Year at a Glance
TPRS, Level 1
In TPRS (Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling) methodology, grammatical structures are acquired in the same manner as children acquire their first language. In other words, students demonstrate a sophisticated level of language control without identifying rules governing their language. Grammatical concepts are introduced, incorporated, and reviewed throughout the year in the storytelling process and related reading activities. Stories and mini-stories are told in past tense. Students read stories and mini-stories in the present tense. Future tense is also used to create class stories.
Course Objectives Ongoing—Storytelling; stories, dialogue, and reading in past, present, and/or future tenses Listening—Understand commonly used verbs in present, past, and future tenses; simple stories and conversations; questioning; idiomatic expressions; familiar details; affirmative and negative commands; everyday topics Speaking—Introduce themselves; express opinions, needs, emotions, requests; have short conversations on familiar topics; tell and retell short stories using guided format Reading—Read and understand main ideas from a variety of sources Writing—Write lists and/or short comprehensible phrases and responses using acquired vocabulary Culture—Explore cultures of target language; not limited to one country or region
Grammatical Features Present in Look, I Can Talk! The basic structure and syntax of the language as told from a third-person singular perspective, including some examples of: a.
reflexive versus object pronouns
b.
infinitive uses (quiere ____/veut ____)
c.
verb/subject agreement (conjugations) I. third-person singular II. third-person plural III. first-person singular: conjugations are acquired through retelling stories from different points of view
Denver Public Schools
d.
preterite versus imperfect
e.
adjective agreement
2008
Year at a Glance August (two weeks) TPR commands Varied basic vocabulary: •
numbers
•
colors
•
adjectives
•
adverbs
•
classroom
•
body parts
•
emotions
•
locations
September Chapter 1*: Five mini-stories and chapter story Mini-stories typically take one week each
TPRS, Level 1 October Complete Chapter 1
November Complete Chapter 2
Chapter 2: Six mini-stories and chapter story
December Chapter 3: Three ministories and chapter story
January Chapter 4: Five mini-stories and chapter story Begin first novella*: Pauvre Anne/ Pobre Ana
*Text: MiniStories for Look I Can Talk! (with oral stories in past tense) 2006
* Can be taught as unit or over time
February Complete Chapter 4 Chapter 5: Five mini-stories and chapter story
March Complete Chapter 5
April Chapter 6: Three ministories and chapter story Begin second novella: Fama Va en Californie/ Patricia va a California
May Complete second novella Wrap up unfinished material Conduct year-end assessments
Add depth throughout the year
Culture Choose one or more countries on which to focus. Suggested activities:
Denver Public Schools
•
Daily life
•
Compare and contrast cultures
•
Identify and locate countries
•
Holidays and customs
•
Food and drink preparations
•
Music, film, arts, and crafts
•
Culturally appropriate gestures
•
Cultural stereotypes and cultural contributions
•
History and important historic figures
2008
Year at a Glance
TPRS, Level 1
Spanish Sample of the Variety of Grammatical Structures and Concepts Present in a Single Mini-Story Chapter 1: Mini-Story 1
Vocabulary and Structures to Teach
Grammar Concepts
Había un chico que se llamaba Pablo. Pablo quería tener ocho gatos. Pablo vivía en las montañas de California. A Pablo no le gustaban los elefantes. Él prefería los gatos.
• había
• existential expression, imperfect
• un chico
• indefinite article, singular noun
El chico fue a hablar con el presidente de los gatos de Wyoming porque no había muchos gatos en California. Necesitaba hablar con el presidente de los gatos. El presidente tenía un elefante pero no tenía un gato.
• que se llamaba
• relative pronoun, reflexive verb, dependent clause
• quería, tenía, prefería
• stem-changing verbs, imperfect
• prefería los gatos
• definite article, plural noun, direct object
El chico fue a Australia. El necesitaba hablar con el vicepresidente de los gatos en Australia. Había muchos gatos en Australia. A Pablo le dio ocho gatos y él estaba muy contento.
