Erin McGuire. EME 6930 Summer 2009 Flash- Dr. Hohlfeld. Final Paper. Conjugating AR verbs in Spanish

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1 Erin McGuire EME 6930 Summer 2009 Flash- Dr. Hohlfeld Final Paper Conjugating AR verbs in Spanish

2 Conjugating AR verbs in Spanish Description of the Client/ Organization: Manatee County, Florida, has dedicated itself to integrating technology into the classroom in every way possible. The local board is employing teachers to integrate technology into the classrooms and create units that can be used as support materials on local computers or in the classroom as teaching resources. Currently, the county has 42,000 students in 34 elementary, 10 middle schools, and 7 high schools. All high schools offer Spanish courses and a few of the middle schools offer Spanish as an elective. Elementary Spanish is not offered in the county. Two foreign language credits are required to graduate with a college preparatory diploma from the county high school. Description of the Problem: As an experienced Spanish teacher, I have been asked to create an interactive, fun way to present the conjugation of AR verbs in the present tense. An AR verb in Spanish is an word that shows action in the infinitive form and ends with an ar. In Spanish there are three types of action verbs in the present tense; AR, ER and IR. AR verb conjugation is the first verb conjugation that students need to learn in beginning Spanish classes. Many times it is a hard concept to learn, because the students are new to foreign language instruction and it is a dry topic to teach that requires much repetition. They have asked me to create an instructional unit that explains the conjugation in a visual way and has interactive practice for the students to do as a class and then independently. They would also like the option to have a quiz module to use as a review at the end of instruction and practice. Their goal is to help the students learn an essential topic through a fun and playful way that helps the students understand how to conjugate without it being tedious and boring. Target Audience: The target audience is first year Spanish learners in middle school, freshman or sophomore years in high school. These students will be enrolled in a beginner Spanish class that is either in person or online. Cognitive Characteristics: Generally these students will range from middle to very high intelligence. In order to take a foreign language most students are on the college bound track and are successful in the classroom. From my experience it is typical for these students to skip directions or not read long instructions or explanations. They try to rush into completing the assignment or activity. This program will be based on verbal and visual interactions and instructions. Physical Characteristics: The physical characteristics of this group will vary greatly. The age will range in age from years. There may be some that need special assistance, and this program will deliver the lesson in multiple learning modes to allow for the variety of learning abilities and styles. Affective Characteristics: Learning a foreign language many times is looked at as difficult, boring or unnecessary by these students. Many middle school students are 1

3 unmotivated to participate in a Spanish class. This program will help motivate by taking a topic that is boring and make it exciting. Social Characteristics: By nature these students are very social and possibly embarrassed in front of their peers. Starting a foreign language during this time frame in student s lives can be very difficult. Many times pronunciation or vocabulary mistakes lead to embarrassment. Technical skills required: Most middle school and high school students are very capable using the computer and the newest technology. This program will be delivered in a classroom setting or online as a tutorial. It will require basic computer skills that most students already have. Learning Goals: Students will recognize AR verbs in the infinitive form when given a list of vocabulary words. When given a subject and AR verb, students will be able to change the ending to the correct form of the verb. When given a sentence with an un-conjugated AR verb, students will be able to choose the correct ending for the indicated subject. Although students, who have had Spanish before, will be a plus, this program will be designed for the beginning student who has little or no knowledge of the language. This instruction/lesson will fall within the first quarter of typical Spanish I classes. It will assume that the students have already been introduced to the subject of pronouns in Spanish. Because this is a beginning or introductory program, the design of the instruction will be simple and clear with a lot of practice. Description of Project This project will be an instructional unit that explains the conjugation of an AR verb in a visual way and has interactive practice for the students to do as a class and then independently. There will be a quiz module to use as a review at the end of instruction and practice. This will help the students learn an essential topic through a fun and playful way that helps the students understand how to conjugate without it being tedious and boring. This project will be created in flash, designed for use in a classroom setting, on an interactive white board, or on individual computers delivered over the web. Task Analysis: The learner will: 1. Match the English pronouns with the Spanish pronouns 2. Identify AR verbs from a random list of words 3. Identify the parts of the verb 4. Add the correct ending to the verb that matches the given subject 5. Be able to distinguish if a verb is conjugated correctly 2

