Days of the Week and School Subjects- English Template, Novice Mid

Created Feb. 7, 2024 by Amber Hoye, Camille Daw, Mimi Fahnstrom

Please Note: Many of the activities on the Pathways Project OER Repository were created by upper-division students at Boise State University and serve as a foundation that our community of practice can build upon and refine. While they are polished, we welcome and encourage collaboration from language instructors to help modify grammar, syntax, and content where needed. Kindly contact pathwaysproject@boisestate.edu with any suggestions and we will update the content in a timely manner.  — The Pathways Project

For the Spanish version of this activity, CLICK HERE

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The activities provided by the Boise State World Languages Resource Center (WLRC) serve as foundational activities which can be adapted by any language and scaled up or down on the proficiency scale. Many of these activities offer an English Version that is “language-agnostic” to provide language instructors from around the country a platform to remix these instructional materials, infusing them with their target language and culture! The activities within the Pathways Project OER Repository seek to help students solidify their interpersonal speaking and interpretive skills through task-based situations or communicative activities. These activities should be facilitated in the target language for approximately 90% (or more), per the recommendation of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.

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1. Use the Activity as is:

Before you begin:

  • Most activities are 30 minutes in duration, unless otherwise specified.
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When you are ready to begin remixing the activity, in order to adapt it for the needs of your language classroom, simply click the blue “Remix This Resource” button at the top of your screen. This will then take you to a screen with a NEW, editable version of this activity. The text provided in purple is a suggestion of what you might say to your students in the target language, and may be altered for different levels and age groups. All activities have “NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do” statements, a warm-up, a main activity, and a wrap-up.

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Days of the Week

Proficiency Level:

Novice Mid

Descriptions

Students will learn about the days of the week and school subjects in Spanish. First, they will be asked to place the days of the week in order (for both the United States and Spanish speaking countries' calendars). Then, they will be asked to respond to what day of the week they do a certain activity. Students will then practice describing and guessing various school subjects and describing days of the week. 

Keywords:

Days of the week, school, subjects, school subjects, schedule, calendar.

NCSSFL-ACTFL World-Readiness Standards:

  • Standard 1.1 Students engage in conversations, provide and obtain information, express feelings and emotions, and exchange opinions.
  • Standard 1.2 Students understand and interpret spoken and written (target language) on a variety of topics.
  • Standard 1.3 Students present information, concepts, and ideas in (target language) to an audience of listeners or readers on a variety of topics.

Idaho State World Language Standards:

  • COMM 1.1 - Interact and negotiate meaning (spoken, signed, written conversation) to share information, reactions, feelings, and opinions
  • COMM 2.1 - Understand, interpret, and analyze what is heard, read, or viewed on a variety of topics.
  • CONN 1.1: Compare and contrast information acquired from other content areas.
  • CONN 1.2: Relate information studied in other subjects to the target language and culture.

NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements:

  • I can talk about my weekly routine
  • I can talk about what I learn and do
  • I can talk about school subjects
  • I can understand the similarities and differences between a calendar in the United States and in (target culture) speaking countries (Intercultural) 

Materials Needed:

To edit materials, make a copy of activity materials and then edit for your target language

Google Slideshow  

Question Cards

Headband Cards 

Whiteboards & Markers

Warm-up

1. Begin by opening the Google Slideshow and introducing the "Can-Do Statements."

2.Each student will have a whiteboard. The powerpoint has a slide with 1-7 and the days of the week listed in Spanish. Students will list the days of the week in order from 1 to 7 on their whiteboards. Lab instructor can choose a different student to tell them their answer for each number (do all 7 so that students can review the order of the week).

Today we are going to practice the days of the week and also university subjects. First, you all are going to put the days of the week in order from 1 to 7. Can you tell me what day is going to be number 1?

3.On the next few slides, students will have to put the days of the week in order once again but this time according to the United States calendar and then a calendar from a Spanish-speaking country.  

Now you all should write on your whiteboards the order from 1 to 7 of the days of the week for the American calendar and then for the calendar for a _____ (Your language) speaking country.

4. Using the Google slideshow, lab instructor will ask students what days they do certain actions. If necessary, lab instructor can write the days of the week on the board for students to reference. 

 Now I have slides with different actions and activities. I am going to ask what days you do these activities. What days do you go to _ (class) _? For example, if I have my Spanish class Monday, Tuesday, or Friday, I am going to say “Monday” or “Tuesday” or “Friday”. (Use yourself as an example before each slide if necessary) How many people go to ____ on Monday? Tuesday? Etc. (You don't have to do every day)

5.We will also review a few of the academic subjects. On each slide there are going to be two images. The instructor will describe one subject and the students have to determine what subject the instructor is describing. 

We are going to review some school subjects. What does _______ (Put “school subject” in whatever language you are doing the lab for) mean? (School subjects) (Ex: Art, mathematics, etc.) On each page, there are going to be two subjects. I am going to say a subject and you all should say which subject I am describing.

Main Activity

1. Now we are going to review vocabulary regarding subjects of a university. For example: Spanish, history, literature, etc. We are going to take turns and person is going to take a card with a subject written on it. The person will put the card on their forehead. 

Now we are going to practice the subjects of the university. A subject is a type of class. For example, Spanish, history, literature, etc. We are going to take turns and one person is going to have a card with a subject. The person is going to hold the card on their forehead. (Gesture holding the card on your forehead).

2. The person who has the headband on their forehead will use questions on the card to figure out what subject they have. For example, if I have the “Spanish” card, I am going to ask other people questions to figure out what subject I have.

The person who has the headband i going to use the questions on the slide (show slide) in order to discover what subject they have. (Use gestures to show) You all will take turns responding to the questions. 

3. Students will keep asking questions to guess the discipline. Answers can only be yes or no. 

You are only going to use “yes” and “no” to answer the questions. 

Wrap-up

Ask Students the following questions to finish the lab: 

1. What is your favorite school subject?

2. What is a subject that you don’t like? Why?

3. What day(s) do you have the most activities?

End of lab:

• Read Can-Do statements once more and have students evaluate their confidence. 
(Use thumbs up/thumbs down or download our student cards.) 
• Encourage students to be honest in their self-evaluation.
• Pay attention, and try to use feedback for future labs!

NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements:

  • I can talk about my weekly routine
  • I can talk about what I learn and do
  • I can talk about school subjects
  • I can understand the similarities and differences between a calendar in the United States and in Spanish speaking countries(Intercultural) 


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