ePortafolio

Chayree S. Thomas
Adjunct Certification Program

Fall 2015

TABLE OF CONTENTS

I. Syllabus Snapshot - SPAN 1411
II. Student Preparation Strategy
III. BOPPPS Lesson Plan

1. Second day of Class
2. Socrative Quiz - Greeting and Meeting People

IV. Test Questions - Formal Assessment
V. Rubric - Writing Project
VI. Showcase Presentation
VII. Reflective Essay

Beginning Spanish I - SPAN 1411 2413 - Fall2015
Instructor: Mrs. Chayree S. Thomas

[email protected]
Online Office Hours: Tues. & Thurs., 8:30-10:30 AM (by appt. through D2L chat or WebEx)
Textsbook: PLAZAS 4th Edition (Hershberger, Navey-Davis, Borrás).
ISBN: 9781111299460/1111299463.

You may purchase the iLrn Textbook Access Card through the publisher’s website directly:
http://hlc.quia.com/books/bookstore.html.

Learning Outcomes: Upon successful completion of this course, students will be
able to:

 Read and comprehend level-appropriate texts.
 Write simple sentences and organize them into paragraphs.
 Engage in conversations using level-appropriate grammatical structures

including narrating events that take place in the present and producing
questions and responses on a variety of topics dealing with everyday life.
 Understand level-appropriate spoken Spanish.
 Identify and discuss traditions, customs and values of the Hispanic world,
and compare and contrast them with characteristics of their own culture.

Student Consumer and Safety Information:
A comprehensive list of helpful website links and information is available at
www.lonestar.edu/consumer-safety for student reference.

1

Emergency Procedures:
Lone Star College is committed to providing a safe environment in which to learn,
study, and work. Knowing what to do is your best protection and your
responsibility. In the event of a health, safety, or environmental emergency while
on campus, students should immediately contact LSCS police at 281-290-5911 or
the administrator on duty. If you know you will need assistance to evacuate during
an emergency, please register by calling 281-290-5911 at any time. Detailed
information on LSC emergency procedures is available at www.lonestar.edu/oem.

Semester Grade Distribution: Final grades will be calculated as follows:

Asistencia y participación / Attendance and Participation 10%

Proyectos de leer - escribir y Escuchar – hablar 10%

Reading - Writing and Listening - Speaking Projects.

Tarea / Homework (only assigned exercises per chapter, iLrn) 15%

3 Exámenes / 3 Tests (iLrn) 15%

Examen de mitad de semestre (capítulo preliminar, Cap. 1 & 3) 20%

Midterm Exam (Introductory Chapter, Chapter 1 & 3)

Examen Final (exhaustivo, Cap. P. - 5) 30%

Final Exam (Comprehensive Ch. P. to 5)

100%

Grade Scale: A = 100–90; B = 89–80; C = 79–70; D = 69–60; F = 59–0

First Week Schedule:

DAY 1 DAY 2

Introductions , Syllabus, D2L, iLrn Capítulo preliminar
Subject pronouns and the present tense
Capítulo preliminar (p.1) of the verb SER (p.10); HAY and
¡Mucho gusto! numbers 0-3 (p.12); question words
(p.14); and Encuentro cultural: El
Greetings & meeting people (p.2-3); En mundo hispano (p.16/17)
contexto (p.6-7); and Encuentro
cultural: El mundo hispano (p.8-9).

Note: This document is not the official syllabus for this course. To find the final
document, please go to the Welcome Module within D2L.

2

Chayree Santiago Thomas
SPAN 1411 Beginning Spanish I

Spanish Student Preparation Strategy

1. The first day of class, I ask students to read Encuentro cultural about the Hispanic World
(Plazas Textbook, pages 8-9). I encourage them to think about what they already know of
the Hispanic world. This reading will be the base of an “in-class-activity.”

2. The second day of class, I will ask students: what was the most interesting fact they
learned from the reading? why? Then I will show the mapamundi below to make them
visualize the coverage and distribution of the Spanish language around the world.

