This is just a file of large words that you can cut apart and have your students put up around the school. Its fun and "gets the word out" to the other students and the administration that you are making people aware of school vocabulary in Spanish. Kids love to put them up. I do this activity every year and its amazing how long the words actually stay up. Education by osmosis. Enjoy!

These open ended, closed ended, decoding and reflection questions accompany the book HOME OF THE BRAVE by Katherine Applegate. This book tells the story of Kek, a refugee from Dharfur who relocates to Minnesota. This beautiful book is written in free verse and is an easy read for anyone in middle or high school. The underlying themes are deep and strike personal connections with many students. The language is not difficult and would be excellent reading for an ELL class of students. Questions are in order by chapter and there is a list of additional resources at the end on Youtube so you can educate everyone on the complexities of the situation in Dharfur and cultivate an understanding of the loss the suffering these refugees bring with them to the US. This book is culturally sensitive and opens up a lot of great discussions, and while sad at times, has some great comical moments.

This activity is designed for a Spanish III or higher class as a warm up or practice using the conditional and past subjunctive tenses. Students each receive a question that prompts them to answer in the conditional tense. Then they interview classmates to obtain answers to their question, while answering different questions from their peers. Students record their answers on the survey sheet, and then share out the most interesting answers in large group after completing the activity. Download includes template for students to record answers with directions and a model and 34 different question using the past subjunctive and conditional tenses for you to cut apart and distribute to students. Activity takes about 20 minutes to run and as long as you want to discuss in group afterwards.

Working on Imperfect tense and childhood vocabulary? This 25 question grid gets students moving around the rooming interviewing classmates using the imperfect tense. Students ask the questions and try to find one each student can answer. They record their answer and have the student initial the box. First student to get all their boxes signed by different classmates wins. This activity works best if you model how to interview with a student volunteer. Penalty for speaking English if you catch them. All questions are in the imperfect and link habitual childhood activities to imperfect tense. Activity takes about 20 minutes to run in a large class and is best suited to Spanish II or higher who have studied formation of imperfect. You could easily follow this up with a discussion in group asking students to share specific pieces of information (name of favourite toy, what they were afraid of etc)

This film (winner Cannes film 2012) is based on the true story of a marketing campaign to oust Pinochet from his Presidency rather than extending it for another 8 years. Against all odds, with little resources and a comically clever campaign the opposition triumphs and Chileans are finally free to choose a new leader. Gael Garcia Bernal does an excellent job in this serious, thrilling, but also lighthearted film. This film carries an R rating for language, but is otherwise appropriate for an upper level Spanish class. It works best after a lab day to do some presearch on the Pinochet dictatorship or after teaching about desparecidos so students can situate the importance of the plebiscite within the context of his reign. Movie guide has both a Spanish version and an English version so it could be shown in a Social Studies class as well.

A four day lesson plan for the short story EL HIJO includes: Pre-reading questions for discussion in small group, chart for drawing the story as students listen to the audio version on the cold read, activity for students to complete as they re-read the story in pairs, 2 essay prompts for students to choose for final assessment, and link to a good version of the story narrated. El Hijo is available on line for free from a variety of sources if you don't have the text, and is best for a level IV class or higher or Heritage speakers as the vocabulary is complex. Lesson takes about 4 days to complete with time in class for reading and discussion. Preview file contains a suggested plan for how to teach this story with my activities. This lesson does not contain an answer key because the students will create their own discussion, reactions, ideas and they will vary depending on how they interpreted the story.

This 90 minute documentary from PBS chronicles the life and career of Frida Kahlo, explains her work and her relationship with muralist Diego Rivera. If you are teaching Mexican art to Spanish students and don't want to show "Frida" because of its R rating and evocative scenes, this film gives all the information necessary to understand Frida's life, love and works, with beautiful up close visuals of many of her greatest paintings. Movie guide contains 30 questions that follow the film and two follow up topics for class discussion or to be assigned as an essay for homework. This film works well for Level III teaching Realidades unit on Art, or AP curriculum as well as for an art or social studies class. Movie will take 2-3 days to complete, depending on if you stop to discuss questions with students ( PBS documentary is available for purchase on Amazon starting at $10 or directly from their website for $24.99)

Roy Germano PhD in poli sci visits small Mexican towns to interview people about why many people risk their lives to leave for work in the US. Germano talks with workers, farmers, spouses, families and municipal employees to discover reasons people leave and what happens to their families when they go. This compelling documentary is 55 minutes long and fits neatly in 1 class. It is an excellent companion to one of the many movies about undocumented immigrants and their journeys to the US. Most of this film is in Spanish w English subtitles and works well with any level high school Spanish or Social Studies where you have spent time discussing the immigration. This film is very well made, not rated, and has won awards at film festivals, available on Netflix or for purchase on Amazon. Movie guide contains 22 questions that follow the film. I divide students into small groups and assign each group sections to answer, then share out. Questions included in Spanish and English.

This lesson feeds well off of a unit on poetry where students are already familiar with poetic terminology. It can be used as a performance assessment. I use it after reading Oda a los Tomates by Pablo Neruda and showing some youtube clips of the poem to get the feeling for personification and imagery. It could also be used after a thematic unit on food and works best with Level III or higher students who are already familiar with locating poetry mechanisms in poetry. Lesson includes brainstorming chart, rough draft, finished product and rubric templates. Free preview contains additional comments and suggestions for implementation. The finished product from students on this lesson was some of the best most creative work I have seen this year, and students really enjoyed delivering their poems in a "Spoken Word" format in class. You will want to allow some class time to create rough drafts and avoid GOOGLE translated assignments.

