Evelyn West

Honors Project - Fall 2019

Unit/Theme: ​Getting to Know (Us)

Topic​: Classroom rules and expectations

Context:
What​: ● Spanish 4/5 (though this could be adapted to teach any level)
● Getting to Know (Us)
● Introduction to the class
● 60 minute class

Who​: ● 20-30 high school students

● All grade levels (9-12 grade)

Where​: ● Lincoln High School

● Ypsilanti, MI
(Ideally, this lesson could be used outside of this setting.)

Why​: The concept behind this mini unit is to establish classroom norms, set
expectations for the year, and to build rapport between the teacher and
students. While much of the first few days will be done outside of the
target language (depending on the level of the learners,) it is important
for the teacher to build relationships with their students.

Standards​:
Michigan Merit 1. 1.2.N.L.a Demonstrate understanding of oral classroom
Curriculum: World language in the target language including directions,
Languages commands, and requests
Standards and 2. 4.1.N.a Identify basic differences and similarities in vocabulary
Benchmarks between one’s own language and the target language
(cognates and borrowed words)
3. 3.1.N.a Reinforce previously learned content knowledge
through the target language

Learning Outcomes
Content SWBAT use opinions to design their own classroom conduct contract
Outcomes:
Language SWBAT write rules to implement in their own classroom community
Outcomes:

Materials
● Big sheets of paper
● Notebook paper
● Markers (dry erase and regular)

Key Vocabulary/Formulaic Sequences:

● Contract - Contrato
● Behavior - Comportamiento
● Rule - Regla
● Sense - Sentido
● Sounds like - Suena como
● Feels like - Se siente como
● Looks like - Mira como
● To sign/signature - Firmar/firma

Procedure
Time: Lesson Phases and Activities: Comments:

10 min Warm-up/Background activation: ● The vocabulary in the target

language (TL) can be
The teacher will welcome the class. The subbed in and clarified as
teacher will praise the good behavior in appropriate for the level of
the class (students in their seats, not the learners.
talking while the teacher is talking, etc.)
The teacher will ask what the students are
doing well. The teacher will say they are
behaving well/showing good behavior.
The teacher will ask what good behavior
is. The students and teacher will write
ideas on the board. If students are unable
to answer, the teacher will provide some
examples and have the students come up
with the rest. Then the teacher will ask
what a rule is. The students and teacher
will write ideas on the board. If students
 are unable to answer, the teacher will
provide examples as well. The teacher will
then say “Today, we are going to create
our own class rules and create a contract
that you all will sign.”

15 min Teaching Activity/Presentation: ● The vocabulary in the target

language (TL) can be
The teacher will ask the students what a subbed in and clarified as
contract is. The students and teacher will appropriate for the level of
write ideas on the board. If students are the learners.
unable to answer, the teacher will provide
the translation (above.) The teacher will
show pictures of contracts and ask the
students what they see (i.e. rules and
names.) The students and teacher will
write ideas on the board. If students are
unable to answer, the teacher will point
out the different components of a contract.
The teacher will then draw a contract on a
big piece of paper and attach it to the
board. The teacher will provide the
framework of the contract. The teacher
will draw attention to the format and what
goes where. The teacher will also provide
the sentence frame “I promise to… →
Prometo a...” to show how the
expectations in the contract will be set.

