Shannon Palmer
EDU 551-50
Annotated Bibliography
6th grade Spanish Level 1
Unit of Study: Preterite vs. Imperfect Verb Tenses 
These three trade books and two websites will aid in the Spanish unit of: Preterite versus Imperfect verb tenses. This lesson covers two verb tenses used to describe the past. The purpose of this unit is to help the students understand how to distinguish and when to properly use these verb tenses. In this unit, students will be able to describe and retell events that happened time-specifically and non-time-specifically in the past. The students will be able to identify through situations and context which verb tense is appropriate. The books are written in both English and Spanish so that the students may double check what they are reading to ensure that they understand. The preterite tense is used to describe completed actions that occurred at a specific time in the past. The imperfect tense is used to describe occurrences in the past at unspecified times.
1. Tradebook #1- El Sombrero del Tío Nacho (Uncle Nacho’s Hat).
Rohmer, H. & Resisberg, V. (1989). El Sombrero del Tío Nacho (Uncle Nacho’s Hat).San Francisco: Marwin Productions.
Flesch-Kincaid Reading Level: 2.5
This book is a short story about a man and the journey he goes on when he replaces his beloved, old, raggedy hat with a new one. There is a lot of action and description in the story; therefore, there is a lot of preterite and imperfect tense use. This story was adventurous and fun to read. I’d certainly love to have my students read this book!
El Sombrero del Tío Nacho could be used to supplement this unit of Spanish in many ways. In order to fully grasp the concept and different usage of these past tense verbs, intensive reading must be done. Unlike English, which has one past tense, Spanish has two simple past tenses (preterite and imperfect). This book contains an immense amount of usage of these tenses.
Once the unit chapters of the textbook containing the preterite and imperfect verb tenses have been covered, this trade book will be used as a supplementary tool to continue the learning process. The students will read the story in both languages (English then Spanish or vice versa). The students will then pull out all of the verbs in the book that are either tense. The students will then demonstrate their knowledge of why each verb was used instead of the other. The students could also create an alternate or extended conclusion to the book using the verb tenses as much as possible.
2. Tradebook #2-The Bossy Gallito(Rooster): A Traditional Cuban Folktale
Gonzalez, L.M. & Delacre, L. The Bossy Gallito: A Traditional Cuban Folktale. (1994). New York: Scholastic Inc.
Flesch-Kincaid Reading Level: 4.6
This short story is about a rooster who is on his way to attend his uncle’s wedding but find himself in a few obstacles on his way there. There is a lot of action, description, and repetition involved which means that the preterite and imperfect are tremendously used. This story was comical and interesting to read! It is definitely a great book for anyone learning Spanish and/or English.
The Bossy Gallito will supplement this unit of the class because it contains many examples of usage of the two verb tenses being covered. The material in this book contains the exact concept being taught and would be beneficial for the students to see it in a different context other than the textbook, but rather in a trade book.
Once this unit is covered in the textbook, the students could use this fun story to identify preterite and imperfect verbs in the short storybook. Once again, the students will explain the usage of the verbs in every sentence throughout the short story. The students could use a section or the entire book to create a reading guide for their peers/classmates. Once placed in groups of two, one student would take out each verb out of the story used in both tenses and then the other student will be given the verb in its infinitive form (non-conjugated) and will have to conjugate it properly according to the best fit. The book itself could be used at the end of the activity as an answer key.
3. Tradebook #3- Un lazo a la luna(Moon Rope).
Ehlert,L. (1992). Un lazo a la luna (Moon Rope).Singapore: Harcourt Brace & Company.
Ehlert,L. (1992). Un lazo a la luna (Moon Rope).Singapore: Harcourt Brace & Company.
Flesch-Kincaid Reading Level: 3.7
This story is about a mole and a fox’s quest to get to the moon. They receive the help of other animals. There is a lot of action involved in their adventures. Preterite and imperfect tense usage is substantial in this short story as well. This story is appealing and fun. This is another great book to read!
Moon Rope would be a great trade book to supplement the Preterite vs. Imperfect lesson because it contains many conjugated verbs in both simple past tenses (preterite and imperfect). It would be a great tool for students to use to have an additional visual aid when learning about proper usage of these verbs.
The students could use this trade book to better their understanding of the unit after it is read in the textbook through an interactive game. For example, I could create a jeopardy game (or something similar). The students would be divided into teams. The categories could be: “Conjugations”, “Preterite or Imperfect”, and “Miscellaneous”. The “Conjugations” would include sections taken from Moon placed into the game without the verb present. The students will be given the infinitive (non-conjugated) form of the verb and its proper tense but the students have to conjugate it properly so that it matches the subject. The “Preterite or Imperfect” section would be similar to “Conjugations” however the student will have to determine which of the two tenses needs to be used. The “Miscellaneous” section would have random questions which are linked to the lesson.
4. Website #1-SPAnish LEarn it ONline
This website would be a great supplement to the unit. It contains: “word of the day” and full-out examples of conjugations of the 7 Spanish verb tenses (including the two that are being covered in this unit). The verb conjugation charts would be great resources to show the students how to properly conjugate the preterite and imperfect tenses correctly.
The students will copy the charts from the website to keep as study aids. As a daily warm-up, the students will use the word of the day to place those words in a sentence with both verb tenses (preterite and imperfect). The students will then be given a new “Verb of the day” and will be expected to properly conjugate them into both tenses.
5. Website #2- Quia Web
http://www.quia.com/shared/spanish/
Quia. (2011). IXL Learning. Retrieved from:http://www.quia.com/shared/spanish/.
Quia. (2011). IXL Learning. Retrieved from:http://www.quia.com/shared/spanish/.
This website would be excellent to supplement the unit because it contains many fun and educational games. The website contains a section specifically for Spanish. There are many games created on this website that are related to various subjects in Spanish, including the unit of Preterite vs. Imperfect.
The students will log into their classroom-created accounts and go to the Spanish section. The students will then use the game search inquiry to search specifically for games targeted for this lesson. Once the unit is covered, the students will play the games in groups, pairs, or individually (depending on the game). Some games could be used as assessments to measure the students’ knowledge.
No comments:
Post a Comment