I teach this story with TPRS®, a method developed by Blaine Ray.
This story provides input that is comprehensible, engaging, and carefully structured to include lots of repetition. I have been using TPRS® in my classes since 2007 and have found it to be a highly successful method for learning languages. I have used TPRS® with preschool through adult classes and have found that learners of all ages are captivated by stories.
This is one of the first stories I teach to beginning Spanish students. It has a limited vocabulary and colorful pictures to help students fully understand the target language. This story will work best with students in elementary and middle school.
In this story, a family has a cat and a fish. The cat and the fish are not friends; the cat wants to eat the fish. The cat comes up with a plan. . . .
When I am reading this story to the whole class, I project it on a Promethean Board from my computer. (Many PDF viewers have the option to "view as slideshow".) I also print out several copies, laminate them, and keep them as part of our classroom library. If students finish their work early, they can go to the library and check out a book. I also incorporate regular reading time in our class periods so all students can review the stories we have already learned.
This zip file includes:
- El gato y el pez story (in color)
- Story cards (without text)
- A parallel story from the perspective of the fish. This story is great for practicing verbs in the yo form.
If you would like to teach multiple stories that build on each other, this is the order I recommend. I will continue to update this list as I create more stories for my students this year:
1) Isabel va a la escuela
2) Me duele
3) La familia
4) El gato y el pez
5) El señor Pacheco (Weather and Seasons Bundle)
6) Quiero hacer ejercicio
7) ¡No me gusta!
8) ¡Está lloviendo! (Weather and Seasons Bundle)
9) ¡Tengo frío!
10) La abuela y la serpiente (Weather and Seasons Bundle)
11) Mono, mono ¿adónde vas?
12) El pirata
13) La maleta de Gloria (Clothing Bundle)
14) Pobre Nico (Clothing Bundle)
15) El oso duerme (Weather and Seasons Bundle)
16) Los tres osos
17) ¿Dónde está Bigotes? (House Bundle)
18) Peluso tiene hambre (House Bundle)
19) La tortuga
20) ¿Qué tiempo hace, oso polar? (Weather and Seasons Bundle)
21) La ropa (Clothing Bundle)
22) Sebastián va a las montañas (Clothing Bundle)
23) El ratón (House Bundle)
24) El perro perdido
25) El collar robado (Clothing Bundle)
26) ¡La casa se quema! (House Bundle)
27) El robo
NOTE: This story is sold in PDF format. I have received some requests to put these stories in PowerPoint format. However, many of the artists who create educational clipart specify that the clipart must be locked down in a PDF file, as this secures the file images. Some PDF viewing programs have the option to "view as slideshow", which looks very similar to a PowerPoint presentation. Other programs have the option to view as full screen or full page. This is how I use the PDF files in my class.
The following vocabulary is used in this story:
una familia, la familia
un gato, el gato
un pez, el pez