Everywhere we look on the Internet, we see memes. We love them; our students love them. Memes in Spanish are a great way to introduce your students to short chunks of authentic text. Plus, interpreting jokes in the target language is not an easy skill to master. Memes in Spanish help us do both! So, how can we bring memes in Spanish and some pop culture into our classrooms?
Meme Generator
The suggestions below require the students and/or teachers to make memes in Spanish. This free meme generator has become my best friend! It allows you to design any meme with text above and below the image. Search for the image you are looking for or upload your own! Personalize them for your classes. I love finding cultural images, like a Hispanic painting, or a Running of the Bulls live action shot. Then, with one click, you can download your meme and use it in your class.
What to do with Memes in Spanish Class?
Meme Contest
Who doesn’t love a little competition? You know exactly which students in your class want to be officially titled “the funniest student.” Your students will have so much fun with a meme contest. This works best when you are working with new content (vocabulary or grammar). Students make a meme using the new vocab or grammar in context. My Spanish 4 Honors class just learned the subjunctive. Each student had to create their own meme using the subjunctive. Or, you could base your meme contest on your current unit, like the environment or travel.
Your students will either need to print out the memes they design or submit them digitally to you. I had my students print them and I posted them on a bulletin board for voting. If they submit them digitally, you can create a Google Forms Quiz for voting. Then, as a class, we voted on the best memes, and the ones with the most votes earned extra credit. Enticing the students with some bonus points will motivate them to make the funniest memes! This was one of the winners from my Spanish 4 Subjunctive meme contest:
Daily Do Now Memes
I use a Google Slides presentation for each lesson to display the Do Now, assignment instructions, authentic images, etc. Sometimes I like to throw a meme or two in for entertainment! I try to relate them to what we are learning about or the type of activity we are doing. As a Do Now, you can put a meme and ask students to interpret it. You could have students write a reflection about the meme, or even write their own meme text using the same image.
Students will also just enjoy seeing a meme on the daily Do Now, even if they aren’t required to do anything with it. Simply seeing a joke in school can lighten the mood and they will be eager to walk through your door to see what today’s meme is!
Here are some of my favorite funny memes I’ve used to make our lessons more fun. The first was during a unit on La Tomatina and the other was as we were reading “El novio robado.”
Lighten the mood during a quiz or assessment
You can put a meme on the top of a quiz or assessment to lighten the mood before students begin. Even science says laughing before a test has benefits! Releasing dopamine before a test is proven to improve test performance! Check out this article for more information on easing test anxiety.
Comprehensible Grammar Input
Teaching grammar is the perfect situation to incorporate memes. Find memes in Spanish that use the grammar concept you are currently teaching: subjunctive, preterit, etc. Then, show those memes to your students. They will most likely understand the joke better now that they are learning that grammar structure in class. Plus, they will see the concept in an authentic way. I use a lot of memes when teaching about commands. If you want to read how I use memes and mnemonic devices to teach preterit vs imperfect, check out this post.
Character Analysis
When reading a novel or short story, students can create memes about the characters. This is a great way for students to analyze the personality, quotes, and actions of the characters. We recently read “El delantal blanco” and students created their own memes about the characters. I required them to either use a quote directly from the character or paraphrase/invent something the character would say or do. You’d be surprised at how quick students can turn out a really hilarious meme in Spanish. These blew me away! Here are some of my students’ memes!
Art Unit
What better way to engage students in artwork than to turn it into memes? You can provide memes on PowerPoints or worksheets, like previously mentioned. But I think a great class activity is to allow students to create memes based off of artwork that you’re studying. If you just taught about Frida Kahlo, then each student must choose one of her paintings, make a meme, and share it with the class. You can then display their memes on a bulletin board to show off their creativity. These memes below were used after my lessons on Fernando Botero and Salvador Dalí (and right after the onset of virtual learning). You can purchase a Pablo Picasso set of 3 projects here, where one of them is a meme project!
Where to find Memes in Spanish?
Now, let’s be honest. Not all of us have the talent and brain power to create memes that will keep our students laughing day after day. And we may not have the time, either. So, where can you go to find memes in Spanish without having to create your own? My number one go-to spot is Pinterest! A simple search for memes in Spanish will lead you to tons of results. I have compiled some of my favorites on my Spanish memes pinterest board. Make sure you follow it so you can pin your favorites, too!
What are some of your strategies for using memes in class? Do you have any favorite Spanish memes to share with us? Put them in the comments below!
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