Celebrando el Día de los Muertos

The Day of the Dead, or “Día de los Muertos,” is a vibrant and deeply rooted tradition in Mexican culture. Celebrated from October 31st to November 2nd, it’s a time to honor and remember loved ones who have passed away. As an educator, introducing your students to this rich tradition can be both enlightening and fun.

Do you cover this celebration in your curriculum? Why or why not? I have, for as long as I can remember taught about this beautiful celebration and a few years ago we decided to make it its own unit. There are so many wonderful, authentic resources available that dedicating just a few lessons on it didn’t do it justice.

In my next few posts I will share how I teach this unit but before diving into the lessons, I like to set the tone by decorating my space with Día de los Muertos decor. You can now find DDM decor in many different chain stores. I’ve had the most luck the past few years at Target!

Here’s what they have this year:

I used last year’s table cloth as a bulletin board backdrop!

I also decorate with ofrendas students made in years past, posters and these bulletin board informational flyers.

Stay tuned for lessons and assessments for DDM!

Poemas de amor y amistad

Valentine’s Day is coming up!!!! and although the celebration varies throughout the Spanish-speaking world it is always nice to do something with your students on this day so they can learn and have fun with new vocabulary.

For this activity, the students are to come up with things that just can’t be with out something else – so for example – peanut butter with out jelly or Spongebob without Patrick.  The students then  brainstorm a list of things in English and then write a poem in Spanish.  I don’t usually EVER do translating, but my students are novices, so their vocabulary is still very limited and I emphasize and teach how to use a dictionary, not a translator, which in the end is a great skill for language learners.

The students just love this activity and in the end learn a ton of vocabulary.  Their end product is a Valentine poem on a card.  This activity can be purchased on TPT in a Google Slideshow format so you can adapt it as needed.

Do you have your students do anything special for El día de San Valentín? 

El Anuncio de La lotería de Navidad en España 2023

La Lotería de Navidad (The Christmas Lottery) is a tradition in Spain, drawing millions of participants and capturing the spirit of the holiday season. This lottery, with its iconic slogan “El Gordo” (The Fat One) and televised draws, is a cultural phenomenon that offers a unique window into Spanish society and values. I love teaching about this special tradition in Spain and it always captivates my student’s attention and a great way to engage them during this hectic time of year.

Why Teach about La Lotería de Navidad?

1. Cultural Understanding: Immersing students in this tradition provides insights into Spanish culture, traditions, and customs.
2. Engaging Contextual Learning: La Lotería de Navidad offers a captivating and relevant context for language learning. Students can expand their vocabulary, practice comprehension and critical thinking skills, and engage in meaningful discussions about cultural differences and similarities.

The Christmas Lottery Commercial:

Adding to this fun tradition is the annual commercial, released each November. These commercials are a delightful mix of humor, heartwarming stories, and beautiful visuals that capture the spirit of the holiday season and the significance of the lottery.

Benefits of Using the Commercial in the Language Classroom:

• Authentic Language Immersion: Students are exposed to natural, everyday Spanish, including colloquialisms and cultural references.
• Comprehension Practice: Analyzing the commercial’s storyline, dialogue, and visuals enhances listening and understanding skills.
• Critical Thinking and Analysis: Students at higher levels can discuss the commercial’s themes, messages, and cultural nuances.

Here are some ideas for incorporating the Christmas Lottery commercial into your Spanish lessons:

• Before Watching: Discuss the lottery tradition, introduce key vocabulary, and generate predictions about the commercial’s content.
• While Watching: Use comprehension checks, guided questions, and interactive activities to keep students engaged.
• After Watching: Analyze the commercial’s themes, discuss cultural aspects, and compare it to other cultural representations of the holiday season.

Have you ever taught about this tradition and used the commercials? How have you used these? If you’d like to incorporate this into your lessons this year, check out my activities bundle on TPT – this will set you up for 2-3 lessons on La Lotería! In this bundle find an introduction peardeck, slides to review the commercial and comprehension listening activities! Here is a Gimkit you can play that goes with this year’s commercial.

Happy teaching!

Making verb practice fun!

¡Hola colegas! Looking for ways to make verb practice more engaging and enjoyable for your students? While my focus in class is primarily communicative, this is something I need to teach. I try to find ways to teach it in context but there are times where I need to do focused practice. If you’re on the same boat and are looking for some fun ways to practice… look no further! I have three games that you and your students will love.

1. Contra el reloj (Against the clock):

This game is perfect for a quick verb review or to practice a specific verb tense! Using my slide show, Pair the students up and give each student a white board and a marker. The slideshow will project a prompt (i.e. yo / hablar) and the students have to try to conjugate the verb before the clock and before their partner. The student who gets it correct first, wins a point. See my post about contra here.

