The childhood fairy tale becomes the challenge for students to decide if preterite or imperfect verbs should be used. This works best for 2nd semester Spanish II or Spanish III where students have been working with preterite and imperfect in shorter sentences for some time and are ready to transfer their skills to longer texts. The story is familiar so its a good place to begin as students will have prior knowledge of plot. 73 blanks, answer key with reasons for P or I is included. Practice can be done in class together, in small groups or assigned as homework. Answer key also included.

This super cute film is based on a true story of a doctor and his family from Zaire who accept a position as a village doctor in provincial France. As expected, they face many obstacles at first in their struggle to be accepted, as the town has never seen a black family before. This film has so many great moments for teaching and discussion and is suitable for any level French class, especially when you are talking about identity. Download contains 20 questions in French and English versions, plus several topics for follow up discussion with students. Movie is available on Netflix and takes 2-3 class periods to watch, depending on if you pause for discussion. After viewing there are links in download to watch Kamini’s hit rap song Marly Gomont.

This practice packet will take students through the basics of when accents are needed and when the stress falls naturally on words. It also looks at special cases like interrogatives, and words that change their meaning with an accent. There are practice exercises integegrated throughout the packet as well, so students can practice subbing out pronouns and adding accents, dividing words into syllables and determining if they need an accent or not. Answer key for you also included. This packet works best with a level 3 or higher class when students have already built a good level of vocabulary in Spanish. It is also suitable for a heritage learner class when students need a refresher.

This amazing 90 minute film about what goes into our food and the effects it is having on people is an excellent way to introduce students to making better choices about what they put into their bodies. This documentary examines what kinds of chemicals are finding their way into our food and the resulting health problems that come from eating these highly processed foods. Movie guide contains 29 chronological questions that accompany the film and an answer key is also included. Follow up link for TED Talk also included. 2 day intro to nutrition, suitable for 7th grade through high school students.

27 chronologically ordered questions in English to follow the film LA BAMBA which chronicles the life and music of Ritchie Valens. Film is rated R for some strong language and one scene of domestic fighting. Stars Esai Morales and Lou Diamond Philips. There are also 3 discussion questions for further follow up after the film.

This movie chronicles the true story of the Bielski brothers, Russian Jews who successfully harbored 1200 Jewish refugees in the woods while fighting the Nazis for four years. This is one of the absolute best films I have seen about heroism during the Nazi occupation. This movie was nominated for an Oscar two years ago and is beautifully made. Students love watching it and it carries a PG-13 rating. Movie guide contains 30 chronologically ordered questions, follow up topics for discussion and an answer key in case you need it.

24 Chronologically ordered questions that follow the movie Real Women Have Curves, a PG-13 film that deals with issues that a Mexican-American family deals with in their work and personal lives, great conversation starter for students about sweatshops, discrimination. A very light and entertaining film, full of Spanish and the capability to add English subtitles this movie is suitable for any level of high school Spanish.

This project works best for students completing a course in US or World History. Project asks students to create their own society, based on what they have learned about US society and pre-search investigation on 3 other countries. Students then create a visual presentation outlining every aspect of their improved society, including, economy, government, roles of citizens, rules, trade etc. Students also reflect on the difficulties they encountered when creating their society. Assignment is designed to be comprehensive in its analysis of all aspects of a society, the problems that arise and how to best manage them. It will take students approx one week to complete, and will require at least two days in the computer lab to gather information and to work on visuals. Project includes guided questions for students, a research chart for compare and contrast, detailed instructions and a grading rubric.

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.

PBS American Experience has an excellent episode on the Freedom Riders and the Montgomery bus riots in the struggle to disband segragation in the deep South. The program is just under two hours and could be cut apart over the course of several days with opportunities for students to discuss in pairs and larger group some of the ethical dilemmas and risks that the Freedom Riders risked. This movie guide contains 40 questions in order of the program with opportunities for "think pair share" and several follow up topics for after the program for students to journal or discuss with classmates. PBS American Experience is available for free through PBS Website or streaming through a Roku/Chromecast. This lesson works best for high school aged students studying the Civil Rights movement in their social studies classes.

