MFL teacher (Spanish, French, German and English as FL), examiner (for GCSE AQA and Edexcel) and author of successful study guides for ZigZag Education, such as the Getting to Know: El laberinto del fauno study guide or the one on Ocho Apellidos Vascos. https://zigzageducation.co.uk/synopses/7800-getting-to-know-el-laberinto-del-fauno?pod=7800 https://zigzageducation.co.uk/synopses/7454-getting-to-know-ocho-apellidos-vascos?pod=7454
MFL teacher (Spanish, French, German and English as FL), examiner (for GCSE AQA and Edexcel) and author of successful study guides for ZigZag Education, such as the Getting to Know: El laberinto del fauno study guide or the one on Ocho Apellidos Vascos. https://zigzageducation.co.uk/synopses/7800-getting-to-know-el-laberinto-del-fauno?pod=7800 https://zigzageducation.co.uk/synopses/7454-getting-to-know-ocho-apellidos-vascos?pod=7454
Este recurso de 11 páginas resume la película de “El Laberinto del Fauno” y tambien ofrece un repaso de las claves, los temas y los símbolos principales. . El texto contiene 16 preguntas de comprensión que ayudarán a los estudiantes a aumentar su conocimiento crítico de la obra para que puedan tener éxito en sus exámenes de A level Spanish AQA , Edexcel o Eduqas. El texto ha sido escrito expandiendo en muchas de las ideas de la guía de estudio que escribí para ZigZag Education, llamada “Getting to Know: El Laberinto del Fauno”https://zigzageducation.co.uk/synopses/7800-getting-to-know-el-laberinto-del-fauno?pod=7800 This resource summarises the fantastic film "El Laberinto del Fauno” and also the film´s key aspects,topics and symbology are explored and analysed in a novel way so that students taking A level Spanish AQA, Edexcel or Eduqas can gain confidence in tackling the cultural topic question in their exams.
Este recurso resume la novela de “El Otro Árbol de Guernica” y tambien ofrece un repaso de los temas principales de esta obra de Luis de Castresana. El texto contiene 10 preguntas de comprensión que ayudarán a los estudiantes a aumentar su conocimiento crítico de la obra para que puedan tener éxito en sus exámenes de A level. El texto ha sido adaptado de la guía de estudio que escribí para ZigZag Education, llamada “Getting to Know: el Otro Árbol de Guernica” https://zigzageducation.co.uk/synopses/7457-getting-to-know-el-otro-arbol-de-guernica?pod=7457This resource summarises the novel “El Otro Árbol de Guernica” is summarised. Additionally, the novel´s topics are explored so that students taking A level Spanish can gain confidence in tackling the cultural topic question in their exams.
Este recurso resume la novela de “Primera Memoria” y tambien ofrece un repaso de los temas principales de esta obra de Ana Maria Matute. El texto contiene 10 preguntas de comprensión que ayudarán a los estudiantes a aumentar su conocimiento crítico de la obra para que puedan tener éxito en sus exámenes de A level Spanish Edexcel. El texto ha sido adaptado de la guía de estudio que escribí para ZigZag Education, llamada “Getting to Know: Primera Memoria” https://zigzageducation.co.uk/synopses/8179-getting-to-know-primera-memoria?pod=8179 This resource summarises the novel “Primera Memoria” and also the novel´s topics are explored so that students taking A level Spanish Edexcel can gain confidence in tackling the cultural topic question in their exams.
This is a Christmas play in Spanish language suitable for Spanish students of years 7, 8, 9s, GCSE and A level or from beginners to intermediate level. The play comes with reading, listening (two videos and a Christmas song), writing, reading aloud, comprehension and extension exercises and it has suggested answers too. This Christmas play uses a gentle sense of humour and it can be used for students to practise talking about topics such as:
-Giving and asking for personal information
-Ordering food and drink
-Festivals and festivities: Christmas
-Cultural aspects of Spain
-Grammar: present simple and preterite tenses.
Disclaimer: The Christmas play makes reference to drinking wine and Coca Cola.
Have fun and learn along the way! Feliz Navidad!
This is a pantomime in Spanish language suitable for Spanish students of years 7, 8, 9s, GCSE and A level. In the pantomime, lots of sense of humour is used for students to practise talking about festivals and cultural aspects associated with Christmas in Spain and also the past tense using the preterite. The pantomime makes reference to events that happened in the year 2022 in a lighthearted way. The pantomime comes with interactive vocabulary exercises that can be played in an interactive and fun way in Wordwall and there are also some comprehension questions. The resource has suggested answers too. Have fun and learn along the way! Feliz Navidad!
