NOTE:  This is part 3 of an ongoing series of posts modeling and explaining how to focus 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.

Setting up the First Problem:

Using the Structure

When you begin to start using the structure you will be tempted to add some more grammar.  It will seem like they are getting it, so you will feel like adding more complexity to relieve YOUR boredom with the structure. 

When we do that we are focusing on the wrong thing.  We are not focusing on the students and we are not focusing on providing engaging input for them.  Keep it simple.  Do not insert too many new grammatical structures at once.  Resist the urge to pile on more grammar, because when you think they get it, they still don’t get it like they need to get it.

Clase, el problema grande que Marcus tiene es que Haley quiere que Marcus vaya con ella.

[Class, the big problem that Marcus has is that Haley wants Marcus to go with her.]

¿Haley quiere que Marcus vaya con ella?

[Does Haley want Marcus to go with her?]

I almost always start off a story this way: repeating the target structure or vocabulary immediately with a yes/no question.  This seems redundant but it underscores what we are working on.  They have to understand that phrase or the rest of what we do will be useless.

Sí, claro.  Haley quiere que Marcus vaya con ella.

[Yes, of course.  Hayley wants Marcus to go with her.]

Pero esto es  un problema, clase.  ¿Saben por qué?   ¡Porque Kylee también quiere que Marcus vaya con ella!

[But this is a problem, class.  Do you all know why?  Because Kylee also wants Marcus to go with her!]

The exclamations points here indicate enthusiasm in my voice and a demand that students respond intensely with “OH!”  We start the questioning and the class direction of the story in earnest here.  There will be MANY repetitions of the quiere que vaya form because that is the point of the lesson and also the fun part of the story.

Clase,  ¿Haley quiere que Marcus vaya con ella?

[Class, Does Haley want Marcus to go with her?]

¿Y Kylee quiere que él vaya con ella? 

[And Kylee wants him to go with her?]

¿Cuál es el problema de Marcus?

[What is Marcus’ problem?]

¿Adónde quieren las chicas que Marcus vaya?

[Where do the girls want Marcus to go?]

Clase,  ¿Haley quiere que Marcus vaya a un lugar, y Kylee quiere que él vaya a otro lugar?

[Class, Does Haley want Marcus to go to one place, and Kylee wants him to go to another place?]  

¿Adónde quieren que Marcus vaya?  No sabemos.  ¡Demos investigar esto un poco!

[Where do they want Marcus to go?  We do not know.  We must investigate this a bit!]

¿Adónde quiere Haley que Marcus vaya?

[Where does Haley want Marcus to go?]

Once the general situation that drives the grammar is established, the students flesh out the story with their details about the setting and the characters.  They give cute and creative answers that fit within the world we are creating in our story.  It becomes THEIR story.

This is when the rest of the students in the class get to show off their creativity as well as their awareness of what Haley might like.  This part can go on for several minutes.  We field many suggestions and I repeat and ask questions about them, but Haley is the expert on herself.  I do not turn to her and ask where she wants Marcus to go right away because if she were to decide, then that fact would be set in the story  We do not want a lame idea.  We want to hear some really good ideas from the class as well as get an opportunity to get in some repetitions of the target structure. 

Notice that Hayley does not get put on the spot having to come up with the ideas.  She just stands up front and gets attention from the class.  I repeat and clarify the class suggestions to make sure everything is comprehensible.  Haley gets to decide where she wants Marcus to go. She finally decides and even though they just heard her say it, I “report” her decision to the class.  This is a technique to build in more repetitions.

Clase, ¡Haley quiere que Marcus vaya a París con ella!

[Class, Haley wants Marcus to go to Paris with her!]

¿Haley quiere que Marcus vaya a París, Texas, o quiere que Marcus vaya Paris, Francia?

[Does Haley want Marcus to go to Paris, Texas, or does she want Marcus to go to Paris, France?]

¡Claro!  ¡Haley no quiere que Marcus vaya a París, Texas.  ¡Ella quiere que Marcus vaya Paris, Francia!

[Sure!  Haley does not want Marcus to go to Paris, Texas.  She wants Marcus to go to Paris, France!]

A question like this is just a cute way of getting more repetitions.

Clase, ¿Marcus quiere ir a París con Haley?

[Class, does Marcus want to go to Paris with Haley?]

This question is purposefully added to be sure that students are getting the difference in MEANING between quiere que vaya [wants him to go] and quiere ir [wants to go].   So after the class answers, I will immediately ask a student, “What does ‘¿Marcus quiere ir a París con Haley?’ mean in English?  We will return to this structure again to be sure that everybody gets it.

Marcus, Haley quiere que tú vayas a Paris con ella.  ¿Quieres ir a Paris con Haley?  Espérate un momentito, Marcus. Piénsalo por uno o dos minutos.  Primero, debemos encontrar adónde quiere que te vayas Kylee.

[Marcus, Haley wants you to go to Paris with her.  Do you want to go to Paris with Haley?  Wait just a moment, Marcus.  Think about it for a couple of minutes.  First, we must find out where Kylee wants you to go.]

Grammar Point:  The question is put to Marcus directly to easily contrast the difference in meaning between quiere que vaya [wants him to go] with quiere ir [he wants to go].

Storytelling Point:  I keep talking so that Marcus does not have time to tell us his decision. We want to talk about Kylee a bit more before turning to Marcus for his final decision.

¿Adónde quiere Kylee que Marcus vaya?

[Where does Kylee want Marcus to go?]

We go through the same process with Kylee.  It must be a different place, although it could be something similar and funny like Paris, Texas.  After rejecting a few lame ideas, we come up with Peru.  I act like that was the answer all along.

¡Correcto!  Clase, Kylee quiere que Marcus vaya a Perú con ella.

[Correct!  Class, Kylee wants Marcus to go to Peru with her.]

¿Perú?  Me pregunto ¿por qué Kylee quiere que Marcus vaya a Perú con ella?

Peru?  I wonder why Kylee wants Marcus to go to Peru with her?

Once we have established where they want Marcus to go we have to find out why, so we turn back to Haley, ask a question and fish for some more details.

Clase, ¿Marcus quiere ir a Perú con Kylee?

[Class, does Marcus want to go to Paris with Kylee?]

This is a repetition of the earlier question to be sure they are getting the difference in MEANING between quiere que vaya [wants him to go] and quiere ir [wants to go], but this time we tease it out a bit.  So I will directly ask a slower processing student, “What does ‘¿Marcus quiere ir a Perú con Kylee?’ mean in English?”  I will then ask a middle level student the slightly more abstract and less contextual question, “What does ‘quiere ir’ mean?”

Clase, otra vez, ¿adónde quiere Haley que Marcus vaya con ella?

[Class, once again, where does Haley want Marcus to go with her?]

¡Correcto!  ¡Haley quiere que Marcus vaya a Paris!

[Correct!  Haley wants Marcus to go to Paris!]

Clase, ahora tenemos dos preguntas:

[Class, now we have two questions:]

¿Por qué Haley quiere ir a París?  Y ¿por qué quiere que Marcus vaya a Paris con ella?

[Why does Haley want to go to Paris? And why does she want Marcus to go to Paris with her?]

Notice how much back and forth is going on here.  Students are not just sitting there passively listening to their wacky teacher go on and on in Spanish.  This is not a lecture.  Inventing a story together with a class is not a passive activity for students like a lecture can be.  Creating a class story involves analyzing, evaluating and designing—the highest levels of thinking in the New Bloom’s Taxonomy.