If you’ve just been hired or are starting your first year as a Spanish teacher, you are probably a) super excited and b) quite nervous.
Hopefully we can help calm those nerves and make your year start out smooth.
Here are some tips to help get you ready:
Our Spanish Facebook Profile Project is one of our best sellers. And according to the reviews, it’s not only a hit with teachers, but students love it too. And it’s no wonder. Students not only create their own Facebook profile page, but also a newsfeed with posts from their “friends” as well as a notification page, just like facebook.
Also included is a list of common “text-talk”: abbreviations native speakers use when texting. Such as “a2” for “adiós”. 
So we are excited to announce that we now have a French version of this project. And you could win either one of these versions on our Facebook giveaway.
All you need to do is to go to our Facebook page, www.Facebook.com/SpanishPlans and tag a French teacher in the comments of our most recent post. The people you tag will be eligible to win the French version and anyone who tags (that’s you!) is entered to win the French OR Spanish version.
For more French resources, check out our French page.
We’ve all heard them. Most of us have probably even used them at one point or another. I’m talking about those cute little songs and acronyms to memorize grammar rules, irregular forms, verbs, and more.
Example: Your students are learning about command forms. So, you give them this little trick (on right) to remember the irregular forms for positive tú commands: Ven Di Sal Haz Ten Ve Pon Sé.
Easy Peasy. Your students are going to rock out on the commands quiz.
Or how about using the tune of “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” to memorize the irregular yo form verbs in the preterite. Sing that little tune during the quiz, and you’ll be set!
Then there are all the acronyms to remember the difference between Ser and Estar (Doctor Place), when to use the subjunctive (WEIRDO), and I’m sure they are many many more examples.
These tools may be great help to pass a quiz. But are they really that useful when it comes to acquiring a language? Continue reading
On the last day of class I had my students fill out a course evaluation survey to gather their feedback. A few things stuck out and will help in my planning for next year:
or takeaways. Two students specifically mentioned that the MovieTalk of Destiny made them realize that maybe they shouldn’t be too focused on things (such as checking their cellphone all the time) and instead be aware of the world around them.If you haven’t finished out the year yet, here is a version of the survey I gave to my students: Course Evaluation 2016
We have once again been nominated by Babla’s Language Lover’s competition in two categories. We would love your vote for “Spanish Plans”. 
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After my class finished reading the TPRS Publishing novel Esperanza and were working on their final projects, I spent some time playing around with an iPad and ended up making a video for chapter 1.
The most useful aid in comprehension for my own students had been the Audio Book that we listened to as students followed along in their books. This was my first time 
using the book and perhaps there were a few parts that I could have done a better job in making sure all students had full comprehension of the events in the chapter. One way to aid in comprehension is to make your own “movie” of the events of the book. You can also use this technique for ANY story you tell in class and we are going to tell you how. Continue reading
I’m glad to see many people responding to our #MasQueSombreros /#MoreThanSombreros challenge and enjoy the new hashtag #ReclaimCinco (on Instagram and Twitter)
As educators, we must demand the end of the appropriation of the Mexican culture. This is never more prominent than on Cinco de Mayo.
Stop with the Sombreros. Stop with the Talking Tacos. Stop the mustaches. Stop the donkeys. Stop the cactuses and maracas. Stop the appropriation of a rich culture. Let’s educate, not stereotype.
I urge our followers to help put an end to the stereotyping. We don’t need to look any further than one of the largest Spanish Teacher companies, Continue reading
Spanish teachers on TpT have teamed up to offer you a fun & fabulous giveaway as our way of saying THANK YOU to our followers!
We have 2 thank you prizes for our followers:
– $100 TpT gift card
– $20 TpT gift card
What to do: Continue reading
While teaching the TPRS Publishing novel, Esperanza, we watched an interview with a Honduran coyote. The coyote talks about the business of human trafficking and bribing officials along the way as well as how much the coyotes charge. We watched this at the end of chapter 9 where the parents suddenly need to bring their children to the US
Then, we watched clips from a documentary that Mike Peto shared on his blog. While we didn’t watch the actual documentary, we did watch several clips available from the documentary’s website. It shows the Tapachula Detention Center in Chiapas. We watched a portion of about 4 clips. These clips show the faces and voices of children, who are in the same situation as Ricardito and Liliana. 
We talked about how scared the kids looked and their only desire was to be with the family. It was a really eye-opening experience for my students. Seeing these kids showed them that the experiences from the book are real. Listening to “Jose’s best friend in El Salvador” nearly broke my heart when the kid said “Ya no juego mucho como jugaba antes con él” and when the interviewer asks him if he could have anything in the world that would make him happy and responds that it would be for his friend to be reunited with his mother.
I have been using the TPRS Publishing novel, Esperaza, with my 8th grade class and over halfway through the book, it has been a success.
My students have particularly enjoyed listening to the audio book as they read. I find it helps with the comprehension. And it has also inspired some students to go around the school chanting “Huelga… Justicia… Huelga… Justicia…”.
Speaking of justicia… Continue reading
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