This 40 minute video from the history channel give a reasonably unbiased view of the Aztec empire and an effort to understand their cultural practices as well as documents their conquest by Cortez and why Spain was successful in defeating the Aztec. Video works well for a sub day lesson plan or as supporting information when studying the Aztec. Video is in English, questions are chronologically ordered.

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 sci-fi film released in 2012 opens your mind to what the future might look like for global labour relations between the US and Mexico. Set 50 years in the future, water is controlled by the US and rationed at high prices, workers with "nodes" in their arms work remotely from factories called Sleepdealers. Workers connect in Mexico and work in the US. The film is evocative, and sets students thinking about what the world might look like. Great film to use in conjunction with teaching the FUTURE/CONDITIONAL tenses and discuss global challenges, or technology, both AP prep themes. Recommend for any Spanish class level III or higher. Film is in Spanish and English, Movie Guide in both Spanish and English so you can use it for a variety of different levels. Takes two class periods to show film.

If your students enjoyed Under the Same Moon, this film takes the same topic to the next level. 3 stories are intertwined in Mexico, Cuba and Morocco as three children and their families deal with different consequences from the departure of loved ones to the "other side". This film brings up MANY topics of discussion about immigration, dangers of their trips and life for those left behind. Movie guide contains 30 questions in Spanish and English and 7 topics for discussion follow-up. Movie is rated PG-13. A very good film and lots to talk about afterwards with your students!

Tortilla Soup is a cute little movie that examines the relationships in a Mexican American family and intertwines the theme of food. This is an excellent film to show after finishing a unit on either food or family to show students the importance of meals and family relationships. This film is rated PG-13 and contains no bad language, only one mildy suggestive scene and overall is really enjoyable. Students will recognize many of the actors from other films and TV shows. Movie guide contains 20 questions chronologically orderd and 2 follow up themes for discussion or out of class writing. Film and questions are in English.

This online webquest works best for Middle school or Spanish I classes and can be completed in a class period in a computer lab or assigned as homework. Questions are in English and several different sites are provided to students to gather information and view colorful photos of this celebration. Webquest contains questions, tables, charts, compare and contrast and a terms section and takes about an hour to complete.

Students explore a wide variety of famous Hispanic Artists. Project can be completed in pairs or individually. Students reproduce one work using authentic materials and then prepare a 7 slide powerpoint presentation to discuss the life and works of their artist. This project is written in both Spanish and English versions so it is suitable for any level of language learners. I have taught it with 7th graders in Spanish I up to Seniors in Spanish IV. Project also contains a grading rubric and a list of 22 famous artists to get students started.

This short but powerful documentary Recycled Life presents the sad reality of the thousands of people who live and work in the Guatemala City Dump. Narrated by Edward James Olmos in English with interviews in Spanish of Guaejero dump workers, this film presents the sad day to day reality of the thousands of people who recycle millions of pounds of trash every day. The film will most certainly provoke discussion with students and for many serve as the first time they actually see the kind of poverty that motivates immigrants to risk their lives to come here. Movie guide contains 17-18 questions in chronological order and a couple of personal opinion/reactions. Guide is in English and Spanish. Amazing film, it will bring you to tears, while still leaving you with a sense of pride and dignity that these humble people maintain intact despite horrific circumstances.

This movie chronicles three generations of a Mexican American family living in East Los Angeles. Several themes in the film include the importance of the family unit and the cultural differences of Hispanic families, deportation of Mexican immigrants during the Great Depression, discrimination against Mexican workers,and the Pachuco gangster movement of the 50's. My students really enjoyed this film and it goes well with any unit on the family or as a mini lesson. The movie carries an R rating for strong language and one very brief partial nudity scene which could be easily edited out. There are 32 chronological questions in the movie guide. Students will enjoy identifying the cast of characters as there are many familiar faces in this film. This film is also suitable for ESL students of Hispanic origin as the story relates well to challenges faced by previous generations of Hispanic immigrants.