This an 8 chapter real life story about the experiences of my parents during the Spanish Civil War. Each chapter has a small glossary with some of the most difficult words and there are comprehension, grammar and translation questions at the end of every chapter. The resource deals with some of the main A level Spanish topics, such as the Spanish civil war, the Franco dictatorship or national identity.
Bienvenidos a este podcast sobre la guerra civil española , que es una parte del podcast sobre el contexto socio histórico de España para A level Spanish. Me llamo José, soy profesor de español, traductor y escritor de libros de texto y hoy os presento este nuevo podcast para estudiantes avanzados de español (nivel B2/C1).
El podcast trata sobre la historia social de España desde principios del siglo XX hasta nuestros días, con especial énfasis en la guerra civil y en la dictadura de Franco. El podcast empieza en el episodio 5 con el final de la Segunda Republica y despues se aborda el principio de la guerra civil con un analisis de los dos bandos y del apoyo internacional que recibieron. Despues se analiza el desarrollo de la guerra y se usan algunas obras literarias para ilustrar como viviria la gente ordinaria aquella guerra tan terrible, con mencion especial al Guernica. El podcast completo se puede encontrar desde este enlace https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/-13113567
Welcome to this podcast about the Spanish Civil War, which is part of the podcast about the socio-historical context of Spain for A level Spanish. My name is José, I am a Spanish teacher, translator and textbook writer and today I am introducing you to this new podcast for advanced learners of Spanish (B2/C1 level).
The podcast is about the social history of Spain from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day, with special emphasis on the civil war and Franco’s dictatorship. The podcast starts in episode 5 with the end of the Second Republic and then addresses the beginning of the civil war with an analysis of the two sides and the international support they received. Then the development of the war is analysed and some literary works are used to illustrate how ordinary people would have experienced that terrible war, with special mention of Guernica. The full podcast can be found from this link https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/-13113567
Bienvenidos a este podcast sobre la monarquia en Espana y sobre su papel, que es una parte del podcast sobre el contexto socio histórico de España para A level Spanish. Me llamo José, soy profesor de español, traductor y escritor de libros de texto y hoy os presento este nuevo podcast para estudiantes avanzados de español (nivel B2/C1).
El podcast trata sobre la historia social de España desde principios del siglo XX hasta nuestros días, con especial énfasis en la transicion democratica y la monarquia. El podcast empieza en el episodio 16 hablando sobre el papel del rey don Juan Carlos I en la transicion espanola y despues se habla de su papel en el golpe de estado de Tejero. Mas adelante se habla de su abdicacion y del nuevo rey Felipe VI y de sus desafios para restaurar la imagen de la monarquia. El podcast completo se puede encontrar desde este enlace https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/-13113567
Welcome to this podcast about the monarchy in Spain and its role, which is part of the podcast about the socio-historical context of Spain for A level Spanish. My name is José, I am a Spanish teacher, translator and textbook writer and today I am presenting this new podcast for advanced learners of Spanish (B2/C1 level).
The podcast is about the social history of Spain from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day, with special emphasis on the democratic transition and the monarchy. The podcast starts in episode 16 talking about the role of King Juan Carlos I in the Spanish transition and then it talks about his role in Tejero’s coup d’état. Later on it talks about his abdication and the new King Felipe VI and their challenges to restore the image of the monarchy. The full podcast can be found from this link https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/-13113567
This is a pantomime in Spanish language suitable for Spanish students of years 7, 8, 9s, GCSE , A level and adult learners. It is a satire about the Christmas celebrations in the year 2023 and a humorous reflection of the main events happening in the year that finishes .Feliz Navidad!
In the pantomime, lots of sense of humour is used for students to practise talking about festivals and cultural aspects associated with Christmas in Spain and also the past tense using the preterite. The pantomime makes reference to events that happened in the year 2023 in a lighthearted way.
The pantomime comes with interactive vocabulary exercises that can be played in an interactive and fun way in Wordwall and there are also some comprehension questions. The resource has suggested answers too. Have fun and learn along the way!
Esta es una sátira sobre la celebración moderna de las navidades en el año 2023 y una reflexión de los eventos acontecidos en el Reino Unido durante el año que termina en clave de humor. Feliz Navidad!
These are two stories written for A level Spanish and that deal with topics like the Spanish civil war, Franco´s dictatorship, changes in society, national identity, cultural heritage and inmigration. Both stories complement each other and offer students great practice in reading literary texts and also learning more about the culture of Spanish speaking countries. Both stories are suitable for the AQA and Edexcel specifications and they both have lots of comprehension questions and grammar activities appropriate for A level.
