy-boys, girl-girls

Ex: watch-watches, potato-potatoes, glass-glasses, fox-foxes

Ex: baby-babies, candy-candies, library-libraries

Caution: nouns ending in a vowel and Y do not follow this rule!

Ex: toy-toys, boy-boys

Nouns ending in -f, -fe

Change f or fe to v and add -es

Irregulars

man-men, woman-women, child-children, person-people,

foot-feet, tooth-teeth, mouse-mice

Ex: leaf-leaves, knife-knives

We Do/Practice
A. Play Hot Cabbage/Potato (See Multi-Purpose
Activities Index for More Directions) (S or W)
1. Write each singular noun on pieces of paper.
2. Wrap the small papers to form a ball (the cabbage).
3. Students read the word on the paper.
4. Change the singular word to plural, either written
or orally.

B. Play Tic-Tac-Toe (See Multi-Purpose Activities

Index for More Directions) (S, W)
1. Divide students into two teams: boys and girls.
2. Draw a Tic-Tac-Toe Grid on the board.
3. Write a singular noun in each square.
4. Teams select the word they want to change.
5. One representative changes the noun from singular to
plural and pronounces it.
6. If it is correct, the team wins a point. If not, the other
team can correct and steal the point.
Variation: Teams must also identify the correct rule.
33

You Do/Production
A. Identify the Rule (W)
1. Students work individually, in pairs, or in teams.
2. Write vocabulary lists on the board. Change the order of the lists to challenge the students. Do not write the rule.
3. Students must change each word to plural and identify the correct rule for the list.

RULE ? (Answer: Rule 1)

RULE ? (Answer: Rule 2)

RULE ? (Answer: Rule 3)

1. pencil (pencils)
2. notebook (notebooks)
3. orange (oranges)
4. ruler (rulers)
5. dog (dogs)
6. student (students)
7. chair (chairs)
8. shoe (shoes)

1. dress
2. box
3. mosquito
4. church
5. tomato
6. class
7. fox
8. patch

1. city
(cities)
2. party
(parties)
3. ferry
(ferries)
4. cherry (cherries)
5. body
(bodies)
6. candy (candies)
7. library
(libraries)
8. baby
(babies)

RULE ? (Answer: Rule 4)

RULE ? (Answer: Rule 5)

1. life
2. shelf
3. wife
4. calf
5. half
6. hoof

1. child
(children)
2. tooth (teeth)
3. woman (women)
4. mouse (mice)
5. foot
(feet)
6. man
(men)
7. person (people)

(lives)
(shelves)
(wives)
(calves)
(halves)
(hooves)

(dresses)
(boxes)
(mosquitoes)
(churches)
(tomatoes)
(classes)
(foxes)
(patches)

B. Mixed Review (W)

Change each word to plural and identify the correct rule.
1. table
2. crash
3. potato
4. lady
5. girl
6. child
7. brother
8. class

tables (Rule 1)
crashes (Rule 2)
potatoes (Rule 2)
ladies (Rule 3)
girls (Rule 1)
children (Rule 5)
brothers (Rule 1)
classes (Rule 2)

9. person
10. backpack
11. leaf
12. dictionary
13. boy
14. wife
15. watch
16. sister

people (Rule 5)
backpacks (Rule 1)
leaves (Rule 4)
dictionaries (Rule 3)
boys (Rule 1)
wives (Rule 4)
watches (Rule 2)
sisters (Rule 1)

7th Grade 1.6 How Many? Numbers 0-10

Target Vocabulary
zero, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, How many?

34

I Do/Presentation
B. How Many?

A. Numbers
1. Ask students what numbers they already know.
2. Bring pieces of paper with numbers spelled in English.
3. Write numbers 0-10 on the board.
4. Students must match the English word with the correct
number on the board.
5. Students copy new vocabulary and practice pronunciation.

1. Bring poster paper with drawings of classroom objects

or other plural nouns.
2. Ask students How many? questions, reviewing classroom
object vocabulary.
Ex: How many pencils? How many erasers?
3. Students copy phrase in their notebooks and
practice pronunciation.
4. Review plural noun rules to answer How many?
questions.
Ex: Three dictionaries

We Do/Practice
A. Word Sequencing (W)
1. Write the following activity on the board.
2. Students come to the board, or copy in their notebooks,
to fill in the blanks with the missing number.
(zero) , one, (two) , three, four, (five) , six, (seven) ,
(eight) , nine, (ten)
Variation: Can omit any number.
Ex: zero, (one) , two, (three) , four, etc.

B. Picture Sequencing (W, S)

1. Draw objects or bring real objects.
2. Bring 1 drawing for each number
Ex: 5 pencils, 8 erasers, 1 notebook, etc.
3. Students count the objects and write how many
Ex: Students look at the drawing of 8 erasers and write
8 erasers.
4. Students put the drawings in order 1-10.
5. Students count out loud. 1 notebook, 2 backpacks,
3 markers, etc.

C. Fill in the Missing Numbers (W)

1. Write the following activity on the board.
2. Students come to the board or copy and fill in the
missing numbers in their notebooks.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

(six)
(three)
(eight)
(one)
(seven)
(two)

seven (eight)
four (five)
nine (ten)
two (three)
eight (nine)
three (four)

D. How Many Nouns? (W)

Write the number in English and change the noun to plural.
2 potato
7 notebook
10 child
2 toy
9 mosquito
3 city
5 baseball
8 marker
4 leaf

two potatoes
seven notebooks
ten children
two toys
nine mosquitoes
three cities
five baseballs
eight markers
four leaves

E. How Many? Match the Drawing (W or S)

1. Bring a poster paper of drawings of plural nouns or bring
real objects.
Ex: 5 pencils, 2 erasers, 3 women, etc.
2. Each drawing or object is labeled with a letter: A, B, C, etc.
3. Students copy the letter into their notebooks and identify
the drawing/object.
Ex: A) three women B) two leaves
4. Ask How many
? Students read their answers out
loud to practice speaking.

F. Listen For Your Number (L)

1. Say a number out loud.
2. Students must hold up the correct number of fingers
in the air.
Variation
Write numbers 0-10 on cards for each student.
Give each student a card.
Instruct students to remember their number.
Say a number.
Students who have that number must hold up
the card and stand up.
35

You Do/Production
A. Number Baseball (S)
1. Bring a baseball or make a ball from paper.
2. Students stand in a circle.
3. Teacher tosses the ball to a student. Student says, 1.
4. Student tosses the ball to another student. That student
says, 2. Count to 10.

B. Tic-Tac-Toe (See Multi-Purpose Activities Index

for more directions) (W)
1. Divide students into two teams: boys and girls.
2. Write a number in each square of the Tic-Tac-Toe grid.
3. To win the point, teams must spell the number in English.
Variation (More difficult):
Write a number and a singular noun in each square
To win the point, teams must spell the number and
change to a plural noun.
Ex: 4 cat = Four cats.

C. Phone Numbers (S, L)

1. Write dialogue on the board:
Student 1: Whats your name?
Student 2: Im Luis Obando.
Student 1: Whats your phone number?
Student 2: 2358-2491.
2. Review meaning and practice pronunciation.
3. Students work in pairs. One student gives personal
information (name and phone number). The other
student writes what they hear.
4. Students change roles so the other student can
practice speaking.
Variation: Teacher provides additional phone numbers
on slips of paper for students that finish early. Students
can check their own comprehension by comparing the
number on the slip of paper to what the listening
student heard and wrote.

D. Call Me (L, S)
1. Bring pieces of paper with phone numbers written, one
for each student (phone numbers may repeat.)
2. Have a list with all the phone numbers written that only
the teacher can see.
3. Give each student a piece of paper with a phone number.
4. Students read their phone number and translate it into
English in their notebooks.
5. Teacher reads one of the phone numbers from the list.
6. Students listen to the number. If it is their number, they
stand up and say, Hello? to answer the phone.
7. Students reread the number back to the teacher.
Variation: Students read the phone number on their piece
of paper to call another student.
36

E. Run to the Board (See Multi-Purpose Activities

Index for more directions) (W)
1. Take time to explain and explicitly model how to play the
activity. Ask a student to explain the procedure after
seeing the model.
2. Students line up. There are 10 students in each row.
The first student has a board marker.
3. Count to 3 to begin the activity. The first student runs to
the board and writes the number one.
4. The student gives the marker to the next student.
Student 2 runs to the board and writes two.
5. The activity continues until all students have written the
numbers 0-10 correctly. The first team to finish wins.

F. Bear Hug (L)

1. Students move desks against the wall so there is a lot of
space in the classroom.
2. Students walk around the classroom.
3. Blow a whistle or clap your hands. This means the
Bear Hug must form.
4. Say a number 1-10.
5. Students hold hands to form groups with the correct
number of people.
Ex: If the teacher says six, all students must form groups
of six. These students are a complete Bear Hug.
6. Students without a group are out. These students may
help the teacher say the numbers.
7. Continue playing until there are only a few students
remaining.
Variation (R): Write the number in English (in letters)
on the board.

G. Around the World (See Multi-Purpose Activities

Index for more directions) (S)
1. Make flashcards with numbers on them.
2. Have the first two students in a row stand up.
3. Show them a flashcard with a number on it
4. The first student to correctly pronounce the number
advances to the next student. The other student sits
down.
5. Repeat again between the winner of the first round and
the next student with a new number.
6. When a student loses a round, they take the place or desk
of their competitor, and the student that wins advances.
7. The winner is the student who can go all the way around
the classroom winning every round until they get back to
their original desk.

7th Grade 2.1 How Old Are You? Numbers 11-20

Target Vocabulary
Numbers: eleven, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen,
twenty, years old, age, too

Target Grammar

The verb BE
Maria, how old are you? I am 12 years old.
How old is he? He is 13 years old.
Subject pronouns
I, you, he, she, it, we, they
Contractions
Im 12 years old.
Hes 17 years old.

I Do/Presentation
A. Review
Review numbers 0-10 using a Multi-Purpose Activity
such as Around the World, BINGO, Hangman, Hot Cabbage/
Potato, Run to the Board, Sparkle, Tic-Tac-Toe, etc.

D. The Verb BE (Plural Form)

B. Numbers 11-20

1. Present the plural subject pronouns and the verb BE.

2. Use a chart and/or a song to explain verb conjugation.

Students copy new vocabulary and

practice pronunciation.

C. The Verb BE (Singular Forms)

1. Present the singular subject pronouns and the verb BE.
2. Use a chart to explain the subjects and verb conjugation:

The Verb
BE
Singular
Pronouns

5. Use gestures to emphasize the different subjects. Point at

yourself or at other students to differentiate subjects.
6. Students copy the new verb and practice pronunciation.

Affirmative
Long Form

Contracted Form

I am
You are
He is
She is
It is

Im
Youre
Hes
Shes
Its

3. Sing a song/rap. Students repeat and use gestures to

signal different subject pronouns.
I am, I am
I am, I am
I am, I ama wonderful friend!
You are, you are
You are, you are,
You are, you area wonderful friend!

4. Continue singing using he and she. Students repeat.

The Verb
BE
Plural
Pronouns

Affirmative
Long Form

Contracted Form

We are
You are
They Are

Were
Youre
Theyre

E. How Old Are You?/Contractions

1. Introduce the phrase How old are you? to discuss age.
2. Present the phrase with different subject pronouns.
Ex: How old is she? How old is he?
3. Students copy and practice pronunciation.
4. Introduce answers.
Ex: Im 12 years old.
Note: You cannot use contractions in simple
yes/no questions using the affirmative.
Is she a teacher?
Incorrect: Yes, shes.
Correct: Yes, she is.

37

We Do/Practice
A. Memory (See Multi-Purpose Activities Index for
More Directions) (R, S)
1. Divide the class into groups of four.
2. Bring enough card sets (0-10 and 11-20) for each group
to have one.
3. Give each group a card set.
4. Play Memory (See Mutip-Purpose Activities Index) to
practice new vocabulary
numbers 11-20.
Variation: Switch sets so that all students have a chance to
play with both sets.
Ex: Students finished playing with 0-10 will receive
set 11-20.

B. Fill in the Blank (W)

Use: I am, he is, she is.
David: Hello. (I) (am) David Pujols. (I) (am)
in 7th grade. Alexa is my friend. (She) (is) in 7th
grade, too.

Alexa: Hello. (I) (am) Alexa Rodriguez. (I) (am)

in 7th grade. David is my friend. (He) (is) in 7th
grade, too.

D. Fill in the Blank (W)

Fill in the blanks with the correct subject pronoun.
Rita: Hi, Carolina. How are (you) ?

Carolina: (I)m fine. This is Sam. (He)s 12 years

old. (We)re friends.
Rita: Hello, Sam! (You)re 12 years old? Cool!

Carolina: Look! Jorge and Cristina! (They)re my

classmates.
Rita: Cristinas nice. (She)s 12 years old, too.
Variation 1: Change the dialogue and use simple form
Ex: We are instead of Were.
Variation 2: Use the same dialogue but change it by
omitting the verb BE instead of subject pronouns.
Ex: How
you?

E. How Old is He/She? Fill in the Blank (W)

1. Bring photographs or drawings of people.
2. Under each drawing, write an age.

Variation: Do activity again using the contractions.

C. Fill in the Blank (W)

Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb BE.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

I (am) thirteen years old.

He (is) ten years old.
You (are) my friend.
She (is) Shakira.
I (am) Rosa Gutierrez.
You (are) a student.

Variation: Do activity again. Use the contractions.

3. Students reference the drawing and fill in the blanks

using the correct form of BE and the correct number
word.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

38

Issac:
Federico:
Toms:
Maribel:
Alba:
Andrea:

(He) is
(He) is
(He) is
(She) is
(She) is
(She) is

years old.
years old.
years old.
years old.
years old.
years old, too.

You Do/Production
A. Matching (R or W)
1. Bring photographs or drawings of people. (See
example)
2. These drawings correspond to the subject pronouns.
3. Students match the correct drawing with the
subject pronoun.
Variation: Students also write a sentence using the
correct form of the verb BE.
Ex: How old are they? or, They are 13 years old.

C. Dialogue (L, R, S)
1. Students work in groups.
2. Bring lines from a dialogue written on pieces of paper.
3. Give one line to each group.
4. Students assemble dialogue on the board in the
correct order:
Carlos: Hi!

Sabrina: Hello.
Carlos: Im Carlos. Whats your name?

Sabrina: Im Sabrina. Nice to meet you.

Carlos: Nice to meet you, too. How old are you,
Sabrina?

Sabrina: Im twelve years old. How old are you,

Carlos?
Carlos: Im twelve, too. See you later, Sabrina!

Sabrina: Bye, Carlos!

5. Students copy dialogue and practice pronunciation.
Check for understanding of meaning.
6. Students change ages in the dialogue and practice with
a partner.
Variation: Students write their own dialogue, using this
one as an example.

D. Age Baseball (S)

1. Form a circle.
2. Throw the ball to a student.
Student 1 catches the ball and says, I am Denis.
I am 12 years old. How old are you?
Student 1 throws the ball the Student 2.
Student 2 catches the ball and says, I am Ana.
I am 11 years old. How old are you?
Student 2 throws the ball to Student 3, etc.

B. King/Queen of the Mountain (See MultiPurpose Activities Index for More Directions)
(S,L)
1. Use the directions in the Multi-Purpose Activities
Index.
2. Students take turns telling the king/queen a number.
3. The king/queen must say the numbers before and
after the number given.
Ex: Student A says fourteen. King/Queen answers
thirteen, fifteen)

Variation (More difficult):

Student 1 catches the ball and says I am Denis.
I am 12 years old.
Student 1 throws the ball to Student 2. Student 2
catches the ball and says, He is Denis.
He is 12 years old. I am Ana. I am 11 years old.
Student 2 throws the ball to Student 3, etc.

E. Celebrity Ages (W, S)

1. Create a list of young famous singers and actors.
2. Students write sentences telling their ages.
Ex: Hannah Montana is sixteen years old.
3. Students can read their sentences to practice speaking.
4. Students can fill in a grid of celebrities by listening to
name and age that other students announce.
39

7th Grade 2.2 Introductions

Target Vocabulary
good, great, okay, so-so, fine, bad

Target Grammar

Review verb BE and subject pronouns (See 7.2.1)

How are you? Im great, thanks. And you?
Whats your name? My name is Kate.

I Do/Presentation
A. Review Greetings
1. Review greetings from Unit 1. (See 7.1.3)
2. Review by using a Multi-Purpose Activity.

C. How Are You?

1. Introduce the question: How are you?
2. Use drawings to teach the responses:

B. Names
1. Introduce the question: What is your name?
2. Students copy and practice the answer: My name is

3. Students copy vocabulary, write meanings and

practice pronunciation.

We Do/Practice
A. Question and Answer (L, S)
1. Roll dice or pick numbers written on pieces of paper.
2. Begin at the front of the row and count out loud until you
reach that number.
3. Students count with you.
4. Ask the student sitting in that desk number a question:
Whats your name?
5. If the student cant answer, ask the class to
answer together.
6. Next ask the student How are you?
7. Hold up a drawing to indicate the response.
Ex: A smiling face means a student says, Im great!
8. Count again and choose another student.

B. Question Relay Race (See Multi-Purpose

Activities Index for More Directions) (L, S)
1. Students do this activity in their rows.
2. Use the questions Whats your name? and
How are you?

C. Dialogue (Listen to CD Track #3) (R, S)

1. Students work in groups of 4.
2. Bring pieces of paper with one line of a dialogue written
on each piece.
3. Give each group a set of the pieces of paper.
4. The group must put the dialogue in the correct order.
5. Students copy the correct dialogue in their notebooks.
6. Discuss meaning and practice pronunciation.
7. Practice the dialogue as a class. Students perform in pairs.
Student 1: Good morning!

Student 2: Hi. How are you?

Student 1: Im great, thanks. And you?

Student 2: Im good. My name is Blanca. Whats

your name?
Student 1: My name is Ariel. Its nice to
meet you.

Student 2: Its nice to meet you, too. See

you later!
Student 1: Okay, goodbye!
Variation: Make one dialogue on a papelgrafo, cut it
into strips, and tape the strips to the board. Students can
copy it into their notebooks and order it there.

40

You Do/Production
A. Cocktail (See Multi-Purpose Activities Index for
More Directions) (R, S, L)
1. Write out questions on small slips of paper, one for every
student. Ex: How are you? Whats your name? How
old are you?
2. Give each student a different question on a small piece
of paper.
3. Tell the students to stand up and walk around asking
other students the questions.

4. After the students ask and answer their questions, they

change papers and ask a different student.

B. Dialogue (W, S)
1. Students work in pairs
2. Students write their own dialogue. They use the class
dialogue as a model.
3. Students present their dialogues and practice speaking.

7th Grade 2.3 The Alphabet

Target Vocabulary
Alphabet (A-Z)

I Do/Presentation
A. Introduce Alphabet
1. Write alphabet on the board with English pronunciation.
2. Students copy alphabet and repeat to practice
pronunciation.
3. Review commonly mistaken letters, especially the vowels,
C and Z, V and B, G, J and Y, K and Q.

A = ei
B = bi
C = si
D = di
E=i
F = ef
G = yi

H = eich
I = ai
J = yei
K = kei
L = el
M = em
N = en

O=o
P = pi
Q = kiu
R = ar
S = es
T = ti

U = iu
V = vi
W = dobliu
X = ecs
Y = uai
Z= zi

We Do/Practice
A. Pronunciation (S)
1. Divide alphabet into smaller sections with a few letters in
each section:
ABCD/EFG/HIJK/LMN/OP/QRST/UV/WX/YZ

2. Read sections out loud. Students repeat.

3. Carefully review letters with similar sounds like P/B/V, C/Z,
and M/N.

B. Alphabet Song (Listen to CD Tracks #4 and 5) (S)

1. Use the letter sections from Practice Activity A.
2. Sing these sections. Students repeat.
3. Repeat sections and then entire song.
4. Write Latin American Idol on the board. Students
volunteer to present the song/rap in groups.
Variation: Adapt the letters in the alphabet to a different
pop song rhythm, like track #5 on the CD.

You Do/Production
A. Hangman (See Multi-Purpose Activities Index for
More Directions) (S)
1. Review old vocabulary (numbers, classroom objects, etc.)
2. Play hangman and spell old vocabulary words.
Variation: Play using students names.

41

B. Around the World (See Multi-Purpose Activities

Index for More Directions) (S, L)
1. Make flashcards, one for each letter of the alphabet.
2. Have the first two students of a row stand up.
3. Show them a flashcard with a letter on it.
4. The first student to correctly pronounce the letter
advances to the next student. The other student sits
down.
5. Repeat again between the winner of the first round and
the next student with a new letter.
6. When a student loses a round, they take the place or desk
of their competitor, and the student that wins advances.
7. The winner is the student who can go all the way around
the classroom winning every round until they get back to
their original desk.
8. Practice especially the letters that are difficult for
students, like C, Z, V, B, J, G, Y, and W.

C. Cocktail Party (See Multi-Purpose Activities

Index for More Directions) (S, L)
1. Have the students stand up and walk around the room,
asking other students for their names and phone
numbers.

2. Students should spell their name and phone number.

The other student should take notes.
3. If students dont have a phone number, they can make
one up.

D. Spell Your Name, Please! (S)

1. Students memorize the spelling of their names in English
for homework.
2. Take attendance for class. Ask students to, Spell your
name, please.
3. Students stand up and spell their names.
4. Write a dialogue on the board:
Customer: Hello, I need a hotel room.
Hotel Manager: Good morning. OK. Whats your
name, sir?
Customer: Roger Smith.
Hotel Manager: Can you spell your name, please?
Customer: R-O-G-E-R. S-M-I-T-H.
5. Students read the dialogue and practice in pairs.
6. Students modify the dialogue to use their own names.

7th Grade 2.4 Family

Target Vocabulary
mother/father (parents), sister/brother (siblings), grandmother/grandfather (grandparents),
aunt/uncle, cousin, daughter/son (children), granddaughter/grandson (grandchildren), niece/
nephew, wife/husband, family tree, HAVE

Target Grammar

Possessive adjectives (my, your, his, her, our, their)

My mother is Betty.
His brother is Carlos.

Possessive s

Toms mother is Kate.

My fathers name is Michael.

WH-question Who?

Who is her mother?

Who is Yaritzas brother?

Verb HAVE

I have 2 brothers.
Marias mother has 2 sons.

Teachers Tip:
Use pictures
or drawings
of family
members for
visual learners.

Extra vocabulary for teacher reference

(You do not need to teach all of this, but some
students may ask)

mother-in-law, father-in-law, daughter-in-law, sonin-law, sister-in-law, brother in law; godmother,

godfather, godparents, goddaughter, godson

42

I Do/Presentation
A. Family Vocabulary

B. Possessive Adjectives and Wh-Question Who

1. Bring a photograph or a drawing of your family.

2. Students identify family members in Spanish.
3. Students list the proper names of their own
family members.
Ex: Maria, Juan, etc.
4. Bring poster paper of a family tree to class:

1. Review subject pronouns (7.2.1)

2. Introduce possessive adjectives.

I have a pencil.

= It is my pencil.

She has an eraser.

= It is her eraser.

You have a notebook. = It is your notebook.

He has a backpack.

= It is his backpack.

We have a classroom. = It is our classroom.

They have a family.

= It is their family.

3. Introduce the question word Who and ask questions

using possessive pronouns and the family tree.
Ex: Who is her mother? Who is his aunt?

C. Possessive s

5. Introduce new vocabulary using the family tree

6. Students copy vocabulary and practice pronunciation.
Variation: present a famous family the students know, like
the Simpsons.

1. Introduce the possessive form using s.

Ex: The sister of Shakira = Shakiras sister. The mother of
Roger = Rogers mother.
2. Use boxes, underlining, or different colors to illustrate the
sentence structure.

D. HAVE
1. Review numbers 0-20 (See 7.1.6 and 7.2.1).
2. Introduce the verb HAVE. Use chart above.
3. Students copy examples and practice pronunciation.

We Do/Practice
A. Practice Vocabulary (L, R or S)
Use a Multi-Purpose Activity to practice new vocabulary such
as BINGO, Hot Cabbage/Potato, Run to the Board, or Memory
to review vocabulary. See the Multi-Purpose Activities Index
for more directions.

B. Family Tree: Possessive Adjectives (W)

1. Use the family tree above.
2. Students circle the correct possessive adjective.
3. Students fill in the correct names.

Look at Maribel . . .
Her/His/Their brother is
Her/His/Their father is

. (Her brother is Roger.)

. (Her father is Danilo.)

Look at Paul and Esperanza . . .

Her/His/Their mother is
Her/His/Their aunt is

. (Their mother is Maribel.)

. (Their aunt is Francis.)

Look at Ricardo . . .
Her/His/Their mother is
Her/His/Their brother is

. (His mother is Francis.)

. (His brother is Eduardo.)

C. Possessive s Practice (W)

Change to the possessive s form.
1. The brother of Esperanza = Esperanzas brother
2. The cousin of Ricardo = Ricardos cousin
3. The mother of Maria = Marias mother
4. The nephew of Maribel = Maribels nephew
5. The daughter of Danilo = Danilos daughter
6. The sister of Roger = Rogers sister
7. The grandfather of Paul = Pauls grandfather
8. The son of Francis = Franciss son
Variation: After teaching Who, ask the question.
Ex: Who is Esperanzas brother?
43

D. Family Tree: Possessives s (W)

Use the family tree and fill in the blank with the correct
persons name.
Vocabulary Review
1. Who are Maria and Esperanza (to Paul)? Mara and
Esperanza are Pauls sisters.

2. Who is Eduardo? Eduardo is Ricardos brother.

3. Who is Maribel? Maribel is Guillermos wife.
4. Who is Roger? Roger is Maribels brother.
5. Who is Ricardo? Ricardo is Eduardos brother.
Variation: Use only the possessive form.
1. Who are Maria and Esperanza? Mara and Esperanza
are Pauls sisters.

2. Who is Eduardo? Eduardo is Ricardos brother.

3. Who is Maribel? Maribel is Guillermos wife.
4. Who is Roger? Roger is Maribels brother.
5. Who is Ricardo? Ricardo is Eduardos brother.

E. Possessive s and Possessive Adjective (W)

Rewrite each sentence using a possessive adjective.
1. Paul is Marias brother. Paul is her brother.
2. Piedad is Roger and Maribels mother.
Piedad is their mother.

F. Fill in the Blank with Correct Form of HAVE (W)

1. I
2. I
3. We
4. You
5. They
6. He
7. She

one cousin. (have)

three sisters. (have)
two brothers. (have)
four aunts. (have)
nine uncles. (have)
twelve nephews. (has)
six cousins. (has)

G. Reading Comprehension (R, W)

1. Bring a poster paper with the reading My Family:

My Family
Hello! My name is Danilo. This is my family. My wife
is Piedad. We have two children. Roger is our son
and Maribel is our daughter. My grandchildren are
Ricardo, Eduardo, Esperanza, Maria and Paul. Ricardo
and Eduardos mother is Francis. Maribels husband
is Guillermo. We are a nice family.

2. Discuss the meaning and practice pronunciation.

3. Students make a list of words or phrases they recognize.
4. Students answer True or False questions in their
notebooks. Students correct False answers by writing a
true statement.

1) His name is Danilo. True or False (True.)

3. Esperanza and Maria are Ricardo and Eduardos

cousins. Esperanza and Maria are their cousins.

2) His wife is Lucia. True or False

4. Danilo is Eduardo and Esperanzas grandfather.

3) He has three children. True or False

Danilo is their grandfather.

5. We are Rogers children. We are his children.

6. I am Maribels father. I am her father.

(False. His wife is Piedad.)

(False. He has two children.)

4) He has 5 grandchildten. True or False (True.)

5) Maribels brother is Guillermo. True or False
(False. Maribels brother is Roger.)

6) His daughters name is Maribel. True or False (True.)

You Do/Production
A. Student Family Tree (W, S)
1. Students make their own family tree.
2. They label each member in English.
Ex: Maria/Mother.
3. Students write sentences about family members.
Ex: My mother is Leydi. My father is Howard.
4. Student presents her/his family tree to the class.
5. Class asks questions like Who is your father?
6. Student responds in complete sentences.

44

Variation (Easier)
Student chooses 2 people from her/his family tree.
Ex: Danilo/Roger, Maribel/Ricardo
Student writes a sentence about the relationship
between these 2 people.
Ex: Danilo is Rogers father OR Danilo is my father.
Variation 2 (More difficult)
Students work in pairs.
Student 1 writes/asks Wh-questions to Student 2.
Ex: Who is your mother? Who is Eduardos sister?
Student 1 answers. My mother is., Eduardos sister
is, etc.

Variation 3: Famous Families

Students work in groups of 5-6
Student s pretend to be famous people in the family
Ex: I am Bart Smpson. Lisa is my sister.

B. Cocktail Party (See Multi-Purpose Activities

Index for More Directions) (W or S)
1. Give students a piece of paper.
2. Each piece of paper has a question on it.
Ex: Who is your mother?
3. Students play Cocktail Party to practice speaking.

C. My Family Card (W)

1. Students create an information card about a family member.
2. The card must contain the following information:

***My Mother***
I have 1 mother.
My mothers name is Denise.
She is 50 years old.
Her brother is Dave.

Variation: Students write their partners answers to

practice writing.

3. Students draw a picture of the family members and

present to the class.

Ex: Student 1 has the question Who is your mother?

This student must ask at least 5 people and write
the answers.

Variation: Teacher can do a listening activity. Read the

students cards and they stand up when they hear their
family members information.

7th Grade 3.1 Everyday Activities

Target Vocabulary
WAKE UP, TAKE A SHOWER, GET DRESSED, BRUSH your hair/teeth, EAT breakfast/lunch/
dinner, GO to school, GO home, DO homework, STUDY, HANG OUT with friends, PLAY soccer,
EXERCISE, PLAY video games, READ a book, TALK on the phone/to friends, GO TO SLEEP

Target Grammar

Preposition of time IN + morning, afternoon, evening; AT + night

I eat breakfast in the morning.

I eat lunch in the afternoon.
I watch television at night.
I go to sleep at night.
Simple present verb forms and sentence structure (affirmative and negative)
He doesnt eat breakfast.
I play soccer.

I Do/Presentation
A. Introduce New Vocabulary
1. Bring large drawings or pictures for each new verb.
NOTE: Save these drawings! You can use them
again in Unit 4.

2. Use these drawings to introduce new vocabulary.

3. Do a gesture for each new word.
4. Students repeat the word and mimic the gesture.
5. Eventually, only show the drawing/do the gesture.
Students must say the word.

45

B. Review Time of Day (See 7.1.3 for Greetings)

Use a Multi-Purpose Activity from the index to review time of
day.

C. Introduce Prepositions with Times of Day

1. Draw 4 columns on the board. Label them In the Morning,
In the Afternoon, In the Evening and At Night.
2. Students copy prepositions and practice pronunciation.
3. Students put Greetings in the correct columns.

D. Present Verb Forms

1. Explain the simple present verb forms:
For subjects I, you, we, and they, the verb form
is the simple form.
For the third person singular (he, she, and it),
add s to the verb.

E. Simple Present Sentence Structure (Affirmative

and Negative)
Present examples:
I, You, We, They

He, She, It

I play soccer.
You do not study English.
We buy food.
They do not fry rice.

He plays soccer.
She does not study English.
Gerry buys food.
My mother does not fry rice.

To form the simple present negative, use DO NOT and

DOES NOT. DO is an auxiliary verb. It does not have
meaning.
Present structure:

Simple Present Sentence Structure

Examples:
I, You, We, They

He, She, It

eat breakfast
play soccer
hang out
listen to music

eats breakfast
plays soccer
hangs out
listens to music

For verbs ending in h, -x, -s, and -o, third person

singular add es to the verb.
I, You, We, They

He, She, It

watch television
brush your hair
go to school

watches television
brushes her hair
goes to school

Affirmative:

Subject + Verb + Complement.

I play baseball.
He plays soccer.

Negative:
Subject + DO + not + Verb (simple form) + Complement.
You do not study French.
She does not study Chinese.

For verbs ending in consonant y, change the y to i

and add -es.
I, You, We, They

He, She, It

carry books
study English
fry plantains

carries books
studies English
fries plantains

We Do/Practice
A. Charades (See Multi-Purpose Activities Index for
More Directions) (S)
1. Play Charades to practice everyday action vocabulary.
2. Tell one student which word to act.
3. This student acts/makes the gesture to indicate the
correct verb.
4. Other students guess the word.
Variation: Students may choose their own word to act.

46

B. Tic-Tac-Toe (See Multi-Purpose Activities Index

for More Directions) (S or W)
1. Use drawings from presentation to do the activity.
2. Students select a drawing and say the word in English.
They may also write it on the board.
3. Follow the activity rules until one team wins.
Variation: Students make sentences using time of day.
Ex: I brush my teeth in my morning.
Variation 2: Students make sentences using the
negative form.

C. Categories (See Multi-Purpose Activities Index

for More Directions) (W)
1. Students identify new vocabulary (wake up, go to school,
etc.) that belongs in each column (morning, afternoon,
evening and night).
2. Students put vocabulary drawing from presentation in
the correct column. Students may also write the phrase
in English.
3. In their notebooks, students make sentences combining
the preposition and the activity.
Ex: In the morning I wake up. In the evening I watch TV.

D. Fill In the Blank Sentences (W)

1. Students come to the board and write the correct verb
in the blank.
2. Use this activity after you teach I/you/we/they and he/
she form rules.
1. They
2. She
3. Alba
4. He
5. They
6. Jos
7. It

in the afternoon.
in the evening.
in the morning.
in the evening.
in the afternoon.
in the afternoon.
in the afternoon.

E. Fill In the Blank Story (W)

Fill in the blank with the correct form of the verb
in parentheses.
In the morning, Rafaela always (wakes up) (wake up) and
(eats breakfast) (eat breakfast). She (takes a shower) (take

a shower), (gets dressed) (get dressed), and (brushes her

hair) (brush her hair). In the afternoon, Rafaela and her

brother, Saul, (clean) (clean) the house and (go to school)

(go to school). In the evening, they (watch television) (watch
television) and Saul (goes to sleep) (go to sleep). Rafaela
(does homework) (do homework) and (listens to music)

(listen to music). Then Rafaela (goes to sleep) (go to

sleep), too.
Variation: Make some of the blanks negative to practice
the negative form.

You Do/Production
A. Finish the Story (R, W)
1. Before class, prepare a Big Story Book that describes
someones typical day.
2. Each page has a drawing a simple fill in the blank
sentence. For example page 1 can say: Sally _____ up in
the morning. (Picture of a bed). Page 2 can say Sally and
her brother Raul _____ breakfast: gallo pinto! (Picture
of breakfast).
3. Students and teacher fill in a few examples together,
practicing different verb conjugations and reading
the story.
4. In groups of 5, students must write the end to the story
and draw pictures. Students may write 3 or 5 sentences.
5. Students present their story to the class.

B. Cocktail Party (See Multi-Purpose Activities

Index for More Directions) (S, L)
1. Give each student a small piece of paper with either a
daily activity on it, or a time expression
2. Students stand up and find someone to make a sentence.
3. Ex: Brush teeth, in the morning: I brush my teeth in the
morning.
4. After students form sentences, they exchange papers and
find someone new to make a sentence with.

C. Daily Activities Schedule Interview (S, L, W)

1. Divide students into pairs.
2. Students should ask each other about their daily
activities, using When do you?
3. After students make a list of each others daily activities,
they should pair up with another partnership, to make
small groups of four.
4. Students should tell the rest of their group about their
partners daily activities, now using the 3rd person.

D. Mini-Books (See Multi-Purpose Activities Index

for More Directions) (W, S)
1. Students make a mini-book with drawings and sentences
of the activities they do each day.
2. The mini-book includes a title page, two morning
activities, two afternoon activities, and two evening
activities.
3. Students can present their mini-books to practice
speaking.

E. Mime and Write (W r S)

1. Say or mime an every day activity.
2. Students work in groups to write the activity correctly.

F. Charades (S), Telephone (L, S), or Categories (W)

Follow directions in Multi-Purpose Activities Index.
47

7th Grade 3.2 Frequent Activities

Target Vocabulary
Adverbs:
always, usually, sometimes, rarely, never

Verbs:
CLEAN the house, DRINK milk, EAT fruits and vegetables, EXERCISE, LISTEN to music, PLAY
basketball, PLAY videogames, WATCH television

Target Grammar

Review Simple Present (7.3.1)

I eat fruit.
He drinks milk.
How often questions
How often do you drink milk?
How often does he clean the house?
Adverbs of frequency (word order)
I always listen to Daddy Yankee.
He usually drinks juice.

I Do/Presentation
A. Brainstorm
1. Ask students about activities they do every day, every
week and every month.
2. Write the answers in a concept map on the board.
play soccer

take a shower

every day
brush my teeth

FREQUENT
ACTIVITIES

go to the
library

every week

visit my
grandmother

every month

go swimming

B. New Action Verb Vocabulary

1. Write new vocabulary on the board.
2. Use gestures or actions to engage the students
3. Use a Multi-Purpose Activity to present new vocabulary:
Charades (See p. 225), Hot Cabbage/Potato (See p. 229),
Pictionary (See p. 233), Run to the Board (See p. 234), etc.

C. Adverbs of Frequency
1. Use the frequency timeline to teach adverbs of frequency.

100%
always
48

75%

50%

25%

0%

usually

sometimes

rarely

never

2. Use a Repeated Activity Chart to illustrate the meanings

of the new vocabulary.

How often?

always

usually

sometimes

rarely

x
x

never
3. Post pictures of new vocabulary. Students help by
suggesting how many pictures should represent
always versus never.
4. Write example sentences on the board.
5. Explain that the adverb goes before the verb.

D. How Often?
1. Teach question and answer structure. Use a variety
of subjects.
QUESTION: How often do you (verb)?
ANSWER: I (adverb) (verb).
Ex: How often do you brush your teeth?
I always brush my teeth.
2. Explain that the How often . . . ? questions use the
auxiliary DO, the same as in yes/no questions in the
Simple Present. The auxiliary DO must agree with the
subject.
Ex: How often do they play soccer?,
How often does she study English?

We Do/Practice
A. How Often? Questions (W or S)
Students answer the questions about their own habits using
adverbs of frequency:
1. How often do you watch Disney Channel?
2. How often do you play soccer?
3. How often do you drink Gatorade?
4. How often to you clean your brothers room?
5. How often do you drink Squiz?

C. Frequent Activities: Listening True or False

(Listen to CD Track #6) (W, L)
1. Explain to the students that they are going to listen to a
CD recording (or you can read the sentences yourself ).
2. Students must listen to the sentences, and identify
whether the sentences are true or false for themselves in
their personal lives.
3. Students number their papers 1-6 and for each sentence
write True or False.
4. Play the CD recording at least two times.
5. Write the sentences on the board.
6. Read each sentence aloud. Students raise hands to show
if they said true or false. Verify student comprehension.
7. Have students who answered false change the adverb
of frequency so that it becomes true for them.
Sentences from the recording:
1. I rarely wash my hair.
2. I always do my homework.
3. I usually copy my homework.
4. I never help my family.
5. I sometimes watch television.
6. I rarely eat dinner.

B. Frequent Activities: Writing and Speaking True

or False (W, L, S)
1. Write T if the statement is true.
2. Write F if the statement is false. Correct all false
statements.
3. Students will have different answers depending on the
frequency they do the activities.
1. I rarely exercise.
2. I always eat gallo pinto.
3. I usually drink coca cola.
4. I never listen to Daddy Yankee.
5. I sometimes watch Disney Channel.
6. I rarely eat vegetables.

D. Adverb of Frequency Question and Answer (W)

1. Use the chart to answer the questions.

100%
Julio
Marcos
Gema
Rebecca

drinks
water
eats
pizza
drinks
coke

75%

50%

25%

drinks
coffee
eats
bananas

eats
ice cream

eats
candy

eats
hot dogs

drinks
juice

0%
eats
cookies
eats
salad
eats
fruit

1. How often does Julio drink coffee? (usually)

2. How often does Gema drink juice? (rarely)
3. How often does Marcos eat bananas? (usually)
4. How often does Julio eat ice cream? (sometimes)
5. How often does Marcos eat cookies? (never)
6. How often does Rebecca eat fruit? (never)

E. How Often? Dialogue (W, S)

1. Students copy the dialogue and fill in the blanks
Note: Each blank is a How Often? question

Ana: Hello!
Dan: Hi!
Ana: _______________?
Dan: I never eat tortillas.
Ana: _____________?
Dan: I sometimes watch
telenovelas.
Ana: _____________?
Dan: I rarely drink coffee.
Ana: _______________?

(How often do
you eat tortillas?)
(How often do you
watch telenovelas?)
(How often do
you drink coffee?)
(How often do
you exercise?)

Dan: I always exercise at school!

Ana: Thanks, Dan. Bye!
Dan: Goodbye.
2. Fill in the blanks. Practice the dialogue together.
3. Save the dialogue to use as an evaluation or for more
practice another day.
Variation: Change the dialogue so that students are given
questions and they fill in the answers.

4. Students stand up at their desks.

5. Read the sentence. Students wrote true must sit down.
6. Students still standing answer with a true sentence.
Ex: I rarely exercise.
False. I always exercise.

49

You Do/Production
A. Survey (W, S)

How often
do you?

Write this survey on the board:

1. How often do you play soccer?
2. How often do you eat pizza?
3. How often do you clean the house?
4. How often do you watch Animal Planet?
5. How often do you listen to Daddy Yankee?
7. How often do you drink fresco?
8. How often do you watch Lucha Libre?
9. How often do you play soccer?
10. How often do you exercise?
1. Students copy the survey into their notebooks.
2. Review meaning of questions as a class.
3. Explain that students will ask each other these questions.
4. Student 1 asks Student 2 the question and records
Student 2s response.
Ex: Student 2 always plays soccer.

B. Frequency Chart (W)

always
100%

usually
75%

sometimes
50%

ME
FRIEND #1
FRIEND #2
FRIEND #3
FRIEND #4
FRIEND #5

C. Dialogue (S or W)
1. Students write a dialogue, using the Practice Activity E
as a model.
2. Each student must ask at least two How often?
questions and give two answers.
3. Students may turn in their dialogues.

D. Farm Versus City (W)

1. Students write a list of the new verb vocabulary.
2. They draw 2 pictures: 1 picture of a person who lives in a
city in Nicaragua and 1 picture of a person who lives on a
farm in Nicaragua.
3. Underneath the pictures, students write sentences about
how often each person does an activity.
Ex: Manuel on the farm always eats gallo pinto. Marvin in
the city sometimes eats hamburgers.
Variation: Draw two pictures on papelgrafo before class
to save time.

7th Grade 3.3 Midterm Review

Target Vocabulary
Review Target Vocabulary from Units 1-3.

Target Grammar

Review Target Grammar from Units 1-3.

A. General Review Notes

50

never
0%

Variation: Students present dialogues to the class.

1. Students create their own frequency chart using the

chart from Practice Activity D as an example.
2. Students make a column for themselves and choose 4
friends.
3. Students fill in the chart based on the frequency of their
daily activities and write sentences about their chart.
4. After students fill out the chart, they should write one
sentence about each friend using frequency adjectives.
Ex: Mario usually plays soccer.
Julia never listens to Daddy Yankee.

I Do/Presentation

rarely
25%

The general review will depend on the level of your class.

Some classes will not need much review; others will need a lot.
Remember that this is a review and that you cant re-teach every vocabulary word or grammar topic.
This is a time to focus on lessons that you noticed were challenging to your students.

We Do/Practice
A. Jeopardy Preparation: Student-Created Questions
Jeopardy is a good activity to use to review but it takes a lot of
preparation. (See the Multi-Purpose Activities Index for more
directions)
1. Divide your students into 6-8 groups.
2. Assign each group a category from the material covered
so far (general vocabulary, every day activities, family,
commands, etc.)
3. Students create five questions for their category.
Examples of Questions:
Vocabulary: What is a pen? (3 pictures: PEN, PENCIL,
ERASER).
Adverb of Frequency: Complete the sentence:
She ______ goes to school. (90%)
Spelling: Spell FAMILIES.

Variation: Teacher-Created Questions

Before class, create 6-8 main categories from
the material covered so far.
Create questions in each category that are
challenging but fairly represent the material
already presented in class.
Bring these questions to class and use them
to organize the Jeopardy board.

4. Students turn in the questions.

5. Organize the board with the questions.

You Do/Production
B. Student Teach

A. Jeopardy (S, L, R)
1. Play Jeopardy. (See Multi-Purpose Activities Index for
more directions.)
2. If you are using Student-created questions, use the same
groups you used to make the questions.
3. Groups that created a set of questions come to the front
of the class to read their questions.
4. Do one category at a time.
5. Use the activity as an opportunity to see what topics
are difficult.
6. Pause to review the difficult topics.

1. Use this activity if you do not use Jeopardy.

2. Divide the class into 6-8 groups.
3. Assign each group a topic or vocabulary set.
4. Groups are responsible for 10 minute presentations.
5 minutes reviewing the topic.
5 minutes for a short activity about the topic
5. Give groups enough time to prepare.

7th Grade 4.1 How Many? Cardinal Numbers 21-100

Target Vocabulary
twenty-one, twenty-two ninety-eight, ninety-nine, one hundred

Target Grammar

Review 3rd person singular form of verb BE in How old questions and answers (See 7.2.1)

How old is he? He is 58 years old.

How old is she? She is 83 years old.
Review How many questions and answers (See 7.1.6)
There is/There are
How many books are there? There are fifty-two books.
How many pencils are there? There is one pencil.

51

I Do/Presentation
C. Review How Old Are You? Question and
Present 3rd Person Singular

A. Review Numbers 0-20

Choose a Multi-Purpose Activity from the Index such as
Memory, BINGO or Row Races to review numbers.

B. Introduce New Vocabulary (Numbers 21-100)

1. Introduce new vocabulary in units of ten: ten, twenty,
thirty, fortyninety, one hundred.
2. Write these numbers on the board in a column and
practice pronunciation.
3. Review the numbers 1-9. Write these numbers in a
separate column.
4. Explain how to combine the two columns to form
numbers with a hyphen (-).
Ex: Twenty-one, thirty-five, sixty-eight, etc.
5. Copy and practice pronunciation.

1. Tell students to reference their notebooks to Unit 2s

How old are you? lesson.
2. Use students knowledge to practice asking and
answering questions about age using the subjects
you, he and she.
Ex: How old are you? I am . . .
How old is he? He is . . .

D. Present There Is/There Are

1. Review How many? and add How many (plural noun)
are there?
2. Singular answer: There is one (singular noun).
3. Plural answer: There are two (plural noun).
4. Explain that the question is always plural and remind
students that is is for singular subjects and are is
for plural subjects.

We Do/Practice
C. Math Problems (W)

A. Favorite Numbers (W)

1. Students write 3 favorite numbers in English.
2. Students explain why these numbers are important to
them (in English, if possible).
Ex: Thirty-one is important. It is my birthday. Twelve is
important. It is my age.

B. Fill in the Blank (W)

Write the following on the board:
1. twenty-one (21), twenty-two (22),
twenty-four (24),
(25)
2. thirty-three (33),
(37), thirty-eight (38)
3. forty-seven (47),
(50)
4. fifty-nine (59),
sixty-three (63)
5. sixty-seven (67),
(70),
(71)

(68), sixty-nine (69),

3. Can continue this exercise up until 100.

4. Students come to the board and fill in the blank to
practice new vocabulary.

52

(36),

(48), forty-nine (49),

(60), sixty-one (61),

1. 26 + eighteen = (fifty-four)
2. ninety + 5 = (ninety-five)
3. 13 + 74 = (eighty-seven)
4. sixteen + ten = (twenty-six)
5. fifteen + forty-five = (sixty)

D. BINGO (See Multi-Purpose Activities Index for

More Directions) (L)

(23),

(34),thirty-five (35),

1. Students write the answer to each math problem

in words.

(62),

1. Select 25 numbers. Write them on the board.

2. Students write these numbers in random order on
their bingo cards.
3. Teacher says numbers and spells it on the board.
Students mark their cards.
4. Eventually, teacher only says the number.

E. How Old Is He/She? (W)

1. Bring photographs, magazine pictures or drawings of
people of various ages, some young and some old.
2. Students guess how old the people are.
3. Write a number underneath each photo. This is their age.
4. Students must write sentences using the number word.
Ex: He is eighty-five years old.

F. How Many Are There? (W)

1. Before class, prepare a poster paper with many objects drawn on it. Each object has a
number written next to it.
Ex: There are twenty-two pencils.
2. Students work in groups to write sentences about how many objects there are.
Ex: There are fifty-five cats. There are seventy-one books.

You Do/Production
A. Sparkle (See Multi-Purpose Activities Index for
More Directions) (S)
1. Students form a large circle.
2. Students play Sparkle using multiples of 10.

B. Number Baseball (S)

1. Bring a baseball, paper ball, tape roll or other small object
you can throw.
2. Students stand in a circle.
3. Teacher tosses the ball to a student. Student says, 20.
4. Student tosses the ball to another student. That student
says, 30.
5. Count to 100.

C. How Old Is Your Family? (W, S)

1. Students draw a picture/bring a picture of 5 or
6 family members.
2. Students write sentences telling their ages.
Ex: My uncle Juan is thirty-six years old.
3. Students read their sentences and show the picture
to the class.

D. There Is/There Are (W)

1. Use the pictures from Practice Activity F as a model.
2. Students draw their own pictures and choose a number.
3. Students write sentences describing how many objects
there are.

Variation: Student 1 says, 31, Student 2 says, 32, etc.

7th Grade 4.2 The Time

Target Vocabulary
A.M./P.M., midnight, noon, oclock, time

Target Grammar

Preposition at
I eat breakfast at 5:00.
I go to school at 12:30.

I Do/Presentation
A. Review Numbers 0-60
1. Use a Multi-Purpose Activity from the Index to review
numbers 0-60.

B. The Question
1. Introduce the question: What time is it? Practice asking
and answering.

C. The Hours, A.M. and P.M.

1. Before class, create or bring a clock large enough for
everyone to see easily.
2. Use the clock to introduce the Its + hours + oclock:

Its + hours + oclock

Its one oclock
Its two oclock
Its three oclock

3. Explain that twelve oclock A.M. = midnight and twelve

oclock P.M. = noon.

53

D. The Minutes

E. Preposition At

1. Use the clock to introduce the minutes: Its eight fifteen

(8:15), Its five forty-five (5:45), Its seven thirty (7:30).
2. Explain that minutes 01-09 are pronounce oh-one,
oh-two.
Ex: Its five oh-one (5:01).

1. Present use of at with time.

2. Differentiate Its five oclock. versus I brush my teeth at
five oclock. Review Unit 3 verbs (See 7.3.1 p. 37 and 7.3.2
p. 40) to explain the preposition.
3. Ask questions.
Ex: What time does Sally brush her teeth? She brushes
her teeth at 5:00.

We Do/Practice
A. Write the Correct Time (W)

Heathers Day:

Write the time in English:

1.
2.
3.
4.

6:00 (six oclock)

12:24 (twelve twenty-four
10:00 (ten oclock)
1:18 (one eighteen)

5.
6.
7:
8.

3:15 (three fifteen)

8:45 (eight forty-five)
4:56 (four fifty-six)
7:30 (seven thirty)

Variation 2:
Use the model clock or draw clocks on the board.
Students identify the correct time and write it
in English.

1. eight oclock
2. seven oh-eight
3. three fifty
4. nine thirty-five
5. twelve thirty

B. Listen to the Schedules (L)

1. Write the chart on the board. Students copy.

wake up

go to school

go home

Heather
Angela
2. Read the two paragraphs out loud. Students listen for the
information and write it down in their charts.
3. Read each paragraph twice.

54

Good morning! My name is Heather. I wake up at five

oclock in the morning. I brush my teeth and eat gallo
pinto for breakfast. I go to school at seven thirty. I go
to class and play soccer. At noon, I go home.

Angelas Day:

Good afternoon! My name is Angela. I wake up at

six thirty in the morning. I get dressed and clean the
house. I go to school at twelve thirty. I go home at five
forty-five and play video games with my brother.
4. Students compare their answers on the chart on
the board.
5. Answer the comprehension questions:
What time does Heather wake up?
What time doe Heather go to school?
What time does Heather go home?
What time does Angela wake up?
What time does Angela go to school?
What time does Angela go home?

C. What Time Does He/She.? (R or W)

1. Use drawings/magazine pictures from 7.3.1 or 7.3.2.
2. Students must write sentences underneath each picture
to invent the likely time of the activity.
Ex: I eat breakfast at five-thirty. Or I go to school
at noon.
Variation 2
Use drawings/magazine pictures from Unit 3.
Write a sentence to describe the picture.
Ex: He brushes his teeth at 4:20.
Students must write the time in words.
Ex: He brushes his teeth at four twenty.

You Do/Production
A. Mr. Wolf (S, L)
1. Write 5 or 10 possible times on the board.
Ex: 5:00, 4:15, 10:30, etc.
2. Each student selects one of the times on the board.
Students make a flashcard with one of the possible times.
3. One student is Mr. Wolf. Mr. Wolf stands in front of the
board, facing it.
4. All students stand up and hold up their flashcards. They
say, Mr. Wolf, what time is it?
5. Mr. Wolf selects a time from the board.
Ex: Its Three thirty.
6. He turns around. All the students who are holding 3:30
flashcards are eaten. This means they sit down OR
become wolves.

B. Never-Ending Board Game (See Multi-Purpose

Activities Index for More Directions) (R, S)
Follow the rules of the activity to practice asking the
time and telling the time.

C. Two Circle Conversations (See Multi-Purpose

Activities Index for More Directions) (S)
1. Students choose a time. They write it on a slip of paper.
2. Students write it in numbers but practice pronouncing
in English.
3. Students form two circles.
4. Students follow the rules of the game, asking What
time is it? and telling the time.

D. Cocktail Party (See Multi-Purpose Activities

Index for More Directions) (R, S)
1. Give each student a small piece of paper with a daily
activity on it.
2. Students stand up and find someone to ask about what
time they do that daily activity.
3. Ex: Brush teeth: What time do you brush your teeth?
4. After students answer one anothers questions, they
exchange slips of paper and find someone new to ask.

7th Grade 4.3 Class Subjects

Target Vocabulary
Days of the Week: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, today,
tomorrow, yesterday
Subjects: art, biology, chemistry, English, geography, history, math, physical education (P.E.),
science, social studies, Spanish

Target Grammar

Preposition on with days of the week

On Mondays, I go to English class.
On Tuesday there is a show at 5:30.

Note: When talking in general or about something

habitual, the day takes an s at the end. When
talking about a specific day, there is no s.
On Tuesdays I have English class.
On Tuesday I have an exam in English class.

I Do/Presentation
A. Introduce Days of the Week
1. Ask the students what days they know in English.
2. Write a complete list on the board. Practice
pronunciation.
Variation 1: Tune of Addams Family, an old U.S. comedy
program. (Listen to CD Track #7)
Theres Sunday and theres Monday,
Theres Tuesday and theres Wednesday,
Theres Thursday and theres Friday,
And then theres Saturday.
Days of the week, (snap snap)
Days of the week, (snap snap)
Days of the week,
Days of the week,
Days of the week. (snap snap)

Variation 2: Tune of Black Eyed Peas Ive Got A Feeling.

Monday, Tuesday
Wednesday and Thursday
Friday, Saturday
Saturday to Sunday
We keep (keep keep keep keep) on going
We know what we say
Party every day, p-p-p-party every day.
Ive got a feeling, that tonights gonna be
a good night
That tonights gonna be a good, good night.

55

B. Student School Schedules

C. On + Day of the Week

1. Ask students What classes do you have on Mondays?

On Tuesdays? etc.
2. Write a complete list of new vocabulary on the board
with their answers. (Students will answer in Spanish.
Repeat in English and write on board.) Practice
pronunciation.
3. Use pictures to illustrate the different subjects.
Ex: A picture of a microscope for science or a picture of
a paint brush for art.

1. Review the preposition for time. (See 7.4.2)

Ex: At 3:00. At noon.
2. Introduce preposition on for days of the week.
Ex: On Monday. On Fridays.
3. Explain that when the day of the week is plural, it is a
habitual action that always happens that day. When the
day of the week is singular, it is something that happens
one time.
Ex: On Mondays, I go to English class. On Tuesday there
is a show at 5:30.

We Do/Practice
A. Telephone (See Multi-Purpose Activities
Index for More Directions) (L, W)

Jessenia
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

Follow the rules of the activity to practice

Days of the Week vocabulary or Class
Subjects vocabulary.

Math Spanish Science

Juan

B. Fill in the Blank (W)

1. Today is

Monday Tuesday

(todays date, Ex: August

Art

2nd, 2010).

2. Tomorrow is

English Civics

(tomorrows date,
(yesterdays date,

Ex: August 1st, 2010).

C. Fill in the Calendar (W)

1. Students look at the schedules (next column).

Check for understanding.
2. Students answer questions (below the charts)
relating to one or all of the schedules.
Variation: Add times for each class.
Ex: Jessenias civics class is Friday at 3:30.

Science

Monday Tuesday

Wednesday Thursday Friday

Spanish P.E.

Math

Civics

English

Domingo and Carlos

Monday Tuesday

1. Copy a blank calendar on the board.

2. Students come to the board and fill in the days
of the week.

D. Interpreting a Schedule (W)

English Geography P.E.

Pamela and Gloria

Ex: August 3rd, 2010).

3. Yesterday was

Wednesday Thursday Friday

Wednesday Thursday Friday

Science Geography Art

Spanish

Math

1. Who has Math on Monday? Jessenia has Math on Monday.

2. Who has Spanish on Thursday? Domingo and Carlos have Spanish
on Thursday.

3. Who has English on Friday? Pamela and Gloria have English on

Friday.

1. What day is Juans art class? Juans art class is on Monday.

2. What day is Jessenias civics class? Jessenias Civics class is
on Friday.

3. What day is Pamela and Glorias PE class? Pamela and Glorias

P.E. class is on Tuesday.

You Do/Production
A. Song Talent Show (S)
1. Students practice one of the Days of the Week songs.
2. Students perform the song in small groups.
3. Grade students on pronunciation and enthusiasm.
56

B. Create Your Schedule (W)

1. Students write a list of all their classes (in English).
2. Students organize this list according to the day of the
week they attend each class.
3. Students use the chart from practice activity as a model.
They create their own schedule.
4. Students write at least 5 sentences to describe their
schedule using days of the week, time and prepositions.

C. Information Gap Activity: Marios Schedule (S,

L, R, W)
1. Divide students into two groups.
2. Students in Group 1 receive part of Marios class
schedule. Students in Group 2 receive a different part
of Marios class schedule.
3. Students exchange information to complete
Marios schedule.

Group 1 receives:
MARIO

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday

8:00

English

9:00

Math

Science

Spanish
P.E.

Civics

10:00

Friday

Geography

Art

Group 2 receives:
MARIO

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday

P.E.

8:00
9:00
10:00

Science

English

Spanish

Geography

Friday

Math

Art

7th Grade 4.4 Yearly Calendar

Target Vocabulary
Months: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October,
November, December, birthday, month, next

Ordinal Numbers: first (1st), second (2nd), third (3rd), fourth (4th), fifth (5th), sixth (6th) . . .
ninety-ninth (99th), one hundredth (100th)

Target Grammar

Review BE (7.2.1)
My birthday is on July 8th.
Today is Sunday, August 1st.

I Do/Presentation
A. Months of the Year
1. Use realia, for example a real English calendar, to
introduce months of the year.
Variation 1: Use drawings or photos of important events
to introduce each month.
Ex: September show the Nicaraguan flag, February
show a heart.
Variation 2: Use a song or rap present the months of
the year. Write lyrics to the song on the board. Practice
singing with students. Tune of Ten Little Indians. Listen
to CD Track #8.
January, February, March, and April
May, June, July, and August
September, October, November, December
These are the months of the year.

B. Review Numbers 1-10

1. Use a Multi-Purpose Activity to review. (See p. 224-241)

C. Introduce Ordinal Numbers 1-10

1. Show uses of ordinal numbers.
Ex: January is the FIRST month. February is the
SECOND month.
2. Discuss possible uses of ordinal numbers.
Ex: 7th grade, July 1st, etc.
3. Transform cardinal numbers into ordinal numbers.
4. Emphasize the -st, -nd and -rd endings to the first three
numbers: First, Second, Third
5. Show the -th pattern for the rest: Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, etc.
6. Show the abbreviations: First = 1st, Second = 2nd, Third =
3rd, Fourth = 4th, etc.

57

D. Introduce Ordinal Numbers 11-100

1. Explain Ordinal Numbers 11-20 end in -th.
Ex: eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth, etc.
2. Explain Ordinal Numbers 21-29 follow the same pattern
as numbers 1-10 in Presentation Activity A.

Ex: twenty-first, twenty-second, twenty-third, etc.

3. Show that the thirties (31-49), forties (41-49), fifties (51-59), etc.
follow the same pattern.
Ex: thirty-first, thirty-second, thirty-third, etc.

We Do/Practice
A. Fill In the Blank (W)
Students identify the month and predict the next month.
1. This month is May. Next month is (June).
2. This month is September. Next month is (October).
3. This month is March. Next month is (April).
4. This month is (June). Next month is July.
5. This month is (January). Next month is February.
6. This month is (November). Next month is December.

B. Run to the Board (See Multi-Purpose Activities

Index for More Directions) (W)
Follow the rules of the activity to practice spelling
the months of the year, one letter at a time.

C. Poetry Reading Activity (R, W)

1. Before class, copy the poem on a large poster board.
2. Bring the poem to class and read together with students.

Months of the Year

JANUARY is white snow.
FEBRUARY is gray ice.
MARCH is silver clouds.
APRIL is blue rain.
MAY is green flowers.
JUNE is yellow sand.
JULY is a red sunset.
AUGUST is clear breezes.
SEPTEMBER is a black backpack.
OCTOBER is a brown leaf.
NOVEMBER is gold grass.
DECEMBER is a bright star.
3. Clarify new vocabulary.
4. Discuss what a metaphor is. Metaphors are phrases that
refer to two things not literally related (Ex: A scream and
a firework) to show a connection between them. (The
scream is a firework.) Poets like Ruben Dario used many
metaphors.
5. Students answer questions about the poem.
1. What month is silver rain? Draw a picture.
2. What month is a black backpack? Draw a picture.
3. What month is yellow sand? Draw a picture.
4. What month is a bright star? Draw a picture.
5. What month is green flowers? Draw a picture.
58

D. Stand Up! Its Your Birthday! (L)

1. Say different months. Students listen.
2. Students stand up when their month is called.

E. Transform the Number (W)

1. Write numbers on the board.
2. Student writes ordinal number and ordinal
number abbreviation.
1. One = First/1st
2. Two = Second/2nd
3. Three = Third/3rd
4. Four = Fourth/4th

F. BINGO/Listening Activity (See Multi-Purpose

Activities Index for More Directions) (L)
1. Students use Cardinal and Ordinal numbers to fill a
BINGO card.
2. Read numbers, clearly pronouncing the endings to the
ordinal numbers.
3. Record the numbers already read to verify if the BINGO
is correct.
Variation: Students choose 5 ordinal numbers and
5 cardinal numbers in a list. Read the numbers and
students listen for the difference, crossing off the
numbers the teacher says. Check if they cross out the
correct numbers.
Ex: Eleven versus Eleventh

G. Who Won the Race? (W)

1. Draw or use a photograph of 10 different people running
a race. They can be famous people (Ex: Daddy Yankee) or
generic photographs.
2. Write the cardinal number above each racer.
3. Students must write sentences using the ordinal number.
Ex: She is first. Daddy Yankee is second. He is third.

H. Birthdays (W, S)
1. Students write their birthday using ordinal numbers.
Ex: My birthday is July 8th.
2. Practice saying these sentences out loud.
3. Students work in pairs to share information and record
the answers.
4. Students present their pairs information.
Ex: Her birthday is March 1st.

You Do/Production
A. Change Seats (See Multi-Purpose Activities
Index for More Directions) (S, L)
1. Tell the students to sit in a circle with their chairs, with
one person standing in the middle.
Ex: For 20 people, use 19 chairs
2. Start in the middle of the circle and say Change seats if
your birthday is in April.
3. Everyone whose birthday is in April stands up and
changes seats.
4. Students cannot move to the seat immediately next to
where they were sitting.
5. The person who does not find a chair stays in the middle
and says the next sentence with a new month.

B. Sparkle (See Multi-Purpose Activities Index for

More Directions) (S)
1. Follow the activity rules.
2. Use months of the year vocabulary.

C. Calendar Project (W, S)

1. Divide class into 12 groups (1 for each month)
2. Try to divide students according to their birthday month.
3. Each group creates a calendar page for the month in the
current year
4. Students label each date with the written ordinal number,
days of the week, important holidays and birthdays
in the month.
5. Students present their calendar and one sentence.
Ex: My birthday is Friday, August sixth.

D. Find Somebody Who (See Multi-Purpose

Activities Index for More Directions) (S, L, W)
1. Students must go around and ask each other When is
your birthday? until they find somebody whose birthday
is each month.
2. Evaluate students by asking them whose birthday is in
each month.
3. Reinforce the difference between second-person
possessive adjectives (When is your birthday?), firstperson (My birthday is in June), and third person (Juans
birthday is in June. His birthday is in June.)

7th Grade 4.5 Coins and Currency

Target Vocabulary
penny, cent, nickel, dime, quarter, dollar

Target Grammar

How much questions

How much is an eraser?
How much are the books?

I Do/Presentation
A. Transition to Content
1. Ask students, What is currency?
2. Write two columns on the board: 1 column of countries
and 1 of currencies.
3. Students match the countries with their currencies.
Nicaragua Pound
Guatemala Colon
Honduras Cordoba
Costa Rica
Dollar
Mexico Euro
U.S.
Quetzal
England Peso
Spain Lempira

B. Present New Vocabulary

1. Use pictures of U.S. currency and show actual
Nicaraguan currency (realia).
2. Discuss relative value. One dollar ($1.00) is about 23
cordobas, according to current exchange rates.
Cents:

1 penny = 1 cent
1 nickel = 5 cents
1 dime = 10 cents
1 quarter 25 cents
1 dollar = 100 cents
Dollars and Cents

$1.50 = One dollar and fifty cents

59

C. How Much?
1. Introduce the question How much?
2. Put classroom objects on a table. Each object has a price
tag. This is the store.
3. Point to a singular object. Ask students How much is
the _____?
4. Point to plural objects. Ask students How much are
the ____?
5. Students respond It is for singular and They are
for plural.

Singular
Question

How much is

Answer

It is
Its

Plural
?
.
.

How much are

They are
Theyre

We Do/Practice
A. How Much Money? (W)
1. Use drawings or large replicas of U.S. currency.
2. Draw a large bag or purse on the board. Post the
pictures inside.
3. Students must label all currency in the bag.
4. Students add the money and write how much is
in the bag.

B. How Much is It? (W)

1. Use the classroom objects.
2. Decide with students how much each item costs.
3. Write the price on the items price tag.
4. Write questions about the objects on the board.
5. Students answer the questions in their notebooks. Use
the class prices.

1. a nickel + a dime = (15 or fifteen cents)

1. How much is the eraser? It is

2. a quarter + (a penny) = 26 (Twenty-six cents)

2. How much is the backpack? It is

3. (A dollar) + a quarter = $1.25 (One dollar and twenty-

3. How much are the books? They are

five cents)

4. a nickel + a quarter = (30 or thirty cents)

5. a dollar + a nickel + (a penny) = $1.06
6. five dollars + a quarter + a dime + a nickel = $5.40
or five dollars and forty cents)

.
.

4. How much are the pencils? They are

.
.

C. Tic-Tac-Toe (See Multi-Purpose Activities Index

for More Directions) (S)
1. Use the drawings of U.S. currency.
2. Follow the activity rules. Teams must identify the
currency in each square.
Variation: Use drawings of classroom objects with price
tags. Students must say the price of each object to win
the square.

You Do/Production
A. My Store (W, S)
1. Students imagine that they are going to open a store of their choice (grocery store, clothing store, sports store, hardware
store, bookstore, etc).
2. Students make a store with their own objects. They can bring in objects, drawings, or pictures from magazines.
3. Students should assign prices to their objects for sale.
4. Students go around and ask questions about the prices of other stores.
5. Students record the answers. For example, Student 1 asks: How much is the pencil? Student 2 answers, Its five dollars and ten
cents. Student 1 writes the answer in her notebook.
6. Students turn in their products and papers with all prices recorded for an evaluation.

60

7th Grade 5.1 Inside My House

Target Vocabulary
inside, outside, rooms, bathroom, bedroom, garage, hall, house, kitchen, living room, dining
room patio, furniture, bed, chair, dresser, lamp, latrine, hammock, refrigerator, shower, sink,
sofa, stereo, stove, table, television, toilet, washboard, washing machine

Target Grammar

Review How Many? and There is/There are (See 7.4.1)

Wh-question Where and definite article the
Where is the table?
Where is the sofa?
Phrases with the preposition in
There are two tables in the living room.
The table is in the kitchen.

I Do/Presentation
A. Review There Is/There are
Use a Multi-Purpose Activity from the index to review There
Is/There Are.

B. Rooms of the House Vocabulary

1. Before class, prepare a poster paper drawing of a house.
Each room has at least 2 furniture vocabulary words
drawn to represent the room.

C. Furniture Vocabulary
1. Ask students to identify furniture words they
already know.
2. Use the drawing of the house to identify new
vocabulary words.
3. Write a list of new words and meanings next to
the drawing.
4. Students copy vocabulary and practice pronunciation.

D. Where? Question and Definite Article the

1. Review some classroom objects with question What is
this? Students should respond a book or a pencil.
2. Show three pencils. With gestures, ask a student to
Give me a pencil. Emphasize the word a. Repeat this
three times, each time accepting any pencil.
3. Give a student one of your pencils. Ask again,
emphasizing the: Give me the pencil. Can also
specify and say: Give me the blue pencil.
Ex: A refers to any object; the refers to a specific
object.
4. Write the word Where on the board.
5. Use the poster paper drawing of a house. Ask students
questions about the furniture.
Ex: Where is the chair? Where are the tables?
6. Students come to the board and point to the
correct object.

2. Ask students to identify rooms of house vocabulary

they know.
3. Use drawing to identify new vocabulary words.
4. Students copy vocabulary and practice pronunciation.
61

E. Introduce Answers Using Preposition IN

1. Use poster paper drawing of house to ask more questions using Where?
2. This time, write the complete answer on the board.
Ex: Where is the table? The table is in the living room.
3. Ask more Where? questions. Students answer using the new sentence structure and
identifying the correct room.

We Do/Practice
A. Play Hot Cabbage/Potato (See Multi-Purpose
Activities Index for More Directions) (R, S)
1. Students select slips of paper with Rooms of the House
and Furniture vocabulary words.
2. Students tape each slip to the drawing in the correct
room/next to correct piece of furniture saying the name
as they tape it.
3. Check for meaning and pronunciation.
Variation: Play once with rooms and once with furniture.
When playing with furniture vocabulary students must
make a complete sentence using the preposition in.
Ex: The stove is in the kitchen.

B. Fill in the Blank (W)

Students use There is a or There are to fill in the
blank correctly.

There are three rooms.

2. How many lamps are there? There is one lamp.

3. How many tables are there? There are two tables.
4. How many televisions are there?
There is one television.

5. How many toilets are there? There are no toilets.

There is a latrine.

D. Fill in the Blank (W)

1. Use the poster paper drawing of the house from I DO/
Presentation Activity B. Students fill in the blanks with the
correct room.
2. Adapt the questions to reflect your own drawing.
1. Where is the sofa? Its in the
3. Where are the dressers? Theyre in the

2. (There is a) refrigerator in the kitchen.

4. Where is the television? Its in the

3. (There is a) green chair in the living room.

5. Where are the tables? Theyre in the

4. (There are) two brown tables in the bedroom.

6. Where is the sink? Its in the

6. (There are) four stereos in the living room.

C. How Many Are There? (R, W)

1. Present the text about Alejandras house.
2. Students read it. Clarify any new vocabulary.
3. Students answer questions individually or in pairs.

Hello, my name is Alejandra. Welcome to my house.

My house has three rooms. This is the bedroom. The
bedroom is my favorite room! There is one lamp.
There are two tables and one bed. There are two
dressers. This is the kitchen. It is outside in the patio.
There is one sink and there are five chairs. This is the
living room. My mother and my father talk and watch
TV in this room. There is one television, two sofas and
three chairs. The latrine is outside.

2. Where is the stove? Its in the

1. (There are) two beds in the bedroom.

5. (There is a) white toilet in the bathroom.

62

1. How many rooms are in Alejandras house?

.
.
.
.
.

Variation (easier): Instead of Its, use the noun.

Ex: Where is the sofa? The sofa is in the living room.

E. Secretary (See Multi-Purpose Activities Index

for more directions) (R, W, S, L)
1. Follow the directions in the Multi-purpose Activities
Index.
2. Write a description of a house and hang it in four corners
of the room.
Ex: There is a kitchen. There is a table and two chairs in the
kitchen, etc.
3. Divide students into groups of four with two runners, a
secretary, and an artist.
4. Runners take turns going to read and memorize a line
from the description of the house.
5. Runners tell the secretary the line from memory. The
secretary takes notes.
6. The artist draws a picture of the house.
7. Verify student comprehension by comparing their
drawing with the description you wrote.

You Do/Production
A. Blind Partner Drawings (S, L)
1. Follow directions in the Multi-purpose Activities Index.
2. Draw a picture of a house with furniture on the board.
3. One student sits facing forward (the speaker) and
describes the picture of their house to their partners.
4. One student facing backwards(the artist) listens to their
partner and draw the house in their notebooks.
5. Students can verify their accuracy by whether they
included all the rooms and furniture.

* Ana is getting ready for school and she realizes she has no
English notebook. Where should she look?
* Your parents offer for your birthday a room of your own and
six things you want in the room. What six things do you
choose?
* Your house is burning. You have five minutes to take a few
things and escape. What will you take? Why?

C. Build a House (S)

B. Scenarios and Discussions (R, S, L)

1. Divide students into small groups and give each a card.
2. Students should discuss the situation on their card.
* Mark lost his passport in his bedroom. Where should he look?
* Juanita cant find a bowl for the beans. Where should she
look?

1. Students build a house using recycled materials. Ex:

popsicle sticks, Ranchitas bags, straws, cardboard, etc.
2. Each house must have at least 4 rooms and 7-8 furniture
vocabulary items represented.
3. Students present their house to the class using
target grammar.
Ex: This is the living room. There are two tables in
the living room. There is one green lamp.

7th Grade 5.2 Household Chores

Target Vocabulary
CARRY water, COOK, DUST, HELP around the house, IRON clothes, MOP, RUN errands, SWEEP, TAKE CARE of children, WASH clothes/dishes, WATER plants

Target Grammar

Simple Present interrogative form

Does he wash the dishes?
Do boys help around the house?

I Do/Presentation
A. Brainstorm
Students brainstorm chores they do in the house.

B. Present Vocabulary
1. Use gestures to mimic the vocabulary words.
2. Students perform the gesture and repeat the word.
3. Next, just make gesture. Students must produce
the word.
4. Students copy meanings and practice pronunciation.

C. Simple Present Interrogative Form

1. Explain that the interrogative form asks a question.
2. Emphasize the forms of the auxiliary DO for
different subjects.

You
= DO
They

He
She = DOES
It

3. Write examples.
Ex: Do you clean the house? Does he run errands?

4. From the examples, derive the Simple Present

Interrogative Structure:

DO + subject + Verb (simple form) + Complement + ?

Do you clean the house?
5. Students add the interrogative structure to their notes on
the Simple Present structure.
6. Form the short answers in positive and negative forms:

Affirmative:

Yes, Subject + DO.

Do you clean the house? Yes, I do.
Does he run errands? Yes, he does.

Negative:
No, Subject + DO NOT (DONT/DOESNT).
Do you clean the house? No, I dont.
Does he run errands? No, he doesnt.

63

We Do/Practice
D. Pen Pal Fill in the Blank (R, W)

A. Charades or Pictionary (See Multi-Purpose

Activities Index for More Directions) (L )
Follow the rules to practice vocabulary words using one of
these Multi-Purpose Activities.

B. Answer the Question (W)

Students read the question and answer in a complete
sentence using the correct form of the verb DO.
1. Do we mop the floors? No, (we dont.)
2. Does Enrique take care of the children? Yes, (he does.)
3. Does Carmen water the plants? Yes, (she does.)
4. Do they dust the house? No, (they dont.)
5. Do you wash clothes? Yes, (I do.)
6. Does Mario help around the house? Yes, (he does.)

C. Answer the Question with Chart (W)

1. Use the information in the chart to answer the questions.
2. If the answer is no, write a sentence telling who does
the chore.
1. Does Gloria cook food? (No, she doesnt.)
2. Does Rosa wash clothes? (No, she doesnt. Gloria and
Douglas wash clothes.)

3. Does Douglas take care of children? (Yes, he does.)

4. Do Gloria and Rosa sweep the floor? (Yes, they do.)
5. Does Rosa take care of children? (No, she doesnt.
Gloria and Douglas take care of children.)

6. Do Gloria and Douglas cook food? (No, they dont.

Rosa cooks food.)

sweep
the floor

wash
clothes

Gloria

Rosa

Douglas

64

cook
food

take care
of children

X
X

1. Copy the letter on the board or bring poster paper with

the letter written.
2. Students read the letter. Check for comprehension and
clarify any new vocabulary.
3. After reading the paragraph, students complete reading
comprehension questions.

