🇪🇸 Spanish Beginner - Week 11
DOCUMENT 1: Lesson Plan • Theme: Talking About Yesterday: Preterite Introduction
Learning Objectives
- Describe completed past actions with basic preterite forms.
- Use sequence markers to organize a short narrative.
- Use irregular high-frequency past forms (fui, hice, tuve) in context.
- Ask and answer follow-up questions about yesterday/weekend events.
- Produce a coherent 6-10 sentence past narration.
Day 1 - Past Time Markers and Story Sequence
Comprehensible Input (Dialogue or Reading)
— Ayer estudié por la mañana y trabajé por la tarde.
— Después cené con mi familia.
— ¿Qué hiciste tú?
— Yo descansé en casa.
— Fue un día tranquilo.
Vocabulary Table
| Spanish | English | Use |
|---|
| ayer | yesterday | High-frequency week target |
| anoche | last night | High-frequency week target |
| el fin de semana pasado | last weekend | High-frequency week target |
| primero | first | High-frequency week target |
| después | after | High-frequency week target |
| luego | then | High-frequency week target |
| finalmente | finally | High-frequency week target |
| el examen | exam | High-frequency week target |
Grammar Discovery
- Identify target pattern(s): regular preterite forms and high-frequency irregulars (fui, hice, tuve).
- Underline key forms in the input and match each form to its meaning/function.
- State one rule and one caution in your own words.
Guided Practice
- Ayer yo ___ en casa. (estudiar)
- Tú ___ con tus amigos. (hablar)
- Ella ___ en el parque. (caminar)
- Nosotros ___ temprano. (cenar)
- Yo ___ al mercado. (ir)
- Tú ___ la tarea anoche. (hacer)
Semi-Controlled Practice
- Hoy estudio en casa. (Change to yesterday)
- Voy al centro. (Change to preterite)
- Tengo clase. (Change to preterite)
- Hago tarea. (Change to preterite)
Free Production
Write 8-10 lines connected to Talking About Yesterday: Preterite Introduction. Include at least two questions and one negative sentence.
Speaking Activity
Say three things you did yesterday.
Real-World Simulation
You retell your weekend to a classmate.
Day 2 - Regular Preterite Forms in Context
Comprehensible Input (Dialogue or Reading)
— El sábado hablé con mis amigos.
— Luego caminamos en el parque.
— Compramos comida y regresamos a casa.
— Yo escribí un mensaje por la noche.
— Todos dormimos temprano.
Vocabulary Table
| Spanish | English | Use |
|---|
| anoche | last night | High-frequency week target |
| el fin de semana pasado | last weekend | High-frequency week target |
| primero | first | High-frequency week target |
| después | after | High-frequency week target |
| luego | then | High-frequency week target |
| finalmente | finally | High-frequency week target |
| el examen | exam | High-frequency week target |
| la reunión | meeting | High-frequency week target |
Grammar Discovery
- Identify target pattern(s): regular preterite forms and high-frequency irregulars (fui, hice, tuve).
- Underline key forms in the input and match each form to its meaning/function.
- State one rule and one caution in your own words.
Guided Practice
- Tú ___ con tus amigos. (hablar)
- Ella ___ en el parque. (caminar)
- Nosotros ___ temprano. (cenar)
- Yo ___ al mercado. (ir)
- Tú ___ la tarea anoche. (hacer)
- Ella ___ una reunión. (tener)
Semi-Controlled Practice
- Voy al centro. (Change to preterite)
- Tengo clase. (Change to preterite)
- Hago tarea. (Change to preterite)
- Ayer trabajé por la tarde. (Question)
Free Production
Write 8-10 lines connected to Talking About Yesterday: Preterite Introduction. Include at least two questions and one negative sentence.
Speaking Activity
Ask your partner what they did last night.
Real-World Simulation
You retell your weekend to a classmate.
Day 3 - Irregular Core Forms (fui, hice, tuve)
Comprehensible Input (Dialogue or Reading)
— ¿Fuiste al concierto ayer?
— Sí, fui con Ana.
— ¿Qué hiciste después?
— Hice la tarea y tuve una reunión.
— ¡Qué día tan ocupado!
Vocabulary Table
| Spanish | English | Use |
|---|
| el fin de semana pasado | last weekend | High-frequency week target |
| primero | first | High-frequency week target |
| después | after | High-frequency week target |
| luego | then | High-frequency week target |
| finalmente | finally | High-frequency week target |
| el examen | exam | High-frequency week target |
| la reunión | meeting | High-frequency week target |
| el evento | event | High-frequency week target |
Grammar Discovery
- Identify target pattern(s): regular preterite forms and high-frequency irregulars (fui, hice, tuve).
- Underline key forms in the input and match each form to its meaning/function.
