Materials & Prep
Prepare the board with six familiar preference images or words: la pizza, la música, el fútbol, los videojuegos, los libros, las mascotas. Prepare small image cards or a four-item preference grid for pairs and six exit slips. No special technology is needed. Confirm any classroom procedures for students moving during the survey.
Opening
Display pictures of pizza, music, football, video games, books, and pets. Students silently choose one they like and one they do not like, then tell a partner in English, “I like ” and “I don’t like .” They already know how to identify the person who has the feeling and the thing that causes it.
AskIn “I like music,” who has the feeling? What is liked? Then display the English idea “Music pleases me.” Students identify that music is now the subject and me shows who experiences the feeling. Reveal: Spanish often expresses liking from the thing’s point of view. That is why Spanish says “Me gusta la música,” not “Yo gusto la música.”
Direct instruction
IntroduceWrite and say “Me gusta la pizza.” Point to me and explain, “me = to me, the person who likes.” Point to la pizza and explain that the thing liked controls gusta. Students repeat the whole phrase naturally, without translating each word aloud.
Model“Me gusta el fútbol” means “I like football.” “Me gustan los videojuegos” means “I like video games.” Explain that one thing uses gusta and more than one thing uses gustan. Add dislikes: “No me gusta la música” and “No me gustan los libros.” Color-code me, gusta or gustan, and the noun phrase.
ConfrontWrite “Yo gusto la pizza” and read it exactly as written. Ask whether the sentence makes the pizza the thing that causes the feeling. Explain that yo gusto does not mean “I like.” The common mistake is choosing the Spanish word that matches English “I” instead of showing who receives the feeling with me. Correct it together: “Me gusta la pizza.”
ModelPoint to one picture and ask, “¿Qué te gusta?” Answer, “Me gusta la pizza.” Point to two pictures and answer, “Me gustan los videojuegos.” Briefly note that ¿Qué te gusta? is a natural way to ask someone’s preference in Spanish-speaking settings.
Guided practice
Have students hold up one finger for gusta and two fingers for gustan as you display each noun: la pizza, los libros, el fútbol, las mascotas. After each choice, students say the complete phrase, alternating “Me gusta…” and “No me gustan…” according to the teacher’s gesture.
Worked exampleDisplay los videojuegos. Think aloud: “I see los, and videojuegos names more than one game, so I need gustan. I want to say I do like them, so I begin with me gusta not no me gusta. The sentence is Me gustan los videojuegos.” Repeat with la música, showing why the result is “Me gusta la música.”
Check for understandingStudents complete these two items on a mini-whiteboard or scrap paper: 1. “Me la música.” 2. “No me los libros.” They must choose gusta or gustan and explain to a partner whether the noun is singular or plural. Look for students who choose based on me rather than the noun. Reteach with the color-coded sentence frame before continuing.
ScaffoldKeep this frame visible: “Me gusta .” “No me gusta .” “Me gustan .” “No me gustan .” Students may point to an image first, then read the matching phrase aloud. Pair students so one points to the picture and the other speaks, then switch.
Independent work or discussion
Students use four picture cards or the preference grid to prepare two likes and two dislikes. They practice with a partner using this exchange: “¿Qué te gusta?” “Me gusta .” “¿Y qué no te gusta?” “No me gusta .” Each partner must use one singular noun and one plural noun, then find one preference they share and one that is different. Students may use the board frames, but they should choose their own ideas and speak rather than translate word for word.
CirculateListen for “yo gusto,” missing me, and confusion between gusta and gustan. When a student says “Yo gusto los videojuegos,” point first to the person who feels the preference and then to the plural noun. Prompt the student to repair the sentence independently: “Me gustan los videojuegos.”
ExtensionStudents ready for a challenge add a reason with “porque”: “Me gusta la música porque es divertida.” They may ask a follow-up, “¿Y a ti?” and respond with a complete sentence. Do not require this extension from students still securing the basic pattern.
Closing
Exit ticketEach student chooses or draws one singular item and one plural item, then says to the teacher or a partner: “Me gusta ” and “No me gustan .” The student must use the correct form for each noun. On the slip, students also complete: “The thing I like is , so Spanish uses gusta/gustan because it is singular/plural.” Collect the slips and note whether each student expressed both a like and a dislike accurately.