This document outlines a lesson plan for teaching Spanish as a second language using drama as a didactic resource. The plan incorporates Howard Gardner's theory of Multiple Intelligences and CLIL (Content and Language Integrated Learning). It involves having students perform and analyze a Spanish play to learn about both language and history. Activities engage different intelligences and teach linguistic and non-linguistic goals through meaningful cultural content. Evaluation assesses language skills as well as understanding of the play's social context. The goal is to motivate learning through an integrated, drama-based approach.

1. TEACHING SPANISH AS A
SECOND LANGUAGE:
DRAMA AS A DIDACTIC
RESOURCE
Susana Balasch Sellart
INVOLVING MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES

2. IN THIS PRESENTATION I WILL
OUTLINE THE MAIN POINTS OF MY
ACADEMIC WORK
“DRAMA AS A DIDACTIC RESOURCE
TO TEACH SPANISH AS A SECOND
LANGUAGE”
THIS WORK WAS THOUGHT FOR SECONDARY STUDENTS,
BUT IT IS PERFECTLY ADAPTABLE FOR ELEMENTARY
SCHOOL, ONLY CHANGING THE TOPIC OF THE PLAY.
IT COULD BE APPLIED IN FORMAL EDUCATION OR IN THE
AFTER SCHOOL PROGRAM.
EVEN IT COULD BE APPLIED TO FAMILIES LIKE A LIFELONG
LEARNING ACTIVITY.

3. Structure of the work
1. Introduction
2. Multiple Intelligences
3. Content and Language Integrated Learning
(CLIL)
4. Previous experiences.
5. Selection of Spanish theater plays.
6. Didactic unit.
7. Conclusion
Bibliography and appendices.

4. Theoretical Framework:
Multiple Intelligences by Howard Gardner.
● All people have different kinds of intelligence
● Everyone has different abilities to learn better through one or other of these
intelligences.
● Linguistic intelligence
● Logical Mathematical Intelligence
● Spatial and visual intelligence
● Kinesthetic intelligence
● Musical intelligence
● Interpersonal intelligence
● Intrapersonal intelligence

5. Theoretical Framework:
Multiple Intelligences by Howard Gardner.
The main goal of applying the Multiple Intelligences is:
● Give to pupils different paths to achieve the gaps.
■ Not only one solution is possible.
■ There are multiple ways to solve the same problem.
■ Creativity, and tolerance to all opinions are interesting
attitudes in a Multiple Intelligence Classroom.
● Give to pupils different tools to be more aware about their
abilities instead of feeling depressed because of their
difficulties and limitations.

6. Theoretical Framework
Drama as a didactic resource
How I can include all Intelligences into the
Spanish Classroom?
● Using drama activities as a didactic
resource could be a good idea to
involve all intelligences into the
development class, as I explain
following.

7. Drama, theater and Multiple Intelligences
LINGUISTIC INTELLIGENCE
Working through theater is obvious than Linguistic Intelligence will be worked in
multiple situations and activities like:
● Dialogue comprehension
● Spanish expressions
● Correct pronounce of questions, exclamative sentences…
● Correct use of the language in different emotional moments: speak sadly,
happily, angrily…
● Ironic sentences

8. Drama, theater and Multiple Intelligences
LOGICAL MATHEMATICAL INTELLIGENCE
● Maybe it is the intelligence that seems more difficult to work in a language class.
● But there are some ways to introduce maths and engage pupils who like more it
than language activities.
● For example:
○ How many minutes is the play? How many minutes we can give to each act?
○ In which year was written the play? How many years have passed since then?
50” long in 3 acts =
longer
shorter
basic operations

9. Drama, theater and Multiple Intelligences
KINESTHETIC INTELLIGENCE
DRAMA ACTIVITIES GIVE US THE CHANCE TO EXPERIMENT AND
EXPRESS THE LANGUAGE THROUGH OUR BODY.
● It helps to understand aspects related with non-verbal language, which is the most
difficult point to learn when classes are given only through written texts.
● Thanks to drama and theater, non-verbal language can have the same importance
into the classroom than written and spoken language.
● We don’t have to forget than the vast majority to misunderstandings between
native speakers and learners are because of the non-verbal language.

10. Drama, theater and Multiple Intelligences
INTRA AND INTERPERSONAL INTELLIGENCES
Through drama and theater we can work points like:
● Acceptation of the own personality, feel good with oneself.
● Benefits of the cooperative work, acceptation and tolerance to others
● All pupils are important in order to achieve the best final result.