Chayree Thomas BOPPPS Lesson

COURSE: SPAN 1411 - Beginning Spanish I (Traditional Face-to-Face)
Lesson Title: ¡Mucho gusto! El mundo hispano / Nice to meet you! The Hispanic World

Capítulo preliminar / Introductory Chapter

Bridge:
1. A map will be displayed to show students the coverage of the Spanish language around the world. Students will be welcome to share their
impressions (slide 2). Then they will be asked: Why do you think it is important to learn Spanish?
2. Discuss answers and provide additional information they have not mentioned.
3. A 33 second video (slide 3) will be presented to introduce the first practical use of knowing a new language: Greetings and Meeting People (today’s
class main topic) https://youtu.be/jAXYdZcqU1w. How could you practice Spanish in your life? (Bloom Question: Knowledge and Synthesis)

Estimated time: 5 min

Course Student Learning Outcome:
Upon successful completion of this course, students will:
Engage in conversations using level-appropriate grammatical structures including narrating events that take place in the present tense and producing
questions and responses on a variety of topics dealing with everyday life.
Lesson Learning Objectives (slide 5):
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

1. Tell facts about the Hispanic world (Bloom’s Taxonomy # 1: Knowledge)
2. Recall the Spanish vocabulary and grammar structures used in greetings, exchanging information, describing people, and farewells. (Bloom’s

Taxonomy # 1: Knowledge)
3. Recognize a formal and an informal situation when you meet someone, and apply them in a real situation. (Bloom’s Taxonomy # 2: Comprehension)
4. Create basic conversations to learn about people you just met, and adapting it to the different possible scenarios. (Bloom’s Taxonomy # 5: Synthesis)

Pre-Assessment:
A CAT called KW (know & Want) was selected to assess student’s preparation (slide 6). They were asked to read page 8-9: Encuentro Cultural “The Hispanic
World” (http://hlc.quia.com/books). Students will brainstorm to complete a two column grid to answer these questions about the reading assignment:

What They Know What They Want To Know

Estimated time: 5 min

Participatory Learning:

Time Instructor Activities Learner Activities Lesson Materials
10 min Vocabulary: Meeting People Slide 7.
 Comment about the people on the picture.
 Verify if students are familiar with some of  Raise your hand if you knew some of the Slide 8: link to pages 2-3
vocabulary. Give students positive feedback. from Plazas e-book.
vocabulary.
 Read the vocabulary of greetings,  Repeat after the instructor each greeting,
introductions, farewells, titles, questions, and
replies. introduction, farewell, titles, question, and reply to
practice pronunciation (http://hlc.quia.com/books).

10 min Formal and Informal Situations: Slide 9.
 Discuss what kind of situation can be
considered formal and informal. Then play  Listen to the audios while reading the formal and
the e-book audios for both situations.
 Clarify the formal and informal basic forms of informal dialogues in the textbooks Slide 10: link to audios from
address: usted (formal) and tú (informal).
 Verify if there are questions and give (http://hlc.quia.com/books). How would you Plazas e-book p. 2-3.
students positive feedback.
compare both situations? Raise your hand if you

find the key differences (Bloom Question: Slide 11: True/false

Comprehension) Slide 12: Mini dialogue

 Work with a partner to label the type of situation in activities.

a True or False activity. Then fill the blanks in a

mini-dialogue (be creative). Volunteers share the

answers to discuss them with the class.

15 min Grammar: Subject Pronouns and the Present Tense of Slide 13: link to page 10.
verb SER
 Have students read the definitions and grammar Slide 14.
 Review what is a verb, a subject, and a
subject pronoun. Explain the unique Spanish structures on page 10. (http://hlc.quia.com/books).
pronoun: “vosotros/as” just used in Spain.
 What subject pronouns would you use to talk Slide 15: EL SUJETO act.
 Show the pattern conjugation of the verb SER
in the present tense. directly to the people from the picture and to talk

 Verify if there are questions and give about them? Activity EL SUJETO (BQ: Knowledge)
students positive feedback.
 Watch the first 5 minutes of the video about a Slide 16: link to the cultural

group of Hispanic students meeting for first time in video.

study abroad home and tell the class what type of

situation, words, and expressions you recognize.

Discuss answers. (Technology)

15 min In context / En contexto:
 Explain the importance to practice the
vocabulary and grammar structures in a real  Taking turns each student introduces him/herself to
life situation as much as possible. the classmate next to him/her (books are closed). Slide 17: link (p.6-7)
 Introduce yourself in Spanish and start an
interaction greeting a student.  Complete textbook activity EN CONTEXTO: A
 Verify if there are questions and give babysitter in Miami. Discuss their answers.

students positive feedback. (http://hlc.quia.com/books)
 Work in groups of three. Do the speaking activity ¡A Slide 18: ¡A CONVERSAR!

CONVERSAR! Then four volunteer groups will play activity

those roles to the class.

5 min Give instructions to create a short dialogue based on  Can you elaborate a short dialogue to greet and Slide 19
the material covered and a real situation. introduce yourself to another classmate? Plazas e-book p. 2-3.

