I use Google Slides to teach this unit.  I teach with a focus on Comprehensible Input and not grammar since that is not how language is naturally acquired.  Comprehensible input Spanish readers are a game changer in the classroom. Leveled readers in Spanish tell captivating stories and incorporate repetition of high-frequency language making them an extremely effective way to engage students.  We will read a novel entirely in Spanish, have discussions in Spanish and play games/activities to expose students to the target language. Some fun traditional games that we will play are Tic-Tac-Toe, Connect 4, Sorry, Snakes and Ladders and Pictionary. The focus will be on developing skills in the areas of listening, speaking and reading.  

Many people are new to Comprehensible Input, so let’s start with a general question. Why is reading important in the CI classroom? How does it complement the input students witht listening? Reading is essential to growth in proficiency. It allows students to process the language with their eyes at their own pace. They can change speeds, read a passage multiple times and more easily decipher the meaning of unknown words. It also allows teachers to vary the delivery of input.  Students need to hear many different voices in the target language. As they read, the input comes from the voices in their heads. Reading invites us to create pictures in our imaginations. Doing so forces students to engage with language in a new way. It also exposes students to the flow of natural language and many current and historical cultural themes.  

The novel for the class is about a boy named Kevin.  Kevin used to have a perfect life. Now, dumped by his popular girlfriend, Kevin leaves for a summer in Spain with his best friend, and his life seems anything but perfect. Taking classes he can’t understand, living with a very odd host-family, trying to get the attention of a girl with whom he has no chance, and dealing with a guy who has a dark side and who seems to be out to get him, Kevin escapes into a book and enters a world of long-ago adventures. As the boundaries between his two worlds begin to blur, Kevin discovers that nothing is as it appears…especially at night!

The low unique word count and high frequency factor (the number of times core structures are embedded in the text) in the Comprehension-based™ reader, ‘Noches Misteriosas en Granada’, make this an ideal read for advanced beginning Spanish students. Each page is loaded with cognates (words that are similar in English and Spanish), recycled vocabulary, and illustrations, which makes this read highly comprehensible.


These will be our weekly focuses:
Class 1 - Geography of Spain, present tense verb conjugation practice and review of structures.
Read chapters 1 & 2 of the novel called Noches Misteriosas de Granada (Mysterious Nights of Granada) and answer comprehension questions based on the story.

Class 2 - 
Review vocabulary/structures
Read chapters 3 & 4 of the novel and answer comprehension questions based on the story.

Class 3 - 
Read chapters 5 & 6 of the novel and answer comprehension questions based on the story.

Class 4 - 
Review vocabulary/structures
Read chapters 7-8 the novel and answer comprehension questions based on the story.

Class 5 - 
Review vocabulary/structures
Read a legend from the novel and answer comprehension questions based on the story.
 
Class 6 - 
Review vocabulary/structures
Read chapters 9-10 of the novel and answer comprehension questions based on the story.