- State one rule and one caution in your own words.
Guided Practice
- Ella ___ en el parque. (caminar)
- Nosotros ___ temprano. (cenar)
- Yo ___ al mercado. (ir)
- Tú ___ la tarea anoche. (hacer)
- Ella ___ una reunión. (tener)
- Nosotros ___ mucho ayer. (trabajar)
Semi-Controlled Practice
- Tengo clase. (Change to preterite)
- Hago tarea. (Change to preterite)
- Ayer trabajé por la tarde. (Question)
- ¿Qué hiciste anoche? (Model answer)
Free Production
Write 8-10 lines connected to Talking About Yesterday: Preterite Introduction. Include at least two questions and one negative sentence.
Speaking Activity
Use at least two sequence markers.
Real-World Simulation
You retell your weekend to a classmate.
Day 4 - Weekend Narrative Development
Comprehensible Input (Dialogue or Reading)
— Primero fui al mercado.
— Después cociné con mi hermano.
— Más tarde estudié dos horas.
— Finalmente me acosté temprano.
— Fue un buen domingo.
Vocabulary Table
| Spanish | English | Use |
|---|
| primero | first | High-frequency week target |
| después | after | High-frequency week target |
| luego | then | High-frequency week target |
| finalmente | finally | High-frequency week target |
| el examen | exam | High-frequency week target |
| la reunión | meeting | High-frequency week target |
| el evento | event | High-frequency week target |
| ayer | yesterday | High-frequency week target |
Grammar Discovery
- Identify target pattern(s): regular preterite forms and high-frequency irregulars (fui, hice, tuve).
- Underline key forms in the input and match each form to its meaning/function.
- State one rule and one caution in your own words.
Guided Practice
- Nosotros ___ temprano. (cenar)
- Yo ___ al mercado. (ir)
- Tú ___ la tarea anoche. (hacer)
- Ella ___ una reunión. (tener)
- Nosotros ___ mucho ayer. (trabajar)
- Ayer yo ___ en casa. (estudiar)
Semi-Controlled Practice
- Hago tarea. (Change to preterite)
- Ayer trabajé por la tarde. (Question)
- ¿Qué hiciste anoche? (Model answer)
- Hoy estudio en casa. (Change to yesterday)
Free Production
Write 8-10 lines connected to Talking About Yesterday: Preterite Introduction. Include at least two questions and one negative sentence.
Speaking Activity
Use one irregular preterite form.
Real-World Simulation
You retell your weekend to a classmate.
Day 5 - Spiral Review and Past-Tense Check
Comprehensible Input (Dialogue or Reading)
— Ayer fue un día largo.
— Fui a la universidad por la mañana.
— Hice un examen y tuve clase de conversación.
— Por la tarde trabajé y por la noche descansé.
— Hoy estoy más tranquilo.
Vocabulary Table
| Spanish | English | Use |
|---|
| después | after | High-frequency week target |
| luego | then | High-frequency week target |
| finalmente | finally | High-frequency week target |
| el examen | exam | High-frequency week target |
| la reunión | meeting | High-frequency week target |
| el evento | event | High-frequency week target |
| ayer | yesterday | High-frequency week target |
| anoche | last night | High-frequency week target |
Grammar Discovery
- Identify target pattern(s): regular preterite forms and high-frequency irregulars (fui, hice, tuve).
- Underline key forms in the input and match each form to its meaning/function.
- State one rule and one caution in your own words.
Guided Practice
- Yo ___ al mercado. (ir)
- Tú ___ la tarea anoche. (hacer)
- Ella ___ una reunión. (tener)
- Nosotros ___ mucho ayer. (trabajar)
- Ayer yo ___ en casa. (estudiar)
- Tú ___ con tus amigos. (hablar)
Semi-Controlled Practice
- Ayer trabajé por la tarde. (Question)
- ¿Qué hiciste anoche? (Model answer)
- Hoy estudio en casa. (Change to yesterday)
- Voy al centro. (Change to preterite)
Free Production
Write 8-10 lines connected to Talking About Yesterday: Preterite Introduction. Include at least two questions and one negative sentence.
Speaking Activity
Ask one follow-up question.
Real-World Simulation
You retell your weekend to a classmate.
Spiral Review
Week 10 present-progressive planning contrasted with completed past actions.
Speaking Challenge
Speak for 90 seconds without notes. Integrate this week’s target grammar with at least one structure from previous weeks.
Mini Test
- Translate: Yesterday I went to the market.
- Translate: What did you do last night?
- Fill in: Yo ___ la tarea. (hacer)
- Fill in: Nosotros ___ clase ayer. (tener)
- Correct: Ayer yo trabajo mucho.
- Write two complete preterite sentences.