As I reflect on my first two weeks of teaching Spanish 1 using comprehensible input (CI), I’m excited about the progress my students are making. Each day, I see how the combination of CI strategies and an engaging classroom environment builds their confidence and gets them excited about learning a foreign language. These initial weeks are pivotal, as they lay the foundation for long-term language acquisition and proficiency. These first weeks are crucial, as I want to build language proficiency and ease my students into the acquisition of language in a fun, stress-free way.
The concept of comprehensible input, a theory put forward by linguist Stephen Krashen, suggests that students acquire language most effectively when they understand the input they are receiving, even when it’s slightly beyond their comfort zone. The comprehensible input hypothesis by Dr. Krashen emphasizes that learners don’t need to focus on explicit grammar rules or verb conjugations in isolation; instead, they need to hear and interact with the target language in meaningful, comprehensible ways. By providing a lot of comprehensible input, students begin to acquire new vocabulary naturally, without relying solely on vocabulary lists or direct instruction. For world language teachers, understanding how we acquire languages is key to creating optimal input for their language students.
With this in mind, my main goal in the first two weeks is to provide students with as much comprehensible language input as possible. The more input they get, the better they will develop their language skills over time. Below is a detailed account of how I structure the first 14 days of Spanish 1, including how I introduce students to cognates, high-frequency verbs (like the Super 7), and essential classroom vocabulary in a way that builds confidence from day one.
Greeting
As students enter the classroom, I immediately begin speaking in the target language (Spanish) to set the tone for what they will experience throughout the class. I greet them with “Hola,” “Buenos días,” or “Buenas tardes/noches,” helping them to understand that immersion starts the moment they step through the door. Once everyone is seated, I introduce myself in Spanish with “Me llamo Profe Collins. ¿Cómo te llamas?” This simple language introduction, paired with hand gestures and visual cues, helps students connect with the language without needing direct translations.
The Name Game
One of my go-to activities is The Name Game, something I’ve done every year since I began teaching. It’s a fun, engaging way for students to learn each other’s names, but it also gives them the opportunity to hear Spanish in context. This is a great way to break the ice and make students feel comfortable interacting with their classmates. For total beginners, it offers low-pressure exposure to the target language in a way they can immediately relate to.
Cognates Unit
The next big piece of my introduction is my Cognates Unit. Cognates—words that look and sound similar in two languages—are one of the most valuable tools for beginners learning a new language. Introducing cognates is the best way to help students make connections to their first language. For students who are unfamiliar with Spanish, cognates provide the prior knowledge needed to understand new words without feeling overwhelmed. Cognates are an important concept of comprehensible input because they allow students to understand and acquire language naturally, using connections they already have. In fact, many students are surprised by how much they can understand just by recognizing familiar patterns between English and Spanish.
To help students get comfortable with Spanish, the first 5 days are all about showing them how much they already know. These activities are designed to build confidence, reduce anxiety, and lay a foundation for acquiring new vocabulary. By focusing on cognates first, students feel more prepared to take on more challenging aspects of the language later on, such as the Super 7 high-frequency verbs.
In my Cognates Unit, I use simple verbs like “es,” which can easily be guessed from context, along with cognate recognition. This way, students can start making sense of sentences before we dive into more abstract grammar rules or verb conjugations that aren’t immediately familiar.
Day 1:
The first day focuses on explaining what cognates are and why they’re important for learning a foreign language. I start with a brief lesson on cognates, providing lots of examples, and then students practice identifying them in Spanish. Some of the activities include written practice exercises and Spanish Cognates Puzzles, where students solve puzzles by matching cognates from both languages.
Day 2:
On day two, I introduce more interactive activities. We play “I Have, Who Has?” using Spanish cognates, followed by a Cognates Vocabulary Maze and a Spanish Cognates Color by Number activity. These activities reinforce recognition of cognates in a fun and engaging way.
Day 3:
By day three, students are ready for more reading practice. I use a Spanish Cognates Sort Activity and Reading Task Cards that allow students to read and sort sentences based on cognate recognition. This starts to stretch their understanding and application of new vocabulary.
