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Spanish phonics collection�

SSC [ge], [gi] ('soft G')

�Date updated: 08 / 08 / 22

Nick Avery / Rachel Hawkes / Amanda Izquierdo / Emma Fletcher / Blatchington Mill School Hub Teachers / Victoria Hobson

�Artwork: Mark Davies

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SSC [ge], [gi] ('soft G')

fonética

Introduction

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ge�

gente

Nick Avery

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�

Nick Avery

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ge�

gente

Nick Avery

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�

Nick Avery

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ge�

gente

Nick Avery

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�

Nick Avery

6 of 59

ge

gente

imagen

gesto

generalmente

[generally]

recoger

argentino

Nick Avery

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�

Nick Avery

Timing: 2 minutes

�Aim: To introduce/consolidate SSC [ge]

�Procedure:

Introduce and elicit the pronunciation of the individual SSC [ge] and then the source word again ‘gente’ (with gesture, if using).

Then present and elicit the pronunciation of the five cluster words.��

The cluster words have been chosen for their high-frequency, from a range of word classes, with the SSC (where possible) positioned within a variety of syllables within the words (e.g. initial, 2^nd, final etc.). Additionally, we have tried to use words that build cumulatively on previously taught SSCs (see the Phonics Teaching Sequence document) and do not include new SSCs. Where new SSCs are used, they are often consonants which have a similar symbol-sound correspondence in English.��

Word frequency (1 is the most frequent word in Spanish): �gente [137]; imagen [384]; gesto [928]; generalmente [1387]; recoger [828]; argentino [1032]

Source: Davies, M. & Davies, K. (2018). A frequency dictionary of Spanish: Core vocabulary for learners (2nd ed.). Routledge: London

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ge

gente

imagen

gesto

generalmente

recoger

argentino

Nick Avery

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�

Nick Avery

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ge

gente

imagen

gesto

generalmente

recoger

argentino

Nick Avery

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�

Nick Avery

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gi�

imaginar

Nick Avery

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�

Nick Avery

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gi�

imaginar

Nick Avery

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�

Nick Avery

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gi�

imaginar

Nick Avery

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�

Nick Avery

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gi

imaginar

elegir

religión

página

47

48

original

P57

Versión original

colegio

Nick Avery

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�

Nick Avery

Timing: 2 minutes

�Aim: To introduce/consolidate SSC [gi]

�Procedure:

Introduce and elicit the pronunciation of the individual SSC [gi] and then the source word again ‘imaginar’ (with gesture, if using).

Then present and elicit the pronunciation of the five cluster words.��

The cluster words have been chosen for their high-frequency, from a range of word classes, with the SSC (where possible) positioned within a variety of syllables within the words (e.g. initial, 2^nd, final etc.). Additionally, we have tried to use words that build cumulatively on previously taught SSCs (see the Phonics Teaching Sequence document) and do not include new SSCs. Where new SSCs are used, they are often consonants which have a similar symbol-sound correspondence in English.��

Word frequency (1 is the most frequent word in Spanish): �imaginar [500]; elegir [561]; religión [1338]; página [598]; original [1122]; colegio [628]

��Source: Davies, M. & Davies, K. (2018). A frequency dictionary of Spanish: Core vocabulary for learners (2nd ed.). Routledge: London

�

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gi

imaginar

elegir

religión

página

original

P57

colegio

Nick Avery

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�

Nick Avery

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gi

imaginar

elegir

religión

página

original

colegio

Nick Avery

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�

Nick Avery

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Fonética

leer / hablar

60

Segundos

0

INICIO

imagen

religión

elegir

recoger

página

gente

gesto

imaginar

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escuchar / escribir

Girona

Una conversación entre amigos

¿Dónde está Tomás?

Está en ___rona. Estudia allí.

¿___rona?

Sí, es una ciudad en España. Tengo una ima___n – ¡aquí!

Ah, ¡es una ciudad antigua!

Muy antigua. Tiene tres iglesias y una plaza en el centro.

Y la ___nte, ¿cómo es?

Es inteli____nte. Lee libros y estudia mucho.

¿Qué estudia?

Estudia de todo - ciencias, inglés, español, arte, y reli___ón.

