This post will discuss how I incorporate a Christian perspective or Biblical worldview when teaching the Spanish past tense at the small, Christian school where I currently teach. However, first, I will go into detail on how I introduce the past tense.
The past tense in Spanish (el pretérito y el imperfecto) is something that can be compared to ser y estar. Students should already have a pretty good grasp of those verbs at this point. Unfortunately, my students really struggled with differentiating between ser y estar and por y para, so I knew there needed to be some additional supports and activities if they were to grasp the concepts of el Pretérito y el Imperfecto. However, I wanted these activities and projects to be meaningful and incorporate a Biblical worldview.
Christian concepts are easy to integrate into the past tense, especially in regards to reading, but I am going to talk about two activities that each provide a very meaningful opportunity for students.
Teaching Preterite vs Imperfect
The way I go about teaching the past tense in my Spanish class is pretty standard. I have 45-50 minute classes every day year-round, so I take my time on this unit. We usually start with the use of the preterite vs imperfect. Similar to por vs para and ser vs estar, students will receive an acronym to help them remember the uses. Then we will practice, usually by playing Blooket or Kahoot and by looking at sentences in English and determining if the translated equivalent will use one form or the other.
During the next lesson, they receive notes for conjugations. However, we really don’t focus on practicing conjugations until after students have a complete grasp of the different uses for the preterite or the imperfect. They demonstrate their mastery of this concept via the the Bible Story Project.
The Bible Story Project
For this project, students will each choose a different Bible story that is meaningful to them. They story that they choose must be short enough to present over, and students should have complete understanding and knowledge of this story. I stress that they are required to read this story in the Bible, not rely on previous learning or Google plot summaries for their information. Presenting a Biblically accurate retelling of the story is part of their grade.
Some ideas for this project include: The Parable of the Good Samaritan, Adam and Eve, Jonah and the Whale, the Nativity, etc. There will always be some students who want to choose lengthy, more complex stories, but I work closely with them to ensure they show an accurate summary and good understanding. (I always have a student who insists on telling the complete story of Job.)
Having students choose their own Bible story is great for several reasons:
1. It allows for more presentations of stories from the Bible that some students may not be familiar with.
2. Students have the opportunity to present over a story they are excited about or interested in.
3. It prevents them from cheating in the sense of one child doing all of the work.
The purpose of this project is not to demonstrate complete mastery of the past tense, but rather use of the past tense.
Before assigning this project, I present an example using my own favorite story in the Bible: Ruth and Boaz. This is important because it gives students something to go off of. (Also, it’s always around Valentine’s Day when I present this unit. My kids LOVE it, especially since some of the graphics for Ruth don’t have arms.)
Here are a couple of pages from the example I made on Canva (great, free teacher resource!):
For the complete presentation, click here.
Once we have viewed, discussed, (and laughed at) my example, students choose their own stories.
First, they write out a brief and simple summary of their selected Bible story in English. Then, they will use their own knowledge, notes, my help, and a little help from Spanish Dictionary to rewrite the story in Spanish. Part of their grade is based on how much translator they need to use. What I tell them is, if you or your classmates cannot understand this story without the help of a translator, then you used too much translator.
Second, students will make their presentation, being sure to use plenty of pictures and space out sentences, so the class isn’t staring at a paragraph of words. They highlight the verbs conjugated to the preterite in blue, and the verbs conjugated to the imperfect in red. They will often have me check their work, and I always check their understanding by asking why these verbs are either in the preterite or the imperfect.
Finally, students will present their projects to the rest of the class. They are graded on: sufficient knowledge of the selected Bible story, mastery of the use of the preterite, mastery of the use of the imperfect, minimal translation use, and having practiced their pronunciation.
Here are some examples from their presentations. They were so creative and had such a good time presenting! I was so proud of them.
Teaching Past Tense Conjugations
Although students have already received notes for these conjugations as well as plenty of exposure, the class focus would not have been on mastering these concepts until now. For the week following the Bible Story Project, students are provided with plenty of opportunities to practice both conjugations and use via games, worksheets, and reading activities to help them master these concepts, until they demonstrate mastery via another project about sharing their testimony of salvation.
The Testimony Project
At the beginning of this project, I share my testimony of salvation with the class via a presentation, so they can both read and listen in Spanish. Not only does it provide an example for them to follow, but it provides me an opportunity to share how I came to know Christ with my students. (It also provides an excellent opportunity to discuss what salvation requires and what it does not.) Students then follow suit by writing their own testimony in ten sentences.
Here is a sample of my testimony, but for the full presentation, click here.
Unlike the Bible Story Project, sharing their testimony with the class is completely optional. However, since students will already have faith-based vocabulary (la Biblia, la fe, salvado, el cristiano, la iglesia, etc.), they will not be permitted to use a translator at all.
I love this project so much because many students come to me for help individually, especially those who do not have a salvation testimony. It provides me with a wonderful opportunity to witness to them and explain to them how to get saved.
In my experience, these Christ-centered projects are wonderful for teaching the past tense in a foreign language. I hope they have provided you with encouragement and inspiration. For more academic lessons with biblical integration, click here.
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