How to Use the

Target Language
90-100%- Part One

Students can’t hear the target

language if they are talking
when you are.

TIP #1 Guarantee that students enter the

classroom quietly and begin to work.

Enticing students with rewards is extremely effective

in getting them to WANT to do what you want them
to do.  They will work for what they want.
• My teacher’s assistant begins handing out
raffle tickets the minute he/she enters the
classroom.  Only students who are quiet AND
writing the answers to the bell work receive a
ticket.  They put their tickets into a jar before
or after class, or on Friday right before the
raffle.
• On Fridays, I put my box of goodies on a desk
at the front of the room.  Then the four
students whose names I pull out of the jar
come and choose their prize.  The first student
always grabs the coveted homework coupon
(only one per class).  
• What else do I put in the box?  White board
markers for which they normally must pay fifty
cents and without which they cannot
participate in the activities and competitions.
• Next?  Chocolate bars, goodies from Teacher’s
Discovery: painted pens with sombreros,
Mexican bracelets, taco erasers, ice cream gift
cards.  It works like a charm!  If you were to
walk into my classroom BEFORE the bell rang,
you would see students writing away and
ready to learn.
• What about the fast finishers?  I write a
question on the board for “Minimaratón”. If
they answer the question correctly they get
a prize.  Answering usually requires looking
up words in the dictionary or
wordreference.com.  I also project the
homework on the screen so they can begin
working on it.

• TIP #2
• Never talk when students are talking. I know
this is a fundamental, “No duh!” for veteran
teachers but it must be said. I remember
when I was a new teacher standing up in
front of the room waiting for students to be
quiet. It felt like an eternity. But it isn’t.
Stand and wait. Talking over students or
raising your voice reinforces that it is
acceptable to talk when you are.
How do you get students’ attention
without raising your voice when
they are working in pairs or
groups?

TIP #3
Use a chime or a bell. As soon as the
students hear the sound, they will
stop talking and return to their seats.
Use of a sound-maker makes it
unnecessary to raise one’s voice.

TIP #4

Add TENSION to the lesson. By

this, I mean GOOD tension, the
kind that motivates, not the kind
that makes you sweat.

There are many types of tension. The

first necessary hustle-producer is the
LEARNING TARGET. At the
beginning of each class, I tell students,
in Spanish, exactly what we are going
to learn that day and exactly what
THEY are going to do at the end of the
lesson to demonstrate mastery. (No
passivity possible)
The sooner students must perform, the faster they hustle
and remain on-task. If the activity is postponed for the
next day, they relax. Therefore, learning targets must be
broken into smaller, daily parts. Here is an example of a
slide I project at the beginning of the class and which
students repeat after me:

Hoy, vamos a aprender a hablar del

futuro. Después, Uds. van a dar una
presentación delante de la clase
acerca de lo que harán (will do) en el
futuro”.

OR... después, habrá una competencia

en la que Uds. van a decir lo que harán
(will do) en el futuro.

Projecting an online
stop-watch that counts down
as students are working not only
tells them how much time they
have left, but also motivates
them to focus.
But this is just classroom
management!

The best classroom management is a good

lesson plan. Including tension in the lesson is
vital to student accountability, progress, and,
ultimately, to student proficiency.

In the next issue, (Part Two of the same

theme) we will talk more about how crafting a
good lesson plan enables the teacher to use
the target language 90-100% of the time. We
will also look at more examples of tension.

Since we are talking about lesson plans in this

issue, the freebie for this month is a lesson
plan on Ser vs. Estar to give you an idea
how I plan my lessons.

Here is the link for the first lesson: http://

bit.ly/2eZFlsF

Click here for the PowerPoint on Ser vs. Estar

This lesson is included in the

Lesson Plans and Curriculum for Ser & Estar.
 Guest Bloggers
Mundo de Pepita shares how she was able to use
90% Spanish with her ELEMENTARY STUDENTS!!!

http://bit.ly/2eTaeBj

~
Super Senorita’s Spanish Stuff shares, “Three
Strategies to Increase Speaking in the Target Language”

http://bit.ly/2e0ORyI

Mis clases locas shares some of her positive

classroom routines. When we develop relationships
with students, they are more open to learning and
hearing the language.

http://bit.ly/2eyndFM

FREE PRODUCT

If you would like to receive these freebies and teaching tips in

your email, subscribe to my monthly newsletter here:
Best PowerPoints for Spanish Blog

Don’t forget, when you subscribe you are eligible to receive a

free product of your choosing of $3 or less from my TPT
Store.