The Personality unit primarily focuses on teaching personality traits in Spanish. There are a variety of engaging activities, cultural significance, and biblical integration. At the end of this lesson, students should be able to adequately describe the personalities of themselves and others in Spanish, and they prove this via a presentation. Although the unit includes quite a lot of vocabulary, the lessons and activities are engaging enough to ensure students are learning.
When I first designed this unit, I was working at a school with a block schedule and had 90 minute classes, but since having moved to a private Christian school, my classes are around 45 minutes. The transition for this unit was far easier than anticipated, and I added a few extra activities to incorporate more biblical truths since I now work at a Christian school and have that freedom. However, the lesson can be adapted for public school use.
This post will outline what the unit entails, then I will go into greater detail on each section.
Hook – Intro to Content
Students are introduced to the content by learning about several famous Spanish-speaking writers (Octavio Paz, Jorge Luis Borges, and Pablo Neruda). Descriptions of these authors as well as their personality types are explained, and samples of their writing are included for students to read and discuss. Questions are embedded throughout the presentation to ensure students are engaged and thinking critically about what type of personality this person has and how that compares or contrasts to their own.
A short, optional writing activity is also included in the introduction presentation for students to further relate to these authors. They choose a topic to write about in Spanish (suggestions such as friendship, family, and society are given) and write as much as they can within the time limit. Volunteers read what they have written, and/or students peer review one another’s writing to check for misspellings, grammar mistakes, etc. to reinforce previously-learned content.
The “Intro to Content” presentation concludes with an overview of the unit, including students’ upcoming assessment, and several questions related to discussing one’s personality. My class is highly focused on interpersonal communication, so every unit has more questions for students to learn and practice using with their conversation partners. Students write these questions in their notes, and the meaning as well as how to respond to these questions are discussed. The class ends this portion of the unit with a partner conversation to practice using these questions.
Pre-Lesson Activity – La prueba de las personalidades
The first activity involves students taking a personality test from 16 Personalities. I have a poster decorated with the colors and terms used on the website, such as ENFJ, INTP, etc. Once students complete the personality test, they write their name on a sticky note and add it to the poster. Each class has a different color, so students from multiple classes can compare the diversity of personality types amongst their peers.
Depending on where we are in the year in regards to curriculum, students may have class time to complete the personality test, or they may complete it as homework. This past year, students had time to complete the personality test in class at their own pace, and students who finished early immediately began writing their vocabulary which was posted to Google Classroom.
Vocabulary
Once students have completed their personality test, they will begin writing the vocabulary from the unit. Each personality type is broken down into three or four different vocabulary words to describe both the strengths and the weaknesses for that particular type. Students are responsible for writing and familiarizing themselves with all the words. Many vocabulary words are cognates, and the translation is obvious. However, for words that are more confusing, I have included the translation.
I have created a Blooket game to help students learn the vocabulary to prepare for their quiz. Blooket is free and a great resource for teachers. It’s similar to Kahoot and already has tons of sets made by other teachers! Students LOVE playing Blooket because there are a variety of game modes, and I make it a competition between Spanish classes. Moreover, Blooket games can be practiced individually by assigning it as homework and creating a link. The link can be posted to Google Classroom, Microsoft Teams, etc. For the Blooket I am referencing, search for “La personalidad vocabulario” by MaestraSexton, or create your own for free!
In order to help students master vocabulary, we typically play a Blooket at least once per class. It is also posted on their Google Classroom for students who need additional help to practice the vocabulary as needed.
Activity 1 – La lectura
The first major activity for students is a partner reading activity. They are already familiar with the vocabulary, and they put that to use by reading a relevant passage in Spanish. I assign partners based on learning level, so students of a higher learning level can help those who struggle.
I created a level-appropriate reading assignment describing the personality type of the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. Once partners read her description, they work together to form arguments for the personality type they believe best describes her. All personality types chosen by the groups are written on the board, and the class engages in a debate. Finally, I reveal the actual personality type of Kahlo (as explained by 16 personalities, which is also what I referenced for the reading activity), and the teams who guessed correctly receive candy.
Activity 2 – Adivina la personalidad
This is similar to the reading activity, but it incorporates people from the Bible. I included the biblical figures of Simon Peter, King Saul, and Jesus, but anyone you are familiar with can be used. We cover each historical figure one at a time, with me giving the students more autonomy to work each time.
