Talking About Me

Overview

This engaging and communicative 60-minute session introduces Year 10 students to basic self-introductions in Spanish. Drawing directly from the Learning Languages area of Level 5 in the New Zealand Curriculum, learners will begin developing their listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in a new language. This lesson also fosters participating and contributing, a key competency, as students use personal information to build meaningful interactions through Spanish.

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to confidently introduce themselves, including topics such as interests, preferences, and personal background, using correct pronunciation and basic sentence structures.

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Learning Area & Curriculum Links

Learning Area: Learning Languages
Curriculum Level: Level 5 (Years 9–10)
Language: Spanish
Big Idea: Learning a new language enables us to engage with other people and cultures.
Key Competencies:

• Participating and Contributing – Engaging with Spanish as a living language
• Thinking – Making connections between English and Spanish
• Managing Self – Independently creating and reflecting on a spoken introduction
• Relating to Others – Working respectfully with a partner to provide feedback

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Lesson Duration

Total Time: 60 Minutes
Class Size: 18 students

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Learning Intentions

By the end of this session, students will be able to:

• Ask and answer simple personal questions in Spanish
• Accurately pronounce and understand responses to questions
• Present a coherent, spoken self-introduction using full Spanish sentences
• Peer review and improve their spoken Spanish

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Success Criteria

Students can:

• Write and say complete answers in Spanish to key personal questions
• Accurately pronounce target language vocabulary and structures with teacher guidance
• Provide and receive constructive peer feedback on oral recordings
• Engage in a recorded and live partner exchange in Spanish

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Required Resources

• Computer and projector
• Classroom speakers
• Whiteboard and markers
• A Spanish pronunciation YouTube video (pre-selected by teacher)
• Student devices or class tablets with recording capability
• Prompt cards and peer feedback slips
• Subject posters with prompts in both English and Spanish

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Lesson Breakdown

⏱️ 0:00–10:00 | Warm-Up & Input: YouTube Video

Activity: Watch a selected 10-minute YouTube video introducing basic Spanish greetings and personal information.
Focus Language:

• “Hola”, “Buenos días”, “¿Cómo estás?”, “Me llamo…”, “Vengo de…”, etc.
  Teacher Role:
• Pause to repeat pronunciation of key words
• Model expressions and elicit group repetition
  Key Competency Integration: Thinking, Managing Self

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⏱️ 10:00–20:00 | Writing Key Questions

Activity: Students copy the eight core questions into their books/devices:

1. ¿Cómo estás?
2. ¿Cómo te llamas?
3. ¿De dónde eres?
4. ¿Cuántos hermanos o hermanas tienes?
5. ¿Qué te gusta hacer?
6. ¿Cuál es tu película favorita?
7. ¿Cuál es tu comida favorita?
8. ¿Cuál es tu videojuego favorito?

Teacher Role: Go through each question together, ensure clear understanding and model pronunciation. Students repeat as a class.
Cultural Link: Discuss how these questions might be similar or different in Māori or other Pacific cultures.
Key Competency Integration: Relating to Others, Participating and Contributing

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⏱️ 20:00–30:00 | Answer Preparation

Activity: Students write individual answers to each question about themselves in Spanish, using vocabulary lists provided on the board to support their responses (e.g., common verbs, movie names, foods).
Teacher Role: Circulate and assist students individually, offer encouragement, reinforce correct structures.
Sample Answer Support:

• Me llamo Carlos.
• Estoy bien, gracias.
• Soy de Aotearoa.
• Tengo dos hermanos.

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⏱️ 30:00–40:00 | Recording Practice

Activity: Students use voice recorder apps or class tablets to record themselves saying their self-introductions clearly.
Goal: Speak with clarity and attempt correct pronunciation.
Students then pair up, swap devices, and listen to their partner’s recording while using a checklist to provide positive feedback and a suggestion for improvement.

Teacher Role: Model how to give gentle, encouraging peer feedback (in English for this stage).
Peer Feedback Prompt:

• ✔ Clear pronunciation
• ✔ Used full sentences
• ✔ Expressed themselves confidently
• ❍ Suggestion: ____

Key Competency Integration: Managing Self, Thinking

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⏱️ 40:00–50:00 | Live Partner Practice

Activity: Students face their partner and take turns performing their self-introductions live, making eye contact and focusing on fluency.
Encourage natural delivery – smiles, body language, and receptive listening.
Optional for confident students: Try responding to your partner with a simple, “¡Muy bien!” or “¡Interesante!”

Teacher Role: Observe and listen to different pairs; assist with corrections where needed

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⏱️ 50:00–60:00 | Informal Oral Assessment

Activity: Whole-class seated.
Teacher randomly selects 6–8 students to perform their introductions to the teacher (who then models their own introduction in return).
Focus:

• Pronunciation
• Fluency
• Evidence of practice
  Teacher gives warm, encouraging feedback for each presenter.

Wrap-Up Questions:

• “What was difficult?”
• “What is one new Spanish word you feel confident using now?”
• “How did it feel introducing yourself in another language?”

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Extension / Homework

• Practise introduction at home to a family member
• Create a short comic strip (digital or hand-drawn) of a character introducing themselves in Spanish
• Use your script to record a TikTok-style video summarising your answers (school safe, private posting if needed)

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Assessment Opportunities

Formative Assessment:

• Quality of written responses to questions
• Clarity and fluency of oral recordings
• Participation during partner interactions
  Checkpoint: Teacher’s evaluation during final introductions with oral feedback.

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Differentiation Strategies

• Provide visual vocabulary maps for ELLs or students needing extra scaffolding
• Support students with dyslexia by offering digital speech tools
• Encourage extension learners to add extra details (e.g., birthday, pets) or ask follow-up questions

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Teacher Reflection Prompt

• How confidently did students engage with their spoken introductions?
• Were the pairings effective for peer feedback?
• Where might more time be needed next session for reinforcement?

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"Learning a language means stepping into another worldview — today, our students built bridges into Spanish-speaking cultures using their own stories."
— Inspired by the Learning Languages area of the New Zealand Curriculum

Let this be the start of their confident mahi as globally minded, multilingual citizens. ¡Buen trabajo!