How I Spy Books Improved the Way I Teach Direct Object Pronouns in Spanish
I remember the first time I taught direct object pronouns in Spanish 3 Honors. I also incorporated indirect object pronouns. My students left that lesson more confused than when we started. I felt like I failed them. The lesson included wayyyy too much info; I was expecting them to grasp a grammatical concept that was […]
7 Authentic Activities to Make Your Spanish House Unit More Exciting
I want you to think about your current Spanish House unit. You know, the one where you include the traditional la casa vocabulary, like rooms of the house, furniture, and chores. How exciting are your lesson plans within this unit? How many authentic resources do you use to incorporate culture into your Spanish house unit? […]
A Complete List of Lessons for a Peru Culture Unit in Spanish Class
Do you ever teach about one specific Spanish-speaking country? Maybe you have a Peru Culture unit or a Spain Food unit or a Argentina Music unit? Trying to find the best material and resources to teach about a specific country can be challenging, especially if you have never traveled there. Let me share my best […]
Your Spanish Students Will Never Be Bored Again During Block Schedule
A typical block schedule is anywhere from 80-90 minutes. During my first year of teaching, I started in a traditional 8-period per day schedule. Classes were roughly 40 minutes; so when I transitioned to a block schedule for my second year, I was not sure how I would keep my students engaged for double that […]
How World Language Teachers Can Use Pinterest to Find Authentic Resources
I first discovered the power of Pinterest to find authentic texts in the target language in 2016. It was my first year of teaching Spanish. I was a middle school teacher, and my mentor signed us up to attend a FLENJ (Foreign Language Teachers of NJ) conference. At first, I was hesitant to go, as […]
The Poinsettia in Spanish Class: A Unique Twist on Christmas Lessons
During the month of December, we tend to take a break from curriculum and try to incorporate holidays and traditions into our Spanish lessons. This year, for your Christmas lessons, try teaching about the poinsettia in Spanish class. Your students will love the unique take on Christmas activities, and they will most likely learn a […]
8 Spanish Halloween Activities That Your Students Will Love
Ever since I was a kid, Halloween has been one of my favorite holidays. The costumes, haunted hayrides, corn mazes, pumpkin carving, and so much more make this time of year the best! But Spanish Halloween activities may be hard to come by, as we tend to focus on Day of the Dead during this […]
How to Use Activities for Social Emotional Learning with One Simple Image
I’ll admit… At first, I was not sure how to incorporate activities for social emotional learning in my high school Spanish classroom. I was hesitant because I thought I would lose time teaching Spanish content. But this past year, when my colleague would share her lessons with me, almost every class started with a social […]
How to Design and Grade an Awesome Choice Board for Spanish Class
Are you ready to use an awesome choice board in your Spanish class that will keep your students engaged, be easy for you to grade, and help you with differentiation? If you haven’t been using choice boards yet, now is the time to start! They are easy to make and can meet the needs of […]