Phonics activity

Timing: 6 minutes

Aim: to practise mapping sound to spelling in a longer text; to revisit previously taught vocabulary

Procedure:

Students listen and complete the dialogue with the target SSCs ‘GI’ and ‘GE’
See next slide for completed version (with all the missing SSCs)

Notes:

This dialogue can also be used for a dictation or for a read aloud in pairs.
The fully readable text (i.e., a text that includes 100% or near to 100% previously taught language) could be used for a dictation. All words except ‘de todo’ have previously been encountered as vocabulary items or phonics practice words.
To help students understand ‘de’ todo’, use slightly exaggerated intonation here and when listing the subjects that follow. This should be sufficient to elicit the meaning from students.

Photo by Fikri Rasyid on Unsplash

Transcript:

¿Dónde está Tomás? Está en Girona. Estudia allí. ¿Girona? Sí, es una ciudad en España. Tengo una imagen – ¡aquí! Ah, ¡es una ciudad antigua! Muy antigua. Tiene tres iglesias y una plaza en el centro. Y la gente, ¿cómo es? Es inteligente. Lee libros y estudia mucho. ¿Qué estudia? Estudia de todo - ciencias, inglés, español, arte, y religión.

Word frequency (1 is the most frequent word in Spanish): �centro [316]; plaza [806]; iglesia [437]; ciudad [178]; gente [137]; imagen [384]; estudiar [281]; español¹ [262]; inglés¹ [583]; arte [208]; ciencia(s) [738]; religión [1338]

Source: Davies, M. & Davies, K. (2018). A frequency dictionary of Spanish: Core vocabulary for learners (2nd ed.). Routledge: London

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Una conversación entre amigos

Girona

¿Dónde está Tomás?

Está en Girona. Estudia allí.

¿Girona?

Sí, es una ciudad en España. Tengo una imagen – ¡aquí!

Ah, ¡es una ciudad antigua!

Muy antigua. Tiene tres iglesias y una plaza en el centro.

Y la gente, ¿cómo es?

Es inteligente. Lee libros y estudia mucho.

¿Qué estudia?

Estudia de todo - ciencias, inglés, español, arte, y religión.

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�

Nick Avery

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escuchar

A. Y la gente, ¿cómo es?

B. Estudia de todo – ciencias, inglés, español, arte, y religión.

C. Muy antigua. Tiene tres iglesias y una plaza en el centro.

F. ¿Girona?

G. Ah, ¡es una ciudad antigua!

H. Sí, es una ciudad en España. Tengo una imagen – ¡aquí!

D. ¿Dónde está Tomás?

I. ¿Qué estudia?

E. Es inteligente. Lee libros y estudia mucho.

J. Está en Girona. Estudia allí.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

D

J

F

H

G

C

A

E

I

B

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SSC [ge], [gi] ('soft G')

fonética

Consolidation [1]

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Fonética

escuchar / escribir

Escucha y escribe la palabra. ¿Es [ge], [gi] o [j]? Luego, escribe la frase en inglés.

La ______ está _____ de la ______.

El chico es _____ .

Es un ______ muy _______ .

El _______ en _______ es ______.

¿Puedes _________ un _______ ____?

El chico __________ está en el _______.

mujer

lejos

gente

bajo

dibujo

original

trabajo

parejas

mejor

imaginar

pájaro

rojo

argentino

colegio

1

2

3

4

5

6

Can you imagine a red bird?

The woman is far from the people.

The boy is short.

The drawing is very original.

(The) work in pairs is better.

The Argentinian boy is in the school.

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ge

gente

imagen

gesto

generalmente

[generally]

recoger

argentino

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�

Nick Avery

Timing: 2 minutes

�Aim: To consolidate SSC [ge]

�Procedure:

Recap and elicit the pronunciation of the individual SSC [ge] and then the source word again ‘gente’ (with gesture, if using).

