Vocabulary is a huge factor in being able to communicate a message in Spanish or any other language. There are many ways to introduce vocabulary that do not include a long list of vocabulary for the entire chapter. Lists can be very overwhelming for students. Introducing vocabulary little by little and as needed has worked much better for my students.
In the past, speaking has always been a touchy area for my students. I have tried many ways to get my students more interested into speaking Spanish and participating more in class. Entrevistas is something that I came up with to give students more contact with vocabulary and practice speaking. This resource fits perfectly into use of “Persona Especial” interviews from Bryce Hedstrom. It is an adaptation of the popular activities with special person questions. It has become one of my favorite ways to introduce vocabulary.
The first set of questions I used were with descripciones físicas. My students have learned the Super 7 high frequency verb forms so they are familiar with most of the verb forms in the Entrevistas presentation. The slide below is one of the questions in the presentation. I use the images model short and tall. Then, I gesture to model how tall I am using the vocabulary.
I put up a few questions with images to give support to students. It takes a couple questions for students to get the hang of the activity. Explicitly explaining the definitions of the verbs or vocabulary will not be necessary because of the support images on the screen. The images are a great help to the students and myself. I definitely can’t draw in the moment. (Not if I want my students to understand a message or what I draw. Haha.) Kudos to all that can and do.
I also try to add a little more for students with each question. For example, I use words like muy, un poco, mucho to get students to express quantity and express themselves more accurately in Spanish.
OPTIONS for using ENTREVISTAS:
1. Popcorn Questions – Ask different students the questions displayed. For bigger classes, use of popsicle sticks with students name on them can help you choose students more quickly. Students will definitely enjoy hearing their classmates answers. It is a great way to get to know students personalities.
2. Conversation Cards – Print pages or the presentation 4 or 6 to a page and put them on rings. Then, separate students into groups to conversation. This could be a great with centers. Rotate students every few minutes to give them time to talk. I’ve used these cards in stations and it was definitely a favorite.
3. Pairs – After asking a few students the questions I like to give all my students a chance to ask and answer the questions. I have students turn and ask the question projected to the person sitting next to them. It only takes about a minute for students to ask each other a couple times each. I’m always amazed at how they help each other with pronunciation and correcting verb forms.
To get students to use the third person, I ask students questions about their partners or people in their groups. For example, “¿Es alta o baja Lori?” or “¿Lori tiene pelo corto?“. Again, students have the support to answer.
If you’re looking for a way to introduce vocabulary, give Entrevistas a try. 🙂
Hasta la próxima,
– Jade