Dear (your school name),

My name is Yumiko. I am 12 years old. I live

in Japan in Asia and go to school here. Here, I
have to do many chores. I cook sushi, clean the
house, sweep the floors, and take care of my
grandparents. Our elders are very important to
us. Do you cook sushi too? Do you help around the
house? Do you take care of your grandparents?
Do you do any other chores? I want to learn about
Nicaragua!
Best Wishes,
Yumiko

1. What is her name?

2. How old is she?
3. Does she cook sushi?
4. Does she dust the house?
5. Does she take care of her grandparents?
6. Tell 1 other chore that Yumiko does.

You Do/Production
A. Find Someone Who (S, L)
1. Write Find A Girl Who and Find A Boy Who on
the board.
2. Write 5 sentences underneath using unit vocabulary.
Ex: . . . washes dishes.
sweeps the floor.
usually cooks.
takes care of children.
runs errands.
3. Students copy sentences into notebooks, check for
understanding of each sentence.
4. Explain that students need to find 1 boy and 1 girl who
does each chore.
5. Review the questions they will ask to get this information.
Ex: Do you wash dishes? Do you sweep the floor?
6. Review the answers: Yes, I do. or No, I dont.
7. If a student answers yes, the student asking the question
will write that students name next to the question.
Ex: Do you wish dishes? (Yaritza Yorlenis Gonzales Oporta)
8. When all students have completed the activity, discuss
what they noticed. What kind chores do boys do? What
kind of chores do girls do? Who does more chores: boys or
girls? What do students think about this?

B. Pen Pal Letters (W)

1. Show the class Yumikos letter from the Practice Activity F.
2. Read it again. Focus on the questions Yumiko asks at the
end of the letter.
Ex: Do you cook sushi too? Do you take care of
your grandparents?
3. Students write down and number her questions.
Students answer her questions in a reply letter. The letter must
introduce themselves, answer her questions, describe the
chores they do and ask Yumiko 3 questions.

7th Grade 6.1 Places in the Community

Target Vocabulary
Places: bank, bookstore, building, bus station, church, farm, hospital, market, neighborhood,
park, police station, post office, restaurant, school, store, supermarket
Prepositions: above, across from, behind, between, in front of, next to, on, under

Target Grammar

Prepositions of place
The bank is next to the police station.
The hospital is behind the school.

I Do/Presentation
A. Present Prepositions of Place
1. Draw a ball and a box on the board.
2. Use different positions of the ball and the box to
introduce the prepositions of place.
Ex: The ball is across from the box.
3. Use gestures to emphasize meanings.
4. Students copy meanings and practice pronunciation.

(on)

(in front of)

(across from )

(between)

(behind)

65

B. Present Community Places Vocabulary

1. Bring drawings or photos of different places in the community.
2. Students copy the meanings and practice pronunciation.
3. Arrange the drawings on the board. Students relate prepositions of place with the new vocabulary.
Ex: The police station is behind the bank.

We Do/Practice
A. Simon Says (See Multi-Purpose Activities Index
for More Directions) (L)
1. Follow the rules of the Multi-Purpose Activity to practice
prepositions of place vocabulary.
Ex: Say Simon says, put your pencil next to
your notebook.
2. Students follow the commands.
3. Eventually, choose a student to give commands
to the class.

D. Label the Community (R)

1. Students read the paragraph.
2. Check for understanding and explain any
new vocabulary.
3. Bring a poster paper/draw on the board the buildings
without labels.
4. Students use the reading to put the correct label
on the building.

My Town

B. Fill in the Blank (W)

1. Students look at the letters.
2. Students fill in the blanks with UNDER, ABOVE, NEXT TO,
or BETWEEN.

The bank is next to the bookstore. The

bookstore
is between the bank and the police station. The
police station is across from the post office. The
hospital is behind the post office. There are cars
in front of the hospital.

HOSPITAL
1. The letter A is

the letter B. (next to)

2. The letter B is

the letter E. (above)

3. The letter F is

the letter C. (under)

4. The letter E is

the letters D and F. (between)

5. The letter C is

the letter B. (next to)

Post Office

C. Listening Activity (L)

1. Draw 3 pictures of the ball and the box on the board.
2. Read one sentence out loud.
3. Students have to choose which picture is the correct one.
Ex: Read, The ball is on the box. The pictures show
the ball on the box, next to the box and under the box.
Students listen to your sentence and select the correct
picture.
4. Repeat as needed with new drawings and new sentences.
Variation: Students draw the pictures or read the
sentence.
66

BANK

Police Station
Bookstore

You Do/Production
B. Create A Town (W)

A. Place Race (S, L, R)

1. Students use the Label the Community Practice

Activity D as a model.
2. Students draw 5-7 buildings and label them.
3. Students write sentence describing where the buildings
are located in relation to other buildings.
Ex: The restaurant is behind the bank .

1. Students work in pairs.

2. Put two chairs/desks in front of the class.
3. The pair comes to the front and listens for instructions.
4. Say a command using a preposition of place.
Ex: The student is in between the chairs. or
The student is under the chair.
5. The student that successfully completes the action the
fastest wins.
Variation: Students work in pairs. Teacher writes the
command on the board. All pairs complete the action.
The first pair to complete the action first wins.

7th Grade 6.2 Describing Places

Target Vocabulary
adjectives: awesome/terrible, beautiful/ugly, big/small, clean/dirty, exciting/dull, good/bad,
interesting/boring, new/old, relaxing/stressful, safe/dangerous, spacious/crowded,
quiet/noisy,
verbs: COME, SEE, TRAVEL, VISIT

Target Grammar

I Do/Presentation

Review adjective + noun word order (See 7.1.4)

B. Review Word Order

A. Adjective Vocabulary

1. Remind students that adjectives (colors, descriptions,

etc.) go before the noun in English.
2. Use pictures of Nicaraguan landmarks to demonstrate
the word order.
Ex: San Cristobal Volcano, Ometepe Island, the new
cathedral in Managua, etc.
3. Write phrases to describe each picture, with help from
the students.
Ex: This is a new cathedral. This is a beautiful volcano.
4. Remember: Use of A/An.
Ex: A beautiful picture. An exciting vacation.

1. Introduce vocabulary in pairs.

Ex: Beautiful/Ugly, Boring/Interesting, etc.
2. Use drawings to represent the opposites.
3. Students copy meaning and practice pronunciation.

We Do/Practice
A. Describe the Place (W)
Students complete the sentences with at least two adjectives for each place.
1. A haunted house is

and

2. The Roman Coliseum is

3. New York City is

and
and

4. Paris, France is

.
.
.

5. School is
6. A police station is

and
and

.
.

and

.
67

B. Write the Opposite (W)

D. The Boring Story (W)

1. Students read the sentences.

2. Students find another way to say each sentence
using the words given.
Ex: The story is exciting. The story is not boring.
1. Its a stressful city. (not relaxing)
2. The streets are always full of people. (crowded)
3. Its not a very beautiful city. (ugly)
4. The city is safe. (not dangerous)

C. Vacation Memory Game (S)

1. Students work in groups of 5. In their notebooks,
each student writes an item/noun they want to take
on a vacation.
2. The item must have an adjective.
Ex: a blue ball, an old hat, a boring book, etc.
3. The group of students stands in a circle.
4. The first student in each group says Were on vacation! I
have a ____ . The student can says the object
he/she chose.
5. The next student says, Were on vacation! (first student)
has a _____ and I have a _____.
6. The next student says, Were on vacation! (first student)
has a _____, (second student) has a _______ and I have
a _____.
7. Students continue and add to the sentence until all the
students in the group participate.

1. Copy the story onto the board/bring the story written

on poster paper.
2. Read the story in a dull, unexcited voice.
3. Check for understanding and clarify any new vocabulary.
4. Tell students that the story is boring and needs adjectives
to make it more interesting.
5. Students come to the board to identify the nouns in
the story.
6. Students decide what adjectives would fit best in
the story.
7. Students write in the adjectives and read the story again,
this time with lots of emotion and excitement.
Note: Dont put the blanks in the story.
Students must identify the nouns without
help from the blank space. All the nouns are
highlighted below for teachers purposes only.

We go to the restaurant next to the bank. The chefs

all have mustaches. We sit down at a table. Next to
our table, two men talk. They are a father and his son.
I eat a hamburger and my friend eats a taco. We go
home in my car.

Variation: Choose 11 adjectives. Put them in a word bank.

Each adjective must be used once in the story.

You Do/Production
A. Write Your Own Description (W)
1. Students choose 5 places in the world and write
sentences about them using the Describe the Place
Practice Activity A as a model.

B. Mini-Books (See Multi-Purpose Activities Index

for More Directions) (W, S)
1. Students create a mini-book. Each page has one item and
a description.
Ex: This is a big police station.
2. Students present their books to the class to practice
speaking.
Variation: Assign a theme for the book or have students
pick a theme for their book.
Ex: My City, Places to Visit, or Furniture in my house

C. Visit Nicaragua! (W, S)

1. Students choose one of the landmarks from the
Presentation of vocabulary, OR they choose an attraction
from their local town or city.
2. Students work individually or in pairs to create a flyer for
this Nicaraguan landmark to attract tourists.
3. Students write 5-6 sentences describing the place and
draw a picture.
4. Students present their sentences to the class to
practice speaking.
5. Post all the projects around the classroom.
6. Students vote on the place they want to visit based
on the descriptions.

7th Grade 6.3 Final Review

68

Use the lesson plan from 7.3.3 to do a final review

of units 4-6.

8th Grade
Contents
8.1.1

Describing People
with the Verb BE

8.1.2

Describing People
with the verb HAVE

8.1.3

Target Grammar

Page

Review using the verb BE

70

Review verb HAVE | Review auxiliary DO

72

Being Happy,
Being Sad

Review verb BE

74

8.2.1

Countries
and Continents

Review verb BE

76

8.2.2

Nationalities
and Languages

Word Formation: Country + Suffix = Nationality

78

8.2.3

Passports

Wh- Questions

80

8.2.4

Capitals

Present Progressive

83

8.3.1

National Food

Review indefinite article singular a/an and plural nouns

86

8.3.2

Food Containers
and Quantities

Count/Non-count nouns |

89

8.3.3

Nutritional Food

Review HAVE

8.4.1

Clothing Items

Review Present Progressive | Review word order adjective + noun

8.4.2

Buying Clothes

Review How much questions | TOO + negative adjective

VERY + positive adjective | Conjunction BUT

97

8.4.3

The Weather

BE + weather adjective |

100

8.5.1

Sports

8.5.2

Leisure Activities
and Games

8.5.3

Holidays

8.6.1

Parts of the Body

8.6.2

Illnesses
and Injuries

8.6.3

Medicine
and Prevention

8.6.4

Staying Healthy:
HIV/AIDS

How many?/How much?

92

Review present progressive

Review BE

94

Review Simple Present

102

Simple Present affirmative, negative, and interrogative with LIKE

104

Review Wh- questions and How questions

106

Review the verb HAVE

109

HAVE + noun and BE + adjective | Review Wh- questions

111

Modal SHOULD

113

Review modal SHOULD

115

69

8th Grade 1st Day of Class

See 7.1.1 for suggestions for the 1st day of class.

8th Grade 1.1 Describing People with Verb BE

Target Vocabulary
Physical descriptions: beautiful (women), pretty (women), handsome (men), cute, ugly,
big, small, fat, thin, tall, short, old, young

Target Grammar

Review using the verb TO BE (See 7.2.1)

I am young.
She is beautiful.

I Do/Presentation
A. Physical Description Vocabulary
1. Ask students for adjectives they know.
2. List vocabulary or use pictures.
3. Present the use of commas and and with lists.
Ex: She is pretty. She is pretty and young. She is pretty,
young, and small.
4. Students copy and identify new vocabulary, then
practice pronunciation.

B. BE with Physical Descriptions

1. Review verb BE. (See 7.2.1)
2. Bring pictures of vocabulary.
3. Write example sentences for the pictures using
the verb BE.
Ex: She is short.

C. Review Questions with BE

Review questions with BE.
Ex: He is tall. Is he tall?
Yes he is./No he isnt.
I am tall. Are you tall?
Yes I am./No Im not.

We Do/Practice
A. Form Sentences with BE (W)
Students write a complete sentence with the correct
form of BE.
1. I : short I am short.

ugly, and old.

2. You : tall, old You are tall and old.

10. Enrique Iglesias : handsome He is handsome.

3. She : big, beautiful She is big and beautiful.

11. The boys : short, cute, small They are short, cute

4. He : ugly He is ugly.
5. Manuel : small Manuel is small.
6. We : cute, young We are cute and young.
7. They : tall, handsome They are tall and handsome.
8. Ana : short, thin Ana is short and thin.
70

9. Samuel and Erik : big, fat, ugly, old They are big, fat,

and small.

12. Carol and I : young, beautiful We are young

and beautiful.

13. The pencil : short It is short.

B. Change Seats (See Multi-Purpose Activities

Index for More Directions) (S, L)
1. Follow the rules of the activity to practice
physical descriptions.
Ex: If you are tall, change seats!
If you are young, change seats!

C. True or False Listening (L, W)

1. Bring or draw pictures of different people and hang them
on the board.
2. Read descriptions of the people, one at a time.
3. Students decide if the descriptions are true or false.
Students correct the false sentences.
4. Students write the answers in their notebooks and then
review answers as a class.
Ex: Maria is old and pretty. TRUE. Or Maria is old and pretty.
FALSE, Maria is young and pretty.

D. Find Somebody Who (See Multi-Purpose

Activities Index for More Directions) (S, W)
1. Follow the directions for this activity. Students must find
people who are tall, short, beautiful, etc.
2. Note: Because students will be talking about their
classmates, do not use negative adjectives.

E. Cocktail Party (See Multi-Purpose Activities

Index for More Directions) (S, L)
1. Each student writes down one adjective on a small slip of
paper.
2. Students stand up and ask one another questions based
on the adjective the have.
Ex: tall: Are you tall?
3. Students answer, then exchange pieces of paper.
4. Students go find somebody else to ask.

You Do/Production
A. Describing a Picture (S or W)
1. Students bring in a picture of a person (a photograph or
picture from a magazine or newspaper).
2. Students describe the picture using both affirmative and
negative descriptions.
Ex: She is tall. She is not fat.
Variation: Work in groups. Each group describes 1
picture. After 5 minutes, the groups exchange pictures
and describe a different picture. At the end of the
activity, groups turn in their papers with descriptions
of all the pictures.

B. Fly Swatter (See Multi-Purpose Activities Index

for More Directions) (L)
1. Bring or draw pictures of many different people and hang
them on the board.
2. Divide the students into 2 or 3 teams. One student from
each team comes forward.
3. Describe one picture from the board using adjectives.
Ex: He is old and ugly.
4. The first student to identify the correct picture by
swatting it with their hand earns a point for their team.
5. Have the student that gains the point narrate the
description for the next students competing.

C. Picture Dictation (S, L, W)

1. In the previous class, tell students to bring
coloring utensils.
2. Divide students in groups of 4.
3. Students create a brief description of a person on a
piece of paper.
Ex: Allison is tall and thin.
4. Students read their descriptions one by one to
their group.
5. As the students read their descriptions, the other
group members draw a picture of what they hear
on their papers.
6. Students turn in a paper with the description and
three drawings.
7. Collect the papers by group.
8. Check to see if students drew the descriptions correctly.

D. Blind Partner Drawings (See Multi-Purpose

Activities Index for More Directions) (S, L)
1. Follow the directions for this activity in the index.
2. Divide the students into pairs.
3. One student sits facing the board, the other student faces
the back of the classroom.
4. Draw a simple picture of a few people on the board. They
can be very simple, but make sure they look different,
one fat, one short, one skinny, etc.
5. Students facing front should describe the drawing to
their partner.
6. The student facing the back listens to the descriptions
and draws a picture accordingly.
7. Have students switch roles and do a new drawing.
71

8th Grade 1.2 Describing People with Verb HAVE

Target Vocabulary
Eyes: big/small, dark/light, black, blue, brown, green, hazel
Hair: black, blonde, brown, gray, red, white, curly, straight, wavy, spiky, fine, thick, long,
short
Skin: dark, light

Target Grammar

Review using the verb HAVE (See 7.2.4)

She has brown eyes.
Review Auxiliary DO (See 7.5.2)
Do you have brown eyes? Yes, I do.
Does he have red hair? Yes, he does.

I Do/Presentation
A. Hair, Eyes and Skin Vocabulary
1. Divide the board into 3 categories: HAIR, EYES and SKIN.
2. List vocabulary or use pictures for each category.
3. Students copy and identify new vocabulary, then practice
pronunciation.
4. Explain that you use BE for physical descriptions and
HAVE for eyes, hair, and skin.

B. HAVE with Hair, Eyes and Skin Description

1. Review verb HAVE. (See 7.2.4)
2. Use pictures of people to introduce HAVE to describe
eyes, hair and skin.

3. Review word order adjective + noun. (See 7.1.4)

Ex: She has blue eyes and brown hair.

C. Questions with DO
1. Review the use of DO. (See 7.5.2)
2. Practice questions and negative sentences using
descriptions with HAVE.
Ex: Do you have short hair?
Answer: Yes, I do./ No, I dont.

Does she have green eyes?

Answer: Yes, she does./ No, she doesnt.

Variation: Use students in the classroom and describe

their appearance with HAVE.

We Do/Practice
A. Form Sentences with HAVE (W)
Students write a complete sentence with the correct form
of HAVE.
1. You : eyes (hazel) You have hazel eyes.
2. She : eyes (big, blue) She has big, blue eyes.
3. He : hair (short, spiky) He has short, spiky hair.
4. They : hair (straight) They have straight hair.
5. We : hair (long, brown) We have long, brown hair.
6. The girls : eyes (brown) They have brown eyes.

C. Change Seats (See Multi-Purpose Activities Index

for more directions) (S, L)
1. Follow the rules of the activity to practice
physical descriptions.
72

Ex: If you have brown hair, change seats!

If have green eyes, change seats!

D. Dont Lie! (W)

1. Bring or draw pictures of people.
2. Under each picture, write one of the questions.
3. Students answer the question in the affirmative or the
negative, depending on the photo.
Ex: Under a picture of Shakira ask, Does she have wavy
hair? Students answer, Yes, she does.

Example Questions:
1. Do they have curly hair?
2. Does she have light eyes?
3. Do we have thick hair?
4. Does Daddy Yankee have blue eyes?

You Do/Production
A. Murder Mystery (S,L, R)
1. Split the class into pairs. One partner will be the police
officer, one partner will be the witness.
2. Send the police officers out of the classroom for a few
minutes.
3. Distribute photographs, pictures, or drawings of the
murderers to the witnesses.
4. There should be at least one photograph per partnership,
plus a few extras.
5. After the witnesses examine and memorize the
photograph, tape them all back up on the board.
6. The police officer must interview the witness about the
physical description of the murderer.
7. The witness must describe the murderer to the police
officer based on the photograph.
8. When the police officer identifies the murderer based on
the physical description, they arrest the murderer by
taking their picture off the board.
9. The witness must confirm that this is the murderer
because it is the correct photograph.
Variation: To make the interview easier for students, the
police can carry a checklist to help them remember
questions to ask. Hair? Eyes? Skin? Height? Weight? Age?

Police Officer: Hi, can I help you?

Person: Yes, I am looking for my friend Carlos. He is
missing.
Police Officer: Okay, what does he look like?
Person: He is tall. He has brown hair and brown eyes.
Police Officer: How old is he?
Person: He is young. He is 16 years old.
Police Officer: Okay, I will look for him.
Person: Thank you.

E. Missing Person Ad (W, S)

1. Students create a Missing Person Ad.
2. Students write at least two sentences using physical
descriptions and at least two sentences using hair/eyes/
skin vocabulary.
3. Students name their missing person and draw a picture
of him or her.
Ex: MISSING: Louis Armstrong

B. Describing a Picture (S or W)
1. Students bring in a picture of a person (a photograph or
picture from a magazine or newspaper).
2. Students describe the picture using both affirmative and
negative descriptions.
Ex: She is tall. She is not fat.
Variation: Work in groups. Each group describes 1
picture. After 5 minutes, the groups exchange pictures
and describe a different picture. At the end of the
activity, groups turn in their papers with descriptions
of all the pictures.

C. Describing Classmates (S)

1. Students form a circle.
2. Students orally describe the hair and eyes of the student
next to them.
Ex: Ana has black hair and brown eyes.

D. Missing Person Dialogue (Listen to CD Track #9)

(W, L, R, S)
1. Write the dialogue on the board (from top right).
2. Students practice the dialogue in pairs.
3. Underline the name and the description in the dialogue.
Students change name and description to describe their
partner.
4. Students present.

Louis Armstrong is 55 years old. He has short black

hair and dark skin. He has brown eyes. He is tall and
handsome. Please call 423-5673 (Claro)
4. Students present their ad.

F. Guess Who (S, L)

1. On the board draw or tape pictures of people.
2. One student picks a picture. The student does not say
which picture he/she chose.
3. The rest of the class asks questions of the student.
Ex: Is it a man? Does he have green eyes?
4. The student must answer Yes, he/she does orNo, he/she
doesnt.
5. Students guess which picture the student chose.

Variation 1: Use other students instead of pictures. The

student chooses one of his/her classmates.
Variation 2: Split the class into groups of 5-6 people so
there is more time for each student to speak.
73

G. Picture Dictation (S, L, W)

1. Follow the directions for the activity in 8.1.1
2. Students should use Have and physical descriptions.
Ex: Allison has long, red, curly hair. She has green eyes.

H. Blind Partner Drawings (See Multi-Purpose

Activities Index for more directions) (S, L)
1. Follow the directions for the activity in 8.1.1.
2. Make a drawing of a persons face.
3. Organize the students in pairs. One partner should
describe the drawing to their partner using Have and
physical descriptions.
4. The other student should draw the face based on what
they hear.

8th Grade 1.3 Being Happy, Being Sad

Target Vocabulary
happy, sad, angry, excited, busy, tired, lazy, bored, scared, nervous, worried, proud,
confused, depressed, embarrassed, in love, sick, thirsty, hungry

Target Grammar

Review verb BE (See 7.2.1)

You are happy.
You arent happy. Youre not happy.
Are you happy? Yes, I am./ No, Im not.

I Do/Presentation
A. Introduce Vocabulary
1. Use drawings of faces.

2. Identify each feeling in English.

3. Read each feeling twice or more.
4. Students repeat each feeling twice or more.
5. Give students time to draw the faces and write
the vocabulary.

B. Review BE
1. Review the affirmative, negative, and interrogative
forms of BE.
2. Use the face pictures and feelings vocabulary to
make example sentences.

Ex. You: happy

Affirmative: You are happy.
Negative: You are not happy. / You arent happy.
Interrogative: Are you happy? Yes, I am./ No, Im not.

Ex: He: lazy

Affirmative: He is lazy.
Negative: He is not lazy. / He isnt lazy.
Interrogative: Is he lazy? Yes, he is./ No, hes not.
74

We Do/Practice
A. Forming Sentences (W)
1. Post one of the feelings faces on the board.
2. Identify the subject (I, You, He/She, etc.)
3. Students write the affirmative and negative for
each feeling.

Example subjects/feelings:
1. They : angry
(+) They are angry.
(-) They arent angry.

C. Draw Feelings (W, S)

1. Divide students into small groups.
2. Assign each group 2-3 faces of emotions.
3. Each group writes questions and answers for each face.
(See Practice Activity B)
4. Encourage creativity.
5. Groups present their work.
Ex:
Is she sad?
No, she isnt. Shes happy.

2. She : proud

Is she happy?
Yes, she is.

(+) She is proud.

(-) She isnt proud.

3. We : excited
(+) We are excited.
(-) We arent excited.

4. Ariel : shy

Are they angry?

No, they arent. They are in love.
Are they in love?
Yes, they are.

(+) Ariel is shy.

(-) Ariel isnt shy.

D. Practice Forming Questions (W)

B. Question Practice (W or S)
1. Use the same pictures of faces from Practice Activity A.
2. Write questions under the pictures. Use different subjects
Ex: Are we sad?, Is he happy?
3. Students look at the picture and answer correctly.
Ex: If the picture is sad and the question is Are we sad?,
students respond Yes, we are. If the picture is happy
with the same question, students respond No, we
are not.
Variation: Students say the correct feeling. Are we sad? No,
we are not. We are happy.

Students write the questions to the following answers.

1. (Is he excited?)
Yes, he is excited.
2. (Are you bored?)
Yes, you are bored.
3. (Are you happy?)
Yes, I am happy.
4. (Is she angry?)
No, she isnt angry. Shes worried.
5. (Are they busy?)
No, they arent busy. Theyre tired.
Variation (easier): Provide a sentence bank for students
to choose from:

Are you bored?

Are they tired?

Is she angry?
Are you happy?

Is he excited?

75

You Do/Production
A. King/Queen of the Mountain (See Multi-Purpose
Activities Index for more directions) (S, L)
1. Students say an affirmative or negative sentence with BE
and feelings.
Ex: Student: I am happy.
King responds: I am not happy./Im not happy.
2. If the king responds incorrectly the student who gave the
sentence corrects the king and takes his/her place.

B. Small Conversation (S, L, W)

1. Divide students in groups of 4 or 5.
2. Student writes how they are today on a piece of paper.
3. Students ask others in their group how they are and write
down their responses.
Ex: Carlos: How are you?
Ana: I am tired. (Carlos writes, Ana is tired)

C. Masks and Cocktail Party (See Multi-Purpose

Activities Index for more directions) (S,L)
1. Give students one half of a sheet of block paper.
2. Students create a mask by drawing a face that represents
one of the feelings.
3. Students stand up and go around asking each other
How are you?
4. Students respond by answering according to the feeling
of their mask.
Ex: Student 1: How are you?
Student 2: I am angry. How are you?
Student 1: I am excited
5. Then students change masks and ask a new person how
they are.
Variation: Students can guess how the other person is
feeling based on their mask. Are you happy? No, I am
not. I am excited.

8th Grade 2.1 Countries and Continents

Target Vocabulary
Continents and Countries:
Africa: Egypt, Kenya
Asia: China, India, Iraq, Japan, Russia
Europe: England, France, Germany, Italy, Spain
Oceania: Australia
The Americas: Belize, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador,
Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, United States, Venezuela

Target Grammar

Review verb BE (See 7.2.1)

Where are you from?
He is from Belize.

Note: There are many countries to choose from here. Alternatively, you could focus just on
Central American countries for 8.2.1, 8.2.2, and 8.2.3.

76

I Do/Presentation
A. Introduce Countries and Continents
1. Make a column for each continent.
2. Students write the names of countries they know in the
correct column.
3. Start with North/Central America.
4. Students copy target vocabulary and practice
pronunciation.

Variation: Use a world map to locate countries and

continents.
Variation: Use the countries flags to present their names.
Students might know some of the flags from soccer
games.

We Do/Practice
A. Answer the Questions (W)
Answer with the correct nationality of the country
in parentheses.
1. Where are you from? (Nicaragua) I am from Nicaragua.
2. Where is she from? (Panama) She is from Panama.
3. Where are they from? (China) They are from China.
4. Where is Rutger from? (Russia) Rutger is from Russia.
5. Where is Paco from? (Brazil) Paco is from Brazil.
6. Where is Prince William from? (England)
Prince William is from England.

B. Photo Match-Up (W)

1. Post different photos/drawings of people on the board.
2. Students brainstorm what country the people are from.
3. Students write sentences identifying the country
of origin.
Ex: She is from England.

C. Dynamic Activity (S, R or L)

Use a Multi-Purpose Activity such as Hangman, Sparkle,
or Telephone to practice new vocabulary and sentence
structure. See the Multi-Purpose Activity Index for more
directions.

7. Where is Gandhi from? (India) Gandhi is from India.

8. Where are Juanita and Sumo from? (Peru)
They are from Peru.

You Do/Production
A. World Map (S)
1. Bring an outline of a world map or borrow a world map
from your library.
2. Cover up the continent and country names.
3. Students must identify each in English to
practice vocabulary.
Note: This production works best if you use the
map to present the vocabulary as well.

B. Character Drama (W, S)

1. Students create 3 characters who are friends.
2. These characters live in different countries all over
the world.
3. Each character must ask the other where he/she is from.
4. Each character must answer.
Ex: I am from Peru.
5. Students present their drama to the class for a grade.

77

8th Grade 2.2 Nationalities and Languages

Target Vocabulary
Nationalities: Belizean, Brazilian, Canadian, Chinese, Costa Rican, Cuban, Dominican,
Salvadorian, English, French, German, Guatemalan, Honduran, Italian, Japanese, Mexican,
Nicaraguan, Panamanian, Spanish, American
Languages: Chinese, French, German, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, English, Portuguese, Spanish,
SPEAK

Target Grammar

Word Formation: Country + Suffix = Nationality

Brazilian
Spanish

I Do/Presentation
A. Introduce Suffixes and Vocabulary
1. Discuss the suffixes of the nationalities.
2. What is the most common? (-an).
3. Create a list of the other suffixes with their nationalities:
1. an: Nicaraguan
2. ian: Salvadorian, Panamanian, Canadian
3. ish: English, Spanish
4. ch: French
5. ese: Chinese, Japanese
4. Practice the pronunciation.

B. Asking about Nationalities

1. Present the question What is your nationality?
2. Practice answers with students.

C. Introduce Languages
1. Ask students if they know any languages for any
corresponding nationalities.
2. Introduce languages vocabulary and practice
pronunciation.
3. Students circle the languages that are the same as the
nationalities (English, Spanish, French, Italian, German.)
4. Explain that in English, languages always have a
capital letter.

D. The Verb SPEAK

1. Introduce verb SPEAK.
2. Use examples of famous people from different countries
to form sentences using SPEAK.
Ex: I am Kaka. I am Brazilian. I speak Portuguese.

We Do/Practice
A. Practice Nationalities (W)

B. Practice Answering Nationality Questions (W)

Students write a sentence with the correct nationality.

Students answer the question using the information

in parentheses.

1. Jos is from Honduras. Hes Honduran.

2. Fidel is from Cuba. Hes Cuban.

Ex: What nationality are you? (Nicaragua) Im Nicaraguan.

3. Ursula is from Panama. Shes Panamanian.

1. What nationality is Lolita? (Brazil) Shes Brazilian.

4. Billy is from the United States. Hes American.

2. What nationality are Franz and Nicolas? (France)

5. Pierre is from France. Hes French.

6. Vera is from Costa Rica. Shes Costa Rican.
7. Tyson is from Canada. Hes Canadian.
8. Greta is from Germany. Shes German.
9. Muo is from China. Hes Chinese.

They are French.

3. What nationality are they? (United States)

They are American.

4. What nationality is Sunshine? (Belize) Shes Belizean.

5. What nationality is she? (Mexico) Shes Mexican.
6. What nationality are we? (Spain) Were Spanish.
7. What nationality are you? (El Salvador) Im Salvadorian.
8. What nationality is Leonardo? (Italy) Hes Italian.

78

C. Fill in the Blanks (W)

F. Country Baseball (S)

Students complete the sentence with the

correct language.
Ex: The English speak English.
1. The Spanish speak

2. The French speak

3. Italians speak

.
.

4. Germans speak

5. Nicaraguans speak

6. Americans speak
7. Cubans speak
8. Mexicans speak

.
.
.

D. Fill in the Blanks (W)

Students complete the sentence with the correct nationality
and language.
1. Shakira is from Colombia. She is (Colombian) .
She speaks (Spanish) .
2. Ruben Blades is from Panama. He is (Panamanian) .
He speaks (Spanish) .
3. David Beckham is from England. He is (British) .
He speaks (English) .
4. Michael Phelps is from the United States. He is
(American) . He speaks (English) .
5. RBD is from Mexico. They are (Mexican) .
They speak (Spanish) .
6. Ronaldihno is from Brazil. He is (Brazilian) .
He speaks (Portuguese) .
7. I am from Nicaragua. I am (Nicaraguan) .
I speak (Spanish) .

E. Famous People Cocktail Party (See MultiPurpose Activities Index for More Directions) (S)
1. Give each student a piece of paper with a famous person
on it, their nationality, and the language they speak.
2. Students get up and have a conversation with other
students, introducing themselves as the person on the
piece of paper.
Ex: What is your name? My name is Kaka.
Where are you from? I am from Brazil.
What langage do you speak? I speak Portuguese.
David Beckham/England/English.
Shakira/Colombia/Spanish. etc
3. Students trade papers and interview someone else.

1. Students form pairs.

2. Students use notebook paper, tape roll, a ball, etc.
3. Student 1 says, Hello! I am from (country). He/she tosses
the ball to Student 2.
4. Student 2 says, I am (nationality). Student 2 tosses
the ball back.
5. Student 1 finishes and says, I speak (language). Goodbye.
6. The students switch roles; Student 2 begins
the exchange.
Variation: Students perform the dialogue in front of the
class or everyone performs at their desks monitored by
the teacher.

G. Reading: Tourist Descriptions (R, W)

1. Divide the students into groups.
2. Students look at the reading and questions and underline
words they do not understand.
3. Students answer the questions about each tourist.

Tourist Descriptions:
Hello my name is Helga. I am sixteen years old.
I am a student in high school. I have blonde
hair and blue eyes. I am from Germany. I speak
German, English and Spanish.

Hello my name is Henry. I am thirty-eight years

old. I am a doctor. I have brown hair and brown
eyes. I am from Canada. I speak French and
English.

Hello my name is Harlen. I am twenty-six years

old. I am an accountant. I have brown hair and
green eyes. I am from Brazil. I speak Portuguese.
Hello my name is Molly. I am fifty years old. I am
a writer. I have light brown hair and hazel eyes.
I am from the United States. I speak English and
Spanish.

Hello my name Christina. I am twenty-two. I am

a university student. I have black hair and brown
eyes. I am from Venezuela. I speak Spanish.
Questions:

1. What is the tourists name?

2. How old is the tourist?
3. Where is the tourist from?
4. What languages does the tourist speak?
5. What does the tourist do?
6. What color hair and eyes does the tourist have?

79

You Do/Production
A. Student Tourist Descriptions (R, W, S)
1. Use Tourist Description Practice Activity G as a model.
2. Students pretend they are tourist in another country.
3. Students write a paragraph about themselves with the
same information from the practice activity.
4. Students present their paragraph to practice speaking.

B. Student Interviews (W, S, L)

1. Students work in pairs.
2. Students write questions to ask their partners.
Ex: What is your name?, Where are you from?,
What language do you speak?, How old are you?
3. Students ask their partners and write the answers.

C. Soccer Teams (W, S)

1. Students work in pairs or groups.
2. Each pair or group creates a World Cup soccer team with
9 players.
3. Students create player profiles for each team member.
4. Students write sentences about where the team member
is from, what language he/she speaks, their nationality,
name, and position on the team.
5. Players can be real or imaginary.
Variation: Students draw pictures of the team and present
the information to the class to practice speaking.

8th Grade 2.3 Passports

Target Vocabulary
name, date of birth, age, country, capital, nationality, passport number, signature
Question Words: who, what, where, when, why, because

Target Grammar

Wh-Questions
What is your name?
Where do you live?

I Do/Presentation
A. Question Words
1. Before class, prepare pieces of paper for the entire class, or
for pairs.
2. Write one word on each piece of paper. The words belong
to one of these categories:
1) A NOUN (Ex: old vocabulary like a pencil, a chair)
2) A DATE or TIME (Ex: On Tuesday, August 3rd)
3) A PERSON (Ex: Michael Jackson, Shakira)
4) A PLACE (Ex: Managua, the bathroom)
5) A REASON (Ex: because Im tired, because Im happy)
3. All the NOUN cards are the same color. All the DATE/TIME
cards are the same color, etc.
4. Give all students/student pairs a card.
5. Write 5 Wh-questions on the board:
1) What is it?
2) Who uses it?
3) When do you use it?

4) Where do you use it?

5) Why do you use it?

6. Write the questions IN THE SAME COLORS as the cards.

Ex: If NOUN cards are orange, write WHAT IS IT? in orange.
80

7. Read the questions. Students with the color card that

matches stand up and read their answers.
Ex: Teacher reads the orange question WHAT IS IT?
All students with orange NOUN cards stand up and
answer, a pen, a library, etc.
8. Students tape their papers on the board next to
the question.
9. At the end of the activity, students define the meaning of
each Wh-question word.
10. The board may look like this:
What is it? A baseball
Who uses it? Michael Jackson
When will you use it? On Tuesday
Where will you use it? In the bathroom
Why will you use it? Because Im tired
11. Students copy Wh-question meanings into
their notebooks.
12. Explain that responses to WHY questions begin with
BECAUSE.

B. Questions and Answers Structure

1. Review the structure for yes/no questions with BE and in
the Simple Present. (See 7.2.1)
2. Give examples of questions with question words.

Questions and Answers Structure:

Questions with BE:
Question word + BE + Subject + ?
What is your fathers name?
When is Math class?

Questions with other verbs:

Question word + DO + Subject + Verb (simple form) + ?
Where do you live?
What do you eat for breakfast?

3. Ask students for the structure of questions with

question words.
4. Write the structures on the board.
5. Students copy the structure and examples.
6. Explain that the structure of the answer is the structure of
an affirmative sentence in the Simple Present. (See 7.2.1)
7. Use the question words presentation to explain that the
answer to a Who? question is a person, the answer to a
Where? question is a place, etc.

C. Introduce Passport
1. Copy the chart on the board (See below).
2. Identify each category and practice the pronunciation.

Passport Chart
INFORMATION

What does it mean?

Answer

Name
Date of Birth
Age
Country
Capital
Nationality
Passport Number
Occupation
Signature

We Do/Practice
A. Matching (R)
Match each question with the appropriate response.
1. What do you like to do? (b)
2. Who is your best friend? (d)
3. When is English class? (c)
4. Where are you from? (a)
5. Why do you want water? (e)

B. Asking and Answering questions (S, L, W)

1. Students answer these questions about themselves.
2. Students work in pairs and ask their partner these
questions and write down the answer.
3. Students present their partners answers to the class.

Questions:
1. What is your name? My name is . . .
2. What is your date of birth? My birthday is . . .

a. Nicaragua

3. How old are you? I am

b. Play soccer.

4. Where are you from? I am from . . .

c. 3:30

5. What is your capital city? My capital city is . . .

d. Moises

6. What is your nationality? I am . . .

e. Because Im thirsty.

7. What is your passport number?

years old.

My passport number is . . .

8. What is your occupation? I am a/n . . .

81

C. Fill Out the Passport Chart (W)

1. Using the passport chart students write their name, date of birth, and age in the answer column.
2. Students create a passport number and choose an occupation.

You Do/Production
A. Mini-Book Passport (See Multi-Purpose
Activities Index for more directions) (W)
1. Students make a mini-book for their passport.
2. Passports include:
Information from the chart
Picture/drawing of the person
Color and creativity

B. Presenting Passports (S, L, W)

1. Students present Passports.
2. Students write the information of 3 students that present
on a piece of paper and turn it in.

C. Customs Agent Cocktail Party (See MultiPurpose Activities Index for more directions) (S, L)
1. Follow the rules of the Multi-Purpose Activity to practice
asking questions about passport information.
2. Students pretend to be customs agents and choose three
questions to ask others.
3. Students sign a visa in each others passports after they
ask and answer.
4. See who has the most signatures.

D. Never-Ending Board Game (See Multi-Purpose

Activities Index for more directions) (S, R)
1. In small groups, tell students to create their game board.
Game board questions can include:
What is your name?
What city are you from?
What country are you from?
What is your nationality?
What is your passport number?
What is your birthday?
What language do you speak?
What is your occupation?
How old are you?
2. Players begin by placing their game pieces on the Free
space.
3. On four small pieces of paper, write the numbers 1
through 4. Turn them face down. The first player chooses
a number and moves that many spaces ahead.
4. The student responds to the question written on the
space where their piece stops.
Variation: Students can answer according to their
personal information or about an invented character if
they made a passport for a different person.
82

E. Question Relay Race (See Multi-Purpose

Activities Index for more directions) (S, L)
1. Place students in rows.
2. Ask the first students a question: What is your
nationality?
3. The students in the front of each row must answer the
question according to their passport. I am Peruvian, I
am Costa Rican, etc.
4. The first student in each row then turns around and asks
the students behind them. After they answer, they ask
the next student in the row.
5. The first row to ask and answer the question wins.
6. Repeat with other questions. What is your name? What
city are you from? What country are you from? What is
your nationality? What is your passport number? What is
your birthday? What language do you speak? What is your
occupation? Why are you going there?
Variation: Students can answer according to their real
personal information or to an invented character.

F. Find Someone Who (See Multi-Purpose Activities

Index for more directions) (S, R)
1. Create a list of characteristics that would be included
on the passports (nationality, age, occupation, physical
descriptions from their photo, etc).
2. Tell students to ask each other and fill in the survey.
3. The first student to fill in the survey wins.
4. Students can use names from the passport they created,
so their is a variety of nationalities and languages..
Ex: _____________is Panamanian.
_______________ is from Canada.
_______________ speaks Spanish.
_______________ speaks Russian.
(Note: This activity works best if students have made
passports for imaginary people, because there will be
more different answers.)

8th Grade 2.4 Capitals

Target Vocabulary
Central American Capitals: Belmopan (Belize), Guatemala City (Guatemala),
Managua (Nicaragua), Mexico City (Mexico), Panama City (Panama), San Jose (Costa Rica),
San Salvador (El Salvador), Tegucigalpa (Honduras)
Nicaraguan Department Capitals

Target Grammar

Present Progressive
I am writing from Matagalpa.
I am reading a book.

I Do/Presentation
A. Transition to Content
1. Write the Nicaraguan departments on the board in one
column and a list of department capital cities in the other.
2. Students draw a line to match the department capital
with the correct department.
3. Write Central American capitals on the board without the
country names.
4. Students come to the board and write the name of
the country.
5. Reveal the correct capital city-country pairs.
6. Students copy the information and practice
pronunciation.

Present Progressive Verb Structure:

Affirmative:
Subject + BE + Verb (simple form) + -ing.
I am studying.
He is eating.

Negative:
Subject + BE + not + Verb (simple form) + -ing.
You are not sleeping.
She is not reading.
Interrogative:
BE + Subject + Verb (simple form) + -ing + ?
Are they cooking?
Is he playing?

B. Present Progressive
1. Review verbs.
Ex: play, watch, go, listen, etc.
2. Review verb forms of BE. (See 7.2.1)
3. Write examples of the affirmative, negative and
interrogative in the Present Progressive.
Ex: I am going to the store.
We are not talking on the phone.
Are you listening to music?
4. Ask students to tell you the structure.

C. Present the Spelling Changes with Verb + -ing.

1. One syllable verbs that end in consonant + vowel +
consonant, double the last letter and add -ing.
Ex: RUN = I am running a race.
Note: Rule does not apply to W, X or Y.
Ex: playing, fixing, growing

2. If verb ends in e, drop the e and add ing.

Ex: WRITE = He is writing.
3. If a verb ends in ie, change the ie to a y and add -ing.
Ex: DIE = The flower is dying.
4. For all other verbs, just add -ing.
Ex: eating, reading, cooking

D. The Meaning
1. Discuss the difference between the PRESENT and the
PRESENT PROGRESSIVE.

the
past

NOW

the
future

She is talking.

83

We Do/Practice
A. King/Queen of the Mountain (See Multi-Purpose
Activities Index for more directions) (S,L)
Follow the rules of this Multi-Purpose Activity to practice
countries and capitals.
Ex: Student: I am from Costa Rica.
King/Queen: The capital city is San Jose.
Variation: Play the game to change simple present into
the present progressive form.
Ex: Student: I run.
King/Queen: I am running.

B. Fill in the Blank (R, W)

Students fill in the blanks with the missing information.

Use this activity to review nationalities, languages, countries

AND capitals.
1. Gloria is from San Jose. Gloria is Costa Rican.
(nationality)
2. Fabio lives in Rome. He speaks Italian. (language)
3. Sara is American. She is from the United States.
(country)
4. Raul lives in the capital of Cuba. He lives in Havana.
(capital)
5. Priya is from France. She speaks French. (language)
6. Jonathan is from Australia. He speaks English.
(language)
7. Taichi speaks Japanese and lives in Tokyo. He is from
Japan. (country)
8. Alex is from China. He speaks Chinese. (language)

C. Correct the Mistake (W)

1. Students read the following sentences.
2. Students identify errors and correct them on the board.
3. Students copy the corrected sentences into
their notebooks.
1. She wearing a traditional sombrero in Mexico City.
(She is wearing a traditional sombrero in Mexico City.)
2. We are eat gallo pinto in San Jose.
(We are eating gallo pinto in San Jose.)
3. Theyre make a mural in the Belmopan school.
(Theyre making a mural in the Belmopan school.)
4. He are reading the Tegucigalpa Times newspaper.
(He is reading the Tegucigalpa Times newspaper.)
5. I is drinking the water in San Salvador.
(I am drinking the water in San Salvador.)

84

D. What Are You Doing? (W, S)

1. Bring pictures or drawings to class of tourists at a
tourist location.
2. Ask students to identify who is in the picture and
where they are.
Ex: A woman and a man in Macchu Picchu.
3. Ask What are they doing? and write some example
sentences together.
Ex: They are climbing a mountain. He is taking pictures.
4. Students write at least 5 sentences about the picture and
read them to the class to practice speaking.

E. Reading Comprehension (R, W)

1. Read the text with students and clarify new vocabulary.
2. Students underline the verbs in present progressive.
3. Students answer the questions in pairs or groups.

Dear Rosa,

Im writing to you from Guatemala Cityyou know

its the capital of Guatemala! Its a beautiful city. I am
taking a tour right now of all the tourist sites. I am
looking out the bus window and Im enjoying the
colorful market streets. My brother is here too. He is
taking lots of pictures to send to our mom. I love
Guatemala! We are always riding our bicycles and
exploring new places. I recommend itI am eating
all the local food. We love it here!
Sincerely,
Dinora

Comprehension Questions
1. Where is Dinora? She is in Guatemala.
2. What is she doing on the bus? She is taking a tour.
3. What is her brother doing?
Her brother is taking pictures.

4. What are some of the activities they are doing?

They are riding bicycles and exploring new places.

You Do/Production
A. Having Fun in the Capital (W)
1. Students choose a Central American capital city.
2. Students write 5 sentences about the activities they are
doing in that city using the present progressive.

B. No, ReallyWhat Are You Doing? (W, S)

1. Use What Are You Doing? Practice Activity D
as a model.
2. Students draw a scene with 3 people and 1 location.
Each person must be doing an activity.
3. Students work in pairs to write sentences to
describe their drawing.
4. Students present their work to the class.

C. Postcards from Nicaragua (W, S)

1. Students write a postcard from a tourist attraction in one
of the department capitals in Nicaragua.
2. Students use the present progressive to describe
their activities.
3. Students mail their postcard to a classmate, who reads
it out loud to practice speaking.

Example Postcard
Dear Enrique,
I am writing to you from the
capital of MasayaMasaya! Its
a nice city. I am shopping in the
market right now. My mother is
buying a hammock. My brother
and father are looking for a
baseball cap. We are enjoying
our visit.
See you soon!

Your friend,


Mercedes

Enrique Velasquez
P.O. Box 78

Jinotega, Jinotega
Nicaragua

85

8th Grade 3.1 National Food

Tip for
teachers:
This is too much
vocabulary to
teach in one
day. Divide it
into sections.
Have students
practice and
produce
vocabulary
for each
section (fruit,
vegetables,
meats, dairy,
grains, and
other before
you move on
to the next
category.)

Target Vocabulary
Fruits:
an apple
an avocado
a banana
a cantaloupe
a cherry
a grape
a lemon
a lime
a mango
an orange
a papaya

a pineapple
a plantain
a star fruit
a strawberry
a tomato
a watermelon

Vegetables:
beans
a beet
broccoli
a cabbage
a carrot
a yucca
celery
corn
a cucumber
lettuce
an onion
a pepper
a potato
squash

Meats:
beef
chicken
fish
pork
pork rind
sausage

Dairy:
cheese
cream
milk
yogurt
an egg

oatmeal
pasta
rice

salt
sugar

Grains:
bread
cereal
flour

Other:
coffee
garlic
juice
oil

Target Grammar
Review indefinite article singular a/an (See 7.1.4) and plural nouns (7.1.5)
I eat an apple.
He eats a potato.
I eat strawberries.
He eats rice.

I Do/Presentation
A. Introduce Vocabulary Grocery Shopping
1. Make large pictures for each vocabulary word. The
pictures show the food item on one side and the word
written in English on the other side.
2. Put all the pictures of food on a table in front of the
white board.
3. Write Fruits, Vegetables, Dairy, Meat, Grains and Other
on the board in columns.
4. The students divide into groups to go shopping.
5. Each group represents a Food Group.
Ex: One group is the Fruit Group, one group is the
Meat Group.
6. The groups come to the store one at a time and tape the
pictures of the food in the correct column.
Ex: The Fruit Group tapes all pictures of fruit vocabulary.
7. Students correct the group.
Ex: If a carrot is in the Fruit column, students correct it.
86

8. After each group tapes the pictures, turn over the picture
to show the word in English on the back.
9. Practice pronunciation. Students copy meanings into
their notebooks.
10. Continue shopping with the next Group.
Variation: Students make the pictures.

B. Review Present and Present Progressive

1. Review simple present tense of EAT and DRINK. (See 7.3.2)
2. Review present progressive of EAT and DRINK. (See 8.2.4)

We Do/Practice
A. Identifying Vocabulary (S)
1. Use pictures of food from presentation.
2. Students practice answering questions using the
present progressive:
1. (holding picture of rice) What are you eating?

I am eating rice.

2. (holding picture of milk) What are they drinking?

They are drinking milk.
3. (holding picture of cheese) What are we eating?
We are eating cheese.
4. (holding picture of coffee) What is he drinking?

He is drinking coffee.

5. (holding picture of beans) What are you eating?

I am eating beans.

Variation: Bring real objects.

Ex: A bag of rice, a package of coffee

C. Mini-Book with Verb Forms (See MultiPurpose Activities Index for more directions) (W)
1. Students make a mini-book in class.
2. On each page, they draw one food.
3. Students write sentences about classmates to practice
using verbs EAT and DRINK with different subjects.
Ex: Yulissa and Raul eat onions, Sara eats bread, Maria
and I drink Coca Cola.
4. Supervise the students and help to correct common
mistakes on the board as a class.

D. Shopping List (S)

1. The group forms a circle.
2. One student starts by saying I am going to the market
to buy fish.
3. The next student says, I am going to the market to buy
fish and potatoes.
4. The third student says, I am going to the market to buy
fish, potatoes, and rice.
5. Each student must repeat the list, and add an item.

E. Categories: Speaking (See Multi-Purpose

Activities Index for more directions) (S, L)

B. I Am Hungry Song (Listen to CD Track #10) (L, S)

1. Present the song:
I am hungry, I am hungry.
Please bring me, please bring me
Rice and beans and chicken, rice and beans and chicken.
Thanks a lot, thanks a lot.
2. Have the students modify the song to place a different
food order in the 3rd line.
3. Practice singing the song with students.
4. After students master the first verse, present the Drinks
verse:
I am thirsty, I am thirsty.
Please bring me, please bring me
A cold glass of fruit juice, a cold glass of fruit juice,
Thanks a lot, thanks a lot.
5. Again, have students modify the song to make different
drink orders.

1. One student thinks of a category, such as Fruits.

2. Everyone must take a turn saying a fruit.
3. If someone takes too long to give an answer, then
that person is out and a new category begins, like
Vegetables or Meats. (To decide how long is too long,
the lead student should count to five.)
4. If someone gives an answer that is incorrect, then he or
she is also out.
Ex: If the category is Fruits and someone says potato,
then that person is out.
5. The game continues until only one person is left.
Variation: Split the students into smaller groups.

F. National Foods (S, L, W)

1. Students make a list of national foods on the board.
Ex: gallo pinto, nacatamal, vigorn, etc.
2. Give each student a food from the vocabulary list.
3. Each student writes their food on a piece of paper.
4. Students form a circle.
5. Ask students Whats in (national food)?
Ex: Whats in gallo pinto?
6. Students with that food step in the middle of the circle
and say their ingredient.
7. Explain that the ingredients together make the recipe.
Variation: Use the pictures from the Vocabulary
Presentation. Students must say the word and also
show their picture.
87

G. Change Seats/Fruits Salad (See Multi-Purpose

Activities Index for more directions) (S, L)
1. Make flashcards of food and give one flashcard per
student. In this example, we use fruit.
2. There should be several different kinds of fruit according
to your vocabulary list. There can be multiple flashcards
for each fruit.
Note: To make flashcards, use photographs of food
from grocery store advertisements in the newspaper
or have students draw pictures. These flashcards
should have a picture, but no words.
3. Tell the students to sit in a circle with their chairs, with
one person standing in the middle. For 20 people, use 19
chairs
4. Start in the middle of the circle and have the students ask
you all together, What are you eating?
5. Say a sentence in present progressive about foods on
the students flashcards, like I am eating mangos and
pineapples.
6. Everyone who has a flashcard with a mango or a
pineapple stands up and changes seats.
7. Students cannot move to the seat immediately next to
where they were sitting.
8. The person who does not find a chair stays in the middle,
the students ask them what they are eating, and he or
she says the next sentence with a new fruit.
9. Students can answer using one fruit, two fruits, as many
fruits as they want.

10. They can also say I am eating fruit salad which

means everyone must change seats. .
Variation: This can be used with other types of
vocabulary, like meats or national foods, as well as other
grammar structures like I like...squash or I eat....
nacatamales.

H. Ten Questions Cocktail Party (S, L)

1. Review Do you questions to ask Do you eat rice? etc.
2. Give each student a flashcard with a picture of a food.
3. Students should stand up and find a partner, and ask
them Do you eat___? to guess what their flashcard is.
4. The student will respond No, I dont until their partner
guesses correctly.
5. If the student guesses their partners vocabulary in less
than ten questions, they exchange flashcards.
6. If they dont guess their pairs food in less than ten
questions, they move on with their own flashcard and
find somebody else to interview.

I. Memory (See Multi-Purpose Activities Index for

More Directions) (S, L)
1. Follow the directions for this activity.
2. Divide students into groups of four. Each group cuts a
set of flashcards (for example, 20 cards). On one half of
the flashcards, put vocabulary on one side. In the other
half of flashcards, put pictures on one side
3. Students will play memory, saying the name of the food
they turn over.

You Do/Production
A. Restaurant Scene (S, W, L)
1. Collect photographs, drawings, or clean food wrappers
for all of the food vocabulary.
2. Divide students into groups of 3.
3. Each student will have a role: customer, waiter or chef.
4. Organize the students so that the chefs are standing
around the food wrappers in the kitchen and customers
are sitting at desks in the restaurant.
5. Waiters go to the customer from their group. Customers
say their food and drink order.
6. Waiters remember the food order, and go tell the chef
from their group. (If memorization is too hard, waiters
can write down the food order, but they should still say it
orally to the chef.)
7. Chefs select the food that was ordered from the pictures
or wrappers, and give the order to the waiter.
8. The waiter brings the food to the customer, who verifies
that it is what they ordered.
Variation: If you do not have old, clean food wrappers, the
chef can draw a picture of the food for the customer.

B. Food Dialogue (S, W, L) (Listen to CD Tracks #11

and 12)
1. Present an example dialogue to the class. Check for
understanding.
2. Students divide into groups of four.
3. Students write a small dialogue using the present
progressive.
4. Students substitute the foods in the example dialogue
with their own food vocabulary words.
5. Students use at least five new food vocabulary words
6. Groups present to practice speaking.
Variation: Use the example dialogues as readings first.
Do reading comprehension activities before beginning
student projects.

Example dialogue #1:

Maria: Pablo, what are you eating?
Pablo: I am eating an avocado, rice and beans. What
are you drinking?
Maria: I am drinking coffee and milk.
Pablo: How delicious!
Maria: Yes, it is. See you later, Pablo.

88

Pablo: Bye, Maria!

Example dialogue #2:

Washington: Hello, Pablo. What do you eat for
breakfast?
Pablo: I eat gallo pinto.
Washington: Whats in gallo pinto?
Pablo: Rice, beans, salt, oil and onions. What do you
eat for breakfast?
Washington: I eat an omelet.
Pablo: Whats in an omelet?
Washington: Eggs, onions, peppers, tomatoes,
sausage and salt. What do you drink in the
afternoon?
Pablo: I drink juice. What do you drink?
Washington: I drink coffee. Ok, bye, Pablo!
Pablo: See you later, Washington.

C. National Food Recipe Cooking Show (S, W)

1. Present verbs: MIX, ADD, STIR, CUT, and nouns:
pot and pan.
2. Review ordinal numbers. (See 7.4.4)
3. Divide students into groups.
4. Give groups a national food.
5. Students write the instructions for how to prepare the

food using the present progressive.

6. Groups present.
Ex: To make gallo pinto:
First, I cut the onions, garlic and peppers.
Second, I add the beans to the pot.
Third, I mix the rice and the onions, garlic and peppers.
Fourth, I cook it in the pot until it is finished.

D. Create a Menu (W, S)

1. Students work in pairs or groups to create a
restaurant menu.
2. The menu has 3 items: 1 breakfast, 1 lunch and
1 dinner plate.
3. Bring example menus to show students to give
them ideas.
4. Students must name their food, write a description, and
draw a picture of the item.
Ex: The Meat Queen Sandwich: sausage, beef, chicken,
peppers, onion, and salt on bread; Has a salad:
avocado and tomato.
5. Students present their restaurant menu to the class.
6. The class votes on which restaurant they like the best and
which food they want to eat.
NOTE: Tell students to be creative!

8th Grade 3.2 Food Containers and Quantities

Target Vocabulary
Containers: bag, bottle, box, can, container, glass, loaf, sack
Quantities: liter, pound

Target Grammar

Count/Non-count nouns
a carrot, carrots
rice, beans, cheese
How many?/How much? (How many? See 7.1.6)
How many apples?
How much sugar?

I Do/Presentation
A. Vocabulary
1. Review food vocabulary. (See 8.3.1)
2. On the board, identify how to measure/sell food.
Ex: Rice is sold by the pound, Milk is sold by the liter, Juice is
sold in boxes, plastic bottles or plastic bags, etc.
3. Ask students to group the food vocabulary by the way they
are sold (either container or quantity).
4. Students copy the new vocabulary and write meanings,
then practice pronunciation.

B. Count/Non-Count Nouns
1. Create a list of foods that are considered count nouns
and a list of foods that are considered non-count nouns.

Count

a plantain an apple
an orange
a potato
an egg

a papaya

an onion

an avocado

a salad

a tomato

a canteloupe
a mango

Non-count
rice
corn
beans
water
cheese

bread

pork

juice

meat

chicken

coffee
soda

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2. Explain that for count nouns you can use articles a/an
and the plural form. Non-count nouns are not preceded
by a/an and have no plural form.
3. Explain that a non-count noun can become countable.
Ex: milk, can become countable when using the container
word before such as Can I have one bottle/box of
milk? because we can count containers, but we cant
count milk.

C. Buying Food Dialogue: How Much?/How

Many? (Listen to CD Track #13)
1. Write the dialogue from the upper right on the board or
on a papelgrafo.
2. Students copy the dialogue.
3. Read the small dialogue to the class with a
student volunteer.
4. Write the dialogue from the right on the board.
5. Students underline words they dont know; make a list on
the board.
6. Show the students the two ways of saying cuanto in the
dialogue (How much?/How many?)
7. Explain that How much? is used with non-countable
nouns.
8. Explain that How many? is used with countable nouns.
Variation: Students read the dialogue. Assign each
student a food vocabulary word from the dialogue.
Every time the students read a count/non-count noun, all
Count or Non-count students raise their hands.

We Do/Practice
A. Fill in the Blank (W)
Students fill in the blank with How Much or How Many.

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1.

rice do you have? (How much)

2.

onions does he need? (How many)

3.

tomatoes does she want? (How many)

4.
5.

water is there? (How much)

coffee do they like? (How much)

Storekeeper: Good morning, how may I help you?

Customer: I need to buy some food for my mother.
Storekeeper: What do you need?
Customer: Rice, cheese, chicken, tomatoes,
cantaloupe, and milk.
Storekeeper: How much rice?
Customer: Two pounds.
Storekeeper: How much cheese?
Customer: A half of a pound.
Storekeeper: How much chicken?
Customer: One and a half pounds.
Storekeeper: How many tomatoes?
Customer: Four.
Storekeeper: How many cantaloupes?
Customer: Two
Storekeeper: How much milk?
Customer: A liter.
Storekeeper: Is that everything?
Customer: Yes.
Storekeeper: Have a good day.

D. How Many/Much Questions and Answers

1. Introduce how to form the correct How much?
or How many? question.
Ex: How much bread do you want?
How many mangoes do you have?
2. Explain that there are different ways to answer
each question.

HOW MUCH?

HOW MANY?

Use containers/
quantities:
A liter of milk
A bottle of water
A loaf of bread
A pound of cheese
A pound of rice

Number:
5 apples
An apple
145 bananas
Use Containers:
A box of apples
A can of tomatoes

B. Categories (W)
1. Write a list of 20 food vocabulary words on the board.
2. Students organize the words into 2 lists: Count and NonCount.
3. For each vocabulary word, students make a How many?/
How much? question.
4. In pairs or working together as a class, students answer
each question.
Variation: Use the drawings from 8.3.1 presentation.

An example student dialogue:

Buyer: Good morning!
Shopkeeper: Good morning. What do you need?
Buyer: Carrots and milk.
Shopkeeper: How many carrots.
Buyer: 5 carrots.
Shopkeeper: How much milk?
Buyer: A liter of milk.
Shopkeeper: Here you go.

C. Mini-Dialogue (W, S)
1. Students work in pairs.
2. Give each pair 2 vocabulary drawings.
3. Write these mini-dialogues on the board.
4. Help students identify different Count Nouns and
Non-Count Nouns that can fit into the spaces.
5. Review on the board together different ways to answer
the question.
6. Students come to the board and write the correct
vocabulary word.
Buyer: Good morning!
Shopkeeper: Good morning. What do you need?
Buyer: (plural count noun) and (non-count noun).
Shopkeeper: How many (plural count noun)?

Buyer: Thanks.

D. Who Stole The Cookies (Listen to CD Track #14)

(R, S, L)
1. Present the following song to the class.
2. Practice the song.
3. Call on a student in the song, and then that student
should turn the song to a new student.
4. Change the food and food containers. (Who ate the
apples from the apple box, who took the mangoes from
the mango bag? etc.)
Class: Who stole the cookies from the cookie
jar?

Buyer: (number).

Teacher: [Students name] Mauro stole the

cookies from the cookie jar!

Shopkeeper: How much (non-count noun)?

Student (Mauro): Who, me?

Buyer: (A container).

Class: Yes, you.

Shopkeeper: Here you go.

Student (Mauro): Couldnt be.

Buyer: Thanks.

Class: Then who?

Student (Mauro): [Next students name] Leydi
stole the cookies from the cookie jar!
New Student (Leydi): Who, me?

You Do/Production
A. Going to the Market (S, L)
1. Divide students into pairs.
2. Students create a dialogue.
3. One student is the vendor at the market; the other student is the buyer.
4. Students can use food drawings from Presentation Activity A.

B. For Sale at the Market Signs (W)

1. Students pretend they own a store.
2. They must make a sign with the following:
Foods they sell
How they sell the food (per pound, in a can, a bag, etc.)

Ivans Market
5 pound bags of rice
Tomatoes
Oranges
Boxes of Juice
Loaf of Bread
Bottle of Soda

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8th Grade 3.3 Nutritional Food

Target Vocabulary
Unhealthy foods: cake, candy, chips, cookies, sod, sweets
Nutrition words: calcium, calories, carbohydrates, diet, fiber, fat, minerals, oils,
protein, vitamins
Adjectives: good, bad, balanced, unbalanced, healthy, nutritious, unhealthy

Target Grammar

Review HAVE (See 7.2.4)

Sweets have calories.
Meat, eggs, and beans have protein.

I Do/Presentation
A. Introduce Vocabulary
1. Write the vocabulary on the board.
2. Many of the words are cognates; see how many the
students can recognize.
3. Practice pronunciation and students copy meanings.
4. Make a list of food vocabulary.
5. Students match the food vocabulary to the correct
nutrition word.
Ex: Eggs = Protein
Bread = Carbohydrates
Milk = Calcium
6. Discuss, in Spanish, what is important about each
nutrition category.
Ex: What is important about proteins?
Why do we need proteins?
Why do we need carbohydrates?
Variation (easier): Make two columns (Healthy Foods and
Unhealthy Foods). Students categorize food vocabulary.

NOTE: Potatoes, yucca, plantains are

carbohydrates. Gallo pinto is a full protein (the
combination of the beans and rice together
make a full protein).

B. Introduce Healthy Food Habits

1. Before class, prepare drawings of different plates.
2. Each plate has different food on it:
1. One plate with gallo pinto, chicken, a salad,
and fried plantains
2. One plate with spaghetti, rice, bread and
mashed potatoes
3. One plate with rice, beef, tomato, and squash in
cream (guiso de pipian)
4. One plate with gallo pinto, pork rinds, fried
plantains, and fried cheese
3. Ask the students to identify what each plate has on it.
Ex: The plate has rice, beans, chicken, a salad and
fried plantains.
4. Ask students what kind of nutrition each food has.
Ex: The plate has carbohydrates, protein, vegetables
with vitamins and oils and fat.
5. Repeat with the rest of the plates; ask the students if the
plate is healthy or unhealthy.
Ex: Plate 2 is only carbohydrates. It is not balanced. It is
not healthy.

We Do/Practice
A. Food Journal Mini-Book (W)
1. Students keep a journal of what they eat for 2-3 days.
2. Students write the food word or draw a picture.
3. In class, add sentences to identify the picture and write the
nutritional value.
Example of what students write in class:
Breakfast: For breakfast I eat gallo pinto and papaya.
92

They have protein and vitamins.

Snack: For snack I have enchiladas, chips and soda.
They have oils, fats and sweets.
4. Students say if what they eat is healthy or unhealthy.
5. Ask students how to make their meals healthier.
Variation: Students trade mini-books with a partner.
The partner reports on what that student eats.
Ex: Marlon eats gallo pinto. It has protein.

B. Reading a Nutrition Label (R, W)

1. Before class, copy the nutrition label on poster paper, or
make photocopies for groups of students.
2. Students read the information on the label and identify
vocabulary they know.
3. Clarify meaning and any new vocabulary.

Students work in pairs to answer reading

comprehension questions.
1. How many calories does this food have?
It has 690 calories.

2. How many calories are from fat? 76 calories from fat.

3. How much fiber? It has 11% OR 3 mg of fiber.
4. How much Vitamin A? It has 2% Vitamin A.
5. What kind of food is this? Healthy? Unhealthy? Why?

You Do/Production
A. Create a Character (W, S)
1. Divide students in groups of 3.
2. Each group creates a character.
3. The group decides if the character is healthy
or unhealthy.
4. Students write 5 sentences about what that character
eats and drinks in a typical day.
5. Show students Teacher Examples to give them ideas.
6. Students draw a picture of their character.
7. Students present to the class.
Variation: Groups exchange paragraphs and the new
group decides if the character is healthy or unhealthy.

Teacher Examples
My name is Betty. I eat Ranchitas chips and drink
5 bottles of Coca Cola. They have sugar and fat. I
always eat enchiladas and drink fresco at school.
They have oil and sugar. I eat rice, tortillas, pasta, and
yucca in one plate. They all have carbohydrates. I eat
beans but I fry them in oil. My diet is unbalanced.
My name is Juan. I eat mangoes and chile and salt. I
drink 2 bottles of water. I eat rice and beansit has
a complete protein. I eat a salad of cabbage, onions,
avocados and tomatoes. They have vitamins and
minerals. I eat eggs too. They have protein. I sometimes eat chocolate bananas and always eat a papaya
for breakfast. I have a balanced diet.
93

B. Design a Plate or a Superfood (W, S)

Variation: Students create a Superfood. The food must

have a name and nutritional value. Students write
sentences telling if the new food is healthy or unhealthy
and why.
Ex: This is a Clumiclata. It is a fruit. It has vitamins, minerals
and protein. It is very healthy.

1. Students use the plates from Presentation Activity B

as a model.
2. Students create a plate that has 4 different foods.
3. Students write sentences identifying the item, telling
its nutritional value and telling if the plate is healthy
or unhealthy.

8th Grade 3.4 Midterm Review

See 7.3.3 for Midterm Review lesson plan suggestions.

8th Grade 4.1 Clothing Items

Target Vocabulary
Clothing: shirt, t-shirt, sweater, shorts, pants, jeans skirt, dress, jacket, socks
Shoes: sneakers, heels, sandals, boots
Accessories: belt, earrings, glasses, hat, necklace, ring, scarf, suit, tie, umbrella, watch
Other: hot, cold WEAR

Target Grammar

Review Present Progressive (See 8.2.4), Review BE (See 7.2.1), Review word order adjective +
noun (See 7.1.4)
I am wearing a red shirt.
She is wearing a blue dress.

I Do/Presentation
A. Introduce Vocabulary
1. Use real clothes or drawings of clothing.
2. Read each clothing item at least twice.
3. Students repeat each clothing item at least twice.
4. Give students time to draw the clothing item and copy
the meanings in their notebooks.

B. Colors
1. Review color words. (See 7.1.4)
2. Review word order. Adjectives (Ex: colors) go before the
nouns. (See 7.1.4)

C. Making Sentences with BE and Indefinite Articles

1. Review indefinite articles a/an before singular nouns.
(See 7.1.4)
2. Use Its with singular nouns.
3. Use Theyre with plural nouns.
4. Vocabulary like: jeans, pants, glasses, sandals, shoes, etc.
are always plural.
Ex: Singular: Shirt (blue): Its a blue shirt.

Hat (orange): Its an orange hat.
Plural: Jeans (blue): Theyre blue jeans.

Shoes (black): Theyre black shoes.
94

D. WEAR in Present Progressive

1. Introduce the verb WEAR and practice making sentences
in the present progressive. (See 8.2.4)
Ex: The teacher is wearing pants, a shirt, glasses, shoes
and socks.
2. Review how to write a list of items.
3. A list of colors works the same way. The list goes before
the noun and is separated by commas with and before
the last color.
Ex: The teacher is wearing a blue, green and red tie.

We Do/Practice
A. BINGO (See Multi-Purpose Activities Index for
more directions) (L)
Follow the rules of this Multi-Purpose Activity to practice
clothing vocabulary.
Variation: Students draw pictures of the clothes instead
of writing words to fill in their BINGO cards.

B. Categories (See Multi-Purpose Activities Index

for more directions) (W, S)
1. Make two columns on the board, When its HOT and
When its COLD.

When its HOT

shorts
skirt
sandals
shoes

When its COLD

jacket
scarf
boots
shoes

2. Students write the clothing words under the

correct column.
3. Some clothing appears in both columns.
Ex: shoes

C. Practice Sentences (W)

1. Students write a sentence to describe each clothing item
using the color in parentheses.
2. Students use singular indefinite articles and Its and
Theyre correctly. Focus on word order.
1. Hat (brown) Its a brown hat.
2. Shirt (white) Its a white shirt.
3. Pants (khaki) Theyre khaki pants.
4. Dress (orange) Its an orange dress.
5. Earrings (gold) Theyre gold earrings.
6. Necklace (silver) Its a silver necklace.
7. Jacket (red) Its a red jacket.
8. Skirt (purple) Its a purple skirt.
9. Shoes (gray) Theyre gray shoes.
10. Belt (black) Its a black belt.

D. Fill in the Blanks (W)

Students fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb BE
to complete the present progressive.
1. Maria and Pedro
2. I
3. He
4. They

wearing boots. (are)

wearing glasses. (am)

wearing a pink shirt. (is)
wearing brown shoes. (are)

5. Eleazar
wearing a green scarf, a yellow
jacket, and black sunglasses. (is)
6. We
wearing white shirts, blue pants,
and black shoes. (are)
7. She
wearing a red swimsuit and a
gold ring. (is)

E. Arrange the Sentence (W)

1. Put a few pictures on the board that show people
wearing different clothing items.
2. The pictures can be photographs or drawings.
3. Assign each person in the pictures a name or a personal
pronoun, so that students can practice different forms of
BE.
Ex: She is wearing
I am wearing
4. Students write a sentence about what each person
is wearing.

Example drawings answers:

1. She is wearing a purple dress, gold earrings, and
black shoes.
2. He is wearing a red jacket, a blue t-shirt, green pants,
white socks and black shoes.
3. They are wearing white shirts, navy blue pants, and
green sneakers.
4. You are wearing an orange blouse, blue jeans, a
brown belt and yellow shoes.
5. She is wearing a gray dress, gold earrings, black heels
and a white necklace.
6. We are wearing green jackets, khaki shorts and
yellow hats.

95

F. Shopping List (See Multi-Purpose Activities

Index for More Directions) (S,L)
1. The group forms a circle.
2. One student starts by saying I am going to the market to
buy a red shirt.
3. The next student says, I am going to the market to buy a
red shirt, and blue jeans.
4. The third student says, I am going to the market to buy a
red shirt, blue jeans, and white socks.
5. Each student must repeat the list and add an item.

G. Fly Swatter (See Multi-Purpose Activities Index

for More Directions) (L)
1. Post pictures of people in different colored clothes and
different clothing types across the board. (These pictures
can be drawings, cartoons, photographs, pictures from
magazines or newspapers, etc.)
2. Divide the students into two or three teams. One student
from each team comes forward.
3. Describe one of the people from a picture on the board
by what they are wearing. (For example: He is wearing a
red shirt, black tie, and gray pants.)
4. The first student to identify the correct picture by
swatting it with their hand earns a point for their team.

H. Simon Says (See Multi-Purpose Activities Index

for More Directions) (S, L)
1. Give instructions to the students, and students must
follow them.
Ex: Simon Says touch your shirt. Students must touch
their shirts.
2. You can give instructions without saying Simon Says
and students must not do the action. Students must only
follow directions when preceded by Simon says.
Ex: Touch your shirt. Students must NOT touch their
shirts.
3. Any student who 1) touches their clothing when you do
not say Simon says 2) touches the wrong clothing item,
or 3) does not touch any clothing at all, is out and must
sit down.
4. Play until one student remains.
Variation: Students can become Simon and give
directions.

Variation: Include vocabulary from physical descriptions

and clothing to reinforce previous content.

You Do/Production
A. Describe the Person: Look at the Picture (W, L)
1. Use pictures from magazines, newspapers or drawings of
people wearing clothing.
2. Divide students into groups of 4.
3. Each group receives a picture and must write sentences
describing what the person is wearing using the present
progressive and the verb WEAR.
4. Students write their sentences on only one piece of paper
(the Groups Paper).
5. Each student must write at least one description on the
groups paper.
6. The Group Paper will have 4 sentences about 1 picture.
Ex: (Student 1 writes) She is wearing a blue hat.
(Student 2 writes) She is wearing black sandals.
(Student 3 writes) She is wearing gold earrings.
(Student 4 writes) She is wearing a blue belt.
7. When the group finishes with one picture, they
trade pictures with another group and write another
description.
8. Collect the groups papers and tape the pictures
on the board.
9. Read one description from each group and students
listen and identify the correct picture.
Variation (easier): Students write one sentence about
each picture and pass to the next group.
96

B. Guess Who (L, S)

1. Put photos on the board of people wearing different
clothing. (To get the photos, use catalogs, the
newspaper, magazines, or simple drawings.)
2. Each student secretly chooses a picture and describes the
persons clothing.
3. Students take turns guessing which photograph the
person is describing.
Variation: If the students dont have to wear a
uniform, they can describe their classmates instead of
photographs.

C. Describe the Person: Draw the Picture (L, S)

1. Students need coloring utensils for this activity.
2. Read a description of a person.
Ex: I am wearing a blue dress and a yellow belt.
I am wearing black sandals.
3. Students draw a picture of the clothes they hear.
4. Students share their drawings and describe them using
the same language.
Ex: She is wearing a blue dress and a yellow belt.
She is wearing black sandals.

E. Murder Mystery (S, L, W)

D. Fashion Show (S, L)

1. Plan a small fashion show for the next class.
2. Students form groups of four.
3. Two students are models.
4. Two students describe the clothes. Students must
describe at least five things the models are wearing.
5. The models bring the clothing to change into at the
beginning of class.
Ex: Student A describes what Student B is wearing.
Student A says: Student B is wearing blue pants, a
white t-shirt, black shoes, a silver necklace, and a
silver watch.
6. Student B points to the clothing as it is described.
7. Student C describes what Student D is wearing.

See 8.2.1. Do the same activity, but use photographs of people

wearing different clothes, and have students describe suspects
based on their clothing.

8th Grade 4.2 Buying Clothes

Target Vocabulary
Sizes: small (S), medium (M), large (L), extra-large (XL)
Adjectives: big, small, tight, loose, long, short, cheap, expensive, affordable, beautiful,
cool, comfortable, fashionable, nice, pretty, stylish
Verbs: COST, FIT, TRY ON

Target Grammar

Review How much questions (See 7.4.5)

How much does the blue dress cost?
How much do the sandals cost?
TOO + negative adjective
Its too small.
VERY + positive adjective
Its very beautiful.
Conjunction BUT
The jeans are very stylish, but theyre too expensive.
The dress is very pretty, but its too tight.

97

I Do/Presentation
A. Review Clothes
1. Choose a Multi-Purpose Activity from the Index such as
Pictionary to review clothing vocabulary.

B. Buying Clothes Dialogue (Listen to CD Track #15)

1. Students copy Part 1 of the dialogue.
2. Introduce size vocabulary: small (S), medium (M),
large (L), extra-large (XL) and new verbs that appear
in the dialogue.
3. Students practice pronunciation and copy meaning.