This game pits students in the room against each other with a different partner every round. Students compete to come up first with the right answer and then everyone rotates chairs after each round. Powerpoint comes with instructions for teachers and a slide of instructions for students, 7 slides of Preterite -AR verbs with CAR/GAR/ZAR Yo changers and reflexive verb examples and answers for a 28 round game. Kids bounce around the room until a winner returns to their seat winning. Great fun, no non participators and all you do is run the mouse and discuss the answers when necessary. Game takes about 30 minutes to play.

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.

This lesson is a great review for present tense verbs, interrogatives, giving directions and using school vocabulary. It is primarily focused on oral communication, but does have a written component for students to submit prior to tour date as well if you wanted to assign a separate grade for their written work. It works best as a final assessment for the first review unit of Spanish II, but could also be used at years end for a Spanish I class who is familiar with giving directions. Download includes project parameters, a list of helpful questions to get students thinking about what they will include, grading rubric, destination sign up chart and printable rubrics for the teacher as well as a page of suggestions for implementation. Tour takes one class period and you grade while you walk so all done by the end of the hour! Project meets ACTFL standards 1.1, 1.3 and 5.1

This powerpoint presentation will launch the unit on subjunctive, covering requirements for a subjunctive verb, formation of the tense and many of the irregular, weird Yo, stem changer verbs, and lots of practice examples. There are several slides for oral practice where students can shout out then check their conjugations, followed by a list of WEDDING conditions for subjunctive sentences with examples and 32 practice examples on slides with answers so students can check their work and discuss along the way. I use this presentation over the course of several days to work on subjunctives and follow up with a practice packet of additional exercises, but the powerpoint could easily carry students through the first three days of notetaking and practice. Presentation adapts nicely to the AVID style of Cornell notetaking. I was observed using this lesson and the administration loved it!

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 PBS documentary follows the Chilean judge who had to render a decision on whether to indict Pinochet for war crimes. It follows him as he investigates disappearances, deaths and torture of Chilean opposition members. The documentary is one hour twenty minutes and fits well in two class periods. This film works well for a social studies class or a higher level Spanish class who has been studying desaparecidos. The film is both in English and Spanish with subtitles. Movie guide contains 23 questions in chronological order and an answer key. Movie Guide PBS The Judge and the General by Barbara Davis is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

This wonderful movie produced by Edward James Olmos for HBO chronicles a student led intitative to stage citywide walkouts in order to protest discrimination against Chicano students and punishments for speaking Spanish in school. Based on a true story and co-written with actual participants in the walkouts, this movie is wonderful for any level of Spanish class or as part of a social studies unit on the civil rights movements of the late 60's. Discriminatory practices were not limited to African Americans, and this film gives great understanding to some of the unfair treatment Latino students experienced in California. The film is rated TV-14 and is suitable for students in either midde or high school. Dialogue is in English with options for Spanish. Movie guide contains 27 questions in chronological order and several follow up themes for discussion or as an independent writing assignment. Movie guide questions in both English and Spanish versions.

This one hour documentary from PBS chronciles the Supreme Court Case Hernandez vs Texas as a critical moment in determining if Mexican Americans should be considered a protected class against discrimination under the 14th amendment of the Constitution. 19 questions in chronological order of the film, with answer key and translated version in Spanish. The DVD is available from PBS or on line from Amazon, and is suitable for either a social studies class studying civil rights, or a Spanish class where you want to provide students with a little history. DVD also has audio track in Spanish for Heritage Learner classes. Movie takes one class period to view.

This reading guide accompanies the sequel to Francisco Jimenez Cajas de Carton. Senderos is divided into 25 short chapters and this reading guide accompanies each chapter. Components include, asking students to make predictions about the story based on chapter titles, useful vocabulary to better understand the story, and reading comprehension questions for students to apply to what they read. Also included are some topics for small group or pair share. This book is best suited for a Level IV class or higher and can be completed together in class or assigned as homework. 1 chapter per night, this book will take approximately one quarter to complete, if you intersperse the reading with other topics covered in class. Senderos Fronterizos Reading by Barbara Davis is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

This 6 page organizer guides students through every stage of how to organize a persuasive presentation around a controversial topic. Download includes an outline of the components, two graphic organizers, a large list of controversial topics for suggestions, a list of transitional words and their definitions to improve students writing and a rubric for you to assess their final projects. This project is written to be presented as an oral presentation but could easily be adapted for a 5 paragraph essay. Project works best for AP V level students or Heritage learners who already have a good command of the language and are capable of conducting their on line research in Spanish. Budget one day to walk students through how to complete the organizer, 1-2 days to research supporting sources and one day at least to create the Prezi. Students may wish to work in pairs, and/or research opposite sides of an issue.

This 17 minute broadcast tells the story of some Colombian musicians who were kidnapped and forced to play music at a paramilitary birthday party in the middle of the jungle. 10 questions in chronological order that follow the podcast and an essay topic for reflection afterwards make up the guide that follows this program. This lesson is best suited for a Heritage Learners Spanish class or a Level V AP where students can follow sustained spoken Spanish for a period of time. You may wish to break the episode down into smaller segments or repeat the broadcast several times for students who do not speak Spanish outside of your class. Lesson takes one class period to complete. Answer key is included.