Any suggestions for my Spanish class I'll be teaching?

Any suggestions for my Spanish class I'll be teaching?
 

Any suggestions for my Spanish class I'll be teaching?
Starting this Monday April 19th 2010 I will be teaching a beginner advanced beginner Spanish class to adults in an adult school. This is an on going Spanish class that started in Sept. 2009 with another Spanish teacher and has repeat students from Sept.(and previous years) and new students along the way plus the new students that will be enrolling this Spring semester.(The class goes to June 12th or so and then starts again in Sept. 2010. I have to teach to new students that know virtually no Spanish and to other students that have been learning Spanish for the last 2 and even 3 years.:eek:(This is not a normal Spanish class where they start over every year or semister) Probablemente there are at least 3 levels if not more we're talking about. At any rate I've been teaching Italian for the last 3 years to adults with this same 3 or more level of languages learners so I have a pretty good idea how to handle the class.

What's exciting about teaching Spanish in this class is that the school is full of Spanish speakers that are taking ESL(English as a second language) so I'm thinking this will be a tremendous resource for my students. Now how do I get them involved with each other? At 7:10 there is a break and everybody goes to the cafeteria for coffee and a snack. Why not have my student interact with these Spanish speakers?! Could have them give some kind of survey or have some kind of conversation written down they could do with these Spanish speaking students of ESL? What do you think about this and any other ideas you might have. I have a Spanish book I'll be using with the class and have tons of songs we will be singing in class along with poems in Spanish ect. etc.

A proposito/By the way I have a master's degree in Spanish and taught Spanish for years a few years ago. Was a bilingual teacher before that and worked with native Spanish speakers teaching them all the subjects in Spanish.

¡De todos modos estoy muy entusiasmado/emocionado ansioso etc. etc.

¡No veo la hora de empezar!

Only I can recommending you that you take a Spanish book to class for if you would can have a doubt.

Good luck.

I would try to teach them real world conversations. Like ordering food or renting a car.

Tengo muchísimos libros y CDs/DVDs en español. Es lo que más tengo.
Spanish for nurses, police, court room translations, resturant workers, pharmaceutical workers, Spanish grammar books, Spanish verb books, Spanish in 30 Days, Great Spanish in 30 Days, Spanish Conversation Demystified, Basic Spanish, Beyond Basic Spanish, Intermediate Spanish, Advanced Spanish, Total immersion Spanish, Complete Spanish Grammar Review, Madrigal's Magic Key to Spanish, 501 Spanish Verbs, Spanish for Gringos book 1 and 2, Spanish phonectics and more.

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup: that's a splendid idea

Ouaaa!:)

It's has a lot of books about a only language.

You have a lot of to read about.
You keep with your language.

La palabra mágica es "intercambio". No sé si sería mejor tomar una sección de la cafetería y hacer algo medio-formal en una hora fija o poner una hoja para los que quieran apuntarse para que se pongan en contacto, pero sí que sé que muchos estarán interesados en hacerlo. La idea es quedar con alguien y hablar la primera mitad de la reunión en un idioma y la segunda mitad en la otra.

Sounds like you're an enthusiastic and interested teacher, and obviously that's going to help you a lot. As an experienced teacher you know as well that what you teach will depend on what the objectives of the course are (Like are they working towards an exam? Do you have to include all 4 skills? Are they "only" doing survival Spanish?) - so what are they??:) Or do you have to decide that along with the students?
The cafeteria sounds like a good idea and as someone suggested, an intercambio could work at some point. As you have a mixed ability class maybe you can get them to work out a list of questions together so that the beginners will be able to say something when they meet their counterparts. Perhaps the more able students can correct/ translate.
Another idea for class work is to maybe get the more able students to take part of the class - even if it's just 10 mins.

Gracias pjt.

Gracias H4G. Tonight is my first night. Will report back. Thanks for the ideas. Was told by the former Spanish teacher that there is one policeman in the class and somebody who works in the medical field. Will find out tonight about the rest. No veo la hora de empezar!