Dialogue Part 1:
Shopper: Hi, I need some brown shoes. Do you
have any?
Salesperson: I think so. Yes. Theyre on sale! What
size do you wear?
Shopper: I wear a size 40.
Salesperson: Im sorry. I dont have brown shoes
in your size, but I have them in size 42.
Shopper: Okay, Ill try them on.

C. Dialogue to Introduce Adjectives: Positive

and Negative
1. Students copy Part 2 of the dialogue.
2. Introduce all positive and negative adjectives. Underline
the adjectives that appear in the dialogue.
3. Introduce new verbs that appear in the dialogue.
4. Students practice pronunciation and copy meaning.

Dialogue Part 2:
Salesperson: Do the shoes fit?
Shopper: No, these shoes are too big and too loose.
Salesperson: I have black shoes in size 40. Do you
want to try them on?
Shopper: Yes, please. These shoes are very comfortable
and stylish!

D. Dialogue to Introduce Too + Adjective and Very

+ Adjective
1. Use the same Part 2 Dialogue to identify instances of TOO
+ adjective and VERY + adjective.
2. Explain that TOO expresses EXCESS of a negative
adjective.
Ex: Too big. Too expensive.
3. Explain that VERY expresses abundance of a
positive adjective.
Ex: Very nice. Very beautiful.
4. Underline the instances of TOO + adjective and VERY +
adjective in the dialogue.
98

E. Dialogue to Introduce COST and

Conjunction BUT
1. Use Dialogue Part 3 to review TOO and VERY.

Dialogue Part 3:
Shopper: Yes, these shoes fit. How much do
they cost?
Salesperson: They cost C$550.
Shopper: The shoes are very comfortable, but
theyre too expensive. Im sorry. They cost too
much money.
Salesperson: I understand. Please come again soon.

2. Students identify the new word BUT and discuss its

meaning in the dialogue. Does the shopper want the
shoes? No. How do we know? Because the word BUT
indicates a change in the sentence and introduces a
problem.
Ex: The dress is very affordable, but its too tight.
The necklace is very pretty, but its too expensive.
3. Use the dialogue to introduce the interrogative with
the verb COST.
4. Students practice pronunciation and copy meanings.

Questions with COST Structure:

How much + DO + ITEM + cost?

Singular: How much does the shirt cost?

Plural: How much do the pants cost?

Answer with COST Structure:

The + ITEM+ COST + amount of money.

IT/THEY+ COST+ amount of money.

Singular: The shirt costs 100 crdobas.

It costs 100 cordobas.
Plural: The pants cost 500 cordobas.

They cost 500 cordobas.

We Do/Practice
A. What Size? (W or S)

D. Draw the Picture (W)

1. Before class, prepare a poster paper showing 4 different

body types.
2. Ask students What size does he/she wear?
3. Students must answer/write the correct size.
Ex: She wears a size small. He wears a size extra large.

Students draw a picture to illustrate each sentence.

1. The sweater is too loose.
2. The skirt is too short.
3. The hat is too big.
4. The sneakers are too small.
5. The ring is too expensive.
6. The shirt is too long.

E. Sell the Item! (W, S)

B. Practice TOO + Adjective with Drawings (W)

Use the drawings from What Size? to answer questions
about the people using adjectives.
1. Person 1 wears a size (small) . He is trying on a large
shirt. The shirt is too (big/loose/long) .
2. Person 2 wears a size (extra large) . She is trying
on pants that are size small. The pants are too (tight/
small/short) .
3. Person 3 wears a size small dress. She is very short and
the dress is size extra large. The dress is too (long) .
4. Person 4 wears a size (large) and size 40 shoes. He
is wearing size 50 shoes. The shoes are too (big) .

C. Practice TOO + Adjective with Word Bank (W)

Students fill in the blank with the correct adjective
from the box.

expensive
tight

small
long

big
loose

short

1. Josue is very tall but he has pants for a short person.

The pants are too (short) .
2. Maria is small but is trying on an extra large shirt. The
shirt is too (big) and (loose) .

1. Write a list of positive adjectives on the board.

2. Tape pictures or write a list of different clothing items on
the board.
3. Students select an item of clothing.
Ex: A ring, a necklace, a scarf, etc.
4. Students come to the board and underneath the item,
write a sales pitch to sell that item.
5. Students use VERY + adjective.
Ex: This ring is very beautiful and affordable. Its gold and
silver and very stylish.
6. Students vote at the end for the most persuasive sales
pitch and say the item that they want to buy.

F. Listening Activity (L)

1. Students draw the chart below and copy the headings
Clothing Item, Very ___?, and TOO _____?
2. Read the four sentences below slowly and clearly.
Emphasize the word but.
3. Student copy the information they hear in order to
complete the chart.

Clothing Item

Very

T00

necklace

affordable

shorts

cool loose

hat

nice big

dress

pretty expensive

tight

1. My name is Martha. Im buying a necklace. I am a size

extra large. The necklace is very affordable, but its
too tight!

3. Marcos wears size 40 shoes, but he is trying on size 38

shoes. Those shoes are too (small) and (tight) .

2. My name is Joe. Im buying shorts. I am a size small and

the shorts are size extra large. The shorts are very cool,
but theyre too loose.

4. Pedro wants to buy new boots and he has C$200. The

boots he likes cost C$500. They are too (expensive) .

3. My name is Raul. Im trying on a blue hat. The hat is too

big, but its very nice.

5. Abigail is buying a skirt but she is very short and the

skirt is a large. The skirt is too (long) .

4. My name is Kaitlin. Im trying on a purple dress. The

dress is very pretty, but its too expensive!
99

G. Form a Question (W)

1. Students form a question with How much?
2. Students write the answer using the cost in parentheses.
1. shoes (C$350) How much do the shoes cost? 350 cordobas.
2. hat (C$90)

How much does the hat cost? 90 cordobas.

3. dress (C$475) How much does the dress cost? 475 cordobas.
4. socks (C$25)

How much do the socks cost? 25 cords.

5. earrings (C$55) How much do the earrings cost? 55 cordobas.

You Do/Production
A. Its Great, But (W, S)
1. Students choose an item.
2. Students write sentences describing the item using VERY
and TOO. Use the Listening Practice Activity F as a model.
3. Students present their sentences to the class to
practice speaking.

B. Clothing Dialogue (S, L, W)

1. Divide students in pairs.
2. Students write a dialogue: one student is a Salesperson
and the other is the Shopper.
3. Use the dialogue from the Presentation Activities B, C,
and E as models.
4. In the dialogue, the shopper wants to find an item of
clothing. Use TOO and VERY to describe the object and
tell how much it COSTS.
5. Students present their dialogues to the class.

C. Two Circle Conversation (See Multi-Purpose

Activities Index for more directions ) (S, L)
1. Students draw an item of clothing on a piece of paper
and write the size and how much it costs.
2. Each student will ask their partner if they want to buy the
item and give a reason using VERY.
3. Students use this model:
Do you want to buy a/an (item)? Its/Theyre VERY (adjective).
Ex: Do you want to buy a scarf? Its very stylish.
4. The partner must say No and give a reason why not
using TOO.
Ex: No, its too expensive.
No, the shoes are too small.

Variation: Students bring realia objects for

their presentation.

8th Grade 4.3 The Weather

Target Vocabulary
Seasons: spring, summer, fall, winter
Weather: sunny, cloudy, foggy, rainy, snowy, windy, hot, warm, humid, cool, cold,
lightning, rain, snow, wind, temperature, BLOW, RAIN, SNOW.

Target Grammar

BE (See 7.2.1) + weather adjective

Its rainy in the spring.
Review present progressive (See 8.2.4)
Hes wearing boots because its raining.
I am wearing a scarf because its snowing.

100

I Do/Presentation
A. Present Vocabulary
1. Use drawings of weather.
2. Students listen to each weather word twice or more.
3. Students then repeat each weather word at least twice.
4. Students say the weather word.
5. Allow students time to draw the weather word and write
the vocabulary.

B. Weather Reading (Listen to CD Track #16)

1. Students copy the reading and read it individually.
2. Students draw a circle around the season vocabulary
words.
3. Students draw a square around the weather adjectives.
4. Students underline the weather verbs (RAIN, SNOW,
BLOW).
5. After the students read, explain the difference between
verbs (It rains.) and adjectives (It is rainy.)

We Do/Practice
A. Identify the Seasons (W)
1. Students label the pictures with the correct seasons using
the information from the reading in Presentation Activity B.
Variation: Students write sentences using adjectives to
describe the season as the drawing shows.
In the summer,
it is sunny.

Variation: Write out the reading but put blanks in the place
of new vocabulary. Have students listen to the reading and
fill in the blanks.

Reading:
Nicaragua only has two seasons, the summer when
it is warm and sunny and the wind blows, and the
winter when it is hot and rainy.

In the United States, there are four seasons. The

winter is in the months of December, January, and
February. It is very cold and cloudy and it snows.
The spring is March, April, and May. It is warm and
rainy. It doesnt rain every day, but it rains sometimes
and there is a lot of thunder. The summer is hot and
sunny and is during June, July, and August. Finally, the
fall is cool, foggy, and windy in September, October,
and November.

B. Telephone (See Multi-Purpose Activities Index

for more directions) (L)
1. Follow the rules of this Multi-Purpose Activity to practice
new vocabulary.
2. Write the weather vocabulary words on the board.
3. Students listen carefully to differentiate word pairs.
Ex: rain and rainy

C. Categories (See Multi-Purpose Activities Index

for more directions) (W)
1. Students make two columns: clothing items and seasons.
2. After listening and writing the words in the correct
category, students draw lines and match the correct
clothing to the season.
Ex: A scarf -> Winter, Sunglasses -> Summer
3. Students write sentences.
Ex: In the winter, I wear a scarf.

In the spring,
it is windy.

D. Fill in the Blank (W)

In the fall,
it is cool.

In the winter,
it is snowy.

Students complete the sentences with a weather

vocabulary word. Identify if the word is a season, an
adjective, or a verb.
1. Today I need to bring my umbrella because it is (rainy) .
2. In the summer, it is (warm) and (sunny) .
3. I have to wear a scarf, boots, and a hat in the (winter) .
4. When there are dark clouds, it is going to (rain) .
5. I like to wear shorts and sandals when it is (hot) .
6. Whats that loud noise? Is it a helicopter or is it (thunder)?
7. The winter is fun because we can play in the (snow) .
101

You Do/Production
A. Answering Questions (W, S)

Students complete the following sentences:

1. Students answer the following questions with a

complete sentence.
2. Students share their answers with a partner.

1) Im going to
2) Its

(weather adjectives).

3) Im bringing

1. What is the weather today? Today it is . . .

(clothing items).

3. Each student must list at least 5 items that they are

bringing. Clothes must be appropriate for the weather.
Ex: Bringing shorts to Antarctica does NOT make sense!
4. Students present to the class.

2. What is your favorite type of weather?

My favorite type of weather is . . .

3. What is the weather like in Nicaragua in the winter?

In Nicaragua in the winter, it is . . .

4. What is the weather like in the United States in the

spring? In the United States in the spring, it is . . .

(place).

C. Weather Around the World (W, S)

1. Students create a weather forecast for a world capital.
2. Students include the place, the temperature, and
describe the weather.
Ex: Today in Mexico City, Mexico it is very hot and sunny.
The wind is blowing and the temperature is
100 degrees.

B. Vacation (W, S)
1. Students pretend they are going on vacation.
2. Students choose location or give locations.

Variation: Students choose 3 capital cities and use a world

map to point to them as they present.

8th Grade 5.1 Sports

Target Vocabulary
Equipment: ball, bat, glove, football, goal, net, hoop, racket, bicycle, sneakers
Sport: baseball, basketball, football, cycling, golf, running, soccer, swimming, tennis,
volleyball
Place: court, field, gym, pool
Verbs: CATCH, KICK, HIT, PASS, PLAY, RUN, SWIM, SWING, THROW, USE

Target Grammar

Review Simple Present (See 7.3.1)

She kicks the ball in the goal.
They swim in the pool.

I Do/Presentation
A. Vocabulary
1. Ask students to name all the sports they know.
2. Make a list on the board.
3. Add the target vocabulary that the students did not name.
4. Do a gesture to represent each sport.
Ex: swinging a bat for baseball, or kick a ball for soccer.
5. Students mimic the actions.
6. Using the actions, say the word and do the action.
7. Students repeat the word after you.
8. Then, only say the word and have students do the actions.
9. Finally only do the action and students say the words.
102

B. My Favorite Sport Is
1. Present the question: What is your favorite sport?
2. Answer the question yourself: My favorite sport is
3. Ask the students until they answer using the model.

Sport

C. More Vocabulary
1. Use Categories (See Multi-Purpose Activities Index) to
match sports vocabulary with the correct equipment and
the correct place to play.
2. Create one column for each category. Students match
words or draw lines to connect them. (See chart -->)
3. Students copy meanings and practice pronunciation
Ex: Baseball -> field -> bat, glove, ball
Soccer -> field -> ball, goal,

Place

Equipment

Baseball

Racket

Soccer

Court

Hoop

Basketball

Field

Goal

Volleyball

Gym

Glove

Tennis

Pool

Bat

Swimming

Net

Running

Ball

We Do/Practice
A. Fill in the Blank (W)
1. Use the words in the box to complete the paragraph
below.
2. First students work individually and fill in all the blanks.
3. Then have students work in pairs to fill in any remaining
blanks they have.
4. Finally review as a class.

ball hits kicks net ball plays

plays

soccer

ball

swims

Sara plays (soccer) every Saturday. She plays with

a ball on a field. She kicks the (ball) in the goal. On

Tuesdays and Thursdays, Sara (plays) volleyball. She
(hits) the ball over the (net) . On Mondays, she (swims)

in a pool.

B. Verb Review (W)

Students put the correct verb form in the blank.
1. Andy (kicks) the ball in the goal. (kick)
2. We (play) soccer in the afternoon. (play)
3. They always (run) in the morning. (run)
4. I (hit) the ball with the bat. (hit)
5. You (use) a bat to (play) baseball. (use, play)
6. Dora (swims) in the pool every Friday. (swim)

1. Alex plays basketball.

2. Alexs brother plays volleyball.

3. Alexs sister plays baseball.

4. You play volleyball with a net.

5. You play soccer on a field.

D. Sports Listening (L)

1. Read the following paragraph to the students.
2. Students put the sports in the order as they hear them in
the paragraph.
3. Students write 1 next to the sport that they hear first, 2
next to the 2nd sport, etc.

Reading:
I love to play a different sport every day: Monday
through Saturday. On Monday I play basketball
with my friends. On Tuesday morning I ride
my bike around the park. On Wednesday we
play my favorite sport soccer at school during
lunch. Thursday is football night, and all of the
neighborhood plays. Friday I play baseball. Finally,
on Saturday I relax and go swimming all day at the
Laguna de Apoyo.

C. Sports Reading (R)

1. Read the short paragraph below.

2. As a class answer the True/False questions.
3. Students correct the false statements to make them true.

My name is Alex. I play basketball. When I play

basketball I use a ball, and I pass the ball and run a lot.
My sister plays volleyball. She hits the volleyball over
a net. My brother plays soccer. He runs up and down
the field.

6
2
103

E. Sports Song: I Like to Play (Listen to CD Track #17)

(S, L, W)
1. Use the CD or sing the song for your students.
2. Students listen, copy and sing the song.
3. Have students write new lines to change the sports
vocabulary. They can include different sports and actions.

I like to play, play, play

soccer and basketball.
I like to play, play, play
soccer and basketball.

They like to play, play, play

tennis and volleyball.
They like to play, play, play
tennis and volleyball.

He likes to hit, hit, hit,

hit the baseball.
He likes to hit, hit, hit
hit the baseball.

She likes to pass, pass, pass

pass the basketball.
She likes to pass, pass, pass
pass the basketball.

You Do/Production
A. Guess Who: Athletes (W, S, L)
Use this activity to review physical descriptions, clothing, and
sports equipment.
1. Have students brainstorm lists of their favorite athletes.
Make sure to include female athletes wherever possible.
Try to get at least 3 athletes for every sport.
2. Students choose an athlete secretly and write a
description, without telling the name.
Ex: This athlete plays basketball. He wears shorts and a
jersey. He uses sneakers and a basketball. He is tall and
bald. (Answer: Michael Jordan)
3. Split students into small groups of 4-6 students.
4. One at a time, students will read their descriptions to
their group. Group members can ask questions to find
out more information. (For example: Is he strong? Is he
dark-skinned? Is he from the United States?)
5. Members of the group should guess who the athlete is.

B. Write a Paragraph (S, L, W)

1. Students create their own short paragraphs.
2. Students use at least 3 different sports and sports verbs.
Ex: I play baseball with my brother. We hit the ball and play
in the field. I play soccer at school at recess. My sister
plays volleyball and she hits the ball over the net.
3. Students present to the class.
4. When students hear a sport, they do the gesture and
write the sport under their paragraph.

C. Ask a Partner (W, S, L)

1. Divide students in pairs.
2. Students ask each other what their favorite sport is and
what they do in that sport.
Ex: Student 1: What is your favorite sport?
Student 2: My favorite sport is basketball. I shoot the
ball in the hoop. What is your favorite sport?

Student 1: My favorite sport is swimming. I swim in

the pool.
3. Students write their questions and answers.
4. Students present their dialogue.

D. The Nicaraguan Olympics (S)

1. Write 5 sports on the board.
Ex: Basketball -> Soccer -> Tennis -> Baseball -> Running
2. Students must think of one action and location or
equipment for each sport.
Ex: I shoot the ball on the court. I kick the ball in the goal.
I hit the ball with a racket, etc.
3. Students form rows of 5.
4. The first student says the first sport: I play basketball! +
ONE sentence about that sport.
Ex: I play basketball. I shoot the ball.
5. The student does the gesture for the sport and sits down.
6. Student 2 says the second sport: I play soccer! I kick the
ball in the goal. He does the gesture and sits down.
7. Continue until all students are sitting.
8. The fastest team to sit down wins the Olympics.

8th Grade 5.2 Leisure Activities and Games

Target Vocabulary
PLAY cards, checkers, chess, marbles, video games, sports, a musical instrument
CHAT online, HANG OUT, LISTEN to music, READ a book, SURF the web, WALK in the park,
WATCH TV, LIKE

Target Grammar

104

Simple Present affirmative, negative, and interrogative with LIKE

I like to play cards
I dont like to play chess
Do you like to play marbles?

I Do/Presentation
A. Vocabulary
1. Students brainstorm pastimes and things they like to do
in their free time.
2. Write the words in English on the board.
3. Students copy vocabulary and write meanings, then
practice pronunciation.

B. The Verb LIKE: Affirmative and Negative

1. Introduce the verb LIKE.
2. Give examples of sentences in affirmative and negative
forms.
3. Discuss how LIKE works with verbs and nouns:
LIKE + infinitive verb
Ex: I like TO PLAY chess. (the action)
LIKE + noun
Ex: I like chess. (an activity)

C. The Verb LIKE: Interrogative

1. Review the interrogative form. (See 7.5.2)
2. Introduce the questions and short answers.

AFFIRMATIVE NEGATIVE
I like

I dont like

You like

You dont like

He/she likes

He/she doesnt like

We like

We dont like

They like

They dont like

Questions with DO and DOES Structure

DO + subject + Verb (simple form) + complement + ?
Do you like soccer?
Does he like apples?
Affirmative: Yes, Subject + DO.
Do you like soccer? Yes, I do.
Does he like apples? Yes, he does.

Negative: No, Subject + DO NOT (DONT/DOESNT).

Do you like soccer? No, I dont.
Does he like apples? No, he doesnt.

We Do/Practice
A. What Kind of Leisure Activity Is It? (W)
1. Draw a Venn Diagram (See 9.2.2) on the board and write
Solitary on one side and Group on the other.
2. Begin with one vocabulary word.
Ex: PLAY checkers
3. Ask students if the activity is a Solitary or a Group
activity or both.
4. Write the activity in the correct part of the diagram.
5. In groups, students write the other activities in the
correct part of the diagram.
6. Students compare answers.

B. King/Queen of the Mountain (See Multi-Purpose

Activities Index for more directions) (S)
1. Students use sentences with LIKE in the affirmative
and negative.
Ex: Student: He likes to play video games.
King/Queen: He doesnt like to play video games.
2. If the King/Queen responds incorrectly, the student who
gave the sentence corrects the King and takes his/her
place.

C. Charades or Pictionary (See Multi-Purpose

Activities Index for more directions) (S)
Follow the rules of this Multi-Purpose Activity to practice the
Leisure and Game vocabulary.

D. Put the Questions and Responses in Order (R, S)

1. Write the questions and responses on the board out of
order.
2. Divide students into pairs.
3. Students match the questions and responses and write
them in order.
4. Students practice the dialogue.

Questions and Responses: Leisure activities

Do you like marbles?
Yes, I do. I play marbles with my friends.
Do you like to read books?
No, I dont. I like to do activities in groups.
You like sports? I like to play soccer.
I like to play soccer, too!

105

You Do/Production
A. Find Someone Who (S, L, W)

B. In the Bag (R, S)

1. Students copy the following chart into their notebooks:

Do you like to . . . ?

Signature

Sentence

1. . . . chat online?

Silvia

Yes, I do.

2. . . . play chess?

Marcos

No, I dont.

3. . . . play video games?

4. . . . surf the web?
5. . . . play marbles?

1. Before class, cut out or draw small pictures

and put them in a bag.
2. If the students do not know the name of the
object in the picture, write the English word
on the picture.
3. One by one, students choose a picture from
the bag.
4. The student forms a sentence using like.
Ex: If the student chooses a picture of a chicken
and the student does not like chicken, the
student says I dont like chicken.
Variation: Students work in groups and each
group has a bag with some pictures.

6.
7.

C. Guessing Likes and Dislikes (R, W)

8.
9.
10.
2. Practice asking the question: Do you like to ______?
3. Students ask other students the question.
4. All students sign their names in the signature column.
5. The student writes the response next to the signature.
Yes, I do or No, I dont.
6. When a student has ten signatures (from ten different
students), they sit down.
7. Students must write 10 sentences to describe the results
of their interview.
Ex: Silvia likes to chat online.
Marcos doesnt like to play chess.

1. Students write one affirmative and one negative

sentence with LIKE on a piece of paper.
2. Collect the papers and mix them.
3. Give the papers to different students.
4. Students read the paper and guess whose paper
they have.
Variation 1: Students work in groups.
Variation 2: Students ask yes/no questions to
certain students to help them guess.

8th Grade 5.3 Holidays

Target Vocabulary
Holidays: Valentines Day, Holy Week, Easter, International Womens Day, Labor Day,
Mothers Day, Childrens Day, Fathers Day, Independence Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving Day,
Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Years Eve, Patron Saint Festival
Activities: CELEBRATE, DECORATE, GIVE gifts, HONOR, MARCH in a parade, PARTY, PRAY,
SPEND time with family and friends, USE fireworks

Target Grammar

Review Wh- questions and How questions (See 8.2.3)

What is the holiday?
When is the holiday?
How do people celebrate the holiday?

106

I Do/Presentation
A. Vocabulary
1. Write the months of the year on the board in English.
(See 7.4.4)
2. Ask students what holidays they celebrate in Nicaragua
during each month.
Childrens Day (June 1st)
Fathers Day (3rd Sunday in June)
Independence Day (July 4th )
Labor Day (1st Monday in September )
Mothers Day (2nd Sunday in May)
Thanksgiving (4th Thursday in November)
Halloween (October 31st)
3. Make a list of holidays in the United States.
4. Write the American holidays in the correct month with
the Nicaraguan holidays. Compare the differences.
5. Students copy the vocabulary and write meanings, then
practice pronunciation.
6. Use drawings or gestures to help with new vocabulary
words.

B. Wh-Questions
1. Review meaning of each Wh-question (See 8.2.3). Add
How to the list and review the meaning. Remind
students of the question How are you?
2. Review that WHY questions are answered with
BECAUSE + a reason.

3. Present questions about holidays:

- What is the holiday?
- Who celebrates it?
- When is the holiday?
- Where do we celebrate the holiday?
- Why do we celebrate?
- How do we celebrate the holiday?
4. Students copy the questions and their meaning and
practice pronunciation.
5. Present answers to the questions using holiday
vocabulary as an example.
6. Present new verbs to help answer the how question.
Ex: decorate, march, use fireworks, etc.
7. Use gestures to help teach the new vocabulary words.
Ex: March in place to teach MARCH.

Example:
What is the holiday? New Years Eve
Who celebrates it? Everyone
When is the holiday? December 31st.
Where do we celebrate the holiday?
We celebrate in homes and in the neighborhood.

Why do we celebrate?
Because we want to welcome the new year.

How do we celebrate the holiday??

We use fireworks and stay awake until midnight.

We Do/Practice
A. Choose the Question Word (W)
1. Students read the answer to each question.
2. Check for comprehension and clarify new vocabulary.
3. Students identify the correct Wh-question word to
ask a question.
1.

are the traditional colors for Christmas? (What)

The traditional colors for Christmas are green and red.

2.

Christmas songs do people sing? (What)

People sing songs like Deck the Halls and Joy to
the World.

3.
4.

B. Reading Comprehension (R, W)

1. Students copy the following paragraphs on the next
page. (See next page)
2. Identify, define, and practice any new vocabulary.
3. Divide students into groups of three.
4. Assign each group one of the holidays.
5. For their holiday, the group answers the following
questions in complete sentences:
1. Who celebrates this holiday?
2. What do people do on this day?

do people put gifts? (Where)

People put gifts under the tree.

3. What does the holiday celebrate?

do people prepare for Christmas? (When)

People prepare on December 24th.

5. When is the holiday?

5.

do people go to celebrate? (Where)

People go to church or celebrate in their homes.

6.

celebrates the holiday? (Who)

Families and friends celebrate the holiday.

4. Where do people celebrate the holiday?

6. How do people celebrate?
6. Each group shares its answers; the groups with the
same holidays compare what they wrote.

107

Christmas

Independence Day

People around the world celebrate Christmas on

December 25th. Everybody spends time with their
family, goes to church, and in some countries they
give gifts. Christmas is a Christian holiday to
celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

Independence Day is different all around the

world. In Nicaragua it is in September, and in the
United States it is in July. Independence Day
celebrates when countries liberated themselves
from colonizers. In the United States, people
celebrate Independence Day with fireworks and eat
barbecue food. In Nicaragua, students march
in parades and use fireworks.

Thanksgiving
In the United States, Americans celebrate
Thanksgiving in November. They eat turkey and
other foods. Thanksgiving celebrates when the
pilgrims arrived in America on a ship called The
Mayflower. Americans give thanks for and spend
time with their families and friends.

C. Cocktail Party (See Multi-Purpose Activities

Index for more directions) (W, S)

Mothers Day
Many countries, like Nicaragua and the United
States, celebrate Mothers Day in May. Children do
something special for their mothers to thank them
for all of the hard work they dosome give gifts
and others help around the house.

Follow the rules of this Multi-Purpose Activity to practice

asking Wh-questions and How questions about holidays.

You Do/Production
A. Dialogue with a Tourist (S, L, W)
1. Divide students into pairs or groups of three.
2. Students write a dialogue about a foreigner who is
visiting their town during their holiday.
3. They must explain the holiday to the visitor. The foreigner
will ask lots of Wh- questions. The students answer his
questions.
4. Students present their dialogues. Everyone must speak
during the dialogue.

B. Create a Poster (W)

1. Students pretend they work for the department of
culture and tourism.
2. Students create a poster with holiday information to
attract tourists to Nicaragua for different holidays.
Ex: Patron Saint Festival!

Our patron saint festival is the first week of August.

We celebrate our Patron Saint, Saint English. People
use fireworks, eat corn and drink chicha, and spend
time with family and friends. We celebrate in the park
and in the church.
108

C. Research a Holiday (W)

1. Students work in groups.
2. Students research a holiday from a different country
not presented in the vocabulary list.
Ex: Hanukah, Kwanzaa, Ramadan.
3. Students ask and answer 5 Wh-questions about
the holiday.
4. Students present their research to the class.

D. Planning a Holiday Party

(Note: This activity has three parts: Invitations, Response
Sheets, and To-Do List. You can do just the invitations, but
the activity is more communicative if you allow time for all
three activities.)

D.1. Invitations (R, W)

1. Students will make invitations to a holiday party.
2. Present a model invitation using Wh- questions.
Invitations should be decorated with a picture that
reflects the party (for example, a Christmas tree).

D.2. Response Sheets (R, W)

1. To plan a party, students must know who is coming.
2. Students should make Response Sheets sheets for their
invitees to fill out.
3. Students cut at least five small sheets of paper with the
information Name, Yes/No, Bring. Leave these sheets on
their desks with their invitations.
4. Students get up and go around the room reading each
others invitations.
5. Students should respond to 3-5 of their classmates
invitations by filling out their Response sheets. They
should write their name, whether they are attending or
not, and if they attend, what they will bring.
Ex: Romelia, yes, music
6. (Note: Students should bring things that are relevant to
the party. Costumes to a Halloween party, nacatamales
to a Christmas party, etc.)

D.3. To-Do Lists (R, W)

3. Present the instructions to students:
a. Choose a holiday.
b. Create a party.
c. Make and decorate an invitation.
4. Brainstorm with students which holidays they will
choose, who they will invite, when, where, and why.
5. Students individually will make and decorate an
invitation to a party of their choosing.

1. Students return to their desks and analyze the results of

the RSVP slips.
2. They should make a To-Do list of what other people are
doing, and what they still need to do.
Ex: Megans Christmas Party
Chairs: Geoconda
Music: Jefferson
Nacatamales: Marcela
To-do: Soda, chicken, salad, decorations
3. Students can turn in all three elements (Invitation, RSVP
slips, and To-do list) for an evaluation.

8th Grade 6.1 Parts of the Body

Target Vocabulary
The body: head, neck, shoulder, back, chest, arm, hand, fingers, nail, stomach, butt, hips, leg,
knee, foot/feet, toes, skin
The face: cheek, chin, ears, eyes, lips, mouth, nose, tongue, tooth/teeth
Senses/Abilities: COOK, LISTEN, PLAY, RUN, SEE, SMELL, TALK, TASTE

Target Grammar

I Do/Presentation

Review the verb HAVE (See 7.2.4)

A. Vocabulary
1. Draw a body on the board.
2. Ask students if they know any body vocabulary.
3. Identify the rest of the body vocabulary.
4. Students copy.
5. Practice pronunciation.
Variation: Use a student as a model and tape the vocabulary words to their body.
109

We Do/Practice
A. BINGO (See Multi-Purpose Activities Index for
More Directions) (L)
Follow the rules of this Multi-Purpose Activity to practice
body vocabulary.
Variation: Students can draw the body parts in the boxes
instead of writing the words

B. Simon Says (See Multi-Purpose Activities Index

for More Directions) (L)
1. Follow the rules of this Multi-Purpose Activity to practice
body parts.
2. When students have practiced a few times, make the
student that wins Simon.

C. Song: Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes (L, S)

(Listen to CD Track #18)
1. Teach the song Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes.
2. While singing the song point to the body parts.
Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes
Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes
Eyes and ears and mouth and nose
Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes

D. Useful Body Parts (W)

1. Fill in the blanks with the correct body part.
2. When the students finish, have them write four more
sentences using other body parts.
1. You run with your (feet/legs).
2. You talk with your (mouth).
3. You listen with your (ears).
4. You see with your (eyes).
5. You smell with your (nose).
6. You cook with your (hands).
7. You taste with your (tongue).
8. You play the piano with your (fingers).

E. Trace the Body (W)

1. Divide students into groups of 5.
2. Students will trace one students body with chalk on
the floor.
3. Students label the body parts as a group.
4. The first group to finish wins.
Variation (Challenging): Have students label the body
parts without their notebooks.

Stomach, elbows, butt and feet, butt and feet

Stomach, elbows, butt and feet, butt and feet
Hands and hips and chin and cheeks
Stomach, elbows, butt and feet, butt and feet

You Do/Production
A. People to People (S, L)
1. Every student finds a partner.
2. A leader calls out actions such as nose to nose, back to
back, head to arm, leg to foot, etc.
3. Students have to follow the instructions in their pairs, and
touch the right body parts.
4. When the leader calls out people to people, everyone
must change partners.

B. Body Parts Song (S, W)

1. This activity is based on the Head, Shoulders, Knees, and
Toes song and movements.
2. Divide the students into small groups.
3. Give each group 4-8 vocabulary words for other parts of
the body.
4. Each group should make a song of the body parts and a
dance movement that indicates the correct part of the
body.
5. Groups should present their songs and teach the dance
movements to the class.
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C. Fly Swatter (See Multi-Purpose Activities Index

for more directions) (L)
1. Draw a picture of a person on the board.
2. Divide the students into two or three teams. One student
from each team comes forward.
3. Say one part of the body.
4. The first student to identify the correct body part by
swatting it with their hand earns a point for their team.
5. Students may not swat or try to guess more than one
time.
6. After their turn, new students from each team come
forward and you call another part of the body.

D. Monster on Board (S, L)

1. In this activity, students draw a monster on the board as a
class.
2. First, name the monster.
3. One student speaks and another student starts the
drawing.

4. The student that speaks says the body part he wants the
person to draw, the number and maybe an adjective. The
adjective is optional.
Ex: Gregorio the Monster has two big heads or Gregorio has
nine eyes.
5. The student at the board draws two big heads or nine
eyes and they continue with all the body parts, ears,
mouth, legs, arms, etc.
6. Change the students who are speaking and drawing.
7. You can make more than one monster so everyone gets at
least one turn.
8. If you want to hang it up in their room afterward, draw on
poster paper instead of the white board.

E. Around the World (See Multi-Purpose Activities

Index for more directions) (S)
1. Have the first two students of a row stand up.
2. Point to a part of your body.
3. The first student to correctly pronounce the name of
the body part advances to the next student. The other
student sits down.
4. Repeat again between the winner of the first round and
the next student with a new body part.
5. When a student loses a round, they take the place or desk
of their competitor, and the student that wins advances.
6. The winner is the student who can go all the way around
the classroom winning every round until they get back to
their original desk.

8th Grade 6.2 Illnesses and Injuries

Target Vocabulary
VERBS: BLEED, BURN, COUGH, CUT, PASS OUT, FEEL, HURT, SNEEZE, VOMIT
HAVE

BE

allergies, a back ache, the flu, a blister, a headache,

a bruise, an infection, a burn, an insect bite, chills, an itch,
a cold, malaria, a cough, a rash, a cut, a sore throat,
dengue, a stomachache, fever, a symptom

cold, congested, dizzy, hot,

hurt, itchy, nauseous, sick,
sore, sweaty

Target Grammar

HAVE + noun and BE + adjective

I have a cold.
I am sick.
Review Wh- questions (See 8.2.3)
Where does it hurt?
What is wrong?

Tip for teachers:

This is probably too much vocabulary to
teach in one day.
Separate your lesson plan to teach the
HAVE illnesses on one day and BE
illnesses after students have practiced.

I Do/ Presentation
A. Vocabulary
1. Present Vocabulary in two columns according to
the verb it uses.
2. Review HAVE (See 7.2.4) and BE. (See 7.2.1)
3. Write several example sentences with HAVE and several
with BE on the board.
Ex: She has a headache. We are congested.
4. Ask students what the difference is between words that
go with HAVE and words that go with BE.
5. Explain that you use HAVE with nouns and BE
with adjectives.
Ex: I am cold. vs. I have a cold.

B. Review Possessive Adjectives

Explain that in English we use possessives, not articles, to
describe our body parts. (See 7.2.4)

C. Question Words
1. Ask students what questions we use to ask about
illnesses in Spanish.
2. Present questions:
Whats wrong?
Where does it hurt?

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We Do/Practice
A. Charades: Illnesses (See Multi-Purpose Activities
Index for more directions) (S)
1. Divide the class into two teams.
2. Write the names of the illnesses on small pieces of paper.
3. Students come forward one at a time, alternating teams,
to act.
4. Have students choose a piece of paper, and then act out
the illness on the paper.
5. Their team should guess the illness for points.

B. Verb Forms (W)

D. What is Wrong? (R, W)

1. Students read the following lists of symptoms.
2. Students diagnose simple illnesses.

Lucia is congested and has a very bad cough. She

has a fever and a sore throat. Whats wrong?
(Lucia has a cold.)

Mario has an itchy insect bite. He has a high fever

and his body aches. He has a bad headache. Whats
wrong?
(Mario has dengue.)

Carol is nauseous and throws up. She is congested

and has a cough. Whats wrong?
(Carol has the flu.)

Maria is eating a mango and is itchy and has a rash

on her arms and legs. Whats wrong?
(Maria has allergies.)

Tom has a high fever and chills and is sweaty. He has

an insect bite on his arm. Whats wrong?
(Tom has malaria.)

Students write the correct form of the verb

in parentheses.
1. Michael (feels) sick. (feel)
2. His stomach (hurts) . (hurt)
3. They (are) coughing. (be)
4. We (have) an infection. (have)
5. She (has) the chills. (have)
6. It (feels) dizzy. (feel)
7. Ariels arm (is) bleeding. (be)
8. We (vomit) on the bus. (vomit)
9. Her sister usually (passes out) . (pass out)
10. He (sneezes) in the morning. (sneeze)

C. Make a Sentence (W)

Students write sentences with an illness from the box.
Ex: Anas head hurts. She has a headache.
stomachache

rash

fever

backache

congested

1. My back is sore. I have a backache.

2. Carlos is sneezing a lot. Carlos is congested.
3. Your head is hot. You have a fever.
4. I am nauseous. I have a stomachache.
5. Marbely has red, itchy skin. Marbely has a rash.

E. Charades: Whats Wrong? (See Multi-Purpose

Activities Index for more directions) (S)
1. Give each student in the class a small piece of paper with
an illness on it. Its okay to have repetitions; a large class
might have several copies of each illness.
2. Students stand up and ask each other Whats wrong?
3. Each student answers according to their illness, with an
action that reflect their problem.
Ex: Whats wrong? I have a stomachache. (Student
moans and clutches his/her stomach.)
4. After asking each other, students exchange papers and
find another student to ask.

You Do/Production
A. Dialogue (W, S)
1. Students work in pairs.
2. Students make a dialogue. One student is the doctor and
the other is the patient.
3. The doctor asks what symptoms the patient has, the
patient responds.
4. Then the doctor tells the patient what illness he or she
has.
5. Students present in front of the class.
112

B. Whats Wrong? Listening Diagnosis (W, S, L)

1. Students write symptoms on a piece of paper.
2. Student reads their symptoms to the class and asks
Whats wrong?
3. The class listens and writes the illness down on
their paper.
4. The class diagnoses the student.
5. Check their work to see if they listened correctly.

8th Grade 6.3 Medicine and Prevention

Target Vocabulary
antacid, antibiotics, aspirin, balanced meals, cough drops, cough syrup, decongestant, eye
drops, injection, medicine, ointment/cream, pain reliever, pill, vitamins
health center, hospital, doctor, pharmacy, prescription
GO to, REST, SLEEP well, STAY, TAKE, USE, PREVENT, EXERCISE

Target Grammar

Modal SHOULD
You should take an aspirin.
You should rest.

I Do/Presentation
A. Vocabulary
1. Ask students for treatments for common illnesses.
2. Ask students how they prevent illnesses (getting rest,
eating well, etc.).
3. Students copy vocabulary, write meanings and practice
pronunciation.

B. Modal SHOULD
1. Write examples on the board:
Ex: You should get rest.
You shouldnt take an aspirin.
Should I go to the doctor?
2. Ask students for the structure. Use questions like What is
first? What is second?
3. Write structure on the board. (See chart on the right)
4. Explain that SHOULD + not can be a contraction:
SHOULDNT.

C. The Meaning of SHOULD

1. Explain that we use should to make suggestions and
give advice.
2. Present situations and the suggestions or advice.
Ana is tired.

She should rest.

We are hungry.

We should eat.

Marco is sick.

He should go to the doctor.

I have a stomachache.

I shouldnt take an aspirin.

You are tired.

You shouldnt drive.

We are vomiting.

We shouldnt go to school.

Modal SHOULD Structure

Affirmative:
Subject + Modal + Verb (simple form) + Complement.
You should eat fruit.
She should take vitamins.
Negative:
Subject + Modal + not + Verb (simple form) +
Complement.
He should not do drugs.
They should not smoke.

Interrogative:
Modal + Subject + Verb (simple form) + Complement + ?
Should she go to the doctor?
Should I take cough syrup?
Short answers:
Yes, Subject + should./No, Subject + shouldnt.
Should she go to the doctor? Yes, she should.
Should I take cough syrup? No, you shouldnt.

113

We Do/Practice
A. Matching (R)

C. Whats Wrong? (W)

Students match the symptom to the medical advice:

SYMPTOM

MEDICAL ADVICE

1. fever
2. congestion

5 Drink hot tea, use cough drops

6 Take an antacid

Ex:

8 Use ointment or cream

4 Drink liquids and get rest

Whats wrong? I am congested.

What should you do?
I should take a decongestant and vitamins.

1 Take an aspirin
7 Use a pain reliever

3. cough
4. cold/flu
5. sore throat
6. stomachache

2 Take a decongestant
3 Take cough syrup or use cough drops

7. back ache
8. rash

1. Before class, prepare pictures for 5 to 10 illnesses.

2. Students look at the picture and answer the questions
according to the pictures.

B. Giving a Suggestion (W)

1. Whats wrong? I have a stomachache.

What should you do? I should take an antacid.

Students use the pairs from the Matching Practice Activity A

to form sentences with HAVE/BE and SHOULD.
Ex: fever:

You have a fever. You should take an aspirin.

1. congestion: You are congested. You should take a

decongestant.

2. cough: You have a cough. You should take cough syrup.

3. cold/flu: You have a cold/flu. You should drink liquids

2. Whats wrong? She has a sore throat.

What should she do? She should drink hot tea.

and rest.

4. sore throat: You have a sore throat. You should drink

hot tea.

5. stomachache: You have a stomachache. You should

take antacid.

6. backache: You have a backache. You should take

3. Whats wrong? He has a fever.

What should he do? He should take aspirin.

an aspirin.

7. rash: You have a rash. You should use ointment

or cream.

You Do/Production
A. Dialogue (S, W, R)
1. Divide the class into pairs.
2. Students create a dialogue where one student is at school
sick and the other is the teacher.
3. The student tells the teacher what is wrong.
4. The teacher tells the student what they should do.
5. Students present in front of class.

114

B. Skits (W, S, L)
1. Divide the class into small groups.
2. Assign each group an illness.
3. Groups should write and present a short skit involving
that illness and recommendations given by another
character, such as a doctor, mother, or father.
4. Students should try to create the skit without writing
and memorizing a dialogue. They can use simple present
tense, but encourage them to be creative and speak
without a script.

C. Sick Cocktail Party (S, L)

1. Give each student in the class a small piece of paper with
an illness on it. Its okay to have repetitions; a large class
might have several copies of each illness.
2. Students stand up and ask each other Whats wrong?
3. Each student answers according to their illness, with an
action that reflects their problem.
4. Students should listen to their partners problem, and
recommend a course of action.
Ex: Student 1: Whats wrong?
Student 2: I have a stomachache. (Student 2 moans and
clutches their stomach.)
Student 1: You should take an antacid.
5. After asking each other, students exchange papers and
find another student to ask.

D. News Show (L, S, W)

1. Divide the class into groups of 4-6.
2. Tell them they are going to make a news show.
3. Each group will be assigned a different section of the
news they have to act out.
4. Groups present different news segments:
a crash that just happened and the injuries
an illness that has been going around
a new cure that was found or some miracle medicine
family medical advice and traditional remedies
5. Give students lots of preparation time to write their news
report.
6. Give the students specific parameters for what you
expect the report to have.
7. On presentation day, students present their news stories
in the front of the class.
8. The students who are listening to the news story write
two interesting facts about each story.
9. Students turn in the papers at the end of the activity.
Note: This is a long activity and you will need a lot of time.
These topics are only suggestions. Students can choose
other contents.
Variation: Students can also review past units. Ex: Sports,
Weather and Fashion news segments.

8th Grade 6.4 Staying Healthy: HIV/AIDS

Target Vocabulary
transmission, relationship, sex, fluid, illness, treatment, prevention, faithful, true, female,
male, condom, contraceptive
ACQUIRE, TRANSMIT, DISCOVER, EXIST, AFFECT, CAUSE, PREVENT

Target Grammar

Review modal SHOULD (See 8.6.3)

You should always be faithful.
You should never have unprotected sex.

I Do/Presentation
A. Who Has the Ball?
1. Line up about 6 or 7 students in front of the class.
2. The students stand shoulder to shoulder.
3. The students move their hips together from side to side.
4. Give students a ball/paper ball/tape roll, etc.
5. The students pass the ball behind their backs.
6. The class guesses who has the ball. Use verb HAVE.
Ex: Shyra has the ball. Denis has the ball.

7. After a few guesses, correct or incorrect, students

sit down.
8. Ask the class these questions:
Can you see who has the ball?
Was it hidden?
Then tell them: Pretend the ball was an illness; do you
know who had the illness?
Explain to students that HIV is an illness and you
CANNOT tell who has HIV by looking at them.
115

B. Introduce Vocabulary (Listen to CD Track #19)

1. Ask students what they already know about HIV/AIDS.
2. Make a list of the vocabulary words and students copy the
meaning.

C. Information about HIV/AIDS

What kinds of activities transmit HIV/AIDS?

1. Sharing syringes

2. Breastfeeding from HIV positive mother

3. Sex or oral sex without a condom

4. Transfer during pregnancy through blood

Liquids that do not transmit HIV/AIDS
1. Present the information to the students

1. Tears
2. Explain what HIV and AIDS stand for, how you can transmit

2. Urine
and also prevent HIV/AIDS. Finally, they teach the ways

3. Mosquito bites
people do not transmit HIV/AIDS.

4. Feces

5. Sweat

HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus)

6. Saliva

AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome)

There are only four liquids that transmit HIV/AIDS:


1. Blood

2. Breast Milk

3. Semen

4. Vaginal Secretions

Activities that do not transmit HIV/AIDS

1. Sharing a bathroom

2. Sharing food or drinks

3. Shaking hands

4. Hugging or kissing

5. Sharing clothes or shoes
3. Prevent HIV/AIDS:

We Do/Practice
A. Transmits/Does Not Transmit (L, S)
1. Divide the board into two columns, labeled Transmits
and Does Not Transmit.
2. Create a list of ways HIV/AIDS can and cannot be
transmitted.
3. Read them aloud, one at a time. Students must decide
whether this action transmits or does not transmit HIV/
AIDS.
4. Write the action on the board under the correct heading.
Ex: Mothers milk (transmits)
Playing Soccer (does not transmit)
Sharing needles for tattoos (transmits)
Kissing (does not transmit)
Sex with a condom (does not transmit)
Variation: Split the class into teams, and have them take
turns assigning the actions for points.

116

ABCs:

Abstinence,
Be faithful - Mutual fidelity
Condoms
B. How HIV Becomes AIDS (L, S)
1. Assign 9 students name tags to demonstrate the
following roles:

1 Student: The Human Body

4 Students: The Immune System

1 Student: H1N1

1 Student: A cough

1 Student: Pneumonia

1 Student: HIV (will later become AIDS)
2. Organize the students as your read the sentences
explaining how HIV becomes AIDS.
3. The Human Body should stand behind the Immune
System, with H1N1, cough, and pneumonia on the
other side, like a barrier. A healthy human body uses the
immune system to fight H1N1, coughs, and pneumonia.
4. HIV stands up and comes next to the Human Body. But,
after the human body gets HIV, their immune system begins
to die.
5. One by one, the immune system sits down as coughs,
the flu, and pneumonia attack the human body. After 10
years, the immune system does not work at all and HIV turns
to AIDS.
6. Re-enact as necessary until the students understand how
the process works.

C. HIV/AIDS True/False
1. Write the following statements on big pieces of paper and post them on the board.
2. Read each statement as a class to understand new vocabulary.
3. Divide students into groups of four.
4. Students decide which statements are true/false.
5. Draw two columns on the board and label them True and False.
6. Discuss as a class the correct answers and put the papers in the correct column.

There is treatment for HIV/AIDS illnesses.

HIV/AIDS doesnt exist in Nicaragua.

(TRUEMedications, treatment programs, and a better

understanding of HIV and AIDS allows those infected to
live normal, healthy, productive lives. However there is
no cure.)

(FALSEthere are more than 4,000 people in

Nicaragua with HIV/AIDS.)

People who are HIV positive

look different.
(FALSEAnybody can get HIV, even if you are rich or
poor; 14 years old or 70; black or white; homosexual
or heterosexual; married or single. Its what you do, not
who you are, that puts you at risk for HIV.)

A condom is the only contraceptive that

can prevent AIDS transmission.
(TRUEwhen used correctly, condoms prevent the
transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted
diseases.)

A virgin cant acquire HIV during their first

sexual relation.

HIV causes AIDS

(TRUEAIDS is caused by the human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV). This virus destroys
or weakens the cells of the bodys immune system.
When this happens, the body can no longer fight off
infections.)

I dont feel sick, so I cant have HIV/AIDS.

(FALSEPeople can have HIV for 10 years or more
and never show any symptoms. Other people can get
symptoms within a short time after being infected. The
only way you can tell if you have HIV is to get an HIV
test.)

Using two condoms is good.

10

(FALSEUsing two condoms can causes friction

between condoms and cause the condoms to rip or
break. Use one condom and use a condom every time.)

Not having sex is a good way to prevent

HIV infection.
(TRUEThe most common way that HIV is passed from
one person to another is through having sex. A good
way to prevent the spread of HIV is not to have sex. This
is called abstinence. Having a faithful relationship

(FALSEanyone can be infected if they have sex

without a condom or share needles or other objects
that have blood on them.)

HIV can be transmitted through shaking

hands, kissing, or sharing food.
(FALSETransmission can only occur if someone is
exposed to blood, semen, vaginal fluid or mothers milk
from an infected person.)

117

with only one other person, carries a lower risk of

getting HIV.)

D. Hand Shaking (HIV/AIDS Transmission Activity)

PREPARATION:
1. Pass out an index card to every student in the class
2. Before handing them out, do the following:
On about a fourth of the cards put an X.
On about a third of the cards put a C.
On one write A (Do not shake hands!)
On two write F (Only shake hands with F.)
The rest of the cards can be blank.
Fold the cards before giving them to the students so
they cant see what is written in the card.
3. Every student must receive a card at random.
4. As you give out the cards, take note of who receives A
and F1 and F2. Talk to these students separately.
5. Student A is told he or she cannot shake hands with
anyone and Student F1 and Student F2 are told they
can only shake hands with each other.
6. Remind students that they cannot look at their cards.

SHAKING HANDS:
7. Students walk around the classroom and shake hands
with three of their classmates.
They shake without looking at their cards or showing
their cards to anyone else.
8. They write down the name of three people the shake
hands with.
Ex: Beth shakes hands with Marcos. Beth writes Marcos
on her card. Marcos writes Beth on his card.
9. After students shake hands with 3 classmates they
sit down.
10. In their chairs, students may open their cards and look at
the X, the C, or the blank card.

DEVELOPING THE ACTIVITY:

11. Before discussing the activity remind students this is only
pretend it is not real!
12. On the board write a red X. All students who have red
Xs on their cards stand up.
Tell the class that the students who are standing have
been infected with HIV.
Any student who shook hands with one of these
students should also stand up (look at the names on
the cards to remember).
They are also infected with HIV.
Any student who shook hands with any other student

118

standing should also stand up.

Continue this process until everyone who shook hands
with an HIV-infected person is also standing.
Again inform the class that the students who just
stood up are also infected with HIV.
13. Write a C on the board and ask the class who has the C
on their cards.
Tell every student who has the letter C on their cards
to sit down.
Reveal to the class that C stands for condom, and all
those persons who have the letter C on their cards
used a condom, and therefore, are not infected with
HIV.
Tell everyone to sit down.
14. Write F on the board
Ask students to stand up if they have an F on
their card.
Ask students who shook their hands to stand up
(no one should stand up.)
Only two should stand up, explain they are safe from
HIV because they are a couple and they are faithful to
each other.
15. Write A on the board
Ask students to stand up if they have the letter A on
their card.
Letter A stands for abstinence, they are safe from HIV/
AIDS because they did not shake anyones hand.
Have the class sit down in order to start the safe sex
and HIV/AIDS transmission discussion.
Remind students this activity is only pretend. You
cannot get HIV from shaking hands.

ASK STUDENTS:
1. What did they learn from this activity?
2. How did the students with X feel when they found out
they were infected?
3. How did the students with C feel when they found out
they were safe?
4. What are the 3 ways to prevent HIV/AIDS? (Condom Use,
Faithful Partner, Abstinence)

WRAP-UP
1. To finish the class, go over what students have
learned today:
Transmission happens through blood or sex.
You dont know by looking at someone if they have
HIV/AIDS.
HIV turns into AIDS and that is when you start
getting sick.
3 ways of prevention
-Abstinence

-Condoms
-Being Faithful
infectada con VIH es fatal, no hay cura. Pero hay
tratamiento de los sntomas de las enfermedades que
uno tiene cuando se ha desarrollado el SIDA.

You Do/Production
A. Make a Poster (W)
1. Divide students into groups.
2. Have each group create a poster on the 3 prevention
methods of HIV/AIDS.
3. The posters should contain one sentence with SHOULD

and pictures or drawings.

4. If allowed, post the posters around the school.

For the teacher: Basic Information about HIV/AIDS

in Spanish

A. Informacin Bsica sobre VIH y SIDA

VIH: (Virus Inmunodeficiencia Humana) es el virus
que ataque el sistema de defensa (inmunolgico) de
nuestro organismo para que la persona pueda adquirir
otras enfermedades ms fcilmente .
SIDA: (Sndrome Inmuno Deficiencia Adquirida) es el
con junto de enfermedades (Ej. Gripe, tuberculosis,
gonorrea, diarrea, etc.) que llega a una persona
despus de un tiempo de infectarse.
VIH y SIDA NO SON las mismas cosas. Una persona
puede estar infectada con VIH por aos sin el
conocimiento de esa persona y sin desarrollar los
sntomas. Despus de uno o dos aos de tener el VIH
en su sistema, la persona va a desarrollar los sntomas
de otras enfermedades, ej. fiebre, calentura, catarro,
diarrea, baja de peso, etc. Pero NO HAY sntomas
especficos que puede clasificar que la persona tiene
SIDA.
Cuando una persona esta infectada con VIH, nunca se
puede quitar el virus de su cuerpo, ni matarlo. De estar

La Prueba
Solo por una prueba de sangre (el test de ELISA) una
persona puede saber si est infectada con VIH o no. NO
se puede saber si uno tiene el VIH o SIDA solo por
su fsico o sntomas, SOLO por la prueba de sangre
que puede saber. Hacerse la prueba de ELISA NO
es una manera de prevencin, despus de hacer la
prueba todava se puede adquirir el virus si no toma
precauciones.

Transmisin y Prevencin
Solo hay 4 lquidos que son portadores de VIH: Sangre,
semen, flujo vaginal y leche materna. El VIH NO puede
transportarse o vivir en el aire, el sudor, la orina, o la
saliva.
Hablar acerca de otros tipos de lquido, como por ejemplo
el lquido amnitico o el lquido cerebroespinal, que
podran tambin poner en riesgo a trabajadores de salud.
Enfatizamos que la saliva, las lgrimas, el sudor y la
orina no contienen concentraciones lo suficientemente
altas del virus como para transmitir el VIH.

Dnde est la puerta?

Aperturas/cortadas/desgarros en la piel
Incluyendo lceras de enfermedades transmitidas
sexualmente (ETS) y Equipo para inyectar, incluyendo
agujas o jeringas, etc.
Membranas mucosas
Vagina
Punta de pene
Boca, nariz, ojos, orejas
Transmisin de madre a hijo
Dentro del tero
Durante labor y parto
A travs de la alimentacin con leche materna

8th Grade 6.5 Final Review

See 7.3.3 for lesson plan suggestions to do a final review of
Units 4-6.

119

9th Grade
Contents
9.1.1

Workplaces
and Jobs

9.1.2

Job Skills and

Characteristics

9.1.3

Help Wanted

9.1.4

Rsums

9.1.5

Target Grammar
Review Wh- Questions

121

Modal CAN, affirmative, negative, and interrogative

123

Review Simple Present verb forms

127

Review Simple Present BE and other verbs

129
131

Job Fair

9.2.1

Safety Warnings
and Signs

9.2.2

Work Regulations
and Schedules

9.2.3

Page

Imperative: affirmative and negative | No + NOUN or No + Gerund

132

Modal verb MUST

134

Paychecks
and Budgets

Review How much question

137

9.3.1

Places
Around Town

Review the prepositions of place

139

9.3.2

Giving Directions

Review Imperative | Modal CAN, COULD, WILL, WOULD used for polite requests

141

9.4.1

Means of
Transportation

Preposition by

143

9.4.2

Driving Safety
Warnings and
Traffic Signs

Review Modal SHOULD | Review Imperative: Affirmative and Negative

144

9.5.1

Entertainment
Activities

Review LIKE

147

9.5.2

Likes and
Preferences

Comparative of Equality, Comparative of Inferiority, Comparative of Superiority, Superlatives

150

9.6.1

A Future Trip

GOING TO | IN + period of time (an hour, a week, a month, a year) | Review ON + date/
day of the week

152

9.6.2

The Past

Simple past tense with regular verbs

155

9.6.3

Who Did It?

Simple Past Irregular Verbs

158

120

9th Grade 1st Day of Class

See 7.1.1 for suggestions for the 1st day of class.

9th Grade 1.1 Workplaces and Jobs

Target Vocabulary
Jobs: artist, babysitter, chauffeur/driver, cashier, chef, dentist, doctor, engineer, farmer,
housekeeper, housewife, manager, pharmacist, police officer, priest, salesman/saleswoman,
secretary, singer, teacher, teller, waiter/waitress

Workplaces: agency, bank, field/farm, health center, home, hospital, hotel, office, pharmacy,
police station, restaurant, studio, university

Target Grammar

Review Wh- Questions (See 8.2.3)

What do you do?
Where do you work?

I Do/Presentation
A. Jobs Vocabulary
1. Write a list of new words on the board.
2. Use pictures or gestures.
3. Practice pronunciation.
4. Students copy.

B. What Do You Do?

1. Present What do you do?
2. Explain that this question asks about someones job.
Ex: What do you do? I am a farmer.

C. Workplaces Vocabulary
1. Write jobs such as teacher, waitress, teller, priest, and
police officer on the board.
2. Students should know these workplaces from 7th grade
Unit 6.
3. Ask students Where does a ______ work?
4. Students generate workplace vocabulary list, reviewing
7th grade knowledge.
5. Add new jobs and provide the remaining workplaces.
Ex: Singer -> Studio
6. Students copy entire list and practice pronunciation.

D. Where Do You Work?

1. Review Wh-question Where.
2. Present Where do you work? and Where does he/
she work?
3. Give example sentences using new vocabulary.

We Do/Practice
A. Matching (R)
Write a list of jobs and a list of workplaces and have the
students match. Ex: chef and restaurant

B. What Do You Do? (W)

1. Bring 5 pictures or draw on the board.
2. Students write sentences about each picture answering
the questions Where does he/she work? and What does
he/she do? Ex: Sara is an artist. She works in a studio.

C. Memory (See Multi-Purpose Activities Index for

more directions) (R)
1. Follow the rules of the activity.
2. Use jobs and workplaces vocabulary.

D. Cocktail Party (See Multi-Purpose Activities

Index for more Directions) (S)
Students should imagine they have jobs. Ask one another
What do you do?
121

E. Hot Cabbage/Potato (See Multi-Purpose Activities Index for more directions) (S)
1. Write Wh-questions on slips of paper.
2. Follow the rules of the activity. Students read the
questions and answer out loud.
Ex: Where does a teacher work? Student: A teacher works in a school.

You Do/Production
A. Project (W)
1. Students draw or cut a picture from a magazine of a
person. They will build the character throughout Unit 1.
This is the first step.
Name the character.
Choose a job.
Choose job skills for the character.
Choose characteristics.
Variation: Students work in pairs or groups to create
their character.

B. Reading: Patricias Interview (S, L, R, W)

1. Show students the title of the reading.
2. Show students 3 or 4 pictures of women. Use pictures of
women who are doing different things. One should look
like she is going to an interview. Ask students to guess
which picture is Patricia.
3. Ask why they think this. Discuss what she is wearing,
what she is doing, etc.
4. Explain that the reading is a series of text messages
between Patricia and her friend Sara.
5. Read the reading aloud.
6. Students answer the Reading Comprehension
Questions.

Patricias Interview
Patricia: I have an interview today at the bank.
Sara: What are you wearing?
Patricia: A nice dress. I want to look professional.
Sara: What time is the interview?
Patricia: In three hours and Im already going
to get a taxi. I will definitely be on time. Im so
nervous.
Sara: Bank managers usually ask about education and
work experience.
Patricia: Well, I can answer all of the questions. I
want to be a teller. I want this job!
Reading Comprehension Questions

1. Who goes to the interview?

2. Where is the interview?
3. How does Patricia feel?
4. How does Patricia travel to the interview?
122

C. King/Queen of the Mountain (See Multi-Purpose

Activities Index for more directions) (S)
A student says a sentence with a job or a workplace and
the King/Queen says a sentence with the other.
Student: I am teacher. King/Queen: I work in a school.
Student: I work in a school. King/Queen: I am a teacher.

D. Flashcard Match Up (S, L)

1. Make flash cards of workplaces and professions. Make
sure that each flashcard has a group that it can belong
to. For example, if you make a flashcard that says
secretary make sure there is another flashcard that says
office. There should be at least one profession for each
workplace. (For large classes, you can do multiples of
vocabulary).
2. Give one flashcard to each student.
3. Students must stand up and find their groups by asking
the questions Where do you work? or What do you do?
and answering each other according to their flashcard.
4. Verify that students can match profession with workplace
by checking that the groups are formed correctly.
(Examples of groups: (a) school, teacher, student,
secretary (b) hospital, nurse, doctor, (c) field, farmer.)

E. Family Occupations (S, L, W)

1. Students copy the following chart into their notebooks
(Note: Students must copy a blank chart, they will fill in
their own classmates names).
2. Students must interview at least three classmates
about their family members occupations by asking
the question What does your (mother/ father/ sister/
brother) do? Students then fill in the chart with the
professions of their classmates families.
3. Evaluate students and practice using possessive s by
having them form sentences describing their classmates
family members.
4. Examples according to chart: Ramns brother is a student.
Maritzas mother is a housewife. Josselings father is an
engineer.
What does
your.... do?

Maritza

Josseling

Ramn

mother

housewife

teacher

maid

father

farmer

engineer

no father

brother

student

no brother

student

sister

shopkeeper

secretary

baby

F. Telephone (S, L)
1. This activity is to evaluate the previous activity, Family
Occupations.
2. Divide the students into equal rows.
3. The first student in each row must choose one sentence
according to information from their chart. For example,
Ramons brother is a student.
4. The first student whispers this sentence to the student
behind them.
5. The second student whispers the sentence to the next
student, so on until the end of the row.
6. The last student in each row says the sentence out loud.
7. Because the sentences are about the family of other
students in the class, everyone must listen in case the
sentence is about them.
8. Ramn would have to say Yes, my brother is a student.
9. The evaluation checks that the students interviews
were correct, and that they passed on the correct
pronunciation of the sentence during Telephone.

G. Musical Chairs (S, L)

1. Organize the students chairs in a circle, facing outwards.
There should be one less chair than there are students.
(Ex: If there are 24 students, there should be 23 chairs.)
2. Tape a picture to each chair of different occupations.
3. Tell the students to dance around in a circle when you
play music.

4. When the music stops, every student must race to find

a seat.
5. The one student who is left standing faces elimination.
They will be out unless they can save themselves.
6. Students can save themselves by asking a question to
a classmate. The question is What do you do? The
classmate must answer according to the picture on the
chair where they are sitting.
7. If they ask the question correctly, and their classmate
answers incorrectly, they stay in and the other classmate is out. If their question is asked incorrectly, or
their classmate answers correctly, the student standing
is out.
8. Start the music again, students must move and dance
while the music plays.
9. Take out a chair, so again there is one less chair than
students.
10. When the music stops, students must find a seat.
11. Again, the student facing elimination can save himself by asking a classmate a question.
12. Remove another chair, play the music again, etc.
13. Continue until there is one winner.
Variation: For larger classes or to make the game go
faster, you can take out more than one chair every turn,
and have more students have to answer questions or be
eliminated.

9th Grade 1.2 Job Skills and Characteristics

Target Vocabulary
Job Skills: BUILD houses, COOK, CUT hair, DANCE, DELIVER, DO carpentry, DRAW, DRIVE,
IRON clothes, LIFT heavy objects, MAKE furniture, MULTI-TASK, PAINT, PLAY a sport, PLAY an
instrument, RIDE a bike, SEW clothes, SING, SPEAK a language, SWIM, USE a computer, WORK
early/late/at night, WORK well with others
Professional Characteristics: creative, flexible, friendly, hard-working, honest, organized,
punctual, resourceful, responsible

Target Grammar

Modal CAN, affirmative, negative, and interrogative

We can do it!
They cant swim.

I Do/Presentation
A. Project
1. See 9.1.1 for continuing project details.
2. Students continue their project, updating with new
information.

B. Present Job Skills

1. Brainstorm jobs from previous content.
2. Write the skills for each job.

123

C. Present Grammar: Modal CAN

1. Read the examples.
Brenda can use a computer.
We cannot speak German.
Can you cook Nicaraguan foods?
Yes, I can./No, I cant.
A child cant drive a motorcycle.
2. Ask the students to tell you the sentence structure
using the terms: subject, modal CAN, verb, simple form,
affirmative, negative and interrogative.
3. Use the questions What is first? in order to ask for the
subject and What is second? in order to ask for the verb.
In this way, elicit the sentence structure.
4. Write the structure on the board (see chart).
5. Explain the contracted form of the negative.
Can + not = cant

D. Present Professional Characteristics

1. Write a list of characteristics on the board.
2. Students copy meanings and practice pronunciation.
3. Ask students to write examples of people they know with
that characteristic.
Ex: honest: My mother, Katia

Modal CAN Sentence Structure

Affirmative:
Subject + CAN + Verb (simple form) + Complement.
I can ride a horse.
He can play baseball.

Negative:
Subject + CAN + not + Verb (simple form) + Complement.
I cannot ride a motorcycle.
We cant travel to Leon.
Interrogative:
CAN + Subject + Verb (simple form) + Complement + ?
Can you play basketball?
Can she iron the clothes?

Short answers:
Yes, Subject + CAN./No, Subject + CANT.
Can you play basketball? Yes, I can./ No, I cant.
Can she iron the clothes? Yes, she can./ No, she cant.

We Do/Practice
B. Put the Sentence in Order (R)

A. Exercise: Modal CAN (W)

1. Students use the information to write an
affirmative sentence.
Ex: she/use a computer
+ She can use a computer.
2. Students also write the negative and interrogative forms
with short answers.
Ex: - She cant use a computer.
? Can she use a computer?
Yes, she can./No, she cant.
1. He/drive a car

3. We/build houses

+ He can drive a car.

- He cant drive a car.
? Can he drive a car?
Yes, he can. No, he cant.

+ We can build houses

- We cant build houses
? Can we build houses?
Yes, we can. No, we cant

2. You/speak English

4. They/cut hair

+ You can speak English.

- You cant speak English.
? Can you speak English?
Yes, you can. No, you cant

+ They can cut hair

- They cant cut hair
? Can they cut hair?
Yes, they can. No, they cant.

124

1. Write the affirmative, negative and interrogative forms of

sentences with the modal CAN on pieces of paper.
2. Cut the sentence into individual words.
3. Divide students into groups to put the words in order to
make correct sentences. Make enough for the number
of groups you form.
Variation 1: The activity can be a race.
Variation 2: Only make one set of sentences and do the
activity as a whole class. The word size is bigger.
Students will have one word each and they stand in
a line in the correct order.

C. Jobs Listening Activity (Listen to CD Track #20)

(R, W, L)
1. Explain that the students will hear three people answer
questions about their jobs, workplaces and skills or
characteristics on the CD.
2. Tell the students to answer the following questions
for each person:
What does he/she do?
Where does he/she work?
What skills or characteristics does he/she have?
3. Play CD. Students listen and write answers in their
notebooks.
4. Students read answers aloud.

D. Listening Activity: Miguels Job Search (L, R, W)

1. Write the reading on the board with blanks in place of the
underlined words.
2. Explain that you will read, the students will listen and write
the words they hear in the blanks.
3. Read once at a slow pace.
4. Read a second time, repeating sentences and giving the
students time to write.
5. Read a third time at normal speed.
6. Students listen and fill in the blanks.

Miguel is looking for a job, and he has many useful

skills that can help him. He can use a computer because
he learned in high school. Miguel can speak Spanish and
English, and also he can drive. He loves to work with
others. With these skills, Miguel can find a good job.

Carlos is a farmer. He works on a farm. He can drive

and lift heavy objects. He is friendly and hard-working.

2. Ana/housekeeper

1. Present the dialogue with blank spots.

2. Students will work in pairs.
3. Tell students to fill in the dialogue according to a profession
they choose, and the job skills needed for that job.

Diana: Can you ____________?

Diego: Yes, I can.
Diana: Can you ____________?

1. Students work in pairs.

2. Students answer same three questions from Listening
Activity (With CD) about the following people.
3. Explain that they will use the verb BE with jobs and
characteristics (He is a teacher, He is resourceful), the verb
WORK with workplaces (She works in a hospital), and the
modal CAN with skills (She can use a computer).
4. Note: Students answers will vary.
Ex: I/secretary
I am a secretary. I work at the Mayors office. I can use a
computer and multi-task. I am organized, flexible, and
friendly.
1. Carlos/farmer

F. Hire Me Dialogue (R, W, S)

Diego: I want to be a __________.

E. Talking About Jobs, Workplaces and Skills

(W or S)

Ana is a housekeeper. She works in a house. She

can sew and cook. She is punctual and responsible.

3. Henry/chauffeur
Henry is a chauffeur. He works at a hotel. He can drive
and speak English. He is responsible and flexible.

4. We/teachers
We are teachers. We work at a school. We can speak
English and draw. We are organized and honest.

5. Miguel and Eddy/waiters

Miguel and Eddy are waiters. They work in a
restaurant. They can multi-task. They are resourceful.

Diego: Yes, I can.

Diana: Can you ____________?
Diego: _________________.
Diana: Youre hired.

You Do/Production
A. Two Circle Conversation (See Multi-Purpose
Activities Index for more directions) (S, L)
1. Students write different job skills on slips of paper.
2. They take turns asking one another if they can perform
the activities.
Ex: Student A: Can you ride a bike?
Student B: Yes, I can.
Student A: Can you make nacatamales?
Student B: No, I cant.
3. Students exchange slips of paper and repeat with four
other students.

B. Mr. Yes, Mr. No and Mr. Question (W)

1. Divide students into groups of 5.
2. Give each group an illustration of a job skill from the
vocabulary.
3. Each student writes 1 sentence.
Ex: Student 1 forms the affirmative: He can cook.
Student 2 forms the negative: He cant cook.
Student 3 forms the interrogative. Can he cook?
Students 4 and 5 answer Yes, he can, and
No, he cant.
4. Students present their sentences.

125

C. Information Gap Activity (S, L, W, R)

1. Divide students into groups of 3.
2. Give each student in the group a different version of
the chart. They must not show their charts to the other
students.
3. Students ask yes/no questions with the modal CAN to get
the information to complete their chart. For example, Can
Rachel swim?
4. The other people answer Yes, she does, No, she doesnt or
I dont know depending on the information on
their charts.
5. When students complete the chart, have students form
sentences based on the results of the activity. This could be
written or oral.
Variation: Students walk around and ask any students they
want instead of working in groups of three.

D. Who Am I? (W, S, L)
1. Each student writes a description of a profession, using
modal can and job skills.
2. Divide the class into groups of 4-6.
3. Each student should read their description, and the other
students in the group must guess which professional they
are describing.

Ex:
a. I can work in a hospital. I can examine people. I can
prescribe medicine. Who am I? (Answer: a doctor)
b. I can lift heavy objects. I can work early. I can work in
the sun. I can plant corn. Who am I? (Answer: a farmer)
Variation: This activity can be done with the whole class,
rather than in groups. But group work provides more
opportunity for the student to speak.

E. Ranking Characteristics (S, R)

1. Write a list of 5-7 characteristics on the board.
Ex: hard-working, punctual
2. Students think individually about how important each
quality is to get a job.
3. Present phrases like more important and less important for
the group work.
4. Divide students into groups to agree on a ranking for the
characteristics. Students write the characteristics in their
notebooks in order from most important to least important.
5. Class discusses the results.

126

STUDENT 1

Rachel

Monica

Multitask yes

Phoebe
no

Swim no
Paint

no

Speak English

yes

yes

STUDENT 2

Monica

Phoebe

Rachel

Multitask yes

no

Swim

no

yes

Paint no
Speak English

yes

STUDENT 3

Monica

Rachel

Phoebe

Multitask no
Swim

yes

Paint no yes
Speak English

yes

yes

TEACHERS Rachel Monica Phoebe

Multitask yes no no
Swim

yes no no

Paint

no no yes

Speak English

yes

yes

yes

F. Two Truths and a Lie (See the Multi-Purpose

Activities Index for more directions) (S, L, W)
1. Tell the students to write down two things that are
true about themselves and one thing that is untrue.
2. Students must use the modal Can and job skills.

Ex: I can paint houses. I can drive a car.

I can use a computer.
3. Break students into small groups of 5-6 students.
4. Within their groups, students read their sentences
aloud to their classmates.
5. Other members of the group must guess which
sentence that their classmate reads is the lie.
Variation: You can do this as a whole class instead of
small groups. But small groups allow for more student
speaking time.

9th Grade 1.3 Help Wanted

Target Vocabulary
help needed/wanted, ad, classified ads, applicant, requirements, degree (university), diploma
(high school), experience, recommendation, pay rate, available, at least, early, late, per
month/week
SEEK, WANT, LOOK for, MUST be/have/be able to, NEED, EARN, WORK, please CALL

Target Grammar

I Do/Presentation

Review Simple Present verb forms (See 7.3.1)

A. Project

Bancentro is looking for a cashier

1. Present the new situation for the characters the students

created in Production Activity A.
The character loses his/her job.
Character looks for a new job using Help Wanted ads.

Requirements:
five years experience
a university degree
organized, honest, responsible
between 25 and 40 years old
able to work under pressure

B. Present Help Wanted Ad on Poster Paper

1. Bring real Help Wanted ads from the newspaper.
2. Ask questions like What is a help wanted ad?, Where can
you find it? Why do people read help wanted ads?
3. Present vocabulary.
4. Read Help Wanted ad.

If you are interested, please contact:

Jos Lpez: 88524762
[email protected]

We Do/Practice
A. Help Wanted (L)
1. Bring a world map to class.
2. Show the students the map and the title of the Help
Wanted Ad.
3. Ask students where in the world this ad could be from.
Ex: Where can you swim and surf?
4. Ask students what type of job the ad could be for.
5. Write the True/False questions on the board:
1. The waiters work in the mornings.
2. Swim and Surf wants responsible, friendly people.
3. The waiters and chefs work on Sunday.
4. Chefs make more money than waiters.
5. The restaurant is at the beach.
6. Give the students time to study the questions.
7. Read the Ad one time at a slow pace.
8. Read a second time, repeating sentences and giving the
students time to write.
9. Read a third time at normal speed.

Swim and Surf Restaurant

Summer Job Opportunities!!
Chefs and Waiters Needed

Chefs must be responsible, friendly, and energetic.

Chefs must be able to cook food and clean facilities.

Waiters must be friendly, energetic, and hardworking.

Must be able to attend tables and speak English.
Must be able to work afternoons and nights.
Must be between 18 and 30 years old.
No experience required

Where: Swim and Surf Restaurant, San Juan del Sur

When: November to February.
Pay for waiters: $75 USD/week
Pay for chefs: $100 USD/week
If you are interested, please call:

Juan Paniagua Tel: 555-6598

127

B. Help Wanted Ad (R, W)

1. Copy the Swim and Surf Restaurant Help Wanted Ad to
poster paper or write on the board.
2. Students read the help wanted ad and answer questions.
1. When do these jobs start? late November
2. True or False: The work will last for about two and a
half months True

3. What jobs are available? waiters and chefs

4. What characteristics does Swim and Surf want in
their employees? responsible, friendly and energetic
5. Where is the job location? San Juan del Sur
6. How much do waiters earn in a month? $300 USD
7. Who do you contact at Swim and Surf Restaurant?
Juan Paniagua

You Do/Production
A. Making Help Wanted Ads (W)
1. Assign students a job to advertise.
2. Students write a Help Wanted Ad.
3. Students can work in groups, pairs or individually.
4. They must include the job, location, skills/characteristics
needed, pay rate, experience, and contact information.
5. See example Chef Needed!

Chef Needed!
-Must be at least 20 years old.
-Must have experience in restaurants.
-Must be responsible and punctual.
-Must be able to cook Mexican food.
-C$ 10,000 a month

Call Carlos 8555-2223 today!

B. Who Can Do the Job? (S, R, W)

1. Divide students into groups
2. Give the Experienced Secretary ad and descriptions of
the three applicants to each group or have the students
copy it.
3. Students choose Perla, Manuel, or Abigail for the job in
the Help Wanted Ad (see applicant information below
for Perla, Manuel, and Abigail).
4. Students write a short paragraph about why they chose
the applicant.
5. Adapt the locations to your department.