11. Drama, theater and Multiple Intelligences
Spatial intelligence
● Ability to read and understand maps and plans
● Be able to draw real spaces on paper according with real sizes, perspective…
Possible activities to improve and develop spatial intelligence
● Draw scenes by paper including some aspects like entrance of the players,
illumination needs, sound effects and their duration, el tiempo de interpretación,
duration of the dialogues…
● Draw an artistic landscape in order to decorate and acclimate the background
according with the plot of the play.

12. Drama, theater and Multiple Intelligences
Musical intelligence
● Capability to understand, interpret, create and feel emotions through the music.
● Ability to learn contents through the music.
Possible activities to improve and develop musical intelligence
● Choose the more adequate music according with both emotional and content
aspects of the plot of the play,
● Edit tracks from different authors to make them more according to the needs of the
play.

13. Drama, theater and Multiple Intelligences
WHEN ALL INTELLIGENCES ARE INTO THE CLASS
HIGH GRADE OF MOTIVATION OF A MAJOR NUMBER OF STUDENTS
● Motivation is the best engine for learning
● The relationship among all intelligences is easier when students are highly
motivated
● So, motivation contributes to a higher implication of students through the
different activities or proposals during the learning process

14. CLIL (Content and language integrated
learning)
● Teach non-linguistic curricular contents through a stranger language.
● The stranger language became in a useful tool to learn other contents.
● CLIL is based in intrinsic motivation. Pupil is engaged in interesting and
meaningful activities while using the stranger language in a more natural way.
● What happens in class is directly related with the stranger language learning, so it
can be used to solve real situations into school.
● Stranger language ceases to be an isolated learning and moreover interacts with
the learning content and also with the mother tongue.

15. My Lesson Plan
I propose a Lesson Plan in which Multiple
Intelligences and CLIL are working together
through drama and theater Spanish plays.
MULTIPLE INTELLIGENCES
○ Through drama and theater.
CLIL
○ Spanish history and culture.
○ Through historic and social Spanish plays.

16. My Lesson Plan
● Real Decreto 1631/2006, en el que se fijan las enseñanzas mínimas para la
ESO.
○ Transformaciones en la España del siglo XX: crisis del Estado liberal, la II
República, Guerra Civil, Franquismo.
○ Arte y cultura en la época contemporánea.
According with the law above, I choose historic contents
from the Spanish curriculum in order to be taught to
stranger students.

17. My Lesson Plan
I chose “Historia de una escalera” by Antonio
Buero Vallejo in order to work historic and
social aspects of Spain to students of
secondary education.
Using different kind of plays, this proposal
could be applied in different grades. Drama is
good for all ages.

18. My Lesson Plan
I propose different kinds of main goals:
■ Linguistic goals: From the Plan Curricular
Instituto Cervantes
■ Non linguistic goals: From the Currículum de
Historia de la ESO
■ Goals about teaching success.

19. My Lesson Plan
● Activities
■ Part 1
● Knowledge about the author and the main characteristics of
the time in which he lived.
■ Part 2
● Activities about the play. Knowledge about its cultural, social
and political context.
■ Part 3
● Drama workshop

20. My Lesson Plan
● Examples of activities :
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3
In groups, investigation work about what
are the main social,, cultural and historical
moments in the ages in which Antonio
Buero Vallejo lived.
· Del 1916 al 1931 : La crisis de la
Restauración
· Del 1931 al 1936 : La Segunda República
· Del 1936 al 1939 : La Guerra Civil
· Del 1939 al 1975 : El Franquismo
· Del 1975 al 2000 : La España Democrática
Spanish expressions that appear through the
play
"Basta ya de monsergas"
In groups, they must to guess the meaning
of each one of the expressions, and later
check it with its dictionary definition.
Students will use the Corpus del Español
de la Real Academia de la Lengua
Española,
in order to use real texts in which they could
find the Spanish traditions worked before
and be reflexive about the different
meanings that one expression could have.
Pronouncing Spanish expressions worked
before, but imitating different moods and
emotions.
Improvisation:
What would you do if you were the main
actor?
How do you think the main actor would act
if he lived nowadays?
What are the main characteristics of
Spanish culture according to the theatre
play?
Representation of the play.

21. My Lesson Plan
EVALUATION
● Self evaluation
● Rubrics accorded between teacher and students
● Evaluation of both, linguistic goals and non-linguistic (CLIL)
● Rubrics to evaluate the teaching, the resources, the adequacy of
activities… (Students also participate is this assessment)

22. My Lesson Plan
CONCLUSION

23. THANK YOU FOR YOUR
ATTENTION
Susana Balasch Sellart