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So I Threw Out My Spanish Textbook…. What Happened Next, pt. 2: Acquisition

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In Part 1, we talked about proficiency: where we are going in the language classroom. Here in Part 2, I’ll talk about acquisition: how students take language in. If our goal is students who “rise in proficiency” (World Language Classroom), how do they grow? What do they need? What is the best way to get language “in”?

When people find out I teach Spanish, 95% of the time I get a comment like this: Oh man, I took 3 years of Spanish. It’s usually followed by a joke using the few words they remember: Mi casa es su casa. Hah!

Seriously– I get this all the time. From those very informal observations, it seems that we’ve been doing for decades now just isn’t working. When I discovered proficiency-based teaching, I saw where I wanted to go: I wanted students who could communicate in Spanish, not just perform isolated exercises. And I needed to find a better way to teach them.

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Last year I wrote a post explaining why I was throwing out my Spanish textbook. Of course, throwing it out was the easy part. But what to do next? I’m writing this series because I remember so clearly what’s it’s like, to be on the edge of that cliff– poised to jump into textbook-free land,[Read More…]

No Spanglish home is complete without a stash of books for kids in Spanish and English. Thankfully, there are more and more available now! I often walk in the door exhausted after a day of teaching, to kids who have heard English all day. Even though my brain just wants a break, they need these[Read More…]

Draw, Listen, Check: a listening activity for the WL Classroom

One of my favorite things about teaching textbook-free is that authentic songs in Spanish are central to class now. If you’re not sure about how to pick authentic songs in the first place, read more here, and if you need ideas for songs, click here.

Good teachers know this about their students: they won’t remember most of what you say. They will always remember how you made them feel. These are wise words for parents of bilingual kids, too, as we make our hundreds of parenting decisions. What is best: OPOL, or minority language at home? Where should the kids[Read More…]

Lesson 6 Goals: I can recognize some colors. Target Structures: me gusta, no me gusta, te gusta (repeated from last week), los colores, pinta Note: You may want to teach just four colors one week, or all at once. The online songs, books, etc. teach all the colors together, but doing activities with all the[Read More…]

Free Online Spanish Resources for the Home and Classroom

This is the list I wish I’d had as a new teacher! Here I’ve collected my favorite online Spanish resources, and all are free (though some may have paid upgrade options). These are great for supplementing in the classroom or practicing at home. If you are looking for younger kids, I’ve got a great list[Read More…]

It’s easier than ever to learn language now, with so many online Spanish resources for kids– for free! The hardest part is just sorting through all of them. No worries though: I’ve collected and sorted through the most popular resources so you can find what you need. If I am missing any, let me know! Online[Read More…]

Shows in Spanish on Netflix for kids can be a great source of input for little learners. Now, we all know to limit screen time for kids, right? BUT… videos really can be an incredible tool for providing authentic and rich language for little learners. I’m not a native Spanish-speaker and can’t provide a completely[Read More…]

Lesson 5 Goals: I can say that I like or don’t like something. Target Structures: me gusta, no me gusta, te gusta (Las uvas, la zanahoria, el queso, la galleta, la lechuga, and los arándanos are also introduced. At this point, they are always presented with pictures or props.

Lesson 4 Goals: I can recognize the names of several familiar foods. Target Structures: tiene hambre, come, toma, la manzana, la leche, el maíz, el pan, el agua

Two years ago I was very pregnant with my second baby, living in my parent’s basement. We only planned to stay a few months, to “get back on our feet.” Two years later, there we were still. It had been yet another year of constant car repairs, a failed business start-up, a new baby and[Read More…]

I wish I’d known how to use authentic Spanish songs when I first started teaching Spanish. Fresh from living in Peru and head over heels for the Spanish language and culture, I sat down with the textbook to see where to begin. Apparently, for the first half of Spanish I, we would learn classroom objects,[Read More…]

Confession: I haven’t really celebrated Día de los muertos with my classes before. I know this is probably the ultimate Spanish-teacher sacrilege. I never saw it celebrated very much in Peru, and have had to self-educate myself here. To be honest, I kind of hate Halloween (death, witches, spiders, having to think of a costume) and[Read More…]

Lesson 3 Goals: I can name some farm animals. Target Structures: dice, el caballo, el perro, el gato, la gallina, el cerdo, el pato

The Blob Game, A Fun Speaking Activity for the World Language Classroom

Find Your Blob is a fun activity that I have been using as one of my brain breaks recently. I’m working hard this year to make sure I break up our classes with some sort of movement, and this one is great. The students are speaking the TL, but because it’s related to their opinions and[Read More…]

Lesson 2 Goals: I can say my name. I can recognize some animals by name. Target Structures: ¿Cómo te llamas?, Me llamo, dice (Los animales de la granja are introduced this lesson. At this point, the goal is just to recognize their names, not necessarily name them like in Lesson 3.) Click here to see the[Read More…]

It’s Hispanic Heritage Month, a perfect time to introduce geography for Spanish-speaking countries. I’ve made a set of cards that teach countries, capitals, maps, and country shapes, as well as a few quick facts about each country. In this free download, you can also find directions for games like Go Fish, Concentration, and Slap-it. A[Read More…]

Lesson 1 Goals: I can greet my teacher and friends. Target Structures: buenos días, ¿Cómo estás?, Muy bien, gracias, el pollito, and dice. Click here to see the week-by-week listing, and to access my still-in-process unit plans. (These weekly lessons move very quickly. I designed them for families who are doing the songs, games, and mini-books[Read More…]

What better way to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month than by teaching classic children’s songs in Spanish? Los pollitos dicen is a popular song for young Spanish speakers. It is also perfect for families learning Spanish– the song is packed with high-frequency phrases like tengo hambre, tienen frío, and duermen. I’ve begun teaching a little class for some[Read More…]

As I prepare for the beginning of a new school year, I know this question will come up at some point. Though the tone of voice that goes with that sort of whyyy is not my favorite, it’s a valid question. Why are we here? Why are we learning Spanish? Why do we have to learn a[Read More…]

I finally feel confident about my plans for the first three weeks of Spanish I! After a year of intense research and reading, I tossed our textbook and formulated a (developing) personal philosophy of teaching Spanish. I define our classroom as “proficiency-based and comprehensible input-driven.” My use of TPRS, IPAs, authentic resources, interactive notebooks, and other tools[Read More…]

Bell-ringers are my nemesis. Many things could be termed as such– taking attendance, keeping track of late/missing work, maybe– but my para empezar history might take the cake. I have lots of different preps, and coming up with something specialized to each class was overwhelming… so they were often not well-done. Also, I usually made them[Read More…]

This post was written as part of a Multicultural Kid Blogs Round-up for A Day in School Around the World. Welcome to our bilingual preschool at home in the U.S.! We woke up to a cloudy, cool day. This is a rarity for North Carolina in August, much like children sleeping in would be. My[Read More…]

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