Collection of 4 resources dealing with the Spanish Civil War from 4 different view points: 1 film like El Laberinto del Fauno where the aftermath of the war is explored, two novels like “El Otro Árbol de Guernica” and “Primera Memoria”, in which the war is analised from the view point of children, while in the story of “Una Guerra Civil muy Incivil”, there is a real account of witnesses of the terrible Spanish conflict. All the resources come with comprehension and language questions and their answers.
Bienvenidos a este podcast sobre la dictadura de Franco, que es una parte del podcast sobre el contexto socio histórico de España para A level Spanish. Me llamo José, soy profesor de español, traductor y escritor de libros de texto y hoy os presento este nuevo podcast para estudiantes avanzados de español (nivel B2/C1).
El podcast trata sobre la historia social de España desde principios del siglo XX hasta nuestros días, con especial énfasis en la dictadura franquista. El podcast empieza en el episodio 10 con el final de la guerra civil y aborda todas las etapas del franquismo: desde los años del hambre y de la represion al aperturismo y a las revueltas sociales de los años 60 y 70. Tambien se habla de la pelicula de “El laberinto del fauno” de Guillermo del Toro para ilustrar el contexto de la epoca. El podcast completo se puede encontrar desde este enlace https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/-13113567
Welcome to this podcast about Franco’s dictatorship, which is part of the podcast about the socio-historical context of Spain for A level Spanish. My name is José, I am a Spanish teacher, translator and textbook writer and today I am presenting this new podcast for advanced students of Spanish (level B2/C1).
The podcast is about the social history of Spain from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day, with a special emphasis on the Franco dictatorship. The podcast starts in episode 10 with the end of the civil war and covers all the stages of Franco’s dictatorship: from the years of hunger and repression to the opening up of the country and the social uprisings of the 60s and 70s. The film “Pan’s Labrynth” is discussed too as part of ilustrating the social context of the time. The full podcast can be found from this link https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/-13113567
This is a play for Spanish students to practise talking about themselves, talking about professions and ordering food and drink. It comes with links to two videos and there are listening, speaking and reading activities too.
In this resource, students will be able to read three texts about the novel “El otro árbol de Guernica” and then they have to respond to comprehension questions for A level Spanish. The answers are provided at the back.
“EL otro árbol de Guernica” is a novel that delves into the symbology of the Spanish civil war. The historic context of the war serves as a backdrop and it becomes one of the main themes explored in the book, especially in section 1. The novels main themes are analysed in section 2. Throughout the novel, the author uses various symbols to represent different aspects of the war and its aftermath, which are explored in section 3.
One of the central symbols in the novel is the Guernica tree, which represents the resilience of the Basque people in the face of adversity. The tree survived the bombing of Guernica during the war and became a symbol of hope for the people who lived there.
This is an extensive resource, 24 pages, with 7 different model answers, 3 recommended for AS and 4 for A level. In the resource 10 different key quotes from the film are used to illustrate the main points and advice is given on how to structure the essays and on how to use quotes effectively in order to impress the examiners and get the highest possible marks. En estas 24páginas vamos a analizar 10 citas clave que nos ayudarán a comprender mejor esta fantástica película de Guillermo del Toro. Cada una de las 10 citas viene con un breve análisis del contexto en el que se usan las citas durante la película y en qué tipo concreto de preguntas de examen de AS or A level Spanish se podrían usar como evidencia o para ilustrar un tema/punto principal que quieres destacar en tu respuesta. Asimismo, cada una de las 10 citas se usa para responder 7 posibles preguntas de examen de AS y A level Spanish de AQA, Edexcel o Eduqas con respuestas modelo. Hay 7 respuestas modelos, 3 de ellas son recomendadas para AS y las otras 4 para A level. Es posible usar las preguntas del examen como ejercicio de lectura solo o también como práctica para que los estudiantes escriban sus propias respuestas.
Recuerda que para responder las preguntas del examen con éxito, tienes que respaldar tus puntos de vista personales de la película con ejemplos y pruebas, y es por ello que usar las citas de la película apropiadamente en tus respuestas juega un papel tan importante en hacer que consigas la mejor nota posible en tus exámenes. Además, el uso de las citas mostrará a los examinadores que entiendes la película de “El Laberinto del Fauno” y que tienes un conocimiento extenso sobre ella.
This study guide called “Cómo analizar/evaluar un texto literario o película para A level Spanish”, is for students of A-level Spanish who are studying for the exam questions on literary texts/films. It aims at helping students excel at their exams by practising their close reading and film analysis, as well as learning more about the Spanish language, its people and their culture.
This study guide covers the 9 main aspects to watch out for, when writing an essay, as well as giving advice on essay-writing. Each chapter contains an exam-like question and a model answer, and after reading the text, students have to answer comprehension and vocabulary questions. Also, answers to all the questions can be found at the back of the study guide, therefore it can be used in class, as homework or as self-study for more independent students.
