Providence Teacher Joey Lahr Inspires Students' Spanish Speaking Confidence

Providence Academy Spanish language teacher, Joey Lahr, always looks for ways to improve the conversational abilities and confidence in public speaking of her students.  In one such classroom activity students are asked to bring in a sentimental object of their choosing, describe the object and its meaning in a ten minute Spanish presentation and answer peer and instructor directed questions.

The show and tell classroom activity challenges students to choose a meaningful personal object around which they can create a presentation and vocabulary list.  It allows them creative license in developing their personal presentation and presents an opportunity to practice their public speaking in the Spanish language.  Lahr said, in describing the goals of the show and tell, “It helps the students with speaking confidence.  Many students reach Spanish IV with a super foundation in concepts, reading and writing, but need these types of opportunities to use the spoken Spanish language.”

While the show and tell project is one of the favorites of Spanish IV students at Providence Academy, other classroom activities developed by Lahr offer opportunities to practice and improve speaking skills.  Skits based on literary excerpts from the Spanish-speaking world increase cultural awareness and help in promoting spoken confidence.  Students also conduct a “Teacher of the Day” lesson where in they create, write and deliver a lesson plan based on a profound question or Spanish proverb.

“I pay attention to the diverse learning styles in my classroom and make sure to have a variety of instructional approaches that reach every student and inspire their curiosity,” said Lahr.

There are many wonderful presentations made during the show and tell unit.  Some memorable items included award ribbons won by a student who talked about competitively showing heifers all over the country, a deer rack brought in by another student who fondly described the hunting trip on which he shot his first deer, a chef’s hat worn by a student while he spoke about his experience participating in a summer internship as a line chef and his wish to someday attend a renowned culinary academy.

“It’s really neat to learn about the interests and experiences of the students.  Their classmates listen and feel a personal connection with the presenter’s life.  It helps the students build a community of trust within the Spanish classroom,” said Lahr.  Ultimately, as the year rounds out, Lahr says she is incredibly impressed with the growth of the students and the real fluency and ease with which they are able to speak Spanish publicly.

Spanish IV students display their show and tell objects from a unit aimed at increasing conversational fluency and communication skills developed by teacher Joey Lahr.

Holding a pair of antlers, a Spanish student describes his hunting experience when he shot his first deer.

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