4 Prerequisite skills: To participate in this application, students will need to know the subject pronouns in Spanish. They are yo, tú, usted, ustedes, ellos, ellas, nosotros, nosotras, él, and ella. They will need to be able to take a noun and replace it with the subject pronoun. For example: take my friend and replace it with él or ella depending upon if the friend is a girl or boy. The students should also understand the concept of a verb in English. Additionally, the student will need to know how to navigate a computer using a mouse or electronic white board. Design Analysis: Because this is such a dry subject to teach in the first few months of learning Spanish, the design needs to be fun and entertaining while reinforcing the concepts. There will have to be some direct instruction presented through video and screen captures or animation. Flash will be used to create the assessment and the practice activities of the program. The more active and entertained the students will be the higher level of learning will occur. The students will be evaluated by a final quiz on conjugation using flash. This program will be designed within flash. Technical Analysis: Development Analysis: I will be the lead designer and developer on this project. My resources will include fellow Spanish teachers and educational developers. The cost of this project will be minimal. A copy of Flash will be required, along with a personal computer to use during development. An audio recording/editing program will also be needed. Software required: Adobe Flash Professional CS3 Audacity Netscape Navigator or another web browser Windows Movie Maker or Adobe Premier Adobe Photoshop Hardware specifications: 1GHz or faster processor Microsoft Windows XP with Service Pack 2 or Windows Vista with Service Pack 1 1GB of Ram 3.5 GB available hard-disk space Display 1,024 X 768 with 16-bit video card DVD-ROM drive QuickTime Speakers or headphones Microphone Digital Camera 3

5 Delivery Analysis: Since this will be a flash program, delivery can be over the web or in a classroom setting from a CD. Technology can be basic; the user s computer needs to have the following specifications: At least 852x480 (480p), 24 fps screen resolution For a PC At least Intel Pentium GHz, AMD Athlon processor (or equivalent) 128 MB of ram Microsoft Vista or XP Internet Explorer 7.0 or other web browser For a Mac At least PowerPC G5 1.8GHz, Intel Core Duo 1.33GHz or faster processor 256MB of RAM and 64 MB of VRAM Microsoft Vista or XP Firefox 2.x, Firefox 3.x, AOL for Mac OS X, Opera 9.5, Safari 3.x. The user needs to have speakers or another audio capability. If delivery is online an internet connection with a browser is required. If delivery is in the classroom a whiteboard (ex: starboard or smartboard) and projector or individual computers are needed. A student response system would work well in a group setting. Headphones are recommended if used in a lab setting. This will be a cross-platform program that will not be limited by browsers. The students/users will be required to have the Flash plug-in. Design should be kept clear and to the point without a lot of visual distractions to facilitate the smaller file size. Instructional Objectives When complete with this program, the student will be to 1. Match the English pronouns with the Spanish pronouns 2. Identify AR verbs from a random list of words 3. Place in order the steps to conjugation 4. Add the correct ending to the verb that matches the given subject 5. Be able to distinguish if a verb is conjugated correctly Instructional Strategies The Instructional objectives will be accomplished through a combination of behaviorist and constructivist philosophies. Part of the programs will be direct teaching through animations with audio. The other parts will be interactive allowing for trial and error and choices through manipulation of graphics and words. 4

6 The program will follow Gagne s 9 events of instruction: Gain attention, present learning objectives, stimulate/recall prerequisite knowledge, present material, provide guidance, provide feedback, assess, and enhance retention. Introduction: Gain attention/present learning objectives with a visual animation STATEGY: Direct Instruction Stimulate Prior Knowledge: Subject Pronouns OBJECTIVE: Match the English pronouns with the Spanish pronouns STRATEGY: Discovery method, Drag and Drop Flash Activity Present Material/Provide Guidance and Feedback: 1. What is an AR verb? OBJECTIVE:Identify AR verbs from a random list of words STRATEGY: Direct Instruction mp3 with flash animation describing the verb, a picture array of example verbs, choose AR verbs from a list of words 2. How to conjugate an AR verb OBJECTIVES:Identify the parts of the verb Place in order the steps to conjugation Place the correct five endings into an AR verb in a verb chart; matching the endings to the correct pronoun STRATEGY: Direct Instruction through flash animation with audio in mp3 format. 4. Practice- OBJECTIVE: Add the correct ending to the verb that matches the given subject STRATEGY: Interactive activity- identify from a list, choose from multiple choice, true or false Assess: Individual Review/Quiz: OBJECTIVE: Be able to distinguish if a verb is conjugated correctly. STRATEGY: Flash activity- multiple choice Careful attention will be paid to make sure not to overload the mind with reading, animations and feedback simultaneously. Animations will be provided with a narration and text and graphics will be kept in close proximity. Assessment Method and Feedback Assessment and Feedback will be provided throughout the program. When using the exploratory activities such as the drag and drop; users will be provided with feedback as to why a choice was wrong. Because learning will build upon each other, each step will provide assessment at the end in a form of a few questions or drag and drop depending upon the module. Finally an objective quiz will be provided at the end. 5

7 Project Specifications Scope: This project will be developed and designed in Flash CS3 using ActionScript 3.0. It will be designed for classroom use or individual internet use. The program will have a linear sequence building upon the module before it, with the option of returning to the previous modules. It will have five modules: Introduction Prior Knowledge Practice AR conjugation Review This project should be complete at due date. All parts of the module are planned into the development. If time constraints impose the interactivity and animation in the introduction and prior knowledge module may be taken out. Limitations/Constraints: Timeline: The biggest limitation of this project will be time. The designer needs to be cautious of project creep and strictly stick to the timeline and due dates in order to accomplish the tasks. Because there is only one designer with beginning knowledge of Flash, the project design and scope may be re-worked and will be re-evaluated through out the process. Needs Analysis/Concept Design May 22 nd Design Documentation June 5 th Development Documentation June 19 th Formative Review July 10 th Prototype July 10 th Final Project July 17 th Deliverables: Deliverables include: Animations for Introduction, conjugation explanation, and what is a verb? Interactions: drag and drop for prior knowledge, end of AR module, review, and quiz Assessment : end presentations review and quiz objective test 6

