Materials & Prep
Project the opening prompt and two short model narratives below. Prepare one Past-Event Story Card per pair by cutting or displaying the six cards. Students need paper or a shared digital writing space. Post these conversation supports: ¿Qué pasó?, ¿Dónde estabas?, ¿Qué hacías cuando...?, De repente..., Mientras..., Al final....
Opening
0–6 minDisplay“Ayer, yo caminaba a casa cuando vi un perro perdido.” Ask: “¿Por qué caminaba is imperfect but vi is preterite? If both happened yesterday, could we switch them?” Students silently choose one version on paper: A) caminaba / vi or B) caminé / veía, then turn to a partner and explain their prediction in Spanish or with the posted stems.
ConfrontTake two or three partner claims without confirming. Say that time in the past does not automatically determine the tense. The narrator’s viewpoint does: imperfect sets the scene or an action in progress; preterite reports a completed event that moves the story forward.
Direct instruction
6–14 minModelRead the model narrative aloud twice, first for gist and then with students listening for the two viewpoints: “El sábado por la tarde, hacía frío y llovía. Yo estaba en mi casa y hacía la tarea. De repente, mi amigo Diego llamó. Me invitó a un partido, y salimos inmediatamente.”
Think aloud“I start with hacía frío, llovía, estaba, and hacía because they create the background. I can picture what conditions were like and what was already happening. Then de repente signals an interrupting, completed event: Diego llamó. Invited and left are also finished actions, so I use invitó and salimos.” Point out the common error: choosing preterite for every verb simply because the event is over. A finished story can contain ongoing background, just as a photo’s background is still visible even when the photo has already been taken.
Check for understandingProject: “Mientras Ana (conducir), un gato (cruzar) la calle.” Partners hold up or write their choice, then justify it to each other: “Usamos porque .” Expected: conducía / cruzó. Listen for students explaining ongoing background versus a completed interruption, not only naming a tense.
Guided practice
14–26 minHave studentsWork in pairs. Partner A receives the story frame; Partner B receives the verb bank. They must negotiate and orally build the story before either writes it.
DisplayStory frame: “Anoche, mis amigos y yo (estar) en el parque. La música (sonar) y todos (hablar). Mientras nosotros (comer), alguien (gritar): ‘¡Cuidado!’ Un frisbee (caer) cerca de nosotros. Después, nosotros (recoger) nuestras cosas y (volver) a casa.”
PromptRequire each partner to ask at least two questions before agreeing: “¿Qué estaba pasando?” and “¿Qué ocurrió de repente?” Pairs then read their completed narrative aloud to another pair, who identify one background verb and one plot-event verb.
Worked exampleComplete the first two blanks aloud only after pairs commit: “Estábamos en el parque. La música sonaba.” Explain that these details do not announce a completed event; they establish the setting. Expected full narrative: estábamos, sonaba, hablaban, comíamos, gritó, cayó, recogimos, volvimos.
ScaffoldGive students who need it a two-column organizer labeled Fondo/en progreso and Evento terminado. They place each verb phrase in a column before conjugating it. Permit rehearsal from the posted stems before speaking.
ExtensionAsk ready pairs to revise the story by adding two details that make the scene vivid, one using an imperfect description and one new preterite event. They must explain how each added verb changes the narrative.
Independent discussion
26–39 minHave studentsStay in pairs and draw one Past-Event Story Card. Each card contains a setting, an ongoing action, and an unexpected completed event. Partners interview each other in Spanish for details, then each narrates a 6–8 sentence version of the event. The listener must ask two follow-up questions and retell the partner’s story in three sentences.
Past-Event Story Cards
- Estabas en una tienda. Mirabas ropa. Se fue la luz.
- Tu familia cenaba. Sonó el teléfono. Recibieron noticias importantes.
- Caminabas con un amigo. Hablaban de una película. Empezó a llover.
- Estudiabas para un examen. Tu perro ladró. Encontraste algo extraño afuera.
- Esperabas el autobús. Hacía mucho viento. Llegó un músico y tocó una canción.
- Jugabas un videojuego. Tus hermanos veían televisión. De repente, se apagó la computadora.
CirculateListen for meaningful interaction, especially questions that elicit background and completed actions. Ask a student who uses one tense throughout to point to the moment the story changes and revise one sentence. Do not supply a translation first; prompt, “¿Era una acción en progreso o un evento terminado?”
ChallengePairs who finish early combine both partners’ events into one coherent 10-sentence story using mientras and de repente, then perform it as a one-minute spoken news report.
Closing
39–45 minExit ticketStudents independently record or write a four-sentence narration in Spanish from this prompt: “Estabas en casa una noche. Describe el ambiente y una acción en progreso. Después, incluye dos eventos terminados que cambiaron la situación.” They underline imperfect verbs once and preterite verbs twice, then add a brief Spanish justification for one choice: “Usé el imperfecto/pretérito porque...”.
Look forA coherent past narration with at least two appropriately used imperfect verbs and two appropriately used preterite verbs, plus a justification based on narrative function. Collect before students leave.