The Perfect IPA to Kick Off Spanish Class

Want to know what unit I used to hate teaching the most? Greetings and introductions. It just seemed so boring and repetitive and I swore if I heard one more kid say, "Cómo te llamas" and pronounce the word like the animal, I was simply going to lose it and do this:

via GIPHY

I hated teaching the introductory conversation until the day I realized that it was probably the most important unit I was going to teach my students. They were likely going to need to use basics of the introductory conversation more times than anything else I ever teach them.  I changed my attitude about the unit unit and completely redid the first few weeks of Spanish I, culminating in an IPA assessment that my students actually enjoy taking? Enjoy taking a test? It's possible. Here's how...

Here's what I realized:

1. I had to find a way to get students excited about a seemingly boring topic.

First, I implemented "fake it til you make it." I'd never been the least bit excited about teaching the introductory conversation and so, not surprisingly, my students weren't either. It didn't help that they'd heard, "Hola, ¿Cómo estás? Mucho gusto" hundreds of times on Dora the Explorer or in elementary Spanish.  I convinced them that 1) just because they have heard it or been introduced to it didn't mean they knew how to have the conversation and 2) it would probably be one of the most valuable conversations they'll ever need to learn.

2. Students need to start off the year feeling successful.

My favorite thing about IPAs is that they are straightforward and assess what students can do, not what they know.  I find that my advanced students feel challenged, but that IPAs also scaffold for students who might typically struggle on assessments.  After taking this first IPA in my class, students feel proud of themselves for what they've accomplished.  Some kids will ask, "Is that it? That was the test?" Yup, that's it.  There's no tricks, it's not a game.  In my class you'll have to speak, write, and understand Spanish and you just proved you could.

3. Students needed to listen to people actually having the introductory conversation.

I think part of the issue was that students didn't see the value in learning greetings and introductions. It didn't seem like something people actually did in real life.  I found a bunch of authentic videos of people greeting and introducing themselves to one another in a really fun context and my kids LOVED watching them. They had the opportunity to hear how heritage speakers use the vocabulary I was teaching and it hooked them.  You'll find a bunch of practice interpretive listening activities that prep students for the experiences they'll have on the IPA here. 

4. Skits weren't going to cut it.

Skits are lovely and students enjoy doing them, but skits themselves aren't sufficient to prepare students for the demands of on-the-spot, spontaneous interpersonal speaking experiences with people they've never meet.  Instead, I've found students really love doing speed-dating speaking activities in which they rotate and talk with many classmates in a short period of time.  Read more here about speed-dating and other ways to prep students for interpersonal speaking. 

5. IPAs give students multiple ways to demonstrate mastery.

Some students love speaking Spanish, but the majority don't, especially not at first.  Some students excel at reading, while others are beautiful writers.  My most struggling students are usually not amazing readers or interpreters, but they often do quite well with interpersonal speaking because they are good communicators.  What I like about IPAs is that there is usually something for everyone.  Educators today are expected to provide multiple ways to demonstrate understanding and with IPAs, students have to opportunity to show what they know and can do in several modes of communication. 

If you've been thinking about using IPAs or you're looking for the perfect introductory unit assessment, this is it.  You're students will finish the IPA feeling confident, motivated, and like there is a real-world application for what they've just learn. Check out this IPA here. 

If you'll like to read more about IPAs, check out my blog series here, which explains them start to finish. 

Questions? Comments?