Share Fair 2013: Technology in Moderation

1. Share Fair 2013: Technology in Moderation “Garfield’s (Im)perfect Day: Practicing Aspect through Storytelling” Presenter: Kelsey Treusdell

2. Aim of activity: to contextualize the difference between the preterite and imperfect aspects in Spanish • Activity description: create and describe a timeline built around events from a day in the life of Garfield. • Intended level: introductory Spanish class • Procedure for activity: Students in groups of four are given a set of nine cards and they collaborate to write a sentence in the preterite for each card. Meanwhile, the instructor puts print-outs of these same images on the blackboard, and volunteers write their sentences below them. A volunteer then reads all of the sentences narrating the day, and the instructor draws attention to aspect by pointing out that the events are all discrete points on the timeline that represent finished actions with a beginning and end. The instructor gets another volunteer to tell three things that they did yesterday and writes them on the board in timeline form, then tells the students that they can elaborate on these events by describing general conditions or things in progress by using the imperfect form. He/she shows the forms and adds examples to the student’s timeline, visually highlighting aspect by drawing arcs on the timeline by these descriptions to show that they are overlapping conditions. Finally, the instructor passes out slips of paper to each group with an idea with an unconjugated verb on it, and the groups have to conjugate the verb in the imperfect and decide which image of Garfield’s day it goes with. Volunteers go up to the board and add these imperfect descriptions to the timeline, drawing arcs as the instructor did in the example. The instructor then narrates the now completed story, encouraging the students to say the verbs aloud when he/she comes to them. This way the students appreciate the difference between the aspects and see how both are necessary in telling a story.

3. EL PASADO: Pretérito & imperfecto

4. Introducción: La rutina de Garfield • Grupos de 4 • Usarel pretéritoparadescribir la rutina de Garfield ¡OJO! You will have some situations that require a reflexive/reciprocal pronoun and some that will not.

5. Pretérito: Características • Completed, finished events • They have a beginning and an end • They can be marked on a time line Me duché Desayuné Me desperté Vine a la universidad

6. Imperfecto: Características • Indefinite time frame • General description • “Set the stage” for actions • To say what was happening • To say what someone used to do (el aguaestaba caliente) (estabacansada) (teníahambre) (nevaba) Me duché Desayuné Me desperté Vine a la universidad

7. Pretérito vs. Imperfecto • It was a dark and stormy night. I was alone at the bus station where I used to wait after work. As I was waiting, all of a sudden I heard a loud noise. I turned around and saw a mysterious man step out of the shadows. He was wearing a long trenchcoat and dark sunglasses hid his eyes. When I saw that he was approaching, I decided to try to run away… • Identify: “setting the stage” “general description” “was/were –ing”

8. FORMAS DEL IMPERFECTO Verbos –AR: cantarVerbos –ER/IR: comer (yo) cantabacomía (tú) cantabascomías (él/ella/Ud) cantabacomía (nosotros) cantábamoscomíamos (vosotros) cantabaiscomíais (ellos/Uds) cantabancomían

9. ¡SÓLO TRES IRREGULARES! • SER Era Éramos Eras Érais ÉraEran • IR • IbaÍbamos • IbasIbais • IbaIban • VER • VeíaVeíamos • VeíasVeíais • VeíaVeían

10. Repaso: el día de Garfield • Ahoravamos a contar el cuento(tell the story) con másdetalles. • Grupos de 3 – • Papel con unadescripción general • 1) Conjugar el verbo • 2) Emparejar (match) la descripción con la foto imperfecto