Mastering Spanish Preterit

Lesson Overview

Grade Level: 9th Grade
Subject: Languages (Spanish)
Focus Area: Regular Preterit Verbs (aligned with ACTFL World-Readiness Standards, Level: Novice High to Intermediate Low)
Time: 35 minutes
Class Size: 22 students

This lesson will build students’ ability to recognize, conjugate, and use regular preterit verbs in Spanish while connecting the material to their daily lives. The goal is to make grammar tactile and interactive through creative, age-appropriate activities.

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Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students will:

1. Identify the endings for regular -ar, -er, and -ir verbs in the preterit tense.
2. Conjugate regular verbs in the preterit tense accurately.
3. Use regular preterit verbs to describe past actions in specific, relatable contexts.

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Materials

• Whiteboard and markers
• Pre-made flashcards with regular preterit verb conjugations (e.g., "bailé", "comimos", "vivieron")
• Sentence strips with real-life scenarios or sentences missing a verb in the preterit tense (e.g., "Ayer, yo ______ a la playa.")
• Dice with verb infinitives written on each side (e.g., "nadar", "leer", "escribir")
• Chromebooks or paper for group work

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Standards Addressed

ACTFL Standards (US):

• Communication: Interpretive Communication (reading), Presentational Communication (writing/speaking)
• Connections: Make connections across content areas, using language functionally to describe past events

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Lesson Procedure

1. Do Now/Warm-Up (5 minutes)

• Activity: “Chain of Events”
  1. Write three sentences on the whiteboard describing a series of actions involving regular preterit verbs. For example:
     • Ayer, yo hablé con mis amigos.
     • Luego, comí pizza.
     • Por la noche, vivimos una película en casa.
  2. Ask students:
     • "What do all these verbs have in common?" (Hint: They happened in the past!)
     • "Which parts of the verbs changed? Why?"
  3. Briefly introduce the topic: Today’s focus is on mastering regular preterit verbs!

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2. Direct Instruction (8 minutes)

• Mini-Lesson (Interactive, with call-and-response):
  1. Write the endings for -ar, -er, and -ir regular verbs in the preterit tense on the board. Fill them out with input from the class:
     • -ar: é, aste, ó, amos, asteis, aron
     • -er/-ir: í, iste, ió, imos, isteis, ieron
  2. Ask students to recite a few -ar, -er, and -ir verb conjugations with you as a class. Use example verbs:
     • Bailar → bailé, bailaste, bailó, bailamos, bailasteis, bailaron
     • Comer → comí, comiste, comió, comimos, comisteis, comieron
     • Vivir → viví, viviste, vivió, vivimos, vivisteis, vivieron
  3. Tie the lesson to their daily lives. Ask:
     • “What’s one thing you did yesterday?” Pick 2-3 answers and write the correct conjugations on the board. Practice aloud!

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3. Guided Practice (10 minutes)

Activity 1: Fill-the-Gap Sentences

• Pre-made sentence strips with a missing verb are distributed to small groups (2-3 students each).
• Sample:
  • Ayer, Marta y yo ________ (cantar) en el coro.
  • Anoche, mi hermano ________ (comer) un helado enorme.
• Students take turns using flashcards to find the appropriate conjugated verb and explain their choice.

Activity 2: Preterit Dice Game

• Students roll large dice that have infinitive verbs on each side (e.g., “hablar”, “escribir”).
• Once a dice is rolled, they take turns conjugating it in the correct preterit form.
• Example:
  • If a student rolls "nadar", they might say: “Yo nadé ayer por la tarde.”
• Encourage students to expand their sentences (e.g., When and where they did the action).

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4. Independent Practice (7 minutes)

Quick Write Challenge:

• Give each student paper or a Chromebook. Challenge them to write three full sentences describing something they did yesterday, last weekend, or last summer using the preterit form for regular verbs. Prompt examples:
  1. ¿Qué hiciste después de escuela?
  2. ¿Qué desayunaste esta mañana?
  3. Cuéntame algo divertido de tus vacaciones pasadas.
• Pair up students to share their sentences, providing peer feedback if a verb is incorrectly conjugated.

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5. Wrap-Up/Reflection (5 minutes)

Exit Ticket:

• Distribute small index cards or sticky notes. Ask students to answer:
  • Write one regular -ar, -er, or -ir verb you learned today.
  • Conjugate it in the preterit form for yo and nosotros.
  • Optional: Write a fun sentence in Spanish using the verb.

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Additional Notes for Differentiation

• Struggling Learners: Provide a reference chart with preterit endings and example conjugations if needed.
• Advanced Students: Ask them to write longer stories in Spanish or to incorporate irregular preterit verbs if they’re ready.
• Kinesthetic Learners: To make the dice game more interactive, allow students to use a whiteboard or mini chalkboards to write the conjugations.

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Assessment

• Formative: Evaluate responses during the warm-up, group work, and dice activity. Offer immediate feedback.
• Summative: Exit tickets will be used to gauge individual understanding.

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By leveraging active student participation, real-life connections, and creativity, this lesson ensures an engaging and memorable experience while reinforcing Spanish preterit regular verb conjugations. Teachers can adapt or extend the lesson flexibly depending on their class’s readiness.