Then present and elicit the pronunciation of the five cluster words.��

The cluster words have been chosen for their high-frequency, from a range of word classes, with the SSC (where possible) positioned within a variety of syllables within the words (e.g. initial, 2^nd, final etc.). Additionally, we have tried to use words that build cumulatively on previously taught SSCs (see the Phonics Teaching Sequence document) and do not include new SSCs. Where new SSCs are used, they are often consonants which have a similar symbol-sound correspondence in English.��

Word frequency (1 is the most frequent word in Spanish): �gente [137]; imagen [384]; gesto [928]; generalmente [1387]; recoger [828]; argentino [1032]

Source: Davies, M. & Davies, K. (2018). A frequency dictionary of Spanish: Core vocabulary for learners (2nd ed.). Routledge: London

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ge

gente

imagen

gesto

generalmente

recoger

argentino

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�

Nick Avery

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ge

gente

imagen

gesto

generalmente

recoger

argentino

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�

Nick Avery

24 of 59

gi

imaginar

elegir

religión

página

47

48

original

P57

Versión original

colegio

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�

Nick Avery

Timing: 2 minutes

�Aim: To consolidate SSC [gi]

�Procedure:

Recap and elicit the pronunciation of the individual SSC [gi] and then the source word again ‘imaginar’ (with gesture, if using).

Then present and elicit the pronunciation of the five cluster words.��

The cluster words have been chosen for their high-frequency, from a range of word classes, with the SSC (where possible) positioned within a variety of syllables within the words (e.g. initial, 2^nd, final etc.). Additionally, we have tried to use words that build cumulatively on previously taught SSCs (see the Phonics Teaching Sequence document) and do not include new SSCs. Where new SSCs are used, they are often consonants which have a similar symbol-sound correspondence in English.��

Word frequency (1 is the most frequent word in Spanish): �imaginar [500]; elegir [561]; religión [1338]; página [598]; original [1122]; colegio [628]

��Source: Davies, M. & Davies, K. (2018). A frequency dictionary of Spanish: Core vocabulary for learners (2nd ed.). Routledge: London

�

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gi

imaginar

elegir

religión

página

original

P57

colegio

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�

Nick Avery

26 of 59

gi

imaginar

elegir

religión

página

original

colegio

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�

Nick Avery

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Fonética

Escucha y marca. ¿Escuchas [ge], [gi] o [j]?

	ge	gi	j
1.				generalmente	Generally dogs are good.
2.				hijo	S/he speaks with the son.
3.				julio	Where are you in July?
4.				páginas	The homework is many pages long.
5.				elegir	It’s normal to choose a cheap product.
6.				imágenes	The books have quite beautiful images.
7.				religion	It’s an old religion.
8.				jugar	It’s good to play with the grandmother.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

la palabra

la frase en inglés

Remember that [soft g] and [j] sound the same, so the spelling will depend on the word!

(literally, ‘has a lot of pages’).

escuchar / escribir

Timing: 8 min.

Aim: As the ‘soft’ G and J sound the same, students will need to learn that spelling here is word knowledge and not SSC knowledge. In this case, the audio is provided to reinforce the sound of the SSC, rather than to give a cue for correct spelling.

Procedure:

Students should copy down the grid.
Teachers play the audio once by clicking on the number button. Students need to tick the SSC and write the missing word in Spanish.
Teachers play it again and students write the sentence in English.
Answers are shown for each sentence, one by one, by clicking. The answers for the SSC are shown first for 1-8, then the words, and finally the English translations.
Teachers can pllay the audio again each time so students can listen and read at the same time.

Transcript:

Generalmente los perros son buenos.
Habla con el hijo.
¿Dónde estás en julio?
Los deberes tienen muchas páginas.
Es normal elegir un producto barato.
Los libros tienen imágenes bastante bonitas.
Es una religión antigua.
Es bueno jugar con la abuela.

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SSC [ge], [gi] ('soft G')

fonética

Consolidation [2]

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ge�

gente

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�

Nick Avery

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ge�

gente

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�

Nick Avery

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ge�

gente

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�

Nick Avery

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ge�

gente

imagen

gesto

generalmente

[generally]

recoger

argentino

[Argentinian]

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�

Nick Avery

Timing: 2 minutes

�Aim: To consolidate SSC [ge]

�Procedure:

Recap and elicit the pronunciation of the individual SSC [ge] and then the source word again ‘gente’ (with gesture, if using).