3
128

Perla Cruz, 22
Single, has one child
Lives in Dolores with her mother
3 years of university
Can use a computer
Can type
No work experience
Manuel Mercado, 40
Married, has three children
Lives in Jinotepe
Has a university degree
Can type 50 words per minute
Responsible and hard-working
Has many years of work experience
Abigail Duarte, 35
Married, has two children
Lives in Masaya
University education
Responsible, punctual
Has three years experience in office work
Can type 90 words per minute

Experienced SECRETARY
The law office of Segura and Gonzalez in
Jinotepe needs a secretary.
Requirements:
-must be able to use a computer
-must be able to type 75 words per minute
-must be available to work weekends
-must be organized, hard-working and responsible
-must have a high school diploma
-university degree preferred
-must have at least one year work experience

Offering C$4000 per month

Contact: Pablo Segura, [email protected],
8383-4027

C. Secretary (See Multi-Purpose Activities Index for

more directions) (S, L, W, R)
1. Make a simple help wanted ad on a small piece of paper
and place it in the front of the classroom.
2. Divide students into groups.
3. One person in the group is the secretary. The secretary is
the only person who can write.
4. One person at a time from each group goes to look at the
ad, and then tells the secretary what they remember.
5. The secretary writes the ad using the information from
their group members.
6. Repeat with other students until a group finishes.
7. When they finish, they raise their hands. Check
their work.
8. The first group to recreate the ad correctly wins.

9th Grade 1.4 Rsums

Target Vocabulary
address, education, employer, employment, experience, heading, location, phone number,
rsum, skills

Target Grammar

I Do/Presentation

Review Simple Present BE and other verbs (7.3.1)

A. What is a Rsum?
1. Present a poster paper with the parts of a rsum.
2. Explain that a rsum is something you write and
give to employers in order to get a job.
3. Explain the parts of the rsum.
Name
Address
Phone number
Email
Example Rsum:
Education
-School
-Location
Work experience
-Dates of employment
-Location
-Employer
-Job
Skills

B. Present an Example Rsum

Jane A. Smith
Del Reloj 2c al oeste, Diriamba, Carazo
555-1254
[email protected]

Education
Western Michigan University
Marshall High School
Work Experience
August 2006-June 2008
St. John, Indiana

D. Explain that You Can Use BE or MEAN to Give

a Definition
1. ____ means a person who
2. ____ is a thing that
3. ____ is a place where

Teacher, Lake High School

September 2005- July 2006

Mexico City, Mexico
Skills
Use a computer
Bilingual
Cook

C. Present New Vocabulary and English Definitions

1. Address is where a person lives.
2. Employer means the person who gives the job.
3. Employment is having a job.

Kalamazoo, Michigan
Marshall, Michigan

Example Rsum
Structure:

Waitress, Pablos Pizza

(Name)
(Address)
(Phone number)
(Email)
Education
(School/University) (Location)
Work Experience
(Dates of employment) (Job-Employer)
(Location)
Skills

129

We Do/Practice
A. Parts of a Rsum Activity (R)
1. Make an example rsum and cut apart the different
parts you presented.
2. Hand out the different parts to students.
3. Write the titles of the different sections on the board:
Education, Work Experience, Skills with space to tape the
parts under them.
4. Students come to the board and tape the part of the
resume they have in the correct place.
Variation: Students work in groups and each group has a
set of materials.

B. Definition Matching Activity (W, R)

1. Write vocabulary words from previous lessons on one
side of the board.
2. Write definitions on the other side in any order.
3. Students match the correct definition to each word.
4. Students write a sentence for each vocabulary word
using MEAN or BE.

C. Writing Definitions (W, R)

1. Divide students into groups.
2. Give each group two words.
3. Students write definitions as well as they can.
4. Then, students pass the words to the next group and they
will improve or add to the definition.
5. Repeat several times.
6. Write definitions on board for students to copy.

D. Star of . . . (See Multi-Purpose Activities Index

for more directions) (S, L)
1. Students stand in the middle of the room.
2. Teacher calls out north and the students walk north.
Teacher calls out south, east or west and students
walk in that direction.
3. While students are walking, Teacher calls out Star of + a
number. For example Star of 3!
4. Students quickly form groups of that number.
5. Any student without a group must give definitions for
rsum vocabulary.

E. Reading a Rsum (R, W, S)

1. Give students an example resume.
2. Students read the resume and answer questions either
written or orally.
Example questions:
What is his/her name?
Where does he/she live?
Where did he/she go to school?
Where did he/she work?
What skills does he/she have?

You Do/Production
A. Project/Create A Character (W, S, L)
1. If doing the project from 9.1.1, continue with original character or give students pictures of people to
create a character in class.
2. Students write the characters resume.
3. Divide students into groups or have them work individually.
4. Students present character and answer questions about the information in the resume.
(See the questions in We do/Practice Activity E).
5. Students need time to practice, so advise the students the previous class to practice answering
the questions.

130

9th Grade 1.5 Job Fair

This Content is a simpler adaptation of the contents Rsums, Help Wanted,
Job Skills, and Interviews. This section can substitute for 9.1.3 and 9.1.4 for
classes that need more simple practice with oral activities. It is recommended
to go through all steps of the four activities in order to do the Job Fair.
A. Help Wanted Ad: Simple Version (R, W)
1. Present the Help Wanted Ad, Engineer Needed
2. Students should write their own Help Wanted Ad.
3. Students can imagine that they are managers of a business
and are seeking employees.

B. Rsum: Simple Version (R, W)

1. Present the model rsum.
2. Students should write their own rsum.
3. Students can imagine themselves in ten years from now
4. By ten years from now, they will have work experience or a
university degree.

C. Review Hire Me Dialogue

Practice interviews in pairs to prepare for the interviews in the
job fair. See 9.1.2 We do/Practice Activity Hire Me Dialogue.

D. Job Fair
1. Divide the students into 2 groups: the managers and the
potential employees.
2. Explain that the managers are holding a job fair. The
managers want to find qualified employees, and the
employees want to get hired for a job.
3. Managers stand at their desks with their want ads.
4. Potential employees go around talking to the managers,
carrying their rsum
5. Managers should evaluate the potential employees rsum,
and ask interview questions.

Ex: Can you work weekends? Are you responsible? Can you

speak English?
6. After the interview, the manager decides whether or not to
hire the applicant.
7. Employees continue interviews until all students are hired.
8. Evaluation:
* Go around to employers and ask them to justify why they hired
the employee. Make sure that the positions employees were
hired for were what they were seeking. (A doctor should not be
hired to a secretary position.)
* In the case of students that were not hired by anyone, analyze
why not. What job skills were they missing?
* In the case of managers that did not hire anyone, ask them to
justify why not. Why werent employees qualified?
9. At the end, switch roles between managers and employees
so everyone has a chance to interview and be interviewed.

Engineer Needed
Must be hard working, responsible, punctual.
Must be able to use a computer and do math.
Must have a university degree.
Pay:

C$6,000 monthly

Please Call: Celltech

Tel: 555-2956

____________ Needed
Must be _________, __________, and _________.
Must be able to _____________ and ___________.
Must have ___________________.
Pay:

___________________

Please Call: ______________________

Maria Prez
Looking for: Secretary Job

Professional Characteristics:
Hardworking, punctual, creative, and
organized.
Job Skills:
Can do math, use a computer, speak
English.
Can work nights.

Name
Looking for: ___________ job
Professional Characteristics:
__________, __________, ________,
and __________.
Job Skills:
__________, __________, ________,
and __________.
_____________.

131

9th Grade 2.1 Safety Warnings and Signs

Target Vocabulary
Beware of

, no [ NOUN] allowed, safety, sign, warning, caution

Ex: Beware of dog! No smoking allowed. Caution: poison!

Target Grammar

Imperative: affirmative and negative

Dont cross the street!
Walk carefully!
No + NOUN or No + Gerund
No swimming.
No dogs.

I Do/Presentation
A. Brainstorm
1. Students brainstorm common signs and symbols to
express warning.
2. Students draw images on the board.
Ex:

11. Ask students for the structure and write it on the board.

Present Imperative Structure

Affirmative:
Verb (simple form) + Complement + !
Raise your hand!
Come to the board!

Negative:
Do + not + Verb (simple form) + Complement + !
Do not run!
Dont eat in class!

C. The Gerund
B. Present Imperative (Orders)
1. Draw a pig without a tail on poster paper or on the board.
2. Make a pigs tail before class and bring it.
3. Present the following commands to the students:
Go up!
Go left!
Go right!
Go down!
4. Practice pronunciation.
5. One student wears a blindfold and tries to put the tail on
the pig.
6. The other students give commands to help the student.
7. Explain that they used the imperative to help
the student.
8. Write the examples.
Open your notebooks!
Be careful!
Do not talk!
Dont erase the board!
9. Ask students where the subject is.
10. Explain that you do not say the subject because it is
implicit: You.
132

1. Explain that one way to express prohibitions is through the

negative command.
Ex: Do not swim!
2. Another way to express prohibition is to use No + NOUN.
Ex: No animals allowed!
No cell phones!
No swimming!
No talking!
3. Ask students what part of speech swimming and talking
are. They might say verb. Explain that in the other examples,
the rule is No + NOUN. Therefore, swimming and talking
are nouns. The Gerund is the noun form of a verb.

Gerund:
Verb (Simple Form) + ing
Talk + ing = talking

Note: The same spelling changes occur as

with the ing form in the present progressive.
See 8.2.4 Present Progressive for the spelling
changes. Because the Gerund is a noun, it can be
used with another verb in the same sentence. It
can be the subject. Swimming is fun!

We Do/Practice
A. Whats the Sign? (W)
1. Students look at symbols and create written warnings.

1.

2.

3.

4.

B. Fan Activity (See Multi-Purpose Activities Index

for more directions) (R,S)
1. Fold paper to make a fan.
2. On each fold, write a command.
3. The first student reads the first command and performs
the gesture without speaking.
4. The second student watches the first student and gives a
negative command.
Ex: If the first student opens his/her notebook, the second
student says Dont open your notebook!
5. Students pass the fan to the third student and the third
and fourth student repeat the process. Repeat until you
use all of the commands on the fan.
Variation: Use two or three fans to have more
participation.

C. Telephone (See Multi-Purpose Activities Index

for more directions) (S, L)

You Do/Production
A. Create a Sign (W)
1. Students design and make a warning sign with an
imperative or No + NOUN.
2. Students create signs they need at home or at school.
Ex: Do not use my cell phone. No copying.

B. Danger on the Job (S, W)

1. Divide students into groups.
2. Give each group a situation (see below).
3. Students create three safety warning signs based
on the situation.
4. Students use Imperative and No + Noun.
5. Explain that the students must be creative.
6. Students present their situation and signs to the class.

1. Use the Imperative form and the No + Noun form.

Ex: Beware of bombs! Do not smoke! No hats allowed.

C. Jeopardy (See Multi-Purpose Activities Index for

more directions) (R, W, S, L)
1. Do the activity according to the directions in the Index.
2. Use these categories:
Affirmative orders
Negative orders
Gerunds
3. Students work in pairs to give the answers.
4. Each card has one verb. For a class of 50, for everyone to
participate, you need about nine verbs in each category.
5. For the affirmative orders, one student gives an order and
the other performs the action.
6. For the negative orders, one student does the action. .
Ex: Category: Negative orders, verb on the card: run. The
first student must say Do not run. Their partner must
demonstrate not running (walking).

Danger on the Job Situations:

1. You are the coach of a sports team. Create signs for the children in order to remind them of the rules of
the team.
2. You work in the kitchen at a restaurant. Create signs to warn the workers.
3. You work in a private park. Create safety warnings for the park visitors and to keep the park clean.
4. You own a farm. Your friends want to spend a week on your farm. It is not a safe place. Create safety
warning signs for your friends.
5. You are the leader at a Summer Camp with your classmates at Selva Negra. You sleep outside.
Create safety warning signs for your classmates.
133

9th Grade 2.2 Work Regulations and Schedules

Target Vocabulary
ARRIVE, FINISH, KEEP, LEAVE, LIVE, MUST, NEED, START, WALK, WEAR, WORK

Target Grammar

Modal verb MUST

Students must not answer cell phones in class.
We must arrive on time.

I Do/Presentation
A. Present Work Regulations with a Venn Diagram
1. One circle is rules and regulations at school.
2. One circle is rules and regulations at home.
3. Students brainstorm and teacher writes the rules in
English in the appropriate category: at school,
at home or both.
4. Students copy. This serves as vocabulary for the content.

At Home
I must bring firewood.
I must be respectful.
I must wear a uniform.
At School

B. Modal verb MUST

1. The structure for MUST is the same as for CAN.
2. Review the structure for CAN. (See 9.1.2.)
3. Give examples of MUST in affirmative, negative
and interrogative.
I must arrive on time.
The students must not smoke.
Must we arrive on time?

4. Ask students to give the sentence structure.

5. Explain that MUST is used to express obligation.
6. Explain that MUST NOT is used to express prohibition.
7. Review the two ways to express prohibition (See 9.2.1)
and the third, MUST NOT.

C. Work Schedule
1. Write Work Schedule on the board and draw a rectangle
around it.
2. Draw an arrow from the circle and write when? with a
circle around it.
3. Explain that a Work Schedule tells when you work.
4. From the circle with When? draw two arrows to two
more circled questions: At what time? and Which days?
5. Explain that these two questions ask for specific
information about work schedules.
6. Check for understanding of meaning of the questions.
7. Practice pronunciation.

Work Schedule
When
At what time?

We Do/Practice
A. Martas Work Schedule (Listen to CD Track #21) (R, L)
1. Students copy the questions from the board.
2. Students read the questions and ask questions if they do not understand.
3. Teacher reads the Martas Work Schedule Reading three times, once slowly, once slowly
and repeating each sentence and once at normal speed. Variation: Play the CD.
4. While the teacher reads, students mark the correct answers.
134

Which days?

Martas Work Schedule

My name is Marta. I am a nurse, and I work at the
health center. I work on Monday, Wednesday, and
Friday. Sometimes, I work on Saturday. I live close to
the health center. I always walk to work. I leave my
house at 7:20 a.m. During the week I start at 7:30 am
and finish at 2:00 p.m. On Saturday I work from 8:00
am to noon. I must arrive on time, wear my uniform
and keep the rooms clean. I need to be careful with
needles, and I must wear latex gloves.
Questions:

Reading Comprehension Questions:

1. What does Marta do? She is a nurse.
2. What days does she work? She works on Monday,
Wednesday, and Friday.

3. At what time does she work? She works at 7:30.

4. What are her work regulations? She needs to arrive
on time, wear her uniform and keep the rooms clean.
She also needs to be careful with needles and wear
latex gloves.

C. Work Schedules (L, R)

1. Write the chart on the board with only the names
column filled in.
2. Students copy the chart.

Name

Hours

Days

a) Doctor.

Adam

9AM-5PM

M-F

b) Nurse.

Beatriz

7AM-12PM

M-F

Carmen

8AM-5PM

W-S

Diego

5AM-1PM

Sunday

1.Marta is a . . .

c) Police officer.
2. Marta does not work on . . .
a) Tuesday.

b) Wednesday.
c) Friday.
3. How does Marta go to work?
a) She walks.

b) She rides a bicycle.

c) She takes the bus.
4. On Saturday, Marta works . . .
a) In the morning.

b) In the afternoon.
c) In the evening.
5. Marta must . . .
a) Work at night.
b) Give people medicine.
c) Wear a uniform.

B. Reading Comprehension (R, W)

1. Use the Martas Work Schedule Reading.
2. Write questions on the board and students copy.
3. Read and check for understanding of the questions.
4. Give students a defined amount of time to answer
the questions.
5. Students work in pairs or groups.
6. Write answers on the board as a class as students
correct their mistakes.

3. Write the questions and answers on pieces of paper.

There are two question and answer pairs for each person
in the chart.
Ex: At what time does Adam work? Adam works from
9 to 5. What days does Adam work? Adam works
Monday through Friday.
4. Give the 16 pieces of paper (two questions and two
answers each for Adam, Beatriz, Carmen and Diego)
to 16 different students.
5. Tell a student with a question to read the paper.
6. The other students listen and the student with the
answer reads it.
7. All other students listen and fill in the chart.
8. Fill in the chart on the board.

E. Obligation or Prohibition? (W)

1. Students decide if the actions are obligations
or prohibitions.
2. Students write sentences for each action using MUST
or MUST NOT.
1. Wear hats in the classroom.
2. Do your homework.
3. Respect your classmates.
4. Ask to go to the bathroom.
5. Talk when the teacher is explaining.
6. Speak during a quiz.

135

You Do/Production
A. Work Regulations (W)

1:

Students write a list of 4-5 work regulations for

different workplaces.
Ex: home, school, hotel, construction site.

B. Work Schedule Descriptions (W)

1. Students work in small groups. Use the Work Schedule
Practice activity chart as a model.
2. Students write three work schedule descriptions
using the chart.
3. Include, name, job, workplace, hours, and days
of the week.
4. Students will create their own work regulations
for each job. Use MUST or MUST NOT.

C. Information Gap Activity (R,S,L)

1. Divide students into 5 groups.
2. Explain the questions the students need for the activity.
Where does (name) work?
What hours does (name) work?
What days does (name) work?
3. Give each group one chart to copy.
4. Students copy the chart into their notebook.
5. Tell the students that they must not show the other
members of the class.
6. Students circulate around the classroom and ask each
other questions about the missing information in
their chart.
7. Students continue until everyone completes the chart.
Note: It is very important that the students do
not copy from other students notebooks or
show each other their charts.

Name

Job

Workplace Hours Days

Carlos

Farmer

Farm

4:30 am-12 pm Mon-Sat

Marcos

Teacher

School

12pm-5 pm Mon-Fri

Ana

Julia

Doctor

Hospital

Secretary Office
Manager

Hotel

Job

6 am-4 pm Tues-Sat
8 am-5pm Mon-Fri

5 am-5 pm Mon-Sat

Workplace Hours Days

Ana

Secretary

Carlos Farmer Farm

Danika Doctor
Marcos

Hospital Tues-Sat

Teacher

Julia Manager

8 am-5pm

12pm-5 pm Mon-Fri

2:

Name

Job

Ana

Secretary

Carlos

Workplace Hours Days

Farmer

4:30 am-12 pm

Danika Doctor Tues-Sat

8 am-5pm

Marcos Teacher School

Julia

Manager Hotel Mon-Sat

3:
Name

Job

Ana

Secretary Office Mon-Fri

Carlos Farmer
Danika

Workplace Hours Days

Farm Mon-Sat

Doctor

6 am-4 pm

Manager

5 am-5 pm

Marcos Teacher
Julia

4:
Name

Job

Ana

Secretary Office Mon-Fri

Carlos

Teacher Copy/Answers

Danika

Name

Workplace Hours Days

Farmer

4:30 am-12 pm

Teacher

School

12pm-5 pm

Name

Job

Workplace Hours Days

Ana

Secretary

Danika Doctor
Marcos
Julia

Manager Mon-Sat

5:
Carlos Farmer Mon-Sat
Danika

Doctor

Hospital

6 am-4 pm

Marcos Teacher School Mon-Fri

Julia

136

Manager

5 am-5 pm

9th Grade 2.3 Paychecks and Budgets

Target Vocabulary
bill, budget, earnings, expense, insurance, paycheck, savings, transportation, utilities
EARN, SAVE, BUY, COST, PAY, RENT, SPEND, EXCHANGE

Expressions of frequency: a day/a week/a month/a year, monthly, weekly, biweekly, once,
twice, three times

Target Grammar

I Do/Presentation

Review How much? Question (See 7.4.5 and 8.4.2)

A. Big Numbers: Hundred, Thousand, etc. . . .

1. Write the numbers in both numbers (1,000) and in letters
(one thousand).
2. Practice reading numbers aloud.
3. Give examples of big numbers. Write them in letters.
Ex: 5,386 (five thousand three hundred eighty-six)
4. Practice reading the numbers.

B. Transition to Content
1. Write the money symbol on the board and ask what the
symbol means.
2. Write money on the board by the symbol.
3. Ask the following questions:
Do you like money?
Do you have money?
How do you get money?
What do you buy with your money?
4. Make a list of Student Expenses on the board.
5. Discuss the expenses a family has each month.

C. What is a Budget?
Definition: a plan of how much money you have
and how much you spend.

D. Present Vocabulary
1. Write new vocabulary on the board.
2. Students practice pronunciation.
3. Students copy meaning.

E. Review How Much? Question

1. Explain to the students that How much is the pencil?
is an abbreviated version of saying How much does the
pencil cost?
2. ring a bag with 5-6 items in it to class.
3. Take out one item and ask how much it is.
Ex: How much is the pencil? Write the question
on the board.
4. Students take out other items one by one and
ask how much it is.
5. Write the questions on the board.
6. Practice pronunciation.

We Do/Practice
A. Hot Cabbage/Potato (See Multi-Purpose
Activities Index for more directions) (S)
1. Write a number on each piece of paper.
Ex: 88,555. (Do not use letters.)
2. The student reads the number out loud.
Variation: Students write the numbers in their notebooks
or another student writes the number on the board to
practice listening.

B. A Monthly Budget (R, W)

1. Write the reading on the board. Students copy.
2. Read.

A Monthly Budget
Maria earns one thousand crdobas weekly. Her
boss pays her biweekly. Her rent costs one thousand
crdobas a month, the water bill is seventy crdobas
a month, and the electricity bill is two hundred
crdobas monthly. She buys five hundred crdobas
of food a week.

3. Students work in pairs to answer questions.

137

Questions about A Monthly Budget

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Yasminas Budget Comprehension Questions

How much does Maria spend a month?

What are Marias expenses?
How much does Maria earn a month?
How often does Maria get paid?
How much does Maria save a month?
What can Maria do with the money she saves?

C . Student Budgets (S, R, W)

1. Brainstorm as a class what students spend money on.
2. Present Yasminas budget.
3. Tell the students that Yasmina is a student.
4. Have students answer the comprehension questions.

Yasminas Budget
Allowance: C$200/week
Snacks: C$70/week
Transportation: C$ 15/week
Phone credit: C$40/week
School supplies: C$25/week
Internet: C$20/week
Savings: C$30/week

1. How much money does Yasmina receive per month?

2. What are Yasminas expenses?
3. How much money does Yasmina spend per week?
4. How much money does Yasmina save per month?
5. What can Yasmina do with the money she saves?

D. How Much Does He Earn? (W)

1. Brainstorm a list of jobs in the community.
2. Present question How much does a _____ earn?
Ex: How much does a police officer earn? Ask students
using the list on the board.
3. Students choose a dream job that they want to have
Ex: movie star, pop singer, dancer, artist, race car driver,
model, business man, etc.
4. Students write about their job and one sentence about
what they earn/buy/spend/pay, etc.
Ex: I am a singer. I earn C$3,000 a month.

E. Matching Activity (R)

1. Students match the number in numerical form with the
number in written form.
2. Use the examples in the box below.
3. Add a third column of possible expenses.
4. Students match the items to the price.

$1,500

sixty-five dollars and seventy five cents

baseball tickets

$3,950

two hundred and fifty dollars

clothes

$250

$65.75

$550.20

one thousand five hundred dollars

five hundred fifty dollars and twenty cents

three thousand nine hundred and fifty dollars

shoes
food

new car

You Do/Production
A. Discussion (S)
1. Divide students into groups.
2. Students answer the following questions.
How much do you spend on snacks at school a day?
How much in a month?

B. Student Budgets
1. Using Yasminas Budget in We do/Practice, have students
make a personal budget.
2. Students should analyze how much money they receive
(through work or family) and what their expenses are.
3. Students should answer the comprehension questions
from Yasminas Budget, but analyzing their own income,
expenses, and savings.
138

C. Monthly Expenses (W)

1. Divide students into groups.
2. Assign each group one job.
Variation: Post pictures of 3 or 4 people. Students assign
a job and a name to each picture and each group
chooses one character to work with.
3. Students copy the chart and make a budget for a person
with that job or their character.
4. Write Paycheck in the chart and explain that the
amount goes in the Earnings row.
5. Explain other examples of items that can be earnings
(prize, gift, bonus).

6. Write an example of an Expense such as food,

transportation, or electricity and explain that the
amount goes in the proper row.
7. Explain that students will invent the earnings and
expenses for their person then add the numbers to
calculate total earnings and expenses.
8. Students calculate total savings.
9. Students present their budget by answering
How much? questions.
Ex: How much does he earn?
How much does he spend?

Job

Farmer

Maid

Paycheck

C$40/day

C$2000/month

Transportation

C$10/6 days
C$150/week

Food
Utilities
Earnings

C$2000

Savings

9th Grade 3.1 Places Around Town

Target Vocabulary
Places: bookstore, community center, church, gas station, hardware store, hospital, internet
caf, library, market, mayors office, neighborhood, supermarket
Cardinal Directions: north, east, south, west; northeast, southeast, northwest, southwest.

Target Grammar

I Do/Presentation

Review the prepositions of place (See 7.6.1)

A. Vocabulary
1. Use vocabulary lists from 7th grade (See 7.6.1) and earlier
this year (See 9.1.1) to review community places and
workplaces.
2. Use a Multi-Purpose Activity to review old vocabulary
lists.
3. Present new community places from current vocabulary
list.
4. Students copy meaning and practice pronunciation.

B. Review Prepositions of Place

1. Ask for examples of prepositions of place from students.
2. Write all prepositions of place on the board.
3. Practice pronunciation.
4. Give orders like Put your pen next to your notebook, and
Put your notebook behind the desk, to practice meaning.

C. Present Cardinal Directions

1. Write the 4 cardinal directions (north, south, east and
west) and northeast, northwest, southeast, southwest on
pieces of paper big enough for the whole class to see.
2. Give 4 students the papers with north, south, east and
west and tell them to stand on the appropriate side of
the room according to the real directions in the town.
3. Give the 4 papers with northeast, northwest, southeast,
southwest to 4 other students and tell them to go to the
correct place in the room.
4. Give papers with places on them to 2 students.
Ex: library and church
5. Place students so that the library is clearly north
of the church.
6. Ask Where is the library?
7. Explain that the answer to your question should be
The library is north of the church, and write the
sentence on the board.
8. Continue with other examples.

139

We Do/Practice
A. Vocabulary Activity (R)

D. Vocabulary and Prepositions Activity (R, W)

1. Divide students into pairs or groups.

2. Students complete the sentences with the correct
vocabulary word.
1. If you are sick or need a doctor, go to the

Students use the map below to fill in the blanks with

the correct places. Copy the map onto a papelgrafo.
.

(hospital)

2. You can buy almost anythingfood, clothing,

furnitureat the
. (market)
3. You can find things to build a house at a
nails, paint, and wood. (hardware store)

4. You can buy all of your school supplies like notebooks,

pencils, and pens at a
. (bookstore)
5. Cars and taxis have to go to a
buy gas. (gas station)

to

6. Your
is the part of the city where
you live. (neighborhood)

B. Writing Definitions (W)

1. Explain that in the previous exercise, the sentences
are definitions.
2. Students change the sentences to definitions using BE.
Ex: A hospital is a place you go if you are sick or need
to see a doctor.

C. Physical City (L)

1. Make flashcards with pictures of all the vocabulary for
places in the community.
2. Pass out one flashcard per student.
3. Clear the classroom (desks to the sides) so there is a lot of
room for walking around.
4. Define the cardinal directions within the classroom
5. Call two places to start and give their directions relative to
one another.
Ex: The church is north of the park. Students with the
flashcards for church and park must come forward and
organize themselves accordingly.
6. Call a new place and give its location relative to the
students that are still standing.
Ex: The elementary school is next to the park.
7. Students must listen for you to call their flashcard, and
must arrange themselves physically to reflect the virtual
city you are building with them.
Variation 1: To make this activity simpler for students, you
can use just prepositions of place, or just cardinal directions,
and not both.
Variation 2: If you have limited space, you can post the
flashcards on the board and make a map. However, many
students enjoy the physical aspect of this activity and being
inside the virtual map.
140

1. The

is next to the school.

2. The

is in front of the church.

3. The
bank.

is between the police station and the

4. The

is beside the hospital.

5. A

is across from the market.

E. Cardinal Directions Activity (R, W)

Students use the map below to answer the questions
in complete sentences.
1. What is west of the bookstore?
The church is west of the bookstore.

2. What is north of the hospital?

The bookstore is north of the hospital.

3. What is between the hardware store and

the restaurant? The police station is between the
hardware store and the restaurant.

4. What is south of the post office?

The park is south of the post office.

5. What is east of the hardware store?

The bank is east of the hardware store.

N
W

E
S

F. Run to the Board (See Multi-Purpose Activities

Index for more directions) (L)
1. Read the descriptions below.
2. Students slap their fly swatters on a desk to buzz in.
3. The first student to slap and answer correctly with a
complete sentence according to the map from Practice
Activities C and D wins a point for his or her team.
1. This is east of the hardware store. (bank)
2. This is south of the restaurant. (post office)

3. This is north of the church. (supermarket)

4. This is north of the market. (park)
5. This is east of the restaurant. (police station)
6. This is west of the church. (park)
7. This is south of the hardware store and bank.
(bus station)
8. This is west of the supermarket. (post office)
9. These are north of the bus station. (hardware store,
bank)

You Do/Production
A. Dream City (S, L)
1. Students design their dream city and draw a map of it.
The map should include, at a minimum, a church,
a school, a park, a market, and a bank.
2. In the next class, students turn in their maps.
3. Distribute each map to a different student (not the artist
who drew it).
4. Those students describe (on a separate sheet of paper)
the maps that they received (using prepositions of
place, cardinal directions, etc.). On the description, each
student should write his or her name and the name of
the student whose map he or she is describing.
5. Collect all the maps and descriptions and return each
map and description to its artist.
6. Students check to see if the description is correct.

B. Secretary (See Multi-Purpose Activities Index

for more directions) (S, L, R, W)
1. Write the instructions below on 4 small pieces of paper.
2. Tape one copy of instructions in each of the 4 corners of
the classroom.
3. Divide students into groups of 4.
4. Students will have the following roles:
Secretary: the only person who can write; writes
notes from what the Runners say.
Artist: draws what the instructions describe.
Runners: the other two students run to look at the

instructions and come back to tell the secretary; only

one runner can leave the group at a time.
5. Explain that each group will draw a map, that the
instructions are on the wall and that all 4 sets of
instructions are the same.
6. When a group finishes, check to see if it is correct.
(See map below.)

Instructions:

There is one street going east to west.

There are two streets going north to south.
The pharmacy is in the northwest corner.
The bank is across from the pharmacy.
The bank is to the east of the pharmacy.
The hardware store is south of the bank.
The supermarket is between the hardware store
and the gas station.
The gas station is east of the supermarket.

Pharmacy

Bank

Hardware
Store

Supermarket

Gas
Station

9th Grade 3.2 Giving Directions

Target Vocabulary
BEGIN, WALK, GO, PASS, TURN CONTINUE, ARRIVE
block, corner, left, right, straight

Target Grammar

Review Imperative (9.2.1)

Modal CAN, COULD, WILL, WOULD used for polite requests

Would you please help me with this problem?
Can you help me, please?

141

I Do/Presentation
A. Review the Imperative (See 9.2.1)

find it. Can you walk with us to the post office?

B. Giving Directions (Listen to CD Track #22)

Javier: No problem. Its very close, and I need to go to

the bank. Lets go!

1. Use the dialogue to illustrate new vocabulary.

2. Students copy the dialogue and practice pronunciation.
Alice: Excuse me, can you help us? We are looking for
the post office. Do you know where the post office is?
Javier: Yes. Right now we are in the central park, so you
need to walk one block east, turn left and pass the old
market and the police station. Then turn right at the
bank. The post office is on your right.
Alice: That sounds difficult. I dont know if we can

C. Present Polite Requests

1. To make a polite request , use the modal verb CAN,
COULD, WILL, or WOULD.
Ex: Can you help us? Could you help us?
Will you help us? Would you help us?
2. To be extra polite, you can say please.
Ex: Can you help us, please?
Could you please help us?
3. There are two possible places to say please: before the
verb or at the end of the question.

We Do/Practice
A. Orders vs. Requests (W)
Students change the orders to polite requests.
1.
2.
3.
4.

Close the door!

Help me!
Give me a pencil!
Stop that!

B. Fan Activity (See Multi-Purpose Activities Index

for more directions) (R, S)
1. Write verb phrases on the sections of the fan.
Ex: help me, tell me how to get to the park
2. Students say the polite request.

D. Telephone (S, L) (See Multi-Purpose Activities

Index for more directions)
Follow the directions for the activity to practice phrases for
giving directions.
Ex: Go straight, Turn left, etc.

E. Four Squares (S, L)

1. Write phrases for giving directions on pieces of paper.
Ex: Begin at the northwest corner of the park,
Turn right, etc.
2. Draw a big square on the floor with chalk or use tape and
divide it into 4 smaller squares. Draw or tape an arrow

C. Giving Directions (R, W)

Students use the map from Practice Activities C and E to fill
in the blanks to complete the directions.

Pharmacy

Park

Bank

Library

1. Would you help me find the hardware store?

From the northwest corner of the school (A) to the hardware
store (B): Begin at the school. Walk
(northeast/
southwest) on Main Street for
(one/two) blocks.
Turn
(right /left) on Missouri Street. Go
(north/
east) for
(two/three) blocks. Turn (right/left) on National
Avenue and walk
(south/east) for half a block. Arrive at
the hardware store.
2. Could you please tell me how to get to the bookstore?
From the south side of the restaurant (C) to the bookstore
(D): Begin at the restaurant. Walk
(east/west)
on National Avenue for
(half a/three) block. Turn
(right/left) on Maple Street and walk
(north/south) for
(one/two) block. Turn
(left/right) on
(Main/Park)
Street and walk
(south/east) for
(one half/one and
a half) blocks. Arrive at the bookstore.
142

pointing north and write N to indicate north.

3. Write a place in each small square.
Ex: Library, Pharmacy, etc.
4. Students come to the middle of the room in pairs.
5. Student 1 chooses a phrase to give directions from the
pieces of paper and reads it.
6. Student 2 follows the direction.
Ex: If the direction is Begin at the northwest corner of
the park, Student 2 goes to the northwest corner of the
smaller box that says park in it.
7. Student 2 repeats the process with student 1.
8. Repeat with other pairs.

You Do/Production
A. Writing Directions (W)
1. Students write directions from the central park to the
Mayors office in your town.
2. Students write directions from the school to their house.

B. Giving Directions (S, L)

1. Students work in pairs.
2. Student 1 draws a dotted line map on a piece of paper.
See the dotted line drawing below as an example.
3. Student 1 must not show the map to her/his partner.
4. Student 1 gives his/her partner, Student 2, directions on
how to draw the map using the imperative.
5. The directions must be specific because Student 2 cannot
see.
Ex: Go straight two blocks. Turn left. Go two blocks. Turn
right, go one block. Turn right again, and go three blocks.
Turn left and go one block. Turn right and go one block
more. Youre finished!

Finish

6. Student 2 closes her/his eyes and draws a path from the

start to the finish. Student 2 may not open her/his eyes.
7. Student 2 follows Student 1s directions until she/he
reaches the finish.
8. Students compare maps to check their comprehension.

C. Classroom City (L, S)

1. Create a city in the classroom. Form groups of chairs in
rows and columns. The chairs represent the blocks where
the buildings are and the spaces represent the streets.
2. Students write places in the community vocabulary on
pieces of paper big enough for the class to see.
3. Give directions and have students follow them to walk
through the city.
4. Ask one student to give directions and another to follow
them.
5. Repeat with other pairs of students.
Variation: Bring small pieces of paper with places.
Student selects a place and forms a polite request
before the other student gives directions.

D. Requesting Activity (R, W)

1. Divide students into groups.
2. Give students situations (see below).
3. Explain that they need or want something in each
situation and they must ask for it.
4. Students decide what they need or want for
each situation.
5. Students write polite requests for each situation.
Situations:

Start

1. You didnt eat lunch. You are hungry.

2. You dont understand the English lesson.
3. Its cold.
4. You were sick and you didnt go to school.

9th Grade 3.3 Midterm Review

See 7.3.3 for Midterm Review lesson plan suggestions.

9th Grade 4.1 Means of Transportation

Target Vocabulary
bus stop, microbus stop, highway, schedules, transportation, on foot

DRIVE a car/motorcycle/truck, TAKE a taxi/bus/boat/microbus, RIDE a bicycle, WALK

Target Grammar
Preposition by

We went there by bus.

You can travel to Bluefields by plane.

143

I Do/Presentation
A. Present Vocabulary
1. Place a map of Nicaragua on the board and ask students
to name places they have visited.
2. Ask students where around the world they would
like to visit.
3. Explain the term transportation: a way to travel from
one place to another.
4. Put pictures of transportation vocabulary with the
English word next to it on the board.
5. Students copy/draw in their notebooks.
6. Students write meanings and practice pronunciation.

B. Present Preposition By with Transportation

Vocabulary
1. Explain and then practice the following dialogue:
A: How do I get to Managua from Jinotepe?

B: By microbus.
2. Explain that you use the preposition by with means
of transportation.
3. Explain that on foot is the exception.
4. Give more examples and have students copy.

We Do/Practice
A. Vocabulary Practice: Multi-Purpose Activities
1. Run to the Board (L)

2. Pictionary (S)
3. Tic-Tac-Toe (L,S). Use clues like the way you travel
from Rivas to Ometepe
4. Make Flashcards to play Memory

You Do/Production
A. How do you get from Y to Z? Cocktail Party (S,L)
1. Each student should write two locations down on a small
piece of paper.
Ex: Matagalpa to Rio San Juan, Managua to Spain, the school
to the police station
2. Tell the students to stand up and walk around asking other
students how to get from one place to another.
3. Students listen to the questions and answer according to the
correct means of transportation.
Ex: Question: How do you get from Matagalpa to Rio San
Juan?
Answer: Take a bus
4. When students have asked and answered their questions,
they change papers and ask a different student.

B. How We Travel (W, S)

1. Place students into groups of four or in pairs.
2. Give a list of starting locations and destinations on the
board.
3. The list will solicit different means of transportation:
San Jorge, Rivas to Moyogalpa; Managua to Bluefields;
Managua to Matagalpa; Managua to Miami, etc.
4. Assign a location/destination to each group.
5. Students write a dialogue that involves politely asking
for directions and an explanation of how to travel from
one location to another..
6. Students present their dialogue.

9th Grade 4.2 Driving Safety Warnings and Traffic Signs

Target Vocabulary
Traffic signs: PASS, STOP, YIELD, alert, detour, slippery, speed limit, stoplight, u-turn, (one)
way
Warnings: FOLLOW, WEAR caution, drunk, fine, law, safe, seatbelt, ticket, tired, unsafe,
violation

Target Grammar

Review Modal SHOULD (See 8.6.3)

Review Imperative: Affirmative and Negative. (See 9.1.1)

144

I Do/Presentation
A. Traffic Signs Vocabulary
1. Students draw traffic signs that they know.
2. Show pictures or drawings of some traffic signs in English
and see if the students can guess their meanings.
3. Students draw and write meanings in their notebooks.
4. Practice pronunciation.

B. Review the Imperative (See 9.2.1)

C. Brainstorm Safe and Unsafe Driving Practices
1. Can be in English and/or Spanish.
2. Use a T-chart to organize the information

Modal SHOULD Sentence Structure

Safe Practices
Wearing a seatbelt

Unsafe Practices
Drinking and Driving

D. Warnings Vocabulary
1. Present using the imperative and MUST
Ex: Wear a seatbelt!
Dont drive drunk!
You must follow the law.
Continue with caution.
Pay the fine for your traffic violation.
Dont get a ticket!
2. Underline or write the vocabulary in a different color.
3. Explain meanings.

E. Review Structure of Modal Verbs: CAN and MUST

1. Give individual words of a sentence to different students.
2. Tell students to form an affirmative sentence in the front
of the room.
3. Give cards with not and question marks to
other students.
4. Tell students to form the negative (the question mark is
not part of the sentence at this point).
5. Tell students to form the interrogative (not is not part
of the sentence at this point).

F. Review Modal SHOULD

1. Write examples on the board:
Ex: You should wear a seatbelt.
We should drink more water.
I should go home now.
2. Tell students to look for the structure of CAN or MUST in
their notebooks and tell them the structure is the
same for SHOULD.
3. Write structure on the board (see text box).

Affirmative:
Subject + SHOULD + Verb (simple form) + Complement.
I should drink water.
You should study English.
Negative:
Subject + SHOULD + not + Verb (simple form)
+ Complement.
You should not take drugs.
She should not wear shorts.
Interrogative:
SHOULD + Subject + Verb (simple form)
+ Complement + ?
Should we study for the test?
Should I eat tacos for breakfast?
4. Explain that we use should to make suggestions.
5. Explain the difference between Orders and Suggestions.
6. Explain the difference between MUST and SHOULD.

Orders

Suggestions

Wear a seatbelt!

You should wear a seatbelt.

Pay the fine for your

traffic violation!

You should pay the fine

for your traffic violation.

Dont drive drunk!

Dont get a ticket!

You should not drive drunk.

You shouldnt get a ticket.

Required: MUST

You must drive slowly.

Suggestion: SHOULD

You should drive slowly.

Prohibited: MUST not

Suggestion: SHOULD not

You must not drive fast.

You should not drive fast.

145

We Do/Practice
D. Identify the Meaning (R)

A. Whats Missing? (L, S)

1. Before class, draw traffic signs on separate pieces
of paper.
2. Put them on the board and have students study them.
3. Students close their eyes and you take one away.
4. Ask, What is missing? The students should respond with
the correct traffic sign in English.

B. Simon Says ( See Multi-Purpose Activities Index

for more directions) (L)
1. Follow the directions for the activity and use imperatives
like Simon says, stand up; Simon Says, dont sit down;
Simon Says, go outside; etc.

C. Matching (R)

Students match the traffic sign to the correct explanation

(use traffic signs on the left).
1. You should stop ahead. (8)
2. You should not drive faster than 75 miles per hour. (3)
3. You must drive one way only. (7)
4. You should be careful. You must not drive quickly
because the road is slippery. (2)
5. You must not drive on the left side. (5)
6. You must not make a U-turn. (1)
7. You should yield to other vehicles. (6)

Students write the number of the sign next to the

correct meaning.
1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

E. Hot Cabbage/Potato (See Multi-Purpose

Activities Index for more directions) (R, S)
1. Review answers to yes/no questions.
2. Write yes/no questions like Should you talk on your cell
phone while driving? on each piece of paper.
3. When it is his/her turn, the student reads and answers
the question.
Variation: The student reads and chooses another student
to answer the question.

8.

Stop Ahead (8)

No U-Turn (1)

Keep Right

Yield (6)

(5)

Speed Limit (3)

Slippery Road (2)

One Way (7)

Stop Light Ahead (4)

You Do/Production
A. Student Investigation (S, W)
1. Students look for other traffic signs in the community
and draw them.
2. In the next class, discuss what those signs mean.

B. The 10 Driving Suggestions (W)

1. Divide students into groups.
2. Students create an illustrated poster with 10 safe driving
suggestions.
3. Suggestions can be in English and Spanish.
146

C. Police Officer Role Play (L, S)

1. One student is the police officer and the other is a driver.
2. The police officer asks five questions with should.
3. If the driver answers the questions appropriately, then the
police officer approves a license.
4. Then the pairs switch roles.

9th Grade 5.1 Entertainment Activities

Target Vocabulary
Music: classical, country, hip hop, jazz, pop, rap, rock, romantic, salsa

Movies and TV Shows: action, actor, actress, comedy, documentary, drama, game shows,
horror, movie, news, romantic comedy, science fiction, soap operas, talk shows

Adjectives: bad, beautiful, clean, expensive, famous, far, fast, fat, fun, funny, good, happy,
helpful, important, intelligent, interesting, modern, new, romantic, sad, slow, ugly

Target Grammar

Review LIKE (See 8.5.2)

Comparative of Equality, Comparative of Inferiority, Comparative of Superiority

Classical music is as boring as rap music.
Romantic comedies are less educational than documentaries.
Movies are longer than television shows.

I Do/Presentation
A. LIKE

2. Comparative of Inferiority

1. Review sentence structure for I like and I dont like.

B. Music Vocabulary
1. Students brainstorm types of music that they know.

C. Movie and TV Show Vocabulary

1. Students brainstorm types of music that they know.

D. Adjectives
1. Write the list of adjectives.
2. Use a Venn Diagram to categorize the new words into
positive and negative adjectives. (See Multi-Purpose
Activities Index for directions.)

E. Comparatives.
Note: Do not teach all the different types of
comparatives on the same day. Do practice and
production activities for each type.

1. Comparative of Equality

Structure: as + adjective + as
The boy is as happy as the girl.

The boy is as happy as

the girl.

The boy is less happy than

the girl.
The girl is happier than
the boy.

Structure: less + adjective + than

The boy is less happy than the girl.
3. Comparative of Superiority

Structure:
more + long adjective + than
more beautiful than
more amazing than
short adjective + -er + than
newer
cooler

Long adjective = more than one syllable

Short adjective = one (or two) syllable(s)

Comparative Spelling Chart

1. Regular

+ -er

new
fast

newer
faster

2. Ends in -e

+ -r

cute
nice

cuter
nicer

3. End in -y

-y

ugly
funny

uglier
funnier

4. Consonant
+ vowel
+ consonant
ending

double the
consonant
+ -er

fat
sad

fatter
sadder

good
bad
fun
famous

better
worse
more fun
more famous

5. Irregular

-ier

147

We Do/Practice
A. Comparing Music (W)

D. Comparative of Inferiority (W)

Student completes each sentence using types of music.

Student writes the opposite sentence as well.

Students write a sentence using the comparative

of inferiority.

Ex. Pop music is newer than classical music. Classical Music is

older than pop music.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

is faster than
.
is better than
.
is happier than
.
is more romantic than
is more modern than
is more fun than
.

.
.

B. Student Survey (L)

1. One half of the classroom is agree and the opposite
half is disagree. If students agree with a statement, they
move to the agree side, and if they disagree they move
to the disagree side.
2. Read the following statements:
1. Rock music is better than salsa.
2. Bachata music is better than reggaeton.
3. Dramas are more interesting than comedies.
4. Shakira is more beautiful than Britney Spears.
5. Movies are more interesting than television.
6. Listening to music is more fun than
watching television.

C. Comparative of Equality (W)

Students write a sentence using the comparative of equality
Ex: Girls/intelligent/boys
Girls are as intelligent as boys.
1. The movie/good/the book
(The movie is as good as the book.)
2. Folkloric dance/entertaining/modern dance
(Folkloric dance is as entertaining as modern dance.)
3. Penelope Cruz/beautiful/Julia Roberts
(Penelope Cruz is as beautiful as Julia Roberts.)

4. The Daddy Yankee concert/expensive/the Luis Enrique

concert. (The Daddy Yankee concert is as expensive as
the Luis Enrique concert.)

5. This song/sad/that song. (This song is as sad as that

song.)

148

Ex: The movie/interesting/the book

The movie is less interesting than the book.
1. A drama/funny/a comedy
2. Cheating/helpful/studying
3. The USA/far/China
4. A bicycle/expensive/a car
5. Rap music/romantic/tango music

E. Comparative of Superiority (W)

Students fill in the blank with the correct comparative form
of the adjective in parentheses.
1. New movies are (more expensive) than old movies.
(expensive)
2. Jackie Chan is (older) than The Karate Kid. (old)
3. Pop music is (newer) than classical music. (new)
4. Hip hop is (faster) than jazz. (fast)
5. Soap operas are (more interesting) than game shows.
(interesting)

F. Comparative of Superiority II (W)

Students complete each sentence with the correct
comparative adjective.
1. Their television is (bigger) than our television. (big)
2. Romantic movies are (better) than horror movies. (good)
3. Is Jennifer Lopez (more famous) than Marc Anthony?
(famous)
4. Comedies are (funnier) than dramas. (funny)
5. Talk shows are (worse) than the news. (bad)

G. Name the Album/Movie (W)

1. Before class, prepare drawings or cut out pictures.
Example pictures include people, places, animals,
or any object.
2. These drawings or pictures represent new music albums
and movies.
3. Write a title above each drawing/picture. Include a blank
space instead of the adjective.
Ex: The
Dog, The
City,
The
Teacher.
4. Divide students into groups.
5. Give each group 1 picture/drawing.
6. Students must make a list of appropriate adjectives to
describe the new album or movie to complete the title.
Ex: The Crazy Dog, The Lonely City, The Thin Teacher.
7. Students choose the funniest/most creative title and
share with the class.

J. Madlib: Fill in the Blank Story (W, S)

1. Before class, create a poster paper of a completed Fill in
the Blank Story. This is the Teacher Example.
2. Fill the blanks with words that correspond to the
categories.
Ex: In a blank that says Type of music, write pop music
or classical.
3. The word is always correct if it belongs to the right
category.
Ex: In type of movie blanks write horror, science fiction,
romantic, etc. Do not write other vocabulary like rock or
game shows.
4. The teacher example can be funny and show proper use
of vocabulary.
5. Bring the Teacher Example to class.
6. In class, show the story. Read it as a reading. Check for
understanding.
7. Explain that students will fill in the blanks in their own
story. Explain that their answers are always right, and can
be funny, if they belong to the correct category.
8. Write the story on the board. Under the blanks, write
the category.
Ex: adjective, type of music, type of movie, TV show.
9. Students copy in their notebooks and fill in the blanks.

We Want To Be Famous
We have a
(adj)

(adj)

music group. Our name is The

Guitar Heroes. We usually play (type of

music) music, but sometimes we play (type of

music) music because its more popular. We play

in Diriamba, Leon, Granada and Matagalpa. They are

(adj)

cities. There are three people in our music group.

My name is Rodrigo, but my nickname is The

(adj)

Drummer. I like (type of movies) movies. This is

Leyla, The

(adj)

Rockstar. She likes to watch (tv

show) on television. Our third member is Eric, but

all the girls call him

(adj) . We want to be famous!

You Do/Production
A. Similar and Different (R, W, S, L)
1. Students form pairs.
2. Each student writes three ways they are similar to their
partner using the comparative of equality.
Ex: I am as smart as Roger.
3. Each student writes three ways they are different from their
partner using comparative of inferiority or
comparative of superiority.
Ex: I am less fast than Roger. I am taller than Roger.
4. Students share their sentences with their partner.
5. Students can turn in for a grade or share with the class.

B. Choosing Musicians (S, W)

1. Write a list of about ten famous musical artists
on the board.
2. Divide students into groups.
3. Tell students they are going to choose a musical
group to play at the towns next party.
4. Tell them to choose 6 options from the list and put them in
order of importance.
5. Students write at least six sentences using comparative of
superiority to explain their answers.
Ex: Shakira is more interesting than Beyonc.

C. Do You Like? Question Board (See MultiPurpose Activities Index for more directions) (S, L, W)
1. Have students fold a piece of paper in half three times, so
there are eight rectangles when unfolded.
2. In each rectangle, students write a type of music or movie.
3. Students stand up and ask each other Do you like...?
4. When a student responds, the question-asker should write
the other students name and yes/no in the rectangle.
5. Students then ask Why and the responding student
answers using Because...
Ex: If Mary asks John whether he likes comedies, if he says
yes, Mary asks Why? If John responds Because they are
funny, Mary writes John, yes, funny in the rectangle that
says comedies on her paper.
6. Students should only ask each person questions about
one category in order to have at least eight partners with
different responses to one question each.
7. After all students have asked at least 8 classmates and
filled every rectangle with a response, have the students
write sentences in the third person about their classmates
answers.
Ex: Mary would write John likes comedies because they are
funny.

149

D. Mini-Books (See Multi-Purpose Activities Index for more directions) (W)

1. Each student writes one comparative sentence per page in the minibook.
2. Students draw a picture to illustrate each.

3.

9th Grade 5.2 Likes and Preferences

Target Vocabulary
agree, disagree, most, PREFER

Target Grammar
Superlatives

I Do/Presentation

That was the best weekend ever!

Cheetahs are the fastest animals on earth.

A. Review Structure for Comparatives and

Continue Practicing Vocabulary (See 9.5.1)
B. Present the Superlative
1. Explain that the comparative is for comparing two things,
people, etc.
2. Explain that the superlative is for comparing more than
two things, people, etc.
3. Present examples:
Ex: Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere
Coca-Cola is the most common drink.
Catarina is the cleanest place to swim.
The Oriental Market in Managua is the biggest market

in Central America.
4. Present structure:
Structure:
Short adjective + -est
newest
fastest

Most + long adjective

most wonderful
most intelligent
5. Explain that the same spelling change rules apply as
for the comparative
6. Present irregulars:

2. Practice asking and answering questions.

3. Use similar dialogues using music and movie vocabulary.

D. Defending Likes and Preferences

1. Present dialogue examples:
A: What kind of movies do you like?
B: I like horror movies.
A: Why?
B: Because I like to feel scared.
A: Do you prefer horror movies or comedies?
B: I prefer horror movies to comedies.
A: Why?
B: Because horror movies are scarier than comedies.

2. Explain how to answer the question Why?

Structure:
Because + sentence (Subject + Verb + Complement)
Why do you wake up early? Because I work at 6AM.
Superlative Spelling Chart

1. Regular
2. Ends in -e

Irregulars:
Goodbetterbest
Badworseworst
Farfartherfarthest
Funmore funmost fun

3. End in -y

C. Likes and Preferences

5. Irregular

1. Present dialogue examples:

A: What kind of movies do you like?
B: I like horror movies.

150

A: Do you prefer horror movies or comedies?

B: I prefer horror movies to comedies.

4. Consonant
+ vowel
+ consonant
ending

+ -est

new
fast

newest
fastest

-y

ugly
funny

ugliest
funniest

+ -st

-iest

double the
consonant
+ -est

cute
nice
fat
sad

good
bad
fun
famous

cutest
nicest

fattest
saddest

best
worst
most fun
most famous

We Do/Practice
A. Superlatives (R, W)
Students complete each sentence.
1.

is the funniest actor.

2.

is the worst movie.

3.

is the most famous actress.

4.

is the most popular kind of music.

5.

is the saddest kind of movie.

6.

is the best TV show.

B. Comparatives and Superlatives (R, W)

Students fill in the blanks with the correct comparative and
superlative form of the adjective in parentheses.
1. Horror movies are (more popular) than science fiction,
but action movies are the most popular. (popular)
2. Jon Bon Jovi is (more famous) than Phil Collins, but
Michael Jackson is the most famous. (famous)
3. Reggaeton music is (better) than hip hop, but
romantic music is the best. (good)
4. Watching television is (more fun) than listening to
music, but watching movies is the most fun. (fun)

6. June is (hotter) than December, but April is the

hottest. (hot)

C. Stating Preferences (W, S)

1. Students take out a small piece of paper.
2. Students write a kind of music, kind of movie or kind of
television show on their paper.
3. Collect the pieces of paper.
4. Mix the papers and give them to the students.
5. Explain that the students must choose a way to spend
their time.
6. Students work in pairs.
7. Students write a dialogue (See examples in Presentation
Activity C) using the words on their small pieces of paper.
8. Students practice dialogue.

D. Defending Preferences (S)

Students complete the sentence using because in order to
defend each preference.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

I dont like horror movies . . .

We prefer pop music . . .
They prefer to watch television . . .
Laura likes action movies . . .
Justo and Josue prefer listening to music . . .

5. This movie is (longer) than that one, but Titanic is the

longest. (long)

You Do/Production
A. Cocktail Party (See Multi-Purpose Activities
Index for more directions) (S)
1. Have students write down two related things on a
small piece of paper. (For example, horror movies and
comedies, soccer and baseball, etc).
2. Students stand up and ask each other Do you prefer
horror movies or comedies? according to their paper.
3. When students ask and answer their partners questions,
they exchange pieces of paper and find someone else to
ask.

B. Two Circle Conversation (See Multi-Purpose

Activities Index for more directions) (S)
1. Follow the rules of the activity.
2. Students write two kinds of music on a small piece
of paper.
Ex: Bachata and Rap.
3. Students form a question about preferences.
Ex: Do you prefer bachata music or rap?
4. Students answer with their preference.

C. Comparatives and Superlatives: Good, Better,

Best (W, S)
1. Students work in pairs.
2. The teacher writes the original sentence on the board.
Ex: Daddy Yankee is a good singer.
3. Explain that the students must use the model sentence
as a base. Students create comparatives and superlatives
based on the model.
4. Student 1 writes a Comparative sentence. Student 2
writes a Superlative sentence.
Ex: Student 1 writes Daddy Yankee is better than Don
Omar. Student 2 writes Daddy Yankee is the best singer
in the world.
5. Write a new model sentence. Continue using vocabulary
from this unit.
Ex: I like rap music. I like rap music better than jazz. Rap
music is the best kind of music.

151

D. Stating and Defending Preferences (W, S, L, R)

1. Write two musicians on the board.
Ex: Aventura vs. Daddy Yankee.
2. Students volunteer to write comparisons between
the two musicians on the board. Students write one
comparative of superiority and one of inferiority.
Ex: Aventura is better than Daddy Yankee.
Aventura is worse than Daddy Yankee.
3. Divide students into groups.
4. Ask students if they agree or disagree with the
statements on the board. Students must choose
which statement represents their preference.

5. Ask students Why?

6. Students must defend their preference.
Ex: If a student thinks that Aventura is better than Daddy
Yankee, the student defends the preference and writes
Why? Because Aventura is romantic and more fun than
Daddy Yankee.
7. Students can volunteer to write their answers on the
board.
8. Write two new subjects to compare.
Ex: science fiction vs. comedy, pop music vs. classical, etc.
9. Students write the comparatives and repeat the
process.

9th Grade 6.1 A Future Trip

Target Vocabulary
Time Expressions: tonight, this morning/this afternoon/this evening, tomorrow, the day after
tomorrow, next week/month/year
Travel: airport, arrival, departure, suitcase, tour, reservation

Verbs: GET ON, GET OFF, GUIDE, LEAVE, PACK, PREPARE, RESERVE, TRAVEL, VISIT

Target Grammar

GOING TO
We are going to do our homework tonight.
Are you going to come to my party next week?
IN + period of time (an hour, a week, a month, a year)
In December, the weather is cold.
My birthday is in a week.

Review ON + date/day of the week (See 7.4.3)

On Monday, August 10th, I won a prize.

We are not going to have English class on Wednesday.

I Do/Presentation
A. Present Future with GOING TO

4. Ask students to identify the verb form.

1. Present a Timeline to demonstrate the three tenses:

Past, Present, Future
Past

Present

2. Review Simple Present with examples

Ex: I am a student.
We go to school.
She eats breakfast.
3. Present Examples of Future with GOING TO
Ex: I am going to be a university student.
We are going to go to school.
She is going to eat breakfast.
152

Future

Structure: Subject + BE + going to + Verb (simple form)

5. Present examples of the sentences with time expressions.

He is going to study English tomorrow.
We are going to play soccer this afternoon.
I am not going to visit Granada next week.
Are you going to buy fruit at the market this morning?

6. Ask students to identify sentence structure.

Future with GOING TO Sentence Structure:

Affirmative:
Subject + BE + GOING TO + Verb (simple form) +
Complement.
I am going to watch baseball this weekend.
We are going to visit our grandparents in May.
Negative:
Subject + BE + not + GOING TO + Verb (simple form)
+ Complement.
He is not going to eat dinner tonight.
They are not going to clean the patio.
Interrogative:
BE + Subject + GOING TO + Verb (simple form)
+ Complement + ?
Is she going to call her father next week?
Are you going to go to sleep soon?

B. Present Time Expressions

1. Use examples from presentation of GOING TO.
2. Underline the time expressions.
3. Make a list on the board and students copy.

C. Present Prepositions In and On with

Time Expressions
1. Review days of the week, months of the year and
the date (See 7.4.3 and 7.4.4)
2. Give examples
Ex: In an hour, I am going to pack my suitcase.
In a year, I am going to be in 10th grade.
On Saturday, she is going to come to my house.
On December 24th, we are going to celebrate Christmas.
School begins in February.
My birthday is in October.
My birthday is on October 2nd.
3. Explain the rule:

IN + period of time
ON + specific day or date

We Do/Practice
A. Writing a To Do List (W)
1. Students make a list of activities that they are going to
do tomorrow, next week, and next month.
2. Review common verbs for the list, like DO homework,
PLAY soccer, TAKE a test in English, etc.

B. Future with GOING TO (R, W)

Students change each sentence to the future tense using
GOING TO.
1. Julio eats pupusas on his trip to El Salvador. Julio is
going to eat pupusas on his trip to El Salvador.

2. We speak English in Bluefields. We are going to speak

English in Bluefields.

3. I clean my room before my sisters visit. I am going to

clean my room before my sisters visit.

4. You arrive at the bus station at 12:45. You are going to

arrive at the bus station at 12:45.

5. It rains in Costa Rica. It is going to rain in Costa Rica.

6. Maria and Antonio plan their trip. Maria and Antonio
are going to plan their trip.

C. Complete the Sentence (R, W)

Students complete the sentences using GOING TO. Students
share their sentences.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Tonight, I
.
Next week, my family
On December 31st,
Next year, Nicaragua
In five years, I

.
.
.
.

D. Prepositions In and On (R, W)

Students answer the questions using the correct preposition
and the time in parentheses.
1. When are you going to go to Managua? (3/1) I am going
to go to Managua on January 3rd.

2. When is she going to visit Miami? (May) She is going to

visit Miami in May.

3. When are we going to see the beach? (December) We

are going to see the beach in December.

4. When is Paulo going to leave for the United States?

(26/11) He is going to leave for the United States on
November 26th.

5. When are you going to begin your job at the travel

agency? (November) I am going to begin in November.
6. When are they going to celebrate Mothers Day? (30/5).
They are going to celebrate on May 30th.

153

G. Tour Package (R)

E. Complete the Sentence (R, W)

Students complete the sentence with the phrases in
parentheses and GOING TO.
Ex: Usually I eat gallo pinto for breakfast, but (tomorrow/
EAT pancakes.) Tomorrow, I am going to eat pancakes.
1. Yesterday Gloria won a prize so (today/BUY a plane ticket
to Miami.) Today she is going to buy a plane ticket to Miami.
2. On Thursday I am going to reserve a hotel room because
(on Friday we/VISIT Ometepe Island.) On Friday, we are
going to visit Ometepe Island.

3. Sometimes they take a taxi to their aunts house, but

(today/ARRIVE by bus.) Today, they are going to arrive
by bus.

4. The bus is very full so I dont think (I/GET ON.) I am going

to get on.

5. The departure is at 8:00 so (we/LEAVE at 7:00 to get

good seats on the bus.) We are going to leave at 7:00 to
get good seats on the bus.

1. Present two tour package readings on poster paper or

write them on the board.
2. Explain that they are tour packages and that the students
are going to choose one.
3. Read the readings.
4. Give students 5 minutes to read silently.
5. Ask students if they have any questions.
6. Students choose one tour and write two sentences about
why they are going to go on that tour.
7. Students volunteer to read their sentences to the class.

Short version:
Ruins of Leon
You are going to visit Nicaraguas first colonial
city. You are going to learn historical facts and
see amazing landscapes.

F. GOING TO Fill in the Blank (R, W)

Leon City Tour

Students fill in the blanks with GOING TO and the verb

in parentheses.

Our guide is going to introduce you to Leons

rich history, legends, culture and colonial
architecture. Then you are going to take an
indigenous art tour.

am going

to be (BE)
This year, I am in 9th grade. Next year, I __________
am going to

graduate (GRADUATE) from

in 10th grade, and I _____________
am going
to attend
high school in two years. After that, I _____________

(ATTEND) college and study English because I

am going

to be (BE) a tour guide. My friend Julie wants to

__________
are going
to study (STUDY) in the
be a tour guide also. We _____________
are going

to visit
United States to practice English. We ____________

(VISIT) many interesting places. When we travel to

are going

to learn (LEARN) what tourists

the United States, we __________
is going

to help (HELP)
like to do. That information ___________

me with my job.

Variation 1: Present the words in a word box. Students

decide which verb fits where.
Variation 2: Use a second time with the verbs in a box
as an evaluation.

154

Long version:
Discover and swim in the beautiful
Laguna Asososca (1 day)
A place where there are not many travelers, the
hidden Laguna Asososca is a beautiful place.
It has cool and refreshing waters. On the walk
to the laguna, we are going to have spectacular
views of Momotombo, Lago de Managua and of
course the Laguna. Then, we are going to swim
in the pure volcanic waters. This hike is going
to include a visit to the ruins of Len Viejo, the
first capital of Nicaragua. We are going to start
at 7 am in the tour office. We are going to return
the same day at 5 pm to the tour office.
Price: $30

H. Cocktail Party (See Multi-Purpose

Activities Index for More Directions) (S, L)

Climb San Cristbal, the highest

volcano in Nicaragua! (2 days)

1. Each student writes a sentence with GOING TO and

the subject I.
2. Students stand up and walk around with their
sentence and ask each other the question What
are you going to do today?
3. Students answer by reading their sentence.
4. When both students have asked and answered,
they exchange papers and go talk to a different
person.

We are going to go to the village of La Bolsa near

Chinandega. We are going to hike past fields and through
forest. We are going to sleep on a farm. The farmer is
going to talk to us about his life next to a giant active
volcano. We are going to leave the camp the next day
and hike through forest. Then we are going to go up the
volcano. After a long hike, we are going to be at the peak
of Nicaraguas highest volcano at 1,745 meters. We are
going to enjoy the views of volcanoes, the plains and the
Pacific Ocean. We are going to start at 10 a.m. and return
the next day at 7 p.m.

Variation: Give the students the verbs they will use

to write their sentence.

Price: $60

You Do/Production
A. King/Queen of the Mountain (See Multi-Purpose
Activities Index for more directions) (S, L)
Students say a sentence in the simple present sentence, and
the king or queen must change it to the future with GOING
TO.

B. Calendars (R, W)
1. Each student makes a calendar for December.
2. They must include at least five items on their calendars
that they or their families are going to do.
3. It can include special events or regular activities.
4. Using the calendars, students write sentences describing
what they are going to do during the vacation.

C. Were Going To Go On a Trip (S)

1. Divide students into groups.
2. The group should imagine they are going on a trip to a
certain destination. Decide on the destination.
3. The first student in each group says We are going to go
on a trip and I am going to bring ____. The student can
choose any object to bring that someone would need at
that destination.

4. The next student says, We are going to go on a trip. (First

student) is going to bring _____ and I am going to bring
_____.
5. The next student says, We are going to go on a trip. (First
student) is going to bring _____, (second student) is going to
bring _____ and I am going to bring _____.
6. Students continue and add to the sentence until all the
students in the group participate.
7. When they finish, the group should choose a new
destination and repeat.

D. Going on a Trip (W)

1. Give the students the following situation
and instructions:
You are going on a trip but you are not prepared.
Make a To Do list of everything you are going to do in
order to prepare for the trip.
Write a paragraph using the verbs in the To Do list
and GOING TO.
Variation 1: Students write another paragraph about what
they are going to do on their trip
Variation 2: Make a minibook with pictures and sentences
with GOING TO about their trip.

9th Grade 6.2 The Past

Target Vocabulary
last + week/weekend/month/year/Monday/night, yesterday

Target Grammar

Simple past tense with regular verbs

Laura kicked the soccer ball.

The students finished the homework.

155

I Do/Presentation
A. Simple Past of Regular Verbs
1. Present Reading

C. Spelling of Past Tense Verbs

1. Use the chart below to show the spelling of regular past
tense verbs.

A Past Romance
Once upon a time, Claudia and Guillermo lived in
Nicaragua. As children, they played together and
visited each others houses. Later, they studied
together at the same school. One day, Guillermo
kissed Claudia and they decided to be girlfriend
and boyfriend. All through school, they laughed and
danced. One day, Claudia talked to Guillermo because
she wanted him to call her more on the phone. But
I never have saldo! he shouted. Guillermo asked her
to give him another chance. They both cried and then
the relationship ended.
2. Read the reading.
3. Underline the verbs
4. Ask students to identify verb form.

Verb Form: Verb (simple form) + -ed

1. Regular

+ ed

asked
watched

2. Ends in e

+ d

used
liked

3. Ends in
consonant y

ied

studied
applied

4. Consonant +
vowel +
consonant end

double the
consonant
+ ed

planned
mopped

D. Pronunciation of ed
1. Explain that ed has three pronunciations: /t/, /d/,
and /ed/.

/t/

B. List of Regular Verbs (Listen to CD Track #23)

Students copy list of regular verbs:
ask - asked
count - counted
finish - finished
kiss - kissed
like - liked*
look - looked
paint - painted
plan - planned*
study studied*
use - used*
walk - walked
watch - watched

cook - cooked
dance danced*
help helped
laugh laughed
listen listened
need needed
play played
start started
talk talked
visit visited
want wanted
work - worked

Note: The starred (*) verbs have

irregular spelling

1. Explain/Review meaning of verbs.

2. Mark verbs with irregular spelling.

156

/d/

/ed/

ed is pronounced /t/ after voiceless sounds like

k, p, s, ch, sh, and f.
Ex: looked = look/t/; watch=watch/t/
ed is pronounced /d/ after voiced sounds, like
l, v, n, b, and all vowels.
Ex: save = save/d/; play = play/d/
ed is pronounced /ed/ after t and d sounds,
adding a whole syllable to the word.
Ex: needed = need/ed/; invite = invite/ed/

Note: The last sound, not the spelling,

determines the pronunciation of the ed

Ex: Invite ends with an e. The e is not pronounced.

The last sound is /t/ so the pronunciation is invite/ed/.

Teacher Tip: Voiced or Voiceless? Vibration Test

To determine whether sounds are voiced or voiceless,
touch your throat at when you say them. Does your throat
vibrate when you say the end of the word? If your throat
vibrates, its a voiced sound and the past tense verb ed
will be pronounced /d/. If your throat doesnt vibrate, its a
voiceless sound and the ed will be pronounced /t/. You can
teach students this test to check whether sounds are voiced
or not.

E. Present Sentence Structure for Simple Past

1. Present examples:
Affirmative: Claudia lived in Nicaragua last year.
Negative: Claudia did not live in Nicaragua last month.
Affirmative: I studied at the university yesterday.
Interrogative: Did you study for the quiz last Monday?
2. Ask students to identify the structure.

F. Present Time Expressions

1. Use examples from presentation of the
sentence structure.
2. Underline the time expressions.
3. Make a list on the board and students copy.

Simple Past Sentence Structure:

Affirmative:
Subject + Verb (simple past) + Complement.
I worked in Boaco last year.
Mariano traveled to Guatemala last week.
Negative:
Subject + DO (simple past) + not +Verb (simple form)
+ Complement.
She did not eat dinner last night.
They did not go to church last Sunday.
Interrogative:
DO (simple past) + Subject + Verb (simple form) +
Complement + ?
Did you watch The Simpsons last Monday?
Did Osmani pass the English test last week?

We Do/Practice
A. Categories: Writing (See Multi-Purpose Activities
Index for more directions) (W, L)
1. On the board, students categorize the regular verbs by
their pronunciation:

/t/

/d/

/ed/

asked
cooked
danced
finished
helped
kissed
laughed
liked
talked
walked
watched
worked

learned
listened
planned
played
studied
used

counted
needed
painted
started
visited
wanted

B. Rules of Pronunciation (S)

1. Students use notebook paper to make 3 cards. Write /t/
on the first card, /d/ on the second card, and /ed/ on the
third card.
2. Students practice holding up each card and pronouncing
the sound.
Ex: Students hold up the card that says /t/ and pronounce
that sound.
3. Read a verb from the list.

4. Students hold up the correct card and pronounce the

verb in the past with the correct pronunciation.
Ex: For the verb talk students hold up the /t/ card and
pronounce talked with the /t/ sound.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

talked
sobbed
graded
filled
defended
waited
enjoyed
laughed

talk/t/
sobb/d/
grad/ed/
fill/d/
defend/ed/
wait/ed
enjoy/d/
laugh/t/

C. Simple Past (R, W)

1. Students form a sentence using the past tense.
2. Students write the sentences in the form indicated
in parentheses.
1. (affirmative) I/study/for my English test last night.
I studied for my English test last night.

2. (interrogative) Roberta/play/volleyball this morning.

Did Roberta play volleyball this morning?

3. (negative) He/work/at the factory ten years ago.

He did not work at the factory ten years ago.

4. (negative) We/visit/our grandparents last weekend.

We didnt visit our grandparents last weekend.

5. (affirmative) They/kiss/under the palm tree yesterday.

They kissed under the palm tree yesterday.

6. (interrogative) You/laugh/at the joke.

Did you laugh at the joke?

157

B. Tic-Tac-Toe (See Multi-Purpose Activities Index for more directions) (S, L)

1. Use these verbs to do the activity: helped, listened, needed, played, used, visited, wanted, watched, worked
2. Follow the rules of the activity to practice past tense verb forms.
3. Write the simple form of a regular verb in each box.
Tic-Tac-Toe Example:
4. Students change to the past tense and pronounce to win the square.
5. (See example board at right.)
want
listen
Variation 1:
Follow the rules of the activity to practice
sentence structure.
Write a verb in the past tense in each box.
Students create a sentence using the verb in the box and
pronounce it correctly to win the square.
Variation 2: Students must use a time expression in the sentence.

watch ed

play

help ed

need

use

visit

work

You Do/Production
A. Pronunciation of ed (S, L)
1. Assign each student a regular verb.
2. Instruct students to move to one area of the classroom if
their verb takes /t/, another if it takes /d/ and another if it
takes /ed/.
3. Students form a circle with the other students with the
same sound.
4. Students go around the circle and each student
pronounces his/her word.
Variation: To form the groups in a unique way, students
walk around the classroom making the sound ed makes
with their verb and students making the same sound find
each other and form their circle.

B. Past Tense Interrogative (R, W)

1. Make a set of flashcards with regular verbs.
2. Students come to the board in pairs, select a card and
write a yes/no question in the past using the verb on
the card.
Ex: Did you watch TV yesterday?
3. If the question is correct, give a thumbs up and the next
pair writes a question.
4. If the question is not correct, give a thumbs down. The
next pair corrects the mistakes.
Variation 1: Students must use a time expression
in the sentence.
Variation 2: Practice all three. Make a set of flashcards
that say affirmative, negative and interrogative.
Students select one card from each set and write the
sentence using the structure and verb selected.

9th Grade 6.3 Who Did It?

Target Vocabulary
BE, COME, DO, GO, HAVE, MAKE, SEE, STEAL, TELL, TAKE, INTERROGATE
Mysteries: alibi, crime, detective, guilty, innocent, interrogation, suspect, thief

Target Grammar

Simple Past Irregular Verbs (See Irregular Verb Chart, last page of manual)
I ate the nacatamal.
You had a problem.

I Do/Presentation
A. Transition to Content
1. At the beginning of class, tell the students Someone stole
the __________! and write it on the board.

158

2. For example, Someone stole the National Championship

soccer trophy!
3. Explain that students will use English to solve
the mystery.

B. Present BE in the Simple Past

1. Explain that BE has two forms in the simple past:
WAS and WERE.
2. Give examples:
Ex: My grandfather was a detective.
We were at home at seven oclock last Saturday.
I was afraid.
They were at the party last night.
3. Review Subject Pronouns.

Singular

Plural

1st Person

we

2nd Person

you

you

3rd Person

he
she
it

they

4. With subjects I, he, she, and it, use WAS. With subjects
you, we, and they, use WERE.

Singular

Plural

1st Person

I was

we were

2nd Person

you were

you were

3rd Person

he was
she was
it was

they were

C. Explain the Affirmative, Negative and

Interrogative of BE
1. Explain that the structure for BE in the past is the
same as in the present.
2. Use the information from the text box in the upper
right.

Past Tense BE Structure:

Affirmative:
Subject + BE + Complement.
I was happy this morning.
She was sad last night.
Negative:
Subject + BE + not + Complement.
I was not at school yesterday.
You were not at your sisters house.
Interrogative:
BE + Subject + Complement + ?
Was he happy yesterday?
Were they ready for the test?

D. Present Irregular Past Tense Verbs (Listen to CD

Track #24)
1. Explain that in English, there are many irregular verbs in
the simple past and that the students must memorize
them.
2. Give list of irregular verbs used in this unit.
3. Practice pronunciation.

Write the irregular past form(s) for the infinitives below:

to be
to come
to do
to go
to give
to have

was, were
came
did
went
gave
had

made
saw
stole

to make
to see
to steal
to tell
to take

told
took

Teacher Tip: Rhyming Irregular Verbs

A good strategy for presenting irregular verbs is in rhyming
groups. Instead of giving students a list in alphabetical order,
you can choose the verbs that students will need. Present the
verbs in groups that rhyme with one another. It helps students
remember the pronunciation. For example:
Fed
Led
Read
Let
Met
Said

Knew
Grew
Blew
Threw
Flew

Brought
Bought
Caught
Fought
Taught
Thought

Drove
Rode
Wrote

We Do/Practice
A. Flashcards (See Multi-Purpose Activities Index for more directions) (W)
1. Students fold a piece of notebook paper into rectangles.
2. Students cut or tear apart rectangles.
3. Students write simple form of verbs on one side and past forms on the other.
4. Students use these cards to do a Multi-Purpose Activity like BINGO or Memory or use them to
study for homework.

159

B. Detective (S, L)
1. Review yes/no questions in the Simple Past.
2. One student leaves the room. This student is
the detective.
3. Give an object to one student. That student is the thief.
4. Explain that the detective is going to ask the students
Did you take the ______? and review how to answer.
Explain that everyone is going to say No, I didnt. (The
thief will lie.)
5. The detective enters the classroom.
6. Say to the detective Someone took the _____. and write
the sentence on the board.
7. Ask students what question the detective is going to ask
and write it on the board. Did you take the ____?
8. The detective asks the students one by one and the
students answer No, I didnt.
9. The detective has three opportunities to guess who took
the object.
Variation: Give objects to 5-6 students to have
more thieves.

