Choosing Story Tenses

Overview

In this fourth and final lesson of “Narrating in Spanish Tenses,” students combine the preterite and imperfect to create a short illustrated or personal narrative. They explain how each tense shapes meaning, then use peer feedback and reflection to evaluate their progress as communicators and reflective learners.

Learning intentions

• Students will choose between the preterite and imperfect according to meaning and context.
• Students will combine both tenses accurately in a connected Spanish narrative.
• Students will justify tense choices using clear grammatical and meaning-based explanations.
• Students will use feedback to revise their writing and identify a next step.

Success criteria

• I can use the imperfect for background, description, habitual actions, or ongoing situations.
• I can use the preterite for completed, specific, or sequence-driving events.
• I can connect ideas into a clear narrative using varied transitions.
• I can explain why I selected each tense and use peer feedback to improve accuracy.

Curriculum links

• IB communication: interpreting and producing meaningful spoken and written language for a specific audience and purpose.
• IB key concepts: communication, connections, perspective, and time, explored through how tense choices influence a reader’s understanding.
• IB approaches to learning: communication, thinking, self-management, and social skills.
• IB learner profile: communicator, principled, open-minded, and reflective.

Lesson structure (45 minutes)

1. 0–5 minutes – Hook and retrieval

Open with the tense-choice hook and retrieval prompt. Display two short Spanish versions of the same moment, such as “Llovía cuando salí” and “Llovió y salí,” and ask: “How does the meaning or focus change?” Students discuss with a partner, then share one observation. Briefly revisit the class rule: imperfect creates the scene; preterite advances the action.

2. 5–11 minutes – Model and notice

Use the model paragraph and color-coded tense explanation to show a six- to eight-sentence narrative about an unexpected event. Read it aloud once and provide an audio or dyslexia-friendly version through the accessible model and tense-reference page. Students underline imperfect forms in one color and preterite forms in another, then identify the grammatical reason for three choices.

3. 11–17 minutes – Collaborative tense sorting

Place students in four groups of three. Give each group the color-coded tense cards from the tense-choice sorting task. Students sort example clauses into “background/ongoing” and “completed/event,” then combine selected clauses into logical sentences. Groups must explain one potentially difficult choice, such as “cuando era pequeño” versus “un día fui.”

4. 17–30 minutes – Individual narrative drafting

Display the task instructions in the narrative-writing task and success criteria. Students write a 100–130-word illustrated or personal story in Spanish using both tenses at least four times each. They may use the vocabulary bank, model paragraph, and connector list in the narrative planner and vocabulary bank. Require a brief margin note or symbol explaining at least four tense choices. Students who prefer not to share personal experiences may write from an image prompt.

5. 30–37 minutes – Peer assessment

Pair students, forming six pairs. Use the IB-informed peer-assessment checklist. Partners read silently, then discuss clarity, tense accuracy, sequencing, and one effective language choice. The reviewer identifies one sentence needing revision and gives a specific, respectful suggestion. Writers make at least one immediate correction.

6. 37–42 minutes – Share and justify

Return to the discussion prompts and sentence frames. Invite three students to read a sentence containing both tenses or explain one choice. Classmates respond using frames such as “Usaste el imperfecto porque…” and “El pretérito funciona aquí porque…”. Highlight how tense can signal viewpoint, emphasis, and the relationship between background and foreground events.

7. 42–45 minutes – Reflection and exit check

Students complete the final reflection on the reflection and exit check: one tense choice they can now explain, one correction they made, and one next step. Collect narratives and reflections. Close by revisiting the opening examples and asking students to state how the meaning changed.

Resources

• the complete four-part lesson deck
• the narrative, practice, and assessment worksheet
• Projector or interactive display
• Pens or pencils
• Two colors of highlighters or colored pencils
• Optional student devices or headphones for audio support
• Spanish-English or learner dictionaries, if routinely permitted
• Timer

Assessment

• Formative assessment comes from group explanations, tense sorting, teacher conferencing, and observation of students’ use of grammatical reasoning.
• The narrative is assessed for appropriate preterite and imperfect use, connected organization, comprehensibility, and justification of choices.
• Peer feedback and the final reflection provide evidence of communication, principled collaboration, and reflective self-assessment.

Differentiation

• Support students with the color-coded tense cards, the model paragraph, connector and vocabulary banks, sentence frames, and a reduced target of 80–100 words where appropriate.
• Provide dyslexia-friendly formatting: sans-serif font, generous spacing, short line lengths, clear headings, and audio access to the model and instructions. Allow speech-to-text or oral rehearsal before writing.
• Pair students strategically and assign roles such as reader, tense checker, and encourager during collaborative work; allow students to rehearse explanations orally before recording them in writing.
• Extend advanced learners by requiring two contrasting viewpoints, varied connectors, a shift in narrative focus, and nuanced explanations of how tense choice changes emphasis or perspective.