NTPRS--Events

This is the first in a series of blogs about the wonderful experience known as NTPRS. It might be especially beneficial to those of you who are like me--I don't often get to go. The last time I went was in 2006, and MAN have things changed!

The first thing I'm going to talk about is the improved way in which we can get present and past in at the same time. It was presented by Blaine and Von Ray, and it's called "Events." Events can take place in the past, present or future, and they give you the opportunity to show the students rather than tell the students. Events are not to bring in new words; they give you a chance to get more reps on the words they already know. Anything new will be written on the board. I teach Spanish 1 and 2, so I will show you how I intend to use this with students in Spanish 2.

The idea of events is quite simple.  Let's say you start with a simple premise. There is a girl named Hailey. She used to live in Goose Gulch, Kentucky, but now she lives in Miami, Florida. An event will take us back to the past and let us understand why she moved.  So you could say, "Hailey, where do you live now?" She will answer, "In Miami, Florida." "Hailey, where did you used to live?" "I used to live in Goose Gulch, Kentucky."

"Class, why doesn't Hailey live in Goose Gulch Kentucky now?" You can get as many answers as you'd like. If you like one of the student answers, you can go with that. If you don't like the answer, you can go with one of your own. Let's say that a student said that there was a monster in Goose Gulch. I would say, "Almost.  Class, there was a giant goose in Goose Gulch!"

The difference between a normal story and acting out an event is that now you go back into the story and dramatize. You can bring up more students--townspeople, friends, relatives, and the giant goose--or maybe 2 or 3 giant geese. You can have the students talk to each other about the giant goose--where does it come from, what is its name, how big is it, etc. Of course, you bring in the info either by questioning or by introducing more info, then you feed it to the students.  Finally, Hailey and her family decide that they can't stay. They are going to leave.  Where do they decide to go? You can get as many answers as you like, but the final answer has to be Miami, since you've already introduced it. Your point in deciding is to explain why Miami instead of Lexington or Tucson or Bakersfield (It's obvious--the geese don't like Miami--it's too hot!).

Events, to me, do many things.  They give a story more interest, they give you lots of opportunity to use your students as actors, and they allow you a chance to use the present tense, to name just a few.  I'm planning to try this right away in my Spanish 2. In my Spanish 1, I might wait a few days, but I'll definitely use it in the first week.

Thanks, Blaine and Von, for your great workshop!

Next--reading with Carol Gaab.

SSR book Update

Hi Everyone!

Just a note to let you know that my SSR book is in the process of being published.  Right now it's going to be in print, but the next step is Kindle.  I will be selling the print version for $7.99.  I haven't seen what Kindle says yet (I have to finish the print process first), but I will let you know.

I think that the stories can be read in 2nd year with assistance and independently in the 2nd semester of 2nd year or beginning of 3rd.

I will make a 1st year book as well, but it won't go to print until later in the year.  I have to write them before I can print them :)!

Question:  would you like to see an English version of this for sale?

Also, if you find that leaving comments on the blog is too hard, please go to my website: megvillanueva.com.  I have a comments page on the site that is super easy to use.

Thanks!
Meg

Vocabulary: apareció un Socavón: a sinkhole appeared
quería jugar al golf s/he wanted to play golf
¿Qué pasó? What happened?
ganó, perdió he won, he lost

This is a golf story, dedicated to the master golfer Blaine Ray!

Donny was a great golfer. He liked to play golf, and he played in golf courses all over the world. Spain, Japan, Korea, India, Argentina--Donny wanted to play golf in every country. Wherever he went, Donny always was looking for a new golf course.

One day, Donny was visiting his cousin in Waterloo, Illinois. There was a golf course there called Annbriar. The golf pro, Jon, invited him to the course to play 18 holes of golf. Donny wanted to play golf in Annbriar, Donny and Jon started to play. They played for $200 a hole. They were both good players, and Donny won a hole then Jon won a hole. When they got to the 18th hole, Donny had won $1000 and lost $800. He wanted to win on the 18th hole, so he started to play. Suddenly, there was a loud noise, and a great sinkhole appeared! Donny disappeared! Jon yelled, "Donny, what happened?" Donny screamed, "Help me! I need an ambulance! Jon said, "No, I want to know if you got a hole in one!"

An ambulance came and rescued Donny, but he got really mad at Jon and never wanted to play golf in Annbriar again.

This story is based on an actual story, link below.http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2013/03/golfer-swallowed-by-sinkhole/

story: he knows how to _____, he fights, he is successful

John knows how to play a lot of instruments.  He knows how to play the guitar, the bass, the drums, the sax, and he knows how to sing.  He also knows how to dance.  He wants to be successful, so he decides to start a band.  His friend Martin knows how to play the drums, his friend Jordan knows how to sing, and his friend Carl knows how to play the sax, so they form a band.  John plays the guitar.

John says to his friends, "What do we all know how to play?"  They all know how to play "La camisa negra" by Juanes.  Juanes is very successful, so they decide to play that song so they can be successful, too.  They begin to play, but soon John fights with Carl.  "Carl, don't you know how to play the sax? You sound awful!" Carl gets mad and leaves.  John says, "That's okay.  We can still be successful.  I know how to play the sax, so I will sax."  Jordan says, "No, John, you need to play the guitar!"  Jordan and John fight and Jordan leaves.  Martin says, "John, don't you know how to be a friend?  Now we have no sax and no singer!"  John says, "That's okay.  I know how to sing and I know how to play the sax."  Martin says, "John, you can't sing and play the sax at the same time!  Nobody knows how to do that!'  John says, "I do!" Martin fights with John, but John doesn't listen.  Finally Martin gets mad and leaves.