C. Question Relay Race (See Multi-Purpose

Activities Index for more directions) (S, L)
1. Follow the rules of the activity to practice
interrogation questions.
2. Use these questions:
1.
2.
3.
4.

Where were you (time expression)?

What did you do?
What did you see?
Where did you go?

3. Review the past tense forms of BE, SEE, and GO.

4. Brainstorm some possible answers for each question.
Variation: Students do the activity one row at a time.
Each student must answer something different. The
other students listen for a repeated answer.

D. Suspects and Alibis (L)

1. Tell students that there was a crime last night and there
are three suspects.
2. Explain that an alibi is an explanation of what a person
did that proves they did not commit a crime.
3. Read the three alibis. Students listen.
4. Students decide who is guilty.

Alibi #2
My name is Emily and I didnt steal the
because
yesterday I went to a baseball game in the stadium. I came
home right after the game and stayed in my house until it
was dark. We didnt have much food, so I went to the store
but I was gone for only a few minutes. No one saw me leave,
but I promise I stepped inside the house again in only five
minutes! Maybe four! Three? Three maximum.

Alibi #3
My name is Philip and I didnt steal the
because I
dont like
. I dont like it at all. I went to work
yesterday, came home, made dinner and went to sleep.
Thats it. Dont look at me like that. I told you the truth. I
stopped at my friend Bennys house around 6:30. He saw
me there. Now leave me alone.

E. What Happened? (W, R)

Students fill in the blank with the past tense form of the verb
in parentheses.
Yesterday was (BE) almost the best day ever. First, my

mom made (MAKE) me my favorite breakfast: two fried

eggs and a big glass of pinol. After breakfast I showered

(SHOWER) and was (BE) ready in ten minutes. I watched

(WATCH) TV with my dad until it was (BE) time to

leave. I went (GO) to school. At recess my friend wanted

(WANT) to buy me Ranchitas. I was (BE) so excited, I

saved (SAVE) the Ranchitas in my backpack to eat them

later. After school I walked (WALK) home, did (DO) my

homework, and played (PLAY) with my little brother.

I helped (HELP) my mom cook dinner too! It was (BE)

a great day, until I looked (LOOK) in my backpack and

discovered (DISCOVER) the Ranchitas were gone! Who

took (TAKE) my Ranchitas?!

F. Reading Comprehension
Students read the reading from activity E and answer
the questions.

Alibi #1

1. Who gave the author the Ranchitas? Her friend

My name is Miranda. I didnt steal the

, because
yesterday I was in my house watching TV all evening. I didnt
leave the house all night. I went to sleep early at 7:00 P.M. I
talked to my mother on the phone at 6:50 P.M. She knew I
was at home and is going to prove my innocence!

2. What did the author do first? She saved the Ranchitas.

3. Where were the Ranchitas? The Ranchitas were in

gave her the Ranchitas.

the backpack.

4. When did the author take a shower? She showered

after breakfast.

5. What was the mystery in the story? Who took

the Ranchitas?

160

You Do/Production
A. Comic Strips (See Multi-Purpose Activities Index
for more directions) (W, R)
1. Explain what a comic strip is and show an example.
2. Each student writes two names of famous people on
small pieces of paper.
3. Collect pieces of paper in a bowl and mix them up.
4. Students work in pairs.
5. Each pair chooses two names from the bowl.
6. Explain that these two people were involved in a crime
yesterday and that the students are going to invent a
story about what happened.

7. Students fold two pieces of paper into 6 squares.

8. Students draw one scene in each square on the first
piece of paper.
9. Students write 2-3 sentences for each square in the
Simple Past on the second piece of paper, describing
the story in the drawings.
10. Students must use at least 6 different verbs, at least 3
irregular verbs.
11. Students cut or tear apart drawings and written
descriptions and mix them up.
12. Students trade squares with another pair and match
the drawings to the correct descriptions.
Variation: Students make 6 large drawings and
present the story to the class saying 2-3 sentences for
each drawing.

B. Alibi (S, L)
1. Write the reading on the board.
2. Review the word alibi. (See Practice activity D for
this content).
3. Read the reading and check for understanding.

Last night someone stole a diamond from a store on

the main street of our town. The diamond was very
expensive. Nobody knows exactly when the thief stole
the diamond, but they took it between 6 pm and 9 pm.
Three people were outside the store last night, and
the police took them in to ask them questions. Right
now, they are the prime suspects, and they are in this
room!
4. Divide the class into two groups.
5. Choose three suspects from each group.
6. Explain that the suspects must invent an alibi. Each
groups three suspects will work together to invent one
alibi. The three suspects from each group must have the
same alibi or they are guilty. (There will be two alibis total
because the class divided into two groups.)
7. The suspects leave the room and write with as many
details as possible about what they did last night (the
alibi).
Ex: We went to a restaurant. We ate fish. We shared the bill.
We went home on the bus.
8. Explain that the other students are the police officers.
9. While the suspects write their alibis, divide each group
into three smaller groups (6 total). The three smaller
groups are the police station groups.
10. The police station groups write questions to ask
the suspects.
11. The suspects enter, and one suspect sits at each
police station.
12. The police officers ask the suspects questions, and the
suspects answer using their alibi. The police officers
take notes.
13. The suspects change police stations and answer
questions at the new police station.
14. The suspects change again and answer questions at the
last police station.
15. The three police station groups compare information
and decide if the suspects are guilty (if the suspects gave
different information, they are guilty).

9th Grade 6.4 Final Review

See 7.3.3 for lesson plan suggestions to do a final review
of Units 4-6.

161

10th Grade
Contents

Target Grammar

Page

Review Modal SHOULD | Modal HAVE TO

163

Review descriptive sentences with BE and MUST and HAVE TO

166

Review Modal SHOULD

170

Review Simple Present and Simple Past

172

Review Wh-questions | Review Simple Past regular and irregular

176

| Review Simple Past Sentence Structure

182

10.1.1

Friends

10.1.2

Love

10.1.3

Family Ties

10.2.1

Music

10.2.2

Nicaraguan Folklore
Stories

10.3.1

Life Events

Review Wh-questions

10.3.2

Diversity

Review Wh-questions

10.3.3

Personalities

10.4.1

Vacations and
Tourist Places

10.4.2

Traveling

10.4.3

Making a
Reservation

10.5.1

Our Environment

10.5.2

Trash Disposal
and Recycling

10.5.3

Consequences in the
Environment

10.6.1

Natural Disasters

10.6.2

Experiencing and
Coping with Disasters

Review word order of adjectives to describe vocabulary in the simple present

Review Simple Past

205

10.6.3

Oral History: Natural

Disaster Experiences

Review Wh-questions

206

162

184
186

Modal COULD

188

Future with WILL

190

Modal WOULD

192

Review there is/there are

194

Review Modal SHOULD

196

If . . . then (cause and effect)

199
202

10th Grade-1st Day of Class

Review appendix for suggestions for the 1st day of class.

10th Grade 1.1 Friends

Target Vocabulary
honest, trustworthy, kind, helpful, jealous, mean, selfish, boring, angry
DATE, BREAK UP (with someone)

Target Grammar

Review Modal SHOULD (See 8.6.3)

Modal HAVE TO
A good friend has to be honest.
I have to help my friend this afternoon.

I Do/Presentation
A. Brainstorm Qualities of Good and Bad Friends
1. Draw two columns:

Qualities of a good friend

Qualities of a bad friend

helpful

angry

kind

(etc.)

jealous
(etc.)

2. Students brainstorm qualities for the two columns.

3. Students copy the diagram and words from the board.

B. HAVE TO
1. Review SHOULD. (See 8.6.3 and 9.4.2)
2. Give example sentences with HAVE TO.
Ex: He doesnt have to go to class today because the
teacher is not at school.
Do we have to finish this assignment before the next class?
Manuel has to tell her the truth.
3. Ask students to guess the meaning of HAVE TO from the
examples.

4. Explain that HAVE TO means that something is

a necessity.
5. Ask students for the structure and write it on the board.
6. Students copy the examples and the structure.

HAVE TO Sentence Structure

Affirmative:
Subject + HAVE TO + Verb (Simple Form).
I have to study.
He has to practice soccer.

Negative:
Subject + DO + not + HAVE TO + Verb (Simple Form).
You do not not have to listen.
She does not have to eat chicken for dinner.
Interrogative:
DO + Subject + HAVE TO + Verb (Simple Form) + ?
Do I have to sweep the patio?
Does she have to clean today?

163

We Do/Practice
A. Crosswords (See Multi-Purpose Activities Index
for more directions) (S, L, W)
Follow the rules of this Multi-Purpose Activity to
review vocabulary.

B. Acrostic Poems (See Multi-Purpose Activities

Index for more directions) (W)
1. Students choose a name of a friend that they are going to
write about.
2. Write the name of that person vertically.
3. Use the letters of the name to start adjectives describing
that person.

Ex:

Joyful
Understanding
Loving
Intelligent
Outgoing

Variation: Use the letters to form sentences describing their

friends instead of just words

C. Friend Quiz (R)

D. Matching Friend Problems with Advice (R)

Students match the friend problem with the corresponding
advice:
Friend Problem

Advice

1. __ My friend is addicted
to drugs.

A. You should explain to

your friend that you value
honesty.

2. __My friend is dishonest.

B. You should bring your

friend to parties or fun
events.

3. __My friend has a violent

boyfriend.

C. You should help your

friend prepare for the next
test.

4. __ My friend is boring.

D. You should accompany

your friend to the health center, and you should help your
friend talk to her parents.

5. __ My friend is pregnant.

E. You have to convince your

friend to find help for the addiction problem.

6. __My friend has a grade of F. You have to tell your

40 in English class.
friend to break up with her
boyfriend and to talk to the
police.
Answers for teachers:

1-E, 2-A, 3-F, 4-B, 5-D, 6-C

1. Students draw a box next to each friend quality from the

brainstorm list.
2. Each student uses the lists to evaluate one friend. If the
friend possesses the quality, the student will write an X
next to the word. If not, the student will leave it blank.

Variation: Make strips of paper with the friend problems

and advice. Divide students into groups, and give each
student in the group one strip of paper. Within their groups,
students pair the problems and the advice.

Qualities of a good friend:

Qualities of a bad friend:

E. Do You Agree? Think Pair Share (R, L, S)

Helpful

Angry

Kind

Jealous

Honest

Boring

etc.

etc.

3. Students count the number of Xs in the good quality

column and in the bad quality column.
4. Students determine their friends grades. Each good
quality is worth +1 point, and each negative quality is
worth -1 point.
5. Give students the results of their friend quiz.

> 6 points: A great friend!

4-5 points: A good friend

2-3 points: A friend

< 1 point: An enemy!
164

1. Ask students to think about the advice given in the

activity Matching Friend Problems with Advice. Explain
to them that this advice may not be perfect. Ask them,
Do you agree with the advice?
2. Divide class into pairs and have students discuss their
opinions.
3. Finally, call for the group to discuss the advice as a whole.
Is there anything the students would advise differently?

F. Modal Practice
Students fill in the blank with HAVE TO or SHOULD. Both
possible answers in parentheses are correct.
1. A: I am angry at Xiomara. I dont know what to do.
B: You
talk to her. (have to or should)
2. People

talk to fix problems. (have to or

should)

3. A: What do I need to be your friend?

B: You
always be genuine and kind. (have to
or should)

4. She

be honest with John, or he will dump

her. (should or has to)

5. I dont have any money for the bus, so I
walk
to my friends house. (have to)
6. A: Im going on vacation next week, but I dont know
where to go.
B: You
go visit Alexandra in Masaya. Its
beautiful! (should)
7. A: My girlfriend tells me to exercise more, but I dont
want to.
B: You
listen to her. (should)
8. A: Were having a party tonight. Do you want to come?
B: I cant. I
stay with my little sister. (have to
or should)

You Do/Production
A. Describe a Friend: Guess Who (W, S, L)
1. Students choose a friend in their class and write a
paragraph about that friend..
Ex: My friend is kind. She is funny and intelligent. She
likes pop music. She is good at math. She is never angry
or jealous.
2. Students should read their paragraphs aloud, and other
members of the class should guess which friend their
classmates are describing.
Variation: Students can include leisure activities, physical
descriptions, and likes and dislikes to review contents
from 8th and 9th grade.

B. I Like You Because (S or W)

1. Ask all the students to think about what they like
about the person sitting next to them.
2. Students should say aloud what they like about that
person. .
Ex: I like you because you are kind.
I like you because you are honest.
Variation: Students tape a piece of paper on their backs.
Classmates use the paper to write things they like about
each student.

C. Scenarios, Skits, and Discussions (R, W, S, L)

1. Divide students into small groups.
2. Give each group a card with a situation on it.
3. Groups should analyze the situation and take notes on
their answers to the discussion questions.
4. Students should prepare a presentation acting out
the situation and ask the discussion questions of their
classmates
Note: If possible, encourage the students to act out the
scenario without writing and memorizing a dialogue.
They can use simple present. This can be difficult, but it
is an important skill for them. There are many scenarios
here; choose the ones most relevant to your students.

Today Mariana has an exam. She likes Juan Jos, and he sits next
to her in class. He never studies, but he asks her for the answers.
1.
What should Mariana do?
2.
How common is this in your high school?
Peters friends are using drugs. They invite him to smoke marijuana.
He is nervous, but doesnt want to lose his friendship.
1.
What should Peter do?
2.
What do you think about friends that use drugs?
Helen and Tom are best friends, and they do everything together.
Tom tells Helen that he wants to date her. Helen doesnt want to
date him, but she doesnt want to lose the friendship.
1.
What should Helen do?
2.
What does it mean to date? How is it different than
friendship?
Jairo and Teresa are in the same class. Jairo is gay. He is very nice
and fun. Teresas friends always make mean comments about him,
and she thinks it is wrong.
1.
What should Teresa do?
2.
Should she say something?
Carolina and Adrienne take art class together. They are partners
for an assignment and must prepare a painting. But only Carolina
works on it. Adrienne always says she is too busy. Carolina decides
she will present the painting alone. Adrienne gets very angry.
1.
What should Carolina do?
2.
How common is this problem at your high school?
Thomas likes Kathy and wants to ask her to be his girlfriend. But his
best friend, Matthew, likes Kathy too.
1.
What should Thomas do?
2.
How do romantic relationships affect friendship?
Sara is on a no-sugar diet. But she is nervous that she failed her
history exam, so she asks her friend Alex for some candy. He knows
about her diet.
1.
What should Alex do?
2.
What do you think about dieting?
165

Andrew sees his friend Michael take money from another boys
backpack. Michael says not to tell the teacher, or else hell end
the friendship. But when the teacher finds out the money is
stolen, she punishes the whole class.
1.
What should Andrew do?
2.
Is Michael a good friend?
3.
Have you ever stolen anything? How did you feel

about it?

Jorge and Kevin have been friends forever and they do everything
together. Lately Jorge has been drinking a lot. His friends and his
parents are worried because he is spending a lot of money and
getting very drunk. He tries to get Kevin to drink a lot too, and is
angry when Kevin says no.
1.
What can his friends say and do?
2.
What should his parents do?

10th Grade 1.2 Love

Target Vocabulary
patient, caring, responsible, loving, tolerant, smart, attractive, interesting, creative, outgoing, open-minded, handsome, beautiful, rich, boyfriend, girlfriend, healthy, unhealthy
BREAK UP with him/her, TRUST him/her, TELL the truth, CHEAT on, CHANGE, MAKE new
friends, INTRODUCE, TRY new activities, DATE

Target Grammar

Review descriptive sentences with BE and MUST (See 9.1.3) and HAVE TO (See 10.1.1)
My partner must be attractive.
You dont have to be rich to be my partner.

I Do/Presentation
A. Famous Partners (Vocabulary Presentation)
1. Review adjectives (See 8.1.1)
2. Select pictures of famous couples to describe.
Ex: Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, Minnie and Mickey Mouse,
or Pepe Cabezn and la Gigantona.
3. Using two large separate pictures of the selected couple,
place one picture on the left side of the board and the
other picture on the right side of the board.
4. Next to one picture write My partner must
Ex: If you are using Minnie Mouse to describe Mickey Mouse,
My partner must be . . . a mouse, dark, short, handsome,
famous, funny and nice.
5. Write My partner must not next to one picture.
Ex: If you are using Minnie Mouse to describe Mickey Mouse,
My partner must not be . . . a cat, tall, mean or angry.
6. Solicit responses from the students for the second picture.
Variation: Select and show students one individual from the
couples (Ex: Mickey Mouse) and tape the other pictures on
the board.
Ex: Minnie Mouse, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, la Gigantona, Pepe
Cabezn.
Students ask Mickey What kind of partner do you want?
and the teacher says (as Mickey) My partner must be a
mouse, dark, short, beautiful, famous, funny, nice. Students
choose which partner is for Mickey. Repeat for all the
individuals until everyone has the correct partner.
7. Write a list of characteristics. Practice pronunciation.
Students copy.
166

B. Healthy and Unhealthy Relationships

1. Students brainstorm a list of characteristics of healthy
and unhealthy relationships.
Healthy: patient, caring, responsible, loving, tolerant
Unhealthy: jealous, violent, abusive, superficial

C. Giving Advice
1. Review how to give advice (See 10.1.1)
2. Introduce vocabulary that students may not have used
last unit:
BREAK UP with him/her, TRUST him/her, TELL the truth,
CHEAT on, CHANGE, MAKE new friends, INTRODUCE, TRY
new activities, DATE

D. Meanings of Modals
1. Review meaning of MUST. (See 9.2.2)
2. MUST means that something is an obligation and
it is a little stronger than HAVE TO which mean that
something is a necessity.
3. Explain that in the negative, MUST NOT shows
prohibition and DONT HAVE TO shows lack of
necessity.

100%

Something required,
totally necessary

HAVE TO,
MUST/MUST NOT

Ex: You have to be nice to her.

You must be nice to her.
You must not be mean to her.

60%

Strong suggestion

SHOULD/
SHOULD NOT

Ex: You should be more open-minded.

You should not be close-minded.

0%

No obligation,
not necessary, optional

Dont HAVE TO

Ex: You dont have to be rich to be

my boyfriend.

Ex: You must respect his family. (Something required)

You have to have a positive outlook on life. (Totally necessary)
You must not come home late. (Prohibited)
You dont have to always be outgoing. (Not necessary, Optional)

Variation: For classes that have more

problems with grammar, teach only SHOULD
and SHOULD NOT, or continue with the
grammar in 10.1.1. Modify the following
activities accordingly.

We Do/Practice
A. Fill in the Blank (R, W)
Students use MUST NOT or DONT HAVE TO to fill in
the blank.
1. I finished my work, so I (dont have to) study tonight.
I will go get ice cream with John.

My partner must . . .
be attractive
have a lot in common with me
be rich

2. You (must not) come home late. You are too young.

be smart

3. You (dont have to) introduce me to Christopher. We

met yesterday.

be interesting/creative
be patient

4. I (dont have to) go to her house. I saw her this morning.

be funny

5. If you see Christina, you (must not) tell her what I said.

be kind

6. A person (doesnt have to) be rich to be happy.

have a good family

7. We (dont have to) go to the party if you dont want to,

but maybe it will be fun.

have the same racial/ethnic background

B. Choosing a Partner (L, S, R, W)

1. Discuss new vocabulary and practice pronunciation of
each quality.
2. Students rank the following characteristics from 1 to 13,
using each number only once.
3. The characteristic ranked 1 is the most important, and
the characteristic ranked 13 is the least important.

be outgoing
have a positive outlook on life
be loving
4. Divide students into small groups of five to compare
their charts.
5. Students add the numbers for each quality.
Ex: If the five students ranked be attractive as number 1,
10, 11, 10, and 8, the number for the group would be 40.
6. Each group orders the qualities from most important
(smallest number) to least important (biggest number).
7. Draw a chart on the board and each group writes its
group rankings
8. Compare the groups results. Students discuss
their opinions.
167

C. What Should David Do? (L, S, W)

1. Make a picture of David, who should be dirty and have
long hair.
2. Show the picture to the students. Read Davids letter:
Dear Nicaraguan Students, I have a big problem. I arrived
in Nicaragua five months ago, but I still dont have a
girlfriend. What should I do?
3. Help the students answer the question of what David
should do.
4. Make and show a picture of David after accepting the
advice (clean, in a popular place, with a girlfriend).

D. Describing Relationships (L, S)

1. Read a description of a relationship to your students.
2. Students must say a sentence that describes the
relationship.
My boyfriend and I always talk. I know all about his life.
(This relationship is honest.)
Wendy and Carolina help each other with their problems.
They are very friendly and kind to each other. (This
relationship is kind.)
My father doesnt like when my mother hangs out with her
friends. He calls her all the time. He doesnt like when she
talks to other men. (This relationship is jealous.)
Carlos hits Julia every night. They fight constantly. He yells
at her and controls her. (This relationship is violent.)

E. Question Relay Race (S, L)

1. Students should think about what characteristic is
most important to them in a relationship.
2. Place students in rows.
3. Ask the first students the question: What kind of
relationship do you want?
4. The students in the front of each rogw must answer
the question. I want a relationship that is kind, I want
a relationship that is tolerant, etc.
5. The first student in each row then turns around and
asks the students behind them. After they answer,
they ask the next student in the row.
6. The first row to ask and answer the question wins.
Variation: Change the question structure to ask about
what students want in a partner, or what kind of
relationship they dont want, etc.

F. My Love Letter (W)

1. Students complete the love letter with qualities they
value in a partner.
Dear_______,
I fell in love with you the first time we met. I love you
because you are __________, __________, and
___________. I respect you because you are______,
__________, and _________.
Love, ___________

G. Matching Relationship Problems with Advice

(R)
1. Use the activity from Friendship, 10.1.1 as a model for
writing problems and advice.
2. Write relationship problems and possible advice.
3. Students match the problem with the corresponding
advice.
Variation: Have students write problems and advice in
pairs, and then assemble them to make the worksheet.

You Do/Production
A. Two Circle Conversation: Celebrity Speed Dating (See Multi-Purpose Activities Index for more
directions) (W, S, L)
1. Follow the instructions for Two Circle Conversations.
2. Students write six questions using the Target Vocabulary.
Ex: Are you intelligent? or Are you open-minded?
3. Students create a small name tag and pretend to be a famous celebrity.
4. The inner circle begins asking the questions.
5. Students ask their partner three of the six questions.
6. The outer circle answers the questions using complete sentences.
Ex: Yes, I am intelligent, or No, I am not open-minded.
7. When both students have asked and answered three questions, only the outer circle rotates so each student has a new
partner. Repeat.
Variation: The classroom desks can be arranged in a long line of two desks facing each other. Students on one side of the
line of desks rotate, until all pairs have met.
168

B. Online Dating Profiles (R, W, L, S)

1. Divide students into small groups.
2. Each group must invent an online dating profile for an
imaginary character.
3. Students stand up and walk around room, comparing
profiles to find a match for their character.
4. Students must justify their pairs based on the information
in their profiles. Ana and Jorge are a good pair because
they have a lot in common and both want a relationship
that is caring.
5. If the students do not find a match for their character, they
must justify why they would not make a good pair with
another profile. Ana and Mauricio are not a good pair
because they have nothing in common.
Example Profile:
Name: Anna Jones
Age: 22
Profession: Secretary
Interests: traveling, listening
to music, dancing bachata
I want a relationship that is:
fun, caring, tolerant, romantic.
I dont want a relationship
that is: jealous.

C. The Perfect Partner (W, S)

1. Students write a list of requirements for The Perfect
Partner.
2. Students write affirmative and negative sentences with
MUST/HAVE TO.
Ex: My partner must respect me.
My partner must not use drugs.
My partner has to be intelligent.
3. When students complete the list, divide students into pairs.
4. Students exchange papers with a partner and discuss their
requirements.
5. Choose several student pairs to read their partners list of
requirements to the class.
Variation: Class discussion for example, Which group
thinks that physical appearance is more important? Try not
to make value judgments, because you can influence the
students responses. Guide the discussion, but allow the
students to express their opinions.

D. Scenarios, Skits, and Discussions (R, W, S, L)

1. Divide students into small groups.
2. Give each group a card with a situation on it.
3. Groups should analyze the situation and take notes on their
answers to the discussion questions.
4. Students should create a presentation acting out the
situation and ask the discussion questions.

Note: If possible, encourage the students to act out the

scenario without writing and memorizing a dialogue. They
can use just simple present tense if they need to. This can
be difficult, but it is an important skill for them. There are
many scenarios here; choose the ones most relevant to your
students.
Heydi is 12 years old, and Too is 16. They want to date, but
Heydis parents say she is too young. So they meet in secret.
1.
Are they ready to start a relationship?
2.
How common is this in your town?
Melissa and Kevin are dating. Melissa really likes Kevin, but
Kevin is jealous. When he doesnt know where she is, he gets
violent.
1.
What should Melissa do?
2.
Is jealousy good or bad for a relationship?
Marias boyfriend called her fat behind her back.
1.
What should she do?
2.
Are most relationships honest or dishonest?
Susans family is rich. She is in love with Ronald, but Ronald is
very poor. Susans parents dont want them to date.
1.
What should Susan do?
2.
How does money affect relationships?
Maritza is dating Roger. But Roger tries to flirt with Luisa,
Maritzas best friend.
1.
What should Luisa do?
2.
Why is infidelity a problem?
Rosa and Pedro are in love and are considering getting
married. Pedro confesses that he has HIV.
1.
What should they do?
2.
How can we prevent HIV/AIDS transmission?
Rachel and Martin are dating. Rachel doesnt want to have
sex yet. But Martin says he will break up with her if she doesnt
have sex with him.
1.
What should Rachel do?
2.
When do you think people should start having sex?
Miguel and Junieth are dating. Junieth and Heradio have
been friends forever, but their friendship makes Miguel
uncomfortable.
1.
What should Miguel do?
2.
Can men and women just be friends?
Liz and Steve are dating. When they go on dates, Steve always
invites his friend Mark. He says he feels bad if he doesnt invite
him. But Liz wants time alone with Steve sometimes.
1.
What should Liz do?
2.
How can we balance friends and boyfriends/
girlfriends?

169

10th Grade 1.3 Family Ties

Target Vocabulary
INVITE, ACCEPT, DECLINE, letter, family vocabulary (7.2.4)

Target Grammar

Review SHOULD (See 10.1.1

What should she do?
She should talk to her parents.

I Do/Presentation
A. Review Family Members
Use a multipurpose activity to review family member
vocabulary (7.2.4).

B. Reading: A Letter to Aunt Perla

Bring to class a poster paper with the following letter:
Dear Aunt Perla,

C. Accept or Decline
Explain that when we receive an invitation, we can either
accept or decline. To accept means to say yes to an
invitation, and to promise that you will attend. To decline
means to say no to the invitation in a polite manner, while
offering an explanation of why you cant attend.

I want to invite you to a party at my house next Friday

at 5:00pm. The party is for my brother Sal (your
nephew). The party will celebrate Sals birthday. At the
party we will have food, Chicheros music, and dancing.
It will be cool! I know the situation is complicated,
because you and my mother are enemies. But I hope
that you will come to the party for Sal. Please accept
my invitation.
Sincerely,
Your Nephew Ramn

We Do/Practice
A. Reading Comprehension Questions (L, R, S)
Students answer the questions based on the letter to Aunt
Perla (above).

ACCEPT:
Dear Ramn,

2. What is the party for?

Thanks for the invitation to the party. I will attend. I want

to go to the party for Sal, so I will try to be friends with your
mother. I am excited to eat the delicious food and dance to
the Chicheros music! See you Friday!

3. What types of activities will be at the party?

4. Why is the situation complicated?

DECLINE:

1. Who wrote the invitation?

Sincerely, Aunt Perla

Dear Ramn,

B. Listening Comprehension (L)

1. Read aloud the following answers from Aunt Perla.
2. Students must determine if the answer is to accept or
decline.
3. Do not tell in advance if it is to accept or decline!

170

Thanks for the invitation to the party. Unfortunately, I will not

attend. I want to go to the party for Sal, but my relationship
with your mother is very tense, so I feel uncomfortable.
Please excuse my absence, and enjoy the delicious food and
the music.

Sincerely, Aunt Perla

C. Never-Ending Board Game (See the MultiPurpose Activities Index for more directions) (R, S)
1. In small groups, tell students to create their game board
with questions about families.
2. Each student uses a small piece of paper with their initials
as a game piece.
3. Game board reading comprehension questions can
include:
Describe your sister or brother.
Describe your cousin.
Describe your grandparents.
Describe your parents
What does your father do?
What does your mother do?
Do you have a big family or a small family?
Do you want to have children in the future?
Do you want to have a big family or a small family in the
future?
4. Players begin by placing their game pieces on the Free
space.
5. On four small pieces of paper, write the numbers 1
through 4. Turn them face down. The first player chooses
a number and moves that many spaces ahead.
6. The student responds to the question written on the
space where their piece stops, according to their family.
7. If a student lands on the Free spaces, that student can
rest until their next turn.
8. The game is never-ending so students can keep playing
and continue in a circle for as long as you would like.

D. Smith Family Chores (R, W)

1. Present the scenario and question to students.
2. As a class, discuss the questions.
Mrs. Smith asks her son, Mike to take out the garbage and
wash the car. She tells her daughter, Alice, to wash the
dishes and sweep the floor.
* Does Mike have to wash dishes?
* Does he have to wash the car?
* Does Alice need to wash the floor?
* Should Alice take out the garbage?
* Is it true that Mike must not sweep the floor?
3. Have students complete the following sentences using
has to, doesnt have to, and must not:
1. Mike ______wash the dishes.
2. He _________wash the car,
3. Alice_________wash the floor.
4. Alice _________take out the garbage.
5. Mike and Alice ___________forget to do their chores.

You Do/Production
A. Invitation Writing (W)
1. Students write an invitation for a family member
following the model presented in the I DO section.
2. The invitation includes the day and time of the event,
planned activities, and a complication (e.g., the invitee
doesnt like the food that will be served; the invitee will
be busy the day of the party; etc.)

B. Acceptance/Decline Writing (R, W)

1. Students mail their invitations to a classmate, who they
pretend is their family member.
2. Classmates decide whether they want to accept or
decline the invitation.
3. Students write an acceptance or a decline of the
invitation, following the model from the We Do/Practice
section. They must include their answer and the reason
why they accept or decline.
4. Students mail their letter to accept or decline to the
classmate who sent them the invitation.

C. Scenarios, Skits, and Discussions (R, W, S, L)

1. Divide students into small groups.
2. Give each group a card with a situation on it.
3. Groups should analyze the situation and take notes on
their answers to the discussion questions.
4. Students should create a presentation acting out the
situation and ask the discussion questions of their
classmates
Note: If possible, encourage the students to act out the
scenario without writing and memorizing a dialogue.
They can use simple present tense if they need to. This can
be difficult, but it is an important skill for them. There are
many scenarios here; choose the ones most relevant to
your students.

See next page for scenarios...

171

Alfredos mother and father are worried because he is never

home. He is a good student at school but he spends all afternoon
on the street. He gets angry if they ask him where he is going. He
comes home at 11:00 p.m. and then goes to bed.
1.
What should his parents do?
2.
Do you always tell your parents where you are going?
Carlos wants to go to the United States because his family is very
poor and his mother is very sick. He would have to go illegally.
His mother says no.
1.
What should Carlos do?
2.
How common is illegal immigration in your community?
Juana finds pornographic videos in her son Johnnys cell phone.
Johnny is 11 years old. Juana tells Johnnys father, but he just
laughs. She tries to talk to the boy, but they are both very
embarrassed.
1.
What should she do?
2.
Why is pornography a problem?

Jos failed his math test, but he hid it from his parents. His
teacher was worried about him, and talked to his mother. She
was very angry that he hid the test and did not study.
1.
What should she do?
2.
Why do people hide things from their parents?
Janier is worried. He sees his father beat his mother.
1.
What should Janier do?
2.
What do you think can happen to children who see
family violence?
Raquels little sister Julieta is very annoying. Whenever Raquel
goes to visit her friends, Julieta wants to go with her.
1.
What should Raquel do?
2.
Do you have siblings? What is your relationship like?

Joel finds 1,000 crdobas on the sidewalk. Later he sees a rich

man looking for the money. Joel is poor and knows the money
will buy medicine for his sick sister.
1.
What should he do?
2. Why?

10th Grade 2.1 Music

Target Vocabulary
indigenous, instrument, guitar, marimba, trumpet, trombone, tuba, drums, performer, PLAY,
LISTEN

Target Grammar

Review Simple Present and Simple Past (See 7.3.1) and (9.6.2)
Martha likes to play the piano.
Raul played the marimba like a professional.

I Do/Presentation
A. Brainstorm Types of Music
1. Students brainstorm types of music. Ex: pop, romantic, rap, reggaeton, bachata, hip-hop, folkloric, chicheros, palo de
mayo merengue, salsa, classical, Christian, cumbia, etc.
2. Students brainstorm adjectives to describe each type of music. (Chicheros: loud, fun; Bachata: slow, fun to dance to.)
3. Students rank the music types in order of their preferences, from best to worst.
Variation: You can focus on popular types of music that the students like, or on Nicaraguan music so students can
describe national music.

172

B. Review the Verb LIKE: Affirmative and Negative

(8.5.2)
1. Ask the students about their rankings of music types, and
use their answers to transition into a discussion about
the verb LIKE.
2. Present the affirmative and negative forms of LIKE using
music preferences and a variety of personal pronouns
(See 8.5.2)
3. Present how to give reasons using because and ask for
reasons using why? (E.g., I like reggaeton music because
it is fun to dance to. She doesnt like romantic music
because it is slow.)

E. Nicaraguan Music and Culture (Listen to CD Track

#25)
1. Present the reading.
2. Students look for known words and cognates and try to
identify new expressions or words.
3. Create a list of new vocabulary words.
4. At the beginning of the next class, quiz the students on the
words meanings.
5. Read Nicaraguan Music and Culture to the students.
6. Guide students through the reading until everyone
understands the general idea. It is not important for them
to understand every word of the reading.

C. Present Musical Instruments Vocabulary

Use pictures or gestures to present the new vocabulary
(guitar, piano, drums, marimba, trumpet, tuba, trombone,
violin).

D. Music Exploration
1. Students listen to a short music clip from
an English song.
2. Lead a short discussion about the song.
3. Possible discussion questions include:

What genre was the song?

Who was the performer?
What sounds did you hear?
What instruments did you hear?
Who likes to listen to this type
of music?
Did you like the song?
What was the topic of the song?
What words were familiar?
What type of music do you like?

Nicaraguan Music and Culture

Nicaraguans listen to lots of local and international
music. Folkloric music is indigenous to Nicaragua, and
has a traditional dance that accompanies it. Folkloric
music uses the marimba. Palo de Mayo music is from the
Caribbean coast. It is loud and fun to dance to. Chicheros
music is also popular, especially for parties. Chicheros
bands use the trumpet, trombone, tuba, drums, and other
instruments. Nicaraguans like local artists music, but they
also like international music. Bachata, merengue, reggae,
reggaeton, cumbia, and punta are popular. Some people
like pop, rock, and classic music in English.

We Do/Practice
A. Practice: LIKE (W)
Students form sentences with the verb LIKE using the
information given. A (+) means that the sentence will be
affirmative; a (-) means that the sentence will be negative.
1. (+) She, Enrique Iglesias: She likes Enrique Iglesias.
2. (-) Tania, cumbia music: Tania doesnt like cumbia music.
3. (-) I, sing: I dont like to sing.
4. (+) The boys, rap music: The boys like rap music.
5. (-) We, play the piano: We dont like to play the piano.
6. (+) You, Luis Enrique: You like Luis Enrique.
7. (+) I, play the marimba: I like to play the marimba.
8. (-) Ral, rock music: Ral likes rock music.

Variation 1: Give groups of students a set of four sentences

cut up into individual words. The students must arrange the
words to make logical sentences with LIKE.
Variation 2: Have students expand the sentences by writing
reasons why each person does or doesnt like the type of
music.

173

B. My Opinion (R, W, L, S)

D. True or False (L)

1. Before class, prepare clips of several different types of music

to play.
2. Students copy the following chart in their notebooks:
Type of Music

My Opinion

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
3. Play a short clip of a song and ask the students to identify
the type of music played and to write their opinion of that
type of music.
Ex: I like hip-hop music because it is in English, I dont like
bachata music because it is slow.
4. Ask students about their responses and repeat back to
them using the third-person personal pronouns.
Ex: Juan, do you like folkloric music?
Yes, I like folkloric music.
Why?
Because it is Nicaraguan.
Juan likes folkloric music because it is Nicaraguan.

C. Nicaraguan Music and Culture (R, W)

1. Use the reading from the I do/Presentation Actvity E.
2. Divide students in pairs.
3. Students make a list of all of the instruments and types
of music in the reading.
4. Students rank the types of music from the best to
the worst.

174

1. Students stand up and push the desks to the walls.

2. Divide the class in half.
3. Designate one side to be True and the other side False.
4. Use one piece of masking tape in the middle of the class
to make the two sides distinct.
5. Read the questions aloud. Questions are according to
the Nicaraguan Music and Culture reading from I do/
Presentation E.
6. Students walk the correct side.
7. After students have chosen one side, read the
correct answer.
8. Use the information in the reading to answer the
following questions:
1. Folkloric music is indigenous to Nicaragua. True
2. Classic music in English is not popular in Nicaragua.
False

3. Palo de Mayo music is famous on the Caribbean

Coast of Nicaragua. True
4. Nicaraguans also like local and international music.
True

5. Chicheros music is NOT popular in Nicaragua. False

6. Chicheros music includes the trumpet and the piano.
False

E. Music Never-ending Board Game (See MultiPurpose Activities Index for more directions) (R, S)
1. In small groups, tell students to create their game board
with questions about music.
2. Each student uses a small piece of paper with their initials
as a game piece.
3. Game board reading comprehension questions can
include:
* Whats your favorite band?
* Whats your favorite type of music?
* Whats your favorite song?
* Whats your favorite Nicaraguan song?
* Who is your favorite singer from the United States?
* Do you like music in English? Why?
* Sing a song
4. Players begin by placing their game pieces on the Free
space.
5. On four small pieces of paper, write the numbers 1
through 4. Turn them face down. The first player chooses
a number and moves that many spaces ahead.
6. The student responds to the question written on the
space where their piece stops, according to their family.
7. If a student lands on the Free spaces, that student can
rest until their next turn.
8. The game is never-ending so students can keep playing
and continue in a circle for as long as you would like.

You Do/Production
A. Sentence Art (R, W)
1. Divide students in pairs.
2. Student choose a sentence from the list below and draw
a picture of that sentence. They DO NOT write the
sentence they choose to draw.
3. Students write a minimum of four more sentences to
explain their drawing.
4. Student-pairs exchange drawings with another pair.
5. Both pairs look at the drawings and try to guess the
original sentence.
6. Students move around the
class and exchange with
new pairs until they find
the five other sentences.

C. My Friends Opinions: Question Board (S, L, W)

1. Students fold a piece of paper in half three times.
2. When unfolded, the paper should have 8 rectangles. In
each rectangle, they should write one type of music
3. Practice asking the question, Do you like?
4. Students circulate and ask other students the questions
orally.
.Ex: Do you like romantic music?; Yes, I do./ Yes, I like
romantic music Why? Because its beautiful.
5. Student record their classmates answers with the name
and reason their classmate does or does not like certain
music.
Cumbia

1. Juana is a popular guitar player for a local group.

Folkloric
Juan likes folkloric
music because it is
beautiful.

2. I cant read music. I play the piano by ear.

Classic

Chicheros
Daniel doesnt like
chicheros music because
it is too loud.

Salsa

Bachata

Palo de Mayo
Gema likes palo de
mayo music because it
is fun to dance to.

Hip hop

Sentences:

3. This weekend, an Austrian orchestra is playing Mozart

at the theater.
4. Vicente Fernandez played in Managua in April.
My friends attended the concert.
5. We all play a musical instrument in my family.
6. On The Simpsons, Lisa plays the saxophone.

B. Project: Our Favorite Type of Music (S, L, W)

1. In small groups, students choose their favorite type of
music and prepare a poster presentation to explain it
orally.
2. The presentation must include the following information:
type of music, why the students like it, types of
instruments used, famous artists, and an example of a
song.
Ex: Our favorite type of music is pop. We like pop music
because it has a great rhythm for dancing and because
the singers are very attractive and wear interesting
clothes. Pop music uses many instruments, like the electric
guitar and the drums. Some famous pop artists are Lady
Gaga, Britney Spears, and Justin Bieber. An example of a
pop song is Never Say Never by Justin Bieber.
3. Students play a clip or sing a short piece of a song from a
song from this type of music.
Variation: Students watching the presentations make
sentences about their classmates music preferences.
Ex: Danielas group likes pop music. At the end, the class
determines based on their sentences which is the most
popular type of music in the class.

D. Music Interpretation (W, R, S, L)

1. Play music.
2. Choose one of the following variations:
Variation 1: Students write what color it reminds them
of and why. Students read their sentences to each other.
Ask one or two students to read their sentences to
the class.
Variation 2: Students write what kind of person the music
makes them think of. Students read their descriptions to
each other.
Variation 3: If it is not possible to listen to music, bring a
musical instrument or an object to class that can be hit to
make sounds.
Students describe the musical instrument or object (for
example the color, the size, the shape, the price, etc.).

10th Grade 2.2

175

Nicaraguan Folklore Stories

Target Vocabulary
Vocabulary will depend on the legends you choose to present in your class. Adapt the
vocabulary lessons according to the content.

Target Grammar

Review Wh-questions (See 8.5.3)

Review Simple Past regular and irregular (See 9.6.2 and 9.6.3)

Note: There are many stories here to choose from. This is more information than you should teach
in one unit. You should choose just a few stories, according to your region or students interests.
Adapt the activities according to which stories you choose. Re-write the stories if necessary,
according to your students language level.
Introduction
Folklore legends in Nicaragua have been told for many years through Nicaraguan history. Some stories are for fun, some
stories have a valuable lesson, and some stories are about history. Some are told all over Nicaragua, and some come from
specific cities. What stories do they tell in your community?

La Mocuana
La Mocuana was an Indian princess. Her father, the
chief, was nice to the Spanish conquerors at first but
then ordered them to leave. Soon the Spanish returned
to conquer the village and take their gold. The chief
hid the treasure and his daughter, La Mocuana, was
the only other person who knew where it was. During
a battle between the two groups the tribe won. Later,
the son of one of the Spanish soldiers came to the
village and fell in love with La Mocuana. She fell in
love with him and they planned to run away together.
She gave him her fathers treasure so they could have
money. The Spaniard locked La Mocuana in a cave, and
he ran away with the treasure. La Mocuana escaped
through the back of the cave. The heartbroken princess
began to explore the woods and went crazy because
she was betrayed. Some people say that they see her
on dark nights, and La Mocuana brings drunkards to
her cave where they disappear. If you are outside at
night, be careful because La Mocuana is there, too!
La Carretanagua
On dark nights, a ghost cart passes the streets of
Nicaragua. The cart is driven by Death. There are
two oxen, one white and one black, and they are so
skinny they are practically skeletons. People hear the
cart passing their house, and they are afraid. The cart
cannot make turns, it just disappears at the end of the
road. When the carretanagua passes through a town, it
takes peoples souls with it.
176

El Cadejo
At night when men return home from work a big strong
white dog follows them at a distance, protecting them
until they arrive at home. It is the Good Cadejo, the
friend of men who travel at night. Men feel safe when
they notice that the animal is close by; all of the dangers
of the night disappear. The big white dog always
defends them. But there is another dog that travels at
night too. It is big and black with a white neck. This is
the Bad Cadejo. He is the enemy of all men who travel
at night. If you meet the Bad Cadejo, he will attack you.
Many men die. If a man accompanied by the White
Cadejo meets the Black Cadejo the two dogs will fight.
But the White Cadejo will win and protect the man.
The Headless Priest (Len Viejo)
During colonial times there was a priest who defended
the rights of the Indians. The Spanish conquerors did
not like his politics, so they killed him by cutting off his
head. But his ghost lived. He walked the streets every
night, going from church to church. He prayed without
stopping. He had no head, but he had rosary hanging
from his neck and a cord around his waist. People say
that the headless priest still walks at night praying for
eternal peace. Watch out for this headless priest during
Holy Week, when his dark figure appears.

El Gegense (Diriamba)
Once upon a time there was a merchant in Diriamba
named El Gegense. He resisted the Spanish
government and mocked them. He was very clever and
sold fake merchandise. He did not want to pay taxes
to the Spaniards, so he arranged a marriage between
his son and the daughter of the Spanish governor. He
represents the Nicaraguan spirit against the Spanish.
Adiact and the Tamarind Tree (Len)
Once upon a time in Len, the Spanish conquerors
tried to defeat the Subtiava people. Adiact, the chief of
the Subtiava people, fought hard against the Spanish.
Adiacts daughter Xochilt Acalt fell in love with a
Spanish soldier. When Adiact learned of his daughters
love, he was ashamed. Adiact hung himself from a
tamarind tree. Xochilt Acalt disappeared from town.
The tamarind tree still stands today in Len and the
indigenous people are very proud of its history.
La Cegua (Nueva Segovia)
One night, a man left the bar and rode home on his
horse. He saw a woman washing clothes in the river.
Her back was turned, and she looked beautiful. The
man liked to have a lot of women, so he decided to talk
to her. She turned around and the man saw that her
face was not human. She had a horrible ugly horses
face. The man went crazy, and rode his horse quickly
away. He thought he escaped, so he turned around
to look behind him. But La Cegua was riding with him
on his horse! Be careful when you go out at night, La
Cegua could be waiting.

Chico Largo (Ometepe)

Once upon a time, Cacique Nicarao was the most
famous and powerful chief of Nicaragua. Chico Largo
was a descendent of Cacique Nicarao and lived on
the island of Ometepe. Chico Largos spirit comes out
at night to guard the tomb of Cacique Nicarao. Chico
Largo also protects the forest, and animals of Ometepe.
The Lost City, Miraflor (Estel)
In the Miraflor Reserve in Esteli, there is an enchanted
lagoon. There is a secret entrance to the lagoon that
takes travelers to a lost city. The lost city is at the
bottom of the lagoon, and is filled with food and fruit
trees. Visitors can eat all the food they want. But if
visitors try to bring the fruit back to the world above,
they will not be permitted.
Cihuacoatl the Snake God (Matagalpa)
Once upon a time there was a queen that was the most
beautiful woman in the land. But the queens husband
was very jealous. The king sent soldiers to follow the
queen on her trips to the river. At the river, the queen
hit the water with her hand, and a giant snake came
out. The queen fed the snake delicious foods, and then
the two made love. The kings soldiers ran to tell the
king what they had seen. The jealous king killed the
queen for her infidelity. When the snake realized that
his lover was dead, he shook the river with his tail. The
water rose up from the river and destroyed the kings
town. The Nahuatl people in the area still worship the
snake god today.

Ometepe and Zapatera (Lake Cocibolca)

Once upon a time, there was an Indian woman named
Ometepetl of the Niquirano tribe. Ometepetl fell
in love with Nagrando, an Indian warrior from the
Nagrandan tribe. The Niquiranos and Nagrandos were
enemy tribes. Ometepetls father discovered their love,
and was so mad he swore to kill Nagrando. Ometepetl
and Nagrando ran away. To have peace, they killed
themselves together. Sadness overwhelmed the
earth, and rain flooded the valley. Ometepetls breasts
swelled and became the two volcanoes of the island
of Ometepe, Concepcin and Maderas. Nagrando
grew into an island, Zapatera, which is located halfway
between his homeland and his love, Ometepe.
Ometeptls father and his soldiers went to search for the
lovers, but died in the flood. The soldiers became the
isletas of Granada and the Solentiname islands.

177

I Do/Presentation
A. Transition to Content: Walk to the Line (See
Multi-Purpose Activities Index for more directions)
(L,S)
1. Follow the rules for this Multi-Purpose activity. Use the
following questions:
1a. Walk to the line if . . . you like scary stories.

1b. If so, which scary stories do you like.

2a. Walk to the line if . . . you like scary movies.

2b. If so, which scary movies do you like.

3a. Walk to the line if . . . you are afraid of the night.

3b. If so, why are you afraid of the night.

4a. Walk to the line if . . . you know a folklore story.

4b. If so, which folklore stories do you know?

2. Explain that folklore in English does not refer to a dance,

but usually refers to traditional stories of a culture.

C. Story Previews
1. Ask the students what they know about the story you are
going to present.
2. Students complete the Who, Where, When, What, and
Why about the story.
Ex: El Gegense
Who: El Geguense, his son, the Spanish governor,
the governors daughter
Where: Diriamba
When: Colonial times
What: El Geguense doesnt want to pay taxes. He
makes fun of the Spanish.
Why: The Indians created the play to make fun of the
Spaniards.
3. You will not necessarily use this activity for El Geguense.
Adapt the activity for each story you present.

B. Review Simple Past

1. Review the verb form for regular verbs. (See 9.6.1)
2. Remind students of the list of irregular verbs.
3. Give students a list or ask them to bring one.

We Do/Practice
A. Reading: Fill in the Blank Verbs (L, R)
1. Choose a story to present.
2. Write the story on a papelgrafo before class, but in the
space of the past tense verbs, draw a blank space.
3. Read the story to the students. Repeat as necessary.
4. As they listen, they must identify and write the verbs.
5. Fill in the verbs on the papelgrafo.
6. Read the story through as many times as necessary,
identifying new vocabulary.
Example: The Headless Priest
During colonial times there ________ a priest who ________
the rights of the Indians. The Spanish conquerors
________ his politics, so they ________ him by cutting off his
head. But his ghost ________. He ________ the streets every
night, going from church to church. He ________without
stopping. He ________ no head, but he ________ rosary
hanging from his neck and a cord around his waist.
People say that the headless priest still walks at night
praying for eternal peace. Watch out for this headless
priest during Holy Week, when his dark figure appears
today.
178

Answers: was, defended, did not like, killed, lived,

walked, prayed, had, had

B. Present a Story (R, L)

1. Choose a story to present, according to your students
region and interests.
2. Write the words Who, What, When, Where, and Why on
the board, and review their meanings.
3. Tell students to identify these elements in the story.
4. Students read the story and/or listen to you read it.
5. Guide the students through the reading until everyone
understands the general idea.
6. As a class refer back to the Wh-questions on board and
complete the following:
Her is another example for La Mocuana Reading:
Who: La Mocuana the princess, her father the chief, the
Spaniard
Where: Nicaragua
When: During the Spanish conquest
What: La Mocuana fell in love with a Spanish soldier and
he stole her gold and locked her in a cave.
Why (Why do we have this story?): To keep people from
wandering around at night, to enjoy the story, to scare
children.

C. Run to the Board/ Flyswatter (See MultiPurpose Index for more directions) (L)
1. Write the names of the legends on the board that the
students have read.
2. Divide the class into two teams.
3. One student from each team comes forward.
4. Read a sentence from one of the legends the students
have read.
5. Students must race to the board and touch the name of
the correct legend.
6. The first student to touch the correct legend gets a point
for his or her team.
7. Repeat with a new sentence.
Note: This activity should only be done if you have time to
read and study at least two folklore legends.

D. True or False Listening (L)

1. Write descriptions of characters from the folklore stories
that your class read.
2. Read descriptions of the people, one at a time.
3. Students decide if the descriptions are true or false.
4. Students correct the false sentences.
5. Students write the answers in their notebooks and then
review answers as a class.
Ex: El Gegense was Spanish.
FALSE, El Gegense was Nicaraguan.
Ometepetl was a Spanish warrior.
FALSE, Ometepetl was an Indian Princess.
The Black Cadejo protects men at night.
FALSE, the Black Cadejo attacks men at night.

E. Story Order Race (R, S)

1. Photocopy or write out a folklore story from the
readings. You can choose multiple stories that the
students have read if it is a large class.
2. Cut the stories into individual sentences on different
pieces of paper.
3. Hand the sentences randomly to the students.
4. Students find other classmates with parts of the same
story.
5. Students put the paragraph in the correct order.
6. Students read their paragraph to the class.
7. The class confirms if their story matches and is in the
correct order.
Variation (Easier): Divide students into groups by their story.
Variation: If you only read one story, you can do this activity
in small groups. Make sure each student has a sentence.

F. Wrong Reading (L, S)

1. After studying a folklore legend, re-write the reading
with incorrect information.
2. Tell students they are going to listen to it again and
identify where the reading goes wrong.
3. Read the incorrect version to the students.
4. When you come to a part that is incorrect, students must
raise their hands and say Wrong!
5. Students should correct the wrong information by telling
you the correct information from their memory of the
story.
6. Continue the story with several places of wrong
information.
Ex: The Lost City, Miraflor
In the Miraflor Reserve in Esteli, there is an enchanted
volcano (wrong: lagoon). There is a secret exit (wrong:
entrance) to the lagoon that takes travelers to Managua
(wrong: a lost city). The lost city is at the bottom of the
lagoon, and is filled with pencils and markers (wrong:
food and fruit trees). Visitors can eat all the food they
want. But if visitor try to bring the fruit back to the world
above, they will be elected president (wrong: they will
not be permitted).

G. Never-Ending Board Game (See Multi-Purpose

Activities Index for more directions) (R, S)
1. Follow the directions in the index for this activity.
2. Students read a folklore story, and use the board game
for comprehension questions.
3. In small groups, tell students to create their game board.
Each student uses a small piece of paper with their initials
as a game piece.
4. You can have students make a game board, and re-use
the same questions for every folklore story you read.
5. Game board reading comprehension questions can
include:
* Where is the story from?
* When does the story take place?
* Who is the story about?
* What happened?
* Do you like the story?
* Why do we tell the story?
6. Players begin by placing their game pieces on the Free
space.
7. On four small pieces of paper, write the numbers 1
through 4. Turn them face down. The first player chooses
a number and moves that many spaces ahead.
8. The student responds to the question written on the
space where their piece stops, according to the folklore
story.
9. If a student lands on the Free spaces, that student can
rest until their next turn.
10. The game is never-ending so students can keep
playing and continue in a circle for as long as you would
like.
179

H. Reading Comprehension (R)

Students match folklore terms with their definition.
Note: There are many legends in this example. Only include the legends for which the students have studied the story.
Legend

Explanation

__ La Mocuana

A. was a snake god that flooded a town in revenge for his lovers murder.

__ Chico Largo

B. was under the lagoon in Miraflor, Esteli, and was filled with fruits and food.

__ Ometepetl and Nagrando

C. was an Indian Princess who haunts the woods at night because she was betrayed.

__ Adiact

D. were lovers from opposing tribes whose bodies became the islands in Lake
Cocibolca.

__ The Lost City

E. was a clever merchant who resisted paying taxes to the Spanish by arranging
a marriage between his son and the daughter of the Spanish government.

__ Chicuacotl

F. was the guard of the tomb of Cacique Nicarao and protected the animals on
the island of Ometepe.

__ El Gegense

G. was a king in Len who killed himself when his daughter fell in love with a
conquistador.

Answers for teachers:

La Mocuana, C, Chico Largo, F, Ometepetl and Nagrando, D, Adiact, G, The Lost

City, B, Chicuacotl, A, El Gegense, E

I. Verb Practice: Fill in the Blank Relay Race (R, W)

1. Before class, copy one of the eight sentence sets of irregular
and regular past tense verbs on separate pieces of paper.
2. Divide students into groups of five.
3. Give each group one of the eight pieces of paper face-down
and a separate blank piece of paper.
4. Tell students not to turn the paper over, until you say Go!
5. Tell students to write only on the blank piece of paper.
6. After you say Go! the first student of each group will flip the
piece of paper over and write the verb in Simple Past on the
blank piece of paper.
7. After the first student writes the verb on the blank piece of
paper, he or she passes both pieces of paper to the student
sitting next to him or her.
8. This continues until every student in the group writes a past
tense verb.
9. The last student in the group to finish takes the piece of
paper with the Simple Past verbs to the teacher.
10. The teacher verifies the correct answers.
11. If the students have mistakes, the student goes back to his or
her group and, as a group, corrects the mistakes.
12. The first group who gives the teacher correct answers wins
the race.
13. Rotate the list of sentences to different groups until every
group has had all the different lists of sentences.
Variation: Different students start and finish the relay races
each time.

Sentence sets
Regular:
1. I
the stories. (believe)
The girls
in the rain. (dance)
The children
. (disappear)
The people
from the conquerors.
(escape)
She
about the tales. (talk)
2. It
to rain. (start)
We
to the village. (return)
He
her in a cave. (lock)
They
very loud. (scream)
The man
the people. (scare)
3. The Cegua
in the woods. (live)
The tribe
victory. (gain)
He
for love. (die)
She
him very much. (love)
We
to escape. (plan)
4. You
to leave. (want)
The Spanish
the Indians. (conquer)
They
to the New World. (sail)
She
for the drunkards. (search)
The people
their chief very much. (love)

180

Irregular:
1. We
The girl
He
They
I

about the past. (think)

in the woods. (hide)
the gold. (take)
the truth. (know)
my soul. (sell)

2. The soldier
in love with La Mocuana. (fall)
You
to the village. (go)
The noise
at night. (begin)
My father
not to go. (say)
The Spanish
the treasure. (steal)
3. She
They
We
She
I

the chiefs daughter. (be)

to the village. (come)
them the treasure. (give)
him yesterday. (meet)
an idea. (have)

Answers for Teachers:

Regular
1. believed, danced, disappeared, escaped, talked
2. started, returned, locked, screamed, scared
3. lived, gained, died, loved, planned
4. wanted, conquered, sailed, searched, loved

Irregular
1. thought, hid, took, knew, sold
2. fell, went, began, said, stole
3. was, came, gave, met, had
4. found, saw, went, were, fell

4. He
the gold. (find)
The soldier
the beautiful princess. (see)
She
back to Spain with him. (go)
They
from Europe. (be)
She
in love with the soldier. (fall)

You do/Production
A. Name that Character (S, L)
1. Students choose a character from a folklore story they
have studied.
2. Students pretend to be that character, and describe
themselves to their classmates.
Ex: I am an Indian Princess. I fell in love with Nagarando,
and it made my father angry. We killed ourselves and
now my body is the islands of Lake Cocibolca. Who am I?
(Answer: Ometepetl)
(Variation: This can be done in small groups so all students
participate, or in two teams competing in front of the whole
class for points.)

B. Role Play (S, R, L)

1. Split the students into small groups.
2. Give each group a folklore story.
3. Students act out the story in a skit.
(Note: This can be very challenging for students, so be sure
to provide a lot of speaking practice beforehand. But this is
a fun way to learn many stories without just reading.)

C. Comic Strip Cards (See the Multi-purpose

Activities Index for more directions) (R, W)
1. Have students write a folklore story on small loose
pieces of paper.
2. There should be an order to the story, but if you
shuffle the papers the order should be mixed up.
3. Then, students exchange their papers with a partner.
4. Students should illustrate their partners drawings
and try to put the comic in order.
5. Student return the drawings to the author who
should verify that the pictures reflect their writing.
6. After the drawings are complete, students can change
comic strip cards with other students, and try to order
the papers to tell the story correctly.

D. Character Study (W, S)

1. Students select and draw one character from a
folklore story they read.
2. On the back of the paper students write a short
description of the character and why they chose that
character.
Ex: I chose the character the Gegense because
he is always laughing, and doing tricks. He is wise,
cynical and very funny. I think he is very intelligent.
181

E. Jig Saw: Folkloric Story (R, W, S)

1. Choose one of the folklore stories studied in class.
2. Divide students into small groups.
3. Give each group one small part of the story and a
papelgrafo.
Ex: Captain Alguacil Mayor visits the Gegense to tell him
to go to the Royal Cabildo to pay his taxes.
4. Students draw that scene from the reading and write the
part at the bottom of the papelgrafo.
5. Students present their papelgrafos in chronological
order.
Variation: Students role-play the small part that was given
to their group.

10th Grade 3.1 Life Events

Target Vocabulary
BORN, LIVE, START, HIRE, WORK, SELL, GRADUATE, FINISH, MARRY, MOVE, RECEIVE, PROMOTE, DIVORCE, MEET, WIN, BRAKE, ENTER, TRAVEL, BUY, RESIGN, ELECT, VISIT

Target Grammar

Review Wh-questions (See 8.2.3) and Simple Past Sentence Structure (See 9.6.2)
When did you start school?
Where did she live?

I Do/Presentation
A. Brainstorm
1. Students think of the most important events in
their lives.
Ex: being born, moving to a new city, starting
school, etc.
2. Students make a list of these most important
events in their notebooks.

B. Teacher Timeline
1. Before class, prepare your own personal timeline
and Mini-Book.
2. Include funny, serious, and important events.
3. Present timeline to students.
4. Present Mini-Book for students to follow.
Note: The following timeline is only an
example. You must use your own life
story.

182

Example Timeline: Prof. Juan Gutierrez

Age Important Events
0
6
12
13
16
18
18
20
21
23
26
28
29
30
35

I was born in 1984.

I had my first day of primary school.
I broke my arm.
I had my first kiss.
I started to ride a motorcycle.
I graduated from high school.
I entered UNAN.
I traveled to Bluefields.
I finished my university studies.
I had my first English teaching job.
I married my wife, Penelope.
I bought my first home in Granada.
My first child was born.
I resigned from my teaching job to be director.
I visited my family in Rio San Juan.

36

I was elected Mayor of Granada.

We Do/Practice
A. Picture Dictation (L, S)
1. Describe a scene of an important event from the list in the
brainstorm.
Ex: Being Born: Imagine a hospital. There are a lot of loud
noises. Babies are crying and people are happy. There
is a mother, father and a doctor. The doctor is giving
the baby to the mother.
2. Give the students time to draw what you say.
3. Students compare pictures with each other.
4. Students dictate the picture back to you while you draw it
on the board.

1. Juan started to ride a motorcycle when he was 18

years old. Juan started to ride a motorcycle when he
was 16 years old.

2. Juan lives in New York City. Juan lives in Granada.

3. Juan broke his arm. True.
4. Juan has been married twice.
Juan has been married once.

5. Juan has one child. True.

6. Juan visited family in Rio San Juan when he was 30.
Juan visited family in Rio San Juan when he was 35.

Variation: Students dictate a drawing to you.

Each student says one sentence.

D. Timeline Questions (L, S)

Variation: Students work in pairs, dictating to

each other.

Students use the cues to ask questions about Juan Gutierrez.

If you wrote your own timeline, change the questions to
relate to your personal timeline.

B. Dynamic Activity (S, L, W)

Use a dynamic activity to practice the new vocabulary.
Suggestions include: Two Truths and a Lie and Change Seats.
See Multi-Purpose Activities index for more directions.

C. Example Timeline Comprehension (L, S)

1. Review Simple Past Interrogative sentence structure
(See 9.6.2)
2. Use the timeline example from Presentation Activity B.
3. Read the following sentences about Juan Gutierrez (or
about yourself if you used a timeline about you).
4. Students decide if the sentences are true or false.
5. Students correct the sentences with mistakes.
Ex. Juan started to ride a motorcycle when he was 18 years
old. FALSE. Juan started to ride a motorcycle when he was 16
years old.

1. When (start university studies)

When did he start his university studies?

2. How many cities (visit) How many cities did he visit?

3. How many children (have)
How many children does he have?

4. When (get married) When did he get married?

5. How long (study) How long did he study at UNAN?
6. When (have first kiss) When did he have his first kiss?
7. How many degrees (receive)
How many degrees did he receive?

8. Which universities (attend)

Which universities did he attend?

9. How long (teach) How long did he teach English?

10. Where (buy) Where did he buy his first home?

You Do/Production
A. Make a Timeline (W, R)
1. Students create a timeline of their lives with ages
and events.
2. Students include the most important events.
3. In pairs, students share and discuss timelines.
4. In pairs, students write questions and answers about
their partners timelines.

B. Mini-Books (See Multi-Purpose Activities Index

for more directions) (W)
1. Students create Mini-Books with the information from
their timeline.
2. In pairs, students read and share their Mini-Books, then
exchange them with their partners.
3. The partner reads the Mini-Book and writes 3 questions
about the timeline.
Ex: What was Bluefields like? Did you like it?
How did you break your arm?
4. Each partner answers the questions their partner wrote.

183

10th Grade 3.2 Diversity

Target Vocabulary
economic class, ethnicity, gender, handicap, political view, race, religion, sexual orientation
stereotype, diversity, vali, typical, population, similarities, differences, Patron Saints,
attractions

Target Grammar

Review Wh-questions (See 8.2.3)

What is the typical food of Bluefields?
What languages do they speak in Masaya?
Where is Matagalapa?

I Do/Presentation
A. Odd One Out (See Multi-Purpose Index for more
directions)
1. Write the following groups of words on the board.
2. Students must choose the word that is different and does
not fit with the rest.
* Palo de Mayo , Punta, Marimba, Reggae
* Gallo Pinto with Coconut, Rundown, Vigoron, Coconut
bread
* Monimbo, Rama, Garifuna, Creole
* Chinandega, Bluefields, Masaya, Esteli

B. Diverse Music
1. Have the students listen to some songs from different
parts of Nicaragua (marimba, punta, palo de mayo
testimonial for example).
2. Ask them what part of Nicaragua the songs come from.

C. Diversity Brainstorm: Think Pair Share

1. Present the question to the students: In what ways is
Nicaragua diverse?
2. Have students brainstorm a list individually, and then
share with a partner.
3. Call the class together and take notes on the board.
4. Target areas to discuss: diversity of economic class,
ethnicity, gender, handicap, personality, political view,
race, religion, and sexual orientation.
5. Guide students to think about the differences between
the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of the country.

184

D. Our City and Region

Present p Students write a list to identify things they know
about their city or region, such as Languages, Typical Food,
Dances, Famous People, Famous spots.

E. Characteristics vs. Stereotypes Brainstorm

1. Ask students what they know about different regions of
Nicaragua.
* What are people like in Managua?
* What are they like in Chontales?
* The North?
* The Atlantic Coast?
2. Divide the students into groups according to different
regions.
3. Each group should make a list of qualities they think
people have in that region of Nicaragua. (See Diversity
and Stereotypes in Nicaragua for examples.)
4. Each group presents their brainstorm.
5. Have students define the word stereotype.
6. Ask students to analyze their brainstorm of
characteristics.
* Did they make a list of true characteristics, or of
stereotypes?
* Why is it wrong to use stereotypes?
* How can stereotypes hurt people?
* How can diversity be a strength for Nicaragua?
7. Ask students to think about how we can appreciate
diversity without using stereotypes.

We Do/Practice
A. Diversity and Stereotypes in Nicaragua (R, S)
1. Brainstorm a list of distinct regions in Nicaragua.
2. Read the following sentences to students. They must
listen and take notes about qualities of different people
in different regions.

People from Chontales and Boaco are cowboys. They

wear boots, hats, and belts. They like to drink milk and
eat cheese.
People from the Atlantic Coast are creole. They speak
English. They like to dance and listen to reggae music.
They eat lots of fish and coconut products.
People from Managua are professionals. They have good
jobs and make lots of money. They love technology and
have cell phones and internet service.
People from Carazo and Masaya are indigenous. They
dance folklore and make typical foods like Indio Viejo
and Sopa de Mondongo.
People from the North are coffee growers. They drink
coffee and eat rosquillas. They like the mountains and
cold weather.

B. Masaya Reading (R, W, S)

1. Present the reading.
2. Students should answer comprehension questions.
3. Create a Venn Diagram about similarities and differences
between your city and Masaya. (See Multi-Purpose
Activities Index for more directions.)

Masaya is known as the capital of folklore. It is located

between Managua and Granada. The typical foods from
Masaya are Mondongo Soup and Baho. Masaya has very
famous handicrafts market where tourists like to visit
to buy presents for their families. Masaya also attracts
tourists because of Coyotepe fortress, the Apollo and
Masaya Lagoon, and the Masaya Volcano. Masaya has
a Patron Saint festival for San Jeronimo. During these
festivals there are processions and folkloric dances
where people dress up in traditional costumes and
dance to marimba or chicheros music. Masaya has an
indigenous neighborhood called Monimbo that preserves
its traditions.
Reading Comprehension:
1. What is the typical food of Masaya?
2. Who is the Patron Saint?
3. Where is Masaya located?
4. What can you do in Masaya?

3. Break students into pairs to analyze these sentences.

Students should answer these questions:
* Are these stereotypes or true characteristics?
* Are they valid statements?
* What are the stereotypes of people in your area of
Nicaragua? Is everyone like that? Is it valid?
* How can these stereotypes hurt people?

Note: If you live far from Masaya, this is an example

reading for your students. But if you live close to Masaya,
you should prepare a reading for your students about a
different city far away from your own. Use this as a model.

B. Find Somebody Who Preparations (W)

1. Students write down on a piece of paper three true
things that other students might not know about them,
but that they dont mind their classmates learning.
Ex: I was born in Madriz. I am a Jehovas Witness. I have
family in Puerto Cabezas.
2. Students turn these slips into the teacher. You will use
them for Find Somebody Who (in You do/ Production).

You Do/Production
A. Find Somebody Who (See Multi-Purpose
Activities Index for more directions) (S, R, L)
1. Sort through the students secrets from We do/ Practice B.
2. Choose the most interesting and diverse things about
your students to create a Find Somebody Who list that
represents the diversity of the class.
3. Write the list on the board. Students must go around and
ask each other the questions until they fill in the list.
4. Follow-up the activity with a discussion about what
students learned about their classmates.

B. Inside the Circle (S, L, R, W)

1. Divide the class into groups of 4-5.
2. Give each group a sheet of papelgrafo and marker.
3. Tell the groups to draw a large circle on the paper.
4. Inside the circle they should write down four things that
the whole group have in common. Outside the circle
they should write what is unique to each member.
5. Display the papers for the rest of the class.
6. Discuss the diversity in the class.
185

C. Change Seats (See Multi-Purpose Activities

Index for more directions) (S, L)
1. Organize the students into a circle of chairs, with one
student standing in the middle.
2. The first student should make a sentence using diversity
vocabulary.
Ex: Change seats if you are part Indian. Change seats if
you are Evangelical.
3. Students stand up and change seats if the sentence
applies to them.
4. The person who does not find a chair will now stand in
the center and say a new sentence.
Variation: If talking about personal issues is difficult for
students, change the sentence structure to be about people
the students know. Change seats if you know someone
who is Indian. Change seats if you know someone who is
atheist.

D. Character Drawing (W, R, S, L)

1. Each student draws a picture of themselves without their
name.
2. Then ask them to write down ten words to describe
themselves, around the picture. These can be words
that describe their identity (ex: woman, soccer player,
musician), physical attributes (eg, short, skinny, darkskinned) or characteristics (eg, funny, shy, out-going).
3. Post the drawings around the room.
4. Students go to the drawings and guess whose they are.
5. Students confirm which drawings are theirs, and present
them to the class.

E. Research a City (W, R)

1. Students research a different department or city than
their own.
2. Students write a paragraph about that city using the
model of Masaya.
3. Then students do a Venn Diagram of similarities and
differences between their own city and local culture and
the city they research.
4. If students are from the Pacific coast, its best for them to
research places on the Atlantic Coast such as Bluefields,
Puerto Cabezas, Corn Islands, Pearl Lagoon, Waspam,
Bonanza, Kukra Hill.
5. Other options are for teachers to print out information
beforehand.

F. Diversity in Nicaragua Mini-Book (See MultiPurpose Activities Index for more directions) (W,
R)
1. Students should make mini-books about diversity in
Nicaragua and in their community.
2. Each page should have one sentence, but no illustration.
Ex: In Nicaragua, there are rich people and there are poor
people. In the Atlantic coast there are creole people. In
my community there are mestizo and indigenous people.
In my community, some people are farmers, some people
work in the factory.
3. Students should exchange mini-books with a partner and
illustrate their partners mini-book.
4. Verify that the mini-books are grammatically correct,
reflect diversity in Nicaragua and the community, and the
pictures match the sentences.

10th Grade 3.3 Personalities

Target Vocabulary
aloof, depressed, energetic, happy, hyper, sad, serious, shy, bold, leader, charming, practical,
considerate, loyal, angry, boring, smart

I Do/Presentation
A. Personality Brainstorm
1. Review adjectives. (See 10.1.1)
2. Students brainstorm words about the diversity of
personalities in the class.
3. Explain that personalities are a form of diversity too.
4. Generate a list of new vocabulary about personalities.

186

B. Picture Personalities
1. Present several pictures of celebrities or famous
personalities such as Mother Teresa or Robin Hood.
2. Students create a small list of adjectives for
each personality.
Ex: Mother Teresa: kind, loving, considerate
Robin Hood: bold, daring, intelligent
Variation: Focus on Nicaraguan people if possible.

We Do/Practice
A. Personality Quiz (R, L)
1. Explain that the students are going to take a
personality quiz.
2. Write the questions on the board. Read each question
and the options aloud.
3. Students write the letters they choose for each question.
4. Students add the total number for each letter at the end.
Ex: A=2, B=2, C=1 and D=1
5. Explain that the letter with the highest number
represents the personality.
6. If there are ties, students decide which letter is more
correct after seeing the results.
7. Tape a papelgrafo with the results on the board and
read them aloud.
Variation: Explain to students that this is not a scientific
quiz. Have students evaluate whether or not they agree
with this assessment of their personalities.
Note: This language may be difficult for your
students. Re-write according to your students
abilities.

Personality Quiz:
1. Its Friday night. You are . . .
a) out dancing with your friends
b) playing soccer or watching a movie with friends
c) at home with your family
d) studying
2. What job do you want?
a) Salesperson
b) Politician
c) Teacher
d) Scientist
3. On your ideal vacation, you would be
a) skydiving
b) at Disney World
c) at the beach
d) exploring a historical place
4. For your best friends birthday, you . . .
a) say happy birthday but you forgot which
day it was
b) plan a surprise birthday party for him or her
c) make a gift for him or her
d) give him or her a card

5. When you are studying and someone talks to you, you . . .

a) are happy to stop studying and want to keep talking
b) are happy if it is a friend and you can talk for a few
minutes
c) say you need to study
d) feel very angry
6. Which are your favorite colors?
a) Black or Blue
b) Red or Orange
c) Yellow or Green
d) White or Brown

Mostly As: You are always the center of attention and

love to make people laugh. You are a natural leader. You
make decisions quickly. People love to be around you.
Mostly Bs: You are charming, practical, and always
interesting. You have many friends, and you are often a
leader. You are a kind, considerate, and understanding.
Mostly Cs: You are very smart but modest. You do not
make friends easily but you are loyal to your friends, and
you want them to be loyal to you. You are logical, and
sensitive. You like to be alone to process your emotions.
Mostly Ds: People think you are shy and nervous. You
value others opinions and do not like to make people
angry. You are content to let others be the leader. Your
friends who know you well know you are interesting and
smart.

B. I Like You Because (S)

1. Ask all the students to think about what they like about the
person sitting next to them.
2. Students should say aloud what they like about that
person.
Exs: I like you because you are intelligent. I like you because
you are considerate. I like you because you are loyal. I like you
because you are practical.

187

You Do/Production
A. Friend Personality: Guess Who (S, L)
1. Students should choose a friend in the class whose
personality they will describe.
2. Students should write a small paragraph describing that
person.
3. Divide the students into groups of 4-6.
4. Each student should read their paragraph.
5. The other members of the group must guess who that
person is describing.
Variation: Students can include physical descriptions and
likes and dislikes to reinforce that vocabulary.

B. Change Seats (See Multi-Purpose Activities

Index for more directions) (S, L)
1. Organize the students into a circle of chairs, with one
student standing up in the middle.
2. The first student should make a sentence using
personality vocabulary.
Ex: Change seats if you are energetic. Change seats if you
are aloof.
3. Students stand up and change seats if the sentence
applies to them.
4. The person who does not find a chair will now stand in
the center and say a new sentence.

10th Grade 3.4 Midterm Review

Review appendix for suggestions for evaluation.

10th Grade 4.1 Vacations and Tourist Places

Target Vocabulary
Destinations: beach, island, lagoon, mountain, river, volcano, waterfall, jungle, lake, city,
countryside, forest

Activities: CLIMB, GET a massage, RIDE a horse, GO shopping, HIKE, RELAX, SURF, SWIM,
TAKE a tour, TAKE pictures, SNORKLE, KAYAK, OBSERVE animals

Target Grammar

Modal COULD
We could tan on the beach.
I could kayak on the river.

I Do/Presentation
A. Vacation Destination Vocabulary
1. Ask students to brainstorm different types of vacation
destinations.
2. Present the new vocabulary using pictures. (Beach, island,
lagoon, mountain, river, volcano, waterfall, jungle, lake,
countryside, forest, city)
3. Use a multi-purpose activity to practice the vocabulary.

188

B. Vacation Activity Vocabulary

1. Show students a picture of one of the vacation
destinations from Part A.
Ex: the beach.
2. Ask students what types of activities a person could do at
the destination.
Ex: At the beach, we could swim, surf, and relax.
3. Write each vacation activity on the board for students to
copy.
4. Repeat with different destinations until you have a
complete list of vacation activities.

B. Modal COULD
1. Remind students of vacation destinations and activities.
2. As a class, discuss what you could do on a vacation at
the beach.
3. Ask students What could we do on a vacation at
the beach?
4. Explain that COULD indicates a possible action.
5. Write example sentences.
Ex: We could tan. We could swim.
6. Explain that the modal COULD has the same sentence
structure as other modals.
7. Ask for examples of modals (CAN, MUST, SHOULD, etc.)
8. Ask students What form of the verb is after a modal?
Answer: The Simple Form.

