Do not let your school year end without thinking about this… In addition to being a teacher, you are a lifelong student, so taking some time this summer to gain or improve some skills is a worthwhile endeavor. If you don’t have the time or money to attend an in-person conference with hotel and plane […]
31 Outstanding Afro-latinos Your Students Should Know
February marks the celebration of Black History Month and this is a great opportunity to introduce your students to notable Afro-latinos in your Spanish classes. There are 54 million Hispanics in the United States, of whom 24% identify as Afro-Latino. Here’s our list of biographies in Spanish (and some in English) you can use in […]
5 Songs in Spanish for Valentine’s Day
For middle to high school Spanish teachers who wants to celebrate Valentine’s Day in class, here’s our suggestion of 4 songs in Spanish that your students will enjoy. Songs are a great way to teach new vocabulary because they can be fun and engaging. Songs typically have catchy melodies and rhymes that make them easier […]
13 Afro-Latino Class Activities for Students: Scaffolded for Novice to Advanced
Use these scaffolded activities in any order during Black History Month or through the school year. Each activity includes 3 versions to use with novice, intermediate low-mid, and intermediate high-advanced students.
Elementary Spanish Curriculum Recommendations for This School Year
We have been asked in the past if there is something similar to what we offer inside the Speaking Latino Spanish Teachers Community for elementary students. We reached out to elementary Spanish teachers in our Facebook group and these were their recommendations: 1. Real Language Right Away – For lower, middle, and upper elementary classes […]
I’m Quarantined! Sub-plans Ideas for Spanish Teachers
“I can’t be at my school, which is fully live, in school every day. I need lesson plans for non-Spanish-speaking substitute teachers. I need at least 2 weeks, probably more, I think. I found the 5 intermediate substitute lessons on your website. Any suggestions for how/where to go in your site to get more?” This […]
The State of World Language Teaching: Results of the 2020 World Language Teacher Survey
This survey was created to give language teachers real answers they can use to make changes to their teaching, to provide comfort in knowing they’re not alone, and help make changes in their institutions and districts.
Professional Development Certificate from the World Language Teacher Summit
World language teachers looking for affordable professional development should check the training sessions provided by the World Language Teacher Summit. This online conference, featuring 45 language teacher experts, is now opening again for new members. By only watching a few sessions, many teachers have been able to improve, modify and change the way they teach. […]
Tips to Assess Comprehension in the Spanish Classroom
In summary, language comprehension is “understanding what other people say and write”. Spanish teachers (and any world language teacher) must make sure that their students are actually understanding. But, how do you know? How do Spanish teachers access comprehension every day? Here’s what speakers from the Spanish Teacher Success Academy online conference do… Sam Finneseth […]
Tips to Deal with Students Who Don’t Want to Learn Spanish
When teachers encounter one or more students who essentially don’t want to learn Spanish it can jeopardize the activities and class dynamics. Sometimes, teachers feel that they need to go back to the drawing board and re-think everything that they had planned. Fourteen speakers from the Spanish Teacher Success Academy online conference gave us some […]
The Best Free Spanish Podcasts
The podcast was invented in 2004 by MTV video jockey Adam Curry, and years later, it has become a global phenomenon. Portable and often ad-free, podcasts have become an incredibly popular audio source of education, entertainment, and news. So, chances are, you probably already understand the undeniable appeal and the beauty of the podcast, but […]
Spanish Worksheets for Kids
The younger the age, the easier it is for us to acquire a new language. It is definitely a good practice to send a child to Spanish classes as young as kindergarten age (or even younger!). However, teachers may find it hard to catch the attention of such small students, so using absorbing teaching aids […]
When I First Started Teaching I Wish I Had Known…
We asked Spanish Teachers Success Academy presenters to name one thing they wish you had known when they started teaching. And here is an extract of their answers that collects their reflexions on their teaching careers. You can watch the full video interview and additional Q&A session bonuses inside the Spanish Teacher Success Academy. Allison […]
The Spanish Teacher Success Academy Professional Development Certificate
When you first started out teaching Spanish, I bet you heard the same thing over and over again: grammar is the key, follow the textbook, drills, exercises, and tests are the best way to teach. You took that advice to heart, but it was hard to know where to start. As you kept on researching, […]
31 Terrific TpT Stores for Spanish Teachers and Why You Should Follow Them
Follow these Teachers Pay Teachers stores to get some inspiration for your Spanish class.
