One of my goals in Spanish 2 is to begin developing the skill of compare/contrast. I know they need to be strong at this by the time they hit level 4, so I want them to start early.
I do this by pairing resources. When we have a reader unit, I pair it with a film. If we have a clip chat, I pair it with an article. If we have a story based unit, I pair it with a cultural reading. Whenever possible, I try to make connections that they can use to build this skill.
But then… how do I help them transfer the skill to their writing and speaking assessments? REVIEW-LA HOOPS!!!
In Spanish 1 I give them pre-made strips to sort but in Spanish 2-4 you can have them generate their own (although for some units I DO have them do interpretive tasks with the Hula Hoops as well!).
I gave the groups 25 minutes to come up with all the ways that our book (Felipe Alou) was similar and different from the film (Sugar). After they had as many as they could think of, we did some rotations. They moved from group to group for 1 minute per rotation and read what the other teams had thought of (looking for ideas they didn’t have in their own).
When they had visited all the other stations, they came back to their own and added any more they saw that they didn’t have.
This was our review before our final assessment (a writing in which they would compare the film and book), so I let them decide whether they wanted to take a picture of their OWN Venn Diagram or go to another groups and take a picture of it. Nearly everyone was pleased with their own and chose to take a picture of it!!
This activity is so versatile!! And if you keep an eye out, you can sometimes catch Hula Hoops cheap. I found mine in the Aldi Aisle of Shame. 🙂
You are so creative! I would have LOVED to have you as my teacher! Thank you for your great tips.
Thank you for this. This is something I struggle with in my intermediate classes and I love you introducing it in 2. Two questions: 1.) Do you give students a list of comparison words or have a target list to teach them? 2.) (Not related to comparisons). I love your rejoinder wall in your photo. Are these posters the same as your expressive expressions download in your store? I use rejoinders but would like to have a more diverse wall of rejoinders, especially for my 4’s as I prepare them for the CLEP which includes a rejoinder section. Thanks for always being there for us teachers!!
1. I actually have this product: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Enriquecete-4305611 That I use every time we write starting in Spanish 2. It is 100 words drawn from the AP exam’s list of transition words. As students use this basket through the years, they begin to acquire more and more of the words and they have to be more picky about what they take out of it because they already know so many without looking! 2. The rejoinders are not the same as my expressive expressions. I got those from Placido Language resources here: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Spanish-Rejoinders-Posters-Cactus-Design-40-phrases-4769430 They are so nice to have up because the kids can use them to react during any conversation we are having in class! Sort of a “use your resources”!
This is a great idea! I usually do this on paper, but love the idea of letting them do it with the hula hoops. Thanks for sharing.
Carrie, you just totally rock! What a clever idea with the hula hoops! I’ll be on the look-out for some in the Aldi’s aisle of shame ☺ or the Dollar Store. Thank you for sharing! 💖