ES
We used to live in Alcorcón, Madrid (Spain), in a small apartment in a building block. There were many places we could easily just walk to: our school, the supermarket, the park… We live in Dover, Delaware (U.S.A.), now. We have a much larger house with our own yard. Even if our schools are really close, as well as other … Read More
Quiero ser… Auxiliar de vuelo
The title of my last school PD of the 2022/23 academic year was Student voice. Its goal was to encourage student participation and to come up with strategies that help us listen to their input. Why?Because when students are involved in the education process they’re more engaged. When they’re more engaged, there are less discipline problems and we can focus … Read More
15 sueños – A super engaging reader
I’m sure you’re familiar with this situation: We celebrate Hispanic heritage month. We talk about remarkable Latino champions. Students research, and they make posters and presentations. And yet by the end of the school year, names such as Sonia Sotomayor or Diego Rivera don’t ring any bells. Why? And how can we fix that situation? Meaningful learning is all about … Read More
Voy a ir a Cartagena
We designed this lesson to fix a problem in our classes. Talking about future plans with our students was a struggle. Plans for spring break, weekend plans, plans for their summer vacation… It didn’t matter. We got a lot of Voy a estar en casa. Voy a dormir. No lo sé. Some students really don’t know, or they don’t have … Read More
La Semana Santa
The two main celebrations in the Spanish-speaking countries are Christmas and Easter, and we have great resources for both of them. We chose Seville (Spain) to film our Semana Santa videos and we’re really glad about that decision. Seville is awesome during Easter. Bueno, it’s awesome at any time, but let’s say it’s even better during Semana Santa. Filming Seville’s … Read More
Mes de la historia de la mujer (1 de marzo – 31 de marzo)
March is Women’s History Month, let’s celebrate it! We have many videos and activities to help you spice up this month, and share with your students the achievements of some of the greatest Hispanic women.1 Mujeres hispanas que hicieron historia (Escape room – Spanish 2 / intermediate) A virtual escape room that your students will love! Follow our video tutorial … Read More
La cruzada de los niños
We found a really good picture book in our local library called The youngest protester, by Cynthia Levinson.We read it to our kids, Pol and Nora, and we loved how it highlighted the role young students played to put an end to segregation laws in the U.S.We had recently visited Alabama and filmed at the Kelly Ingram Park, where young … Read More
Mi emoji favorito
I start my classes asking my students “¿qué tal”? or “¿cómo están?”. Their most common answer is “bien”. If we tell them that they cannot use “bien” to reply, we have a conversation starter. When they choose words such as cansado, aburrido, enfermo, nervioso or triste, we just ask them why and we’re starting the class with a meaningful and … Read More
El mes de la historia negra (1 de febrero – 1 de marzo)
Most of my students are black. When we learned about colors, introducing the word “negro” created a bit of a commotion. We can’t just tell students: that’s the Spanish word for black, like it or not. I think we need to offer a proper and detailed explanation. Our resources for Black history month include that explanation, as well as a … Read More
San Valentín
Our priority in the Spanish class has to be to motivate students.Without motivation, they won’t learn much.Without motivation, they won’t continue studying until they master the language.They’ll eventually quit, and begin to forget what they learnt.Looking for interesting topics is therefore key.Love and friendship, no matter how old your students are, are great motivating topics.So let’s embrace St. Valentine’s Day … Read More