I am a High School World Language Teacher of Spanish, French, ESL and Bi-lingual education with 25 years of experience teaching all levels K-University level language classes. I love teaching and always ask for new responsibilities to broaden my knowledge. I am a documentary buff so I also write movie guides on a variety of Social Studies and Health related topics in addition to World Languages. I am excited to be able to share lessons with others and welcome your feedback.
I am a High School World Language Teacher of Spanish, French, ESL and Bi-lingual education with 25 years of experience teaching all levels K-University level language classes. I love teaching and always ask for new responsibilities to broaden my knowledge. I am a documentary buff so I also write movie guides on a variety of Social Studies and Health related topics in addition to World Languages. I am excited to be able to share lessons with others and welcome your feedback.
This worksheet reviews the main differences between a reflexive and a reciprocal action with some brief notes and examples. Following are 44 practice exercises for students to decide if the actions are either reflexive or reciprocal, and to conjugate verbs that require pronouns. Good practice for Spanish III or higher as you must have a wide knowledge of various verbs in these families and their definitions in order to be successful in completing the exercises.
This lesson is designed to take students in a Spanish III or higher class through the poem Me Gustas Cuando Callas by Pablo Neruda. Activities for listening, speaking, reading and writing are combined into a lesson that involves both small group, large group and individual student work around the theme of the poem. Lesson includes comprehension questions, links for listening and tracking emphasis, guided reading/coding activities for terminology, topics for small group discussion and a rubric for grading student writing and response. Download also contains a copy of the poem in Spanish and English (for you) and a coded copy with the poetry terms marked. Lesson works best at level 3 or higher and is well suited for level IV or AP Spanish as an intro to poetry or a follow up lesson where students are already familiar with poetry terminology.
Fictional film based on true events, the Bolivian Water Wars of 2000 when the govt tried to privatize the water supply, raising rates 300% making clean water inaccessible for a large sector of population. A Spanish director filming a movie about Columbus conquest in Bolivia is an interplay between scripted scenes where the Spaniards exploited the Taino under Columbus, and Bartolome de las Casas defends them, while in modern day scenes villagers are exploited by the government and even by the film makers, until one man helps them mobilize and stand up for their rights. An excellent movie, It opens discussion for how little has changed for indigenous poor in much of Central & South America and parallels between the initial exploitation and modern day inequities. Best suited for older/higher level high school students studying the cutural aspects of Latin America as well as language. Contains questions, answer key, topics for discussion and a list of topics for follow up research.
This newest 20 episode of Radio Ambulante addresses the issue of beauty, through the eyes of Gabi who is very self critical and those around her who have criticized and mocked her for her ugliness since childhood. In the interview Gabi explores the topic of ugliness/beauty and how she sees herself, those around her and how others have treated her. This podcast is excellent for a Heritage Learner class or a Level V Spanish AP class as one of the AP themes is beauty and aesthetics. There are a couple of questions the interviewer poses that may make some students uncomfortable (references to body parts) so its best to listen to the podcast and decide if your audience is mature, or if you want to make a brief comment prior to beginning the listening practice to avoid discomfort. Download includes 13 questions in chronological order and 4 follow up topics for discussion or as writing prompts for students to react. Answers to podcast also included and a link on top to podcasts for absent students. Radio Ambulante never disappoints and this topic is spot on for AP test prep.
This worksheet provides students practice in conjugation and comprehension of e--> ie stem changer verbs. Vocabulary list of verbs is provided at the top for students to define meanings, followed by 20 practice examples where they must choose between 2 verbs and conjugate correctly. Answer key provided.
Suitable for level III or higher after learning the basics of Future tense conjugation. Quiz is 34 points, has a verb chart, fill in the blanks, finish the sentences (open ended) and answer the questions. Takes about 20 min to complete.
Lots of different practices from easy to hard using SER with pronouns, SER with nationalities, SER with clothing and colors. For the situation where there is never enough practice with SER, these exercises provide pages of opportunities to finally "get it".
This grid has some forms of verbs in it and students must complete the rest. Once completed it is a handy reference tool to review regular and irregular preterite verb conjugations. Suitable as a review for SPanish III or test prep for Spanish II at the end of the unit on preterite verbs.
This is a short paragraph that students read and make decisions as to what type of verb is required, a reflexive, a reciprocal or a regular verb. They make their choice, conjugate the verb and defend their choice with a reason. Good for discussion before a quiz or as a review. Also suitable to assign as homework.
This worksheet is best when first introducing preterite verbs or as homework for students. Only -AR verbs are presented here. The short sentences narrate a surprise party for a family member. (so, bonus if you are using party vocabulary... Realidades 2, En Español)
PG-13 film with a wonderful way to discuss undocumented immigrants and their difficulties. Under the same moon tells the story of Carlitos, a 9 yr old boy who travels from Mexico to Los Angeles to find his mother after 4 yrs apart. The characters that Carlitos encounters along the way and the challenges his mother faces in her daily life are symbolic of the struggles many undocumented immigrants and their families face every day. The film is in Spanish, study questions provided in both Spanish and English, this film is suitable for any level from middle school beginners to higher level learners. One of my favourite films on a very timely topic.