2. Battle ship:

This game is a fun way to review all tenses. Using my game board . Students create ships on a special battleship verb board and take turns trying to sink their partner’s ships by conjugating the verbs. If they conjugate the verb correctly, they can “sink” a ship of the other player. The first player to sink all of the other player’s ships wins.

3. ¡Dale! My take on UNO:

This game is my take on the popular game UNO, but with a Spanish twist. Instead of numbers, the cards have verbs in different verbs and subject pronouns. Players take turns playing cards, and they must conjugate the verb on the card they play. There are also fun cards like reversa, toma 2, toma 4, conjuga and salta tu turno.

Find these games and more on my TPT page!

I’d love to hear how these games work for you in your classroom! Leave me a comment below

Buena suerte and happy teaching!

La Noche de Las Velitas

La Noche de Las Velitas is the official start of the holiday season in Colombia.  It is a very special night in which families gather to light candles and lanterns in honor the Immaculate Conception. The festivities begins at sunset on 7th December and ends at sunrise on 8th December. People place paper lanterns and candles on their windowsills porches, balconies, streets, sidewalks, squares and parks.

Here are some authent

In my 8th grade classes we do a unit on December holidays and focus on holidays in Colombia and Spain.  We begin the unit by talking about holidays they celebrate and the first holiday we learn about is this one.  One special video we watch is this Home Center video – it is a great video to build vocabulary and if you have higher level students talk about indigenous tribes, environment and giving back to the community.

 

Here are some activities to teach about holiday time in Colombia!

¡Contra el reloj!

Do you need a fun new way to practice vocabulary BUT don’t want it to involve a computer screen? Don’t get me wrong I LOVE all things Gimkit and Kahoot but sometimes I just want to get the kids away from a screen.

Contra el reloj or beat the clock is just that. The students receive a prompt and have to race the clock and write the answer before the time is up. I use 15 seconds but you can use 20, 30 or even 60 second timers if you want depending on the level of your students and task at hand.

Click here for a quick video example

What non-screen vocab games do you play in class?

Want the Navidad / Familia version? Snag it here!

Las celebraciones de diciembre – decoraciones

¡Hola Colegas! It is that festive time of year again and as we navigate the multicultural landscape of the Spanish-speaking world, the question of whether or not to dive into holiday discussions often arises. Today, I’d like to share why I choose to discuss celebrations and how I keep it light and inclusive in my Spanish lessons.

Why? The beauty of the Spanish language lies in its diversity, and what better way to embrace it than by exploring the unique holiday traditions across the Spanish-speaking world? Celebrating holidays allows us to connect language learning with cultural richness, creating a more engaging and memorable experience for our students. I also like to think that if one day they traveled to Spain or Colombia or Argentina my students would be equipped with the cultural knowledge to navigate and appreciate diverse traditions during their travels.

How? To make holiday discussions accessible to all and respect the diverse backgrounds of my students, I opt for a more general approach. I start with universal themes like decorations, which are present in various celebrations and we discuss what students see when looking at various images / videos of activities in Spanish-speaking countries. I then usually will pick 1 country to focus on and ask what do they do in Colombia in December? Do they have break like you do? Why? If you visited Colombia tomorrow, what things would you see? What might people in Colombia ask you about what people here in the US do in December?

Resources

The following are some resources I use to get students talking about decorations. I teach novice learners so I typically will have students identify / check off the items they see in the videos and then have them write simple sentences using stems like yo veo, tiene, hay… Depending on the video students might also do a cloze activity or matching with important vocabulary/phrases from the transcript of the video. We might also discuss in English the similarities and differences between the ads in Latin America and Spain and the US.

For higher levels you can dive into more in depth descriptions, cloze activity, comprehension questions in Spanish and cultural comparisons.

Leche Alquería: Decoraciones

Tiendas Pycca Ecuador

Panetón – Decoraciones

Jumbo- Navidad

Stay tuned in the coming days for more resources that you can use to discuss holiday time around the Spanish-speaking world.

In the mean time you can check out my TPT page for all of my Navidad listings!

Keeping the Spanish spark alive!

¡Hola colegas! As Spanish teachers, we’re passionate about imparting the beauty of the language to our students. Yet, in the hustle and bustle of our lives, it’s easy to let our own Spanish skills slip through the cracks. How do we keep the flame alive and maintain our connection with the language when surrounded by English? Let’s look at some simple and enjoyable ways to stay connected to Spanish.

1. Netflix and Disney+:

Streaming platforms like Netflix and Disney+ offer great Spanish-language content from novelas to reality tv. Check out shows like “La Casa de Papel” , “Evalasting”, “Pacto de silencio”, “Romina la Poderosa (MY FAVORITE) or “Elite” on Netflix for thrilling dramas or explore Disney+ for family-friendly content like “Coco”, “Siempre fui yo” or “Encanto.” It’s an entertaining way to expose yourself to different accents and slang, helping you stay attuned to the evolving language.