(Bloom Question: Synthesis)

Post-assessment:
New Technology Added: SOCRATIVE quiz (slide 20). http://www.socrative.com/
Students can access this non-graded quiz through any device (Smart phone, tablet, pc, etc).
They need to enter the quiz room # QQEYDXGRQ
The quiz will include a true / false, two multiple choice, and two short answer questions.
Quiz_greetingandmeetingpeopleinspanish.pdf

Estimated time: 5 min

Summary:
CAT: Minute Paper (slide 21).
At the end of this lesson students will write on a piece of paper what was the most useful material they learned and what was the most difficult topic in which
they have still doubts.

Estimated time: 2 min

See Attached PPT (Second Day of Class)

¡Mucho gusto! 1

El mundo hispano

Capítulo Preliminar

Introductory Chapter

Profesora Chayree S. Thomas

Why is important to learn Spanish? 2

How could practice Spanish in 3
your life?

TODAY CLASS 4

¡Mucho gusto! Nice to meet you
El mundo Hispano

OBJETIVOS 5

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

1. Tell facts about the Hispanic world.
2. Recall the greetings and exchanging information

vocabulary and basic grammar structures used
when you meet someone.
3. Recognize a formal and an informal situation
when you meet someone.
4. Execute a conversation with a new classmate to
learn more about him/her.

READING ASSIGNMENT 6

CAT: KW (know & Want)
After reading Encuentro Cultural “The
Hispanic World” (p.809)
Brainstorm to complete this two columns
grid to review the reading:

What They Know What They Want To Know.

vocabulary 7
MEETING PEOPLE

Go to the Plazas e-book 8

Capítulo Preliminar (P.2-3)

Usted (Ud.) is used in Tú is used in informal
formal contexts. Use usted contexts. Use tú to
to address: address:

• someone older • family members
than you • close friends
• children
• strangers • pets
• acquaintances
• colleagues

Formal Informal 9

Listen to the audios 10

¿Formal? ¿informal? 11

Spanish two basic forms of address: tú (informal)
and usted (formal).

Label each of the following expressions with I
(informal) or F (formal).
____ 1. ¿Cómo está?

____ 2. ¿Cómo te va?
____ 3. ¿Y usted?
____ 4. ¿Cómo estás?
____ 5. ¿Cómo les va?

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING? 12
MINI-DIALOGUE

Unlike in English, subject pronouns are not
always needed in Spanish.
It’s better to eliminate the subject pronoun
when speaking or writing, unless the subject is
unclear or you want to emphasize it.

No soy estudiante, soy profesor. Ustedes
son estudiantes.

Gramática 13
Subject pronouns

The Present Tense of verb 14
SER

The verb ser means to be. It is used to identify people and
things.

El sujeto 15

What subject pronouns
would you use to (a) talk
directly to these people and
(b) talk about them?

1. los dos señores, grupo 1
2. las señoras, grupo 4
3. la niña, grupo 3
4. el señor, grupo 2
5. los dos niños, grupo 3
6. las personas, grupo 1

VIDEO CULTURAL 16

Watch the first 5 minutes of the
video about a group of Hispanic
students meeting for first time
in study abroad home and tell
the class what words,
expressions, and situations you
recognize.

EN CONTEXTO 17

1. Please go to PLAZAS TEXTBOOK (p.6-7)
and read the questions.

2. Close your book and listen to the audio
3. Answer the questions without look at the

book
4. Again go to pages 6 and 7 and read the

dialogue.
5. Check answers with the class.

¡A CONVERSAR! .

Work in groups of 18
three.
For each group in the
drawing, write a short
conversation in which
an introduction
is made.

¡Una creación individual! 19

Each student writes a short
dialogue to greet and introduce
him/herself to a classmate.

SOCRATIVE QUIZ 20
(no graded)

1. Please go to Socrative website
2. Enter this room # QqeydXGRQ
3. Wait for the instructor start the quiz.
4. You can use your name or a nickname.
5. Discuss answers.

MINUTE PAPER 21

Please write in a piece of paper what was
the most useful material you learned and
what was the most difficult topic in which
you have still doubts.

Name: __________________________________________ Date: _______________
Quiz name: Greeting and Meeting People in Spanish!

1. How do you quickly greet a friend in Spanish?

2. What do you say if you are introduced to Mrs. Thomas?
A ¡Hola! ¿Qué tal?
B Mucho gusto señora
C ¡Chao amiga!
D ¿De dónde eres?

