Scenario, English Template, Novice High

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

Looking for the Spanish Version of this activity to adapt for your language? CLICK HERE

About the Boise State World Languages Resource Center (WLRC) Language Activity Repository

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.

How to use the WLRC Repository’s Activities:

1. Use the Activity as is:

Before you begin:

  • Most activities are 30 minutes in duration, unless otherwise specified.
  • Be sure to read through the activity description, and review the list of required materials. You will notice that the activity materials are also highlighted in yellow throughout the activity instructions.

If you have any suggestions about grammar, syntax, and content, please kindly contact pathwaysproject@boisestate.edu.

2. Remix for Your Language Classroom:

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.

Many of the activities include printable cards and other instructional materials such as Google Slideshows. If you would like to make changes to these materials for your classroom, follow the instructions below:

  • Google Slideshows:
    • To begin, go to File -> Copy to create an editable version of the slideshow.
    • Once finished with your changes, please complete the following steps to share:
    • Click on Share
    • Who Has Access
    • Ensure link sharing is on and allow external access.
  • Materials Saved as PDF: Please email pathwaysproject@boisestate.edu and we will provide you with an editable copy. Please allow up to two business days for a response. For YouTube videos and other websites, hyperlinks are provided. 

Scenarios

Description:

In this activity, students will review by talking about food, health, and parties. Students will interview each other in target language about foods, health, culture, and parties. Students will learn how to ask and answer questions entirely in the target language

Proficiency Level:

Novice High

Keywords:

Food, health, healthy, parties, holidays, family, friends.

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.
  • COMM 3.1 - Present information, concepts, and ideas to inform, explain, persuade, and narrate on a variety of topics using appropriate media in the target language

NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements:

  • I can hold a conversation regarding familiar topics I have learned throughout the semester
  • I can be interviewed in Spanish and answer questions in detail
  • I can speak Spanish for an extended period of time

Materials Needed:

Interview Cards (print 1 set per group of students)

Google Slideshow (Linked)

Warm-up

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

2. Ask quick, basic questions to make sure the students are comfortable with (target language). 

  • How are you all?
  • Do you have plans for the weekend?
  • Do you have vacation plans?
  • Are you ready for final exams?

Main Activity

The goal is for the student being interviewed to continuously speak Spanish for 3 minutes, so, even if they finish answering the questions really quickly, they must continue talking until the 3 minutes are up.

Share these rules with students:

You have to talk in (TARGET LANGUAGE) for the whole lab.

You cannot ask questions during the activity. Try to use what you know. We will have time at the end for questions.

If you finish the questions early, you need to talk more. You all need to talk for 3 minutes in total. 

1. There will be 3 topics (scenarios) sitting across the table. Each topic will have 4 question cards (2 for each student). The students will be in pairs and sit across from each other. The students will take a turn (3 minutes) to ask the questions they have, and then another one (3 minutes) to answer, in detail, the questions they are being asked. The goal is for the student being interviewed to continuously speak Spanish for 3 minutes, so, even if they finish answering the questions really quickly, they must continue talking until the 3 minutes are up. 

Today we are going to be in partners. You all have four cards in front of you, and one person is going to read the question, and the other person is going to answer the question and they need to talk for 3 minutes. It’s important to use a lot of details. After, when you finish, the other person is going to read the question and the other person is going to respond in detail for 3 minutes. If you finish the questions, you need to continue talking until the 3 minutes are up.

2. After both partners take a turn to be interviewed (6 minutes in total), the student sitting at the right side of the table will move forwards, and the student sitting at the left side of the table will move backwards. That way, every student will find a new topic and partner after every 6 minutes.

“After you finish, the students sitting on the right of the table are going to move one seat to the right, and the students on the left side of the table will stay in the same place. Then the students are going to have a new friend and new questions for 6 minutes.”

Wrap-up

Ask students the following questions to finish the lab: 

What themes are the easiest? Which are the most difficult?

What questions do you have? Is there something you want to review?

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 hold a conversation regarding familiar topics I have learned throughout the semester
  • I can be interviewed in Spanish and answer questions in detail
  • I can speak Spanish for an extended period of time

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