The Spanish alphabet, known as the "alfabeto español," consists of 27 letters, which includes the standard 26 letters found in the English alphabet with the
Simple 5 Question System for Choosing Preterite vs. Imperfect As Spanish teachers, we all know that one of the trickiest topics to teach is how to choose between the preterite and imperfect tenses. For years, I watched students struggle with this concept, and to be honest, when I was a newer Spanish teacher, I had
If you're talking about Spanish schedules with students during the school unit, this is for you! Here's a bunch of school schedules from Spanish-speaking countries!
Spain is home to some of the most unique festivals and traditions around the world, and La Tomatina is no exception. La Tomatina is a festi...
Are you looking for ways to connect with your students and build community during the first week of class? Do you want to get to know your students, but also set the expectation of “Spanish only” from the start? Here are 5 games that accomplish both of those objectives! 1. ¡Corre, corre! Students form a ... Read More about 5 icebreaker activities for the first week of Spanish
If the subjunctive is your favorite topic to teach in Spanish class, raise your hand? Hmm, no hands up . . . That's because NO TEACHER EVER would raise their hand to say how much they love teaching the subjunctive. But listen, it doesn't have to be like that. When I taught this topic, I
Our next country we completed for our Around the World studies was Spain! As we are nearing the end of our school year, you will see that we are starting...
This is a fun and interactive way for students to practice vocabulary meaning, recognition and spelling. I call this activity “Everyone to the Table!” Begin with 4-5 tables with 3-4 st…
Are you looking for ways to connect with your students and build community during the first week of class? Do you want to get to know your students, but also set the expectation of “Spanish only” from the start? Here are 5 games that accomplish both of those objectives! 1. ¡Corre, corre! Students form a ... Read More about 5 icebreaker activities for the first week of Spanish
Skip the tapas bar and make Patatas Bravas at home with crispy, roasted potatoes smothered in a homemade sweet and spicy tomato sauce and garlic aioli.
Are you a newer teacher who could use some guidance and Spanish lesson plans from a veteran teacher? Are you teaching multiple levels of Spanish classes at once (3-5 preps)? Do you wish your students were more interested and engaged? Are you looking for fresh ideas to spice up your class? Do you feel really
Check out 7 comprehensible input activities you can use in your world language classroom to deliver CI to your students!
Since I am a #deptof1 and the only World Language teacher in my district, I get to be with the English teachers for our PLC time at school. This is actually amazing, since we all teach using novels, t
Are you looking for ways to connect with your students and build community during the first week of class? Do you want to get to know your students, but also set the expectation of “Spanish only” from the start? Here are 5 games that accomplish both of those objectives! 1. ¡Corre, corre! Students form a ... Read More about 5 icebreaker activities for the first week of Spanish
Typically served as a tapa, Tortilla Española is Spain's answer to the omelette! Here's how to make this delicious Spanish recipe at home.
As a follow-up to my 3 part series of 20 Ways to Get Your Students Speaking in the Target Language, I created this list of 15 creative Spanish speaking activities to use in class. Here is a collection of my favorite ideas and activities to get your students talking. Beware: Once they start talking, they
Why are Spanish learning games so effective? Here are just a few reasons: Games are fun! When our students are absorbed in a good game, their affective filter is lowered. This means they are more relaxed and they can more easily acquire new language. Students are invested during games. Even if their main focus is winning, we get increased focus and engagement, which is a win for us. Games create good vibes. When we add that element of fun and competition, we trigger the 'happy emotions' in our students and create good feelings about coming to class. Most games naturally involve language. Sometimes activities can
A good exit ticket can be a useful tool for your classroom! Here are exit ticket ideas for Spanish class. Click to check out the examples!
Learn about fascinating South American country of Argentina for Kids in this free printable country study for elementary age kids to color, read, and learn!
Inside: A peek into dozens of Spanish classrooms, of all kinds, shapes, and sizes! A well-designed room won’t make or break your teaching. Oh, but it can make a difference in how you and your students feel. Some of you have very limited options, and very tight budgets. There’s some serious classroom eye-candy here, but the
High-quality professional development for world language teachers is hard to come by. Look here to see the top 10 actionable resources you can use tomorrow!
What are Chat Mats and how do Spanish and French teachers use them to improve proficiency? Read the post and get tons of free Chat Mats!
Confession: I probably spend too much time on Instagram. It’s definitely a time suck, but it’s also a great resource for new ideas! I got this idea from @mademoisellefallowfield and her post about a review game based on the fun What do you Meme? party game. She was kind enough to share her meme images to help […]
This Listen, Write, Draw activity is an example of one of those activities I had been doing before I encountered comprehensible input strategies that I didn't
These 6 short clips are great to include in your daily routine unit for a clip chat or movie talk in Spanish class!
