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 interesting talk.
How do we teach them that vocabulary about feelings and emotions? With this fun lesson called Mi emoji favorito.

1 Warm-up, reading, listening and speaking

This lesson includes an engaging video and a simple project that will help you decorate your class.
But before jumping into them, we'll start with an easy warm-up, a short text, a listening comprehension activity and a simple speaking task to prepare students for the video.
The goal is that they learn some basic emotions and how to use the verb estar.
That will give them enough background knowledge to get the most from the video.

An activity to teach Spanish showing several situations and five different emojis that represent feelings

An extract from a Spanish worksheet with a text about feelings and emotions.

An extract from a Spanish worksheet showing a chart about feelings that students need to fill out in pairs

2 What are the three most common emojis in Colombia?

The lesson includes a fun 4-minute video, with Spanish subtitles available if you'd like to use them.
Your students will review some of the feelings they previously learnt, and they'll see how they can be used in context.
They'll also see some new feelings and emotions, and they'll learn the three main emojis Colombians use: what they mean and when they use them.
After watching the video it'll be very easy to do a cultural comparisons: are those emojis also widely use in your community?

You can show the video to the whole class, or students can watch it on their own devices.
They can also answer the questions of an interactive video, a Google form, or the ones included in the worksheet that comes with the lesson.

A frame from a video showing a worried woman, an emoji and a caption in Spanish that reads "Estoy preocupada"

A frame from an interactive video showing a questions in Spanish about feelings and emotions

An extract from a Google form with the image of a red heart and a question in Spanish

3 Fill your class with your students' emojis!

A great lesson needs a great ending.
And this is an awesome lesson!
So... How do we end it?
Students will make and decorate their favorite emojis, using the provided template, and explain when they feel that way.
You can use those emojis to decorate the class. Organize a contest and give a few awards to the most original and the most artistic!
There's also a Blooket game you can play any time to quickly review all the new words included in Mi emoji favorito.
So tell us now: how do you feel about this fun lesson?

A happy emoji with a caption in Spanish describing a happy moment

A screenshot of a Blooket game showing an excited person and some words in Spanish

Go to the lesson

Have fun!

Fill out this form

Check your email account. You'll get access to a full lesson (video and activities)

Stop receiving messages at any time with just one click

A free lesson for you

Enter your info. Get a full lesson (video + activities). Enjoy.

Mi emoji favorito