Got into my classroom today and am making some progress on decorating. Wanted to share what I’ve got so far; perhaps an idea might inspire you.
I love using plastic tableclothes for bulletin boards. They are so easy to put up. They cling to the background, I use a pushpin to hold them into place as I cut it perfectly at the edge. And it’s cheap: I pick these up at the dollar store. They will last for several years. Continue reading
These authentic resources are perfect for a school unit in your Spanish class or to use at the beginning of the school year.
Check out our experience from working in a Colombian School to compare the US school system with that from a rural community in the coffee region of Colombia.
Pictures of “Back to School” Ad from Colombian store “Exito”:
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One of our more popular posts is about an issue that most Spanish teachers are divided on. I recently asked a Spanish teacher group on facebook if they give their students Spanish names and to give their reasons and the response was split. This post is probably not going to change your mind one way or another, but maybe give you some insight on why other teachers do things, or give you support for the way you do things. I do find that while the polls seem split 50-50, more teachers who do not give names state their reason for doing so.
Below are the top 5 reasons you should and should not give your students a “Spanish name”.
Continue reading
We just gave one of our most popular product a huge upgrade. We are quickly approaching 1,000 licenses sold for our Spanish Facebook Profile Project. If you are one of those who already has this project, you will want to log in to and re-download the new version. If you 
don’t have this project yet, this is a perfect way to start the school year and gather information from your students by having them fill out a Facebook profile with their favorite things.
Along with the 3 page template (Profile, Newsfeed, Notifications), this also comes with a list of Facebook vocabulary (tagging, commenting, sharing, etc.) as well as texting-shorting such as “tmbn” for también and many more!
And to correspond with this re-release, we are happy to say that our Facebook “Me Gusta” stamp Continue reading
Now that our students have their plane tickets, it’s time to make sure they have their travel documents with them!
It’s time to have students make their own passport, make sure their VISA is filled out, and carry their ID card with them. 
Get our passport covers, passport pages, Colombian Visa, and Colombia ID card here.
You may also want to check out Passport Pages for all 21 Spanish Speaking Countries from Creative Language Class.
And if you are going to use passports, why not get our Passport Stamps?
If you’ve haven’t read how to use Instagram in your class, first read this post. Once you’ve set up a class account, we recommend the following accounts below. Once you are following, you can project your feed on the board and let students see the pictures. You can even select one student to use an app such as “Repost” to repost an image to the class account. Encourage students and parents to follow the class account. You can post questions and have students respond on IG or use it to spark a discussion in class.
Travel and Culture:
Amazing pictures of sites of interest in the Spanish Speaking World plus some of the official accounts of the countries’ Tourism department. Continue reading
Last week, Raquel Sofia released her first album, Te Quiero Los Domingos. If you are looking for some good music to listen to this summer, then you need to check this out.
You may have heard her song “Agridulce” that we featured in our Lyrics Training post.
One of my favorite songs on the album is a jazzy-sounding Te Odio Los Sabados. There is also a reggae twist to the song “Lo que te di”. No matter what style, her voice is amazing.
Check out our earlier feature on this Puerto Rican born artist.
A few years ago, we brought your our Top 10 Pins as determined by the number of repins on pinterest. At that time, we only had 500 followers. We now have almost 7,000. If you aren’t following us yet, here is your personal invitation!
Click on any of the images below to re-pin to your own boards.
1. Cuando tu profesor te separa de tu mejor amigo en clase
Using Instagram as authentic resource of images in our Spanish Lessons. Real life language used as comprehensible input.
2. Uh oh. Teacher called on me. Wasn’t listening. Minion Meme.
Our minion meme is one of our most popular teacher memes. Forget “Grumpy Cat”; the minions are the big hit of using memes in the classroom. Use these images to remind students to pay attention.
3. Subject Pronoun Door
Remember the subject pronouns can be tough work for early Spanish students (heck, they sometimes struggke with the English versions) so these posters are perfect to hang on your door as visual reminders.
4. Trivia Crack Questions in Spanish
Using Trivia Crack in your Spanish class. Great way to see authentic questions such as
“¿Cúantos ojos tiene el personaje Mike Wazowski de la película Monsters Inc.?”
5. How Fluent are you?
A comic that deals with language aquisition.
First, let me say that the librarian at my school rocks! A few years ago, I approached her about getting my students to read some novels to learn more about the Hispanic culture. She compiled over 60 titles from our school library and has since grown the list to over 90.
Here are a few titles that I recommend: Continue reading
I know we have all bought some beautiful postcards during our travels. Let’s use them to decorate our classroom and turn our hospital walls into a charming space that allows students to see the beauty of the target culture.
Step 1: Buy postcards during your travels. I bought these in Bolivia.
Step 2: Buy a collage frame. Tip: I bought this one for $1.99 at a secondhand store.
Step 3: Use 3m hanging hooks to hang up frame in your classroom.
For a few dollars, you have a beautiful exhibit of the culture. You could do the same with any photos you have taken.
You can do the same with monthly calendars, or find out how to easily hang up those country flags.
SpanishPlans.org 