1. How do you identify the gender of words in Spanish?
Word Gender
How do you identify the gender of words in Spanish?

2. 8 Simple Rules for Mastering Spanish Gender
Everything in Spanish is either male or female.
The language is charged with gender power.

3. Rule #1: Masculine
When speaking about living creatures, nouns that end in “o” are masculine.
el gato → the male cat el perro → the male dog
los gatos → the male cats los perros → the male dogs
el chico → the boy el oso → the male bear
los chicos → the boys los osos → the male bears
el abuelo → the grandfather el tío → the uncle
los abuelos → the grandparents los tíos → the uncles

4. Rule #2: Feminine
When speaking about living creatures, nouns that end in “a” are feminine.
La gata → the female cat la perra → the female dog
Las gatas → the female cats las perras → the female dogs
La chica → the girl la osa → the female bear
Las chicas → the girls las osas → the female bears

5. Beware the Gender Trap
Don’t fall into a “gender thinking trap.”, i.e. thinking that everything associated with a male will automatically be masculine and everything associated with a female will automatically be feminine. This is false. Only distinct living creatures fall under this categorization.
la corbata → the necktie
el maquillaje → the makeup 

6. Rule #3: Neutral
When there is a group of mixed gender, no matter what the ratio is of females to males and males to females, the group is always referred to as masculine.
1 niño + 4 niñas = 5 niños   1 boy + 4 girls = 5 kids
3 gatos + 542 gatas = 545 gatos         3 male cats female cats = cats 

7. Rule #4: Consonant
Masculine nouns that end in consonants (non-vowels) have a corresponding feminine form that ends in “a”
el profesor → the male professor la profesora → the female professor
el doctor → the male doctor la doctora → the female doctor
el señor → the Mr la señora → the Mrs 

8. Rule #5: Nouns, Gender & Profession
Some nouns that refer to professions have the same form for masculine and feminine. The article is the only thing that changes.
Some nouns that refer to professions do not change their forms. This does not mean that the importance of gender disappears. If the word does not change, the article is in full charge of specifying gender. 

9. Nouns, Gender and Professions
Some nouns that refer to professions do not change their forms. This does not mean that the importance of gender disappears. If the word does not change, the article is in full charge of specifying gender.
el piloto → the male pilot                                 la piloto → the female pilot el soldado → the male soldier                         la soldado → the female soldier el modelo → the male model                           la modelo → the female model el poeta → the male poet                                 la poeta → the female poet el atleta → the male athlete                             la atleta → the female athlete

10. Students will review and learn word gender and learn the Personal Adjectives
Learning Activities:
Listening Comprehension: Como soy Yo?
1. Complete word gender notes/Review
2. Show mastery of Word Gender Rules (slides 26-27)
2. Practice Personal Adjectives w/flashcards (green)
3. Take notes from Basic Personal Adjectives PowerPoint,
4. Practice adjective concepts (slide 9)
5. Rewrite rules and come up with an example of each
5. Complete adjective practice (page 11)

11. Rule #6: Exclusive Endings
Nouns that end in –sión, –ción, –dad, –tud and –umbre will always require the feminine article.
la exposición → the exhibition la habitación →  the room la felicidad →  the happiness la solicitud →  the application la costumbre →  the custom  

12. Rule #7: Exclusive Endings
Nouns that end in –ma require a masculine article
el problema →  the problem el emblema →  the emblem el enigma →  the mystery  

13. Rule #8: Evolution (Stupid Latin)
Latin based launguages exist within a strict framework of rules, yet they are alive, dynamic, and evolving.  Therefore, in making the transition to Spanish there are always exceptions to the rules, and these exceptions, in turn, create new rules.
el día → the day
el mapa → the map
el cura → the priest
el planeta → the planet 
la foto → the photo la mano →  the hand la radio →  the radio la moto →  the motorcycle

14. Quick Overview: Articles & Word Gender
All words have gender in Spanish
Masculine & Neutral words end in consonants and vowels excepting ‘a’, gender specific
Feminine words end in “a” and “ion” and are gender specific.
Article: The/ Those
Masculine: el (singular) los (plural)
Feminine: La (singular) las (plural)

15. Correctly identify the gender of nouns and be able to tell which rule applies
i. gata (cat)
ii. problema (problem)
iii. el mapa (map)
iv. perros (dogs)
v. la madre (mom)
vi mama (mom)

16. Correctly identify the gender of nouns and be able to tell which rule applies
vii profesora (profesor)
viii trabajadora (worker)
ix. maestros (teachers male & female)
x. la piloto (pilot)
xi. nacion (nation)
xii. chico (boy)
xiii. chica (girl)
xiv. los atletas (athlete)
xv. silla (chair)

17. Correctly identify the gender of nouns and be able to tell which rule applies
i. gata (cat) f, rule 2, living thing
ii. problema (problem) m, rule 7 exclusive ending -ma
iii. el mapa (map) m, #8, evolution
iv. perros (dogs) m, #1 or #3 neutral
v. la madre (mom) f, #2, living thing
vi mama (mom) f, #2, living thing
vii profesora (profesor) f, #4, Masc/fem

18. Correctly identify the gender of nouns and be able to tell which rule applies
viii trabajadora (worker) f, #4, Masc/fem
ix. maestros (teachers) m #3 Neutral
x. la piloto (pilot) f, #5, Nouns, Gender & profession
xi. nacion (nation) f, #6, Exclusive end
xii. chico (boy) m, #1, living thing
xiii. chica (girl) f, #2, living thing
xiv. los atletas (athlete) m, #5, noun/gender/professions
xv. silla (chair) F, #8 gender trap

19. Mastery: Identifying and Knowing Word Gender
30-26= 4 Mastery YEAH- YOU’VE GOT IT
25-22= 3 Approaching Mastery. Check out skyward, and do the Mastery work to demonstrate you understand.
21-18= 2 Partial Mastery (Let’s get this figured out. Time to visit skyward
17-14= 1 What are you missing? Do you need some individualized help? How about Pridetime or after school? Let’s figure this out, then see skyward for Mastery assignments.
13- 0= Did you forget to do your work or are you missing some key concepts. Let’s figure this out during Pridetime or after school