Don’t tilt at windmills, seize the day! Introduce your students to Cervantes and his most famous, most beloved creation, Don Quixote, on Spanish Language Day this April. The Significance of Spanish Language Day Spanish Language Day, also known as Día Mundial del Idioma Español, is a celebration of multilingualism held every year on April 23rd, […]
Past Subjunctive (Imperfect Subjunctive) Spanish Class Activities
The past subjunctive is used to express hypothetical or non-real actions or events in the past. Some examples of the past subjunctive in Spanish would be: “Si hubiera sabido que ibas a venir, te habría esperado en el aeropuerto” (If I had known you were coming, I would have waited for you at the airport) […]
7 Things I Would Like to Have Known as a New Spanish Teacher
by Lynn Ramsson Before I started my teaching career, I had heard that Spanish teachers are a truly unique bunch. I wasn’t sure what that meant, but after a year or two in the Spanish classroom, I understood much better what I had heard. I felt proud, both of my own progress as a teacher and […]
Conditional Verbs Spanish Lesson Plans and Class Activities
Conditional verbs are forms of verbs used to express a variety of hypothetical conditions. Before learning conditional verbs, students should have a basic understanding of verb tenses and the ability to make conjugations with regular and irregular verbs. They should also be familiar with the structure of affirmative and negative sentences, as well as understand […]
Negative TU Commands Spanish Lesson Plan and Song Activities
Negative Tu Commands are direct commands used when addressing someone familiar to you, such as a close friend, family member or peer. They are typically preceded by the word “no” and followed by the verb. Examples of informal negative tu commands include “No hables” (Don’t speak), “No me mientas” (Don’t lie to me), “No discutas […]
Preterite vs Imperfect Spanish Class Activities
1. Lesson Plan – Preterite vs Imperfect, Describing a Situation – Holidays (Vacation) and Family Celebrations [MEMBERS ONLY] – Students learn to use the indefinite and the imperfect tenses to speak about actions in the past. They also learn vocabulary related to vacations and familiar celebrations. 2. Lesson Plan – Preterite vs Imperfect – Talking About […]
Preterite Stem-Changing -IR Verbs Spanish Lesson Plan and Resource Sheet
In Spanish, stem-changing verbs are those that undergo a vowel change in their stem when conjugated. When these verbs are in the preterite tense, they maintain the same stem change in the past. For verbs ending in -IR, the stem-changing occurs in the third person singular and plural forms (él/ella/usted, ellos/ellas/ustedes). The stem vowel changes […]
How to Include Poetry in Your Spanish Lesson Plans
Expand your students’ cultural knowledge by introducing them to Spanish-speaking poets and their poetry (National Poetry Month in April is a great time to begin). You’ll find a few activities at the end of this article to capture your students’ imaginations and who knows… your students just might find poetry more interesting than they expected! It’s a […]
Future Perfect Spanish Lesson Plan and Resource Sheet
The Future Perfect tense in Spanish, also known as “Futuro Perfecto,” is used to express actions that will have been completed by a certain point in the future. This tense is formed by using the future tense of the auxiliary verb “haber” followed by the past participle of the main verb. For example, “habré hablado” […]
Preterite of IR and SER Spanish Lesson Plan and Printable Poster
The preterite tense in Spanish is used to express past actions that are completed or finished. The verbs “IR” and “SER” have the same conjugation in the preterite, which can sometimes cause confusion. In the preterite, “IR” and “SER” are both conjugated as follows: fui, fuiste, fue, fuimos, fuisteis, fueron. This means that the context […]
Possessive Pronouns Spanish Lesson Plan and Resource Sheet
Possessive pronouns in Spanish are words that indicate possession or ownership of something. These pronouns agree in gender and number with the noun they refer to, and they replace the noun in the sentence. Some examples of possessive pronouns in Spanish are “mi” (my), “tu” (your), “su” (his/her/its/your – formal), “nuestro/nuestra” (our), and “suyo/suya” (theirs/yours […]
Personal A Spanish Lesson Plan and Resource Sheet
In Spanish, the Personal A is a preposition that is used before a direct object that refers to a person or an animal with a certain level of personal significance. It is not translatable into English and is a unique feature of the Spanish language. The Personal A is used to indicate that the direct […]
Verb DOLER Spanish Lesson Plan for Beginner Students
The Spanish verb “doler” is used to express physical pain or discomfort. In order to use “doler,” you need to know two things: the subject experiencing the pain, and the body part that is causing the pain. The verb is constructed as follows: “doler” + [body part] + “a” + [subject]. For example, “Me duele […]
Health & Body Parts Vocabulary Spanish Lesson Plans and Class Activities
When teaching Spanish as a second language, the introduction of body parts vocabulary typically occurs in the early stages of learning, usually in beginner or elementary-level classes. This is because the vocabulary related to body parts is relatively simple and frequently used, making it an essential part of basic Spanish language acquisition. Generally, students are […]
Foreign Language Week: 5 Activity Ideas from Monday to Friday
Want to bring the world and all of its languages closer to your classroom? Inspire your students to excite your school community and get everyone involved in National Foreign Language Week this March. What is National Foreign Language Week? Every March, schools around America celebrate National Foreign Language Week or World Language Week to discuss […]
