NOTE:  This is part 4 of an ongoing series of posts about focusing on the present subjunctive with a story-based approach and compelling comprehensible input.  

The example in from a Spanish 3 class, but the principles apply to any language and any level.

 

We ask and probe and repeat all along the way, getting more and more repetitions with the target structures as we go.  After we get a suitable answer, I consolidate the ideas, verify the details and “report” the story back to the class as I understand it.  I can be corrected on details at any time if I make a mistake.  In fact, “making a mistake” is a good technique here, because then the class can speak up and correct me, which leads to more student buy in and further interesting repetitions.

Haley quiere que Marcus vaya a Paris con ella porque es una ciudad tan bonita.  A Haley le gusta París muchísimo y quiere que Marcus vaya con ella a verla.

[Haley wants Marcus to go to Paris with her because it is such a pretty city.  Haley likes Paris a whole lot and she wants Marcus to go with her to see it.]

In this case, I wanted something besides “Haley liked Paris.”  The students needed some help to get things going.  Marcus has a faint moustache, so when no one came up with a really good detail, I had to throw a crazy one in. So I said:

Clase, es obvio, Haley también quiere que vaya porque Marcus tiene un bigote al estilo francés.

[Class, it is obvious that Haley also wants Marcus to go because Marcus has a French style moustache.]

¡Y ella piensa que él estará de moda allí!

[And she thinks that he will be in style there!]

Clase, Kylee quiere que Marcus vaya a Paris?  No, Kylee no quiere que Marcus vaya a Paris.  Ella quiere que él vaya a otra parte.    ¿Adónde quiere Kylee que Marcus vaya? 

[Class, does Kylee want Marcus to go to Paris?  No, Kylee does not want Marcus to go to Paris.  She wants him to go someplace else.  Where does Kylee want Marcus to go?]

The class reminds us that it is Peru.  Even though this may seem like I am just playing dumb here, questions like this are often legitimate in my class.  I do not always remember every detail of every story.  It could be the next day by this time, and there have been other classes and other similar stories in between.  The class gets repetitions, engaging input and the smug satisfaction of reminding the dullard teacher what he said just yesterday.  ¡Es obvio, profe!

Sí, Kylee quiere que Marcus vaya a Perú con ella.  ¿Por qué Kylee quiere esto? 

¿Por qué Kylee quiere que él vaya a Perú con ella?

[Yes, Kylee wants Marcus to go to Peru with her.  Why does Kylee want this?

Why does Kylee want him to go to Peru with her?]

Here we go through the same process with Kylee.  Same amount of repetitions and questioning as with Haley.

Clase, es obvio, ¡a Kylee le gusta comer barbacoa!

[Class, it is obvious, Kylee likes to eat barbecue!]

I threw in this barbecue detail to personalize the story to our community.  People in our town tend to eat a lot of barbecue.  “Beef and Bean Day” is a major late summer celebration that coincided with the timing of this story.

Y especialmente a Kylee le gusta comer la barbacoa en Perú.  Así que ella quiere que Marcus vaya a Perú a comer barbacoa con ella.  Y a Kylee particularmente le gusta la barbacoa de llama.  Ella quiere que Marcus vaya a probarla con ella.  Ella quiere que Marcus vaya a Perú para comer barbacoa de llama.

[And Kylee especially likes to eat barbecue in Peru.  So she wants Marcus to go to Peru to eat barbecue with her.  And Kylee particularly likes to eat llama barbecue.  She wants Marcus to try it with her.  She wants Marcus to go to Peru in order to eat llama barbecue.]

Clase, ¿entonces qué va a hacer pobre Marcus?  Haley quiere que él vaya a París, y Kylee quiere que vaya a Perú.  ¿Qué son unas soluciones para este problema grave de Marcus?  ¿Existe una solución?  ¿Qué les parece, clase?  Quiero que piensen en esto, pero primero, repasemos el cuento hasta este punto.  ¿Bien?

[Class, then what is poor Marcus going to do?  Haley wants him to go to Paris, and Kylee wants him to go to Peru.  What are some solutions for this serious problem of Marcus?  Does a solution exist?  What does it seem to you all, class?  I want you to think about this, but first, let’s review the story up to this point.  OK?]

This question will set up the next brainstorming session, the solution to Marcus’ problem.  Notice too that I threw in another usage of the subjunctive, but this was just because it was appropriate.  It was comprehensible to them, but not a focus.  I would not expect them to reproduce it or even to notice it consciously.  At this point we will stop and backtrack here to check the details.  This backtracking will give the students more repetitions before they pair up to retell the story up to this point.  This gives us extra repetitions.  Here are some of the questions that the teacher might ask at this point:

¿Quién quiere que Marcus vaya con ella, Haley o Kylee?

[Who wants Marcus to go with her, Haley or Kylee?]

¿Haley quiere que Marcus vaya con ella o Kylee quiere que Marcus vaya con ella?

[Does Haley want to go with her, or does Kylee want Marcus to go with her?]

Both of these are kind of a dirty trick questions because an either/or answer will not work.  Each girl wants Marcus to go with just one of them.  We throw in these zingers to keep the students on their toes.

¿Marcus quiere que Kylee vaya con él?

[Does Marcus want Kylee to go with him?]

¿Marcus quiere que Haley vaya con él?

[Does Marcus want Haley to go with him?]

Answering those “no” questions sets us up for some more repetitions of our focus structure:

No, es obvio, Marcus no quiere que Kylee vaya con él, y tampoco quiere que Haley vaya con él.  [No, it is obvious.  Marcus doesn’t want Kylee to go, and neither does Marcus want Haley to go.

Kylee quiere que Marcus vaya con ella, y Haley quiere que Marcus vaya con ella.

[Kylee wants Marcus to go with her, and Haley wants Marcus to go with her.]

¿Quién quiere que el profesor de español vaya?

[Who wants the Spanish teacher to go?]

¿Kylee quiere que Marcus vaya o quiere que Haley vaya?

[Does Kylee want Marcus to go or does she want Haley to go?]

¿Kylee quiere que el profesor de español vaya?

[Does Kylee want the Spanish teacher to go?]

¿Adónde quiere Haley que Marcus vaya?

[Where does Haley want Marcus to go?]

¿Adónde quiere Kylee que Marcus vaya?                   

[Where does Kylee want Marcus to go?]

¿Por qué Haley quiere que Marcus vaya?

[Why does Haley want Marcus to go?]

¿Por qué Kylee quiere que Marcus vaya?

[Why does Kylee want Marcus to go?]

¿Cómo quiere que Marcus vaya?

[How does she want Marcus to go?]

¿Ella quiere que él vaya por tren?

[Does she want him to go by train?]

¿Ella quiere que vaya por avión?

[Does she want him to go by airplane?]

¿Ella quiere que él vaya por bicicleta?

[Does she want him to go by bicycle?]

Entonces, ¿cómo quiere que vaya?

[Then, how does she want him to go?]

Ella quiere que él vaya por barco.

[She wants him to go by boat.]

¿Haley quiere que Marcus vaya por barco, o quiere que Kylee vaya por barco?

[Does Haley want Marcus to go by boat, or does she want Kylee to go by boat?]