Helpful Hints - Virtual Immersion 3/3/2013

HELPFUL HINTS:  SPANISH

Mundo Gaturro - Virtual Immersion:  Michael Clauss - (Download this helpful hint as a PDF)

Mundo Gaturro is a flash-based massively multiplayer online game (MMOG) based on the popular argentine comic Gaturro. Players of the game are each given an avatar cat that they can maneuver around a virtual world called Mundo Gaturro. There is no cost to obtain a basic cat avatar. The only thing needed to register is an e-mail address. Once in the game, players can interact with other players using a chat interface. There is a limited list of pre-composed chat messages that can be selected or players can compose their own short original messages. Because the game is based in Argentina, the great majority of the kids playing it are argentine with the remainder being from other Spanish-speaking countries. The game provides non-native speakers of Spanish with a virtual immersion experience. All of the input in the game, of which there is a lot, is in Spanish.

Mundo Gaturro itself is divided into a number of different sections. There is a beach, a park, a city center, mountains, an island, etc. Each section features games, and tasks that the avatars can complete to earn coins (monedas) or other items for their cats. Each avatar is also given a house which they can decorate with the items they have collected. The coins can be redeemed for a limited set of basic items such as clothing, furniture, food, etc. Only avatars that have purchased a passport (with real money) are able to select from the much wider array of “passport” items available in the game. Although an avatar without a passport cannot buy these items they can be obtained through trading with other avatars. This provides additional incentive for students to interact with the others in the game.

I have had great success using this game with my students. It provides them with an amazing amount of authentic written input in the target language in an authentic context. I usually take a portion of a class to set up their accounts and give them a brief introduction to how the game works. After that I don’t use it too often in the classroom, but encourage students to use it on their own outside of class. Sometimes I award them with bonus activities or points on assessments if they are able to complete certain tasks within the game on their own.

Here is a list of some of the challenges I have given in the past:

• New vocabulary/expressions: List 15 new words or expressions you learned in the game.

• Make a list of 20 cognates you found in Mundo Gaturro.

• Grammar knowledge: List at least three pieces of old information that you either used or saw being used. List at least one new piece of knowledge (grammar concepts, not vocabulary).

• Write one observation you have made about either the social interactions of Argentine children or a cultural theme from Mundo Gaturro. Compare/contrast with your own social interactions and culture.

• Identify at least three expressions or colloquial uses of the Spanish language from Argentina found in the game.

• Identify at least five examples of internet/text message slang or abbreviations used by other Gaturros.

• Identify at least five examples of words borrowed from the English language used in Mundo Gaturro.

• Identify at least five misspelled words used by other Gaturros (not classmates).

• Hold an extended chat with another Gaturro on a variety of topics. (Must be in Spanish with a Gaturro not from this school!) With whom did you chat? What were some of the topics you talked about?

• Get an item only available to someone with a passport. (Must be obtained from a Gaturro not from this school!)

• Complete one of the more complex temporary tasks in the game and receive the final reward. What was the task? What was the reward?How did you get it?

These are just a few activities. I’m sure you can think of more ways to use this with your students. In a future Helpful Hint I will tell you about how I have used Mundo Gaturro with several additional programs to provide students with spoken language opportunities, a key component missing from the game.

Helpful Hints - Irregular Preterites 5/6/2012

HELPFUL HINTS:  SPANISH

Song for Teaching Irregular Preterites:  Jackie Dubay - (Download this helpful hint as a PDF , Download an mp3 of Jackie singing the irregular preterite song)

Great Way to Introduce Irregular Stem Verbs in the Preterite Tense

Introducing the Irregular Stem Verbs in the preterite tense is one of my favorite lessons.  I use a song, learned from one of my own high school teachers, to introduce this lesson.  The song is to the tune of 10 Little Indians and lists 11 irregular stem verbs in the yo form.

I start out the lesson by introducing the song piece by piece.  I have students sing each piece back to me.  I will go on to the next piece, have students repeat after me, and then go through the two pieces together.  Sometimes I will point to students individually to recite back from me what they hear.  I do all of this before I give the students the handout.  After about 5-7 minutes of this, I will finally give students a handout with the song on it, and we will sing it all together so that they can look at the words.

The handout in the file above has the song typed out and requires students to list the original infinitive of the irregular stem yo form and the definition of that infinitive.  We go through this together.  Then the right side of the paper we go through the guided notes explaining these verbs and how they are conjugated.  My guided notes section is designed to be done after students have already learned the irregular preterite conjugations of ser, ir, dar, and ver.  If the order of your lessons is set up differently, I have also provided a handout without these notes.

Over the next couple classes we spend about 5 minutes practicing memorization of the song, in addition to our normal practice and review.  On the 4^th class, right before the quiz is administered, students are given an “extra credit opportunity” to recite the song from memory (they are told about this when the song is first introduced).  Students who volunteer and are successful earn 5% extra on their quiz.  I find that this is a great incentive for students to learn the song, which in turn helps them greatly on the quiz.  I usually have at least a handful of students that will recite the song from memory, and often these students don’t even really need the extra credit that they earn.  I am pleased to see how well all of the students do overall on this concept.