3. Is ¿Cómo estás? a question for a formal situation?
A True

B False

4. If someone answers: Soy de México. The question should be...

5. What do you say to a stranger on the way to class at 8:00 AM?
A Buenas noches
B Buenas tardes
C Buenos días
D Buenas

Page 1 of 1

SPAN 1411 – BEGINNING SPANISH I

Course Student Learning Outcome:
Upon successful completion of this course, students will:
Engage in conversations using level-appropriate grammatical structures including narrating
events that take place in the present tense and producing questions and responses on a variety of
topics dealing with everyday life.

Lesson Learning Objectives:

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

1. Recall the Spanish vocabulary and grammar structures used in greetings, exchanging
information, describing people, and farewells. (Bloom’s Taxonomy # 1: Knowledge)

2. Recognize a formal and an informal situation when you meet someone, and apply them in
a real situation. (Bloom’s Taxonomy # 2: Comprehension)

3. Create basic conversations to learn about people you just met, and adapting it to the
different possible scenarios. (Bloom’s Taxonomy # 5: Synthesis)

Test 1

I. According to the use of the verb SER (to be), which of the following sentences would be
exclusively said by a Spaniard or a person who learned Spanish in Spain? (Bloom’s Taxonomy
#1: Knowledge).

1. Nosotras somos muy amigas.
2. Tú eres una persona interesante.

3. Vosotros sois mis estudiantes.
4. Carolina y Mónica son chilenas.

II. It is your second day of classes and you want to surprise your Spanish professor before the

class starts at 9:00 AM, greeting her/him in Spanish. What would be the appropriate way to greet
her/him? (Bloom’s Taxonomy # 1 and 2: Knowledge and Comprehension)

1. Buenas ¿Qué tal?
2. Hola ¿Qué hay de nuevo?

3. Hola ¿Cómo estás?
4. Buenos días ¿Cómo está usted?

III. You are traveling to Panamá, for a short trip, to visit a friend. During the flight you wanted to

practice your Spanish with a Hispanic young girl sitting next to you. How would you compose
the following conversation? (Bloom’s Taxonomy #5: Synthesis)

1. YOU: Hola ¿Cómo ?

SHE: Muy bien, gracias ¿y tú?

2. YOU: Yo estoy bien. ¿Cómo ?

SHE: Soy Juanita. ¿Y tú?
3. YOU: Yo…____________ Mike o Miguel en Español.

SHE: Mucho gusto, Miguel. Eres de los Estados Unidos, ¿verdad?
4. YOU: Sí, yo __________ Americano… Perdón, estadounidense.

SHE: ¡Yo también! pero mis padres son panameños.

IV. You are about to land in Panama City. Your friend’s mom, la Sra. Hernández will pick you
up at the airport. Create an imaginary conversation with her. Remember your friends told you
she is a very serious person and you need to give her a good impression. Could you predict how
she will address you? What would you do different from the conversation with Juanita in the
previous question? (Bloom’s Taxonomy #5: Synthesis)

1. You:
Sra. Hernández:

2. You:
Sra. Hernández:

3. You:
Sra. Hernández:

4. You:
Sra. Hernández:

RUBRICS FOR SPANISH I WRITING PROJECT

Task Completion 1 2 3 4 5
It measures how thoroughly Minimal attempt to Less than 50% of the Task largely Completion of the Superior completion
the student completes the complete the task. required length completed, some task, content of the task, content
required activity by completion of the information missing appropriate, ideas appropriate, ideas
addressing the prompt and task, content mostly or irrelevant. adequately well developed and
meeting the minimum appropriate. developed. well organized.
length.

Vocabulary 1 2 3 4 5
It measures the accuracy, Largely inaccurate Frequently Occasionally Adequate and Rich use of a range of
variety and quantity of use of vocabulary inaccurate use of inadequate and/or accurate use of vocabulary studied
vocabulary in the student and/or many English vocabulary; inaccurate use of vocabulary studied
response based on the or un-existing words occasional English or vocabulary
material covered to date. invented words

Grammar 1 2 3 4 5
It measures the use and Largely inadequate Emerging use of basic Errors in structures Emerging control of Control of basic
accuracy of basic language and/or inaccurate language structures. studied are more basic structures. language structures.
structures based on the use of basic language Structures studied often correct than Errors in structures Few to no errors in
material studied to date. structures. Correct are frequently incorrect, but may be studied are occasional structures studied.
grammar is used incorrect. consistent. and sporadic but not
infrequently. consistent

Spelling and Punctuation 1 2 3 4 5
It measures the accuracy of Largely inaccurate Frequently Occasionally Mostly accurate Few or no errors in
spelling, punctuation and spelling, use of inaccurate spelling, inaccurate spelling, spelling, use of spelling, use of
capitalization, and the diacritical marks, use of diacritical use of diacritical diacritical marks, diacritical marks,
proper use of diacritical punctuation and/or marks, punctuation marks, punctuation punctuation and/or punctuation and/or
marks (accents, tildes, capitalization. It and/or capitalization and/or capitalization capitalization capitalization
exclamation and question shows little
marks) understanding of
Spanish conventions.