The guide is divided into nine chapters, one for each of the most important aspects of essay writing for A level Spanish:
1.Characterisation
2.Argument/plot
3. Themes/topics
4.Structure
5. Literary and cinema techniques
6.Language (use of language and relevant quotes)
7.Socio-historical context
8. Essay organisation of the test
9.Symbols and symbology
The guide contains references, quotations and examples taken from 9 of the main literary texts/films for A level AQA and Edexcel, namely:
1.La Casa de Bernarda Alba de García Lorca
2.El otro árbol de Guernica de Luis de Castresana
3.Como agua para chocolate de Laura Esquivel
4.El coronel no tiene quien le escriba, de García Marquez
5.Primera Memoria de Ana M. Matute
6. El laberinto del fauno de Guillermo del Toro
7.Ocho apellidos vascos de Martinez-Lázaro
8. Diarios de Motocicleta, de Walter Salles
9. Las 13 Rosas, de Martinez-Lázaro
I hope you find it useful and you enjoy it! ¡Buena suerte con los exámenes!
Escrito por Jose I Ermina Irazábal, enero de 2024
El Laberinto del Fauno" is a captivating film that takes place right after the Spanish civil war. Directed by Guillermo del Toro, it combines elements of fantasy and reality to create a thought-provoking story. The film’s use of symbology adds depth and complexity to its narrative, making it a fascinating piece of cinema.
For students studying A level exams, “El Laberinto del Fauno” can serve as an excellent topic for analysis and discussion. Its rich symbology, historic context, and exploration of themes make it a compelling subject for essays. Model essay answers can provide valuable insights into the film’s narrative structure, character development, and underlying messages and they will help your students succeed in their A level Spanish exams.
#elotroarboldeguernica es una novela en la que se tratan muchos temas de A level: la Guerra Civil española y sus horrores, identidad nacional etc. In this resource, you have two great resources covering most aspects of the novel. For example, students will be able to read three texts about the novel “El otro árbol de Guernica” and then they have to respond to comprehension questions for A level Spanish. The answers are provided at the back.
“EL otro árbol de Guernica” is a novel that delves into the symbology of the Spanish civil war. The historic context of the war serves as a backdrop and it becomes one of the main themes explored in the book, especially in section 1. The novels main themes are analysed in section 2. Throughout the novel, the author uses various symbols to represent different aspects of the war and its aftermath, which are explored in section 3.
One of the central symbols in the novel is the Guernica tree, which represents the resilience of the Basque people in the face of adversity. The tree survived the bombing of Guernica during the war and became a symbol of hope for the people who lived there.
¿Qué pasa blog? is a reading story to bring to life the main topics for AQA GCSE Spanish Higher Tier lessons. Ideally suited for self-study, this resource contains an entertaining story linked to 22 worksheets with activities, such as “Sentence Builders” and AQA exam-like exercises. The study guide can be used as a self-study as it has the answers at the end or by non specialist teachers.
“¿Qué pasa, blog? Soy rapero y YouTubero”, is a comprehensive practical study guide for AQA GCSE Spanish that will help your students to succeed in their exams. It uses humour and a fresh engaging story, written in the first person from the point of view of a 15 year old boy called Alex. Alex lives in England but he is bilingual in English and in Spanish. He spends every summer at his grandparent´s in San Sebastian, Northern Spain. There, he learns about Spanish culture, food and festivals, before coming back to school in England. You can try this resource viewing a sample with the first two blogs via this link https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/-12731000
This practical study guide has been written to facilitate practice and learning of the AQA Spanish GCSE syllabus. The resource is divided into 22 blogs with follow-up exam practice questions, plus there is a final worksheet on characterisation, which links to the A level syllabus. There are sound recordings on YouTube of all 22 blogs, so that students can listen to the blogs while reading.
Each blog includes at least one GCSE Spanish topic and overall the resource covers all the main GCSE AQA topics. To help students learn vocabulary relevant to the GCSE topics, the blogs include words from the AQA vocabulary list.
In addition, each blog has one or more grammar teaching points. A table with a list of both the GCSE topics and the grammar points used in this booklet can be found on pages 6 and 7. Each blog has around 150 words. The resource can be used in different ways: to complement your teaching, as a revision booklet, for independent study, to set homework or for cover lessons.
This resource can be differentiated. For lower level students, we suggest that you use the texts as reading exercises, whilst higher level students, can listen to the blog first and attempt to answer the questions before reading the text. All students will benefit from listening to the sound recordings which accompany the resource.