Su querido/a misterioso/a

Materials

• Magazine cut outs of people


• 2 brown paper bags

First, separate the pictures of men and women into two separate bags. Upon entering the classroom, the students will select one picture from one of the bags...the bags intended for female students with pictures of men will be labeled "Ni~as" and the bag intended for male students with pictures of females will be labeled "Ni~os." Upon selecting a picture, the students will then need to write a note to their best friend, describing the "secret admirer" whom they saw slipping a love letter into their locker (the "secret admirer" should be described as the person in the picture). Students must describe whether they think their "querido misterioso" is

• Alto o bajo


• Gordo o flaco


• Que es el color de su pelo?


• Que es el color de su ropa?


• Piensas que tu "querido misterioso" es simpatico? antipatico? inteligente? deportivo? Por que? (ex. a picture of a boy holding a soccer boy would be "un ni~o deportivo.")

I feel that this writing activity should take roughly 15 minutes, but I have been told that it will take longer. In this case, more time would be allowed. Students will then be invited to read their letter outloud to the class, and reveal the picture of their "querido misterioso." Fellow students can then discuss whether they agree or disagree with the letter (ex. "No estoy de acuerdo porque me gusto los ni~os con el pelo rubio").

This activity is intended as an activity for Spanish 1 students who are learning/reviewing descriptions of people and colors. However, it can also be used as an activity for students who are learning about different articles of clothing.

I believe this activity would also make a good review of descriptions for students who are learning the subjunctive (ex. "Espero que ella sea amable.").

This activity would also be fun to do around Valentine's Day....

Additional thoughts after doing the project myself....
The process of writing this letter to a friend describing the process of seeing someone drop a letter into your locker involves a LOT more preterite verb conjugation that I originally intended for it to. This activity might be better suited for Spanish 3 and 4 classes who are more adept at conjugating in the past tense, but still need to review descriptions and colors. In order to use this activity for a Spanish 1 class, I think I would need to adapt the instructions so that they simply list the person's characteristics; it may not be necessary to describe WHY a person is deportivo...if they are holding a a soccer ball, and the student can understand that they are deportivo, perhaps that is good enough?