Then present and elicit the pronunciation of the five cluster words.��

The cluster words have been chosen for their high-frequency, from a range of word classes, with the SSC (where possible) positioned within a variety of syllables within the words (e.g. initial, 2^nd, final etc.). Additionally, we have tried to use words that build cumulatively on previously taught SSCs (see the Phonics Teaching Sequence document) and do not include new SSCs. Where new SSCs are used, they are often consonants which have a similar symbol-sound correspondence in English.��

Word frequency (1 is the most frequent word in Spanish): �gente [137]; imagen [384]; gesto [928]; generalmente [1387]; recoger [828]; argentino [1032]

Source: Davies, M. & Davies, K. (2018). A frequency dictionary of Spanish: Core vocabulary for learners (2nd ed.). Routledge: London

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ge�

gente

imagen

gesto

generalmente

recoger

argentino

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�

Nick Avery

34 of 59

ge�

gente

imagen

gesto

generalmente

recoger

argentino

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�

Nick Avery

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gi�

imaginar

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�

Nick Avery

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gi�

imaginar

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�

Nick Avery

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gi�

imaginar

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�

Nick Avery

38 of 59

gi�

imaginar

elegir

religión

página

47

48

original

colegio

Versión original

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�

Nick Avery

Timing: 2 minutes

�Aim: To consolidate SSC [gi]

�Procedure:

Recap and elicit the pronunciation of the individual SSC [gi] and then the source word again ‘imaginar’ (with gesture, if using).

Then present and elicit the pronunciation of the five cluster words.��

The cluster words have been chosen for their high-frequency, from a range of word classes, with the SSC (where possible) positioned within a variety of syllables within the words (e.g. initial, 2^nd, final etc.). Additionally, we have tried to use words that build cumulatively on previously taught SSCs (see the Phonics Teaching Sequence document) and do not include new SSCs. Where new SSCs are used, they are often consonants which have a similar symbol-sound correspondence in English.��

Word frequency (1 is the most frequent word in Spanish): �imaginar [500]; elegir [561]; religión [1338]; página [598]; original [1122]; colegio [628]

��Source: Davies, M. & Davies, K. (2018). A frequency dictionary of Spanish: Core vocabulary for learners (2nd ed.). Routledge: London

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gi

imaginar

elegir

religión

página

original

colegio

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�

Nick Avery

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gi

imaginar

elegir

religión

página

original

colegio

Material licensed as CC BY-NC-SA 4.0�

Nick Avery

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¿ GE o GI ?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

Escucha y escribe ge o gi.

elegir

gesto

imaginar

colegio

imagen

gente

generalmente

original

página

recoger

religión

argentino

ele_ _r

_ _sto

ima_ _nar

cole_ _o

ima_ _n

_ _nte

_ _neralmente

ori_ _nal

pá_ _na

reco_ _r

reli_ _ón

ar_ _ntino

escuchar

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¿ GE o GI ?

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

Escucha y escribe ge o gi.

elegir

gesto

imaginar

colegio

imagen

gente

generalmente

original

página

recoger

religión

argentino

escuchar

43 of 59

¿Qué significan las palabras?

gente

imaginar

colegio

imagen

elegir

gesto

recoger

generalmente

original

religión

página

argentino

to choose, choosing

gesture

to imagine, imagining

school

image

people

generally

original

page

to pick up, picking up

religion

Argentinian

?

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Una familia argentina famosa

Maradona con la Copa del Mundo de 1986.

Diego Armando Maradona es un exfutbolista argentino.

Ahora, dirige* a Gimnasia de la Plata, un equipo de la Superliga Argentina.

Tiene una hija, Giannina.

Giannina tiene un hijo con Sergio Agüero, otro futbolista argentino.

* manages

ge

gi

Names can be exceptions!�The ‘gi’ in Giannina is pronounced a bit like ‘hee’ or ‘yee’, depending on the Spanish-speaking country.

leer

Timing: 3 minutes

Aim: speaking and reading practice for words including the SSCs [ge] and [gi]

Procedure:

There is an alternative option on the next slide. Non-audio version of the texts are on this slide – see next slide for audio version. This could be used as a read aloud task by students. Click to show each section of the text.
A call out is revealed showing a detail of the pronunciation of Giannina Agüero.
Encourage students to think about the translations into English to see if they can arrive at a full comprehension. Words are either from previous vocab sets or source/cluster words, plus some cognates and names, however, dirige is given in a gloss as this is unknown to students.

