Parts of the activity:

Introduction (3 mins): The teacher will give a brief explanation of what poetry is, and should ask questions related to the students’ taste for this literary genre. Questions can also be asked about their favorite poets or poems. Since the activity is designed for a «novice» level, this part can be done in the lingua franca, since it may happen that the children do not yet have the vocabulary to talk about the subject.
Mini-lesson (3 mins): To continue with the introduction, the teacher should give a brief introduction about the life and work of Pablo Neruda, as well as the book in question.
Read-alaud (5 mins): Some examples from Neruda’s book have been prepared, which have an English translation. It is decided to use a translation since poetic imagination complicates the understanding of the texts.
Work in pairs (15 mins): Each team should write three questions that try to resemble Neruda’s style. In this way, each one will practice the way of asking questions. Share: Each team will share their three questions and the rest of the class will vote for their favorite. At the end, a collective poem can be created with the students’ questions.

Rationale: This activity aims to have students practice the basic structure of questions in Spanish. In addition, it encourages teamwork, and by having to write the questions in Spanish, they will have to negotiate meanings among themselves. This activity includes the four modes of communication and, in addition to that, by having to choose their favorite question, they will be finding a meaningful way. Finally, the final product is something they can show in their daily lives.

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