30 min Practice Activities/Application: ● Assesses content and

The teacher will ask the students what
makes a good classroom. The teacher will
prompt the students to think of how a
good classroom sounds, looks, and feels.
The teacher will divide the board into
three columns to match the 3 senses. The
teacher will have the students do the
same on a provided piece of paper. The
teacher will give the students 5 minutes to
language objectives stated
above.
● This lesson can be
differentiated based on the
level of the learners. Higher
level classes can be done
more in the target language
(TL) while lower level class
can be done more in the first
language (L1). → With this
 brainstorm on their own. The teacher will
walk around to assist in the development
of ideas and help the students write their
ideas as needed. After 5 minutes, the
teacher will pair the students and have
them write a list of rules together using the
sentence frame “I promise to…” and their
ideas from their brainstorming of what
makes a good classroom. They will have
10 minutes to write their rules for the
contract in their pairs. The teacher will
walk around to assist in the development
of ideas and help the students write their
ideas as needed. After 10 minutes, the
teacher will ask the pairs to share their
rules for the contract. The teacher will
write the rules on the big piece of paper.
After the class is satisfied with their rules,
they will all come up to the board and sign
the contract. The teacher will hang the
signed contract in the room where it is
visible for all the students to see and refer
back to the contract as needed.
5 min Consolidation:
The teacher will review the established
contract with the class, and then create
typed copies of the classroom conduct
contract and students will take it home.
They can discuss with their parents the
rules and expectations for the class and
then both the students and the parents will
sign the contract and return it the next
day.
Extension:
being said, the vocabulary
defined above should be
done in the TL but
comprehension can be
checked in the L1 as
needed.
● In order to avoid arbitrary or
silly rules for the contract,
the teacher can praise the
idea “thank you for sharing!”
and redirect as necessary
“what is another way we
might phrase this? Or do you
have another idea you came
up with?”
● Teacher can have a scribe
do this for them during class,
or can be typing while writing
on the board at the same
time.
● Contracts can translated for
parents as needed.
 Students will take copies of the contract
home and both they and their
parents/guardians will sign it.

Appendices​:

N/A → copies of the designed classroom contract can be attached here after they are created
Evelyn West
Honors Project - Fall 2019

Unit/Theme: ​Getting to Know (Us)

Topic​: Classroom rules and expectations

Context:
What​: ● Spanish 4/5 (though this could be adapted to teach any level)
● Getting to Know (Us)
● Introduction to the class
● 60 minute class

Who​: ● 20-30 high school students

● All grade levels (9-12 grade)

Where​: ● Lincoln High School

● Ypsilanti, MI
(Ideally, this lesson could be used outside of this setting.)

Why​: The concept behind this mini unit is to establish classroom norms, set
expectations for the year, and to build rapport between the teacher and
students. While much of the first few days will be done outside of the
target language (depending on the level of the learners,) it is important
for the teacher to build relationships with their students.

Standards​:
Michigan Merit 1. 1.2.N.L.b Understand interpersonal communication on topics of
Curriculum: World personal interest such as preferences, family life, friends,
Languages leisure and school activities, and everyday occurrences
Standards and 2. 1.3.N.S.b Present brief personal descriptions on familiar topics
Benchmarks in target language such as self, friends, family, home, and
school

Learning Outcomes
Content SWBAT recall information about the teacher and share information
Outcomes: about themselves

Language SWBAT recall information about the teacher and use sentence frames
Outcomes: to share information about themselves in the target language
Materials
● YouTube video (attached below)
● PowerPoint (attached below)
● Kahoot! (attached below)

Key Vocabulary/Formulaic Sequences:

● ¿Cómo te llamas? → Me llamo…
● Ser de…
● Tener ____ años
● Tener ____ …
● Vivir
● Me/te gusta(n)...

Procedure
Time: Lesson Phases and Activities: Comments:

5 min Warm-up/Background activation: ● This part will primarily be

done in the students’ first
Teacher will play the Youtube video of the language.
song “Getting to Know You” from the
musical ‘The King and I’ and after playing
the song, the teacher will ask the students
why they thought the lesson opened with
that song. Then the teacher will say
“because I will be teaching you, I want you
to be able to get to know me and I want to
get to know you as well!”