Notes: Giannina is an exception to the ‘gi’ SSC, explained in the speech bubble. The name has Italian origins (62.5% of Argentinians have Italian heritage), but the pronunciation is not 100% Italian either. Click on Giannina’s picture to hear the name pronounced by an Argentinian.

Facts from Wikipedia, true to best of our knowledge at the time of writing. Source: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diego_Armando_Maradona

Update: Maradona died in November 2020.

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Una familia argentina famosa

Maradona con la Copa del Mundo de 1986.

Diego Armando Maradona es un exfutbolista argentino.

Ahora, dirige* a Gimnasia de la Plata, un equipo de la Superliga Argentina.

Tiene una hija, Giannina.

Giannina tiene un hijo con Sergio Agüero, otro futbolista argentino.

* manages

ge

gi

1

2

3

Names can be exceptions!�The ‘gi’ in Giannina is pronounced a bit like ‘hee’ or ‘yee’, depending on the Spanish-speaking country.

‘Argentino’ is an adjective. The ending can change, depending on the gender and number of the noun.

eer

escuchar

Timing: 4 minutes

Aim: listening activity to practise distinguishing between SSCs [ge] and [gi]

Procedure:

This is an alternative listening activity to the previous slide. Students listen and complete the texts with the target SSCs [ge] and [gi].
Click the number button to play the recording for each box. Click to go through the answers before moving on to the next box.
Two call outs with additional information are revealed after showing the last answer.
These texts can also be used for a dictation or for a read aloud in pairs. Students will have to recall the [ge] and [gi] SSCs, which are missing.

Notes

Giannina is an exception to the ‘gi’ SSC, explained in the speech bubble. It is a popular name in Latin America. The name has Italian origins (62.5% of Argentinians have Italian heritage), but the pronunciation is not 100% Italian either. Click on Giannina’s picture to hear the name pronounced by an Argentinian (pronounced like ‘hee’). The audio embedded in the three action buttons was recorded by a Spanish native speaker from the Canary Islands who naturally pronounces this as a ‘yee’.

Facts from Wikipedia, true to best of our knowledge as at April 2020. Source: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diego_Armando_Maradona

46 of 59

SSC [ge], [gi] ('soft G')

fonética

Consolidation [3]

47 of 59

Fonética

escuchar / escribir

Escucha las palabras. ¿Escuchas [ge] o [gi]?

Completa cada palabra.

prote _ _ r

re _ _ istro

estrate _ _ a

_ _ rar

_ _ stión

diri _ _ nte

_ _ nero

exi _ _ r

ré _ _ men

su _ _ rir

g e

g i

g e

g é

g i

g e

1

2

3

4

5

[to protect]

[register, record]

[strategy]

[management]

[to turn]

[leader]

6

7

8

9

10

[sort, gender]

[to demand]

[regime, diet]

[to suggest]

Phonics��Timing: 5 minutes

Aim: To revisit SSCs [ge], [gi]

Procedure:�1. Students listen to the recording and complete the words with ‘ge’ or ‘gi’ depending on what they hear. There is the option to transcribe the whole word. To do so, students turn away from the board.

2. Teacher clicks to bring up the Spanish gapped words, and English meanings.�3. Teacher plays either the full recording (inserted with mp3 player with playback control) or individual words by clicking the action buttons. With the full recording, students hear each word twice..�4. Teacher clicks to reveal answers

Transcription:

proteger
registro
estrategia
gestión
girar
dirigente
género
exigir
régimen
sugerir

Note: these words have not been previously taught. The aim is not to rely on word knowledge and focus on SSC knowledge instead.

Frequency of unknown/glossed words (1 is the most common word in Spanish):

proteger [1107]; registro [1963]; estrategia [1460]; gestión [1454]; girar [1416]; dirigente [1360]; género [1238]; exigir [854]; régimen [1167]; sugerir [1680].