Possessive and Demonstrative Adjectives Spanish Class Activities
1. Lesson Plan – Possessive and Demonstrative Adjectives, Position of Adjectives [MEMBERS] – Students learn possessive adjectives by watching a video and by doing an oral practice that includes vocabulary related to the family. They do a written and oral practice of the forms for the demonstrative adjectives in singular and plural. Finally, they watch the […]
7 Read Across America Day Spanish Class Activities (a.k.a. Dr. Seuss Day)
Remember those READ posters of movie stars and other celebrities? Though the appeal of posters is their retro look, the message is still very relevant today. So engage your students and talk about literacy with some fun activities on March 2nd for National Read Across America Day! What is National Read Across America Day? National […]
Preposition “A” Spanish Lesson Plan for Beginner Students
The preposition “a” is used to indicate direction or movement towards a person or a specific location. It is also used to mark the direct object of a sentence when it refers to a person, as in: “Voy a ver a mi amigo” (I am going to see my friend). It is also commonly used […]
School Subjects and After-School Themed Spanish Lesson Plans
As a Spanish teacher, it’s essential to equip your students with vocabulary they can use outside the classroom, especially when it comes to after-school activities and school-related topics. Here you will find suggested Spanish lesson plans and resources, with engaging activities and materials to help your students learn and practice vocabulary related to sports, hobbies, […]
Food Vocabulary Spanish Class Activities
Lesson Plan – Verbs TENER, COMER, ESTAR and HAY to Talk About Food – Food Vocabulary – While reviewing a series of videos, students take note of the food they see and hear. Then, the verbs tener, comer, estar and hay will be presented or reviewed in this context. Finally, they apply what they have […]
Spanish Punctuation and Capitalization Spanish Class Activities
1. Lesson Plan – Capitalization and Accents – At the end of the module, students will be able to define, pronounce and correctly spell vocabulary words and apply the rules of capitalization for: days of the week, names of months, the pronoun yo (“I”), proper nouns and proper adjectives, proper names, people’s titles and book titles. They will also describe the reasons for using […]
12 Popular English Songs in Spanish (Part 1)
There are many songs that become popular and then make a crossover to other languages. Some turn out to be good, but others are a complete disaster. I assume that translating a hit song to a different language is difficult. Think about the challenge of keeping the essence of the original lyrics yet finding the […]
City Vocabulary Spanish Class Activities
Lesson Plan – Preterite IR, SER, TENER, ESTAR, and PODER – City Vocabulary – Students learn the city vocabulary with an authentic travel video about Mexico City. They will also be able to give directions to go from one place to another and use the verbs ir, ser, tener, estar and poder in the preterite. Lesson […]
Verb TENER Spanish Class Activities
Verb TENER and Body Parts Vocabulary Lesson Plan for Spanish 2 – In this lesson, students learn the body parts vocabulary the verb tener in the present tense and to express symptoms using the verb tener. Printable Poster and Handout – Verb TENER in the Present and Classroom Objects (School Supplies) – Decorate your classroom with […]
Ser vs Estar Spanish Class Activities
Ser and Estar are confusing for students learning Spanish because both words are translated as ‘to be’ in English. But the use and conjugation patterns of each verb are different. SER is used for permanent or long-lasting qualities, such as nationality, professions, physical characteristics, time, and dates. ESTAR is used for temporary states or conditions, […]
Best Apps for Spanish Class
There’s never enough time in class to give your students all the practice they need. But what if each student could have a personal tutor? … And that’s exactly the promise of smartphone apps. You already know that there are ~~hundreds~~ thousands of apps available for practicing Spanish. But it can be time-consuming to find […]
Affirmative TU Commands Spanish Lesson Plans and Song Activities
Affirmative TU commands in Spanish are used to give a direct order or request to someone familiar, like a friend. These commands use the informal “tú” form of the verb and require students to be familiar with the conjugation of verbs. To use these commands, students should first have a basic understanding of how to […]
The Alphabet in Spanish Class Activities
The Alphabet in Spanish Mini Lesson Plan – Two Speaking Latino original videos cover the alphabet and its pronunciation in Spanish. Students watch the videos, take notes and do an oral practice from a presentation with audio clips from a native speaker. Alphabet Pronunciation and Cognates Lesson Plan – Through viewing an authentic musical video, students […]
Irregular Preterite Verbs Spanish Class Activities
Lesson Plan – Irregular Preterite Verbs – Hiking, Outdoor Activities, the Weather – After completing this lesson, students will be able to describe outdoor activities, hiking in detail, the weather and weather forecasts, and talk about past events, especially using irregular preterite verbs. Objectives Students can describe outdoor activities, hiking in detail, and the weather […]
Impersonal SE and Passive SE Spanish Class Activities
Lesson Plan – Impersonal SE – Carnivals –Students learn about the Carnivals in Spanish speaking countries with text and two videos of the carnivals from Bolivia and Spain. They also learn about the Impersonal SE by completing a grammar chart and a written practice. Finally, students do an oral presentation using the Impersonal SE of […]