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Teaching the Picture Sequence on AP Exams for Modern Languages
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by Brant Hadzima
Newfound Regional High School
Bristol, New Hampshire
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Speaking Is the Key
The strategies described in this article can be applied to the AP French, German, Italian, and Spanish Language Exams, since these exams all use picture sequences. The AP Spanish, German, and Italian Exams require the students to narrate. The AP French Exam is composed of a series of questions about two or three larger drawings; students are asked to compare two scenes or hypothesize about what might follow the sequence.
Quite simply, I believe that one of the most important sections of an AP language exam is the speaking portion. Why? In reality, the majority of my students will not endeavor to major in the language, and quite to my disdain, most will not continue on to a doctoral program culminating in a 500-page thesis on Don Quixote, Goethe, or Voltaire. So what can I do for those "average" AP students who just want to learn the language (and, of course, ace the AP Exam)? I can teach them to speak.
The speaking portion of the AP Examination is probably the most nerve-racking experience for students. Microphones in hand, many kids turn to jelly -- hence those nervous, contagious giggles and the various sundry, uncontrolled grunts, snorts, and groans that tend to be characteristic of the first few practice trials in class. So how do we go from consternation and dismay (and for some, sheer terror) to a situation where the student is in control and is confident to demonstrate his or her Spanish? The real trick is to turn this section into a challenge and a game, where anxiety and nerves are channeled into a structured and composed speaking sample.
Picture Sequence vs. Directed-Response Questions
Be aware that the two speaking sections of the AP language exams are often mistakenly viewed as one single skill: speaking. However, experience has taught me that the picture sequences and the directed-response questions really evaluate two very different skills. The directed-response questions evaluate, in essence, listening comprehension, and they require a measured, short response. Picture sequences, on the other hand, seek to provide a sustained speech narrative -- which is not at all dependent on listening comprehension. So my first piece of advice, in the cases of Spanish and Italian, is to treat the picture sequence and the directed-response questions as two separate sections. Likewise, the AP French Exam should be practiced by simulating the integration of both narration and answering questions.
In addressing the picture sequences, the paramount issue is to help students overcome nerves. Even the most adept speakers can choke. How do we reduce the speaking anxiety? Simple: structure, practice, and familiarity.
Providing structure is the key to offering students a real opportunity to demonstrate their skills. We have to create order out of chaos -- a way to begin speaking. When students have structure, they have confidence, and by "demystifying" the picture sequence section itself, we can focus on what matters: speaking the language. Here's how I do it.
Practicing the Picture Sequence
We formally begin picture sequence practice the week after winter break. I usually build up to it all fall and just let the tension simmer. The day of the first picture sequence class is an important one; I start by explaining the rubrics and answering questions. Next we have an introduction to the equipment (I am always surprised at how many students need multiple instructions on how to operate a simple tape recorder), followed by two minutes of silence to get a "feel" for two minutes. Then we jump in and try our first picture sequence.
Picture sequence number 1 is usually a conglomerate of babbling, sighs, the inevitable "I don't think my machine is working," and the occasional "I give up." Why do we do this? Because if I lecture about how to tackle this section, the students don't pay attention; they have to try it for themselves first. When the chatter and complaints fade, I tell students that I save this sample until the end of the year. Next, I play the master student sample provided by the AP Program for that picture sequence (most students are severely critical of the sample and notice even the smallest mistakes), and then I tell them to settle down because every single week from January until May we will be doing a picture sequence, which will count as a quiz grade.
So the first piece of structure I provide is simple: "Picture sequences will be every Wednesday, and they will be worth a quiz grade. Keep your copy of the rubrics in front of your notebooks." Now the students have to learn how to tell a story.
One thing to realize is that many students do not know how to tell a story in the target language. Some students don't have any idea where to begin -- what tenses to use, how to "set the scene," and so on. Where one student may see creative opportunities, another is overwhelmed. What we do, again, is provide structure, practice, and familiarity. There are trends, sayings, and tenses that apply to every picture sequence. I show students how to break the story into pieces and how to address each piece.
Every picture sequence has six frames in a predictable structure: a beginning and buildup, a conflict, and a resolution. And every picture sequence tells a story in the past. So, I tell students, this is a preterit versus imperfect activity. This helps the students to focus and provides structure. As a group we then look at a picture sequence and create notes and brainstorm. We realize that the first frame is usually imperfect, so I tell them to start with something like "Era un día precioso de la primavera" (It was a beautiful spring day) or "Era un día despejado" (It was a cloudy day).
The Moment of Realization
The most important thing, I tell my students, is to find the darse cuenta moment. We circle the darse cuenta frame in the picture sequence (this is when the main character realizes something pertinent to the story), and we work from there. What comes before is generally imperfect and background information, and then the darse cuenta moment breaks the action. What follows are usually some simple stated facts or a rapid sequence of events. I ask students to write out one sentence on their scrap paper using darse cuenta from the picture sequence. A simple example: "Juan se dio cuenta de que no tenía dinero en la cartera" (John realized that he had no money in his wallet). This becomes a focal point, and students can then narrate with a varying level of skill and creativity to fill in what happens before and after.
It is important to note that this is a general statement, and that it just serves to provide a structure or frame. Students must fill in the gaps using vocabulary, transitional statements, and advanced structures (such as subjunctive or idiomatic expressions) as needed in order to earn points. The key is that the basic structure and routine are provided, and students know that when they open up that picture sequence, the first thing they will do is circle the darse cuenta moment and write that first sentence on their scrap paper.
Once the structure is provided, the next step is practice and familiarity. Every Wednesday, like clockwork, we do a picture sequence. When we finish, we grade one as a class. I grade the rest of the picture sequences that evening. On Thursday students take home their tapes, recorders, and microphones, and they redo the picture sequence as many times as they need to (using dictionaries and notes) until they can provide me with a speaking grade of 7 or higher. Some students will write out entire scripts and read them; others will ad-lib over and over. The point is, they practice.
Building Confidence
When students come to class and stop commenting on it being Picture Sequence Day, I know that we have made progress. Then we can fine-tune our speaking and focus on the Spanish instead of the novelty of speaking into a microphone. Students can start to direct group grading discussions, and the rubrics are mostly memorized. We can address ser versus estar, enhance vocabulary, and work on preterit versus imperfect and how to use the subjunctive in various situations. Soon the grade in class starts to resemble the grade on the redo. Success! And, more importantly, confidence.
The picture sequence can be one of the most challenging but also fun and rewarding portions of the language exams. Yet the sense of accomplishment and self-actualization is almost as important as the grade itself. Teachers should periodically review targeted grammar to hone skills. There is no substitute for creating the conditions in which the student will be performing the task. That is, they should practice the planning of the narration, the timing, and the extemporaneous nature of the task. But practice is the key. When you use practical picture sequences as a teaching method, not only will your students be prepared for that portion of the exam, they will also be able to communicate in Spanish. Isn't that the idea in the first place?
Brant Hadzima is a Spanish teacher and the Foreign Language Department chairperson at Newfound Regional High School in Bristol, New Hampshire, where he has been teaching AP Spanish since 1997. Prior to teaching, Brant worked as a director of development and also as a translator and interpreter. In addition, Brant has worked and lived in Japan through the Japan Exchange Teacher Program, and he has participated in several other study abroad programs to Mexico and Central America. He currently serves as a Table Leader for the Speaking portion of the AP Spanish Language Exam and he has been working as a Reader for AP Spanish since 2002.
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