John looks around.  How can he be successful if his friends don't play?  Then John has an idea.  He knows how to play the drums, so he records himself playing drums.  He knows how to play the sax and the guitar, so he records himself playing the sax and the guitar.  Then he records himself singing.  Then he makes a video of himself as a band and he puts it on YouTube.  The video is very successful.  John is sad, however, because even though John is successful, he has no friends.  Poor John!

John sabe tocar muchos instrumentos.  Sabe tocar la guitarra, el baso, la batería, el saxófono, y sabe cantar.  También sabe bailar.  Quiere tener éxito, así que decide formar un grupo de rock.  Su amigo Martin sabe tocar la batería, su amigo Jordan sabe cantar, y su amigo Carl sabe tocar el saxófono, por eso forman un grupo.  John toca la guitarra.

John les dice a los amigos --¿Qué sabemos tocar?  Todos saben tocar "La camisa negra" por Juanes.  Juanes tiene mucho éxito, así que deciden tocar la canción porque quieren tener éxito también. Empiezan a tocar, pero pronto John se pelea con Carl.  --Cal, ¿No sabes tocar el saxófono?  ¡Suenas horrible!  Carl se enoja y se va.  John dice --No hay problema.  Todavía podemos tener éxito.  Yo sé tocar el saxófono.  Jordan dice --No, John, tienes que tocar la guitarra.--  Jordan y John se pelean y Jordan sale.  Martín dice --John, ¿no sabes ser un amigo?-- Ahora no tenemos ni saxófono ni cantante.-- John dice --Está bien.  Yo sé cantar y sé tocar el saxófono.--  Martin exclama --John, ¡no puedes cantar y tocar el saxófono a la vez! ¡Nadie sabe hacerlo!--  John le contestó --Yo, sí.  Martin se pelea con John, pero John no lo escucha.  Al final John se enoja y se va.

John mira a su grupo.  No hay nadie más que él.  ¿Cómo puede tener  éxito si los amigos no tocan los instrumentos?  Entonces John tiene una idea.  Sabe tocar los tambores, así que graba a sí mismo tocando la batería.  Sabe tocar el saxófono y la guitarra, así que graba a sí mismo tocando el saxófono y la guitarra.  Sabe tocar el baso, así que graba a sí mismo tocando el baso.  Entonces graba a sí mismo cantando.  Entonces John hace un video de sí mismo como grupo y lo pone en YouTube.  El video tiene mucho éxito.  Sin embargo, John está triste.  Aunque tiene mucho éxito, no tiene amigos.  ¡Pobre John!

Story--English and Spanish--Spanish 2--he knew, he didn't pay attention, he was lucky, etc

Vocab:  he knew (how), he didn't pay attention (ignored), he started (to…), he was lucky

Bella and Edward were a couple, It was a little difficult for them, because Edward was a vampire.  One day, Edward asked Bella, "Do you want to play golf with me?  Belly told Edward that she didn't know how to play golf, but he ignored her.  The couple went to a golf course in Forks, Washington, that was named Bear Mountain Golf Course.  They started to play, but they played very slowly.  Bella didn't know which golf club to use, where the holes were, and she also was very unlucky. It wasn't a problem--Edward never got mad or impatient with her.

Suddenly Edward said, "Bella, I need to eat.  I'm really hungry. What a problem!  Edward was a vampire--Where could he eat?  But really, that wasn't a problem.  They looked for food and soon they found it.  There was a bear that was the course mascot.  Edward ran to the course owners and shouted, "Someone is drowning in the lake at the golf course!  Rescue him!  The owners ran to the lake, but ther was nobody drowning.  When they returned, the bear had escaped!! Nobody knew where he went--nobody except Edward and Bella.

Bella y Edward eran novios. Era un poco difícil, porque Edward era vampiro.  Un día, Edward le dijo: --Bella, ¿quieres jugar al golf conmigo?  Bella le dijo a Edward que no sabía jugar al golf, pero él no le hizo caso a ella. Los novios fueron a un campo de golf en Forks, Washington, que se llamaba Campo de golf montaña del oso.  Empezaron a jugar, pero jugaron muy despacio.  Bella no sabía cual palo de golf usar, dónde estaban los hoyos, y también tenía muy mala suerte.

No era problema-Edward nunca se puso enfadado con ella ni se puso impaciente.

De repente, Edward le dijo:  --Bella, necesito comer.  Tengo mucha hambre.  ¡Problema!  Edward era vampiro--¿Dónde podía comer?  No había problema.  Buscaron comida y de pronto la encontraron.  Había un oso que era la mascota del campo de golf.  Edward corrió a los dueños del campo y gritó:  ¡Alguien se ahoga en el lago del campo!  ¡Rescátenlo!  Los dueños corrieron al lago, pero no había nadie ahogándose.  Cuando regresaron, ¡el oso había desaparecido!  Nadie sabía adónde fue—nadie menos Edward y Bella.