I think using the cafeteria would be a great start. Use the buddy system! They each will be teamed with a buddy from the other class during breaks and they each will learn from each other.

ESL will speak English only to your students and your students only Spanish to them.

Of course team up only those that are willing to participate.

I hope my suggestion is a good one!

:thumbsup::cool:

Only I can wishing you good luck.

Well, had my first Spanish class tonight. It was a complete success! The students loved it. Said they can't believe I actually speak Spanish with them. The other Spanish teacher would not speak Spanish with them. She's a native Spanish speaker too. Speaks English with a Spanish accent. No entiendo tampoco.

Taught them 3 songs in Spanish, gave them the lyrics and a CD. They said I make learning Spanish fun. (One lady didn't even want to go home.) They kept asking if I would be back in Sept. This course ends June 10th.(It's April 19th today.)Told them they would all be speaking Spanish by June. Have to keep that promise. Can't wait to get back in there Wed. Having the time of my life.

I wrote on the board: No entiendo. No sé. No me acuerdo. Told them anytime I say something in Spanish they don't understand to say "No entiendo." They caught on fast. When I ask them a question and they understand but don't know the answer say "No sé. If they understand but don't remember say: "No me recuerdo."

Next class will be Spanish dialogs, Spanish poems and more songs in Spanish.

Yo soy un hombre sincero
De donde crece la palma
Y antes de morirme quiero
Echar mis versos del alma.

Yo vengo de todas partes,
Y hacia todas partes voy:
Arte soy entre las artes,
En los montes, monte soy.

Con los pobres de la tierra
Quiero you mi suerte echar
El arroyo de la sierra
Me complace más que el mar

No me pongan el lo oscuro
A morir como un traidor:
Yo soy bueno, y como bueno
Moriré de cara al Sol!

Cultivo una rosa blanca,
En julio como en enero,
Para el amigo sincero
Que me da su mano franca.

Y para el cruel que me aranca
E corazón con que vivo,
Cardo ni oruga cultivo;
Cultivo la rosa blanca.

Congratulations, Villa. :)

But is "no me recuerdo" correct in Latin America? I'd say: "no recuerdo" or "no me acuerdo", but never "no me recuerdo". ;)

Right, Irma.
"No me recuerdo", at least in Mexico, would be understood as "I don't remember myself".
For a simple "I don't remember", as you proposed, we use "no recuerdo" or "no me acuerdo". :)


@Villa: It would be nice that your students know those are verses by José Martí. ;)

I agree with you two.

No recuerdo, no me acuerdo.
I don't remember for myself.

Congratulation and well I want to inviting you keep with your studies.

Excellent suggestions - the cafeteria atmosphere encourages "chat"...
beginners experience a lot of inhibition, ¿No verdad?

Yes I believe that you go for the good road.

I don't know if you really have the encourages for the you're doing in that moment.

Gracias CrOtALiTo. I like going for the good road. Could you translate into Spanish your above statements por favor. Seems there might be a little bit lost in the translation.

Muéstrales unos vídeos fáciles para darles confianza :):)

The trick is getting them to think believe they know alot so they´ll have confidence and more will to learn, así el aprendizaje es mucho más fácil para ellos:)

Just got more musica CDs in Spanish. Diego Torres Tal Cual es, Ricky Martin Exitos, Kabah & Moenia, Santana Jam y más Maná.

The other music CDs in Spanish I have are:

Nicho Inojosa, Reik, varios de Vicente Fernandez, pee Wee, Camila, Olga Tañon, Eydie Gorme y Los Tres Panchos(2 discs), Yuridia, Antonio Aguilar, Ricardo Montaner, Ana Gabriel, Chayanne(3 discs), Arjona, Javier Solis and a few others. Tengo amigos que me van a dar más. Plus there's a music store near by that sells new and used music CDs in Spanish.

My 3rd Spanish class is mañana. No veo la hora. Can't wait to get in there. Have so much to teach. Just made more Spanish flash cards. Gracias por todos los consejos.