Modal COULD Sentence Structure

Affirmative:
Subject + Modal +Verb (Simple Form).
I could eat tacos.
She could visit her grandmother.

Negative:
Subject + Modal +not +Verb (Simple Form).
You could not watch television.
We could not go to the game.
Interrogative:
Modal + Subject + Verb (Simple Form) + ?
Could he swim?
Could they take the bus?

We Do/Practice
A. Hot Cabbage: Vacation Fun (See Multi-Purpose
Activities Index for more directions) (S, L, R)
1. Follow the instructions for this Multi-Purpose Activity to
practice COULD.
2. List possible activities for different vacation spots on the
pieces of paper.
Ex: hike, take a tour, visit a museum, eat at a restaurant
3. Crumble the papers into a ball and throw the ball to
different students.
4. When students get the ball, they take a piece of paper.
5. Ask them a question regarding the vacation spot written
on the piece of paper.
6. Ask the students, What could you do at the lake? or
What could you do in the jungle?
7. All students write possible answers on pieces of paper for
the activity.

B. Total Physical Response (See Multi-Purpose

Activities Index for more directions) (L, S, R, W)
1. Read explanation of Total Physical Response in the Index.
2. Assign an action to each vocabulary word and act them
out for the students while saying the word.
3. Students do the action and say the word after you.
4. At the end of the activity, act the word out and the
students guess the word while you are acting it out.
Variation: Play Charades. Students can act the words out
for their classmates to guess

C. Cocktail Party (See Multi-Purpose Activities

Index for more directions) (S)
1. Give each student a piece of paper with a type of
vacation destination written on it (beach, lagoon, jungle,
etc).
2. Students stand up and ask each other the question
based on their piece of paper. What could you do at the
beach?
3. Students must answer the question, and then ask their
own.
4. Students exchange pieces of paper and find somebody
new to ask.

D. Vacation Basketball (W, S)

1. As a class, select five vacation places.
2. Divide students into groups.
3. Assign each group a different vacation place.
4. If there are more than five groups then repeat
vacation places.
5. In groups, students write sentences using COULD about
their vacation spots.
Ex: At the beach we could swim.
At the beach we could go horseback riding.
6. Students write all the possible answers they can think of
in 5-7 minutes.
7. Once time is up, the groups read the sentences aloud for
correction by the class.
8. For each correct sentence, the groups get one basketball
shot into the classroom trashcan.
9. The team that makes the most shots wins.
Variation: Switch vacation spots after the first round,
encourage students to be creative and think of
new sentences.
189

You Do/Production
A. Create-a-Brochure (W)

B. Suitcases (L, S, W)

1. Students fold a piece of paper into thirds horizontally.

2. Students create a brochure for a vacation get-away in their
favorite vacation place in Nicaragua or someplace they
would like to visit one day.
Ex: a 3-day cruise to the Hawaiian Islands
3. Students include six sentences of things visitors could do
using the information from this lesson.
4. Students include pictures, colors and cost of the vacation.
5. Divide students into groups.
6. Students present their brochures to the group and talk
about why they chose it.

1. Divide the students into small groups. Give each group a

card with a vacation destination on it. (For example, Corn
Island, the Somoto Canyon, New York City, etc)
2. Each group should decide what they could bring in their
suitcases according to their destination.
3. Groups present what they could bring on their trip, but
should not say where they are going.
4. Other students in the class must guess where they are
going. They may ask questions.
5. You can evaluate the students with points for the teams
that present a specific and revealing list for their suitcases,
and students who guessed correctly or asked questions.
Variation: Students list things they could do on their
vacation instead of what they could bring.

10th Grade 4.2 Traveling

Target Vocabulary
TRAVEL, ARRIVE, TAKE, REST, schedule, itinerary, FLY

Target Grammar

Future with WILL

We will travel to the lagoon.
They will arrive in Nicaragua tomorrow.

I Do/Presentation
A. Class Vacation
1. As a class, select a vacation place.
Ex: the moon
2. Tell the students We will go on an imaginary vacation.
3. The class decides what they will do at this place and their
itinerary. Ask students What will we do?
Ex: What will we do on the moon?
4. Write the days of the week on the board. Ask students for
one activity per day.
5. Write the activities for each day with a sentence using the
Future with WILL.

Example Itinerary:
Tuesday: We will arrive on the moon.
Wednesday: We will moon walk.
Thursday: We will talk to Aliens.
Friday: We will fly our spaceship.
Saturday: We will leave the moon.

190

B. Future with WILL

1. Use the example sentences from your itinerary.
2. Draw a timeline on the board. Mark the present and label
it. Ask the students when on the timeline the vacation
takes place (Answer: the future).
3. Review Future with GOING TO. (See 9.6.1)
4. Explain that there is a second way to talk about the
future: WILL.
5. Ask students for the affirmative structure and write it
on the board.
6. Using an example from the itinerary, ask students a
yes/no question that has a negative answer. With the
examples above, Will we arrive on the moon on
Thursday? Write the question on the board. Write the
negative answer, We will not arrive on the moon on
Thursday.
7. Ask students for the negative and interrogative
sentence structure.
8. Students copy examples and sentence structure.

Future Tense WILL Sentence Structure

Affirmative:
Subject + WILL + Verb (Simple Form) + Complement.
I will study in Managua next year.
You will work in Jinotega next week.
Negative:
Subject + WILL + not + Verb (Simple Form) +
Complement.
He will not watch baseball on Sunday.
We will not pick coffee next year.

Interrogative:
WILL + Subject + Verb(Simple Form) + Complement + ?
Will she play volleyball this weekend?
Will they drink coffee?

We Do/Practice
A. Picture an Itinerary (R, W)
1. Tape four or five pictures of different places on the board.
Ex: pictures of Leon, Granada, Bluefields, Ometepe or
Corn Island
2. Choose one student for each picture on the board.
3. Students write one itinerary sentence for one of
the pictures.
Ex: Granada: We will go to the Granada cathedral
on Monday.
4. Continue selecting students until all students have
written one sentence on the board.
5. Each picture will have 8-10 sentences.

B. Host a Special Guest Visit (R, W)

1. Tape four or five pictures of special guests on the board.
Ex: Barack Obama, Queen of England, Bill Gates, Enrique
Iglesias
2. Students imagine one of these people is coming to
Nicaragua and they are hosting them.
3. Write sample questions on the board.
Ex: What will he/she do? Where will we go with him/her?
4. Students then make the itinerary for the persons visit.
Variation: Students do a role-play of taking their special
guest to their own town.

You Do/Production
A. Making a (Group) Vacation Itinerary (R, W)
1. Students form groups of 5.
2. Each group selects or is assigned a destination.
3. Students make a trip itinerary (schedule) for their group.
4. The group has seven days for their trip, two travel days and
five days of activities.
5. Each student chooses what he or she prefers to do
on vacation.
Ex: Day 1: Travel to the Laguna de Apollo. Arrive at the hotel.
Day 2: Hike to the lagoon. Take pictures.
Day 3: Rest, read a book, or suntan.
Day 4: Go shopping in Masaya or go horseback riding.

Day 5: Get a massage or swim.

Day 6: Rest and hang out with friends.
Day 7: Travel home to Esquipulas.
6. Students add options for their daily activities, because
everyone does not like to do the same things.
7. Students copy their itinerary into their notebooks.
8. Students form sentences with WILL for each day from
their itinerary.
Ex: Day 1: We will travel to the lagoon and arrive
at the hotel.

191

B. Tourist Trip Prize Vacations (S, L, W)

1. Review future WILL.
2. Brainstorm a list of tourist destinations in Nicaragua.
(Corn Island, Granada, San Juan del Sur, Selva Negra, the
Coco River, Len, etc)
3. Divide students into small groups of 3-5, and have each
group choose a destination.
4. Students imagine that they are giving out a free trip for
someone to their destination. They must create a oneweek itinerary for the trip.
Ex: Congratulations! You have won a free trip to Ocotal.
On Monday you will visit the church, the park, and the
citys best restaurant. On Tuesday you will travel to Madriz
to go to the Somoto Canyon, where you will hike and swim
down the river. On Wednesday you will visit the shrine
at Dipilto. On Thursday you will drive to visit the border
at Las Manos. On Friday you will hike around a beautiful
coffee plantation. On Saturday you will go dancing at the
disco. On Sunday you will take a picnic to the hot springs
and bathe in the warm natural water.
5. After groups finish the itineraries, each group selects one
representative.
6. Representatives rotate around from group to group
asking questions and hearing the itineraries of the
other destinations. They should take notes. Remaining
members of the group stay in place to present their
itinerary to the representatives that come by.
7. After the representatives hear every other destinations
presentation, they return to their group. The
representative presents the information about other
destinations, and the group chooses which destination
they would most like to visit.
Note: You can disperse the most advanced students across
the groups and choose them to be the representative, so
they can take on a leadership role, listen, and ask questions
of the other groups.
Variation: Brainstorm local tourist destinations in your
area.

C. Imaginary Vacation Never-ending Board Game

(See Multi-Purpose Activities Index for more
directions) (S, R, L)
1. Students must create an imaginary vacation that they
would like. They should keep the information about their
vacation in their head.
2. In small groups, tell students to create their game board.
Each student uses a small piece of paper with their initials
as a game piece. Game board questions can include:
* Where will you go?
* When will you arrive?
* When will you come back?
* How will you get there?
* Who will you go with?
* How much money will you spend?
* What will you do?
* Why will you go there?
3. Players begin by placing their game pieces on the Free
space.
4. On four small pieces of paper, write the numbers 1
through 4. Turn them face down. The first player chooses
a number and moves that many spaces ahead.
5. The student responds to the question written on
the space where their piece stops, according to their
imaginary vacation.
6. If a student lands on the Free spaces, that student can
rest until their next turn.
7. The game is never-ending so students can keep playing
and continue in a circle for as long as you would like.

10th Grade 4.3 Making a Reservation

Target Vocabulary
available, vacancy, full, hostel, hotel, MAKE a reservation, single/double/dorm room, trip,
check-in, check-out, PLAN

Target Grammar

Modal WOULD
I would like to make a reservation.
Would you like a single or double room?

Note: The modal would is for situations that require courtesy. However, it is difficult for students. You
can re-write the exercises in this chapter using more simple language and focus on the normal instead of
polite language if necessary. If so, emphasize other norms of courtesy, like please and thank you.
192

I Do/Presentation
A. Travel Agent and Traveler Dialogue (Listen to CD
Track #26)
1. Copy dialogue on the board.
Travel Agent (TA): Hello, how are you?
Traveler (T): Im fine thanks.
TA: How can I help you?
T: Im planning a trip to Selva Negra for three days,
November 3rd through the 6th. I would like to make a
reservation in a hotel.
TA: Ok, let me see whats available. There are
rooms available in the hotel. How many people are
going with you?

3. Explain that WOULD is a modal and the structure is the

same for all other modal verbs. (See 10.4.2 for example)
Ask students what form of the verb follows a modal verb
(Answer: the Simple Form).
4. Ask students to find WOULD in the dialogue. Ask for
volunteers to come to the board and underline the
modal WOULD.
5. Read the examples of WOULD in the dialogue.
6. Write the informal way to say these sentences and the
formal way.
7. Explain that we use WOULD to express politeness and in
formal conversations.

T: There are three of us in total.

Informal

Formal

TA: What kind of room would you prefer?

I want to make a
reservation in a hotel.

I would like to make a

reservation in a hotel.

We prefer a room with

two double beds.

We would prefer a room

with two double beds.

T: We would prefer a room with two double beds.

TA: Ok. Yes, that is available. Would you like me to
make the reservation?
T: Yes, please. Thank you very much!

2. Students copy the dialogue into their notebooks. Read

the dialogue slowly, explain the content, and underline
any unknown words or phrases. Read out loud or listen to
the dialogue using the supplemental CD.

We Do/Practice
A. Mock Conversations (S, L)
1. Divide students into groups of 4.
2. Assign parts to the students, two travel agents and two
travelers per group.
3. Read the dialogue from the presentation aloud slowly
and have the students with the designated parts repeat
after you.
4. Read through the dialogue at least two times.
5. In groups, pair one travel agent with one traveler and
have them practice the dialogue together.
6. Walk around the room. Listen to each group. Help them
with pronunciation.
7. Students change partners (not their role; travel agents
will stay travel agents and travelers will stay travelers).
8. Students practice again with new partners for
five minutes.
9. Repeat the dialogue to the students once more to
practice pronunciation.
Variation: Use Two Circle Conversation (see Multi-purpose
Index for directions) for students to practice with a
variety of speakers and at a faster pace.

What kind of room do

you prefer?

What kind of room

would you prefer?

Would you like me to

make the reservation?

Do you want me to
make the reservation?

B. Dialogue: Hotel Reservations (S, R)

1. Before class, cut the dialogue into strips.
2. Students put the dialogue in order.
3. The first group to complete the dialogue correctly, wins.
Receptionist: Hostel La Buena Onda, how may I
help you?
Traveler: I want to reserve a room for two nights, from
September 3rd through the 5th.
Receptionist: So thats two nights in September.
Tell me your name please.
Traveler: My name is Martha Sanchez.
Receptionist: How many people do you want to
make the reservation for?
Traveler: 3 people. I want one double room and one
single room please.
Receptionist: Okay, your reservation is made. Is
there anything else I can help you with?
Traveler: No, thank you.
Receptionist: Okay, see you on the 3rd.

(continued on the next page)

193

4. As a class students make the dialogue more polite by using WOULD.

Example with WOULD:

Receptionist: Hostel La Buena Onda, how may I help you?
Traveler: I would like to reserve a room for two nights, from September 3rd through the 5th.
Receptionist: Would you tell me your name, please?
Traveler: My name is Martha Sanchez.
Receptionist: How many people would you like to make the reservation for?
Traveler: 3 people. I would like one double room and one single room please.
Receptionist: Okay, your reservation is made. Is there anything else I can help you with?
Traveler: No, thank you.
Receptionist: Okay, see you on the 3rd.

You Do/Production
A. Students Create a Reservation (W, S)
1. Divide students in pairs.
2. Students rewrite the dialogue to match their own
vacation preferences (if they want their own beds, or to
stay in a hostel, hotel, breakfast, etc.)
3. Students practice the new dialogue that they created
with their partner so they can present it to the class.
4. All students present dialogues.
5. Ask comprehension questions after each dialogue to
ensure students pay attention to repeated dialogues.

B. Comic Strip (See Multi-Purpose Activities Index

for more directions) (W)
1. Review practice dialogue from class.
2. Students create a four square Comic Strip with a dialogue
of a person making a reservation.

10th Grade 5.1 Our Environment

Target Vocabulary
Nature Words: dirt, flower, fruit, grass, lake, leaf, moon, mountain, ocean, plant, rock, sand,
stars, sun, tree, water
Animals: bird, cat, chicken, cow, dog, fish, frog, horse, mouse, monkey, pig, rabbit, snake, turtle
Locations: community, neighborhood

Target Grammar

I Do/Presentation

Review there is/there are (7.4.1)

There are many flowers in the garden.

There is a big mango tree in the park.

A. Nature Vocabulary
1. Present the nature vocabulary using pictures.
2. Students copy the vocabulary and the pictures.
3. Students practice pronunciation.

194

B. Animals Vocabulary
1. Present the vocabulary using pictures or mimics.
2. Students copy the vocabulary and practice pronunciation

C. Review There Is/There Are

1. Show a picture (a drawing, a photo, or a picture from a
magazine) of a scene from nature.
2. Describe the single nouns in the picture using There is
and emphasizing the number one.
Ex. There is one chicken. There is one pig.
3. Describe the plural nouns in the picture using There are
and emphasizing the plural numbers.

Ex. There are two trees. There are five plants.

4. Ask students to guess the difference between There is
and There are.
5. Explain that There is is used for singular nouns and
There are is used with plural nouns.
6. Also introduce the negative form by pointing out what
is not in the picture. When using no we do not use an
article a/an.
Ex. There is no moon. There are no stars.

We Do/Practice
A. Practice Nature Vocabulary
Use a multi-purpose activity to review nature vocabulary
(Suggestions: Flashcards, Bingo, Run to the Board, Telephone)

B. Charades for Animals (See Multi-Purpose

Activities Index for More Directions) (S)
Play Charades to practice animals.

C. Complete the Blanks (R, W)

Students complete the blanks with There is or There are
1. ___________(There are) five chickens in my patio.
2. ___________ (There is) no mountain in my city.
3. ___________ (There are) six jocote trees at the school.
4. ___________ (There are) no flowers in the park.
5. ___________ (There is) a river in the town.
6. ___________ (There are) two lakes in Nicaragua.
7. ___________ (There is) a big mango tree in my yard.

D. Run to the Board (L)

1. Bring pictures of nature vocabulary. Some of the pictures
should have just one object, and some of the pictures
should have multiple objects (Ex. Two flowers, five trees, one
fish)
2. Divide students into two teams.
3. Tape two of the pictures to the board.
4. Select a volunteer from each team.
5. Describe one of the pictures (Ex. There are two flowers.).
6. Volunteers race to the board and touch the picture that
corresponds to the description they heard
Ex. If the students hear, There are two flowers, they must
touch the picture of two flowers).
7. Repeat the activity with different students and different
pictures.
Variation: Select a student to describe the pictures.

E. My Communitys Environment: True or False (R,

W, L, S)
1. Students copy the sentences in their notebooks.
In my community
1. There is a river. _____________
2. There are many fruit trees. ______________
3. There are flowers in every house. ________________
4. There is a lake. ________________
5. There are rocks, dirt, and grass. _______________
6. There are many turtles. ______________
7. There are mountains. _________________
2. Students write true next to the sentences that are
true for their communities. They write false next to
the sentences that are false for their communities, then
change these sentences to make them true.
Ex. There is a river in my community. FALSE There is no river
in my community.
3. Students stand up at their desks.
4. Read each sentence slowly. Students who wrote true
must sit down.
5. Students still standing up (who wrote false) must say a
true sentence.
Ex. In my community, there is a river.
False. There is no river in my community.
Note: This works best if the students in the school come
from different communities. In larger cities, you can teach
neighborhood and students can talk about what is and is
not in their neighborhood.

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You Do/Production
A. Nature Mini-Books (W, R)
1. Students make a mini-book with a one-sentence
description on each page using there is or there are.
2. Students exchange mini-books with a partner, and
their partner must illustrate the pages according to the
descriptions.
3. Verify that the students have correct grammar, and that
their partners drawings are correct for the sentences.
Ex. There is an orange tree. There are five birds.

Ex. The picture is in Ometepe Island, Nicaragua. There is a

pretty lake and sand. There are many purple flowers. There
are two tall coconut trees and there is a mango tree. The
place is very beautiful.
3. Students present their pictures and paragraphs to a
partner or to the entire class.
Variation: Hang all of the students work around the room
and do a Gallery Walk (see Multi-Purpose Activities Index
for more directions).

D. Blind Partner Drawing (See Multi-Purpose

Activities Index for More Directions) (S, L)

B. Our Zoo (W, S, L)

1. Divide students into small groups.
2. Each group makes a plan for a zoo with different animals
in it.
3. Students draw the zoo on a papelgrafo, but do not write
their sentences on their papelgrafo.
4. On a separate sheet of paper, students write sentences
describing their zoo, using there is and there are.
Ex: There are five brown monkeys. There are ten green
turtles. There is a gray elephant. There is a white horse.
5. Tape students papelgrafos to the board.
6. Ask a volunteer from each group to read the groups
sentences out loud.
7. Classmates listen and determine which zoo belongs to
which group.

C. Describing Pictures (W, S)

1. Students bring a picture of a natural scene (a magazine
picture, a photo, or a drawing), preferably of their
community or a place they have visited in Nicaragua.
2. Students write a paragraph to describe the natural
objects they see in the picture.

1. Bring to class a simple papelgrafo drawing of nature

with grass, a sun, two trees, four flowers, and a snake.
2. Students select a partner.
3. Tell the students that in every pair, one student will be
the speaker and one student will be the artist.
4. Arrange the students back-to-back, so that in every pair,
one student is facing towards the board and the other
student is facing away from the board. The students
facing towards the board will be the speakers, and the
students facing away from the board will be the artists.
5. Tape the papelgrafo drawing to the board. Only the
speakers can see the drawing; the artists must not see it.
6. The speaker describes the drawing to the artist (Ex. There
is a sun. There are four flowers).
7. The artist listens to the description and tries to recreate
the original drawing based on what he hears.
8. Compare the students drawings to the original drawing.
Variation 1: Instead of a papelgrafo prepared by the
teacher, use one of the students pictures and descriptive
paragraphs from part A.
Variation 2: Make a picture of a zoo with only animals. Ex.
There are five snakes, there are three monkeys, there is a bird,
there is a turtle.

10th Grade 5.2 Trash Disposal and Recycling

Target Vocabulary
BURN, LITTER, BURY, FEED animals, MAKE compost, THROW AWAY, RECYCLE, REUSE, USE
the garbage truck/chatarra truck
organic, inorganic, trash

Target Grammar

Review Modal SHOULD (Review 10.1.1)

I should re-use plastic bottles.
We shouldnt burn inorganic trash.

196

I Do/Presentation
A. Organic and Inorganic Trash
1. Draw two circles on the board.
2. Write dirt in one circle (organic) and plastic bag in the
other circle (inorganic).
3. Ask students, Whats the difference?
4. Add leaf and soda can to the appropriate circles.
5. Ask students again, Whats the difference?
6. Continue adding to both circles until students understand
the difference between organic and inorganic things.
7. Label each circle organic or inorganic.
8. Write a definition for each on the board.
Organic: exists in nature.
Inorganic: does not exist in nature; made by humans.

B. Trash Disposal Methods

1. Write on the board What should you do with your trash?
2. Brainstorm with students to formulate a vocabulary list
3. Ex. Burn, bury, feed animals, litter, make compost, throw
away, use the garbage truck, recycle, re-use
4. Give examples of littering
Ex. Throwing trash out of the bus window, throwing a candy
wrapper on the classroom floor.

We Do/Practice
A. Organic/Inorganic Scavenger Hunt (L, S, W)
1. Write the list of items on the board.
2. Students copy the list and meanings, and practice
pronunciation.
3. Divide students into groups of 4-5.
4. Students find as many things on the list as possible in 7
minutes.
5. The Scavenger Hunt can be done inside or outside the
classroom.
6. If students are not inside the classroom in their groups
when 7 minutes is over, then items they collected dont
count.

List of Items
1. candy wrapper. Inorganic
2. dirt. Organic
3. bottle. Inorganic
4. soda can. Inorganic
5. plastic bag. Inorganic
6. pen. Inorganic
7. piece of paper. Inorganic
8. stick. Organic
9. batteries. Inorganic
10. fruit peel. Organic
11. lollipop stick. Inorganic
12. leaf. Organic

B. Charades (See Multi-Purpose Activities Index for

More Directions) (S)
Play charades to practice the trash disposal vocabulary.

C. Ways To Recycle (L, S)

1. Make a list of different types of inorganic trash. (Plastic
bags, plastic bottles, cans, wrappers)
2. Explain that not every type of trash can be easily recycled
or reused, but we need to look for ways to limit inorganic
pollution.
3. Brainstorm ways to recycle different kinds of trash. Ex:
Use plastic bottles to fill with oil or drinking water. Take
plastic bags to the pulperia to re-use them. Sell cans to
the chatarra truck.

D. Juanitas Trash (Listen to CD Track #27) (L)

1. Write the following paragraph on the board or on
papelgrafo with blanks in place of the BOLD words.
Juanita has a big family, and they produce a lot of trash.
Juanitas mother cooks a lot. She always has coffee
grounds, fruit peels, and other food trash. This type
of trash is organic. Juanitas mother uses the organic
trash to feed animals and to make compost. Juanitas
brother, Ramn, is always eating Ranchitas and drinking
soda. He produces a lot of inorganic trash; for example,
plastic bags and aluminum cans. Ramn usually throws
away his trash, but sometimes he litters and pollutes the
environment.
2. Students copy the paragraph in their notebooks with the
blanks.
3. Read the paragraph out loud slowly or play the CD.
Students complete the blanks with the words they hear.
4. Read the paragraph twice more.
5. Have a discussion about how organic and inorganic trash
is disposed of in your community.

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E. True/False Comprehension Questions (L, S)

1. Divide the classroom in two parts with masking tape.
2. Explain that one side of the room represents true and
one side of the room represents false.
3. Read the comprehension sentences out loud, based on
the reading from Practice Activity C.
4. Students listen to the sentences and determine if each is
true or false. If they believe the sentence is true, they walk
to the side of the room that corresponds to true. If they
believe the sentence is false, they walk to the side of the
room that corresponds to false.
1. Juanitas family is small. FALSE
2. Juanitas mother produces a lot of organic trash. TRUE
3. Juanitas mother burns her organic trash. FALSE.
4. Ramns plastic bags and aluminum cans are organic.
FALSE.
5. Sometimes Ramn litters his trash. TRUE

F. Our Trash Disposal Comprehension (R, S)

1. Review Should (10.1.1)
2. Assess the trash disposal system in your community.
Is there trash collection, or should families bury their
inorganic trash?
3. Write a list of types of trash on the board.
Ex: banana peel, plastic bottle, leaves, paper, plastic bag
4. Students must assign each type of trash a method of
disposal: bury, feed animals, make compost, throw away,
use the garbage truck, recycle, re-use.
5. Write sentences with should based on the students
ideas.
Ex. We should make compost with banana peels.
You should re-use a plastic bag.

You Do/Production
A. Two Circle Conversation (See Multi-Purpose
Activity Index for more directions) (L, S, W)
1. Students make a list in their notebooks of trash disposal
methods.
Ex. Burn, recycle, throw away
2. Students do the 2 Circle Conversation Activity, asking each
person, What do you do with your trash?
Ex. Mara, what do you do with your trash?
I burn my trash.
3. As they hear each classmates response, students place
a check mark () next to the corresponding vocabulary
word in their list.
Ex. Burn
Recycle
Throw away
4. When students have recorded all of their classmates
answers, they count the check marks to determine which
is the most common disposal method in the class.
Variation: Students write sentences based on their
classmates answers. (Ex. Mara burns her trash. Pablo, Paola,
and Maycol recycle their trash).

B. My Trash, My Friends Trash (W, S, L)

1. Students copy the chart in their notebooks.
What do you do with your trash?
Me
Friend #1
Friend #2
Friend #3
Friend #4
Friend #5
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2. In the Me row, students write what they do with their

trash.
Ex. I recycle my trash.
3. Students select five friends to whom they ask the question,
What do you do with your trash?
Ex. Juan Jos, what do you do with your trash?
I feed animals.
4. Students record their classmates answers in their charts.
Ex.
What do you do with your trash?
Me

I recycle my trash.

Friend #1

Juan Jos feeds animals.

Friend #2

Rebecca burns her trash.

Friend #3

Yuran recycles his trash.

Friend #4

Yahoska buries her trash.

Friend #5

Thelma throws away her trash

Variation: Separate the activity into two questions What do

you do with your organic trash? and What do you do with
your inorganic trash?

C. Trash Project (W, S)

1. Divide students into small groups.
2. Students prepare a presentation about what they do with
their organic and inorganic trash.
3. Students bring trash as visual aids while presenting their
projects.
Ex. Student 1 (showing a can of Coca-Cola): A can of soda is
inorganic. I throw it away and use the garbage truck.
Student 2 (showing an orange peel): An orange peel is
organic. I feed my pigs with the orange peel.
Variation: Students can talk about what they do with their
trash now, and what they SHOULD do with their trash.

10th Grade 5.3 Consequences in the Environment

Target Grammar

I Do/Presentation

Ifthen (cause and effect)

If Julio litters a candy wrapper, then the wrapper will pollute the river.
If Ramona burns her plastic bottle, then the smoke will produce bad gases

A. Consequences of Our Actions

B. IfThen Sentences

1. Review the trash disposal methods.

2. Remind students that all of our actions have
consequences.
3. Brainstorm possible positive and negative consequences
of our actions with trash.
Positive consequences
The earth will be beautiful
My town will be clean
People and animals will be healthy
We will maintain the environment

Negative consequences
The earth will be ugly
My town will be dirty
People and animals will be sick
We will destroy the environment

Example:
Example:
Example:

We Do/Practice

Example:

A. Reading: 2112: A Sad Future (R)

1. Present the reading:
Imagine, it is the year 2112. The Earth is not beautiful with
colors blue, green, and white. Now it is ugly with colors black,
brown, and gray. The forests have disappeared, so there are
no trees or grass. The oceans and rivers have a lot of trash
plastic bottles, soda cans, candy wrappers, and electronics.
All of the animals are dead or deformed. For example, the fish
have four eyes, and the dogs have no legs. The humans are
sad because their beautiful earth was destroyed, and now the
Earth is horrible and ugly.
If we continue to contaminate the Earth, then this story will
not be imaginaryit will be reality!

1. Use the phrases on the list of consequences to generate

Ifthen sentences
Ex: If I recycle, then my town will be clean
If I litter my trash, then my town will be dirty.
2. Explain that there are two parts of the sentences (the if
part and the then part).
3. Explain that the if part of the sentence is a cause and the
then part is a consequence.
4. Ask students what tense the verb is in the if part of the
sentence (simple present).
5. Ask students what tense the verb is in the then part of
the sentence (future).
6. Students copy the chart.

If (cause)

Then (consequence)

If I litter

then the town will be dirty

If people burn plastic

If I recycle

If we make compost

then they will contaminate the air.

then the town will be clean.

then we will reduce contaminations

2. Students answer the comprehension questions.

1.
a)
b)
c)

The reading describes

The past
The present
The future

2. What colors does the Earth have in the future?

a) Blue, green, and white
b) Purple and pink
c) Black, brown, and gray
3. Are there trees in the future?
a) Yes
b) No

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4. What happened to the animals?

a) They are dead or deformed.
b) They are happy and healthy.
c) They live in houses.
5. If we continue to contaminate the Earth, then
a) The Earth will be beautiful
b) The story will be reality.
c) Humans will be happy.

B. Complete with the Consequence (W)

Students complete with a logical consequence for the
environment.
1. If I recycle my trash, then
2. If I litter, then
3. If I make compost, then
4. If I burn my trash, then
5. If I teach my friends to protect the environment, then

C. Dialogues: IfThen
1. Present Dialogue 1 with a student from the class.
Dialogue 1
Yilda: Hi, what are you doing?
Flix: Im burning my plastic.
Yilda: Dont do that! Its bad for the environment.
Flix: What? Why?
Yilda: Because, if you burn your trash, then you will
contaminate the air.
Flix: Oh! I didnt know!
2. Practice pronunciation with the entire class.
3. In pairs, students practice reading the dialogue out loud.
4. Ask students if the dialogue was about a positive human
action or a negative human action. Remind them that a
negative action will usually have a negative consequence.
5. Present Dialogue 2 with a student from the class.
Dialogue 2
Yilda: Hi, what are you doing?
Flix: Im filling my old soda bottle with water.
Yilda: Thats cool!
Flix: What? Why?
Yilda: Because, if you recycle your trash, then the town will be
clean.
Flix: Oh, wow, cool!
6. Practice pronunciation with the class.
7. In pairs, students practice reading the dialogue out loud.
8. Ask students if the dialogue was about a positive human
action or a negative human action. Remind them that a
positive action will usually have a positive consequence.

You Do/Production
A. Secretary: A Sad Future (See Multi-Purpose
Activities Index for more directions) (R, W, S, L)
1. Write the instructions below on 4 small pieces of paper, a
summary of the reading A Sad Future.
-The Earth is black, brown, and gray.
-There are no trees or grass.
-There is trash in the rivers and oceans.
-The animals are deformed.
-The humans are sad.
2. Tape one copy of the instructions in each of the 4 corners
of the classroom.
3. Divide students into groups of 4.

200

4. Students will have the following roles:

a. Runners: Two students run to look at the instructions
and come back to tell the secretary; only one runner
can leave the group at a time; the runners can only
memorize the information, but cannot write anything
down.
b. Secretary: The only person who can write; writes
notes from what the Runners say.
c. Artist: Draws from what the instructions describe.
5. Runners leave the classroom one at a time, and report to
the secretary. The artist draws from the the secretarys
text.
6. Students complete activity and you can verify that they
understand the language because their drawing is
correct.

B. Secretary: Different Environments (See the Multi-purpose Activities Index for more
directions) (R, W, L, S)
1. Do the activity according to the directions in Activity A, but this time with the instructions for Polluted
Environment.
2. Have the students change roles and do the activity again for the Clean Environment.
Instructions:
Polluted Environment
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

There is a polluted river.

All the fish are dead
There is deforestation.
A woman is burning trash.
A boy is throwing plastic on the ground.
A man is fumigating the field.
A baby is sick.

Clean Environment
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

There is a clean river.

There are many fish and animals.
There is a healthy forest with many trees.
A woman is burying trash.
A boy is fishing in the river.
A man is harvesting many different of crops.
A baby is healthy.

C. Writing Dialogues (W, S, L)

1. In pairs, students write their own dialogues about the
positive or negative effects of human actions on the
environment. They use the dialogues from Practice
Activity C as models.
Ex: Paula: What are you doing?
Ramona: Im making compost.
Paula: Thats cool!
Ramona: What? Why?
Paula: Because, if you make compost, then you will
reduce contamination.
Ramona: Oh, wow, cool!
2. Students present their dialogues to the class.
3. Classmates must listen to each dialogue and determine if
it is about a positive human action or a negative human
action.
Variation: Students can use if then or should to make
suggestions in their dialogues.

D. Chain Reaction (Listen to CD Track #28) (R)

1. Before class, cut the If.then sentences into strips.
2. Explain to the students that every action has a reaction.
3. Give one strip to each student.
4. Tell students that there are three different chain reactions.
5. Students form three groups, one for each chain reaction.
6. Students put the chain reaction in order. Each if
statement has a then statement thats the same.
7. Students form a human chain. They link their arms.
8. Once all the students are linked together, the chain
reaction is complete.
9. Students can check their reactions by listening to the CD.
Variation (easier): Put the three chain reactions on different
colored paper or write the number on the back of the strip.

Chain Reaction 1:
If Julio throws his trash out the window of the bus, then
Juanita will think it is ok to throw trash out the window.
If Juanita thinks it is ok to throw trash out the window,
then she will teach her 6 kids that it is ok, too.
If Juanita teaches her kids that it is ok to throw trash out
the window, then her kids will throw trash everywhere.
If Juanitas kids throw trash everywhere, then their town
will be very dirty.
If the town is very dirty, then visitors will say it is very
ugly.
If visitors say the town is very ugly, then tourists will not
want to come.
If tourists do not want to come, then hotels and
restaurants will not have a lot of business.
If hotels and restaurants dont have a lot of business,
then they will not hire a lot of people.
If they dont hire a lot of people, then the people of the
town will be very poor.
If the people of the town are very poor, then they cannot
buy food for their families.

Chain reactions continue on the next page.

201

Chain Reaction 2:

Chain Reaction 3:

If Julio throws his water bag on the street, then the rain
will wash it to the river.

If Julio throws his trash in the garbage can, then Juanita will
do the same.

If the rain washes the trash to the river, then the trash will
pollute the river.

If Juanita throws her trash in the garbage can, then she will
teach her kids to do the same.

If the river is very polluted, then the fish will die.

If Juanitas kids throw their trash in the garbage can, then

the town will look clean.

If the fish die, their dead bodies will contaminate the

water.
If the dead fish contaminate the water, then the children
who play in the water will get diseases.
If the children who play in the water get diseases, then
they will spread disease.
If they spread disease, then everyone will get sick.
If everyone gets sick, then some people will die.

If the town looks clean, then visitors will say it is very

pretty.
If visitors say the town is very pretty, then tourists will want
to come.
If tourists want to come, then the hotels and restaurants will
have a lot of business.
If hotels and restaurants have a lot of business, then they
will hire a lot of people.
If they hire a lot of people, then the people of the town will
have money.
If the people of the town have money, then they will be able
to buy food for their families.

10th Grade 6.1 Natural Disasters

Target Vocabulary
Natural Disasters: drought, earthquake, fire, flood, hurricane, landslide, tornado,
tsunami, volcanic eruption, storm

Adjectives: catastrophic, dangerous, destructive, devastating, powerful, scary, severe,

sudden, tragic, unstoppable, wide-spread, hot, cold, wet, dry

202

I Do/Presentation
A. Brainstorm and Vocabulary Chart (L, S, W)
1. Present vocabulary for natural disasters relevant to
Nicaragua (drought, earthquake, fire, flood, hurricane,
landslide, tornado, tsunami, volcanic eruption, storm).
2. Fill in the chart below with the information students
generate.
3. What is a _________ like?
a. Ask this question of each disaster to the students.
What is a hurricane like?
b. As students respond, generate a list of adjectives
that students can use to describe each disaster (target
vocabulary: cold, dangerous, dry, destructive, hot, huge,
powerful, sad, scary, severe, tragic, violent, wet).
4. Where in Nicaragua do _________ occur?
a. Ask this question of each disaster to the students.
Where in Nicaragua do hurricanes occur?

B. Present: Oral History Project

Instructions:
1. In the project, over the course of the unit students will
interview a family member, friend or community member
who experienced a natural disaster.
2. Students will write and revise a draft of a short report in
English about the interview
3. Students will peer-edit each others drafts.
4. Students will present their report to the class.
5. During the presentation of the Oral History Projects,
students write the name of the presenter and facts from
the interview.
6. During the unit, students think about which person
they can interview and schedule a day and time to do
the interview.
7. Students tell the teacher the name of their interviewee
and the planned date of the interview.
8. Students begin to work on project for homework.

b. As students respond, generate a list of areas

susceptible to that natural disaster.
5. Have you experienced a ___________?
a. Ask this question of each disaster to the students.
Have you experienced a hurricane?
b. As students respond, generate a list of students who
have experienced that natural disaster.

Natural Disaster

Description

Location

Who has experienced it

Hurricane

violent, wet, scary

All of Nicaragua

Frania, Pedro

Flood
Fire
Tsunami
Volcanic Eruption
Variation 1: If not many students have experienced natural
disasters, they can talk about their family members who
have.
Variation 2: Focus on the natural disasters that have
occurred in your area (tsunamis in the Pacific coast, fires in
the Segovias, etc.).

203

We Do/Practice
A. Simon Says (See Multi-Purpose Activities Index
for more directions) (L, S)
1. Follow the rules to practice disaster vocabulary.
2. Practice gestures that represent each vocabulary word.
Ex: Spin in a circle to represent tornado.

B. Radio Warning (L)

1. Students copy the chart from the board.

Disaster When

Where How

2. Read three radio warning announcements. Read slowly.

Repeat several times.
3. Students fill in the chart with the information they hear.

WARNING 1: Hurricane Katrina

Good morning, America. There is a severe weather
warning today, Monday, August 29th 2005 for the
State of Louisiana. A hurricane named Katrina is
coming to the coast. The wind speed is going to
increase, there are severe rain storms and widespread
damage is possible. Please be cautious if you leave
your house.

WARNING 2: Managua Earthquake

Good morning, Nicaragua. This is a natural disaster

alert for a powerful earthquake today, Saturday,
December 23rd, 1972 for the department of Managua.
An earthquake happened in the city early this
morning. Buildings collapsed. Many people died in
this tragic event.

204

WARNING 3: Chilean Tsunami

Good morning, Chile. This is a severe weather
report warning for a tsunami on the Pacific coast
today, Saturday February 27th, 2010 for the city of
Concepcion. This devastating tsunami has destructive
waves more than three meters tall. The tsunami is
immense and citizens are warned to seek higher
ground to escape the catastrophic effects.

C. The Managua Earthquake (Listen to CD Track

#29) (R, S)
1. Read the reading to the students or play the CD.
2. After the reading, students identify the: Who, What, When,
Where, and Why of the reading.

The Managua Earthquake of 1972

On December 23, 1972 a sudden earthquake
hit Managua. The city was destroyed. Gas and
electrical lines broke, and buildings caught on fire.
Three-quarters of the city was destroyed. Roads,
hospitals, offices, and schools all fell. Two-thirds
of the residents in Managua lost their homes.
About 5,000 people died, and 15,000 were injured.
International aid organizations came to help,
but famine and disease affected the survivors.
Managua has not rebuilt its city center, and you can
still see traces of the ruins today. The earthquake
was one of the most devastating natural disasters
in the history of the Americas.

You Do/Production
A. What a Disaster! (R, W)

Example:

1. Present the example newspaper article regarding a fire.

2. Review the structure of a newspaper article
a. Title: simple present
b. Body: simple past
c. Conclusion: present progressive
3. Split students into pairs or small groups. Each group
writes an article about a natural disaster. (Real or
imaginary)
4. Exchange articles between groups. Each group reads and
illustrates an article written by another group
5. Teacher can evaluate the writing and content of the
articles, as well as whether or not pictures reflect the
content of the articles.
6. Collect students articles and illustrations to publish a
local newspaper

B. Student Radio Warning (S, W, L)

1. Students create their own radio warning based on a real
natural disaster in world history.
2. Students use the Practice Activity B radio warning
paragraphs as a model.
3. Students write the radio warning script and read their
warnings to the class to practice speaking.
4. The class fills out a similar chart to practice active
listening during presentations.

Fires Burn in San Fernando

Tuesday May 1, 2012

For two weeks fires burned in San Fernando, Nueva

Segovia. The fires started when a man burned
trash on his patio. The fire grew out of control.
Residents reported damage to crops. It was scary.
We thought the fire destroyed our farm, said Marta
Maradiaga of Santa Clara. The army worked to put
extinguish the powerful fires.
Today the land is recovering. Many people are
starting to plant their crops again. Police are
advising people not to burn their trash.

10th Grade 6.2 Experiencing and Coping with Natural Disasters

Target Vocabulary
COPE, common, FIND out, COME, sudden, dangerous, scary, FRIGHTEN, nervous, BURST,
frostbite, RECOVER

Target Grammar

I Do/Presentation

Review word order of adjectives to describe vocabulary in the simple present (See 7.1.4)
Review Simple Past (See 9.6.2, 9.6.3)

A. Brainstorm: Nicaraguan Natural Disasters

As a class, students answer the following questions:
1. What natural disasters have happened in Nicaragua?
2. What natural disasters are common in our community?
3. What natural disasters have you experienced?
4. How do you find out when a natural disaster is coming?
205

We Do/Practice
A. Categories : Writing (See Multi-Purpose
Activities Index for more directions) (L, S)
1. Follow the rules for this Multi-Purpose Activity to
practice vocabulary.
2. Give students three categories such as: Earthquake,
Hurricane and Blizzard.
3. Read vocabulary words that describe each of the three
natural disasters.
4. Students listen and write the correct vocabulary word in
the corresponding category.
5. Review the correct answers.
6. Continue the activity with different natural disasters
Ex. Tsunami, Landslide, Tornado

B. Disaster Writing (W)

1. In groups, students are assigned one of the natural
disasters mentioned in the brainstorm.
2. On papelgrafo, students draw a picture to represent
the disaster.
3. Write a definition for the disaster and explain some of
the effects of the disaster.
Ex: A blizzard is a strong storm of snow and ice. During a
blizzard, electricity goes out if power lines fall. Roads
are blocked by snow and ice. Pipes freeze and burst.
People cannot leave their houses. Sometimes people
get frostbite or they can freeze to death.
Note: Blizzard is a good choice to use for an
example because there are no blizzards in
Nicaragua; students usually use ones that are
most relevant to Nicaragua.

You Do/Production
A. Disastrous Exposition (S, L)
1. In small groups, students draw and describe a natural
disaster discussed in class.
2. Students present to the class, so students become
familiar with each disaster and related vocabulary.
3. Post the papelgrafos on the wall showing the
characteristics of each natural disaster.
4. As a class compare and contrast the differences between
the disasters, for example, the difference between a
hurricane and a tornado.
5. After the presentations, name one of the disasters (or
characteristics) presented and have students point to
the correct papelgrafo (or name the disaster.)

3. Students prepare a presentation from their list about

what to do in the event of their natural disaster.
4. Presentations should be about 5 minutes, include visual
aids, and be dynamic.
5. The objective is for students to infer a connection
between natural disasters and their effects.
Ex: the similarities between a hurricane and a tornado

C. Natural Disaster Movie Scenes (S, W)

B. Presentations: Experiencing a Natural Disaster

(L, S)

1. Students draw a Comic Strip movie scene with any two

famous actors. (See Multi-Purpose Activity Index for
directions.)
2. In pairs, students exchange Comic Strips and discuss the
movie scene.
3. In pairs, students present their partners Comic Strip to
the class.

1. Divide students into groups and assign each group a

natural disaster (ones that are relevant to Nicaragua.)
2. Students make a list of things that describe the effects
of their natural disaster.

Variation: In small groups, students select any two

famous actors and create a movie scene with a natural
disaster. Students use target vocabulary. Groups present
scene to class.

10th Grade 6.3 Oral History: Natural Disaster Experiences

Target Vocabulary
HAPPEN,EXPERIENCE, FEEL, DESCRIBE, TELL, emotion, SUMMARIZE, EXPRESS, oral,
left, right, double

Target Grammar

Review Wh-questions (See 8.5.3)

What is a natural disaster?
When was the last major earthquake in Nicaragua?
206

I Do/Presentation
A. Update: Oral History Project (W)
1. Remind students about the Unit 6 project.
2. Read the dates of the interviews they scheduled.
3. Check to see if students started their interviews.
4. Give students example questions (and possible answers)
to ask for their interview:
1. What natural disasters have happened in Nicaragua?
Hurricanes, Earthquakes, Volcanic eruptions

2. What natural disasters have you experienced?

I have experienced an earthquake and a hurricane.

3. Can you describe the experience? It was terrible.

I thought I was going to die.

4. How old were you? I was 13 years old.

5. Where were you when it happened?
I was in Managua when the hurricane hit.

6. How did you feel?

I felt sad and depressed after the disaster.

Note: the interview will be in Spanish, unless

the interviewee speaks English.

5. Students final projects are summaries written in English.

6. Students ask these questions to their interviewee and
write the answers on paper.
7. Students read the entire interview and choose the
important parts to present.
8. Clarify any doubts or questions related to the project.
9. Give students a due date to turn in their final project.
Note: Students do not translate these
interviews word for word. Students read
through each interview and choose the most
important information. Students write a
summary of this information in English. The
project is not an exercise in translation; it is an
exercise in using the vocabulary and grammar
structures specific to the unit.

7. What should people do to survive a natural disaster?

People should always be prepared for a natural disaster.

We Do/Practice
A. Whiteboard BINGO (L, R)
1. Write 10-15 words on the board from 10.6.1.
2. Students select any five of the vocabulary words from the
board and write them down.
3. Read out the words, one by one and in any order.
4. If the students have written down one of the words you
call out they cross it off.
5. When they have crossed off all their five words they tell
you, by shouting BINGO!
6. Keep a record of what you say in order to be able to check
that the students really have heard all their words.

B. Earthquake (L, S)
1. Students put their chairs in a circle.
2. Say left and all the students move one to the left.
3. Say left, right, double left, double right, etc. for
however long, but eventually say earthquake and all the
students run to a completely different chair and you
(the teacher) sit down in one.
4. The student that is left standing has to answer a question
about the topic of the day.
Ex: How do you know an earthquake is coming?
How can you prepare for a hurricane?
5. That student then becomes the caller until the next
earthquake.
6. You should remain seated so that there is always one
student left to answer a question.

C. Two Circle Conversations (See Multi-Purpose

Activities Index for more directions) (L, S)
1. Follow the rules for this Multi-Purpose Activity to practice
the questions.
2. Write questions for the project (from I do/Presentation A)
on the board.
3. Students copy the questions and complete the Two Circle
Conversations to practice answering in English.

D. What Should You Do? (W)

1. Tape 5 drawings or pictures of natural disaster vocabulary
on the board.
2. Students identify each word and write suggestions for
what should be done to survive each situation.
Ex: EARTHQUAKE: You should cover your head and neck.
You should find shelter.
FIRE: You should crawl on the floor. You should not
breathe the smoke.

207

You Do/Production
A. Work: Oral History Project (W)
1. Students bring the important parts of the interview
written in Spanish to class.
2. Write the project questions on the board again.
3. Students read through their information and decide on
the most important parts that answer the questions.
4. Students begin to write summaries of this information in
English using grammar structures and vocabulary from
the unit.
Important: Do not encourage word for word
translation of the entire interview. This is an
exercise in summarizing important information
and using vocabulary the students know.

B. Peer Review (R)

C. Oral History Project in Small Groups (W)

1. Each Oral History Project includes the students name and
the name of the person interviewed.
2. Divide students into small groups of four or five, and have
each student present their Oral History Project.
3. Students should record each group member presentation
including the name of the presenter, the person
interviewed, and important facts about the oral history.
4. Students turn in Oral History Projects.

D. Oral History Reflection:

1. Students review their notes from the Oral History
Presentations and write a short response to the question,
Why is remembering Oral History important?

1. Students work in pairs.

2. Students read their partners work and give suggestions
and feedback.

Example Oral History Project Record Sheet

Students name

Person Interviewed

Natural Disaster

Juan

Grandmother

Maria

-Was alive when a great storm hit Nicaragua

-Had to move to new home with family
-Didnt think she was going to survive

Father

Brian

Aunt

Cristina

Neighbor

-Experienced the earthquake of 1972

-Thought he was going to die
-Remembers the destruction
-Witnessed the eruption of a volcano
-The ashes caused her to get sick
-She now lives in Canada

-Survived Hurricane Mitch

-Had to swim through part of the city
-Has a new home and moved

10th Grade 6.4 Final Review

Review appendix for suggestions for evaluation.

208

11th Grade
Contents

Target Grammar

Page

Review past tense, regular and irregular verbs

Focus on verb form (add ed) and on Time expressions yesterday, last week, etc.

210

Write Your Story

Review Simple Past, Regular and Irregular verbs

212

11.1.3

Famous Stories

Review Wh-questions

214

11.2.1

My Future

Review future tense with WILL

216

11.2.2

Getting A Job

Review Modals MUST, HAVE TO and SHOULD

218

11.2.3

Job Searches
and Interviews

Present Perfect

220

11.3.1

Human Rights

Adverb Clauses, Because and Since

223

11.3.2

Freedom and
Equality

Review Modal CAN

226

11.3.3 Gender Inequality

Review Every Day Activities and Time Expressions

228

11.4.1

My City Tourism

Review Modal CAN and Simple Present verb Forms

230

11.4.2

Community
Resources

Review There is/There are, Prepositions of place, Cardinal directions, Places in the community
Review Modals MUST, HAVE TO, SHOULD

232

11.4.3

Community
Safety

Conditional Sentences, Expressing Preferences

235

11.5.1

Communication
& Technology

Review Present Simple for Questions

238

11.5.2 Modern Inventions

Review Comparatives and Superlatives

240

11.5.3

Globalization

Conjunctions: but, however, although, also, in addition to

242

11.6.1

Responsibility

Gerunds, Reported Speech

245

11.6.2

Gender Roles

Review Frequency Adverbs

247

11.6.3

Parents and
Families

Recommendation Expressions: SHOULD, ought to, it is recommended that

Opinion Expressions: In my opinion, I think that, I believe that

249

11.1.1

Tell Your Story

11.1.2

209

11th Grade 1st Day of Class

See 7.1.1 for suggestions for the 1st day of class.

11th Grade 1.1 Tell Your Story

Target Vocabulary
Irregular Verbs: BE, WAS/WERE, MAKE, MADE, MEET, MET, WRITE, WROTE, BEGIN,
BEGAN, DO, DID, HAVE, HAD, KNOW, KNEW, TEACH, TAUGHT, EAT, ATE

Target Grammar

Review past tense, regular and irregular verbs (See 9.6.2 and 9.6.3). Focus on verb form
(add ed) and on time expressions yesterday, last week, etc.
I walked to school yesterday.
Last week she wrote a paragraph for homework.

I Do/Presentation
A. Regular Verbs

B. Irregular Verbs (See Irregular Verbs Appendix)

1. Review past tense regular verbs; write the present and

past forms of several verbs on the board at random.
planned
applied
walk
study
play die
apply
want
wanted
clap
started
played

enjoy
start
need loved
clapped
plan
love studied
died
enjoyed
needed
walked

2. In groups (or pairs) students match the simple form

of the verb with the past form.
3. Present the following chart. Explain each rule.
4. Students fill in blank spots with verbs from the list.

1. Regular

+ -ed

asked,
wanted,
needed

2. Ends in -e

+ -d

loved,
died

3. Ends in
consonant -y

-y -> -ied

4. Consonant + Vowel +
consonant ending

double the
consonant
+ -ed

210

studied,
applied

planned,
clapped

1. Review past tense irregular verbs; write the present and

past forms of several verbs on the board.
be
did
taught
was/were
have
write
made

know
begin
meet
had
do
eat
teach

met
wrote
knew
make
began
ate

2. Explain that there is no rule for irregular verbs in the past

tense. The only way to learn them is to memorize them.
3. In groups (or pairs) students match the simple form of the
verb with the past form.
Variation: For advanced classes combine Activity A and B
omit the chart for regular verbs. To combine the activities,
present all the verbs at the same time. Students match
them together and then divide the words into groups of
regulars and irregulars.

C. Verb Chart
1. Many of our students are not good note takers. To help
them improve, demonstrate on the board how they can
make a simple T-chart to study the different verbs.
2. The chart can be as simple as two columns. One column
with verbs in their simple form and the other with verbs
in the past tense.

simple

past tense

be
have
know

was/were
had
knew

We Do/Practice
A. Cocktail Party (See Multi-Purpose Activities
Index for more directions) (R, S, L)
1. Write biographical interview questions on small pieces of
paper.
Ex: Where were you born? What did you study? Where did
you live? What did you do for fun?
2. Give one paper to each student.
3. Students should find classmates and ask each other the
questions.
4. After they ask and answer the questions, they change
papers and find someone else to ask.

B. Two Truths and a Lie (See Multi-Purpose

Activities Index for more directions) (W, S, L)
1. Tell the students to write down two things that are true
about themselves and one thing that is untrue.
Ex: I went to Managua last week. I broke my leg when I
was ten years old. I played soccer on Saturday.
2. Students must use simple past.
3. Divide students into small groups of 5-6.
4. Within their groups, students read their sentences aloud
to their classmates.
5. Other members of the group must guess which sentence
is the lie.
Variation: You can do this as a whole class instead of small
groups, but small groups allow more student speaking
time.

C. Past Tense Tic-Tac-Toe (S, R, L)

1. See instructions for Tic-Tac-Toe in the Multi-Purpose
Activities Index.
2. Divide the class into two teams.
Variation 1:
Fill the board with past tense verbs.
Students say a complete sentence to get
an X or O in the square.

D. Teacher Autobiography Paragraph (R, W)

1. This is a good activity for the students to know you better
as their teacher. Write a paragraph about yourself.
2. Include examples of both regular and irregular past
tense verbs.
3. Students write three questions that they want to know
about their teachers past.
Ex: Where were you born?
What was your favorite sport as a child?
Why are you a teacher?
4. Students volunteer to read their questions.
5. Present the Autobiography.

I was born to be a teacher. In 1980 I was born in

Corinto in Chinandega. I loved to play sports. I
played baseball, basketball or soccer every day. My
mom and dad were teachers and they made sure
that I studied. I needed to get good grades in school.
When I was 18 I went to university, to become a
teacher like my parents. Five years ago, I started
to teach English in this high school. My parents are
very proud that I became a teacher.
6. Read the paragraph out loud.
7. Volunteer students read parts of the paragraph.
8. Identify any new vocabulary.
9. Students circle regular past tense verbs.
10. Students underline irregular past tense verbs.
11. Students use the reading to answer the questions they
wrote before reading the autobiography.
12. Answer any questions that were not answered in
the paragraph.

Variation 2 (easier):
Fill the board with present tense verbs.
Students say verb in simple past to win the square.
Good activity to practice irregular simple past verbs.

211

You Do/Production
A. Students of the Year Interview and Newspaper
Article (W, L, S)
1. Students should form pairs and conduct a biographical
interview of their partner.
2. The interview should include general biographical
questions like:
a. Where were you born?
b. Where did you go to primary school?
c. What did you do for fun?
d. What did you like to study?

3. Students must use the simple past.

4. Interviewers should create a Student of the Year award
for their partner and draw a prize on a piece of paper,
including an illustration that reflects something about
their partners life.
Ex: Martas partner is Gema. Because Gema likes to play
the guitar, Marta makes a prize that says Gema: Student
of the Year with a drawing of Gema playing guitar.
5. Interviewers should present their partners with the
imaginary award and explain to the class why this
student won the award.

11th Grade 1.2 Write Your Story

Target Vocabulary
GET married, HAVE children, MAKE money, LOOK for a job, MOVE to (another place), GO to
the university, GRADUATE from, BUY a house, TRAVEL to

Target Grammar

Review Simple Past, Regular and Irregular verbs.

He studied in Matagalpa.
He spent time in Rivas.

I Do/Presentation
A. Structure of a Biography
1. Explain that most biographies have a structure.
2. A biography starts with an introduction.
3. The biography should explain the persons BIRTH.
4. The biography should explain the persons LIFE.
5. The biography should explain the persons DEATH if the
person is dead.
6. The biography ends with a conclusion.

B. A Biography of Rubn Daro (R, L) (Listen to CD

Track #30)
1. Prepare the biography on a papelgrafo, but with the
verbs left blank.
2. Read the full text to the class, or play the CD track.
3. Students should listen to fill in the blank verbs.

212

A Biography of Rubn Daro

Flix Rubn Garca Sarmiento, also known as
Rubn Daro (was) Nicaraguas most famous poet.
He (was) born on January 18th, 1867 in Metapa,
Nicaragua. His parents (died) so he (lived) with his
godfather Colonel Flix Ramrez. Daro (learned)
how to read at the age of three. When he (was) 19
years old, he (moved) to Chile, where he (wrote)
his most famous work, Azul. He (worked) as a
journalist and diplomat. He (shared) his talent and
creativity with the world. He (died) in the city of
Len on February 6th, 1916. He is remembered as
the Prince of Castilian Letters.

We Do/Practice
A. Reading Comprehension (R, W)
1. Students complete the verbs in the biography of Rubn
Daro.
2. Students should answer these comprehension
questions. Use Think-Pair-Share.
1. Where was Rubn Daro born?
2. Where did Rubn Daro live?
3. What jobs did Rubn Daro have?
4. Why is Rubn Dario famous?

B. Fill in the Blank Relay Race (R, W)

1. Before class, copy one of the eight sentence sets of
irregular and regular past tense verbs on separate
pieces of paper. (Sentence sets are written in the space
below these directions.)
2. Divide students into groups of five.
3. Give each group one of the eight pieces of paper, face
down, and a separate piece of blank paper.
4. Tell students not to turn the paper over until you say
Go!
5. Tell students to write only on the blank piece of paper
(not on the sentence set).
6. After you say Go! the first student of each group will
flip the pieces of paper over and write the correct verb
in the Simple Past on the blank piece of paper.
7. After the first student writes the verb on the blank
piece of paper, he or she passes both pieces of paper to
the next student.
8. This continues until every student writes a past tense
verb.
9. The last student in the group to finish takes the piece of
paper with the verbs in Simple Past to the teacher.
10. The teacher checks the answers.
11. If the students have mistakes, the group must
correct them.
12. The first group who gives the correct answers wins
the race.
13. Rotate the sentence sets to different groups until
ever group has had all the different lists of sentences.

Sentence Sets
Regular:
Everyone _________ English in high school. (learn)
I _________ myself for the college entrance exam.
(prepare)
Manuel _________ a lot for the exam. (study)
Julia _________ computation classes in Estel. (attend)
We _________ to study engineering. (plan)

Manuel and Julia _________ to study in Rivas. (decide)

They _________ class in February. (start)
We _________ our degree after five years. (finish)
Manuel _________ his degree from engineering to
administration. (change)
Julia _________ to her family every weekend. (talk)
Manuel _________ Julia. (like)
He _________ her house every day. (visit)
Julia _________ Manuel too. (love)
They _________ in April. (marry)
Everyone _________ at the wedding. (dance)
Manuel and Julia _________ to Esteli. (return)
They _________ to be near their family. (want)
Manuels father _________ last year. (die)
Julias sisters _________ in the neighborhood. (live)
I _________ at a store down the street. (work)

Irregular:
Manuel _________ an idea. (have)
He _________ a book of poems. (write)
He _________ the poetry to Julia. (give)
She _________ she loved him. (know)
They _________ to date. (begin)
Julia and I _________ at the university. (meet)
She _________ my notebook under my desk. (find)
I _________ her a soda to say thanks. (buy)
We _________ each other in class every Saturday. (see)
Manuel _________ jealous of our friendship. (feel)
Manuel and Julia _________ three children. (have)
Julia _________ computation at the school. (teach)
Manuel _________ an engineer with the Mayors office.
(be)
The family _________ chicken soup every Sunday. (eat)
They _________ a vacation to Somoto Canyon during Holy
week. (take)
I _________ that Manuel and Julia were very happy. (think)
One day, Julia _________ from a horse. (fall)
She _________ a broken leg. (have)
Manuel _________ to visit her in the hospital. (go)
They _________ happy, even in the hospital. (be)
213

You Do/Production
A. Future Biography (W)
1. Students imagine that in year 2110, they were very
famous for something and a biographer wants to
write about them.
2. Students imagine what they were famous for.
3. Students write a one-paragraph biography about
themselves (minimum five sentences).
4. Students focus on using the structure of the
biography.

B. Mini-Books (See Multi-Purpose Activities

Index for more directions) (W, R)
1. Students create mini-books using the paragraph of
their future biography.
2. Mini-books must include:
Cover with a title.
Page with introduction.
Page with their birth.
Pages with sentences about their life.
Page about their death.
Page with a conclusion.
3. After students write their biographies, they should
exchange their mini-books with a partner.
4. Students should illustrate their partners
autobiography.
5. Evaluate both the writing and drawing as proof that
students understand each others biographies.

Example Paragraph

Future Biography
Olman Pineda was Nicaraguas most famous surgeon.
He was born in the city of Matagalpa on January 3,
1998. He studied at the Eliseo Picado Institute when
he was a teenager. Later, he went to UNAN in Leon to
study medicine. He worked for 35 years in the public
hospital in Matagalpa. When he retired, he dedicated
his life to giving medical care to the poor. He died on
February 14, 2075. The Pope recognized his work, and
named him Nicaraguas Mother Teresa.

Note 1: Emphasize that the language should be simple, and

that students can use verbs from the Fill-In-The-Blank activity
practice.
Note 2: If a student doesnt want their partner to draw on
their mini-book, the partner can complete the assignment on
another piece of paper and turn it in with the mini-book.

11th Grade 1.3 Famous Stories

Target Vocabulary
investigation, research, famous, celebrity, DRESS UP

Target Grammar
Review Wh Questions

Where is he from? Why is he famous?

I Do/Presentation
A. Famous People Brainstorm
As a class, brainstorm a list of famous Nicaraguan people,
locally and nationally
Examples of Famous Nicaraguan People:
Alexis Argello, Andrs Castro, Augusto Csar Sandino,
Cardinal Obando y Bravo, Carlos Fonseca, Carlos Meja
Godoy, Chocolatito, Daniel Ortega, Enmanuel Mangalo,
Gioconda Belli, Gustavo Leytn, Luis Enrique, Oto de la
Rocha, Rubn Daro, Vicente Padilla
214

Examples of Famous Local People:

The mayor, the principal, musicians, doctors, business owners

B. Important Information Brainstorm

As a class, brainstorm a list of information that is important to
know to research a famous person.
Ex: when someone was born, where they were born, what
their profession is, how many brothers and sisters they have,
etc.

We Do/Practice
A. Who Am I? (L, S)
1. Pretend to be a famous Nicaraguan.
2. Students should ask you questions about your life using
Wh questions.
3. Students must guess who you are based on your
responses.

B. Celebrity Circle (S, L)

1. Divide students into groups of 4.
2. Give each student in the group a number 1-4.
3. Each student will have the opportunity to be famous.
4. Call out a number 1-4 and students with that number
stand up.
5. Tell the class to give them a big applause because
they are famous.
6. Students can use personal information or pretend to
be a real celebrity.
7. The three other members of the group ask the famous
person questions that were brainstormed.
8. After 3-5 minutes, call out another number.
9. Repeat the process until everyone has had a chance
to be the celebrity.
Variation: Use the following Famous Nicaraguan People
from the Atlantic Coast to do the Celebrity Circle Activity.
George Augustus Frederick II
George was the King of Mosquitia. He was born in 1833 in Puerto
Cabezas. George ruled as the King of Mosquitia. He lived his entire
life between in Honduras and Nicaragua. George was famous
because he served as the last King of Mosquitia.

Sabu
Sabu is a Costeo musician. He was born in Puerto Cabezas in
1940. Sabu plays music and sings in a band. He lives in Puerto
Cabezas and in Bluefields. Sabu is famous because people loved
his music.
Scharllette Allen
Scharllette Allen is a model from Bluefields. She was born in
Bluefields in 1991. Scharllette modeled clothes, jewelry, and
cell phones. She lives in Bluefields and Managua. Scharllette is
famous because she won Miss Nicaragua in 2010.
Darell Campbell
Darell Campbell is a Nicaragua baseball player. He plays baseball
for the Coast Team. He was born in Bluefields in 1982. Darell lives
in Bluefields when he isnt travelling. Darell is famous because he
runs fast and fields well.

C. Biographical Research (W)

1. Each student thinks of one famous person they
want to learn more about.
2. The person can be a famous Nicaraguan or a famous
person in the community.
3. Students are going to do a short research project
on that person.
4. Students make a list of 5-10 questions that they
would like to research about their famous person.
5. Students should write down the answers of
their research.
6. Student research can be done in books, internet,
magazines and through interviews.

You Do/Production
A. Get into Character (W, S)
1. In advance, tell your students that the next class they
will pretend to be the famous person they researched in
Practice Activity C.
2. Students can dress up, make nametags or bring a
prop like a microphone for a singer or a glove for a
baseball player.
3. Students should be prepared to describe their
famous person in English.

B. Who Are You? (L, S)

C. Hidden Identity (L, S)

1. Students write the name of a famous person on a card.
2. Students exchange cards with a classmate.
3. They should NOT look at the new card, they will be
guessing their identity.
4. This card becomes their Hidden Identity.
5. Students must ask questions about their hidden identity
to reveal who they are.
Ex: Am I a man or a woman? Am I a musician? Am I alive
or dead?

1. Students pretend to be a famous Nicaraguan.

2. One student comes and stands in front of the class.
3. The class should ask the student questions about their
life using Wh questions.
4. Students must guess who they are based on their
responses.
215

D. Cocktail Party (See Multi-Purpose Activities

Index for more directions) (S, L)
1. All the students should come to class as their
famous person.
2. Students take notes on 3 other famous people that they
meet during the party.
3. Student to student interaction only in English and using
question words and proper introductions.

F. Change Seats in Character (S, L)

1. See Multi-Purpose Activity Index for more directions.
2. Students pretend they are their famous person.
3. Students call for each other to change seats according
to characteristics of the famous people.
Ex: Change seats if you are a musician. Change seats if
you are from Managua. Change seats if you are old.

E. Party Report (S, W)

1. Students write 2-3 sentences about 3 famous people
that they met.
2. After the party, go around class and with their notes
students describe another famous person until someone
can guess who it is.
Variation: Go around the classroom and students describe
1 or 2 famous people that they met.

11th Grade 2.1 My Future

Target Vocabulary
administration, art, business, computer science, cooking, economics, education, engineering,
foreign relations, law, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, writing

Target Grammar

Review future tense with WILL (See 10.4.3)

After class, I will eat lunch.
I will finish high school this year.

I Do/Presentation
A. University and Career Vocabulary
1. Generate vocabulary list by asking students, What will
you study in the University?
2. Students copy target vocabulary, then practice
pronunciation.

216

B. Present WILL
1. Tell students, Right now, you are studying in high school.
In December, you WILL graduate. Many of you WILL go to a
university. Some of you WILL work.
2. Draw attention to the word WILL, and have students guess
its use.
3. Explain that WILL is used before the important verb to
signal the future tense.
Ex: Tonight I will eat gallo pinto for dinner. Tomorrow we will
have two hours of English class.
4. Remind students of the structure of WILL.
Subject + WILL + important verb

We Do/Practice
A. Run to the Board (See Multi-Purpose Activities
Index for more directions) (L)
1. On the board write different university careers.
Ex: English, Medicine, Economics
2. Divide the class into two teams.
3. Read a sentence about goals for the careers.
4. The two student volunteers run to the board and slap the
career that corresponds to the sentence they hear.
Ex: I will study English grammar and pronunciation.
(English)
I will learn how to take care of patients. (Medicine)
I will practice mathematics and learn about money.
(Economics)

B. Listening Activity: Future Timelines (Listen to CD

Tracks # 31, 32, and 33) (L)
1. Bring papelgrafos with the following picture timelines
(with no words)
2. Read the following descriptions of 3 students future
plans. Students decide which description corresponds to
which picture timeline.
Ramona:
In December 2014, I will graduate high school.
In January 2015, I will move to Managua. In
March 2015, I will start classes in UCA. I will
study engineering, because in the future I
want to be a civil engineer. In December 2021,
I will receive my engineering degree from
UCA. In 2025, I will have an interesting job in
engineering, and I will construct many houses
and buildings.

Cristofer:
In December 2014, I will graduate high school.
I will spend Christmas with my family, and then
in March 2015 I will enter UNAN University
to study education. I will study a lot, and in
December 2020 I will receive my degree from
the university. In 2021, I will get a job as a
teacher in a primary school, and I will make a
lot of money. Then I will get married 2022.

Tania:
I will graduate high school in December 2014.
I will marry my boyfriend in July 2015, because
we are in love. In 2016, my husband and I will
buy a house. Then, in 2017, I will have a baby. In
2019, I will probably have another baby. I will be
a housewife forever.

217

C. Paolas Future: Comprehension Questions (R, S)

2. Use Think-Pair-Share for students to answer the

comprehension questions individually, then in
partners, then as a class. (See Multi-Purpose Activities
Index for directions.)
1. When will Paola graduate high school?
2. Where will Paola study?
3. What will Paola study?
4. Why will Paola study economics?
5. When will Paola begin her career?

1. Present the following reading:

In December, Paola will graduate high school. She will

say Goodbye to her teachers and friends, and she
will move to Juigalpa to study in UNAN University. In
the university, Paola will study economics, because
in the future she wants to work in a bank. Paola will
work hard, and in five years she will graduate from
the university. Paola will begin her career; she will be
successful and earn a lot of money.

You Do/Production
A. My Future Timeline (W,S)

B. Mini-Book: My Classmates Futures (L,W)

1. Show students a written version of one of the timelines

from the listening activity.
2. Using the example as a model, students make their own
future timelines with pictures and write a paragraph
(using WILL) to accompany it.
3. Students present their timelines to the class.

1. Students listen to their classmates timeline presentations

from Part A.
2. Based on what they hear in the presentations, students
write 1 sentence about the future plans of 5 classmates
Ex: Jennifer will move to Boaco in February. Pamela will
study law in Managua. Ral will graduate high school
in December. Lorena will get married to her boyfriend.
Samuel will study computer science in UNAN Juigalpa.
3. Students make a mini-book with their sentences. Each
sentence is accompanied by a picture.

11th Grade 2.2 Getting A Job

Target Vocabulary
career, computer skills, dedicated, English knowledge, hardworking, experience, INTERACT,
job, organized, punctual, respectful, responsible, university degree, WORK

Target Grammar

Review Modals MUST, HAVE TO and SHOULD (See 8.6.3, 9.2.2 and 10.1.1)
Job applicant should have a university degree.
Applicant must be enthusiastic and hardworking.

I Do/Presentation
A. Review Job Vocabulary (See 9.1.1)
1. Brainstorm job vocabulary list.
2. Make a list of jobs and examples of community members.

218

Job

Example

Teacher

Leyla Briceo

Shopkeeper

Doa Aura Lila

Artist

Jhonny Castellano

B. Review Professional Characteristics (See 9.1.2)

Use examples of students or community members to present
the vocabulary.
Ex: Pablo is organized. Teacher Nstor is punctual.

C. Review Job Skills and Professional Characteristics

(See 9.1.2)
1. Brainstorm requirements for different jobs.
Job

Requirements

Doctor

Understand medicine, have a

medical degree

Waiter

Be friendly, serve clients

Teacher

Have university degree

Salesperson

Have mathematics skills

Tour guide
Speak English, drive a car
2. Using the list, make sentences with MUST.
Ex: A doctor must understand medicine.
A waiter must be friendly.
A tour guide must speak English and drive a car.
3. Remind students that MUST is used for requirements.
4. Draw attention to the structure of MUST.
Subject + must + verb

Some job ideas:

teacher
student
principal
doctor
nurse
pharmacist
tour guide
cook
waiter
secretary

engineer
police officer
fireman
mechanic
electrician
artist
factory worker
street vendor
salesperson
shopkeeper

carpenter
tailor
maid
farmer
gardener
cashier
baker
housewife
bus/taxi driver
janitor
security guard

We Do/Practice
A. Review Job Vocabulary
1. Use a multi-purpose activity to review new vocabulary
2. Charades, Run to the Board, etc.

B. Review Job Skills and Professional

Characteristics Vocabulary
1. Use a multi-purpose activity to review new vocabulary.
2. Look to 9.2.2 for review.

C. Listening Activity with MUST (L)

1. Before class, cut and organize several photographs of
people with different job titles. The photographs can be
from magazines, newspaper, etc.
Ex: driver, artist, housekeeper, teacher, pharmacist,
secretary
2. Students copy in their notebooks the numbers 1-6.
3. Read ads describing the requirements of each job.
Students decide which ad corresponds to which job and
photograph.
1. (artist) The applicant for this job must be very creative.
He/she must have experience drawing and painting
pictures.
2. (teacher) The applicant for this job must be punctual
and responsible. He/she must have a university diploma in
Education.
3. (driver) The applicant must be friendly. He/she must drive
a car.
4. (pharmacist) The applicant must be very intelligent and
responsible. He/she must understand medicine and have a
university diploma in pharmaceuticals.

5. (housekeeper) The applicant must be very hard-working

and motivated. He/she must have experience washing
clothes, cooking, and cleaning houses.
6. (secretary) The applicant for this job must be dedicated
and organized. He/she must use a computer and make
documents.
Variation: You can do this activity as a dictation, by reading
the ads aloud and having students write the job in their
notebooks. This may be less fun for the students, but all
students can participate equally.

D. Word Association (S, L)

1. Divide the class in two teams.
2. Each team sends a volunteer to the front.
3. Say a job. The first volunteer to say a word related to that
job wins the point.
Ex: Teacher says Cook. Student wins for words like food,
restaurant, eat, etc.
4. For advanced classes, students say a sentence with the
occupation to earn the point.

E. Job Pairs (S, L)

1. Prepare cards with jobs for each student.
2. Each card has a match. Professions that are related or
work together.
Ex: Nurse/Doctor, cook/waiter, teacher/student, police
officer/fireman
3. When every student has a card they stand up and find
their match.
4. Students explain why the jobs are a match.
5. Collect the cards and repeat the activity.
219

You Do/Production
A. Future Career Paragraph (W)
1. Using their timelines from the previous content, students
write a plan on how they will achieve the things needed to
get a job.

My Future Career
In one year, I will graduate high school and go to
University. I will study engineering in UNI in Managua.
I must be hardworking and organized. In five years, I
will have my degree in engineering and will look for a
job in Managua. I must have mathematics skills. I must
speak English and be able to use a computer. In 10
years I will have a job at the mayors office in Masaya as
the head engineer.

B. Future Career Mini-Books (See Multi-Purpose

Activities Index for more directions) (W)
1. Students use their ideas about the next seven years of
their future to make a mini-book.
2. Mini-books should include their career goals and the
steps needed to achieve them.
3. Students should keep them to make sure they are on
track to reach their goals!

C. Mini-Books Drawing Exchange (R)

1. After students make their mini-books, they exchange
with a partner.
2. The partner should illustrate the mini-book according to
the sentences.
3. You can verify and evaluate that the grammar is correct,
and that the pictures match the writing.

2. Tell students who are unsure about their future that now is
the time to start thinking about them.
3. Students can work in pairs but should create their own
plan.
4. Pair students who are more confident of their futures with
students who are less confident.

11th Grade 2.3 Job Searches and Interviews

Target Vocabulary
ATTENDED, BEEN, DONE, GONE, HAD, LEARNED, STUDIED, TAKEN, WORKED, WRITTEN
applicant, interviewer, job desired, strengths, weaknesses

Target Grammar

Present Perfect
Jane has studied engineering in the past.
They have worked in an office before.

I Do/Presentation
A. Target Grammar
1. Review HAVE in the Simple Present.
2. Draw the diagram on the board and explain the use of
the present perfect.

eat

now

Present Perfect

(time?)
220

Ex: Tom has already eaten.

When did Tom eat? Tom finished
eating sometime before now. The
exact time is not important.

3. The present perfect is used for something that happened

before the present now. The exact time is not important.
4. Write examples on the board and underline the verbs.
Ex: I have earned this promotion.
Ruth has arrived on time every day since she started

working here.
They have not confirmed their attendance at

the meeting.
5. Explain that a verb in the present perfect has two parts:
the auxiliary verb HAVE and the past participle.

