Strategies for Students and Adults to Support Language Learning:
You don't need to know Spanish to try these strategies and be successful! At the Novice (Middle School) levels, students will only be producing material they have studied in class, so no outside knowledge is necessary.
Read directions multiple times.
Look for cognates (words that look like English).
Use the images and titles to help you guess the main idea.
Look for words and phrases you recognize, do not aim to understand every word you read.
We are Novice learners (words, phrases and simple sentences are what we can do at this point on our language journey). Ask yourself, what is the MAIN IDEA? Take an educated guess!
Know where your resources are and use them!
Set timers to focus with no distractions “pomodoro method - Youtube” and then take a break!
Review / Study a little bit 3-5 days a week.
Let’s not promote making excuses - we CAN do this.
Aim to use Active study strategies such as:
Plan how long you want to study and eliminate distractions. Take breaks.
Have someone quiz you (even if that person doesn’t know Spanish, they can ask you the English word and you respond with the Spanish).
Make paper flashcards or slides (you can draw, write definitions, practice questions and answers on flashcards)
Act it out (like charades, make gestures to represent the words)
Practice asking and answering questions with your speaking ladders
Explain the topic in your own words, speak it aloud (pretend you are the teacher for a friend)
Do additional (or redo) practice questions/problems
Break down the work into smaller chunks.
Quizlet TEST feature or Quizlet QChat (can have errors)
Passive study strategies are not as effective:
Reading your vocabulary lists is not as effective as acting out, writing or saying words
Gimkit / Quizlet are passive unless you are writing answers and having to read carefully
Rewriting notes (simply copying is a passive action; rewriting in your own words is active)
Rereadinng notes and classwork
Memorizing question ladders
Highlight material / Review highlighted materials
Other ways to learn Spanish:
Watch a kids movie or nature documentary and change the language settings to Spanish and use Spanish subtitles.
Print out the lyrics to a Spanish song and study them.