Lesson Plans

LESSON: EXPERIENCING LANGUAGE WITH FRIENDS
Grades: 1-4
Subject Areas: Language Arts, Life Skills, Physical Education
Estimated Time: Two 40-minute sessions

I. Summary: Maya and Miguel’s friends and neighbors come from many different places, and this diversity is what makes these characters and their friends so special to know! This lesson focuses on the concept of friendship through vocabulary, conversational language and role play. Students will be introduced to bilingual age-appropriate greetings and participate in activities that will support cultural, social and academic growth.

II. Objectives:

• Students will be given opportunities to express their feelings about their own experiences in developing new relationships
• Students will experience language through reading and visual media
• Students will role play how to greet a new friend in English and Spanish

III. Materials:

• Maya & Miguel episode "When Maya Met Andy" (first 30-minute session)
• Individual sets of English/Spanish greetings on index cards, created by participation in printout activity
• Lesson printout: Greetings in English and Spanish: A Bilingual Flip Chart

IV. Procedure:
(Session One)
1. Invite children to share personal experiences and feelings about missing old friends and making new friends. Allow everyone to connect with this concept by asking if anyone has ever moved to a new place or if anyone has ever experienced someone new moving into their neighborhood or school, especially someone that looked “different” or spoke in an unfamiliar language.

2. Video presentation of Maya & Miguel episode "When Maya Met Andy." Encourage students to describe each character’s experience in meeting a new friend. Ask students to share similar experiences and elaborate on thoughts and feelings about meeting new friends.

(Session Two)
3. Introduce activity by sharing with students that learning a second language can be very exciting and a great way to make new friends and to have a better understanding of other cultures. Ask students if they have ever heard someone speak a language that they did not understand. Prompt discussion by asking: How do people learn language? Who personally taught them how to speak and understand language? How do babies know what language to use when they begin speaking? Inform students that we learn language best by experiencing language, and that’s just what this lesson is all about…experiencing language with friends!

4. Using printout Greetings in English and Spanish: A Bilingual Flip Chart, model correct pronunciation and rhythm. Invite students to model language. Reinforce/repeat correct pronunciation. Practice for rhythm and fluency.

5. Discuss how these greetings might help new friends feel more comfortable when meeting for the first time. Invite volunteers to demonstrate reading and speaking each greeting.

6. Before role playing, demonstrate age-appropriate body language to use while greeting someone new, like sharing a big smile, extending a hand or waving. Allow students to move about and practice their conversational greeting skills.

V. Assessment: Student should actively participate in greeting exercises and successfully demonstrate conversational language skills during role play. Orally demonstrate vocabulary comprehension and exhibit age-appropriate body language.

VI. Extensions in Learning:

• Continue practicing conversational language by reading these bilingual books: Say Hola to Spanish Otra Vez by Susan Middleton Elya (Ages 5-10) and Best Best Colors by Eric Hoffman (Ages 5-8). Encourage students to respond as they recognize familiar vocabulary and graphics.
• Create a treasure chest of words by having each student write newly discovered bilingual words and phrases on index cards. Decorate a card box with glued shells, net and sand. Use new words/phrases throughout lessons to reinforce conversational vocabulary and language skills.
• Invite a diverse group of community friends to come and share various native language translations of basic greetings and words.

Related National Standards (These are established by McREL at URL: http://www.mcrel.org/standards-benchmarks/.)

Language Arts

• Makes contributions in class and group discussions (e.g., reports on ideas and personal knowledge about a topic, initiates conversations, connects ideas and experiences with those of others)
• Listens to classmates and adults (e.g., does not interrupt, faces the speaker, asks questions, summarizes or paraphrases to confirm understanding, gives feedback, eliminates barriers to effective listening)
• Uses writing and other methods (e.g., drawing pictures, using letters or phonetically spelled words, telling, dictating, making lists) to describe familiar persons, places, objects or experiences
• Uses reading skills and strategies to understand and interpret a variety of informational texts
• Understands the main idea or message in visual media (e.g., pictures, cartoons, weather reports on television, newspaper photographs, visual narratives)

Life Skills

• Students will express themselves in a positive and appropriate manner
• Students will make friends
• Students can analyze effective communication skills and express why they are successful

Physical Education

• Uses concepts of space awareness and movement control with a variety of basic skills (e.g., running, hopping, skipping) while interacting with others

Related National Standards for ESL- Grades Pre-K-3 (These are established by TESOL at URL: http://www.tesol.org/assoc/k12standards/it/07.html.)

• Goal 1, Standard 1 - To use English to communicate in social settings: Students will use English to participate in social interactions
• Goal 3, Standard 3 - To use English in socially and culturally appropriate ways: Students will use appropriate learning strategies to extend their sociolinguistic and sociocultural competence