Conversational Spanish Fun

Curriculum Standards and Learning Objectives

Curriculum Area:
Languages (Spanish) - UK Key Stage 2 (Year 5)

National Curriculum Goals:

• Listen attentively to spoken Spanish and respond by joining in with words, phrases, and short sentences.
• Develop accurate pronunciation and intonation when speaking.
• Broaden vocabulary and develop the ability to use simple, conversational phrases in real-life scenarios.

Learning Objectives:
By the end of the lesson, students will:

1. Learn and practise basic greetings and introductions in Spanish.
2. Understand and use vocabulary for describing emotions (e.g. "happy," "sad," etc.).
3. Apply their knowledge by performing a short role-play conversation with a partner.

Age-Appropriate Focus: This lesson balances fun, creativity, and age-appropriate challenges to engage 9- to 10-year-old students while integrating real-life conversation topics.

---

Lesson Outline

1. Warm-Up Activity: Hola, ¿cómo estás? (10 minutes)

Objective: Introduce students to the lesson focus: greetings and emotions vocabulary.

Activity Details:

• Interactive Greeting Game: Begin with the teacher entering the class and greeting students with "¡Hola, clase! ¿Cómo estás?" (Hello, class! How are you?). Encourage students to respond in English at first to connect with the meaning.
• Quickly explain the Spanish phrases:
  • ¡Hola! (Hello!)
  • ¿Cómo estás? (How are you?)
  • Estoy… (I am...).
• Use a simple call-and-response format to model emotions vocabulary:
  • Estoy feliz (I am happy).
  • Estoy triste (I am sad).
  • Estoy cansado/a (I am tired—adapt ending for gender).
  • Estoy emocionado/a (I am excited).
• Play “Pass the Feeling”:
  • Pass a soft ball around the class. The student holding the ball shares a greeting and an emotion in Spanish based on prompts given by the teacher. E.g., "¡Hola! Estoy feliz."

Resources Needed:

• Flashcards or visuals for emotion vocabulary (happy, sad, tired, excited, etc.).
• A soft ball for the interactive game.

---

2. Focused Teaching Time: Role-Play Phrases (12 minutes)

Objective: Build vocabulary and listen-and-repeat skills through scaffolded practice.

Activity Details:

• Display or write dialogue examples on the board:
  • Student A: ¡Hola! ¿Cómo estás?
  • Student B: ¡Hola! Estoy feliz, gracias. ¿Y tú?
  • Student A: Estoy cansado. ¡Adiós!
• Have students repeat the phrases with focus on pronunciation, intonation, and fluency. Break it down line by line.
• Extend vocabulary by introducing “¿Por qué?” (Why?). E.g.:
  • Estoy triste (I am sad).
  • ¿Por qué? (Why?)
  • Porque estoy cansado (Because I am tired).
• Highlight the practical use of gracias (thank you), por favor (please), and adiós (bye).
• Use gestures and exaggerate emotions to help retention (e.g., pretend to yawn for cansado/a).

Resources Needed:

• Whiteboard/large notes to display the sample conversation.

---

3. Hands-On Pair Activity: ¡Vamos a Hablar! (15 minutes)

Objective: Encourage confidence and creativity through partner-based speaking practice.

Activity Details:

• Put students into pairs. Hand out pre-prepared mini dialogue scripts with blanks to fill. E.g.:
  • Student A: ¡Hola! ¿___ estás?
  • Student B: Estoy ___. ¿Y tú?
  • Student A: Estoy ___. ¡Adiós!
• Half the class act as Student A, and the other as Student B. After one round, roles switch.
• Encourage them to invent and use different emotions each time they repeat the dialogue.
• Once they've practised, ask for a few pairs to perform their conversations in front of the class with actions and expressions.

Challenge Option: Advanced students can try creating their own dialogues without help by selecting vocabulary from a list provided on the board.

Resources Needed:

• Flashcards or written prompts with emotions and other key vocabulary (happy, sad, etc.).

---

4. Wrap-Up Activity: Emotions Circle (7 minutes)

Objective: Reinforce learning in a collaborative and fun way.

Activity Details:

• Form a large circle. Each student gives a greeting and says one emotion in Spanish while mimicking the feeling (e.g., big smile for am happy).
• The next student repeats the previous answer and adds their own. By the last person in the circle, a chain of responses is formed, such as:
  1. ¡Hola! Estoy feliz.
  2. ¡Hola! Estoy feliz y cansado.
  3. ¡Hola! Estoy feliz, cansado, y emocionado.

Bonus Game Option: If time permits, do a speed round where students respond as quickly as possible without hesitation.

Resources Needed: None (just the circle space).

---

Assessment for Learning

• Observation: The teacher observes student participation and pronunciation during group activities, paired conversations, and performances.
• Formative Check: During pair dialogues, note the accuracy and fluency of vocabulary used by listening as students interact.
• Classroom Performance: Confidence in performing in front of others will indicate comfort with the material.

---

Differentiation

For students needing support:

• Provide emotion visuals/picture cards to help associate words with meanings.
• Pair students who need extra help with more confident ones.

For students exceeding expectations:

• Encourage them to expand their dialogue with additional vocabulary, such as family names (mi madre, mi hermano) or explanations for emotions.

---

Resources Needed

1. Flashcards or visuals for emotions vocabulary.
2. Large whiteboard/worksheet with dialogue examples.
3. Soft ball for interactive games.

---

Homework Extension (Optional)

Ask students to write a short three-line conversation at home using greetings and emotions vocabulary learned today. Encourage them to draw an accompanying picture to represent different emotions.

---

This highly engaging and interactive session will immerse students in conversational Spanish through practical vocabulary, peer interaction, and creativity. It ensures age-appropriate focus and measurable learning outcomes for Year 5 UK students.