1 - Five Words About a Pet ~5 mins
Describe your pet in English in five words. No pet at home? Invent one: size, colour, name, noise, favourite food.
Today we put that idea into Spanish, joining a pet and a colour in one short sentence.
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
- Name common pets in Spanish
- Join a pet to a colour in one sentence
- Share a short pet description with the class
Take three or four quick five-word descriptions only. Keep the pace light; the goal is energy, not a full show-and-tell. If pupils already know a pet word, smile and hold the full list for the next step rather than teaching it now.
Today's sentences will recycle three colour anchors you can put on the board later: negro, blanco, verde. Keep a tiny colour bank ready for step 2.
2 - Eight Spanish Pets ~10 mins
Imagine the shop window of a tienda de animales in Seville. Today's eight pets appear in the table on the board. Listen to each one, then say it back together with the class. We will meet them in two groups: four first, full chorus, then four more.
Learn each pet with el or la first. In full sentences we often switch to un / una (a / an):
El perro → Tengo un perro negro (I have a black dog).
La tortuga → Tengo una tortuga verde (I have a green tortoise).
The colour sits after the pet. Colour bank on the board: negro (NEH-groh), blanco (BLAHN-koh), verde (BEHR-deh).
| Concept | Why it matters for learners | Example in target language (with English gloss) |
|---|---|---|
| el / la vs un / una — naming the pet in general uses el or la; after Tengo (I have) we use un (with el-pets) or una (with la-pets) | Mixing them up sounds odd to a Spanish speaker, like saying "the a dog" in English. Matching the article to the pet keeps your sentence clear. | el perro → Tengo un perro (I have a dog); la tortuga → Tengo una tortuga (I have a tortoise) |
| Colour after the noun — in Spanish the colour usually follows the pet | English says "black dog"; Spanish says "dog black". Getting the order right makes your sentence sound Spanish, not translated word-for-word. | Tengo un perro negro (I have a black dog) |
Run this on the IWB as whole-class listen-and-say (no pupil devices). Stage the eight pets from the word-table: four, full chorus, then the next four. Class repeats twice each time: once all together, once by table. Point at the article every time so pupils hear el perro (el PEH-rroh) and la tortuga (lah tor-TOO-gah) as fixed pairs.
Say clearly on the board and in your own words: naming form = el / la; "I have" sentences = un / una + pet + colour after the noun. Keep a visible mini-bank: un perro, un gato, un pez dorado, un loro, un conejo, un hámster, un ratón, una tortuga.
Model the target sentence clearly: Tengo un perro negro (TEN-go oon PEH-rroh NEH-groh). Then the feminine contrast: Tengo una tortuga verde (TEN-go OO-nah tor-TOO-gah BEHR-deh). Recycle only the three colour anchors on the board: negro (NEH-groh), blanco (BLAHN-koh), verde (BEHR-deh). Do not teach new colours here. One sentence frame only today: Tengo (do not introduce Me gustaría).
Make a game of perro: two taps of the tongue for rr, like a tiny motor, and cheer the best growl. For conejo, remind them j sounds like the ch in loch, not English j.
Pronunciation supports if needed: el pez dorado (el peth doh-RAH-doh), el loro (el LOH-roh), el conejo (el koh-NEH-hoh), el hámster (el AM-ster), el ratón (el rah-TOHN). If a pupil says the bare noun without the article, gently restate the full form and have the table echo it.
Optional shop flavour once: En la tienda hay un conejo blanco (In the shop there is a white rabbit).
3 - Pet Shop Window in Seville ~10 mins
The shop window of a tienda de animales in Seville is full of animals. Volunteers drag each Spanish label onto the right pet on the board. Everyone else says the word with el or la when the label moves.
Default run: whole-class IWB with volunteers only. Before the first drag, hold up one label and ask the class to chorally say the Spanish with its article. After each correct place, the whole class repeats the full form once so row 3 stays active.
Pronunciation supports if needed: el pez dorado (el peth doh-RAH-doh), el loro (el LOH-roh), el conejo (el koh-NEH-hoh), el hámster (el AM-ster), el ratón (el rah-TOHN). Correct gently by modelling, then class repeat.
Optional extension only (not the main run): if devices are available another day, tables could take turns; today keep eyes on the board.
4 - Into Your Copy ~3 mins
Open your copy and write one sentence about a pet and its colour.
Use only this pattern: Tengo un perro negro or Tengo una tortuga verde.
Keep the article (un / una), put the colour after the pet, and mind the accents.
Colour bank: negro (NEH-groh), blanco (BLAHN-koh), verde (BEHR-deh).
Pause the board. Leave the word-table and the three-colour bank visible so pupils can check spelling and articles. Everyone writes one full sentence; this is the only stretch where every pen should move.
Walk the room and check for un / una plus colour after the noun. Accept only the Tengo frame today (do not offer Me gustaría). Do not collect the copies.
5 - Match the Pets ~10 mins
Still in the Seville pet shop. On the board, match each Spanish pet to its English meaning (or picture). When a pair is found, the whole class says the Spanish with el or la.
Keep the articles: el perro, la tortuga, and the rest of today's list.
Drive matching-pairs on the IWB; pupils call out moves and explain their thinking. Keep it brisk recognition only: no new sentence frame here. After each correct pair, insist on a full choral el / la form so the articles stay warm before the oral sentence drill.
If a pair is guessed from English alone, still require the Spanish article + noun before moving on. Do not open copies yet.
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