All characters have a brief description written in Spanish that I and/or the students take turns reading aloud. If needed, I give some background over each historical figure, such as Saul wanting to kill David, or Jesus needing time alone to pray after dealing with crowds of people. After each description, student groups guess what personality type the individual has. I put all options on the board and allow students to discuss with one another – a great opportunity to make use of their vocabulary – and then I reveal what I think is the answer.
An optional but very fun activity is to ask other teachers to also take the test. Students use the vocabulary to describe teachers and guess their personalities. Groups form, and a similar debate takes place prior to when I reveal the teacher’s results from the 16 Personalities test.
Activity 3 – el autorretrato y descripción (optional)
This is a great activity if you have additional time in for it in your curriculum, and it is great practice for students’ upcoming assessment over the unit. Students have some time to complete a self-portrait, then they write about their personalities in Spanish, making use of plenty of vocabulary. I usually have rules in my rubric where they are not permitted to use a translator, and their sentences must be a certain length. This is a great activity to get more artistic students excited. They don’t mind writing because they love having a chance to be creative!
This activity can be tweaked according to the needs of your students and how much time you have to spend on this unit. Some classes simply need more practice to master new vocabulary or concepts, so including more activities is beneficial. One such activity can include having students draw a classmate or family member, then they write about the personality of the individual drawn.
Depending on the needs of your students, this could also make a great assessment in place of the presentation!
Optional Assessment – La prueba
This assessment is designed to prepare students for the upcoming presentation. They are quizzed over their knowledge of the vocabulary. I typically give a multiple choice test via Google forms, but there are a variety of ways to assess students’ knowledge: paper quiz, listening-based writing quiz, etc. You could also simply use the Blooket or a similar game-style informative assessment to ensure students know the content well enough to do their presentations.
Assessment – Las presentaciones
This is one of my more challenging assessments for students, but it’s also a great opportunity for them to show what they know – both in regards to Spanish and Biblical knowledge. For this assessment, students will be describing their own personalities in Spanish, then finding a person from the Bible who they feel has the same personality as them. Finally, they will describe the personalities and backstories of these individuals in Spanish and making comparisons to themselves.
If you opted to have your class complete the optional activity, then students have already practiced describing themselves (as they have also been doing during the conversations). However, hopefully the self-portraits and descriptions will be graded in time for students to see and correct their mistakes before presenting to the class.
This project requires a lot of work and preparation on behalf of the students. I made a specific rubric that presents students from simply googling the answers. They are expected to thoroughly research their biblical figure in the Bible and know enough about him or her to make an adequate argument for that individual’s personality. Students who do not give enough background information or explanation over their chosen person will be asked questions, and how they respond will impact their grade.
Provide an example to help students understand.
I give an example presentation to set the standard. We go over the rubric as a class, and students are warned that procrastinating and not practicing their presentation will result in an unsatisfactory grade.
It is important to consider the abilities of your students regarding a project like this and prepare scaffolding for students who struggle to stay on task or complete research projects. Because my students had not adequately mastered past tense, they were permitted to explain the history of their biblical figure in English. They were being assessed on more than just their mastery of the Spanish content, but also on their knowledge of their chosen Bible character. I did not want their lack of language knowledge stop them from sharing with the class what they had studied in the Bible.
This project is designed to, not only test students’ abilities to present in a foreign language, but to also encourage them to read and study their Bibles more. I always have students who struggle to find a character from the Bible that they can relate to simply because they do not attend church, do not read the Bible, and/or do not pay attention in chapel or Bible class. For these kids, I give them options and brief descriptions of biblical figures. They are told to study these figures and pick the one that resonates with them best. It is always obvious when they have done their research.
Conclusion
This unit is one of my favorites, and it does a great job at showcasing students’ abilities and knowledge from both a Spanish and biblical viewpoint. For access to all the materials made for this unit, check them out on my TPT store – along with tons of free resources. I understand what it’s like to be a teacher with little time but still trying to put together a lesson that will keep students engaged while learning.
If you enjoyed teaching a Spanish personality unit that connects, culture, vocabulary, and faith, check out some other lessons that also incorporate biblical truths.