15 min Teaching Activity/Presentation: ● Teacher can answer any

The teacher will then present about
themselves to the class. Using the
PowerPoint, the teacher will share
whatever details they feel are important
and appropriate to share with the class.
relevant questions during the
presentation as needed.
● This lesson can be
differentiated based on the
level of the learners. Higher
level classes can be done
more in the target language
(TL) while lower level class
can be done more in the first
language (L1). → With this
being said, the vocabulary

30 min Practice Activities/Application:
The teacher will then bring up Kahoot!
Some schools may allow students to use
their mobile devices, though other
technology such as computers or tablets
may be needed in order to complete this
part of the lesson. The students can play
in teams or individually depending on the
availability of technology. After completing
the Kahoot! game, the teacher will put the
sentence frames on the board. The
students will go one-by-one to answer the
questions about themselves in the target
language. They can either do this in
alphabetical order, by the way they are
seated, or randomly depending on who
catches the thrown object. This is up to
the discretion of the teacher.
10 min Consolidation:
The teacher can recap any important
information about themselves that they
shared with the class. The teacher will
then ask the students to share what they
learned and can answer any questions
that they students may have after
watching the presentation and sharing
about themselves.
Extension:
N/A
defined above should be
done in the TL but
comprehension can be
checked in the L1 as
needed.
● Assesses content and
language objectives outlined
above.
● This lesson can be
differentiated based on the
level of the learners. Higher
level classes can be done
more in the target language
(TL) while lower level class
can be done more in the first
language (L1). → With this
being said, the vocabulary
defined above should be
done in the TL but
comprehension can be
checked in the L1 as
needed.
● If the students do not have
questions then the teacher
can ask follow up questions
to the students about the
facts they shared about
themselves.
Appendices​:

Link to presentation:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1uoW5vBsRJc-thWJBG8cLzaXNkByUbLIzKI6TAaLm4s
A/edit?usp=sharing

Link to YouTube video: ​https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vlx6gQWfjp0

Link to Kahoot!: ​https://create.kahoot.it/details/349a5076-c8b2-4d96-a67d-35d3ee730a1e

Evelyn West
Honors Project - Fall 2019

Unit/Theme: ​Getting to Know (Us)

Topic​: Classroom rules and expectations

Context:
What​: ● Spanish 4/5 (though this could be adapted to teach any level)
● Getting to Know (Us)
● Introduction to the class
● 60 minute class

Who​: ● 20-30 high school students

● All grade levels (9-12 grade)

Where​: ● Lincoln High School

● Ypsilanti, MI
(Ideally, this lesson could be used outside of this setting.)

Why​: The concept behind this mini unit is to establish classroom norms, set
expectations for the year, and to build rapport between the teacher and
students. While much of the first few days will be done outside of the
target language (depending on the level of the learners,) it is important
for the teacher to build relationships with their students.

Standards​:
Michigan Merit 1. 1.3.N.W.a Illustrate and present materials in the target
Curriculum: World language such as an advertisement, poster, or menu
Languages 2. 1.3.N.S.b Present brief personal descriptions on familiar topics
Standards and in target language such as self, friends, family, home, and
Benchmarks school

Learning Outcomes
Content SWBAT share basic facts about themselves
Outcomes:

Language SWBAT fill in sentence frames to share information about themselves

Outcomes: in the target language

Materials
 ● All about me sheets (attached below)
● Markers
● Notecards

Key Vocabulary/Formulaic Sequences:

● Me llamo…
● Asi soy yo…
● Tengo ___ años
● Mi color favorito…
● Mi animal favorito…
● Mis amigos...

Procedure
Time: Lesson Phases and Activities: Comments:

5 min Warm-up/Background activation: ● Level can be differentiated

based on the amount of
The teacher will ask the students what language input the students
they previous day’s task was (the receive and how much
teacher’s presentation.) The teacher will comprehension is checked in
say “now that you know about me, it is the L1.
time I learned more about you.”

15 min Teaching Activity/Presentation: ● For higher level students,

this will be a review and they
The teacher will have a completed “all should move more quickly
about me” sheet that they project on the through this part of the
board. The teacher will share their lesson.
completed answers, providing translations
for new vocabulary with the lower level
learners, and checking retention for the
higher level learners.