Verb Form: HAVE (Simple Present) + past participle

6. Explain that the past participle for regular verbs is the

same as the simple past.
7. Explain that there are many irregulars.
8. Give students a list of irregular past participles. (See last
page of manual for verb index.)
9. Present Example sentences
Ex: They have spoken at the meeting.
She has not worked at that company for three years.
Has James taught at the university for many years?
We have waited here for over two hours!
10. Ask students for the sentence structure of the
present perfect:
11. Students copy the verb form, sentence structure and
examples.

Note: Present Perfect is a difficult tense. If your

students have difficulty with grammar, do not
teach present perfect, and do the following
activities focusing on simple past and future.

B. Job Application
1. Present the Job Application on a papelgrafo:

Present Perfect Sentence Structure

Affirmative:
Subject + HAVE + past participle + Complement.
I have studied English.
He has been to Spain.

Negative:
Subject + HAVE + not + past participle + Complement.
You have not worked in Leon.
She has not written a cover letter.
Interrogative:
HAVE + Subject + past participle + Complement + ?
Have you gone to church?
Has he learned to drive?

C. Mara Joss Job Interviews (Listen to CD Track

#34)
1. Explain to students that a job interview typically consists
of questions about the applicants job application and
work experience.
2. Present the interview dialogue with a student from
the class. The candidate should present his/her job
application to the interviewer as the dialogue begins.

Applicant Name: Mara

Jos Tllez Rodrguez

Date of Birth: July 15,

1989

Interviewer: Good afternoon. Please, sit down.

Age: 22 years old

Sex: F

Job desired: English

Teacher

Salary desired: C$4,000/

month

Applicant: Good afternoon. I want to apply for the English

teacher job in the high school.
Interviewer: Ok, whats your name?

Hours Available: Monday-Friday 7:00-1:00pm

Applicant: My name is Mara Jos Tllez Rodrguez.

Education: I graduated from Tecolostote High school

in 2005. I received a diploma in pedagogy from UNAN
Juigalpa in 2010.

Interviewer: Ok, what work experience do you have, Mara

Jos?

Work Experience: I have worked as a substitute

teacher in San Lorenzo in 2010 and as waitress in Villa
Rosa Restaurant, 2008-2009
Strengths: I am responsible and punctual. I have
experience in schools. I am creative. I am bilingual
(Spanish and English).
Weaknesses: Sometimes I am a perfectionist.
2. Identify the new vocabulary (applicant, job desired,
strengths, weakness).

Applicant: I have worked as a substitute teacher in San

Lorenzo in 2010, and I have worked as a waitress in Villa Rosa
Restaurant from 2008-2009.
Interviewer: Interesting. And what is your greatest
strength?
Applicant: Well, I have many good qualities, but my greatest
strength is creativity.
Interviewer: Ok, thanks. I will call you if a work opportunity
is possible.
Applicant: Thank you for your time! Goodbye.

221

We Do/Practice
A. Present Perfect Drilling (W)
Students complete the following sentences in the present
perfect using the verb in parenthesis.
Ex: I have finished (finish) my homework already.
1. She has read (read) Rubn Daros poems before.
2. They have visited (visit) Matagalpa in the past.
3. Sarah has taken (take) English classes before.
4. I have worked (work) on a farm once before.
5. He has eaten (eat) sopa de mondongo.
Variation: Present verbs in a Word Box. Students
decide which verb fits where and writes it in the
present perfect tense.

B. Job Application True/False Comprehension

Questions (R, L)
1. With masking tape, make a line in the middle of the
classroom to divide it in half.
2. Explain to students that one side of the room represents
TRUE and the other side represents FALSE.
3. Show the job application from the Presentation Part A.
4. Read the true/false questions.
5. If students believe the sentence is true, they walk to
the side of the room that corresponds to TRUE. If they
believe the sentence is false, they walk to the side of the
room that corresponds to FALSE.
1. The applicant is female. (True)
2. The applicant wants to be a secretary. (False)
3. The applicant studied English in Juigalpa. (True)
4. The applicant does not have experience as a teacher.
(False)
5. The applicant is responsible and punctual. (True)
6. The applicant is bilingual. (True)
7. The applicant has no weaknesses. (False)

C. Job Interviews: Selecting Candidates (Listen to

CD Tracks #35 and 36) (L)
1. With two different students from the class, read the two
job interviews written below.
2. Explain that students will select which candidate will get
the job.
3. The first candidate should act casual and unprofessional.
The second candidate should act prepared, professional,
and confident.
4. Students listen to the interviews, then vote to determine
who will get the job.
Variation: Students can also practice the dialogues in pairs.
Interview #1:
Interviewer: Good morning. Sit down, please.
Applicant: Hey. I want to apply for the cashier job in the
bank.
Interviewer: Great. Whats your name?
Applicant: My name is Eduardo Daniel Gutirrez Sabina.
Interviewer: Ok, Eduardo, what work experience do you have?
Applicant: Work experience? I have never worked before. I
prefer to watch television or play soccer.
Interviewer: Ok and what is your greatest strength?
Applicant: Usually I am punctual, but not if there is a
Barcelona/Madrid game on TV.
Interviewer: Ok, thanks. I will call you if a work opportunity is
possible.
Applicant: Ok. Bye.
Interview #2:
Interviewer: Hello, good afternoon. Sit down, please.
Applicant: Good afternoon. I want to apply for the cashier
job in the bank.
Interviewer: Ok, whats your name, please?
Applicant: My name is Silvia Vanessa Contreras Toledo.
Interviewer: And what work experience do you have, Silvia?
Applicant: I have worked as a cashier at the Tecolostote
gas station for six years.
Interviewer: Great! And what is your greatest strength?
Applicant: Well, I have many good qualities, but my
greatest strength is that I have great math skills. I am also
very responsible and honest.
Interviewer: Ok, thank you, Silvia. I will call you if a work
opportunity is possible.
Applicant: Thank you very much for your time! Goodbye.

222

You Do/Production
A. Writing Job Applications (W)
1. Following the model, students complete a job
application for their dream job.
2. Students or the teacher save the job applications,
because they will be used in the job interview activity.

B. Job Interview Dialogue (W, L, S)

1. Return students their job applications from Part A.
2. Show students the written version of the job interview
dialogue used in the Presentation Part B. This will be a
model for students work.
3. Students work in partners and use one of their job
applications to make their own job interview dialogues.
One student will be the applicant, and the other will be
the interviewer.
4. Students present their interviews to the class.
5. Classmates listen to the presentations and vote Yes or
No to decide if each candidate will get the job.

C. Create a Company (W, L, S)

1. Students work in pairs to create their own company.
2. Pairs create a name and write a Help Wanted ad.
3. They write their own job interview questions
and answers.
4. Students try to include the present perfect at least once.

D. Job Fair (W, S, L, R)

Use the same pairs from the previous activity.
1. Half the pairs go first.
2. Students make a semi circle where the pairs going first set up
their company name and job ad.
3. The other pairs go around to those companies and
interview for the jobs.
4. Pairs use the interview questions they wrote in the
last activity.
5. After 10-15 minutes, switch.
6. At the end, discuss who had the best/most interesting
company, who gave a good interview, etc.

E. Think Pair Share (R, S, L)

1. Ask students to think about the scenarios below.
2. Students pair off and discuss their opinions
3. Finally, call for the group to discuss the scenarios as a whole.
Mr. Smith offers you a job after school helping fix cars. You really
want to learn mechanics, but you know he offered your friend
more money than he offered you.
1. What should you say?
2. What is fair pay for a job like this?
You go for a job interview. You havent been trying in school,
and now youre sorry because you really want this job. There is
another student having an interview who is very good in school.
1. What should you tell the interviewer?
2. What can you do to prepare for a job interview?

11th Grade 3.1 Human Rights

Target Vocabulary
born, equal, education, religious freedom, free speech, vote, right, protest

Target Grammar

Adverb Clauses, Because (See 9.5.2) and Since

The right to a free education is important because all children need to have the
opportunity to go to school.
The right to food is critical to a country since it keeps people from starving.

223

I Do/Presentation
A. Present Human Rights
1. Present to your class the list of Human Rights from the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
1. All people are born free and equal.
2. All people have the right to a free education.
3. All people have the right to free speech.
4. All people have the right to religious freedom.
5. All people have the right to a home.

6. All people have the right to food.

7. All people have the right to work.
8. All people have the right to vote.
9. All people have the right to play.

2. Teach new vocabulary. Students volunteer to explain the Human Rights.

We Do/Practice
A. The Right to Act (R, W, S, L)
1. Write the following situations on small pieces of paper.
2. Divide the students into nine groups.
3. For smaller classes, use fewer groups. There should be at
least three students in each group.
4. Give each group a situation.
5. In groups, students must read the passage and identify
which human right is involved.
6. Each group should prepare a skit to represent the
situation.
7. Groups present their skits.
8. The class should watch the skit and identify as a group
which right is being presented.
9. Follow each presentation with a short discussion.
* Which right is being represented?
* What character did each student play?
* Where in the world can this situation happen?
* What is the status of this right in Nicaragua? In the
world?
Variation: For a listening activity, you can read the passages
aloud and students must listen and identify the right.

Passages
1. Ricardo doesnt go to school because his parents
cant pay the fee. School should be free in Ricardos
country but the mayor makes every student pay $5 a
month to go to class. (Free education)

2. Ricardos parents are sad and angry that their

son cant go to school. They protest in front of the
mayors house. The mayor arrests the protestors and
puts them in jail for protesting. (Free speech)

3. Rosa has a degree in engineering. She applies to 10

different jobs. Each time a man gets the job instead of
her. None of the men have degrees. Rosa never gets a
job. (Right to work)

224

4. When Christopher arrives to vote on Election Day, a

soldier tells him that he cant vote. Christopher says
that he is registered. The soldier tells him that he
cant vote because he is a member of the opposition
party. The soldier forces him to leave. (Right to vote)

5. Isabella wants to play with her friends, but her

parents will not permit her. Everyday she has to clean
and cook after school. One day she leaves to play
volleyball. When she gets home, her parents punish
her. They tell her to never leave without permission
again. (Right to play)
6. In Ramons country it hasnt rained in two years.
There is very little food. The government exports
some food to make money. Ramon only eats one meal
a day. His sister died from malnutrition. (Right to food)
7. Every Sunday, the people in Sarahs town go to
different churches. But Sarah cannot practice her
religion. Police close (or destroy) her church and tell
her not to go there. (Freedom of religion)

8. Yaribell pays a stranger to take her across the border

to find work. When she arrives, she is forced to work
as a prostitute. The owners of the brothel take all the
money, and she cannot leave the brothel because the
owners are violent. She becomes pregnant and has
a baby. Her child is born into slavery, too, and grows
up in the brothel. (Free and equal)

9. In Osmanis country there is a civil war. He had to

escape the violence and he lives in a United Nations
refugee camp until the war ends. When he returns to
his town, he discovers that the military built a base
where his house was. He has no money to build a
new house, and the military will not help pay. (Right
to a home)

B. Practice Dialogues (L, S)

1. Present one of the following dialogues.
2. Students guess which right from the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights is being represented.
Example Dialogues:
Sara: Hi Juan! What are you doing?
Juan: Lupita and I are going to Mass at the Catholic Church.
Lupita: What church do you attend, Sara?
Sara: My family doesnt go to the Catholic Churchwe are
Evangelical.
Juan: Thats okay, my family says we should all be friends.
Its not important what religion you are.
Lupita: Yes, I agree!
Sara: Ok, good. Enjoy the Mass and see you later!
(Right to Religious Freedom)

Ana: Hi Melba! I am going to the plaza for the Fiestas Patronales.

Do you want to come?
Melba: Yes! Wait. I need to ask my mom for permission.
Mom!
Melbas Mom: Yes?
Melba: Can I go to the Plaza with Ana?
Melbas Mom: No, you cant. You need to iron the clothes,
wash the dishes, and sweep the floor.
Ana: Oh, Im sorry Melba.
Melba: Its okay. My mom never gives me time to play.
(Right to Play)

You Do/Production
A. Guess the Right (W, S, L)
1. Divide the students into small groups, and give each
group a right. It should be a secret from the other
groups.
2. Students prepare a dialogue or skit to represent the right.
3. Students can use very basic English. Encourage them to
write the skit without memorizing.
4. Students present the dialogue or skit in front of the class.
5. After each presentation, the rest of the class should guess
which right was being represented.

B. Presentations (W, S)
1. Divide the class into 9 groups.
2. Each group selects one of the Human Rights.
3. Each group is responsible for a presentation with oral and
visual aspects.
4. Prepare a sample presentation to give as an example.
5. The visual aspect of the presentation can be a poster with
drawings of the Human Right, or a short drama
6. The oral aspect of the presentation can include answers
to the following questions:
What is the Human Right? Explain it.
Why is the Human Right important?
Can you give an example of the Human Right?
What would life be like without the Human Right?
Can you think of examples of the Human Right in
Nicaragua and in your life?

C. Student Rights and Responsibilities: Think, Pair,

Share (W, S, L)
1. Explain that students in Nicaragua have rights and
responsibilities.
2. Individually, students think about the rights and
responsibilities that they have as students, and make a
list.
3. Students form small groups and discuss students rights
and responsibilities.
4. Brainstorm a list of student rights and responsibilities as
a class.
5. Discuss: What can the students do if their rights are
being violated? Must students fulfill their responsibilities
in order to have their rights? Why or why not?
6. As a follow-up, ask students to imagine education
and schools in countries where student rights are not
recognized. What kind of problems could occur?
Note: If you have doubts about the code of student rights
and responsibilities, talk with your principal before this
class. They might be happy to help, because this is a theme
the students should be trained in.

D. Summary (W)
1. Each student selects two Human Rights that were
presented by other groups.
2. Students write 3 sentences explaining why those
two Human Rights are important.

7. Each group presents for 5-10 minutes.

8. Other students ask questions.
9. Ask questions to check comprehension.

225

E. Human Rights Think, Pair, Share (S, W)

1. Read these situation to the students. Ask them to think
about the answers to the questions individually.
2. Students pair off and discuss the questions.
3. Finally, call for the group to discuss the situations as a
whole.

A friend tells you she is going to Granada to date an American

tourist. You think this might be human trafficking. She says not
to tell anyone.
1.
What should you do?
2.
What should you tell her?
Enrique learned in English class that he has a right to an
education. But he cant pay for his uniform so he thinks he
cannot go to class.
1. Can Enrique go to school in Nicaragua?
2.
What are Nicaraguan students rights to education?

11th Grade 3.2 Freedom and Equality

Target Vocabulary
Inequality, oppression, racism, discrimination, poverty, pride, unity, PROMOTE, RAISE
awareness

Target Grammar

Review modal CAN (9.1.2)

I can say no to gender discrimination.
We can help poor people in our town.
The government cant change peoples opinions.

I Do/Presentation
A. Inequality in the Classroom: Part One
Note: This is an activity to bring a simulation of inequality
into the classroom, based on students names. It may
be difficult for students, they might be frustrated by this
activity. After the activity you should talk to them about
their feelings in a final discussion about inequality and how
it relates to them. (See Part Two in You do/Production.)
1. Divide the students and seats into two sections, the front
and the back of the classroom.
2. Tell students that if their first name starts with A-M, they
can sit in the front, but if their first name starts with N-Z,
they have to sit in the back of the classroom.
3. When they are seated, tell them that everyone in the
front is going to get ten extra points on their final grade
because of their name. Everyone in the back is going to
lose ten points because of their name.
4. Tell them that students sitting in the front of the class
have permission to use the bathroom or leave to drink
water, but that students in the back cannot leave the
room.
5. Introduce the theme: Freedom and Inequality.

226

B. Inequality Brainstorm
1. Write the word inequality on the board.
2. Students come up with a definition or a sentence with the
word inequality.
3. Students brainstorm ways in which people are seen as
unequal in Nicaragua and in the world.
4. Ask the student to brainstorm historical examples of
inequality in Nicaragua.
Ex: money, race, sex, gender, language, religion, political
opinion, property, origin, appearance, skin color,
social class, etc.

C. Sandino Brainstorm
1. Ask students to tell you what they know about Augusto C.
Sandino.
2. Take notes on the board.

We Do/Practice
A. Reading: Augusto C. Sandino (R, L)
1. Present the reading.
2. Ask students to identify new vocabulary.
3. Read aloud several times until students understand the
meaning.

B. Reading Comprehension (R, W, S)

1. Students should answer the questions individually, and
then compare with a partner.
2. Lead a group class discussion on the comprehension
questions.
1. Why is Sandino famous?
2. What problems existed in Nicaragua during his life?
3. What did Sandino believe about race and poverty?
4. Do you think Sandino was successful in promoting
equality? Why or why not?
5. Do you agree with Sandinos ideas?

Augusto C. Sandino: a Fighter for Equality

Augusto Csar Sandino is a hero in Nicaragua
because he united the country to fight against
the United States military occupation. He was
also a fighter for equality in Nicaragua.

Sandino lived from 1895 to 1934, when racism

and economic inequality created a lot of human
rights problems in Nicaragua. The most
oppressed people were workers, peasants,
and Indians. But Sandino believed that all
Nicaraguans, Indian and Mestizo, rich and poor,
should fight against oppression. He was proud
of having Indian blood and coming from a poor
family. Sandino believed in racial pride for all
Latin Americans. He said that equality was
necessary for national unity. Many people of
different races and classes joined in the fight
together.

You Do/Production
A. Inequality in the Classroom: Part Two (L, S)
1. Allow students to go back to their normal seats.
2. Explain that you are not really going to change their
points because of their names.
3. Have a class discussion about how students felt about the
activity.
4. Ask students N-Z how they felt about the activity.
* Did they feel discrimination?
* Did it seem unfair?
* Why did they accept or not accept their role?
* What more could they have done to stop the
discrimination?
5. Ask students A-M how they felt about the activity.
* Did they like the preferential treatment?
* Did it seem unfair?
* Why did they accept or not accept their role?
* What more could they have done to stop the
discrimination?
6. Allow students to give feedback and express their
feelings.
7. Emphasize to students that they ALL have an obligation
to stop discrimination when they see it, whether they are
face that discrimination personally or not.

B. Inequality in Nicaragua Today (L, S)

1. Divide the students into five groups and assign them
a part of society to represent: Individuals, Families,
Communities, Organizations, and the Government.
2. Tell each group to make a list of what their part of
society can do to fight inequality.
3. Each group should consider these questions:
* How has inequality changed in Nicaragua since
Sandinos time?
* What inequality still exists?
* What can this group do about inequality?
4. Each group should present.
Ex: Communities can raise money to help the poor.
Communities can have events to celebrate racial
diversity and honor Indian traditions. Communities
cant change individuals opinions, but they can educate
individuals.
5. Follow each presentation with a group discussion
about whether or not the other students agree.

227

11th Grade 3.3 Gender Inequality

Target Vocabulary
gender, because, why, better than, worse than, opinion, but, however

Target Grammar

Review Every day Activities (7.3.1) and Time Expressions (7.4.2)

I wash clothes in the morning.
My brother plays soccer in the afternoon.

I Do/Presentation
A. Vocabulary and Grammar for Debate
1. A possible project for this section is to hold a debate.
2. Teach new and old vocabulary to use in the debate.

B. Review Every Day Activities and the Time

1. If necessary, do a brief review of vocabulary necessary for
interviewing people about their every day activities.
2. See 7.3.1, 7.4.2, and the Multi-Purpose Activities Index for
suggestions.

C. Gender Inequality Discussion

1. Ask for examples of gender inequality in Nicaragua.
2. Ask if gender inequality is okay. Ask if you think there
should be change.
3. Get the ideas flowing for the debate and get the
students interested in the topic.

We Do/Practice
A. International Womens Day: Think Pair Share
(W, S, L)
1. Ask the students the following questions:
1. Why do we celebrate International Womens Day?
2. We learned in the last content that all people are
born free and equal. Why do we only celebrate women?
3. Is it necessary to celebrate men? Should we create an
International Mens Day?
2. Students brainstorm individually, and then share their
answers in pairs.
3. Take notes of students responses as a class on the
board.
Note: These questions are designed to explore the
relationship between human rights and modern-day
cultural issues.

B. International Mens Day Debate (W, S)

1. Propose the question to your students. We celebrate
International Womens Day. Should we create an
International Mens Day to celebrate?
2. Divide the students into those who say yes, and those
who say no.
3. Have the students debate the topic.
Variation: Divide students into smaller groups so they
have more speaking practice.

228

C. Debate Preparation (R, W, S)

1. Present the following argument structures to your students.
* There should be an International Mens Day, because...
* There should not be an International Mens Day, because...
* It is necessary to....
* It is unfair that...
* In addition...
* In conclusion...
2. Students should prepare their arguments for the debate.

D. Boys and Girls Daily Activities

1. Divide the Students into two groups, boys and girls.
2. Ask them each to consider what they think their opposite
gender does on a normal day.
3. Boys tell you what they think the girls do in the morning,
afternoon, and night. (You can divide it into hours if you
want to.)
4. Take notes on the board to build an Imaginary Daily
Activities Schedule.
5. Girls tell you what they think boys do in the morning,
afternoon, and night.

You Do/Production
A. Debate (S, L, W)
1. Set up chairs so that there are two lines facing each other
in the front of class.
2. One from the YES side and one from the NO side go to
the front.
3. One group gives an argument, then the other group
gives an argument.
4. Continue going back and forth until one side
cant respond.
5. After the debate, students should take 5 minutes to write
a reflection in Spanish about gender inequality and what
role they play in enabling it or fighting it.

B. Debate Follow-Up (S)

1. After the debate, ask the students to reflect.
a. Why do we have International Womens Day?
b. Whats the difference in celebrating women, and women
workers?
c. Did they learn anything from their opponents?

C. Daily Activities Schedule (S, L, W)

1. Divide students into pairs, one male and one female per
partnership. (Use groups of three when there are uneven
numbers of males and females in the class.)
2. Each student will make a daily activities schedule of their
partner by asking questions like What time do you wake
up? or What do you do after school?
Ex: Norman interviewed Bianca and created Biancas Daily
Activity Schedule
Time

Activity

5:00 a.m.

Wake up

5:15 a.m.

Make tortillas

6:00 a.m.

Bathe, dress

6:30 a.m.

Eat breakfast, walk to school

7:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

School

12:30 p.m.

Walk home

1:00 p.m.

Eat lunch

1:30 p.m.

Wash clothes

2:30-4:30 p.m.

Visit friends and run errands

4:30-6:00 p.m.

Do homework

6:00 p.m.

Eat dinner

6:00-8:30 p.m.

Watch TV

8:30 p.m.

Go to bed

3. After both male and female have interviewed each other

and made their partners Daily Activities Schedule, they
should compare and answer the following questions.
a. Did your partners schedule surprise you?
b. What are the differences in your schedules?
c. Who does more housework?
d. Who spends more time outside?
e. Are those differences because of gender?
f. If the differences are because of your gender, do you
think that is right?
g. If the differences are not because of gender, what other
factors cause the difference? Personal interests? Distance
you live from school? Family size or family responsibilities?
4. Lead a class discussion in which students analyze the
results of their schedules and how it may or may not
relate to gender.

D. Role Model (W)

1. Students should choose a role model of the opposite
gender. (Male students choose a female role model.
Female students choose a male role model.)
2. Students should write a small paragraph about why they
admire this person, including their personality traits or
accomplishments.

E. In My Opinion (S, L, W)
1. Split students into pairs. When possible, pair boys with
girls.
2. Students should discuss what they would like to see
change about gender discrimination in Nicaragua. Pairs
should make lists.
3. You can teach the students the following for expressing
themselves:
* I wish people would
* I wish men could
* I wish the government would
* I want the government to.
* I want women to be able to
* I would like to see...
4. Pairs should join up with other pairs to make small
groups of 4-6 students.
5. Students should present their list of what they want to
see change regarding gender.
6. They should also take note of examples of gender
discrimination that they think cannot change.
7. Other students should say whether they agree or
disagree.
8. Students should take note of what they all agree should
change, and report back to the class as a whole.

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F. Scenarios or Think Pair Share (R, S, L)

1. Read the situations to the students. Ask them to think about
the answers to the questions individually.
2. Students pair off and discuss the questions.
3. Finally, call for the group to discuss the situations as a whole.
Variation 1: Split students into small groups and have them
make skits representing the scenarios.
Variation 2: In the skits, have male students play female parts
and female students play male parts.
Yamileth is from a big town, and sometimes she goes to the park
with her friends after dinner. When she visits her cousins in the
country, she is not allowed out after 6:00 p.m. But her cousin
Ricardo, who is the same age, is allowed to meet his friends.
1.
What should Yamileth do?
2.
Is gender discrimination different in different parts of

Nicaragua? How?
Bruklins brothers always want him to play sports with them. But
Bruklin doesnt like sports, and he prefers to cook. He wants to be a
chef. They say he acts like a girl.
1.
What should Bruklin do?
2.
How do gender stereotypes affect boys?
Maya is 16 years old and was born in a very poor family. She studied
and loved school, but had to leave to help her mother and sister
work. But her brothers got to go to high school, and now they have
good jobs and nice houses.
1.
Is it more important for boys to study? Why or why not?
2.
What should Maya do?
3.
In your class, are there more boys or girls? Why?

Belkis is an excellent civil engineer. She hears the manager

say he doesnt like to work with women. She does her work
perfectly in the project, but does not get hired again by this
company.
1.
What can Belkis do?
2.
Does gender discrimination exist more in some careers

than others? Why?
Yarmin fell and broke his arm when he was on a bicycle. He
began to cry, but his father told him to be quiet, Men dont cry.
He was embarrassed.
1.
What other expectations of men do people have in

your community?
2.
Is this another kind of machismo?
3.
Do these expectations have a positive or negative

affect on boys? Why?
Marinas mother calls her vaga when she spends the
afternoon playing with her neighbors. But her mother never
says anything to her brother Ramn when he plays with his
friends.
1.
What should Marina do?
2.
What does vaga mean and how does it relate to

gender?
3.
What are the expectations in your town about where

girls and boys should be after school?

11th Grade 3.4 Midterm Review

See 7.3.3 for Midterm Review lesson plan suggestions.

11th Grade 4.1 My City Tourism

Target Vocabulary
benefit, tourist, VISIT, celebration, festival, PARTY

Target Grammar

Review modal CAN (See 9.1.2.)

You can watch the parade at the fiestas patronales.
Review Simple Present verb Forms (See 7.3.1)
The restaurant has a great selection of fish.
All of the restaurants have a great selection of fish.

230

I Do/Presentation
A. Example of Tourism Book Entry
1. Before class, prepare a poster paper with a short
description for a potential tourist visiting your city.
2. The text can be about a special event (fiestas patronales),
a restaurant, a museum, a volcano, a beach or any other
interesting place in or nearby your town.
3. You can also create the topic.

We Do/Practice

Corinto Fish Festival

Every year, during the first weekend of May, people
come from all over Nicaragua and the world for the
Corinto Fish Festival. The best cooks in Corinto cook
and sell different seafood plates like fried fish,
ceviche, shrimp cocktails, crab soup and much more.
During the festival there is also dancing, cultural
events, parades and music. The festival starts on
Saturday and ends when you cant eat anymore.

A. Brainstorm (S)
1. Brainstorm places or events in your community or nearby that a tourist might want to visit.
2. If your students dont think their town is special, remind them that there is a fritanga, a church, a park.
3. Exaggerating how great something is works perfectly for tourism books.
4. Alternately, you can brainstorm the events that are held within your fiestas patronales. Each town has its own traditions.

You Do/Production
A. Tourist Trip Prize Vacations (S, L, W)
See 10.4.3 for another example
1. Review modal CAN and expressions about tourism
activities.
2. Brainstorm a list of tourist destinations close to your
community.
3. Divide students into small groups of 3-5, and have each
group choose a destination.
4. Students imagine that they are giving out a free trip
for someone to their destination. They must create a
description for the vacation.
Example: Congratulations! You have won a free trip to
La Sirena, The Mermaids swimming spot on the River.
You can bathe in the clear waters. You can take a picnic
to eat lunch. You can bring meats to grill. You can go
fishing or exploring in the forest nearby. You can relax in
the beautiful environment and look for birds. You can get
there by foot, bicycle, or horse from the town.
5. After groups finish the descriptions, each group selects
one representative.
6. Representatives rotate around from group to group
asking questions and hearing the descriptions of the
other destinations. They should take notes. Remaining
members of the group stay in place to present their
description to the representatives that come by.
7. After the representatives hear every other destinations
presentation, they return to their group. The
representative presents the information about other
destinations, and the group chooses which destination
they would most like to visit.

Note: You can divide the most advanced students across the
groups and choose them to be the representative, so they
can be leaders.
Variation: Have more students walk around, and just one
representative stay at the station. See Gallery Walk in the
Multi-purpose Activities Index for directions.

B. Fiestas Patronales Pamphlets (S, L, W)

1. Brainstorm a list of activities at the Fiestas Patronales or
other holidays in your community.
2. Divide students into small groups of 3-5, and have each
group choose an activity.
3. Students write a paragraph describing the event.
Example: At this festival we celebrate corn. Every
community elects a candidate to be queen of the festival.
They make girls dresses of corn grains and corn husks,
and the people vote to elect the queen. We eat tamales,
nacatamales, corn-on-the-cob, and everything made of
corn! It is a delicious and beautiful event. (Corn Festival)
4. Each group should read their description aloud and
the other students must guess which event they are
describing.
5. Consider typing up the descriptions. (Computer Entry)
Variation: Have groups choose a representative to send
around to hear about the other events, like the Tourist Trip
Prize Vacation activity.

231

C. Make Tourism Books (W)

1. Divide the class into as many groups as places and events
you came up with during the brainstorm.
2. Students pick which place or event they want to work with.
3. If the groups are uneven, ask some students to change
groups to make them even.
4. Give each group a poster paper.
5. Students write a short description and draw a picture of
their tourist attraction.
6. The description can include answers to the following
questions:
What will the tourist enjoy?
What is the place or event?
When is the event?
Where is it?

7. For lower levels teachers should provide more structure.

Students write two sentences telling why the tourists
will enjoy the event.
Students write three sentences describing the event.

D. Computer Entry (W)

1. If your school has computers this is a good project to have
your students type up on a computer and add images.
2. When they finish you can put all the entries together and
make a tourist book for your community.
3. Keep the book at the school to show to visitors or give it to
the Mayors Office.

11th Grade 4.2 Community Resources

Target Vocabulary
city, town, community, neighborhood, resources, need, drugs, gangs, mayor,
non-governmental organization (NGO), internet service, cell phone service, well,
running water, soccer field, basketball court, grocery store

Target Grammar

Review There is and There are, prepositions of place, cardinal directions, and
places in the community (see 7.6.1, and 9.3.1)
There is no hospital in our town, but there is a health center.
There is cell phone service but there are no internet cafs.
Review Modals MUST, HAVE TO, SHOULD (See 8.6.3, 9.2.2 and 10.1.1)
Our community must address the existing drug problem.
The mayor should work with non-governmental organizations to bring more
resources to our town.

I Do/Presentation
A. Sample Community
1. Review places of the community vocabulary.
2. Prepare a sample community map (of a different community or a
made up communitynot your own community) on a poster paper.
(See 9.3.1 for example of a map)
3. Present the community map with a short summary of the community.
Ex: This community has 10,000 people and only one school.
There is a police station but no fire station. There is no market
in town. People have to travel to the next community to buy food.
There is a hospital.
4. Students brainstorm What does the sample town need?
Ex: clean water, dance club, roads, parks, etc.

232

B. Target Vocabulary
1. Use the sample map to explain the definitions
of the vocabulary.
2. Emphasize that resources doesnt always
mean money. Students can brainstorm other
types of resources (labor, skills, natural
resources, equipment, etc.)

We Do/Practice
A. Secretary (See 9.3.1, or the Multi-Purpose
Activities Index for more directions) (R, W, S, L)
1. Write the instructions below on 4 small pieces of paper.
(A community)
2. Tape one copy of the instructions in each of the 4 corners
of the classroom.
3. Divide students into groups of 4.
4. Students will have the following roles
a. Runners: Two students run to look at the instructions
and come back to tell the secretary; only one runner can
leave the group at a time; the runners can only memorize
the information, but cannot write anything down.
b. Secretary: The only person who can write; writes
notes from what the Runners say.
c. Artist: Draws from what the instructions describe.
5. Students complete activity and you can verify that they
understand the language because their drawing is
correct.
6. Have the students change roles and do the activity again
with a different community with other resources.
Instructions:
A community
1. There are 2,000 people.
2. There is a police station, but no fire station.
3. There is no park, but there is a soccer field.
4. There is one school for elementary and high school.
5. There are five stores, but there is no market.
6. There is no hospital, but there is a health center.
7. There is a cell phone antenna, but no internet caf.

B. Blind Partner Drawings (See the Multi-Purpose

Activities Index for more directions) (S, L)
1. Divide students into pairs, and arrange desks so one
partner is facing the front of the room and the board (the
speaker), and one partner is facing the back of the room
(the artist).
2. Explain that the partner facing the board is going to see a
picture and describe the picture to their partner.
3. The partner facing the back of the room may not look at
the picture, but must listen to their partner and draw the
picture accordingly.
4. Draw map of a community, indicating some resources
you have talked about in class.
5. For an example map, see 9.3.1.
6. Students facing forward describe the map to their
partners.
7. Students facing backwards listen to their partners and
draw the map.
Note: the map that the students draw does not have to look
exactly like the map on the board. Students should focus
on the resources in the picture, not the location of each
resource on the map

C. Your Community (W)

1. Review MUST, HAVE TO and SHOULD.
2. Explain the difference in level of necessity between MUST
(100%), HAVE TO (100%) and SHOULD (60%).
3. In groups of 5, students draw a small map of their
community.
4. Give students no more than 5 minutes to draw.
5. Students label all of the existing resources on their map.
6. Students identify three necessities.
7. Individually students write a sentence for each necessity
using one of the modals and explain why.
Ex. Pueblo Viejo should have a park because children need
a place to play.
8. Students read the sentences out loud.

233

You Do/Production
A. Community Maps (W, S, L)
1. Divide the students into groups of 2-5, according to the
community or neighborhood they live in.
2. Each group should draw a map of their community or
neighborhood.
3. They should identify and label the resources in their
community in English.
4. Groups should present, using descriptions of what there
is and what there is not in their communities.
Ex: There are wells in my community, but there is no
running water. There are fields for corn and beans, and
many pine forests. There is a soccer field, but no basketball
court. There is a pharmacy, and there are six pulperias, but
there is no grocery store. There is electricity and cell phone
service, but there is no internet service.
5. Other groups listen to the presentation and ask
questions.
Ex: There are cornfields. Are there animals? Is there a mill?
6. After each presentation, have a group discussion to
identify the community needs, according to the group
presentation.
7. The class makes a list of the community needs, and the
presenters state whether or not they agree that their
community needs those things.
8. Explain that just because a community doesnt have
something, it doesnt mean they need it. For example,
a community might have a health center and not a
hospital, but if the hospital is close by or if the community
is small, students might say they dont need a hospital.

B. Letter to the Mayor (W)

1. Review the structure of a letter.
2. Each student selects one necessity for their town.
3. Each student writes a letter to the mayor addressing
the need.
4. Remind students to use the modals.
5. The letter can answer these questions. For lower level
classes, make the letter one paragraph.
6. In the first paragraph, students answer the following
questions:
What is a community need?
Why is it important to address this need?
How will addressing the problem help the community?
7. In the second paragraph, students answer the
following questions.
What are resources in your town that can help solve
this problem?
What are some other solutions?
Will these solutions work for a long time (years) or a
short time (days or months)?
8. If you present this letter to your students first make
sure they do not copy it.

Dear Mayor,
Our town needs a central park. We must have a
park for the children to play in. We should have
a park to hold celebrations in. A park is a good
place for a market too. To improve this town we
need a central park.
A park will last a long time. There are a lot of
people who could help build the park. We have
the resource of vacant land. We also have the
resource of skilled labor. We have the resources
and need for a central park.
Sincerely,
Ral Tortuga

234

11th Grade 4.3 Community Safety

Target Vocabulary
alcoholic, alcoholism, disease, pregnant, ready
BREAK UP, DROP OUT, MAKE FUN of (somebody)

Target Grammar

Conditional Sentences (See 10.5.3)

If I have enough money, then I buy Eskimo everyday.
If I have enough money, then I will buy Eskimo tonight.
Expressing Preferences
I dont like to drink, I prefer to visit friends.
I prefer to play soccer because it is fun.

I Do/Presentation
A. Risky Behavior
1. Students brainstorm the effects of risky behavior like
alcohol and drug abuse in their school and community.
2. Review with students that alcohol and drugs change the
way the body works.
3. Talk about all the negative effects that risky behaviors
have on the community and on the individual.

B. Conditional Sentences with If (W, R)

1. Review If Then statements (see 10.5.3)
2. Present examples.
Ex: If I smoke a lot of cigarettes, I will become addicted.
If I drink alcohol, I will get drunk.
I will get pregnant if my boyfriend doesnt use

a condom.
I guard my possessions if I travel on the bus.
3. Read the first example and ask students Where is the
subject? and Where is the verb?
4. Explain that there are two subjects and two verbs
because there are two clauses in the example sentences.
5. Explain that the clause with if is a cause and the clause
without if is a result.
6. Draw the chart on the board.
7. Explain that the if clause should be in the present and
the result can be in the present or the future.

Clause with if

Clause without if

Cause

Result

8. Ask students what tense the verb is in the clause with if.
(Simple Present)
9. Ask students what tense the verb is in the clause without
if. (Simple Present or Future)
10. Write the tenses in the chart:

Clause with if
Simple Present

Cause

Clause without if
Simple Present
Future
Result

C. Healthy Activities
1. Teacher and students brainstorm a list of alternative
activities that are healthier than the risky activities from
Part A.
2. Students copy the vocabulary in their notebooks.
Ex. Listen to music, go shopping, dance, read, draw, hang
out with family and friends, play video games, watch
television, exercise, play sports

235

We Do/Practice
A. Complete the Sentence (W)
Students complete the following sentences.
1. If I drink too much beer or rum, I . . .
2. If I dont use a condom, I . . .
3. If I drive after drinking, I . . .
4. If I use drugs, I . . .
5. If I get pregnant or my girlfriend does, I . . .
6. If I only drink and dont work or go to school, I . . .

B. Risky/Healthy Activities Dialogue (L, S)

1. Present the dialogue:
Juan: Hey, Pedro, where are you going?
Pedro: To the soccer field.

4. Student volunteers select a strip of paper with a result on

it and they tape it next to the correct cause on the board.
If I drink a lot of alcohol...then I might get sick and vomit.
If I have sex without a condomthen I might contract a
sexually transmitted infection.
5. Students copy the complete sentences in their
notebooks.
Variation 1 : Repeat the activity with healthy activities and
their results (Ex. If I read books, then I will be intelligent; If I
play soccer, then I will exercise and have fun).
Variation 2: Do the matching exercise with a combination of
risky and healthy behaviors.

D. Chain Reaction (R)

1. Before class, cut the if...then sentences into strips.

2. Explain to the students that every action has a reaction.
Pedro: Because Im going to drink rum with my friends.
3. Give one strip to each student.
It will be cool! Do you want to go?
4. Students must put the chain reaction in order. Each if
statement has a then statement that is the same.
Juan: No, thanks. If I drink alcohol, then I will get sick and
vomit.
5. Students form a human chain. They link their arms.
6. Once all the students are linked together, the chain is
Pedro: You are so boring!
complete.
Juan: Well, I prefer to play soccer or listen to music.
7. Analyze the reactions with the students. Ask if they
understand and agree that these are possible scenarios.
Pedro: Ok, bye.
Variation: Split the class into groups and have them race to
order their chain reactions.
2. Draw attention to the risky activity (drinking alcohol), the
cause/result (If...then sentence), and the healthy activity
(playing soccer/listening to music)
3. Practice pronunciation as a class.
Chain Reaction 1:
4. Students read the dialogue in pairs, then switch roles and
read again.
Juan: Cool, why?

C. Matching Activities with Consequences (R)

1. Use the following If...then sentences:
If I drink a lot of alcohol, then I can get sick and vomit.
If I have sex without a condom, then I can contract a sexually
transmitted infection.
If I drive my motorcycle after drinking, then I will cause an
accident.
If I use drugs, then I will be addicted.
If I get pregnant, then I will have to take care of a baby.
If I dont study, then I will get terrible grades.
2. Write the cause (If) parts of the sentences on the board
If I drink a lot of alcohol...
If I have sex without a condom...
3. On large strips of papers, write the result (then) parts of
the sentences.
then I might get sick and vomit.
then I might contract a sexually transmitted infection.
236

If I drink alcohol, then I will get drunk.

If I get drunk, then I will lose control of my actions.
If I lose control of my actions, then I will become
irresponsible.
If I become irresponsible, then I will spend too much time
and money at the bar.
If I spend too much time and money at the bar, then I will
neglect my work.
If I neglect my work, then I will fail my classes.
If I fail my classes, then I will put my future plans in
danger.

Chain Reaction 2:

Chain Reaction 3:

If I drive my motorcycle too fast, then I will be speeding.

If I speed, then I will lose control of the motorcycle.
If I lose control of the motorcycle, then I will have an
accident.
If I have an accident, then I will hurt myself.
If I hurt myself, then I will go to the hospital.
If I go to the hospital, I will miss class and work.
If I miss class and work, I will put my future plans in
danger.

If I drink alcohol at the Fiestas Patronales, then I will get

drunk.
If I get drunk, then I will lose control of myself.
If I lose control of myself, I will stop protecting my
possessions.
If I stop protecting my possessions, then I will lose my cell
phone.
If I lose my cell phone, I will have to buy a new one.
If I have to buy a new cell phone, I will have to work a
long time to make money.
If I have to work a long time, I will not have fun after
school.

You Do/Production
A. Public Safety Skits (S, L, W)
1. Divide the students into small groups.
2. Present each group with a topic relating to public
safety.
3. Have students prepare and present a simple skit
relating to the issue.
4. Issues should be related to public safety issues in the
students communities.
Ex: Drinking alcohol, speeding on motorcycles, walking
around at night, drunk driving, pick pocketing, theft,
gangs, fighting, etc.
Variation: You can give the students more structure to
the skit if you want to, or provide them with a scene, like
the fiestas patronales, the bus stop, the bar, the hospital.

Tony Monica

Omar

Hey Omar, do you want to go

hiking with Monica and me?

B. Comic Strips (See Multi-Purpose Activities Index

for more directions) (W)
1. Teacher and students make a list of activities that are
healthier than drinking alcohol or using drugs.
2. Make a list of positive personality traits.
3. Write at least one example on each list to help the students
think of other words.
4. Using the brainstormed words, students form groups and
create a comic-strip that shows positive leisure activities.
5. Display the comic strips around the class.
6. Give the class time to read the different comics.
7. Have the students vote on the best comic strips.

WOW, the view

is amazing!

Yeah, you can even

see Omar passed
out in the street.

No, Im going to
drink rum instead!

237

C. Risky vs. Healthy Activities Posters (W)

1. Students fold a piece of paper in half.
2. In the left half of the paper, they draw a picture to represent a risky activity, and they write a sentence to describe the
consequences of the behavior using an If...then sentence.
Ex. If I smoke marijuana, then I will be lazy.
3. In the right half of the paper, they draw a picture to represent a healthy activity and write a sentence about it.
Ex. I prefer to read because it is fun!
4. Decorate the school with the posters promoting healthy behavior.

11th Grade 5.1 Communication & Technology

Target Vocabulary
Technology: camera, cell phone, computer, e-mail, Internet

Target Grammar

Review Present Simple question Forms

Do you use the internet?

How often do you send text messages?

I Do/Presentation
A. Vocabulary Brainstorm
1. Students make a Vocabulary Web or Concept Map of
technology vocabulary that they know (computer,
cell phone, video game, etc.).
2. Students copy new technology vocabulary and write
meanings, then practice pronunciation.

B. Review the Alphabet (See 7.2.3)

1. Practice spelling names and email addresses.
2. Note: @ is pronounced at and .com is pronounced dot
com

C. Walk the Line If (See the Multi-Purpose

Activities Index for more directions) (S, L)
1. Draw a line with chalk down the floor of the classroom,
with all students standing on one side.
2. Read the questions to the students, one at a time.
3. Have students walk to the other side of the line if they
answer yes to the first question of each set.
4. If students walk the line, ask them the follow-up
questions, which they should answer in English.
a. Do you have family members living in another country?
What countries?
b. Do you have a cell phone? What cell phone company do
you use?
c. Do you use the internet? What do you use the internet
for?
d. Do you have email? What is your email address?
e. Do you have facebook? What do you use facebook for?

We Do/Practice
A. Networking Mixer (S, L, W)
1. Explain that Networking is when you meet people and
get their information for personal or professional reasons.
2. Have students make up cell phone numbers and email
addresses.
3. Students should go around and ask other students the
following questions:
238

a. Do you have a cell phone? Whats your number? Is it

Claro or Movistar? Do you want to text?
b. Do you have email? What is your email address?
c. Do you have facebook? Will you be my friend?
4. They should take notes on their classmates information.

B. Technology Fun Quiz (R)

1. Students answer the following questions.
2. Quiz will determine how dependent students are on
technology.
3. After completing the sentences, students add up all the
numbers in their answers.
4. Students use the following chart to determine their
addiction to technology.

Your Addiction to Technology

More than 80 : You are a king or queen of technology
60 80 : You are a addicted to technology
45 59 : You are a computer nerd
30 44 : Dont worry, you are normal
15 29 : You need more friends to chat with
0 14 : Do you know what a computer is?

b
c
d
e
f

How many times have you been to the cyber in the

past 10 days?
How many texts (chat) have you sent in
the last 24 hours?
How many telenovelas have you watched
since Sunday?
How many times have you listened to (insert
popular song) in the last two days?
How many songs or videos have you downloaded
on your phone?
How many DVD movies have you bought this
year?

How many times have looked at your phone

in class today?

How many texts have you received today?

You Do/Production
A. Group Questions (S, L, W)
1. Divide students into groups of four.
2. Students answer the questions using a chart like the one
below.
Group Member

Question

Me

Classmate #1

Classmate #2

Classmate #3

Answers

Questions:
1. What do you do on the internet?
2. What do people in your town use the internet for?
3. Why is the internet important?
4. How can you use the internet to practice English?

B. Scenarios, Skits, and Discussions (R, S, L)

1. Divide students into small groups.
2. Give each group a card with a situation on it.
3. Groups should analyze the situation and take notes on
their answers to the discussion questions.
4. Students should create a presentation acting out the
situation and ask the discussion questions of their
classmates.

Note: If possible, encourage the students to act out the

scenario without writing and memorizing a dialogue. They
can use simple present tense if they need to, but encourage
them to be creative and speak without a script. This can be
difficult, but it is an important skill for them.
Marina and Blanca were friends, but they got in a fight. Blanca
wrote about Marinas personal secrets on Facebook, and now
everyone is gossiping about Marina.
1.
What should Marina do?
2.
How does the internet affect friendship?
3.
Is Facebook a good thing or a bad thing?
Gabriela is 13 years old and she loves the internet. She has an
online friend, Mauricio, who says he is 14 years old. Mauricio
invites her to Managua to meet in person, but tells her not to tell
her parents.
1.
What should Gabriela do?
2.
What are the risks of meeting people online?
Antonio is 17 years old, and he meets a woman online, Griselda,
who is 26. Griselda lives in the United States, and sends Antonio
money and a cell phone. She says she wants to bring him to the
USA.
1.
What should Antonio do?
2.
Why do people date for money?
3.
How common is this problem?

239

Juans mother moved to Costa Rica to work. He lives with his

grandparents. His mother sends lots of money, and he bought
a computer, a video game system, and a cell phone. He stays up
every night until midnight playing video games, and comes to
class too tired to pay attention.
1.
What should Juans mother and grandparents do?
2.
Are video games a good or bad influence on kids?
3.
How does having family members abroad affect families?

Yadixias brother gave her his old cell phone. Now she spends all
her time and money on text messages. Her teachers at school
threatened to take away her cell phone. She doesnt visit her
friends anymore, because she is too busy texting new people.
1.
What can Yadixias friends or teachers do to help her?
2.
Why is text messaging so popular?
3.
Is text messaging a good thing or a bad thing for kids?

11th Grade 5.2 Modern Inventions

Target Vocabulary
Technology: computer, land-line phone, car, tractor, clock, airplane, calculator, microscope
Adjectives: bad, big, boring, cheap, expensive, fast, fun, good, happy, interesting, short, slow

Target Grammar

Review Comparatives and Superlatives (See 9.5.1)

Tacos are better than enchiladas, but carne asada is the best.
Baseball is more popular than basketball.

I Do/Presentation
A. Present Adjectives
1. Students brainstorm a list of adjectives that they can use
to make comparisons.
2. Use the comparison and superlative vocabulary above
and then practice pronunciation.

B. Introduce Inventions
1. Students brainstorm a list of the most important
inventions of all time.
2. Help them with vocabulary to create the target
vocabulary list based on their opinions.

C. Review Comparatives and Superlatives

1. Review the structure of Comparatives and superlatives.
2. See 9.5.1 or Multi-Purpose Activities index for
suggestions.

We Do/Practice
A. Comparative Sentences (W)
1. Review comparative of superiority sentences (is bigger
than, is more expensive than).
2. Students write a comparative sentence using the
adjectives below.
1.
Their television is ___________ than our TV. (big)
2.
Cars are ___________ than horses. (fast)
3.
Albert Einstein is ___________ than Peter. (creative)
4.
Travel by airplane is ___________ than travel by train.
(expensive)
5.
Doctor Rudolfo is ___________ than Carlos. (fat)
6.
Movistar is ___________ than Claro. (good)
Answers: bigger, faster, more creative, more expensive,
fatter, better

240

B. Superlative Sentences (W)

1. Review superlatives (best, oldest, worst, funniest, most
important)
2. Students write a comparative sentence using the
adjectives below.
1.
The printing press is the ___________ invention
because it expanded the impact of writing. (important)
2.
Travel by car is better than travel by motorcycle. But
airplanes are the ___________. (good)
3.
Nuclear weapons are old, guns are older. But gun
powder is the ___________. (old)
4.
Email is faster than the postal service. But cell phones
are the ___________. (fast)
5.
The metal plough is more efficient than the wooden
plough. But the tractor is the ___________. (efficient))
Answers: most important, best, oldest, fastest, most
efficient.

C. King/Queen of the Mountain (See MultiPurpose Activities Index for more directions) (S, L)
1. Outside circle tells the King/Queen two nouns (TV and
radio, baseball and soccer).
2. The King/Queen has to use the two nouns in a
comparative sentence.
Ex: TV is more entertaining than the radio.
Variation (more difficult): Outside circle tells the King/
Queen three nouns, and the King/Queen has to use them
in a superlative sentence)

D. Technology Comparatives (S, W)

1. In groups, students talk about technology using
comparisons.
2. Each person in each group comes up with a technology
used now.
Ex: phones, cars, etc.
3. Students think back 100 years. They think of what their
technology has replaced.

Ex: If student picked cars. 100 years ago we used horses.

4. If student picked phones. 100 years ago we used letters.
5. Students write three sentences using their current
technology and their old technology. Students give their
opinion on which technology is better, old or new.
Ex: 100 years ago people rode horses. Now people drive
cars.
6. Cars are better than horses because they are faster.
7. Students that finish early can defend the other
technology.
Ex: 100 years ago people rode horses. Now people drive
cars.
8. Horses are better than cars because they dont harm the
environment
9. In cases where there have been more than two types of
technology, students should use the superlative.
Ex: 100 years ago people used letters. Then they used landline phones. Now they use cell phones.
10. Cell phones are best because they are the fastest.

You Do/Production
A. Debate: Most Important Invention (S, L, W)
1. Students brainstorm a list of the most important
inventions in history.
2. Divide students into groups of 3. Each group chooses an
invention that they think is the most important invention
in history. They prepare written and oral arguments for
debate.
3. Make the groups into mega-groups of 3 groups (9
students per mega-group).
4. Students debate within their mega group which
invention is the most important. (Note: There will
be several debates going on at the same time in your
classroom at this point.)
5. After the debate, the students in each mega-group vote
on which team won and will advance to the next round
of debates and represent them.
6. There is a second round of debates with all the winners
from the first round. Conduct this debate in front of the
whole class. Students who did not advance will be judges
and vote for the most important invention.
Ex: Three groups choose the inventions the computer, the
tractor, and penicillin. These three groups are a megagroup. After the debate, they decide that the penicillin
group had the best arguments. The penicillin team will
advance and represent their mega-group. Then all nine
students help each other make penicillin the best argument for the next round. Students from the computer and
tractor groups judge the final round.

7. In the debates, each student should speak at least

once. Example structure for a debate (Team 1 is the
computer, Team 2 is for the tractor):
Team 1 Presentation: Why the computer is important
(using superlatives)
Team 2 Presentation: Why the tractor is important
(using superlatives)
Team 1 Rebuttal: Why the tractor is less important
than the computer (using comparatives)
Team 2 Rebuttal: Why the computer is less important
than the tractor (using comparatives)
Team 1 Conclusion: Answer the other teams
arguments, use comparative and superlative
Team 2 Conclusion: Answer the other teams
arguments, use comparative and superlative
8. Judges in each group in should listen, vote for one
of the teams, and give a reason to support their
decision.
Variation 1: All of the debates can go on in front
of the class, so the teacher can evaluate grammar,
superlatives, pronunciation, and teamwork. However,
this takes a lot of class time. Also, small group practice
means more students get to speak more often.
Variation 2: Give students more or less structure
depending on their abilities.

241

B. Invent a Modern Product (S, L)

1. Divide students into groups of 4.
2. Students use their imagination to invent a product that
doesnt exist yet.
Ex: Flying cars, hover boots, invisibility suit, see through
glasses.
3. Each group prepares a presentation for their product,

including a drawing and a demonstration of how the

product works.
4. Students are trying to sell their products to their
classmates.
5. After all the presentations, the students vote for which
product they would buy. Students cant vote for their
groups product.

11th Grade 5.3 Globalization

Target Vocabulary
global age, globalization, however, although, also, in addition to

Target Grammar

Conjunctions: but, however, although, also, in addition to

Spanish is the official language in Nicaragua, but English is becoming more important.
English is also the official language of business around the world.
Spanish lets people communicate around Latin America. However, English lets people
communicate around the world.

I Do/Presentation
A. Target Grammar

b. Do you watch movies or TV show from another country?

What movie or show?
c. Do you listen to music by artists from other countries?
What artists?
d. Do you travel to other countries? What country?
e. Do you have family members living in another country?
What country?
f. Do you have friends from other countries? What
country?

1. Create a concept map to define Globalization.

2. Students should suggest any idea that relates to
globalization.

B. Walk the Line If (S, L)

1. Draw a line with chalk down the floor of the classroom,
with all students standing on one side.
2. Read the questions to the students, one at a time.
3. Have students walk to the other side of the line if they
answer yes to the first question of each set.
4. If students walk the line, ask them the follow-up questions,
which they should answer in English.
a. Do you eat food from another country? What countries?

C. Target Grammar
1. Explain the uses of the Target Grammar: Conjunctions.
2. But, Although, However are used to present a contrasting
idea.
3. Also, In addition to are used to add a parallel idea.

We Do/Practice
A. Fill in the Blank (R, L)
1. Students fold and cut a piece of paper into six squares.
2. Students write the conjunctions but, although, however, also,
in addition on the squares.
3. Write the following sentences on the board and have the
students hold up the conjunction they think fits.
1. Cars are faster than horses, ____ horses arent bad for
the environment. (but, although)
2. Horses are ____ cheaper than cars. (also)

242

4. There is a bigger choice of food today, ____ many of

those foods are unhealthy. (although, but)
5. ____ more entertainment programs there are ____
more news programs. (in addition to, also)
6.

____ there have been health advances that allow

people to live longer, there are more diseases than
there used to be. (although)

7. I live in the global age, ____ I wonder what the world

was like before advanced technology. (but)

3. Phones let people communicate faster than letters, ____ 8. Modern technologies have polluted our air ____
destroying many of the worlds natural resources.
letters are more personal. (however, but)
(in addition to).

B. English Around the World Board Game (L)

1. Draw a poster paper with the game.

2. Divide the class into 5 teams.
3. Each team cuts a piece of paper in four squares. Write A,
B, C, and D on the four squares.
4. Read the following questions about the spread of English
around the world.
5. After each question call time after giving the teams a
chance to think. Each team holds up the letter for their
answer and freezes.
6. Correct answers for the questions are in italics.
7. If the answer is correct the team moves their piece
one step.
8. First team to get back to Nicaragua wins.

English Around the World Board Game

Questions:
1. Who was the first President of Nicaragua born in the USA?
a. Sandino
b. William Walker

c. Jose Zelaya
2. In what department of Nicaragua did people first speak
English?
a. RAAS

b. Managua
c. Rivas
3. In what country in Central America is English the
official language?
a. Nicaragua
b. Panama
c. Belize

4. Why is it important to learn to speak English?

a. More jobs
b. To get a visa to the USA
c. To get a gringo boyfriend or girlfriend

5. Where did the first English speakers in the USA

come from?
a. Mexico
b. England

c. Canada
6. On what continent do they not speak English?
a. Africa
b. Asia
c. None, they speak English on every continent

7. Who were the first English speakers in Australia?

a. surfers
b. kangaroos
c. prisoners from England

8. Why did English spread to South Africa?

a. The World Cup
b. Traders from Europe came to mine diamonds

c. English has always been spoken in Africa

9. What are the official languages of the ONU?
a. Spanish and French
b. English and French

c. Spanish and English

10. Most people around the world speak ___________.
a. English
b. Spanish
c. Chinese

243

11. Why did English speakers go to China?

a. to trade rice
b. to trade soy sauce
c. to trade opium

12. What language is taught in schools in more than

100 countries?
a. English

b. Spanish
c. German
13. What is the official language of the European Union?
a. French
b. German

15. Daddy Yankee speaks Spanish and ___________.

a. English

b. Creole
c. French
16. How many people speak English around the world?
a. Less than 1 million
b. 250 million
c. almost 1 billion

17. Do more people learn English as a first language,

or second language like you?
a. first language
b. second language

c. English

14. What language does the Manchester United football

team speak?
a. Russian
b. English

c. Chinese

You Do/Production
A. Question and Answer (S, L)
1. Divide students into groups of four.
2. Students first answer the following questions in
their groups.
3. Then discuss the questions as a class.
1. What are the advantages of learning English as a
world language in the global age?
2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of
traditional and modern technologies?
3. What are the negative and positive effects of
globalization in Nicaragua?

B. Globalization Paragraph (W, L, S, R)

1. Students choose one of the three questions from the
previous activity and write an argumentative paragraph
about that question.
2. In an argumentative paragraph a student gives an
opinion and gives examples or reasons that support
the opinion.
3. Students must use conjunctions in the paragraph.
4. Students read their paragraphs in small groups.
5. Each group selects the best paragraph from their group
to be read out loud to the whole class.

244

C. Positive and Negative Effects of Globalization

(L, R, S, W)
1. Divide the board into two columns: Positive Effects of
Globalization, and Negative Effects of Globalization.
2. Create a list of controversial topics that have had both
positive and negative effects on Nicaragua.
3. Present them to the students and allow them to decide
if they are positive, negative, or both. (For example:
Facebook, Textile factories, Coca-cola, Parents working
in other countries.)
4. Have the students think individually and then compare
with a partner to come up with personal lists of the
effects of globalization on Nicaragua.
5. Take notes on the board as students suggest positive
and negative effects.
6. Ask the class whether or not they agree.
Note: There should be a lot of disagreement among
students. It is very difficult to determine whether the
effects of globalization are good or bad. Many direct
effects have both positive and negative consequences
for individuals, families, and society. Emphasize this if
necessary to your students.

11th Grade 6.1 Responsibility

Target Vocabulary
irresponsibility, responsibility, unprotected sex, USE a condom, AIDS, STEAL

Target Grammar

Gerunds (See 9.2.1.)

Drinking beer all day is irresponsible.
Helping people is good.
Reported Speech
Quoted Speech: I go to class everyday. Reported Speech: She said that she goes to class
everyday.
Quoted Speech: I love to eat ice cream. Reported speech: He said that he loves to eat ice
cream.

I Do/Presentation
A. Match Irresponsible and Responsible
1. Write responsible and irresponsible on the left hand side
of the board.
2. Write the examples of responsible and irresponsible
behaviors on the right hand side of the board.
Silvia said she does her homework.
Winston said he has sex without a condom.
Deybin said he studies for his math test.
Omar said he does not brush his teeth.
Janet said she is waiting until marriage to have sex.
Eddy said he drinks rum every night.
3. Students match the behaviors to the correct word.

B. Present Reported Speech

1. Explain that Reported Speech is used to report what
someone else said.
2. Present Examples.
Quoted Speech: I go to class everyday, she says.
Reported Speech: She says that she goes to class
everyday. (Simple Present)

Quoted Speech: Jon loves to eat ice cream, he said.

Reported Speech: He said that Jon loved to eat ice cream.
(Simple Past)
3. Use the examples to point to the different parts of the
sentences as you explain.
4. To change from Direct or Quoted Speech to Reported
Speech, you create a sentence with 2 clauses separated
by the word that.
5. In the first clause of the Reported Speech (before that),
the speaker is the Subject and SAY is the verb. SAY is in
the same tense as for the Quoted Speech.
6. In the second clause (after that), the subject is the subject
from the sentence in quotation marks. The verb is the
verb from the sentence in quotation marks. The verb is in
the same tense as SAY.
7. In Reported Speech, there are no quotation marks.
I always study for English class.

Bob says he always studies for English class.

He is responsible.

We Do/Practice
A. Brainstorm (R, W, S)
1. Students brainstorm more examples of responsible and
irresponsible behavior.
2. After each brainstorm, the students say who told them
the behavior was responsible or irresponsible.
3. The goal is to get the students to use reported speech.
Ex:
1. Having sex without a condom. (Mom).
My mom said that having sex without a condom
is irresponsible.
2. Drinking Toa all day. (Teacher)
My teacher said that drinking Toa all day is bad.

B. Reported Speech Sentences (R, W)

1. Students write sentences from below using reported
speech.
2. Sentences include a behavior and who said it.
Dad: Helping people is generous.
The Neighbor: Working hard is responsible.
The Principal: Respecting people is kind.
Grandma: Not helping people is bad.
Mayor: Not working is lazy.
Friend: Not respecting people is unkind.
245

You Do/Production
A. Responsible Before and After (W, S)
1. Divide the class into groups of five.
2. Each group picks one of the following topics.
3. Groups write a list of sentences about the consequences
and new responsibilities that are a result of the
irresponsible behavior.
4. Groups share paragraphs.
5. Possible Topics:
Not using a condom and having a child at age 17.
Dropping out of school before graduating.
Using drugs and drinking everyday.
Having unprotected sex and getting AIDS.
Stealing to make money instead of getting a job.

B. Irresponsible Behavior Dialogue (S, L, W)

1. Divide the students into groups of 5.
2. Give each group a card of an irresponsible behavior.
3. Use the irresponsible behaviors from the
previous activity.
4. Students write a dialogue about the irresponsible
behavior and the consequences.
5. Each dialogue should be at least five lines long and
should offer advice about what the person should do.

Example Dialogue:
Janet: Keep running. You arent going to make the
basketball team.
Deybin: I cant. I am tired.
Janet: Why?
Deybin: I have been drinking a lot of beer.
Janet: Man, you need to quit. You are too young to
drink. It is bad for your health.

C. Responsible Behavior TV Show (S, L, R)

1. Divide the class into 8 groups.
2. Give each group one of the following role plays. Each role
play goes to two groups.
3. Each group makes a short TV talk show.
4. There should be a host, the person with the problem, and
several experts who give advice.
5. Discuss the behaviors and the decisions after
the presentations.

Role Plays
Maria is 15. Her boyfriend is 19. He wants to have
sex but she doesnt know if she is ready. He says he
will break up with her if she doesnt have sex. What
should Maria do? Should she have sex?
All of Felipes friends go drinking after school
everyday. Jose gets good grades and wants to go to
university. His friends ask him to drink with them.
Felipe usually goes home and does his homework or
plays football. Felipe wants to be with his friends
but he doesnt know if he should drink? What should
Felipe do? What should he tell his friends? Should he
drink?

Joe had unprotected sex last month. He drank too

much and didnt use a condom. He is studying AIDS
in school. He is worried that he made a big mistake
not using a condom. He thinks he should get tested,
but he is worried that he will have AIDS. What
should he do? Should he get tested?

Deybin: I know, but I like it.

Janet: I will help you quit.

6. Groups present dialogue.

7. Each group that is not presenting writes a sentence using
reported speech to report one of the suggestions from
the dialogue.
Ex: Janet said that I need to quit drinking beer.
Janet said that Deybin needs to quit drinking beer.

246

Sarah likes to drink and go to the disco with her

friends. On Saturday night, she has a few beers and
goes to the Centaro Disco to meet her friends. They
dance for an hour. Her friend Elizabeth asks her
to go to the bathroom with her. In the bathroom,
Elizabeth pulls out a bag of cocaine. She asks Sarah
if she wants to try the drug. What should Sarah do?
Should she do drugs?

11th Grade 6.2 Gender Roles

Target Vocabulary
bills, chores, partner, gender roles, daily schedule, stereotype, equal, fair
TAKE CARE of children, DO laundry, FIX cars, MOP, SWEEP, WATER (plants)

Target Grammar

Review Frequency Adverbs (See 7.3.2)

I always take a shower in the morning.
She never dances at parties.
They usually come late.

I Do/Presentation
B. Chores Chart

A. Vocabulary
1. Students brainstorm chores they do around the house.
2. Students copy vocabulary and write meanings, then
practice pronunciation.

1. Make a Venn Diagram (See Multi-Purpose Activities

Index) on the board with Girls Chores, Boys Chores and
Girls and Boys Chores
2. Students categorize each chore as either a chore that
only girls do, a chore that only boys do, or a chore that
both boys and girls do.
3. Ask students if boys can do the same chores as the girls:
Can girls do the same chores as the boys? Why? Why not?

B. King/Queen of the Mountain (See

Multi-Purpose Activities Index for more
directions) (S)
1. Students in outer circle ask the King/Queen if he/
she does different chores.
Ex: Do you sweep? Do you do laundry? Do you cook?
2. King/Queen has to respond to the question with a
complete sentence that includes an adverb
of frequency.
Ex: I never sweep. Usually I do laundry.
Sometimes I cook.
3. When the King/Queen answers incorrectly, the
student who asked the question becomes the new
King/Queen.

sweep the house

tur
da
y

ay

Fri
d

Sa

sd

ur

sd
ne

Th

ay

We
d

sd

ay

Tu
e

nd

Mo

nd

ay

Example Calendar:

Su

1. Review Adverbs of Frequency. (See 7.3.2)

2. Students make a weekly calendar.
3. For each day students write a sentence about a
chore using adverbs of frequency.
4. Students include chores that they dont do.
(See additional examples below the calendar).
Ex: On Monday I always sweep the house.

ay

A. Weekly Chores Schedule (W)

ay

We Do/Practice

water the plants

X
X

do the laundry
fix the car

mop

care for my sister

do chores

pay bills

1. On Monday I always sweep the house.

2. Sometimes I water the plants on Tuesday.
3. On Wednesday I do the laundry.
4. I never fix the car.
5. Usually I mop on Friday.
6. Usually on Saturday I care for my baby sister.
7. I rarely do chores on Sunday.
247

C. Gender Roles (S, R)

1. Gender Roles are the expectations that a society or a
culture expect of you based on if you are male or female.
Gender Roles are not physical differences; they are
determined by social factors.
2. Before class write all or some of the following descriptive
words on pieces of paper. Feel free to add words that are
appropriate for your own class.
Leadership, education, building a house, intelligence,
family decisions, wants sex, ask for sex, weak, decision
making, authority, power, cooking, cleaning, sports,
love, religion, strength, money, work, doctor, control,
nurse, serving others, raising children, doing the
laundry, helpless, sweeping, driving
3. Write Male and Female on opposite sides of the board,
with Both in the middle.
4. Pass out the papers with descriptive words face down.
5. When you say Go all of the students turn over their
paper.
6. Students tape their word on the board under Male,
Female, or Both.
7. Help students with difficult vocabulary.
8. Go through every piece of paper and ask if students
agree with the placement of each word.
9. If students have a strong opinion that the description
is only male or only female, ask them, Why cant it be
both?

10. There should be disagreement. Ask your students to

explain why they disagree or agree.
11. Allow students to speak a little Spanish to explain
themselves.
12. Make sure every student understands what gender
roles are.
13. At the end of the activity, have a class discussion about
gender stereotypes. Ask your students the following
questions:
Discussion Questions
* How do gender stereotypes hurt women?
* How do gender stereotypes hurt men?
* How do gender stereotypes hurt society in general?
* Note: Most students can understand how
stereotypes are bad for women, but an important
part of the discussion is getting men to see how
stereotypes are bad for them.
Ex: Always being expected to make money and never cry
is bad for men because it makes them less human.
Ex: Men are expected to have several girl friends, but that
means they need to spend a lot of money, which is a bad
economic decision. This, in turn, makes monogamous
men seem less masculine. How does that affect society
(marriage, family structures)?
14. Empower your students to overcome the barriers that
gender roles present.

You Do/Production
A. A World Without Gender Stereotypes (W, S, L)
1. Divide the class into boys and girls. Two groups of girls
and two groups of boys.
2. Give each group a poster paper.
3. Students should imagine a world without gender
stereotypes, where men and women can share
responsibility equally.
4. Ask students to imagine that both men and women
sweep, do laundry, and work outside the home equally.
5. The boy groups write or draw a daily schedule for
what girls do. The girls make the schedule for the boys.
Students should mix both types of roles.
6. Schedules include the use of adverbs of frequency.
7. It may be more interesting to do a schedule for Saturday
or Sunday.
8. Each group presents their schedule.
9. Have a class discussion about the harmful effects of
gender stereotypes.
10. Ask students to think about the ways stereotypes
hurt not only women, but also men and society.
11. Refer to We do/Practice C Gender roles Discussion
Questions to guide the class.
248

B. Two Circle Conversation (See Multi-Purpose

Activities Index for more directions) (S, L)
1. Review future tense. (See 10.4.3)
2. Outside circle says a chore they do in the present.
3. Inside circle says a chore they will do in the future.
4. Students continue to use adverbs of frequency.
5. Halfway through the activity have the outside circle use
the future tense and the inside circle the present tense.

11th Grade 6.3 Parenthood and Families

Target Vocabulary
adulthood, independent, custom, tradition, old-fashioned, advantage, disadvantage,
pro, con, divorce, separation, teen pregnancy, adoption, on the other hand, MOVE out,
PROHIBIT

Target Grammar

Expressions for Recommendations and Opinions

Recommendation Expressions: SHOULD (See 8.6.3), ought to, it is recommended that +
(plural subject)
Opinion Expressions: In my opinion, I think that, I believe that
You should do your homework so that you pass all your classes.
In my opinion, you wont pass your classes if you dont do your homework.
It is recommended that pregnant women dont drink coffee.

I Do/Presentation
A. Household
1. Draw a house and explain the meaning of household.
2. Ask students who lives in their household: Grandparents?
Aunts and uncles? Brothers or sisters with university
degrees? Who else?
3. Ask students how long they want to live with their
parents?
4. Explain that children in some parts of the world leave
their parents house when they turn 18.
5. Mention that in some families a man has more than one
wife. In other families, there are two dads or two moms.

B. Vocabulary
1. Students copy new vocabulary and write meanings, then
practice pronunciation.

C. Giving Recommendations
1. Review SHOULD. (See 8.6.3)
2. Remind students that we use SHOULD to suggest or
recommend.
3. Explain that to make the sentence more impersonal, you
can also use the phrase It is recommended that
followed by a complete sentence with a subject and
a verb.

D. Expressing Opinions
1. Present the expressions: In my opinion, I think that,
I believe that.
2. Explain that these expressions are used to give
an opinion.
3. The expressions go before a complete sentence.

We Do/Practice
A. Divorce or Separation: Think, Pair Share, (R, S)

Pros

Cons

1. Have students individually brainstorm the pros and cons of divorce

and separation.
2. Have the students share their ideas in pairs, and make a chart in
their notebooks.
3. Discuss as a class.
4. Make a chart on the board.
5. Students may have very different opinions. Explain that you are not
trying to get the students to think one way or another, but to start
preparing for their futures
Variation: Do the same activity for teenage pregnancy or adoption.

249

B. Families Around the World (R, S)

1. Students work in pairs and read a paragraph about
families around the world.
2. Students identify any unknown vocabulary.
3. Ask students for their initial reaction to the reading.

C. Who Am I (L)
1. Write the following four names on the board.
Lee (China)
Rosa (Nicaragua)
Brian (Kenya)
Sarah (USA)
2. Students work in pairs.
3. Read the following descriptions.
4. On a separate piece of paper, students write which
person best matches which description.
5. Students should use the previous reading for clues.
Note: Families in any country come in different
shapes and sizes. For example, families in Nicaragua
can be big or small. Some people in Nicaragua live
with their parents for a long time, some people move
out on their own at a younger age. Explain that there
may be different answers to some of these questions,
but that the reading expresses general patterns in
families across the world.
a. I have 6 brothers and 5 sisters. (BRIAN
KENYA)

b. I am an only child. (LEE CHINA)

c. I finished high school and then I moved out of
my parents house. (SARAH USA)

Families Around the World

Around the world, families have different
traditions and come in different shapes and
sizes. In Nicaragua, the custom is for children
to live with their parents into adulthood. In
the USA, children usually move out of their
parents home when they are 18. They want
to be independent. In some African and South
Asian countries, families are really big. Parents
there have many children so that they can help
work on a family farm or in the house. On the
other hand, in China there is a law that prohibits
families from having more than one child. Many
families dont have a dad and a mom. Sometimes
there is only one parent or other times there
are two moms or two dads. In some countries
husbands have more than one wife. Do you want
to have a big family or a small one?

D. Household Chart (S, W)

1. List differences between Nicaraguan households and
households around the world.
2. Explain pros (positives) and cons (negatives) so
students can fill out the chart of advantages and
disadvantages with their partners.
3. When the pairs are finished, draw a large chart on the board
and ask students to share what they wrote down.

d. I am 28 and I still live with my parents. (ROSA

NICARAGUA)

e. I really want a brother but there is a law that

says my parents cant have another child. (LEE
CHINA)

f. I moved out so that I could be more

independent. (SARAH USA)
g. My parents had 12 children so that we could
work on the family farm. (BRIAN KENYA)
h. I will probably move out of my parents house
when I get married. (ROSA NICARAGUA)
6. Review the answers with the class to evaluate if the
students understood the questions and the
reading.

250

Pros
American
Households

Nicaraguan
Households

Cons

You Do/Production
A. Interviews: My Ideal Future Family (S, W)
1. Students should copy the chart below into their
notebooks.
2. Have students interview each other about their ideal
future family.
3. Each student should interview 3 other students.
4. Questions could include:
What would your ideal partner be like?
Would you prefer to get married or stay single?
At what age would you like to get married?
Would you like to have kids?
How many?
If you had problems in your marriage, would you get
separated or divorced?
Do you think marriage is old-fashioned?
5. After the students ask the questions, have a group
discussion.
* Did people agree or disagree with their classmates
answers?
* What answers were the most common for each
question?

B. Discussion: My Perfect Family (S, W)

1. Divide the class into groups of 5.
2. Each group agrees on 5 facts about their Perfect Family.
3. Students can use the structure My perfect family has....
4. Students share the different opinions with the class.
5. Students write 4 sentences about their family or the
perfect family.
6. Compare between classmates. Do students want the
same things in their future families, or do they have
different ideas about what a family should be like?

C. Scenarios, Skits, and Discussions (R, S, L)

1. Divide students into small groups.
2. Give each group a card with a situation on it.
3. Groups should analyze the situation and take notes on
their answers to the discussion questions.
4. Students should create a presentation acting out the
situation and ask the discussion questions.

Ana is a 5th year student and is planning on going away to

university. But she learns that her father is leaving her mother to
live with a girlfriend. Now she is depressed and doesnt want to
leave for school.
1.
What can her friends do?
2.
What should her family do?
Elena lets her husband Carlos take their children with him to
town on Saturdays. Then she discovers that Carlos is taking
them to his girlfriends house to play with their half sister. Elena
is very mad. She does not want her children to think it is okay for
their father to have two families.
1.
What should she do?
2.
How does machismo affect families?
Marys husband went to work in Costa Rica. He sent money
for her to support their children. But then the money stopped
coming and she didnt hear anything from him for 3 months.
1.
What should she do?
2.
How should young women prepare to care for children

without fathers?
3.
How common is this problem?
Juan loves American rap music, even though he doesnt
understand it. He plays it loud all day. But his parents hate the
music.
1.
What should Juan do?
2.
Do you and your parents always agree? What do you

do when you disagree?
Monicas best friend Amanda tells her she thinks she is pregnant.
After promising not to tell anyone, Monica asks, How could you
have unprotected sex?
1.
What should Monica do?
2.
Why do teens have unprotected sex? Where can you go

for help?