2. Rhythm of the Language: Music

Nothing beats the rhythm of a language like its music. Create a playlist of your favorite Spanish songs, from traditional tunes to the latest hits. Sing along, look up lyrics, and immerse yourself in the cultural nuances reflected in the lyrics. Artists like Shakira, Juanes, Camilo or Rosalía are great places to start.

3. Books en español

Read some books in Spanish! Start with something light and enjoyable, like a novel by Isabel Allende or the magical realism of Gabriel García Márquez.

4. Concerts

If you have the opportunity, attend concerts or live performances by Spanish-speaking artists. The energy and connection you’ll feel in a crowd of fellow Spanish enthusiasts can be invigorating.

5. ¡Vámonos al Extranjero!

There’s no substitute for immersing yourself in a Spanish-speaking environment. If feasible, consider spending time abroad. Whether it’s a short vacation or an extended stay, being surrounded by native speakers provides a unique opportunity to enhance your language skills.

Why Does It Matter?

Maintaining our Spanish skills isn’t just about personal satisfaction; it’s about staying connected to a rich cultural heritage and fostering a deeper understanding of the language we teach. In the diverse tapestry of the United States, even as a native Spanish speaker myself, I can often feel a sense of disconnection. By actively engaging with Spanish in various forms, we not only preserve our own language skills but also bridge the gap between us and other Spanish speakers, creating a stronger, more connected community.

How do you stay connected to Spanish language and culture? Share your ideas! Any shows or books you love?

Día de Acción de Gracias Mini-Unit

¡Hola colegas! 👋 This year, I’ve put together a bunch of fun resources to teach about Thanksgiving in Spanish. I’ve already shared several videos and free stuff in my previous posts, so check those out!

On my Teachers Pay Teachers page, I’ve compiled all my Thanksgiving resources into one awesome package that includes 17 resources. 🌟 It’s a complete mini-unit! From games to speaking and writing activities, there’s something for everyone!

Here’s a sneak peek of what you’ll find:

• 🎥 Authentic videos about Thanksgiving.
• 🦃 Free worksheets for your students.
• 🗣️ Activities to practice speaking in Spanish.
• 📝 Fun and creative writing tasks.

Everything is in one place to make teaching about this special celebration easy and enjoyable! 🍁

Happy Thanksgiving to all! 🦃🍂

¡Más recursos para el Día de Acción de Gracias! & a FREEBIE :)

In our school district, we still have another week and a half before break – yesterday I read a teacher post on Facebook that some places in the US have the whole week of Thanksgiving off! And some places even some days this coming week! If you’re still in school and in between units like I am try taking a pause to talk about this celebration. It is a great way to review or introduce concepts like “me gusta”, “yo como”, “yo celebro”, family and food vocabulary.

Here are some videos that can work great for introducing vocabulary, celebrations and talking about Thanksgiving en español. Students can write down or check off words they hear by category, do a cloze activity and so much more!

This one is a little longer but has great content- you can break it up or use it with higher levels.

These next ones talk about foods! Here’s a freebie for the tamalegiving video perfect for your novice or intermediate level students

How would you use these in your classes? Want more Thanksgiving activities? Check out many games and listening activities on my TPT page!

El Día de Acción de Gracias – Video Freebie!

Like with Halloween and other big events and happenings, I find ways to weave the theme of Thanksgiving into my lessons. In the next few posts I will be sharing #autheres and activities you can use with your novice students!

The first video is this Thanksgiving video from Buzz60Latino

The speaker talks pretty fast but you can have students write what they see, jot down words they hear and describe the foods they see that they like to eat.

The second is a sweet video from Target – its short and very comprehensible and fun!

Do you talk about Thanksgiving with your classes? Why or why not?

Check out all of my Thanksgiving themed products on TPT!

Contra el reloj – edición Acción de Gracias

Do you need a fun new way to practice vocabulary BUT don’t want it to involve a computer screen? Don’t get me wrong I LOVE all things Gimkit and Kahoot but I really want to try to get away from the screens – especially after the year and half that we’ve had with everything online. We are also having MAJOR WIFI issues in my area of the building so it has been so hard to connect to anything so I rather plan something non-screen related. It has been so bad lately that my kiddos even learned to say “El WIFI es muy malo” en español 🙂

Contra el reloj or beat the clock is just that. The students receive a prompt and have to race the clock and write the answer before the time is up. I use 15 seconds but you can use 20, 30 or even 60 second timers if you want depending on the level of your students and task at hand. I will typically select from the words and phrases we’ve been working on in class, create the slides and then copy them so they repeat several times throughout the game.

Click here for a quick video example

Check it out in my TPT store 🙂 This set includes slides for 21 Spanish Thanksgiving related vocabulary words and phrases covering the most popular foods and actions related to this holiday. I would recommend doing this game a few days into your Thanksgiving/Holiday themed lessons.