8 Media This project will be designed in Flash CS3 and include audio to support the explanation of topics. The final project will be a frame- based application saved in a SWF file. There will be no video included because of time constraints. High Level Flow Chart High Level Flow Chart: Start Introduction: o Introduction to goals Review prior knowledge: o Subject nouns and pronouns in Spanish Explain AR verb conjugation o What is an AR verb (How to recognize verbs in a group of vocabulary) o Parts- Stem and ending o How to conjugate- Determine the subject, remove the AR, add the correct verb ending.. Practice o Verb list Review o Multiple Choice Are these sentences correct Introduction: How to use this program and educational goals Prior Knowledge: Review subject Pronouns AR Conjugation Practice Review End 7

9 Style Guide and Conventions Look and Feel: Placement of logo: If any, all logos will be placed in the upper right hand corner of the screen. Font: Serif fonts will be used for Headings, no larger than 1 inch in height. For the text a Sans- Serif font will be chosen and no larger than ½ inch in height. Color: The background will be white; an analogous color scheme will be used within documents (Blue). It may be accented with complementary color. Screen Layout: Buttons/Navigation bars will be located on the bottom, animations and text will be located center screen with minimal distractions. The exit button will be on the bottom right. Style conventions: Grammar: Active voices, present tense, when possible make the text personal to the user. Punctuation/Capitalization: Capitalize all headings and first words in a sentence, no punctuation in the headings, no periods after bulleted points. Spelling: Use American not British spelling of English. Use the Modern-Spanish spelling from Mexico. Language: This program will be bilingual; English and Spanish (Modern Mexican Spanish). Graphics: All graphics should be relevant, clear (no fuzzy edges) and should not take up more than 50% of the available screen space. Functionality: All graphics and animations should be presentable on a low resolution screen (852x480). 8

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18 Low Level Outline Script for content section of AR verb Conjugation: All content will be delivered in the main frame of the content page. (See storyboard) Pronoun Review: (No audio) Text- Subject Pronoun Review. Before we begin, let's review the subject pronouns. Knowing these will be essential to conjugating a verb. A subject of a sentence is the person, place, or thing that is doing the action. A subject pronoun is the word that replaces the subject with words such as he, she, it, we, them. See if you can remember them in Spanish, Click the activity button. (Pronoun activity has a storyboard.) What is an AR verb? Audio: Remember a verb is the part of speech that expresses an action. Spanish verbs in their infinitive form (which is their to form such as to jump, to swim, to eat), all have a AR, ER, or IR as the last two letters. We are going to focus on the first set, the AR verbs. Let s look at a few Spanish verbs. Animation: Examples of English verbs (to go, to walk, to swim, to eat) appear on the screen, then three Spanish verbs (Hablar, Escribir, Comer) appear on the screen, the endings AR, ER, IR are circled in red. The photo-slideshow of Spanish verbs (pictures with the Spanish verb typed on the picture while the English verb appears above the picture) appears and the student can click through the examples. Verb List Activity: Students will identify the verbs in the list by clicking on them and then clicking this is a verb. Feedback will be: Yes this is a verb, Good job! Find another or No this is not a verb, please try again. 17

19 How to conjugate an AR verb: Text: Now that you know how to identify an AR verb. Let s learn how to conjugate them. (start, replay, stop buttons appear) Audio: First it is good practice to always conjugate the verbs in the same order. It helps to create a chart just like the pronoun chart. Let s start with the verb Hablar, to talk. The first step is to take off the AR. Then depending upon the subject add the correct ending. The endings are O, AS, A, AMOS, AN. The ending O would be added if Yo was the subject. The AS ending would be added if Tu is the subject. The A would be added if El, Ella, Usted or it is the subject. It could be anything from book to dog to the Whitehouse as long as it is singular and is the subject. The AMOS ending would be added if Nosotros is the subject. The AN ending would be added if Ellos, Ellas, Ustedes or its are the subject. Its could be anything from the books to the animals to the countries as long as it is a subject and it is plural. Let s try the verb Tocar- to ride. As you keep practicing, this will become automatic, just like in English.. Animation: As the audio is playing the actions will be appearing on the screen: The verb chart will appear with the pronouns on the outside Hablar will appear at the top The ar will come off The root verb will appear in each chart box that gets a conjugation Then the endings will be added as the audio indicates. Tocar will then be shown in animation 18

20 Support Materials Currently this program does not have any support materials; ideally this would include a teacher guide and student help handout. Sources Alessi, S.M., Trollip, S.R., (2001). Multimedia for learning: Methods and development,(3 rd ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon. 19