Source: Davies, M. & Davies, K. (2018). A frequency dictionary of Spanish: Core vocabulary for learners (2nd ed.). Routledge: London

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hablar / escuchar

Fonética

Trabajamos en parejas.

El estudiante A lee las palabras en cada serie. You can try to read the words fast!

El estudiante B escribe el orden que escucha.

Ejemplo:

1	genial - julio - argentino

1	a) Argentinian b) great c) july

Estudiante A habla:

genial, julio, argentino

Estudiante B escribe el orden:

b c a

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hablar / escuchar

Fonética / Vocabulario

	Lee las palabras en cada serie
1	gesto – trabajar - página
2	coger – pareja - Argentina
3	paisaje – juntos - viaje
4	elegir – recoger - mejor

		¿Cuál es el orden que escuchas?
1	a) image b) people c) player
2	a) mirror b) religion �c) red
3	a) july b) game �c) to leave
4	a) generally �b) I choose c) great

Estudiante A

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hablar / escuchar

Fonética / Vocabulario

	Lee las palabras en cada serie
1	jugador – imagen - gente
2	espejo – rojo - religión
3	dejar – juego - julio
4	elijo – genial - generalmente

		¿Cuál es el orden que escuchas?
1	a) to work b) gesture c) page
2	a) to catch b) Argentina c) partner
3	a) trip b) together � c) landscape
4	a) better b) to choose c) to collect

Estudiante B

51 of 59

hablar / escuchar

Fonética / Vocabulario

	Lee las palabras en cada serie
1	gesto – trabajar - página
2	coger – pareja - Argentina
3	paisaje – juntos - viaje
4	elegir – recoger - mejor

		¿Cuál es el orden que escuchas?
1	a) image b) people c) player
2	a) mirror b) religion �c) red
3	a) july b) game �c) to leave
4	a) generally �b) I choose c) great

Estudiante A - Solución

c a b

a c b

c b a

b c a

52 of 59

hablar / escuchar

Fonética / Vocabulario

	Lee las palabras en cada serie
1	jugador – imagen - gente
2	espejo – rojo - religión
3	dejar – juego - julio
4	elijo – genial - generalmente

		¿Cuál es el orden que escuchas?
1	a) to work b) gesture c) page
2	a) to catch b) Argentina c) partner
3	a) trip b) together c) landscape
4	a) better b) to choose c) to collect

Estudiante B - Solución

b a c

a c b

c b a

b c a

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SSC [ge], [gi] ('soft G')

fonética

Consolidation [4]

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Fonética

Lee y escucha este mensaje de Daniel sobre las tradiciones durante la Navidad. Escribe las palabras que faltan: ¿escuchas gue, ge, gui o gi?

El último día de 1) ________ en diciembre 2) ______________ hacemos una 3) __________ en clase. Normalmente también

4) ____________ 5) _________ para repartir a los niños porque es bueno ser 6) ___________ y así es un día 7) _________ para todos.

Luego aprendemos cómo la 8) _______ celebra la Navidad en otros países. Mi compañero 9) ________ es 10) ___________ y dice que allí 11) _______ figuras con forma de personas y las tiran a unas 12) __________.

guirnalda

colegio

generalmente

leer / escuchar

hogueras.

argentino

recogemos

cogen

*guirnalda = wreath

*hoguera = bonfire

*mágico = magic

*argentino = Argentinian

*juguete = toy

*generoso = generous

mágico

generosos

Miguel

juguetes

gente

Timing: 7 minutes.

Aim: to practise written recall (either receptive or productive) of 12 words which contain the SSCs [gue], [ge], [gui] and [gi]

Procedure:�1. Students read and listen to the message and try to fill in the gaps.

2. Teacher reveals the answers with further clicks.

3. Students are encouraged to discuss the meaning of the text orally.

Transcript:

El último día de colegio en diciembre generalmente hacemos una guirnalda en clase. Luego aprendemos cómo la gente celebra la Navidad en otros países. Mi compañero Miguel es argentino y dice que allí cogen figuras con forma de personas y las tiran a unas hogueras. Normalmente también recogemos juguetes para repartir a los niños porque es bueno ser generosos y así es un día mágico para todos.