Spanish Lesson Plans and Activities for Earth Week
Earth Day lessons and activities are an important part of any Spanish classroom. Not only do they provide an engaging way to learn about environmental issues, but they can also help students build a deeper understanding of the complex global network that is today’s world. By providing lessons and activities related to environmental issues, Spanish […]
Spanish Class Activities for Spanish Language Day (April 23rd)
Spanish Language Day is celebrated on April 23rd to mark the anniversary of Miguel de Cervantes’ death, one of Spain’s most beloved authors. Spanish writer and poet Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra published Don Quixote de la Mancha, considered the first modern novel in the Spanish language. This landmark work of literature has helped to make […]
Easter and Holy Week Traditions Spanish Class Activities
Holy Week is a big cultural event in Latin America. People get involved and commemorate the most important week or Catholic celebration that ends on Easter Sunday. You can highlight the cultural aspects of this date in your classes and also introduce Easter vocabulary in Spanish. Check out these ready-made printables: Easter and Holy Week […]
12 Spanish Class Activities for National Poetry Month
Check out the activities and materials we have created to celebrate National Poetry Month in April! All Spanish Teachers Community members have access to these materials and hundreds of ready-made lesson plans and resources for the full school year! Click here to access our exclusive freebies for Spanish teachers. How to Include Poetry in Your Spanish […]
Human Migration (Immigration) Spanish Class Activities
1. Lesson Plan – Crossing the U.S. – Mexican Border – This lesson plan is designed for use with the film Al Otro Lado (To the Other Side). This 60-minute film provides a window into issues along the border between the United States and Mexico. 2. Lesson Plan – Encuentros y desencuentros: Inmigración en España. […]
40 Spanish Teachers and Educators on Twitter You Don’t Want to Miss
1. Adrienne Brandenberg @AdrienneBranden Adrienne is a rising star in the world of working with Spanish heritage learners. With her colleague, Mary Beth Johnson, Adrienne writes about teaching and learning on their blog Adventures in Heritage Learning. 2. Annabelle Williamson @lamaestraloca Annabelle Williamson (nee Allen) is Louisiana’s Foreign Language Teacher of the Year 2018. She […]
The Best Spanish Teacher Websites and Blogs to Follow in 2019
1. Adventures in Heritage Teaching Adrienne Brandenberg and Mary Beth Johnson blog here frequently, offering readers insight into working with heritage Spanish students and inviting conversations with other teachers who share their concerns. Their reflections on various lesson plans are particularly helpful, as they provide teachers with valuable time-saving details about classroom activities. 2. SenorFernie […]
Spanish Listening Comprehension Resources
One of our Spanish Teacher Community members asked for Spanish listening comprehension resources: “I am looking for authentic listening activities for both lower level and intermediate level students. Ideally, I would love some listening activities which come with comprehension or expansion questions. Also, for the purposes of differentiation, I would like the script, so that […]
Spanish-Speaking Countries Spanish Class Activities and Resources
1. Lesson Plan – Spanish Speaking Countries [MEMBERS] – Students work in groups to learn basic facts about the Spanish speaking countries. They will create a collaborative board online and present it to the class. 2. Lesson Plan – Exploring the Continents: South America E-Book [MEMBERS] – At the end of the activity, students will have learned about […]
5 Common Questions About Teaching Spanish to Heritage Learners
Teaching Spanish heritage learners is one of the hottest topics in Spanish teaching circles at the moment. Not only is it a new challenge facing Spanish teachers, many of them were never taught the unique challenges teachers face when having heritage learners in their classrooms. 1. First of all, what do you mean by heritage […]
Did Your Administrator Just Say “Your Spanish class is not important”?
Whether public or private, primary, middle or secondary, schools generally run on a tight schedule on even tighter budgets. These parameters are often unyielding, which means that communicating your concerns from your perspective as a Spanish teacher to your higher-ups can sometimes be a nerve-wracking experience. For example, we recently received this message from one […]
6 Strategies to Deal with Google Translate in the Spanish Classroom
It’s a familiar story… An average student turns in Spanish homework. You review the homework thoroughly, hoping that the assignment is complete. Miraculously, the student’s tendency to write in Spanish without any regard for the dictionary has transformed, overnight, into total grammar perfection. Perhaps you feel pride swelling for a moment, or perhaps the anxiety […]
History of Spanish Language Spanish Class Activities
The Spanish language has its origins in the Iberian Peninsula, where it developed from a blend of languages spoken by various groups, including Celts, Iberians, and Romans. Over time, Latin became the dominant language in the region, and as the Roman Empire expanded, Latin spread throughout much of Europe. In the 8th century, the Muslim […]
Basic Spanish Phrases Class Resources
Learning a new language can be an exciting and rewarding experience for your students. As a teacher, you can introduce your students to basic Spanish phrases in order to allow them to communicate easily. Start with the Top 10 phrases below and then continue with more in-depth phrases for other topics. Top 10 Basic Spanish […]
Passive Voice SER + Past Participle Spanish Lesson Plan and Resource Sheet
The Passive Voice SER is a grammatical form used in Spanish to indicate that the subject of a sentence is receiving an action rather than performing it. For example, when saying “La casa es construida por Juan” (The house is built by Juan) Juan is performing the action of building but in this sentence, he […]