Including movement in Spanish class is a great way to increase engagement! This post has tools, tips, & tricks to get movement in your secondary classroom!
If you want to make a delicious Spanish Latte at home, we got you covered. Learn all about Café con Leche and enjoy our easy-to-make recipe!
Along with the holidays come something else that all teachers and students anticipate…end-of-semester assessments!!! While midterms and finals are often viewed as burdensome and intimidating–both for the students that take them and the teachers that create, administer, and grade them–they certainly do not have to be. What should semester exams in language classes look like? Let me…
Today we had our adventure in discovering Spain. We read stories, made a craft and cooked a flan. But first a bit about Spain. Spain is located on the Iberian Peninsula. It is the third largest country in Europe and its southern tip is eight miles north of Africa. Spain has a long and varied history. It was under Roman and Moor rules before becoming independent. It is now a democratic government under a constitutional monarchy. The Moors reign ended in 1492, the same year that Christopher Columbus "discovered" America for the Spanish monarchy. Each ruling culture left its mark on Spain. You can still find Roman aquaducts, the Moors Mosques as well as the Gothic Cathedrals built when the Christians took over the country. Source There are many traditions that Spain is well known for. One being bull fighting and the another the siesta. Meals in Spain differ from meals in the United States. Breakfasts are usually small--a roll and a coffee. Lunch is the big meal of the day. Traditionally the stores, factories, schools, and businesses would close for two to three hours for all the people to return home for lunch and a nap known as the siesta. Although this is not as widely practiced now, it is still in some places. Dinner is much later around 10 or 10:30 and is usually very small. A paseo or evening walk is another custom. Many people in Spain will go for a walk after the stores are closed. They walk in their nicest clothes and may stop to chat with friends or perhaps to get a drink at a cafe or bar. Then they may have their late dinner out or at home. Many Spaniards eat out often and there are many choices of good restaurants. Source So for our day in Spain we took four resource books out of the library. To make our flan we used the recipe in Cooking The Spanish Way by Rebecca Christian. Now the flan I have eaten has been Brazilian and I loved it. However this recipe was not a success for us. None of us enjoyed it. Hazel and I did enjoy making it though. It involved a lot of stirring of which Hazel did most. Flan just out of oven Flan with Sauce Stirring the sauce While the flan was in the oven, Hazel and I made a black lace fan. We got the instructions from the Fiesta! Series book Spain published by Grolier Educational. Making the fan was a lot of fun and rather simple. We did not make it as fancy as the one in the book since we used supplies on hand. I found some black lace leftover from a Halloween costume. However making the fan also required using a compass. This was Hazel's first time using a compass or even seeing one and there were a lot of math lessons that could be tied into it with older children. We also skipped the step of painting the cardboard just because we were running short on time. Our plan is to try some of the Spanish dances using the fan (and the one I bought for her in Epcot). We'll see if we find time soon. We also took time today to read through Food in Spain by Nancy Loewen. Much of the information I wrote about Spain came from this book and the rest came from Wikipedia. We also have been enjoying some stories from Spain. We took all of these out of the library. I would like to comment on Princess Florecita and the Iron Shoes by John Warren Stewig. This is a wonderful story where the princess hears about a prince in needing saving and she goes through a great deal to find him and save him. It is a nice twist on common tales of the prince saving the maiden. Medio Pollito means half chicken and that is who the main character is. A chicken who was born with only half a body (one leg, one wing, etc.) and it is his adventure traveling and how he helps others and then they repay him when he finds himself in hot water (literally being made into soup). So that was our adventure in Spain thus far (we may try another recipe soon). I have to admit I was sad to see that Epcot did not have Spain as one of its countries in its World Showcase. I saw recently that they will be adding it, but unfortunately for us it will be too late to have been included in this month's adventures. We did however enjoy seeing France which was our adventure in April. Unfortunately the only pictures I took in France were of the kids with Princess Aurora (Sleeping Beauty). We also spent some time in the Canada exhibit, but it was mostly a movie so I don't have pictures really from there either. Oh, well. I am sure I will find some good resources when we get there. Also for your own passport check out this link from Glittering Muffins and for a fun placemat, this link.
In this series on teaching Spanish writing skills, we've discussed using templates to model good writing, as well as the importance of Spanish transition words to decrease choppiness. This post will continue the writing discussion with ideas for great Spanish writing activities and Spanish writing projects to use all year long with your high school
Bullfighting is a tradition practiced in many parts of the world, but it is most commonly associated with Spain.
Surely I'm not the only teacher who has doggedly plowed ahead in a lesson, determined to squeeze in every second of teaching/input/ practice I possibly can, ignoring the fact that my students' eyes ar
Check out these great Easter activities for Spanish class in your middle school or high school classroom!
Check out this quick and easy Partner Matamoscas game to use in your Spanish classes! Print and go for a low prep Spanish review game!