30 min Practice Activities/Application: ● Assesses the content and

Students will complete the “all about me”
sheets in the target language. They will
have 10 minutes to color and fill-in their
sheets. They can use a dictionary to find
language objectives outlined
above.
● Higher level learners should
be more independent with
the completion of the sheets.
 the words that they do not know. The
teacher will encourage the students to
color and draw pictures to aid in
comprehension. After time is up, the
students will stand up at their seats and
share their “all about me” information.
After all of the students have shared their
sheets, the teacher can choose to hang
them up or hand them back.
If needed, they can also
write an introduction
paragraph to supplement
their “all about me” sheets.
● Teacher will monitor activity
by walk around during the
fill-in process.

10 min Consolidation:

The teacher will have the students fill out a

notecard with any important information
about themselves that would be pertinent
to their success in the class. This would
include:
● Their contact information
● Parent/guardian contact
information
● Any concerns about the class
● Extracurriculars they participate in
● Any known or desired
accommodations (i.e prefers to sit
in the front, needs help with
organization, etc.)
● Any additional information that
might be important for the teacher
to know (stressors, test anxiety,
etc.)

Extension: ● This is up to the discretion of

the teacher and the
The next class day will be the beginning of responsibility of the class.
the first unit. Teacher can pass out the
outline of the unit for students to take
home or can hang onto the unit outline
and vocabulary lists.

Appendices​:
All about me sheets:
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/All-About-Me-in-Spanish-Writing-Activity-Todo-S
obre-Mi-3215696
 Mini Unit - Getting to Know (Us)

Day #1: Establish classroom rules and expectations:

● Go through syllabus
● Develop a classroom conduct contract
● Review expectations for student behavior and academics

Day #2: Establish rapport between students and teacher:

● Teacher presents about themself
● Kahoot! about presentation
● Students present about themselves using sentence frames

Day #3: Establish rapport between students and teacher:

● Students fill in all about me sheets
● Students present the all about me sheets
● Students will fill out an info card

Day #4: Start of the first unit:

● Pre-assessment for unit
● Build connections to existing schema
● Introduce necessary vocabulary

Rationale:

The concept behind this mini unit is to establish classroom norms, set expectations for
the year, and to build rapport between the teacher and students. While much of the first few
days will be done outside of the target language, it is important for the teacher to build
relationships with their students. This comes from Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. This is a
motivational theory in psychology comprising a five-tier model of human needs. From the bottom
of the hierarchy upwards, the needs are: physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem and
self-actualization. Needs lower down in the hierarchy must be satisfied before individuals can
attend to needs higher up. This means that until the basic needs of the students, such as food,
water, and shelter are met, they cannot be in a state where they are ready and able to learn.
Ultimately, my main goals as a teacher is to be an advocate for my students, to stand up for
them and make sure they have everything they need to be successful. This includes building
strong rapport and relationships within my classroom, because students need those
physiological needs met before they can be in the mental state to learn a second language. By
establishing these norms and forming relationships with the students, the teacher is creating an
environment where meaningful learning can take place.

Another purpose of the implementation of these lessons in this mini unit is to give
students autonomy in establishing their expectations for the school year. When the students are
able to create their own rules and expectations, they become more meaningful and applicable to
the students. While the teacher will help guide the students to develop reasonable and
appropriate rules and expectations, the teacher can do it in a way that makes it seem like it was
the students’ idea. By the students helping to create a learning environment it can also ensure
that everyone is on the same page. There should be no questions when it comes to the
expectations of the class because the students helped develop it themselves.
conociendo todo sobre Mi
Me llamo Señorita
West.
Tengo veintidós
años.
Soy de Garrettsville,
Ohio.
Tengo dos hermanos
que viven en Ohio.
Ahora vivo en
Ypsilanti,
Michigan.
Vivo con mi gato,
que se llama
Sylvester.
 Asisto a la
Universidad de
Eastern Michigan.
Estudio para ser
una maestra de
español.
He estado estudiando
español por diez
años.
Viví en España por
seis semanas este
verano.
Me gusta viajar
muchísimo.
He visitado dieciocho
estados.
He viajado a nueve
países diferentes.
 Incluyendo
Irlanda, que es
donde me
comprometí.
El nombre de mi
prometido es Michael.
Tengo un tatuaje
de una piña.
Después de graduarme
quiero vivir en
España para enseñar
inglés.
¿Hay preguntas?
 ¡Vamos a jugar Kahoot!