Notes:

More information about the Argentinian tradition of burning figures can be found here: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quema_de_mu%C3%B1ecos_de_fin_de_a%C3%B1o

Word frequency (1 is the most frequent word in Spanish):

guirnalda [>5000]; hoguera [>5000]; mágico [2518]; argentino [1032]; juguete [3162]; generoso [3193]

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Miguel, el *guerrero portugués, toca la guitarra y baila merengue.��Ángel de Gerona usa *poderes mágicos en el colegio para pasar las páginas.��Generalmente, la gente de Argentina es genial, inteligente y generosa.��

hablar

Tongue twisters

1

2

3

1

2

3

1

2

3

*guerrero = warrior

*poder = power

El merengue es un tipo de música para bailar de la República Dominicana.

A tonguetwister

Timing: 5 mins

Aim: to gain confidence in practising the SSCs [gue] / [ge] vs [gui] / [gi] in sentences

Procedure:

The teacher first asks students to read the short text and think about what it means.
The teacher reads the text aloud in fragments, eliciting the meanings from students. A number of new words are included.
Students then practise saying the sentence in pairs, at increasing speed.
The teacher can challenge students to listen to a native speaker read the text at three different speeds (1=slow; 3=very fast). Each time, students can be challenged to say it at the same speed.

Notes:

The teacher can show a brief definition of ‘merengue’ with one click, and it will disappear with a further click.

Frequency rankings of unknown words and cognates (1 is the most common word in Spanish):

guerrero [2648]; merengue [>5000]; poder [352]; generoso [3193]

Source: Davies, M. & Davies, K. (2018). A frequency dictionary of Spanish: Core vocabulary for learners (2nd ed.). Routledge: London

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SSC [ge], [gi] ('soft G')

fonética

Consolidation [5]

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leer / hablar

Fonética

Remember: ‘ge’ and ‘je’ are pronounced the same.

Lee la primera parte del texto con tu pareja. ¡Debes pronunciar las palabras con ‘ge’ y ‘je’ correctamente!

“Mi hermano Jorge Jesús y yo somos cubanos, pero vivimos en los Estados Unidos. Nuestra casa está en Miami, Florida, en una zona generalmente de población cubana. Hay mucha gente extranjera aquí. Asistimos a un colegio genial donde aprendemos muchas cosas y hacemos ejercicio. Por ejemplo, leemos y escribimos textos sobre personajes* actuales y corremos en el parque. Cuando salimos de clase cogemos el autobús y volvemos a casa”.

*personaje = character (e.g. in a film), celebrity

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Pronuncia cada palabra correctamente.

salvaje

generación

generoso

inteligente

ejército

jefe

tarjeta

gesto

hablar

garaje

mensaje

paisaje

agente

[garage]

[boss]

[generous]

[wild]

[agent]

[army]

[intelligent]

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Ahora lee el texto con tu pareja para practicar la pronunciación. ¡Atención a las palabras con ‘ge’ y ‘je’!

leer / hablar

a) Ambos nacimos en La Habana, crecimos en el mismo barrio y asistimos a la misma escuela. ¡Pasamos mucho tiempo juntos! Durante varios años disfrutamos una vida simple.

b) Sí, compartimos muchas experiencias y vivimos momentos muy felices. Un día empezamos una relación y poco después consideramos ser marido y mujer. Pensamos en crear una familia y comprar una casa en nuestro barrio. Entonces celebramos una boda* muy bonita, ¡invitamos a mucha gente!

a) Y un año después decidimos tener un hijo, vuestro padre Gerardo y, más tarde, vuestra tía Jezabel. Pero entonces empezamos a ver muchos cambios políticos en el país y perdimos el derecho a dar nuestra opinión.

b) Pues sí, no soportamos la situación. Estudiamos las opciones y elegimos huir del país. Organizamos un equipaje* ligero y escapamos urgentemente.

a) Durante el viaje a Estados Unidos reconocimos a unos amigos cubanos y los ayudamos a cruzar la frontera. Llegamos todos juntos con muchas dudas, pero también con esperanza. Finalmente, cumplimos nuestro sueño.

boda* = wedding

equipaje* = luggage