Day 4:
This day is all about practice. I use Spanish Cognates Boom Cards and a variety of other practice activities to keep students engaged and reinforce the input they’ve received in previous lessons.
Day 5:
On day five, I set up Learning Stations. Each station focuses on different strategies for recognizing and using cognates in reading and writing, gradually increasing the complexity of the tasks as students progress. For example, students start by identifying single words and work their way up to reading full sentences and short passages that are loaded with cognates.
These activities can be interchanged with a variety of Spanish cognates activities. Check out more Spanish cognates resources here!
Super 7 High-Frequency Verbs
Once my students feel confident with cognates, I introduce the Super 7, which are the high-frequency verbs most commonly used in everyday conversation. These verbs are essential for building foundational language skills because they allow students to express a wide range of ideas early on. The Super 7 are: es (is), tiene (has), le gusta (likes), hay (there is/are), está (is – location/emotion), va (goes), and quiere (wants).
Each day, I introduce one verb and give students a chance to interact with it through visual cues, story-building, and lots of repetition. This method, known as “circling,” gives students tons of comprehensible input through repetition in varied contexts. By the end of the unit, students are not just memorizing vocabulary lists—they’re acquiring these verbs naturally through context.
Day 6-12:
Each day focuses on a different verb from the Super 7, with activities that include practice with Boom Cards, personal questions like “¿De dónde eres?” and story-building exercises. The goal is for students to hear the verbs used in different contexts and gradually build their comfort with them. For example, when introducing “es,” I also ask questions like “¿De dónde eres?” to get students talking about themselves in the target language, reinforcing the input they’ve received.
As we introduce each new verb, we build on the previous ones through stories. These stories give students the opportunity to hear the verbs in action, within a narrative context that makes the language input more meaningful and engaging.
Day 13-14:
On the final two days, we review all the Super 7 verbs through various activities, including reading comprehension, timed writes, and speaking exercises. Day 14 is an assessment day, where students demonstrate what they’ve acquired through a variety of comprehension-based activities. These activities focus on ensuring that the input they’ve received has led to real language acquisition, not just memorization.
By following this routine, I’m able to provide my students with optimal input, which is the key to helping them acquire Spanish naturally and effectively. The process isn’t about memorizing grammar rules or long vocabulary lists; it’s about giving students the right kind of language input so they can start communicating in Spanish confidently. With comprehensible input, students acquire new vocabulary and develop their language proficiency in a way that feels like a natural process—just as Dr. Krashen’s theory of second language acquisition predicts.
For any world language teachers looking to move away from traditional methods, focusing on CI strategies like circling and using cognates is one of the best ways to foster real language development in your students. It’s an approach that not only engages students but also gives them the confidence to start using the new language in meaningful ways from day one.
Click here for the Super 7 Boom Card Task Card Bundle.
Day 13
This day is use to review all Super 7 high frequency verbs vocabulary in Spanish. There is some reading, listening, and writing in the form of story-building and free writes or timed write. Also, there is speaking practice with Special Person interviews for Personal Information.
Day 14
Assessment day! – To rap up the Super 7 introduction, you can use to story that you’ve been building with students to assess comprehension. Check out some of the options for assessments.
- CIERTO/FALSO listening questions
- Rewrite and correct the underlined portion of the sentence
- Padlet – Have students answer comprehension questions that relate to the story.
- Timed Write – Have students write on their own and see what they can come up with. You could even do a practice run to give students an advantage and to better understand what is expected of them.
This outline for plans has worked well for my classes. Though, I highly recommend this order of introduction it is important to remember that you know your students best. Make the necessary changes to best meet the needs of your students while using comprehensible input strategies.
I hope you have an amazing first week and school year with your students.
If you liked this post…
If you liked this blog post, you may be interested in these:
- My Comprehensible Input Journey: Embracing Flexibility and Growth as a Spanish Teacher
- Comprehensible Input vs. Traditional Methods: Finding the Best Approach
- 5 No Prep Time Fillers for the World Language Classroom
If you’re new to using CI, check out this blog post about Growth Mindset Tips for CI Teachers or my Reflections for CI Midwest blog post for more ideas.
Jade 🙂