https://create.kahoot.it/details/349a5076-c8b2-4d96-a67d-35d3ee730a1e
Tengo tres preguntas...
1. ¿CÓMO TE LLAMAS? → ME LLAMO...
2. ¿EN CÚAL GRADO ESTÁS? → ESTOY EN ____
GRADO.
a. 9th = noveno
b. 10th = décimo
c. 11th = undécimo
d. 12th = duodécimo
3. ALGO QUE TE GUSTA → ME GUSTA…
 On a scale of 1 to 5...
1. How clear were my objectives?
2. How clear was the content?
3. How was my delivery?
4. Any additional comments:
 Lesson Reflection - Conociendo Todo Sobre Mi

While this was not my first time teaching this class, it was my first time teaching without
there being another instructor present. The students were familiar with me; I have been in Mrs.
Jackson’s Spanish classroom doing observations and teaching lessons as needed for my
courses at Eastern for the last three years. The students also know that this is where I will be
doing my student teaching. For them, I was a familiar face but it was the first time I was their
substitute instead of being a second adult in the room.
With this in mind, many of the students were excited that I was their substitute instead of
a stranger. However, many of them were disappointed that they were actually going to have to
learn while Mrs. Jackson was not there instead of just doing busy work. I taught the same
lesson to all five of her classes. She teaches one class of Spanish II, two classes of Spanish III,
and two classes of Spanish IV/V. While I taught the same lesson to each class, I tried to
differentiate the levels with the amount of spoken language input each class received. The lower
levels had more comprehension checks in their first language (L1) while the higher levels had
comprehension checks in their second language (L2). I elaborated on the slides more in the L2
with the higher levels learners as well.
The class I recorded was one of the two Spanish IV/V classes. I wish I would have
recorded both times I taught this level class, because the second time I taught it, the lesson ran
smoother and I made fewer errors in my own language output. I was not nervous to be teaching
the class, but was nervous because I was recording myself.
In the video, what is not seen is me taking attendance and getting verbal permission
from the students to record their class. I did not print out permission slips as the school did not
require it, I just needed permission from the students the day of. While no student expressed
that they did not want to be recorded, anyone who was in range of being seen on the video was
advised and was told they could move to the back of the room if they felt it was necessary. What
was also not recorded was the students filling out the evaluation slips. Those I collected and will
turn in the hardcopies.
As for the actual teaching of the lesson, I felt confident while presenting the material to
the students. I tried to catch my own errors and correct them as I made them due to my nerves.
The students appeared to be engaged and expressed interest in Kahoot! They were extremely
competitive while answering the questions and got upset if they got an answer wrong. They
would check their understanding by translating to their L1, and they feedback I received from
the students was generally positive. Some of the feedback stated comments such as “I learned
more from this lesson than I have the year thus far” and “you have a lot of confidence when you
teach” and another said “you were awesome and will make a great teacher!” Between the
feedback from the students and their engagement throughout the lesson, I feel as though the
lesson was a success and they were able to learn a little bit about me before I become their
student teacher in January.
If I could do this lesson again, I would add another activity to this lesson. My timing was
a little short, and I needed more content to make the class time more meaningful. I also would
change the way I had the students share information about themselves. I think I would have
them write a small introduction paragraph, and then throw the ball randomly to a student to
share about themselves. This would add more time to my lesson and would allow the students
to share information about themselves that they deem is important. While there were things I
would change about this lesson, I feel as if I was able to teach this lesson successfully using the
concepts I have learned in my courses at Eastern.