It doesn’t take long for Spanish teachers to realize that the textbook is not going to motivate students to learn and acquire a new language. Many of us spend extra hours writing our own supplemental material and searching online for applicable resources to engage our students. If only there was a well rounded, interactive Spanish 1 program that met all the world-readiness standards for a whole school year and worked for our students! If so, we could have energy at school and still have time for ourselves, our families and our friends!
Teaching Spanish Joyfully was created for that purpose and more! It was designed for teachers to find joy in guiding their students to attain a practical skill, one that will enrich their lives today as well as in their future.
Getting Started
Preparing for the beginning of a new school year can be very time-consuming. The materials for the first 3 days of class on a block schedule (or 5-6 days for shorter periods) will help you get organized for a successful year ahead. The first 6 lessons are free so you can see if they will work for you and your students. Start by downloading the first zip file. Then, you can download the following lessons as you go which are inexpensive, practical and easy to use. They all include-
Beginning of an editable Slide Show
-engaging Google slides for every lesson
The engaging Google slides will guide you and your students through multiple experiences to learn and acquire the Spanish language. The lessons and visuals are thoughtfully done making them user friendly with little prep time. You can adjust the slides to fit your time schedule, class situation and unique personality.
The lessons include all aspects of language learning: listening and speaking skills, conversation practice, weekly reviews, songs, rhymes, games and reading and writing skills with meaningful assignments.
The colorful cultures and history of the Spanish speaking people are woven in and out of the lessons throughout the school year which are evident in the slides and activities that accompany them. The slides also help with calendar talk, storytelling and other language rich activities.
Students design their own binder covers
-materials for you and your students
The students keep their materials in an interactive binder (which they add to each week) organizing them into five sections: weekly reviews, conversation with follow-up activities, songs and rhymes, culture and history, and reading and writing.
Since you download a zip file for a week at a time, you can see if the materials will work for you from the get-go. Everything you need to start a class are in the first three lessons including classroom prep, an editable syllabus and slide show, class expectations, policies and procedures, bell ringers, exit tickets, community building activities and an overview of each lesson.
The first three slideshows also include the benefits of being bilingual, the language connection to culture, ice breakers, song videos, calendar talk, common greetings, instructions for preparing their binders, follow up activities and more!
Students are servers and clients in the Spanish-only classroom restaurant
- fun activities and so much more!
This program is ideal for the Spanish teacher at a secondary school, especially if they are on a block schedule. Meeting twice a week for a longer period gives adequate time for review, instruction, engagement, interaction, occasional presentations, follow up activities and special events.
With that said, you can also use Teaching Spanish Joyfully if your school is on the traditional schedule by spreading out each lesson so they will last for two days instead of one by simply editing the slides accordingly.
Teachers also receive extra activities and resources that go with the monthly themes and acquired skills. These would include cultural projects and events along with different kinds of assessments, group practice and review.