Students use their cell phones in class to send and respond to text messages in order to discover the identity of the mystery texter. Also included are a list of popular abbreviations that native speakers use around the world to text their friends. This activity works well in claasses of 16+ students and will fascinate them while practicing interrogatives!

This mini unit contains one reference chart fully completed for students, a second reference chart with blank practice grids for students to practice conjugations, two practice pages using Weird Yo's (one easy and one harder) and a small 40 point quiz on conjugations and meanings of irregular present tense YO verbs.

A one page quick description of how to form verbs in the FUTURE tense from infinitives. Native speakers need less rote practice than a traditional Spanish class and this 2 page review will quickly take them through how to make the future and show them the irregular stems. Page two is an opportunity to use the future tense in an essay prompt to describe the world in 30 years. Download contains some simple tables and prompts to practice forming verbs in the future and essay prompt. Takes one class period to complete.

Need a quick warm up or some slides for speaking practice? 24 photos of people doing reflexive actions students can use vocabulary and reflexive verbs to discuss. I run the powerpoint several times during a unit, first time pointing things out, 2nd time practicing verbs, writing out sentences and using them for oral quiz. Works best when students have already been in the unit for a few days and can make verbs with reflexive pronouns. Download also contains a chart for students to complete for written practice.

This 30 minute podcast from Radio Ambulante tells the story of how a detained migrant died in a US detention center. Was it a suicide or was he killed? Radio Ambulante interviews his family, doctors and fellow prisoners to try and determine the plight of a detainee. This podcast is excellent for Heritage Learners or AP Spanish V that are studying the challenges of immigration. Radio Ambulante has a visual transcript that accompanies the narration to this episode to facilitate comprehension while students are listening they can read what is being said. Listening guide contains 19 questions that accompany the podcast and a follow up topic for students to respond to after completing the activity. Takes one full class period to complete, or play the podcast twice and assign the prompt as homework. Answer key also included.

This is the first audio cast in a two part series on Radio Ambulante about the perils of clandestine plastic surgeries performed in Colombia. Audio episode is about 25 minutes long and details the story of a plastic surgery gone wrong. Excellent listening practice with an important message about the value of self acceptance, this audiocast ties in with both AP themes of beauty and aesthetics and global challenges. Download includes comprehension questions, essay topic for reflection and a pre listening discussion activity based on the infographic. This practice is best suited for an AP Level V class or a Heritage Language learner class where students can comprehend Spanish for sustained period of time.

This download accompanies the story of a Peruvian immigrant who marries an American and relocates to a small town in rural Maine. Following the recent Presidential election, he chronicles how attitudes towards Hispanics have changed since President Trump took office. This audiocast is excellent discussion material for Heritage Language Learners and could be a launch point for a group share if you are seeking to gain a better understanding of some of the daily challenges your own Hispanic students may be facing. Download contains comprehension questions in chronological order and an essay topic for reflection folloing the podcast.

We all have stories of migration or immigration that brought members of our families to this country. I created this project for a level IV class with a mixed population of recent arrivals and long time residents of our city. Students share out either their own personal story or one of a family member in a 3 minute oral presentation. Download includes directions for students, guiding questions to help them interview a famiy member, grading rubric for you (and them) and a listening activity for students to take notes on their friends family stories. Students will need a couple of days to work on the presentations and you should budget to hear no more than 7 a day in class. Worked great in levels IV and V. Also suitable for a Heritage Language learner class if students are comfortable sharing their stories.

125 practice examples for using preterite and imperfect. Some in English to start, some more in Spanish, then some simple sentences and some challenging sentences. Four pages of practice that you can give all at once or break apart and assign daily, use in class for discussion, whatever you like because we all know we never ever seem to have enough practice using and choosing Preterite vs Imperfect!

