I’m guessing your building principal isn’t going to approve any plans to add a full functioning fireplace to your classroom. I don’t blame them. But we can still set the mood with a nice, relaxing, crackling fireplace in your room.
If you have a projector in your classroom, project these on full screen, and you’ve just set an awesome mood in your classroom as you read a story, as kids work quietly on homework, or just to create a warming scene.
It’s that time of year…. coughing, sneezing, child puking all night. Whatever the reason, we all need a good sub plan ready to go. Here is our top 5 sub plans for Spanish teachers:
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We all wish language learning could be a bit less of a pain – and don’t some of us look forward to the day when some magical potion will make learning any language easy. Spanish is definitely a language to seriously consider taking on; as the second most popular language in the world, it’s a great one to have as part of your repertoire. But consider the problem of learning how to actually speak and communicate like a native: learning a language such as Spanish in the classroom is all very well and good, but where can you go to pick up on slang or practice your listening skills if you live in an environment where Spanish is not generally spoken?
The answer is easy: Mexican telenovelas (soap operas) and TV shows are famous the world over and one of the best ways of learning how to navigate the beautiful undulations of the Spanish language. So here are my top four picks for Mexican TV shows which will help you in your Spanish journey: Continue reading
After finishing our recent unit and taking the proficiency-based assessment, I gave the students a short google survey to gather some feedback. I think it is important to give students a voice in their learning and let them know you consider what they have to say.
88% of students responded that they felt their grade on the assessment matched their ability to use the language to meet the unit objectives. What students liked about the assessment:
Some students were comforted by having guidelines and others students wanted more freedom. Things that students “didn’t like about the assessment”.
For additional proficiency based exams, check out our catalog’s proficiency section.
I love buying magazines when I am in Latin America and seeing what I can use in the classroom. I have acquired a few issues of the Mexican teen magazine “Tú” and have found many of my students eager to look through the copies.
Good news. You can order a digital subscription. Give your students access to the latest in Pop Culture… en español!
Buenas noticias! ¡Ahora la revista Tú México en versión digital! Ya puedes tenerla en tu compu, iPad o iPod… Deja que tu mejor amiga te acompañe cada 15 días con lo mejor de moda y espectáculos, belleza, ligues, osos y divertidos test, pero ¡ahora en su versión más tecno! Suscríbete ya.
Disponible en: PC/MAC , Win8, Rim, Android, iPad
12 números por $16.00 US
or $1.50 cada edición
When you click to check out, you will need to set up an account with Zinio and from there you can send payment through paypal.
Issue of Tú: $1.50Students engaged with authentic language: priceless!
Related Posts:
1. Authentic Resources of High Interest Topics
2. Connecting vocabulary to our students
One of my favorite units is teaching about food. You can probably tell from the number of resources I’ve shared dealing with Comida.
Here are some great input that will have students remembering key phrases and vocabulary related to the Spanish food unit. Also, below is our first ever caption contest.
Napoleon Dynamite clip en español.
“Estás muy gorda, pero sigue comiendo.
Tina, come. Cómete todo. ¡Tienes que comer!”
With lots and lots of input, they got most parts of the verb without ever having to put it in a verb chart. I never assessed them on what part of the verb they knew (such as a “fill in the blank” or “match subject to verb” or “conjugate this”), but rather on what they could do with the language (click here for an example of performance assessment with an emphasis on what students can do as opposed to just demonstrating grammar accuracy). My students were communicating, doing well, I was on a roll, I was invincible…
via Authentic input versus grammar drills, a case study.
Language Input determines Language Output
If we want our students to be able to “order at a restaurant”, then giving them the forms for the verbs “to eat”, “to order”, “to drink”, “to bring” in the present and past tense will not give them the necessary input for this skill. However, if we show them video clips and audio clips of people of people ordering food, images with captions of restaurant situations, and practice asking them questions that a waiter would ask and guiding their answers, then they are much more likely to be able to achieve this skill.
In addition to the resources available at the above link, we’ve compiled some additional resource to implement in your Spanish classes’ units for teaching La Ropa/La Moda.
El Estilo Fashion de Lea Michele
This gallery contains 3 photos.
We took slides that our students created as a result of our Futbol webquest and turned it into a bulletin board: We arranged them in order as the teams finished the previous season with Barcelona at the top as champions, … Continue reading
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Ser With Adjectives Flashcards
Get your students practicing descriptions with this manipulative activity where students put together the correct flashcards to make the phrase. Copy the flashcards on three different colors of paper, 1 each for Subject Pronouns, forms of the verb ser, and another for the adjectives. Have students cut out the boxes and then they are ready to play!
Teachers calls out a sentence in English, such as “John and Mark are blonde.” Students have to use the correct pronoun for John and Mark (Ellos), the 3rd person plural verb (son), and the correct ending for rubio (rubios). Includes multiple versions of adjectives so students have to be careful to choose the correct ending.
Ready to print and use. Includes a list of 36 pre-made phrases to use and a set of full directions. Save yourself time by
SpanishPlans.org 