Comprehensibility 1 2 3 4 5
It measures the degree to Text barely More than 50% of Although most is Text comprehensible, Text readily
which the sympathetic comprehensible to a the text is difficult to comprehensible, it requiring occasional comprehensible,
reader needs to interpret non-English speaker comprehend for a requires frequent interpretation on the requiring no
the student's response. non-English speaker interpretation on the part of the reader interpretation on the
part of the reader. part of the reader

Task completion 1 2 3 4 5

Vocabulary 12 3 4 5

Grammar 12 3 4 5

Spelling & Punctuation 1 2 3 4 5

Comprehensibility 1 2 3 4 5

Total: ____________ x 4 = ___________%

ACP Showcase Portfolio

Name: Chayree Santiago Thomas
Discipline: Beginning Spanish I
Date: November 18, 2015

1

Table of Contents

Student Preparation Strategy

BOPPPS Lesson:
◦ Bridge
◦ Objectives
◦Pre-Assessment, Participatory
Learning and Post-Assessment.
◦ Summary

Reflection

2

Student Preparation Strategy

Students were asked to read Encuentro Cultural: “ The Hispanic
World” (textbook, pages 8-9, http://hlc.quia.com/books).
I encouraged them to think what they already know about the
reading topic
The reading will be the base of the BOPPPS Pre -Assessment
a ctivity.

3

BRIDGE

1. A map (next slide) will show the coverage of the Spanish language
around the world. Student impressions are welcome.

◦ Why do you think it is important to learn Spanish?
◦ Discuss answers and provide additional information they have not

mentioned.

2. A 33 second video will be played (slide 6) to introduce today’s
lesson, which will be about Greetings and Meeting people in
Spanish: the first practical use of knowing a new language.

◦ How could you practice Spanish in your life?

4

The 5
Hispanic 6
World

Share Your
Impressions

Greeting and
Meeting
People

How could you
practice Spanish in

your life?

https://youtu.be/jAXYdZcqU1w

Course Student Learning Outcome

Upon successful completion of this course,
students will:
Engage in conversations using level-appropriate
grammatical structures including narrating
events that take place in the present tense and
producing questions and responses on a variety
of topics dealing with everyday life.

7

Lesson Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
Tell facts about the Hispanic world (Bloom’s Taxonomy # 1: Knowledge)
Recall the Spanish vocabulary and grammar structures used in greetings,
exchanging information, describing people, and farewells. (Bloom’s
Taxonomy # 1: Knowledge)
Recognize a formal and an informal situation when you meet someone,
and apply them in a real situation. (B T # 2: Comprehension)
Create basic conversations to learn about people you just met, and
adapting it to the different possible scenarios. (B T # 5: Synthesis)

8

PRE-ASSESSMENT

CAT: KW (know & Want)

Students were asked to read p.8-9: Encuentro Cultural
“The Hispanic World” (http://hlc.quia.com/books) .

They will brainstorm to complete these two column grid to
review the reading assignment:

What They Know What They Want To Know.

9

PARTICIPATORY LEARNING

Instructor: Introduce vocabulary of greetings, introductions, farewells,
titles, questions, and replies. Verify previous knowledge.

Student: Share previous knowledge and repeat after the instructor
presents each new vocabulary in order to practice pronunciation.

(http://hlc.quia.com/books).

Instructor: Present the formal and informal situations and re-inforce
with e-book audios. Verify if there are questions.

Student: Listen to two dialogues from audios. How would you compare
both situations? Discuss the key differences. Work with a partner in a
True or False short activity and complete a mini-dialogue. *Volunteers
share the answers to discuss them with the class.