• un, ocho
• numbers
• vivía
• imperfect tense, third person singular
• en, con, a
• prepositions
• las montañas, elefantes
• cognates, gender/number agreement
• a Pablo no le gustaban
• dative clitic, third person plural, negative
• él
• subject pronoun
• fue a
• pretérito, verb requiring preposition
• presidente de los gatos
• adjectival prepositional phrase
• porque, y, pero
• conjunctions
• muchos gatos
• plural gender/number agreement
• necesitaba hablar, quería tener
• conjugated verb + infinitive
• le dio
• indirect object pronoun, pretérito
• muy
• adverb
• estaba
• ser versus estar
• contento
• singular gender/number agreement
Denver Public Schools
2008
Year at a Glance
TPRS, Level 1
French Sample of the Variety of Grammatical Structures and Concepts Present in a Single Mini-Story Chapter 1: Mini-Story 1 Il y avait un garçon qui s’appelait Waldo. Waldo avait besoin de huit chats. Waldo était dans les montagnes de la Californie. Il n’aimait pas les éléphants. Il préférait les chats. Le garçon est allé chez le président des chats du Wyoming parce qu’il n’y avait pas beaucoup de chats en Californie. Il avait besoin de parler au président des chats. Le président avait un éléphant, mais il n’avait pas de chats. Le garçon est allé en Australie. Il avait besoin de parler au vice-président des chats en Australie. Il y avait huit chats en Australie. Il y avait beaucoup de chats en Australie. Waldo avait huit chats et il était content.
Vocabulary and Structures to Teach
Grammar Concepts
• il y avait
• existential expression, imperfect
• un garçon, des chats
• indefinite articles, singular and plural
• qui s’appelait
• relative pronoun, reflexive verb
• avait besoin de
• idiomatic expression, imperfect
• les chats
• definite article, plural, gender/number agreement
• un, huit
• numbers
• était
• imperfect, description
• dans, chez, en
• prepositions
• les montagnes, les éléphants
• cognates, gender/number agreement
• il n’aimait pas, il n’y avait pas
• negation, imperfect, contraction
• préférait les chats
• spelling change verb, direct object
• il est allé
• passé composé, intransitive verb (être)
• président des chats
• auxiliary, subject/past participle agreement
• du
• adjectival prepositional phrase
• parce que, et, mais
• partitive article, contraction
• beaucoup de
• conjunctions
• avait besoin de parler
• adverb
• au
• conjugated verb + infinitive
• pas de chats
• preposition/article contraction
• avait
• negative partitive • imperfect
Denver Public Schools
2008
Year at a Glance
TPRS, Level 2 Course Objectives
Ongoing—Storytelling; stories, dialogue, and reading in past, present, and/or future tenses Listening—Understand commonly used verbs in present, past, and future tenses; simple stories and conversations; questioning; idiomatic expressions; familiar details; affirmative and negative commands; everyday topics Speaking—Introduce themselves; express opinions, needs, emotions, requests; have short conversations on familiar topics; tell and retell short stories using guided format Reading—Read and understand main ideas from a variety of sources Writing—Write lists and/or short comprehensible phrases and responses using acquired vocabulary Culture—Continue to explore cultures of target language; not limited to one country or region
Grammatical Features Present in Look, I Can Talk More! Continues the first year and emphasizes and dovetails the following grammatical structures:
Denver Public Schools
a.
more verb/subject agreement (conjugations—telling stories from different points of view—all forms)
b.
adjective agreement
c.
infinitive uses (quiere _____, tiene que _____, empieza a _____, va a _____le gusta _____, puede _____, trata de _____, etc.)
d.
reflective versus objective pronouns
e.
preterite versus imperfect
2008
Year at a Glance August (two weeks) Chapter 7: Five mini-stories and chapter story Mini-stories typically take one week each
September Complete Chapter 7 Chapter 8: Seven ministories and chapter story
TPRS, Level 2 October Complete Chapter 8
November Chapter 9: Seven ministories and chapter story
December Complete Chapter 9 Begin novella: Presque Mort/ Casi se muere
January Chapter 10: Five mini-stories and chapter story
Read or reread novella*: Fama Va en Californie/ Patricia va a California
February
March
Complete Chapter 10
Complete Chapter 11
Chapter 11: Four mini-stories and chapter story
Begin second novella: Le Voyage de Sa Vie/ El viaje de su vida
April Chapter 12: Five mini-stories and chapter story
May Complete Chapter 12 Wrap up unfinished material Conduct year-end assessments
* Can be taught as a unit or over time
Culture Choose one or more countries on which to focus. Suggested activities:
Denver Public Schools
•
Daily life
•
Compare and contrast cultures
•
Identify and locate countries
•
Holidays and customs
•
Food and drink preparations
•
Music, film, arts, and crafts
•
Culturally appropriate gestures
•
Cultural stereotypes and cultural contributions
•
History and important historic figures
2008
