This activity gives your students an opportunity to practice their Spanish conversation skills while responding to questions using “porque” or “para”. Each student will form several different questions in Spanish using the vocabulary from the chapter.
Activity to Practice Para & Porque
After you teach your students present tense verb conjugation you will want to provide as many conversation practice activities as possible. The activity presented below lets students form question and answer type conversations, using the verbs you select, while responding with “para” or porque”.
To start this activity off go over what “¿Por qué?” means and ask a few example questions. Be sure to write the questions you ask on the board. Students need that crutch.
You could ask, “¿Por qué estudias?” or “¿Por qué tu novia come en el restaurante?” Be sure to use different verb tenses so students won’t get used to just answering in the “yo” form.
Students will be able to respond with a simple sentence in the present tense or by using the verbs “tener” or “gustar”. If you happen to have a class that is struggling you could prompt them by writing those verbs on the board. After calling on several different students to answer these questions write a few possible responses that use grammar previously taught.
Now, write the words “porque” and “para” on the board and discuss their meanings. Give examples of how they can be used to answer a “¿Por qué” question. Point out that a response using “para” will be followed by a non conjugated verb.
Creating Sample Conversations
Once you have presented the examples, checked for understanding and answered any questions, break the students up into groups of twos. Tell the groups that they are to create a conversation between an annoying child and his mother. The child starts off each of his sentences with “¿Por qué?” He wants to know everything and he is never satisfied with the first answer. The mother must answer each question twice. The first answer will use “para” and the second answer will use “porque”. Have them write down the questions and answers.
To tie this topic in with the vocabulary for the chapter require that each group use at least ten words from the end of the chapter vocabulary list. This will make the exercise more difficult, but it is good practice. After about fifteen minutes, call on each group to read their conversation out loud. While each group reads write a few of the responses on the board and discuss the use of “porque” or para”.
Overall this activity should take about twenty to thirty minutes. Since the class is working in small groups each student will need to actively participate. Match stronger students with struggling students. If you are lucky your students will really get into this and you will hear some interesting conversations!