10

PARTICIPATORY LEARNING

Instructor: Introduce Subject Pronouns & Present Tense of verb SER.
Student: Read definitions and grammar structures. What subject pronouns
would you use to talk directly to the people from the picture and to talk about
them? Activity EL SUJETO. Watch video (Tech) and discuss the type of situation,
words, and expressions used.
Instructor: Start greeting students to practice vocabulary and grammar
structures. Ask students to introduce themselves to the classmate next to them
(books should be closed).
Student: Complete EN CONTEXTO and discuss answers. In groups complete a
speaking activity and volunteer groups play the roles in class. Could you
elaborate a short dialogue to greet and introduce yourself to another
classmate?

11

POST-ASSESSMENT

NEW TECHNOLOGY
A SOCRATIVE quiz is included to verify the achievement of
the lesson objectives.

1. Student go to http://www.socrative.com/
2. Enter the quiz room # QqeydXGRQ to star the quiz
3. The quiz will include a true / false, two multiple

choice, and two short answer questions.
Quiz_greetingandmeetingpeopleinspanish.pdf

12

SUMMARY

CAT: Minute Paper
At the end of this lesson students will write on a piece of
paper:
1. What was the most useful material they learned.
2. What was the most difficult topic in which they have still

doubts.

13

Personal Reflection on My ACP Experience

First of all, I confirmed that student motivation is the key in their learning
process, and it should be a priority in our teaching philosophy.
It was challenging but also interesting to plan a lesson using the BOPPPS
method for the first time. It was like creating an art work which everything
was related. We need to connect the lesson objectives to the Bloom
Taxonomy and include a balanced collage of teaching tools, which at the
same time should address the lesson objectives.
To learn innovative and relevant teaching techniques as well as to learn
from my colleagues experiences and advice was the definitely enriching.
As result I have already implemented successfully in my Spanish classes
some of what I have learned in this program.

14

Chayree S. Thomas
ACP – KW
November 25, 2015

Personal Reflection on my ACP Experience
The Adjunct Certification Program has provided me many innovative and relevant
teaching methods and tools to use in my Beginning Spanish courses. First, it confirmed that
student motivation is the key in their learning process and academic success. Our challenge as
instructors is not only to motivate students from day one of class, but also to keep their
motivation high through the semester. It should be a priority in our lesson planning process. As
McKeachie states: “A classroom of motivated learners affects our motivation as well and can
make teaching a more satisfying experience…” (139). Second, I learned how to create a
professional and student-centered lesson plan following the guidelines of the BOPPPS method.
Definitely it was a novel tool for me. As I mentioned in my presentation, it was like creating an
art work by putting pieces of teaching techniques together, which should be interconnected.
Third, another new experience was to address each lesson objective to the Bloom Taxonomy.
Fourth most rewarding from this program was to share experiences with the colleagues and
receive practical advice from them. Consequently, I have already implemented successfully in
my Spanish classes some of what I have learned in this program.
Although my teaching philosophy is focused on student’s motivation, as result of this
Adjunct Certification Program I started being more aware of this each time I am preparing a
lesson plan. I try to keep my enthusiasm for teaching Spanish, my native language, and the
culture it involves during the whole class to encourage student’s participation. Additionally, I
review carefully if the in-class activities are relevant enough, in order to keep the students

interest in the subject, even outside the classroom. A couple of times, I had to modify some
activities that I used before, because they did not include topics, characters, places, or situations
with which students could felt identified or could use in real life. In addition, I share personal
experiences to create a more participative learning environment. It was a contribution of the
millennial generation video and articles included on the ACP.

Another motivation technique I have been using, consciously since I started this program
is to build grittiness. First of all, I try to a model for the students by showing persistence. I
reinforce their strengths by allowing students to lead some of the group work. On the other hand,
I present mistakes as an opportunity to learn better the material and I encourage students who
need to improve their performance to repeat some work as an extra credit activity. The last tool I
have incorporated to my current SPAN 1411 classes is the use of a socrative quiz as a post-
assessment activity. It is a quick way to make sure students understood the main concepts, to see
if the lesson objectives have been met, and to keep students motivation. The only teaching
technique, I have included in my class but that has not showed the same positive outcomes as the
others already mentioned, is the student preparation strategy. It is a technique which should be
implemented from the beginning of the semester to create a sense of routine.

Indeed, using already what I have learned from this program is leading me to be more
effective as Spanish instructor who creates an encouraging and active learning environment. I
have observed improvement on student’s motivation, class performance, and achievement of the
lesson objectives during the last month of class, thanks to the Adjunct Certification Program.

Due to the amount of material and busy life of most of us, the only suggestion I have is to
extend the duration of the program, thus adjunct teachers could assimilate and implement the
useful material in a more efficient way. I am grateful for being part of this excellent program.