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 study guide follows the documentary Plastic Paradise about the garbage patch in the Pacific Ocean. Activity includes questions in chronological order for the film, discussion questions for small or large groups and a list of things students could do at home or school to take steps to reducing our plastic consumption. The movie is excellent, and is well suited for middle or high school environmental science students. Lesson takes 2-3 days to run depending on how much dialogue you want to incorporate.

This movie is made in Puerto Rico and is like a combination of Mean Girls + Election with a hint of GLEE in the directing style. Emilio decides to run for student council in order to capture the attention of his big time crush. Its a funny film that deals with a lot of issues that students face in any country regarding acceptance, popularity, friendship and integrity. The movie guide is broken into 11 scene episodes that you could show weekly to students like a serial or all at once. Film is in Spanish with subtitles. Movie guide has35 questions, all in English, as this film is best suited for a Spanish I or II class where the audience is middle school or high school underclassmen. Answer key also included. Total film is about 90 minutes, PG rated and available on Amazon or Netflix.

This 4 page practice packet on the conditional explains to students step by step how to form it and when to use it. Packet contains detailed notes, 40 practice exercises and conjugation boxes, and an essay prompt for students to demonstrate creatively their usage. Can be assigned as homework, extra practice or completed in class. Best suited for a level III or higher class as introduction or extra practice for this concept.

A sweet movie that lasts 2 class periods, rated PG. Best suited for students in the first years of Spanish study, and appropriate for middle or high school students. This movie works well with "Under the Same Moon" as it looks at a relationship between an undocumented single dad and his American born son. Topics explored include limited work options, inability to report crime, temptation to join a gang and drop out of school. Middle school students loved this film, and I was able to use it to explore how the US handles undocumented workers with a fictional storyline. Movie guide contains 19 questions that follow the film in chronological order and three topics for discussion. Takes two class periods to show, or three with time for discussion and questions. Movie guide and most of film are in English. Movie Guide: A BETTER LIFE by Barbara Davis is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Movie guide follows the film La Lengua de las Mariposas, a film about a friendship between a teacher and young boy during the beginning of the Spanish Civil War. This film has one strong/violent scene in it that should be omitted by teacher and is not necessary to the plot. The movie gives students a very good idea of the fear that people felt during Franco's reign. Film is in Spanish, so are study questions.

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.

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 100 minute film introduces students to life in Spain at the beginning of the Spanish Civil War. Carol's mother brings her home to her village and then passes away, leaving Carol under the care of relatives. Carol's father is a pilot and is fighting WWII. She befriends a boy in the village and the local school teacher. Its a really good story that gives students an idea of how scary it was to live in Spain when Franco seized power. This film is available on Netflix or can be purchased from Amazon.com suitable for high school students of any level, film is in Spanish with English subtitles, movie guide is in English and also contains an answer key. Film is not rated, but contains no nudity or profanity and minimal violence as the story centers more on Carol and those around her. You may wish to follow up or pre-teach a little about the Spanish Civil War to help students understand what happened there under Franco.

This film is set at the turn of the century in the hills of Provence outside of Marseilles and is based on a true story of the childhood of a French film director. In French, with subtitles available in either English or French, its not rated and it totally suitable for French students in either middle or high school. There is a sequel to this film, My Mother's Castle, if you students enjoy this one. Movie guide contains 36 questions chronologically ordered to accompany the film which is 2 hrs. in length. Questions are provided in both French and English.

This movie is great for a middle school beginning Spanish class. It deals with a young Mexican athlete who lives illegally in Los Angeles and has a chance to realize his dream as a professional soccer player in England. Dialogue is mostly in English, with some family interaction in Spanish with subtitles. This film works great as a conclusion to a chapter on sports or as an opener to the discussion of the importance of soccer to Hispanic people and around the world. Film is rated PG-13, and contains a couple of swear words, but otherwise is "safe" for a middle school audience. Movie guide contains 29 questions in order of the film and 5 follow up themes for discussion. Movie is available from Amazon, on Netflix or on Youtube.