11th Grade 6.4 Final Review

See 7.3.3 for lesson plan suggestions to do
a final review of Units 4-6.
251

Multi-purpose Activities Index

Cross-Reference of English and Spanish Titles
Acrostic Poems_________Poemas Acrsticos
Ambiguous Picture_________Dibujo Ambiguo
Around the World______Alrededor del Mundo
BINGO________BINGO (Tabla de Vocabulario)
Blind Partner Drawings ___________________
Dibujos Ciegos con Compaer@s
Categories (Speaking)___Categoras (Hablado)
Categories (Writing)______Categoras (Escrito)
Change Seats________________Cambiar Sillas
Charades_______________________Charadas
Cocktail Party_Preguntas Que Nunca Terminan
Comic Strip____________________Historietas
Crosswords___________________Crucigrama
Directions____________________Direcciones
Fan_____________________________Abanico
Find Someone Who__Busque Alguien a Quien
Flashcards_________________________Fichas
Four Corners_______________Cuatro Esquinas
Gallery Walk_________Caminata por la Galeria
Hangman______________________Ahorcado
Hot Cabbage/Potato________Repollo Caliente
I Like You Because______________________
Usted Me Cae Bien Porque
Jeopardy!______________________Jeopardy!
Jig Saw__________Pedazos de Rompecabezas
King/Queen of the Mountain_______________
Rey/Reina de la Montaa
Memory________________________Memoria
Mini-books____________________Mini-Libros

Mr. Yes, Mr. No and Mr. Question____________

Don S, Don No y Don Pregunta
Musical Chairs______________Sillas Musicales
Never-Ending Board Game_________________
El Juego que Nunca Termina
Odd One Out____________La Palabra Perdida
Pictionary_____________________Pictionary
Question Board__________Tabla de Preguntas
Question Relay Race__Concurso de Preguntas
Run to the Board/ Fly Swatter______________

Corre a la Pizarra/ Mata la Mosca
Scavenger Hunt________________La Rebusca
Secretary_______________________Secretaria
Shopping List_____________Lista de Compras
Simon Says____________________Simn Dice
Sparkle__________________________Sparkle
Star of_____________________Estrella de
STOP______________________________ALTO
Storytelling_____________Contando Historias
Telephone_______________________Telfono
Think, Pair, Share____Pensar, Juntar, Compartir
Tic-Tac-Toe____________________Tic-Tac-Toe
TPR (Total Physical Response)___________TPR
Two Circle Conversations__________________
Coversaciones de dos Crculos
Two Truths and a Lie______________________
Dos Verdades y una Mentira
Vocabulary Chain_____Cadena de Vocabulario
Walk the line if...____Camina Hacia la Lnea Si...
Wrong Reading_________Lectura Equivocada
Venn Diagram_______________Venn Diagram

252

Multi-purpose Activities Index

Acrostic Poems

To practice writing and vocabulary/Para practicar la escritura y vocabulario

Rules
1. Students choose a name of a person that they are going to
write about.
2. Write the name of that person vertically.
3. Use the letters of the name to start adjectives describing
that person

J oyful
U nderstanding
L oving
I ntelligent
A rtistic
Around the World

Uses: Describing people, friendship, famous people, personalities,

diversity
Variation: Use letters of the name to form sentences, not just
words.

Poemas Acrsticos
Reglas
1. L@s estudiantes escogen el nombre de alguien a quien van a
escribir.

2. Escriben el nombre de esta persona al vertical.

3. Usen las letras del nombre para comenzar describiendo la
persona.

Usos: Describiendo gente, amistas, gente famoso

Variacin: Use letras del nombre para formar oraciones en vez
de solamente palabras.

To practice vocabulary and speaking/ Para practicar vocabulario y el hablar

Rules
1. Make flashcards with pictures of the new vocabulary on
them. Do not include the written word in English.
2. Have the first two students of a row stand up.
3. Show them a flashcard.
4. The first student to correctly pronounce the vocabulary
advances to the next student. The other student sits down.
5. Repeat again between the winner of the first round and the
next student with a new flashcard.
6. When a student loses a round, they take the place or desk
of their competitor, and the student that wins advances.
7. The winner is the student who can go all the way around
the classroom winning every round until they get back to
their original desk.
Uses: Vocbulary, numbers, parts of the body (Point to your body
parts instead of using flashcards), ABCs
Variation: When appropriate, use mimics for action verb
vocabulary, instead of flashcards.

Alrededor del Mundo

Reglas
1. Prepare fichas con dibujos del nuevo vocabulario. No incluya
la palabra escrita en ingls.

2. L@s primer@s dos estudiantes de una hilera se ponen de pie.

3. Mustreles una ficha.
4. El/la primer estudiante a pronunciar correctamente la palabra

del vocabulario avance al prximo escritorio. El perdedor se

sienta.
5. Repita de nuevo entre el/la ganador/a y el/la proxim@
estudiante con una nueva ficha.
6. Cuando un/a estudiante pierda, se sienta en el lugar de su
competidor, y el/la estudiante que gana avanza.
7. El/la ganador/a es el/la estudiante quien puede pasar
alrededor de toda la clase ganando cada vez hasta que regresa
a su propio lugar.

Usos: Vocabulario: nmeros, partes del cuerpo, ABCs

Variacin: Cuando se puede, usa mmicas para vocabulario de
verbos de accin, en vez de fichas.

253

Multi-purpose Activities Index

Ambiguous Picture

To practice speaking and writing/Practicar el hablar y la escritura

Rules
1. Draw a small part of a picture.
2. Ask the students what it is going to be.
3. Encourage different opinions -- do not confirm or
reject their ideas.
4. Add a little more to the drawing and ask the
question again.
5. Build your picture in about four or five parts.

6. Students create their own ambiguous picture.

7. Students write a description of their picture.
8. Choose several students to come and demonstrate their
ambiguous picture as the class tries to guess what the picture is. After they guess, the student reads the description.

Dibujo Ambiguo
Reglas
1. Dibuje una parte pequea del dibujo.
2. Pregunte a l@s estudiantes que creen que va a ser.
3. Motive los opiniones diferentesno hay que

confirmar ni rechazar sus ideas.

4. Aada un poco ms al dibujo y hacer la pregunta
de nuevo.
5. Construya su dibujo en cuatro o cinco partes.
6. L@s estudiantes crean sus propios dibujos ambiguos.
7. L@s estudiantes escriben una descripcin de
sus dibujos.
8. Elija unos estudiantes para pasar en frente y
demostrar su dibujo ambiguo mientras la clase intenta
adivinar cul es el dibujo. Despus de adivinar, el/la
estudiante lee su descripcin.

Usos: Adjetivos, lugares en la comunidad, uso de HAVE

Uses: Adjectives, places in the community, use of HAVE

BINGO

To practice vocabulary and listening/ Para practicar vocabulario y el escuchar

Rules
1. Tell the students to fold a piece of paper 4 times to create
16 small squares. This is the bingo board:
orange

lemon

bread

eggs

meat

milk

tomato

beans

rice

juice

cheese

mango

oil

onion

chicken

avocado

2. Choose 16 or more different vocabulary words or images

to put in the squares. Students should mix the order of the
words.
3. Say different vocabulary words. If the student has that word
on his or her board, he or she marks the square that
corresponds to each word.
4. The goal is for a student to yell BINGO! when they form a
line of 4 squares (horizontal, vertical, or diagonal).
5. Tell the student to read the vocabulary in the squares aloud
in order to verify that the student wins.
Uses: Vocabulary (numbers, clothing, or food), present and
past verb forms.
Variation 1: Instead of saying the word, show a picture or the
written word.
Variation 2: Instead of making the board, students write a list of
vocabulary words and cross them out when the teacher says the
word. The first person to cross out all their words is the winner.

254

BINGO (Tabla de Vocabulario)

Reglas
1. Doble una hoja de papel 4 veces para crear 16 cuadritos.
Esta es el bingo board.

2. Elija 16 palabras o imgenes diferentes del vocabulario

para poner en los cuadros. L@s estudiantes deben mezclar

las palabras.
3. El/la profesor@ dice diferentes palabras de vocabulario y l@s
estudiantes marcan el cuadro que corresponde a cada palabra
que el/la profesor@ ha dicho.
4. La meta es que un@ estudiante grite BINGO! cuando forma
una lnea de 4 cuadros marcados (horizontal, vertical,
o diagonal).
5. El/la estudiante lee las palabras en los cuadros en voz alta para
que el/la profesor@ pueda verificar que l o ella gan.

Usos: Vocabulario: nmeros, ropa, o comida, verbos en presente

y pasado
Variacin 1: En vez de decir la palabra, el/la profesor@ puede
demostrar un dibujo o la palabra escrita.
Variacin 2. En vez de hacer el board, l@s estudiantes escriben
una lista de vocabulario y las tachan cuando el/la profesor@ dice
la palabra. La primera persona que tacha todas sus
palabras gana.

Multi-purpose Activities Index

Blind Partner Drawings

To practice speaking and listening/Practicar el hablar y el escuchar

Rules
1. Divide students into pairs, and arrange desks so one
partner is facing the front of the room and the board (the
speaker), and one partner is facing the back of the room
(the artist).
2. Explain that the partner facing the board is going to see a
picture and describe the picture to their partner.
3. The partner facing the back of the room may not turn
around and look at the picture, but must listen to their
partner and draw the picture accordingly.
4. Draw a map or picture on the board.
5. Students facing forward describe to their partners.
6. Students facing backwards listen to their partners and draw
the picture.
7. In the end, students can verify their accuracy by how the
picture reflects the picture you drew.
Uses: Prepositions of place, things in the house, places in the
community, physical descriptions, clothing, parts of the body,
family members, environment, etc

Categories: Speaking

Dibujos Ciegos con Compaer@

Reglas
1. Organice l@s estudiantes en parejas, y arregle los escritorios

para tener un/a estudiante mirando al frente (el/la hablante) y

un/a estudiante mirando para atrs (el/la artista).
2. Explique que el/la compaera mirando a la pizarra va a ver un
dibujo y tendr que describirlo a su compaer@.
3. El/la artista mirando para atrs no debe mirar al dibujo, sino
escuchar a su compaer@ y dibujar segn sus instrucciones.
4. Dibuje un mapa o un dibujo en la pizarra.
5. L@s estudiantes habladores/as lo describen a sus compaer@s.
6. L@s estudiantes artistas escuchan y dibujan.
7. Al final, l@s estudiantes pueden verificar su comunicacin oral
con cmo refleja los dibujos de ell@s con el suyo.

Usos: Preposiciones de lugar, objectos en la casa, lugares en

la comunidad, descripciones fsicas, ropa, partes del cuerpo
humano, miembros de la familia, medio-ambiente, etc

To practice vocabulary and speaking/ Para practicar vocabulario y el hablar

Rules
1. One student thinks of a category, such as Fruits or Family
Members.
2. Everyone must take a turn saying a fruit or a family
member.
3. If someone takes too long to give an answer, then that
person is out and a new category begins.
4. To decide how long is too long, the lead student should
count to five.
5. If someone gives an answer that is incorrect, then he or
she is also out. For example, if the category is Fruits, and
someone says potato, then that person is out.
6. The game continues until only one person is left.
Uses: Vocabulary (numbers, clothing, or food)
Variation: Divide the class into smaller groups.

Categoras: Hablado
Reglas
1. Un estudiante piensa en una categora, como Fruits or Family
Members.

2. Todos tienen que decir una fruta o miembro de la familia.

3. Si alguien tarda demasiado para contestar, l/ella va fuera y
comienza una nueva categora.

4. Para decidir cuanto tiempo es demasiado, el/la lder debe

contar a cinco.

5. Si alguien da una respuesta que es incorrectoa, entonces l/

ella va fuera tambin. Por ejemplo, si la categora es Fruits, y

alguien dice potato, entonces l/ella va fuera.
6. El juego continua hasta que slo haya un/a estudiante.

Usos: Vocabulario: nmeros, ropa, o comida, verbos en presente

y pasado
Variacin: Divida l@s estudiantes en grupos pequeos.

255

Categories: Writing

To practice listening and writing/Practicar la escucha y la escritura

Categoras Escritos

Rules
1. Write several categories on the board in columns.
Ex: healthy food, unhealthy food, drinks
2. Students copy the columns and categories.
3. Read a list of vocabulary words.
4. Students listen and write the word in the correct category.
Ex: If you say ice cream, the student writes ice cream
under unhealthy food.
5. Verify whether students have the correct words.
Uses: Listening comprehension of any vocabulary, past tense
ed ending
Variation: Instead of writing the words, students put a check
under the right category and then count the checks at the end.
This makes the activity go faster.

Change Seats

1. Tell the students to sit in a circle with their chairs, with one
person standing in the middle.
Ex: For 20 people, use 19 chairs.
2. Start in the middle of the circle and say Change seats if
and continue with a sentence relating to the theme.
Ex: If the theme is clothing, a person who is wearing blue
jeans says, Change seats if you are wearing blue jeans.
3. Everyone who is wearing blue jeans stands up and
changes seats.
4. Students cannot move to the seat immediately next to
where they were sitting.
5. The person who does not find a chair stays in the middle
and says the next sentence.
Uses: Vocabulary (clothing, family members, personal characteristics), present progressive, HAVE.

Ej: healthy food, unhealthy food, drinks

2. L@s estudiantes copian las columnas y las categoras.
3. Lea una lista de palabras de vocabulario.
4. L@s estudiantes escuchan y escriben cada palabra en la categora correcta.
Ej: Si dice ice cream, el/la estudiante escribe ice cream debajo
unhealthy food.
5. Verique si l@s estudiantes tienen las palabras correctas.

Usos: Comprensin de vocabulario, la pronunciacin de ed en

verbos en el pasado
Variacin: En vez de escribir las palabras, l@s estudiante ponen
un X debajo la categora correcta y cuentan el numero de X al
final. As va mas rpido la actividad.

Cambiar Sillas
Esta actividad es mejor para clases pequeas. Si tiene una clase
grande, puede dividir la clase en grupos ms pequeos para jugar.
1. L@s estudiantes se sientan en un crculo con sus sillas, con una

persona parada en el centro.

Ej: para 20 personas, use 19 sillas.
2. El/la profesor@ empieza en el centro del circulo y dice Change
seats if. y continua con una oracin que se relaciona con
el tema.
Ej: Si el tema es ropa, el/la estudiante que est usando blue
jeans dice, Change seats if you are wearing blue jeans.
3. Todos los que estn usando blue jeans se levantan y
cambian sillas.
4. No se puede mover a la silla que est junto a donde uno
estaba sentado.
5. La persona que no encuentra silla queda en el centro y dice la
siguiente oracin.

Usos: Vocabulario (ropa, miembros de familia, caractersticas

personales), presente progresivos, HAVE

To practice listening and speaking/ Para practicar el escuchar y hablar

Rules
1. Divide the class in two teams.
2. A student from each team chooses a paper with a word on
it or you can tell each student a word.
Ex: If the theme is emotions, a paper could have happy.
3. Tell the student to describe the word with actions and/or
sounds to his/her team.
4. His/her teammates must say the word in English to receive
a point.
Uses: Present progressive, adjectives to describe people,
clothing, verbs.
256

1. Escriba unas categoras en la pizarra en columnas.

To practice speaking and listening/Para practicar el hablar y el escuchar

Best for a small class. If you have a large class,

divide the class into smaller groups to play.

Charades

Reglas

Charadas
Reglas
1. Divida la clase en dos equipos.
2. Un@ estudiante de cada equipo elige un papel con una

palabra o el/la profesor@ les dice a cada estudiante

una palabra.
Ej: Si el tema es emociones, el papel dira happy.
3. Cada estudiante describe la palabra con acciones y/o sonidos
a su equipo.
4. Sus compaeros de equipo tienen que decir la palabra en
ingles para recibir un punto.

Usos: Presente progresivo, adjetivos para describir personas,

ropa, verbos, vocabulario de TPR.

Cocktail Party

To practice speaking and listening/Para practicar el hablar y el escuchar

Preguntas Que Nunca Terminan

Rules
1. Give each student a different question on a small piece of
paper (or students can write their own).
2. Tell the students to stand up and walk around asking other
students the questions.
3. After the students ask and answer their questions, they
change papers and ask a different student.
Uses: Questions/answers, describing pictures, sharing personal
information, expressing opinions.

Reglas
1. Se les da a cada estudiante una pregunta diferente en una

hojita de papel (o l@s estudiantes pueden escribir sus propias

preguntas).
2. L@s estudiantes se levantan y caminan por el aula haciendo su
pregunta a l@s otr@s.
3. Despus de que hacen su pregunta y responden a la otra
persona, cambian hojitas y preguntan a otr@ estudiante.

Usos: Preguntas/respuestas, describiendo dibujos, compartir

informacin personal, expresar opiniones.

Comic strip

To practice writing and reading comprehension/ Para practicar la escritura y comprensin de lecturas

Historietas

Rules
1. Tell the students to fold a piece of paper three times to
form 8 squares.
2. Students write 8 sentences telling a story.
Ex: If youre teaching folklore, it could be La Mocuana, La
Carreta Nahualt, El Cadejo, La Cegua, etc.
3. Students draw a picture for each sentence; one picture in
each square.
4. Students present to the class.
Uses: Reading comprehension, spelling, telling a story, past tense
Variation: Instead of using a prepared dialogue or story,
students make up their own stories for the comic strip.

Reglas
1. L@s estudiantes doblan una hoja de papel 3 veces para formar
8 cuadros.

2. L@s estudiantes escriben 8 oraciones para contar una historia.

Ej: Si esta ensenando mitos folklricos, podra ser La Mocuana,
La Carreta Nahualt, El Cadejo, La Cegua, etc.
3. L@s estudiantes dibujan para cada oracin; un dibujo por cada
cuadro.
4. L@s estudiante explican su historieta frente a la clase.

Usos: Comprensin de lecturas o dilogos, deletreo, contar una

historia, verbos en pasado
Variacin: En vez de usar un dialogo preparado, l@s estudiantes
pueden inventor sus propias historias para la historieta.

Crosswords

To practice speaking, listening, and writing/Para practicar el hablar, el escuchar, y la escritura

Rules
1. Tell one student to write a word in the middle of the board
from the vocabulary list.
Ex: If the theme is personal characteristics, the word might
be jealous. (See example below)
2. Think of a word which shares one letter with the word on
the board and give the students a clue to your word.
Ex: If the word is angry, you might say, Its when someone
is rude to me or It starts with the letter a.
3. If somebody guesses angry, tell that person to write the
word so that it crosses the first word and shares a letter.

jealous
n
g
r
y
4. Ask a student to think of a word sharing one letter from the
word angry or jealous. That person gives the class a clue
for the word.

5. Continue building up the crossword to see how many

words the class creates in five minutes.
6. After students understand how to play the game, divide
students into small groups or pairs to continue practicing
the target vocabulary.
Uses: Any vocabulary, introducing students and learning names.
Variation: Ask the students to write down the clues for each
word in the puzzle. Later, give the puzzle to another class to
solve.

Crucigrama
Reglas
1. Un/a estudiante escribe una palabra de vocabulario en el

centro de la pizarra.
Ej: Si el tema es caracteristicas personales, la palabra podria ser
jealous.
2. Piense en una palabra que tiene una letra en comn con la
palabra en la pizarra y de una pista a l@s estudiantes para
esta palabra.

257

Ej: Si la palabra es angry, podra decir, Its when someone is

rude to me o It starts with the letter a.
3. Si alguien adivina la palabra angry, el/ella escribe la palabra
para que cruce la primera palabra y comparta una letra. (Vea el
ejemplo en la pagina anterior)
4. Pida a un/a estudiante que piense en una palabra que
comparte una letra de una de las dos palabras. El/ella da una
pista a la clase para su palabra.
5. Continua construyendo el crucigrama para ver cuantas

Directions

funciona el juego, divida l@s estudiantes en grupos pequeos

para continuar de practicar el vocabulario.

Usos: Cualquier vocabulario, presentar l@s estudiantes y

aprender sus nombres.
Variacin: Pida a l@s estudiantes que escriban las pistas para las
palabras del crucigrama. Puede dar el mismo crucigrama a otra
clase.

To practice listening and speaking/ Practicar el escuchar y el hablar

Rules
1. Write phrases to give directions on pieces of paper.
Ex: Begin in the northwest corner of the park. Walk south one
block, then turn left. Walk one block.
2. Draw a big square on the floor with masking tape and
divide it into four smaller squares. Draw an arrow pointing
north and write North next to the arrow.
3. Write a place in each small square.
Ex: library, pharmacy, etc.
4. In pairs, one student chooses a phrase and reads it to the
other student, who must follow the directions correctly.
5. Repeat with other pairs.
Uses: Commands, giving directions

Fan

palabras la clase puede incluir en 5 minutos.

6. Despus de que l@s estudiantes entiendan cmo

Direcciones
Reglas
1. Escribe frases para dar direcciones en hojitas de papel.
Ej: Begin in the northwest corner of the park. Walk south one
block, then turn left. Walk one block.
2. Dibuje un cuadro grande en el suelo con masking tape y
divdalo en cuatro cuadros ms pequeos. Dibuje una flecha
hacia el norte y escribe North junto a la flecha.
3. Escriba un lugar en cada cuadro pequeo.
Ej: library, pharmacy, etc.
4. En parejas, un/a estudiante elige una frase y la lee al otro,
quien debe seguir las direcciones correctamente.
5. Repita con el resto de la clase.

Usos: Comandos, dar direcciones

To practice reading and speaking/Para practicar la lectura y el hablar

Rules
1. Fold a piece of paper to
make it into a fan.
2. On each fold, write a
question or a command
Ex: Stand up and sing, dance,
open your book
3. Pass the fan from student to student
until all the questions/commands are read.

Abanico
Reglas
1. Doble una hoja de papel para hacer un abanico.
2. En cada fold, escriba una pregunta o comando.
Ej: Stand up and sing, dance, open your book.

3. Pasen el abanico de estudiante en estudiante hasta que se

lean todas las preguntas/comandos.

Usos: Preguntas, comandos, fill in the blank.

Uses: Questions, commands, fill in the blank.

Find Someone Who . . .

To practice speaking, reading and listening/Para practicar el hablar, la lectura, y el escuchar

1. Create a list of abilities.

Ex: ______ plays soccer.
______ sings.
______ dances meringue.
______ swims.
2. Tell the students ask each other and fill in the survey
Ex: Maria: Can you play soccer?
Fulano: Yes, I can. or No, I cant.
If yes, Maria writes Fulanos name in the blank.
258

Uses: Practicing questions: Do you have.?, Can you.?, Do

you like.?, Have you been to.? Vocabulary: Family, personal
information, abilities, likes/dislikes, job skills etc.
Variation: Fold paper into 16 squares and fill in each square with
the information. Then write the corresponding students name
in the square.

Busque Alguien a Quien

1. Crea una lista de habilidades.
Ej: ______ plays soccer.
______ sings.
______ dances meringue.
______ swim.
2. L@s estudiantes se preguntan y llenan la encuesta.
Ej: Maria: Can you play soccer?
Fulano: Yes, I can. o No, I cant.
Si dice que si, Maria escribe el nombre de Fulano en
el espacio.

Flashcards

Usos: Practicar preguntas: Do you have.?, Can you.?,

Do you like.?, Have you been to.? Vocabulario: Familia,
informacin personal habilidades, likes/dislikes, etc.
Variacin: Doble el papel en 16 cuadros y llene cada cuadro con
la informacin y luego escribir el nombre del estudiante que
corresponde a esta informacin.

To practice reading and writing/Para practicar la lectura y la escritura

Flashcards can be used many times.

Fichas

Preparation

Se puede usar flashcards muchas veces.

1. Students fold a piece of notebook paper into rectangles.

2. Students cut or tear apart rectangles.
3. Students write simple form of verbs on one side and past
forms on the other

Rules

Preparacion
1. L@s estudiantes doblan una hoja de papel en rectangulos.
2. L@s estudiantes cortan o rompan los rectangulos.
3. L@s estudiantes escriben verbos en su forma simple en un
lado y escriben la forma en pasado en el otro lado.

1. In pairs, one student shows the other student the side that
has the simple form and he or she must say the past form.
Uses: Any vocabulary or grammar
Variation 1: Flashcards can be used to play games like BINGO
(See p. 224) or Memory. (See p. 231)
Variation 2: For vocabulary, flashcards can have the word on
one side and a picture on the other.

Reglas
1. En parejas, un/a estudiante demuestra al otro el lado con

la forma simple y tiene el otro tiene que decir el verbo en

pasado.

Usos: Cualquier vocabulario o gramtica

Variacin 1: Se puede usar flashcards para juegos como BINGO
o Memoria.
Variacin 2: Para vocabulario, flashcards puede tener la palabra
en un lado y un dibujo al otro lado.

Four Corners

To practice listening comprehension/Para practicar el escuchar

Rules

Cuatro Esquinas

1. Prepare questions with multiple-choice answers that are

related to the theme.
Ex: What type of music do you prefer? A-reggaeton;
B-romantic; C-salsa; D-rock
2. Use two pieces of masking tape to make the shape of a
cross with four areas on the floor.
3. Designate each area as A, B, C, and D.

A B
C

Reglas
1. Prepare preguntas de seleccin mltiple que sean

relacionados al tema.
Ej: What type of music do you prefer? A-reggaeton; B-romantic;
C-salsa; D-rock
2. Use dos piezas de masking tape para hacer una cruz en el
suelo formando cuatro reas.
3. Asignar cada rea una letras: A, B, C, y D.
4. Lea las preguntas y las respuestas de seleccin mltiple.
5. L@s estudiantes van al rea que creen que es la respuesta
correcta.

Usos: Cualquier actividad que usa respuestas de

seleccin mltiple

4. Read the questions and multiple-choice answers.

5. Students walk to the area they believe is the correct answer
to the question.
Uses: Any activity that uses multiple-choice answers
259

Gallery Walk

To practice listening and speaking/Para practicar el escuchar y el hablar

Best for a large class.

Caminata por la Galeria

Rules

Esta actividad sirve para clases grandes.

1. Assign students a large group project to present to their

classmates.
2. On the day of the presentation, create stations around the
room, one for each project.
3. Assign a station to each group. One member of the group
stays at the station to present the project. The rest of the
class rotates around the room to listen to the different
presentations and takes notes on what they hear.
Uses: Presentation of projects
Variation: Afterward, the students write a paragraph for
each presentation.

Hangman

Reglas
1. Asigne a l@s estudiantes un proyecto de grupo para presentar
a sus compaeros de clase.
2. El da de la exposicin, crea estaciones en el aula, uno para
cada proyecto.
3. Asigne una estacin a cada grupo. Un miembro del grupo
queda con la estacin para presentar el proyecto. Todos los
dems caminan por el aula para escuchar las exposiciones y
tomar notas de lo que escuchan.

Usos: Presentacin de proyectos

Variacin: Despus, l@s estudiantes pueden escribir un prrafo
para cada proyecto que observ.

To practice spelling and speaking/Para practicar el hablar y el escuchar

Good for the last minutes of class if you have time left over after
finishing the lesson. Play in small groups or as a whole class.

Ahorcado

Rules

Use esta actividad en los ltimos minutes de clase si le sobra tiempo

despus de terminar el plan de clase. Se puede jugar en grupos pequeos
o con toda la clase.

1. Choose a word/phrase and write one blank for each letter.

Ex: For apple, __ __ __ __ __
2. Students say a letter.
3. If the letter appears in the word or phrase, write it in the
correct space. If not, add a body part to the hangman.
4. Students must guess all the letters in the word to complete
the word before the drawing of the hangman is complete.
Uses: Vocabulary, spelling, pronunciation of the alphabet.

Reglas
1. Elija una palabra/frase y escriba un blanco para cada letra
Ej: Para apple, __ __ __ __ __

2. Un@ estudiante dice una letra.

3. Si la letra aparece en la palabra/frase, escrbala en el espacio
correcto. Si no, ponga una parte del cuerpo del ahorcado.

4. L@s estudiantes tienen que adivinar todas las letras en la

palabra para completarla antes de que el dibujo del ahorcado

sea complete.

Usos: Vocabulario, deletreo, pronunciacin del alfabeto.

Hot Cabbage/Potato

To practice reading, speaking, and listening/ Para practicar la lectura, el hablar, y el escuchar

Rules
1. To prepare a cabbage, write questions/phrases/vocabulary
on pieces of paper.
Ex: Papers could read My name ____ Paul or a question
What is your name?
2. Wrap the papers around each other into a ball.
3. Make a sound (hit a marker on the board, play music, sing
or clap) while the students pass the ball around the class.
4. When the noise stops, the student with the cabbage
removes the top layer and completes the activity on the
paper.
Uses: Singular/plural, possessive adjectives, prepositions of time,
comparative/superlative, reading comprehension.
Variation 1: Play by passing any classroom object (eraser or
marker) and use a list of questions on the board.
Variation 2: Use the same process to select which students will
write an answer on the board or do any other activity.

260

Repollo Caliente
Reglas
1. Para preparar el repollo, escriba preguntas/frases/vocabulario
en hojas de papel.
Ej: Las hojas podran decir My name ____ Paul o una
pregunta como What is your name?
2. Envuelvan las hojas para hacer una pelota.
3. L@s estudiantes pasen el repollo entre ellos mientras el/la
profesor@ hace un ruido (pegar la pizarra con un marcador,
tocar msica, cantar, o aplaudir).
4. Cuando se detenga el ruido, el/la estudiante con el repollo
quita la primera hoja y completa la actividad que est escrito
en la hoja.
Usos: Singular/plural, adjetivos posesivos, preposiciones del tiempo,
comparativos/superlativos, comprensin de lectura.
Variaciones: Se puede jugar con cualquier objeto (borrador o
marcador) y una lista de preguntas que se les da el/la profesor@,
o se puede usar para seleccionar cual estudiante escribir una
respuesta en la pizarra o hacer cualquier otra actividad.

I Like You Because...

To practice speaking/Para practicar el hablar

Good as an energizer and to promote a positive class

environment.

Usted Me Cae Bien Porque...

Esta actividad es bueno para promover un ambiente positivo en la clase.

Rules
1. Ask all the students to think about what they like about the
person sitting next to them.
2. Students should say aloud what they like about that
person.
Ex: I like you because you are nice.
I like you because you have curly hair.
I like you because you eat mangos.
I like you because you play soccer.
Variation (R, W): Have students tape a piece of paper to their
back, and go around and write nice things on each others
pieces of paper.

Jeopardy!

Reglas
1. Pregunte l@s estudiantes lo que les gusta de la persona
sentada a su lado.

2. L@s estudiantes dicen lo que le gusta de la otra persona.

Ej: I like you because you are nice.
I like you because you have curly hair.
I like you because you eat mangos.
I like you because you play soccer.
Variacin: Para practicar el escribir y el leer, l@ estudiantes
pueden poner un papel en blanco en su espalda, y pasar a l@s
dems compaer@s escribiendo oraciones en los papeles de
sus compaer@s.

To practice listening and speaking/Para practicar el escuchar y el hablar

Requires a lot of advance preparation.

Jeopardy!

Preparation
1. Choose four to six categories that will be on the exam and
create a column for each.
2. Write 100, 200, 300, 400, and 500 for each column.
3. Write a clue for each value. Five clues for each category
(usually 100 is easiest, and 500 most difficult).
Ex: If the theme is health, a clue might be, My head hurts. I
have a _________.

Rules
Ailments Symptoms HAVE vs. BE

100 100
200 200
300 300
400 400
500 500

Statements
with should

100
200
300
400
500

100
200
300
400
500

1. Tape or draw the Jeopardy board on the board.

2. Explain that students will choose the category and value
they want to answer. 100 is easiest and 500 is most difficult.
3. Divide students into small groups.
4. Groups take turns answering questions to earn points.
5. If the answer is correct, they earn the value points for their
team. If they are incorrect, they lose the value points and
the other groups can answer the question.
6. The group with the most points at the end of the
game wins.

Este juego requiere bastante preparacin anterior, pero es bueno

para repasar antes de un examen.

Preparacin
1. Elija cuatro a seis categoras que saldrn en el examen y
dibujar una columna para cada uno.

2. Escriba 100, 200, 300, 400, y 500 para cada columna.

3. Escriba una pista para cada valor. Debe haber cinco pistas

para cada categora (normalmente 100 es la mas fcil, y 500 la

ms difcil).
Ej: Si el tema es salud, una pista podra ser, My head hurts.
I have a _________.

Reglas
1. Pegue el Jeopardy board o dibjela en la pizarra.
2. Explique a l@s estudiantes que elegirn un valor de la

categora que quieren contestar. 100 es la ms fcil y 500 es

la ms difcil.
3. Divida l@s estudiantes en grupos pequeos.
4. Los grupos toman turnos respondiendo a las preguntas para
ganar puntos.
5. Si la respuesta es correcta, ganan puntos para su equipo. Si la
respuesta es incorrecta, pierden esa cantidad de puntos y los
otros grupos pueden responder a la pregunta.
6. El grupo con ms puntos al final del juego es el ganador.

Usos: Repaso para exmenes.

Uses: Test Review.

261

Jig Saw

To practice reading, writing, speaking, and listening/Para practicar la lectura, la escritura, y la escucha

Rules

Pedazos de Rompecabezas

1. Divide students into small groups.

2. Give each group part of a story.
3. Students draw a picture on a papelografo to represent their
part of the story, and write their part at the bottom.
4. Students present their papelografos in chronological order.
Uses: Past tense verbs, storytelling,
Variation: Instead of parts of a story, give the students parts of a
map, parts of a family tree, parts of a song, parts of a menu, etc.,
and ask them to put them together correctly.

Reglas
1. Divida l@s estudiantes en grupos pequeos.
2. Se le da a cada grupo una parte de una historia.
3. L@s estudiantes dibujan en un papelografo algo que

representa su parte de la historia y escriben su parte debajo

del dibujo.
4. L@s estudiantes presentan sus papelografos en orden
cronolgico.

Usos: Verbos en el pasado, contar historias

Variacin: En vez de partes de una historia, de a l@s estudiantes
partes de un mapa, partes de un rbol genealgico, partes de
una cancin, partes de un men, etc., y pdales que las pongan
en el orden correcto.

King/Queen of the Mountain

To practice listening and speaking/Para practicar el escuchar y el hablar

Rules

Rey/Reina de la Montaa

1. Tell the students to form a semi-circle.

2. Choose one student as the king/queen of the mountain
and tell him/her to stand in the middle.
3. One by one the students think of a sentence/question and
the king/queen has to say the opposite.
Ex: Classmate: Tonight I will do my homework.
King/Queen: Tonight I will not do my homework.
4. If the king/queen responds incorrectly, the student who
said the sentence is the new king/queen. If a king/queen
answers 10 questions correctly, he/she wins and chooses a
new king/queen.
Uses: Affirmative/negative, verb tenses (present to present
progressive, past to present, etc.)

Memory

Reglas
1. L@s estudiantes formen un semi-circle.
2. Un@ estudiante esta elegido como rey/reina de la montaa y
se para en el centro.

3. Uno por uno l@s estudiantes piensan en una oracin o

pregunta y el rey/reina tiene que decir el opuesto.

Ej: Maria: Tonight I will do my homework.
El Rey/Reina: Tonight I will not do my homework.
4. Si el rey/reina responde incorrectamente, el/la estudiante que
dijo la oracin es el nuevo rey/reina. Si un rey/reina responde
a 10 preguntas correctamente, l/ella gana y se elige alguien
nuevo.

Usos: Afirmativo/negativo, tiempos de verbos (presente a

presente progresivo, pasado a presente, etc.)

To practice speaking and comprehension/Para practicar el hablar y comprensin

Best for pairs or small groups.

Rules
1. Tell the students to cut paper into 20 pieces (or fewer).
2. On half of the papers put vocabulary words and on the
other half put pictures to match the words.
3. Turn over the papers to hide the words and pictures.
4. Students turn over two cards at a time and read the word
or name the picture. If the cards match then they keep the
pair. If not, then they turn them over again.
5. The game finishes when all of pairs are matched. The
student with the most pairs wins that game.

happy

Uses: Any vocabulary, comparing different verb forms

Variation 1: Use numbers (one card written in letters (one) and
the other with the number (1)).
Variation 2: Write the present tense form of a verb (buy) and the
past tense to match (bought).

262

Memoria
Haga esta actividad en parejas o grupos pequeos.

Reglas

Usos: Cualquier vocabulario, comparar diferentes formas de

verbos

1. L@s estudiantes cortan una hoja de papel en 20 piezas

Variacin 1: Use nmeros (una pieza tiene el numero en

letras (one) y la otra con el numero (1)).

2. En la mitad de las piezas ponen palabras de vocabulario y en la

Variacin 2: Escriba un verbo en presente (buy) y en el

pasado para la pareja (bought).

(o menos).

otra mitad dibujos que corresponden a las palabras.

3. Volteen las piezas para esconder las palabras y dibujos.

4. Un/a estudiante voltea dos piezas a la vez y lee la palabra o

nombra el dibujo. Si las piezas corresponden, el/la estudiante

queda con esta pareja. Si no, las voltea de nuevo.
5. El juego termina cuando se han encontrado todas las parejas.
El/la estudiante con la mayor cantidad de parejas es el
ganador.

Mini-Books

To practice reading and writing/Para practicar leer y escribir

Activity for projects or review.

Instructions

5. Hold the two edges and push

toward the center, forming the
four pages of the mini-book.

1. Fold the paper in half three times.

6. Now flatten your book and begin writing!

1
2. Unfold the paper twice until it looks
like this. Cut or tear the creased
edge only to the halfway point
of the paper.

Uses: Review material from the previous year, share personal

information, vocabulary, tell a story, make passports.
Variation: Big Story Book: Instead of a piece of notebook paper,
use a papelografo to a make a big book.

3. Open the paper all the way.

It should look like this:

Mini-Libros
Una actividad para proyectos y para repasar contenido.

Instrucciones
1. Cada estudiante necesita una hoja de papel. Doble la hoja por
4. Fold along the middle (cut) edge.

la mitad tres veces.

2. Abra la hoja dos veces para que se ve as. Corte o rompa en el
centro del lado doblado hasta el punto medio de la hoja.
3. Abra la hoja completamente.
4. Doble por la mitad donde est cortada.
5. Agarre los dos lados y empuje hacia el centro para
formar las cuatro pginas del mini libro.
6. Ahora, aplaste el libro y empiece a escribir!

Usos: Repasar contenido del ao anterior, compartir informacin

personal, vocabulario, contar una historia, hacer pasaportes. L@s
estudiantes les encantan hacerlos y decorarlos.
Variacin: Big Story Book: En vez de papel tamao carta, use

papelografo para hacer libros grandes.

263

Mr. Yes, Mr. No and Mr. Question

To practice writing and speaking/Para practicar la escritura y el hablar

Rules
1. Divide students into groups of 5.
2. Give each group a drawing that represents an action.
3. Assign a type of sentence to each member of the group:
affirmative, negative, interrogative, affirmative short
answer, negative short answer. Each student writes one
sentence with the action.
Ex: If you are studying job skills, and the action is cook, the
five sentences would be: He can cook. He cant cook.
Can he cook? Yes, he can. and No, he cant.
4. Students present their sentences.
Uses: Vocabulary: any kind of action verb, statements
and questions

Musical Chairs

Reglas
1. Divida l@s estudiantes en grupos de 5.
2. Se le da a cada grupo un dibujo que representa una accin.
3. Asigne una forma de oracion a cada miembro del grupo:

afirmativo, negativo, interrogativo, respuesta corta afirmativo,

y respuesta corta negativo. Cada estudiante escribe una
oracin con la accin.
Ej: Si la accion es cook, las cinco oraciones seran: He can cook.
He cant cook. Can he cook? Yes, he can. y No, he cant.
4. L@s estudiantes presentan sus oraciones.

Usos: Vocabulario: cualquier verbo de accion, oraciones

y preguntas

To practice speaking and listening with questions/Para practicar el hablar y el escuchar con preguntas

Rules
1. Organize the students chairs in a circle, facing outwards.
There should be one less chair than there are students. (Ex:
If there are 24 students, there should be 23 chairs.)
2. Tape a picture to each chair.
3. Tell the students to dance around the chairs when you play
music.
4. When the music stops, every student must race to find a
seat.
5. The one student who is left standing faces elimination. He/
she will be out unless they can save themselves.
6. The student can save himself or herself by asking a question to a classmate using the grammar of the day. If he/she
asks the question correctly, and their classmate answers
incorrectly, he/she stays in and the other classmate is out.
But if the question is asked incorrectly, or the classmate
answers correctly, the student standing is out.
7. Start the music again. Students must move and dance
while the music plays.
8. Take out a chair, so again there is one less chair than students.
9. When you stop the music, students must find a seat.
10.
Again, the student facing elimination can save himself
by asking a classmate a question.
11.
Play the music again, remove another chair, etc.
12.
Continue until there is one winner.
Uses: Personal information, physical descriptions (use questions about students instead of pictures), occupations, any
content with a focus on questions.
Variation: For larger classes or to make the game go faster,
you can take out more than one chair every turn, and have
more students have to answer questions or be eliminated.

264

Don Si, Don No, y Don Pregunta

Sillas Musicales
Reglas
1. Organizar las sillas de la clase en un crculo, mirando para

afuera. Hay que tener una silla menos que el nmero de estudiantes. (Ej: Si hay 24 estudiantes, hay que tener 23 sillas.)
2. Poner un dibujo o una foto en cada silla.
3. Decir a l@s estudiantes a bailar, movindose en el crculo al
tocar la msica.
4. Al pausar la msica, cada estudiante tiene que correr para
sentarse.
5. El/la estudiante que no encuentre una silla enfrenta la posibilidad de ser eliminad@. Va fuera si no puede salvarse.
6. El/la estudiante puede salvarse al hacer una pregunta a un(a)
compaer@ usando la gramtica del da. Si la pregunta
correctamente, y el/la compaer@ se equivoca con la
respuesta, el/la estudiante se salva y se queda en el juego.
El/la compaer@ se va fuera. Pero si la pregunta sea mal
formada, o si el/la compaer@ contesta correctamente, el/la
estudiante parad@ va fuera.
7. Tocar la msica de nuevo. La clase tiene que bailar y moverse
mientras toca la msica.
8. Quitar una silla, para que de nuevo hay una silla menos que el
nmero de estudiantes.
9. Al pausar la musica, cada estudiante tiene que correr para
sentarse de nuevo.
10.
De nuevo, el/la estudiante de pie enfrenta eliminacin y
puede salvarse al hacer una pregunata a un(a) compaer@ de
clases.
11.
Tocar la musica de nuevo, quitar otra silla, etc.
12.
Seguir hasta que hay un(a) ganador(a).
Variacin: Para clases grandes o para hacer la actividad ms
rpidamente, se puede quitar varias sillas a la vez, para tener ms
estudiantes enfrentando eliminacin y haciendo preguntas.

Never-Ending Board Game

To practice speaking and reading/Para practicar el hablar y la lectura

Best for small groups. To practice speaking and reading.

Preparation/rules
1. In small groups, tell students to create their game board.
Each student uses a small piece of paper with their initials
for their game piece.
What is
your name?
Where do
you live?
What do you
like to do?

How old
are you?

Personal
Information
How are you?

Where are
you from?

Ex: If the verb is go, then one space might say, He + past
tense. The player must say, He went.

El Juego que Nunca Termina

Este juego es para grupos pequeos.

Preparacin/reglas
FREE
How many
brothers do
you have?

2. Players begin on the FREE space.

3. On four small pieces of paper, write numbers 1 through 4.
Turn them facedown. The first player chooses a number
and moves that many spaces.
4. Students respond to the prompt on the space where
they stop.
Ex: If the space says, What is your name?
The student must respond, My name is ____.
5. If a student lands on the FREE space, that student can rest
until their next turn.
6. The game is never-ending; play for as long as you would
like and there are no winners or losers.
Uses: Questions, physical descriptions (write a persons name in
each game spacefamous or non-famousand describe them),
likes and dislikes (categories like food, music, class, etc.) or modify
to fit any lesson plan or grammar topic.

Odd-One-Out

Variation: To practice verbs, put a verb in the middle of the

board, and each space is a subject pronoun and a verb tense.

1. En grupos pequeos, l@s estudiantes hacen el game board.

Cada estudiante usa una pieza de papel con su nombre para

su game piece.
2. Todos empiezan en el espacio FREE.
3. En cuatro piezas de papel, escriben los nmeros 1 a 4. Los
voltean para esconder los nmeros. El primer jugador elige
un nmero y mueva su pieza esa cantidad de espacio en el
game board.
4. L@s estudiantes responden a lo que est escrito en el espacio
donde cay su pieza.
Ej: Si el espacio dice, What is your name? el/la estudiante
responde My name is ____.
5. Si el/la estudiante cae en el espacio FREE puede descansar
hasta su prximo turno.
6. El juego nunca termina porque se puede jugar tanto como
quiera y no hay ganadores ni perdedores.

Usos: Preguntas, descripciones fsicas (ej: Escriba el nombre

de una persona en un espacio y tienen que describirlo), likes
and dislikes.
Variacin: Para practicar verbos, ponga un verbo en el centro
del board, y cada espacio es un pronombre y un tiempo.

Ej: Si el verbo es go, un espacio podra tener, He + past

tense. El estudiante debe decir, He went.

To practice critical thinking and speaking/Para practicar lo dificil de pensamiento y el hablar

Can be used as a warm-up or energizer to start a class.

Rules
1. Make a list of four or five words,. In the list, three or four
of the words should have something in common. But one
word in the list should not have the same relationship.
2. Ask the students to find the odd one out, the one that
doesnt belong.
3. Students must justify their choice.
4. Keep an open mind. The students may have a logical justification for choosing a different answer than you.
Ex: dog, cat, monkey, dragon
Ex: watermelon, pear, yellow, apple
Uses: Vocabulary, critical thinking and stating reasons

La Palabra Perdida
Reglas
1. Haga una lista de cuatro o cinco palabras. De la lista, tres o
cuatro de las palabras deberan tener algo en comn, pero una
palabra en la lista no tiene la misma relacin.

2. L@s estudiantes tienen que identificar el odd one out, la palabra perdida que no tiene que ver con las otras.

3. L@s estudiantes deben justificarse.

4. Mantenga una mente abierta. L@s estudiantes pueden tener

una justificacin lgica de haber escogido una respuesta diferente que la suya.
Ej: dog, cat, monkey, dragon
Ej: watermelon, pear, yellow, apple

265

Pictionary

To practice pronunciation and speaking/Para practicar pronunciacin y el hablar

Rules

Pictionary

1. Divide the class into three or four teams.

2. Ask one student to come to the board. Give the student a
vocabulary word; the student has one minute to draw an
image that represents the word.
3. His/her team has to guess the word and say it in English.
4. If the team is correct, they receive one point. If after 1
minute they dont know, then the other teams can guess.
Uses: Vocabulary, present progressive, and past actions.
Variation: Instead of saying a single vocabulary word, students
say/write a complete sentence to describe the drawing.

Question Board

Reglas
1. Divida la clase en tres o cuatro equipos.
2. Un/a estudiante viene a la pizarra. Dgale una palabra de

vocabulario; tiene un minuto para dibujar una imagen que

representa la palabra.
3. Su equipo tiene que adivinar la palabra y decirla en ingles.
4. Si estn correctos, reciben un punto. Si despus de un minuto
no pueden adivinarlo, los otros equipos pueden adivinar.

Usos: Vocabulario, presente progresivo, y acciones en el pasado.

Variacin: En vez de decir una palabra, los equipos tienen que
decir/escribir una oracin completa para describir el dibujo.

To practice speaking, listening, and writing/Para practicar el hablar, el escuchar, y la escritura

Rules
1. Tell students to fold a piece of paper in half three times.
There should be eight rectangles.
2. In each rectangle, students should write a sbject that they
will ask questions about.
3. Students stand up and ask each other questions.
4. When a student responds, the question-asker should write
the other students name and the information about their
answer in the box.
5. Students should only ask each person one question
in order to have at least eight partners with different
responses to one question each.
6. Have the students write sentences in the third person
about their classmates answers.
Ex: If Mary asks John whether he likes to play soccer, if he
says yes, Mary writes John, yes in the rectangle that
says play soccer on her board. Her sentence is John likes
to play soccer.
Uses: Sports, preferences, personal information, recreational
activities, any subject that students can ask questions about.

Tabla de Preguntas
Reglas
1. Pdales a @s estudiantes que doblen una hoja tres veces. Cada
hoja debe tener ocho rectngulos.

2. En cada rectngulo, l@s estudiantes escriben una palabra del

sujeto dirigido.
3. L@s estudiantes se ponen de pie y preguntan a los dems
segn las palabras en su tabla.
4. Cuando un/a estudiante responde, a quien le pregunta
debe escribir el nombre y la respuesta a la pregunta en el
rectngulo.
5. L@s estudiantes deben preguntar solo una pregunta a cada
compaer@ para tener por lo menos ocho compaeros con
ocho respuestas diferentes.
6. Despus, l@s estudiantes pueden escribir oraciones usando
verbos en la tercera persona sobre las respuestas de sus
compaer@s. Mary escribira John likes to play soccer.
Ej: Si Mary le pregunta a John si le gusta jugar ftbol, y l le dice
que s, Mary va escribir John, yes en el rectngulo que dice
play soccer en su tabla.

Variation: Questions can have a follow-up, like Why? and the

third person sentences can include a reason. John likes to play
soccer because it is fun.

Question Relay Race

Rules

To practice listening and speaking, specifically asking and answering questions/

Practicar el escuchar y el hablar, especficamente hacer y responder preguntas

1. Place students in rows.

row sit down. The first row to finish and sit down wins. During
2. Tell a question to the first student in each row.
the game, walk around and listen to the students to check they
are answering and asking correctly.
3. Say, Go! and the first student asks the question to the
second student in his row, and the second student answers. Uses: Personal information, likes/dislikes, what are you doing? etc.
The second student then turns to ask the third student the
Variation 1: For beginners give each row a piece of paper with a
same question, then the third student answers.
question on it to read.
4. When the last student in each row answers the question
he/she runs and asks the question to the first student. After Variation 2: To including spelling practice, the last person on the row
runs to the board and writes the question and answer correctly.
the first student answers the question, all students in the
266

Concurso de Preguntas
Reglas
1. Pongan l@s estudiantes en filas.
2. El/la profesor@ dice una pregunta al primer estudiante

de cada fila.
3. Cuando el/la profesor@ dice, Go! el primer estudiante hace la
pregunta al segundo de la fila, y el/ella contesta. Entonces el
segundo voltea y hace la pregunta al tercero, y el/ella contesta,
y asi hasta el final.
4. El ultimo de la cada fila contesta la pregunta y corre al frente
para preguntar al primero. Despus de que el primero
contesta, todos en la fila se sientan. La primera fila para
sentarse gana. Durante el juego, el/la profesor@ camina por
el aula y escucha para asegurar que estn preguntando y
respondiendo correctamente.

Run to the Board/Fly Swatter

Variacin 1: Para los principiantes se puede dar una pregunta

escrita en un papel para que lo lean.
Variacin 2: Para incluir el deletreo, la ltima persona de
la fila corre a la pizarra y escribe la pregunta y respuesta
correctamente.

To practice vocabulary with listening/Para practicar vocabulario con el escuchar

Rules
1. Form two teams.
2. Say a vocabulary word and one student from each team
runs to the board and writes the correct word. The first
person to write the correct word earns a point for his/her
team.
Uses: Time, numbers, count/non-count nouns, vocabulary
(clothing, food, traffic signs, classroom objects), etc.
Variation: Fly Swatter: Write the words or tape pictures on the
board at the beginning of the game. Say a vocabulary word and
the students touch the correct word or picture with a fly swatter
or hand to earn the point.

Scavenger Hunt

Usos: Informacin personal, likes/dislikes, presente progresivo

Corre a la Pizarra/Mata la Mosca

Reglas
1. Divida la clase en dos equipos.
2. Diga una palabra y un/a estudiante de cada equipo corre a la

pizarra y escribe la palabra. La primera persona que la escribe

correctamente gana un punto para su equipo.

Usos: Tiempo, nmeros, sustantivos contables/no-contables,

vocabulario: ropa, comida, rtulos de transito, objetos del aula,
etc.
Variacin: Mata la Mosca: Escriba las palabras o pegue dibujos
en la pizarra. Diga una palabra de vocabulario y l@s estudiantes
tocan la palabra o dibujo correcto con la matamoscas para ganar
un punto.

To practice listening, speaking, and writing/Para practicar la escucha, el hablar, y la escritura

Rules
1. Write a list of items on the board.
2. Students copy the list and meanings, and practice
pronunciation.
3. Divide students into groups of 4-5.
4. Students find as many things on the list as possible in
7 minutes (inside or outside the classroom).
5. If students are not inside the classroom in their groups
when 7 minutes is over, then items they collected
dont count.
Uses: Vocabulary: environment, colors, classroom objects

Scavenger Hunt
Reglas
1. Escriba una lista de palabras en la pizarra.
2. L@s estudiantes copian la lista y sus significados y practican la
pronunciacin.

3. Divida l@s estudiantes en grupos de 4-5.

4. L@s estudiantes encuentran tantas cosas que puedan de la
lista en 7 minutos (dentro o fuera del aula).

5. Si l@s estudiantes no estn dentro del aula en sus grupos

cuando terminan los 7 minutos, las cosas que encontraron no

cuentan.

Usos: Vocabulario: medio ambiente, colores, objetos del aula

267

Secretary

To practice spelling, speaking, listening and reading/Para practicar el deletreo, el hablar, el escuchar, y la lectura

Rules
1. Divide students into groups (minimum 3). One student in
each group is the secretary.
2. Only the secretary can write during the game.
3. One student from each group leaves the classroom to
view a list of words or short sentences. That student tells
the secretary all of the words or sentences that he/she
remembered from the list.
4. The students take turns to leave the classroom. When the
first student returns then the second may leave. The first
group to complete the word list or sentences wins.
Uses: Vocabulary, dialogues, songs, reading, and numbers.
Variation: Instead of a word list, put a list of instructions to build
something out of available materials. Assign one member to
be the builder. The students come in and tell the secretary the
instructions, and the builder follows the instructions to build the
product. Only the builder can touch the materials.

Simon Says

1. Choose one student to be Simon. He/she stands

facing the class.
2. Simon gives instructions.
Ex: Simon says touch your nose and the other students
touch their noses.
3. Simon can also say, Touch your nose, but this command is
not valid because it doesnt include Simon says.
4. Anyone who 1) performs an action that does not begin
with Simon says, 2) performs an incorrect action, or 3)
doesnt perform any action at all is out and must sit down.
5. Play until one student remains.
Uses: Vocabulary (body parts, clothing, classroom objects) or
commands.
Variation: The last person standing becomes the new Simon
and gives commands.

1. Divida l@s estudiantes en grupos (mnimo 3). Un/a estudiante

de cada grupo es el/la secretari@.

2. Solo el/la secretari@ puede escribir durante el juego.

3. Un/a estudiante de cada grupo sale del aula para ver una lista
de palabras o oraciones cortas. El/ella dice al secretari@ todas
las palabras o oraciones que puede recordar de la lista.
4. El/la estudiante toma turnos para salir del aula y cuando la
primera persona regresa entonces otra puede salir. El primer
grupo de completar la lista gana.

Usos: Vocabulario, dilogos, canciones, lecturas, y nmeros.

Variacin: En vez de una lista de palabras, ponga una lista de
instrucciones para construir algo de materiales a su alcance.
Asigne a un miembro del grupo del trabajo de constructor.
Mientras los otros miembros del grupo entran y dicen al/la
secretari@ las instrucciones, el constructor sigue las instrucciones
para construir el producto. Solo el constructor puede tocar los
materiales.

Simn Dice
Reglas
1. Un/a estudiante es Simn y se para frente a la clase.
2. Simn da instrucciones.
Ej: Simn says touch your nose y los otros tocan sus narices.

3. Simn puede decir tambin, Touch your nose, pero este

comando no es vlido porque no incluye Simn says.

4. Cualquier persona que 1) hace una accin que no

empieza con Simn says, 2) hace una accin incorrecta, o

3) no hace ninguna accin, esta afuera y tiene que sentarse.
5. Siga jugando hasta que solo un/a estudiante queda.

Usos: Vocabulario (partes del cuerpo, ropa, objetos del aula) o

comandos.
Variacin: La ltima persona se convierte en Simn y da
los comandos.

To practice spelling and vocabulary/Para practicar el deletreo y vocabulario

Rules
1. Tell the students to form a circle. Choose a vocabulary
theme such as Colors. Students take turns saying letters to
spell words in that category.
2. When a word is complete, the next student says, Sparkle!
and the student after him/her is out of the game. The next
student begins a new word and the game continues.
3. If a student spells a word incorrectly or doesnt know the
next letter, the whole class says, Sparkle! and that student
is out.
268

Reglas

To practice listening/ Para practicar el escuchar

Rules

Sparkle

Secretari@

Uses: Vocabulary
Variation: Boom (to practice numbers): Pick a small number, like
three or four. Students are in a circle and count aloud, but when
a multiple of the chosen number arrives, the student must say,
Boom! instead of the number.

Ex: If the chosen number is three, students would say, one,

two, Boom! four, five, Boom! seven
If a student doesnt know the number or doesnt say Boom! at the
appropriate time, he/she is out.

Sparkle
Reglas
1. L@s estudantes forman un circulo. Elija un tema de vocabulario
tal como los colores. L@s estudiantes toman turnos diciendo
las letras para deletrear palabras de esa categora.
2. Cuando una palabra esta complete, el/la siguiente estudiante
dice, Sparkle! y el/la estudiante despus de l/ella est fuera
del juego. La siguiente persona empieza una palabra nueva y
el juego continua.
3. Si un/una estudiante dice una letra equivocada o no sabe
la prxima letra en la palabra, todos dicen, Sparkle! y esa
estudiante esta fuera.

Variacin: Boom (para practicar nmeros): Elija un numero

pequeo, como tres o cuatro. L@s estudiantes hagan un
circulo y cuentan en voz alta, pero cuando llegan a un
mltiple del numero elegido el/al estudiante tiene que decir
Boom! en vez del numero.
Ej: Si el numero elegido es tres, l@s estudiantes diran, one,
two, Boom! four, five, Boom! seven
Si el/al estudiante no sabe decir el numero en ingles o si se le
olvida decir Boom! al momento correcto, l/ella est fuera
del juego.

Usos: Vocabulario

Star of . . .

To practice speaking and listening/Para practicar el hablar y la escucha

Rules

Estrella de

1. Tell the students to stand in the middle of the room.

2. Tell the students that when you say north the students
walk north. When you say south, east or west students
walk in that direction.
3. While students are walking, say Star of + a number.
Ex: Star of 3!
4. Students quickly form groups of that number.
5. Any student without a group must give a definition of a
vocabulary word.
Uses: Review, any vocabulary, any grammar point, numbers

Reglas
1. Dgales a l@s estudiantes que se paren tod@s en el centro
del aula.

2. Dgales que cuando usted dice north todos caminan hacia

el norte. Cuando dice south, east o west tod@s caminan

hacia esa direccion.
3. Mientras l@s estudiante estn caminando, diga Star of +
un numero.
Ej: Star of 3!
4. L@s estudiantes rpidamente forman grupos de este nmero.
5. Cualquier estudiante sin un grupo tiene que definir una
palabra de vocabulario.

Usos: Repaso, cualquier vocabulario, cualquier gramtica, nmeros

Stop

To practice spelling, and pronunciation/ Para practicar deletreo y pronunciacin

Rules
1. Pick two or three categories of vocabulary, and draw a
column on the board for each category.
2. Select a letter of the alphabet (say it aloud and/or write it
on the board), and students must write a word for each
category that begins with that letter.
3. When a student has a word for each category, the student
yells, Stop! and goes to the board to write the words
under each category.
4. Check for correct spelling and that all the students can
identify the words. Also practice pronunciation with
the class.
Uses: Any vocabulary (food, places, names, animals, things,
adjectives, cities, countries, and verbs).

Food

Animal Adjective

Pineapple Parrot

Pretty

ALTO
Reglas
1. Elija dos o tres categoras de vocabulario y dibuje una
columna para cada categora en la pizarra.

2. Seleccione una letra del alfabeto (dgala en voz alta o escrbala

en la pizarra), y l@s estudiantes tienen que escribir una palabra

para cada categora que empieza con esta letra. (Vea ejemplo
arriba)
3. Cuando un/a estudiante tiene una palabra para cada
categora, l/ella dice, Stop! y va a la pizarra para escribir
las palabras debajo de cada categora.
4. Revise el deletreo y asegrese de que todos pueden identificar
las palabras. Tambin puede practicar la pronunciacin de las
palabras con la clase.

Usos: Comida, lugares, nombres, animales, cosas, adjetivos,

ciudades, pases, y verbos.

269

Storytelling

To practice reading and writing/Para practicar la lectura y la escritura

Rules
1. Each student writes two names of famous people on
small pieces of paper.
2. Collect pieces of paper in a hat and mix them up.
3. In pairs students choose two names from the bowl.
4. Explain that these two people were involved in a crime
yesterday and that the students are going to invent a story
about what happened.
5. Students fold two pieces of paper into six squares.
6. Students draw six scenes that tell the story, one scene in
each square of the first paper.
7. Students write 2-3 sentences for each square in the Simple
Past on the second piece of paper, describing the story in
the drawings.
8. Students cut or tear apart drawings and written
descriptions and mix them up.
9. Students trade squares with another pair and match the
drawings to the correct descriptions.
Uses: Telling a story, past tense verbs, vocabulary
Variation: Students make 6 large drawings and present the story to
the class saying 2-3 sentences for each drawing (without reading).

Telephone

Contando Historias
Reglas
1. Cada estudiante escribe dos nombres de personas famosas
en hojitas de papel.

2. Recolecte las hojitas en un sombrero y mzclelas.

3. En parejas, l@s estudiantes eligen dos nombres del sombrero.
4. Explique que estas dos personas estaban involucrados en un
crimen ayer y que l@s estudiantes van a inventar
una historia sobre lo que paso.
5. L@s estudiantes doblan dos hojas en seis cuadros.
6. Dibujan seis escenarios que cuentan la historia, una escena
por cada cuadrito en la primera hoja de papel.
7. Escriben 2-3 oraciones para cada cuadrito en el pasado
simple en la segunda hojita de papel, describiendo la
historia en los dibujos.
8. Cortan or rompen los dibujitos y descripciones escritas y los
mezcla.
9. Intercambian con otra pareja y unen los dibujos con las
descripciones correctas.

Usos: Contar una historia, verbos en el pasado, vocabulario

Variacin: L@s estudiantes hacen 6 dibujos grandes y presentan
la historia frente a la clase, usando 2-3 oraciones para explicar
cada dibujo (SIN leer).

To practice listening and speaking/Para practicar el escuchar y el hablar

Rules
1. Write 10 vocabulary words on the board.
2. Tell the students to sit in equal rows.
3. Whisper a word from the board to the first student in
each row.
4. Those students return to their row and whisper the same
word to the student behind them. This continues until the
end of the row.
5. The last student in each row runs to the board to touch the
correct vocabulary word.
Uses: Vocabulary, verbs, or short phrases.
Variation 1: Play with short sentences or word pairsgive the
students one word and they have to touch the word on the
board that matches it.

Ex: Give the word ate and students touch the verb eat on
the board.
Variation 2: To practice writing, the last student in the row
comes to the board and writes the word.

270

Telfono
Reglas
1. Escriba 10 palabras de vocabulario en la pizarra.
2. L@s estudiantes se sientan en filas.
3. Diga en voz baja una palabra de la pizarra y los primeros
de cada fila.

4. Los primeros regresan a su fila y dicen en voz baja la palabra

al/la estudiante detrs de l/ella, y as hasta el final de la fila.

5. El ultimo de la fila corre a la pizarra para tocar la palabra que

el/la profesor@ dijo.

Usos: Vocabulario, verbos, o frases cortas.

Variacin 1: Se puede jugar con oraciones cortas y palabras que
correspondense puede dar a l@s estudiantes una palabra y
tienen que tocar la palabra que corresponde.

Ej: De la palabra ate y l@s estudiantes tocan el verbo eat

en la pizarra.
Variacin 2: Para practicar el escribir, el ltimo de la fila puede
escribir la palabra en la pizarra.

Think, Pair, Share

To practice listening and speaking/Para practicar el escuchar y hablar

Best for advanced students.

Pensar, Juntar, Compartir

Rules
1. Think: Ask the students a question related to the theme.
The students should not answer out loud; they should think
about their answer.
Ex: If the theme is human rights, a question might be, What
are some basic human rights?
2. Pair: Divide the students into pairs. In pairs, students talk
about their answers to the question.
3. Share: Pairs share their answers with the rest of the class.
Uses: Warm-up for new contents, expressing opinions, accessing
prior knowledge
Variation: If the class is very large, divide the students into
groups of three pairs (6 students) to share their ideas.

Para estudiantes avanzados.

Reglas
1. Pensar: Haga una pregunta a los estudiantes que est

relacionada con el tema. L@s estudiantes no deben contestar

en voz alta; deben pensar en su respuesta.
Ej: Si el tema es derechos humanos, una pregunta podra ser,
What are some basic human rights?
2. Juntar: Divida l@s estudiantes en parejas. En parejas, l@s
estudiantes hablan sobre sus respuestas a la pregunta.
3. Compartir: Parejas comparten sus respuestas con toda la
clase.

Usos: Warm-up para nuevos contenidos, expresar opiniones,

acceder conocimiento previo
Variacin: Si la clase es muy grande, divida l@s estudiantes en
grupos de tres parejas (6 personas) para compartir sus ideas.

Tic-Tac-Toe

To practice listening and speaking/Para practicar el escuchar y el hablar

Best for beginners.

Rules
1. Draw the tic-tac-toe board on the board, with a different
word or activity in each square.
Ex: Personal Information (See sample on the right)
2. Divide the class in two teams, Xs and Os.
3. One student from each team takes a turn to choose a
square. He/she must correctly say/perform the activity in
that square to place an X or O in it.
4. To win, form a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal line.
Uses: Demonstrative pronouns/colors, descriptions, how much/
how many, vowel pronunciation, prepositions of place, present/
past tense, irregular past verbs.

Tic-Tac-Toe
Este juego es bueno para principiantes.

Reglas
1. Dibuje el tic-tac-toe board en la pizarra, con una palabra o

actividad diferente en cada cuadro.

Ej: Informacin personal
2. Divida la clase en dos equipos, los X y los O.
3. Un/a estudiante de cada equipo toma un turno para elegir un
cuadro. El/ella tiene que decir o completar correctamente la
actividad en el cuadro para poner una X o O en el mismo.
4. Para ganar, forman una lnea horizontal, vertical, o diagonal.
Usos: Pronombres demostrativos, colores, descripciones, how much/
how many, pronunciacin de vocales, preposiciones de lugar, verbos en
presente/pasado, verbos irregulares.

Variation: Play as a class or in small groups.

What is
your name?

How old
are you?

When is
your birthday?

Where are
you from?

Where do
you study?

What is your
last name?

What is
your address?

What is
your phone
number?

What is
your favorite
color?

Variacin: Se puede jugar con toda la clase o en grupos pequeos.

271

TPR (Total Physical Response)

To practice listening and speaking/Para practicar el escuchar y el hablar

A strategy that uses movement to teach.

TPR (Total Physical Response)

Rules
1. Say a vocabulary word or phrase and perform an action to
represent it at the same time. Tell the students to copy your
action while you say the word.
Ex: If the theme is daily activities, you might say, I brush my
teeth, and you and the students mimic brushing your
teeth.
2. After practicing several times, say the word or phrase
without performing the action, and the students perform
the action and say the word or phrase.
3. After practicing several times, perform the action and ask
the students to say the word or phrase.
Uses: Any vocabulary, commands

Esto es una estrategia que usa movimiento para ensear.

Reglas
1. Diga una palabra o frase del vocabulario y haga una mueca

que representa la palabra o frase a la misma vez. Diga a l@s

estudiantes que copien su mueca mientras Ud. dice la palabra
o frase.
Ej: Si el tema es actividades diarias, podra decir, I brush my
teeth, y Ud. y l@s estudiantes hacen la mueca de cepillar
los dientes.
2. Despus de practicar esto muchas veces, diga la palabra o
frase sin hacer la mueca, y l@s estudiantes hagan la mueca y
digan la palabra o frase.
3. Despus de practicar esto muchas veces, haga la mueca y l@s
estudiantes dicen la palabra o frase.

Usos: Cualquier vocabulario, comandos

Two Circle Conversations

To practice speaking and listening/Para practicar el hablar y el escuchar

Rules
1. Divide the class in two; one group forms a circle facing out,
and the other group forms a circle around them facing in,
so each person is facing another person, forming a pair.
2. Each pair completes an activity.
3. After each pair finishes, only the outer circle rotates so each
person has a new partner. Repeat the activity.
Uses: Any pair activity. Practice a dialogue, answer questions,
conduct an interview, express likes/dislikes, personal information

Conversaciones de Dos Crculos

Reglas
1. Divida la clase en dos; un grupo forma un circulo mirando

hacia fuera, y el otro grupo forma un crculo alrededor de ellos

mirando hacia dentro, para que cada persona este cara a cara
con otra persona, formando una pareja.
2. Cada pareja complete una actividad.
3. Despus de que termine cada pareja, solo el crculo de afuera
se mueve para que cada persona tenga una pareja nueva.
Repita la actividad.

Usos: Para practicar un dialogo, contestar preguntas, hacer una

entrevista/encuesta, likes/dislikes, informacin personal

Two Truths and a Lie

To practice listening and speaking/Para practicar el escuchar y el hablar

Rules
1. Tell the students to write two things that are true about
themselves and one thing that is untrue.
Ex: I have eaten turtle eggs. I have been to Chinandega.
I have met Enrique Iglesias.
2. The students pass in front of the class and read their three
sentences. The other students must guess which one is the lie.
Uses: Present perfect tense, past tense, use of can
Variation 1: Students draw pictures that correspond with
their statements.
Variation 2: After the game the students try to remember
the truths about the other students.

272

Dos Verdades y Una Mentira

Reglas
1. Cada estudiante escribe dos cosas que son verdad de ellos
mismos y una cosa que no es verdad.
Ej: I have eaten turtle eggs. I have been to Chinandega.
I have met Enrique Iglesias.
2. L@s estudiantes pasan al frente de la clase y leen sus tres
oraciones. L@s estudiantes tienen que adivinar cul es la
mentira.

Usos: Presente perfecto, pasado, uso de can

Variaciones: L@s estudiantes pueden hacer dibujos que
corresponden a sus oraciones. Despus del juego,
l@s estudiantes tienen que recordar las verdades de los otros.

Vocabulary Chain

To practice speaking and listening/Para practicar el hablar o el vocabulario

Play as a whole class or in small groups..

Cadena de Vocabulario

Rules
1. The first student begins and says, My name is ____ and my
favorite animal is _____. The next student says the same
sentences, but must say a different animal.
2. If a student repeats an animal or cannot think of a different
animal, that student is out. Continue playing until only one
student remains.
Uses: Vocabulary: animals, colors, foods, modes of
transportation, types of music, or sports.
Variation 1: Instead of students being out when they cant
think of the vocabulary, they change the topic.
Variation 2: More advanced students say a vocabulary word that
begins with the last letter of the word previously said.

Ex: Elephant, tiger, rat

Variation 3: Students remember what the students said before.

Ex: Maria: I like soccer.

Fulano: I like baseball and Maria likes soccer.
Each student remembers the five students before him/her, or the
whole class can work together to remember what everyone said.

Esta actividad se puede jugar con toda la clase o en

grupos pequeos.

Reglas
1. La primera persona dice, My name is ____ and my favorite
animal is _____. La siguiente dice lo mismo, pero con
otro animal.
2. Si alguien repite un animal o no puede pensar en otro,
l/ella esta fuera. Continua el juego hasta que solo una
persona queda.

Usos: Vocabulario: animales, colores, comida, modos de

transportacin, tipos de msica, o deportes.
Variacin 1: En vez de estar fuera cuando no pueden pensar en
vocabulario, pueden cambiar la categora.
Variacin 2: Estudiantes avanzados dicen una palabra que
empieza con la ltima letra de la palabra anterior.
Ej: Elephant, tiger, rat
Variacin 3: L@s estudiantes recuerden lo que dijeron l@s
estudiantes anteriores.
Ej: Maria: I like soccer.
Fulano: I like baseball and Maria likes soccer.
Cada estudiante recuerda l@s cinco estudiantes antes de l/ella,
o toda la clase puede trabajar juntos para recordar lo que todos
dijeron.

Walk to the Line if . . .

To practice speaking and listening/Para practicar el hablar y el escuchar

Rules
1. Prepare a list of yes/no questions related to the theme. For
each question, write a related wh- question.
Ex: If the theme is entertainment, a pair of questions
might be:
a) Do you like reggaeton?
b) Who is your favorite reggaeton singer?
2. Use one piece of masking tape in the middle of the floor
to make the two sides.
3. Divide the class in half.
4. Ask the questions.
5. If the students agree with the first question, they walk to
the line in the middle.
6. Students who walk to the middle then answer the related
question.
Uses: Yes/no and wh-questions, practice vocabulary
Variation: If you use this activity as a warm up for a new content,
you can allow the students to answer in Spanish.

Camina Hacia la Lnea Si

Reglas
1. Prepare una lista de yes/no questions relacionadas con el

tema. Para cada pregunta, escriba una wh- question que

est relacionada.
Ej: Si el tema es entretenimiento, un par de preguntas
podra ser:
a) Do you like reggaeton?
b) Who is your favorite reggaetn singer?)
2. Use una pieza de masking tape en el centro del suelo
para dividirlo en dos.
3. Divida la clase en dos grupos.
4. Haga las preguntas.
5. Si l@s estudiantes estn de acuerdo con la primera pregunta,
caminan hacia la lnea en el centro.
6. L@s estudiantes que caminan a la lnea luego responden a la
pregunta relacionada.

Usos: Yes/no y wh-questions, practicar vocabulario

Variacin: Si Ud. usa esta actividad como warm-up para
un nuevo contenido, puede permitir que l@s estudiantes
respondan en espaol.

273

Wrong Reading

For reading Comprehension, listening, and speaking/Para comprensin de la lectura, el

escuchar, y el hablar

Rules

Lectura Equivocada

1. After studying a reading, re-write the reading with incorrect

information.
2. Tell students they are going to listen to it again and identify
where the reading goes wrong.
3. Read the incorrect version to the students.
4. When you come to a part that is incorrect, students must
raise their hands and say Wrong!
5. Students should correct the wrong information by telling
you the correct information from their memory of the
story..

Reglas
1. Despus de estudiar una lectura, re-escribir la lectura con
informacin equivocada.

2. Decir a la clase que van a escuchar la lectura de nuevo y tienen

que identificar donde la lectura se equivoca.

3. Leer la versin equivocada a la clase.

4. Al encontrar la parte equivocada, l@s estudiantes tienen que
levantar la mano y decir Wrong!

5. L@s estudiantes corrigen la informacin equivocada con la

informacin correcta que recuerdan de memoria.

Uses: Folkore, Biographies,Famous People, any reading

Usos: Folklore, Biografias, Gente Famoso, cualquier lectura

Venn Diagram

To demonstrate the relationship between different ideas/Para demostrar la relacin entre ideas diferentes

Instructions

Venn Diagram

1. Draw two converging circles on the board.

2. Tell the students that the circle on the left represents
one group of ideas, and the circle on the right represents
another group. The space where the circles meet is where
the two ideas converge.
Ex: If the theme is Rules, the circle on the left could be rules at
home and the circle on the right could be rules at school.
The space in the middle is for rules that we use at home
and at school.
3. Write the rules that the students say in English in the
appropriate place: at school, at home or both.
4. Students copy.

Instrucciones
1. Dibuje en la pizarra dos circulos que se unen en el centro.
2. Dgales a los estudiantes que el circulo de la izquierda

representa un grupo de ideas, y el circulo a la derecha

representa otro grupo de ideas. El espacio donde se unen es
donde las ideas de unen.
Ej: Si el tema es Reglas, el crculo a la izquierda ser reglas de
la casa y el crculo a la derecha ser reglas del instituto. El
espacio en medio es para reglas que usamos en ambos
lugares.
3. Escriba las reglas que digan l@s estudiantes en ingles en el
lugar apropiado: at school, at home o both.
4. L@s estudiantes copian.

Uses: Teaching rules, any vocabulary

Usos: Presentar reglas, cualquier vocabulario

at Home
s
e
ul
be home
by 6pm

274

Rules at Sch
dont
throw
trash
on the
floor

oo

RULES

wear
uniform

Irregular Verbs
Simple
Form

Past

Past
Participle

Simple
Form

Past

Past
Participle

be

was/were

been

leave

left

left

bear

bore

born

lend

lent

lent

become

became

become

lose

lost

lost

begin

began

begun

make

made

made

bite

bit

bitten

mean

meant

meant

blow

blew

blown

meet

met

met

break

broke

broken

pay

paid

paid

bring

brought

brought

put

put

put

build

built

built

read

read

read

buy

bought

bought

ride

rode

ridden

catch

caught

caught

ring

rang

rung

choose

chose

chosen

run

ran

run

come

came

come

say

said

said

cost

cost

cost

see

saw

seen

do

did

done

sell

sold

sold

draw

drew

drawn

send

sent

sent

drink

drank

drunk

shake

shook

shaken

drive

drove

driven

shoot

shot

shot

eat

ate

eaten

shut

shut

shut

fall

fell

fallen

sing

sang

sung

feed

fed

fed

sit

sat

sat

feel

felt

felt

sleep

slept

slept

fight

fought

fought

speak

spoke

spoken

find

found

found

spend

spent

spent

fly

flew

flown

stand

stood

stood

forget

forgot

forgotten

steal

stole

stolen

freeze

froze

frozen

sweep

swept

swept

get

got

gotten

swim

swam

swum

give

gave

given

take

took

taken

go

went

gone

teach

taught

taught

grow

grew

grown

tear

tore

torn

hang

hung

hung

tell

told

told

have

had

had

think

thought

thought

hear

heard

heard

throw

threw

thrown

hit

hit

hit

understand

understood

understood

hold

held

held

win

won

won

hurt

hurt

hurt

write

wrote

written

keep

kept

kept

know

knew

known
275