Movie Guide Under the Same Mon by
This 40 point quiz within the context of the fairy tale Little Red Ridinghood works best for students at level III or higher who have been working with Preterite vs Imperfect within the context of a short story. Students prior knowledge of this famous fairy tale will help them to comprehend the context of the story and select the best verb choice. Answer key included, quiz takes about 20 minutes to complete in class. Quiz could also be used as a practice.
This powerpoint tells the famous Aesop fable of the Lion and the Mouse. 25 blanks for students to decide preterite or imperfect alternate with slides that contain the answers and rationale for their choices. Students can practice a story together and discuss their choices prior to trying some of my other practice fables as worksheets for homework. Each slide contains 2-3 sentences and is immediately followed by the the answers. This powerpoint would work best early on in the preterite vs imperfect unit after students have been presented with the reasons/concepts for each verb tense. Provides an important step for "guided practice" to reduce frustrations and stimulate discussion before students practice on their own. Free preview file is the graphic organizer on blackline for students to track their answers and reasons.
This 12 question checklist survey about childhood activities and preferences makes a great introduction to the unit on childhood. Students read a series of statements in the imperfect tense and check off any applicable answers. Download also contains a two column vocabulary list of helpful childhood words. Free preview file is a powerpoint that matches the questions, so the day after you assign students the homework you can review the questions together. I like to print a class roster on a grid and copy it for students. Then they can tally their classmates answers to the questions as you call on students to report their responses. Worksheet works best with level II students who have recently begun learning childhood vocabulary (Realidades II and En Español ) and can recognize verbs in the imperfect tense. Powerpoint survey takes about 20 minutes to run in class the next day.
I created this powerpoint to help Spanish heritage learners and advanced Spanish students identify the key components of a story. the powerpoint explains the elements of a story, including narration styles, how to break a story apart and key terminology in Spanish. This lesson will be useful to students who are reading short stories in Spanish and/or preparing for the AP literature exam. Download alsohas a graphic organizer for notetaking, so students can take notes as you present the information. Takes one class perdiod to cover the information and could be followed up the next day with a short story that students can practice identifying what they have learned. Best suited for a level IV or AP class or any middle or high school language arts class conducted in Spanish.
Teaching a unit on immigration this year? With as much press for reform as of recently, its a timely topic. This 60 word powerpoint contains pictures for common vocabulary to discuss immigration. Preview file is a blackline vocabulary list with Spanish and English and a middle column for students to write short sentences or definitions using the words as practice that accompanies the powerpoint. Powerpoint takes about one class period to present and generates some good discussions/prior knowledge around words like amnesty, corruption, sponsorship etc. This powerpoint and list works well for level III or higher students who have had some experience with present subjunctive in order to form opinions and make recommendations. You may wish to teach immigration alongside subjunctive so students can express their views as they learn.
This powerpoint contains 20 photos of famous people that students can practice describing with adjectives. There is also a supporting worksheet that accompanies it. Students circle the correct adjective for each famous person. Great activity as a warm up after a couple of days of adjective practice. Powerpoint photos also work as a stand alone activity where students produce adjectives that describe the photos.
This practice packet covers all the finer details of adjective usage, with a brief review of possessives and demonstratives, introduction of long form possessives, adjectives as nouns, indefinite adjectives, adjectives that change meaning according to placement in relation to the noun, possessive and demonstrative pronouns. Explanations, reference charts and practice examples, followed by translations and an essay prompt with rubric. Packet works best at an advanced level (III or higher) where students have already had exposure to most of these adjectives, or as a review for a higher level class.
Teaching the Cultural Component to a foreign language class can be challenging. This collection of 99 independent projects grouped together by interest (art, music, history, internet, etc) has something for everyone. Students select which projects to complete and present their findings in the first five minutes of the class daily. Projects have different point values based on time and difficulty levels which students combine to complete 50 points each semester. This portfolio is the ongoing work and revision of 15 years of teaching cultural topics in foreign language classes. Years later students tell me that these are the projects they found to be the most interesting and memorable in their foreign language experience because they connected to areas of personal interest. Download contains goals of investigation, step by step instructions on how to complete the projects, activity sheets for students, 99 diverse cultural activities, supporting guided adventure sheets for community excursions and an exit survey to collect their feedback year end. You will need a couple of days in class to explain to them how to do the projects and to field any specific questions they might have. I ask students to read the activity list and highlight projects of interest to discuss in further on day 2. Afterwards, every day is a new adventure as your students lead the class in their discoveries. Projects help students hone their presentation/public speaking skills while everyone learns.
This portfolio works great for home-schooled students as well, they can work at their own pace to discover as many different adventures of interest and connect them to other curricular areas such as art, history, music and culinary. Load up your printer, download is 43 pages long!
Note: You will need to insert your own "approved restaurant list" as it will vary depending on where you live and teach.
Keywords: differentiated, internet, culture, French, presentation, community, historical, artistic, culinary, communicative
I use this activity to start my foreign language classes but it would work really well for ESL students, Social Studies or even a psychology course. Students examine components of culture, both surface and deep and discuss what makes up a person's culture. Small group brainstorming sessions interspaced with large group share outs and individual reflections on culture, social circles and deep vs surface. Project and reflection questions at the end for students to complete at home. This lesson takes at least one-two class periods to complete and is a great introduction to get them thinking about cultural differences and how people assimilate.