Reflecting and Planning Ahead

Warning! This blog post is very train of thought, and I am processing as I am writing.
This school year has been a bit of transition for me. After years of working full-time, I am now part-time teacher and part-time mom. My school is on block scheduling, so I teach one day and I am at home the next. Because I am only teaching 3 blocks of Spanish 1, I have been able to focus on prepping for one class (instead of my normal two or three). During first semester I experimented with speaking quizzes, dictionary activities and current events.
The one take-away that I have from this past semester is that I need to plan ahead at the beginning of the year with goals for the students. I think I expected too much out of my Spanish 1 students in terms of the amount of work that I asked them to do and the content of the speaking tests. Next year I would like to be more specific about the goals for my students and then create classroom activities to align with those goals. (I am having a "duh, Maria" moment--those are what the State Standards are for! Because we are a private school, we are not tied to the state standards. When I write lesson plans I do not have to specifically align them with the state standards, so they are not at the forefront of my mind when I do lesson plans--even though that is what I was trained to do in college.)

Goals for Spanish 1 conversation tests based off the Ohio State Standards:
Semester 1:
Interpersonal Communication
1.a. Use a common range of expressions to make requests and seek clarification.
2.a. Engage in greetings, introductions and leave-taking.
Quarter 1 conversation test: I will say a question or a phrase and the student will respond. Students will introduce me to a friend.
Quarter 2 conversation test: I act like a new student in the school and I ask the student questions about the schedule and locations of places in the school. Or I show them a picture and the student tells me as much as she can about the picture.
Semester 2:
Interpersonal Communication
1. b. Ask and answer a range of questions to seek or clarify information.
2. b. Ask questions and provide answers on a range of topics.
3. b. Ask and answer questions about feelings emotions and preferences.
Quarter 3 conversation test:  I act like a waiter and the student orders their food like in a restaurant.
Quarter 4 conversation test: Students create questions that they ask me in Spanish about anything using vocabulary and expressions that they already know.

Goals for Spanish 1 projects based off the Ohio State Standards
Semester 1:
Presentational Communication
1.a. Plan a range of texts and presentations by brainstorming ideas and choosing vocabulary, phrases and sentence patterns.
2.a. Create and present lists and classifications.
3. b. Dramatize or perform authentic songs, dances, skits, plays, monologues or scenes from literature using appropriate gestures.
Semester 1 Project: Imaginary Friend Project (see blog post here) or Family Tree Project.
Semester 2:
Presentational Communication
1. b. Organize thoughts and choose resources.
2. b. Tell a personal story or anecdote that relates some details.
3. a. Recite or retell authentic stories, folktales, legends poems and rhymes using appropriate gestures.
Semester 2 Project: Presentation on high school sports or daily routine for final exam or Family Tree Project.

Based on the standards, I know I already do classroom activities and projects that match these standards, but I would like the alternative assessments--like conversation tests and projects--to align with the standards.