Two MORE resources for “On the Way to School” + SDG

Earlier this week I shared some of the things that are comprising our “school” unit.  I can’t stand the traditional form of this unit–learning school supplies, names of classes, naming favorites–because the material is so dry, complicated (our students’ courses don’t fit neatly into “math” and “science”), and often, the vocab has already been picked up along the way because we use it in class.  Plus it’s not something that comes up regularly  in authentic conversations… and my students just aren’t into it.

But along come the Sustainable Development Goals from the UN–and something we can sink our teeth into.  I showed students this graphic and asked them to identify what they understood.  We talked about the meanings of the first 6 (dropping a little language nugget in on the meaning of          -dad as a vocab builder) and how they might be related to school.  Goals 1-5 are directly impacted by “school”, from gender equality in school access to food programs to combat hunger, and I think this discussion sparked interest among my students.  There was some lively discussion in Spanglish about why the goals are numbered/ranked the way they are, and also which goals are the most critical in the US.   These are our future leaders, and I love the questions they ask!

The culminating task for this project is to work in small groups to draft, edit, and film a video in Spanish welcoming new students to our school.  I am asking them to take what they have learned about schools around the world into consideration and to infuse their presentations with this awareness.  You will see that there are a few of the dry school subjects in the suggested topics list for the project (such as class times), but now they have an authentic purpose.  SO much better!!  You can find the project sheet here:  School intro project for blog

Top 10 Resources for AP Spanish Language & Culture

Updated for 2023!

This post has been a popular one, but as is commonly the case in a digital arena some links no longer work, sites have been moved, etc.   Time for an update!

I have been asked several times for helpful resources for teaching the AP Spanish Language & Culture course. The exam underwent a profound change a few years ago toward a proficiency-oriented model.  Though it still isn’t perfect, it’s a lot better than what it used to be!  Communication matters much more than precision, especially where grammar is concerned.  I teach AP like my other classes:  lots of comprehensible input around compelling, culturally relevant topics.  But there are some quirks and strategies that are helpful for students to know in order to feel comfortable with the assessment, so we work those in as well.

Most of the resources linked below are free. In the event that they are not, I do not benefit from purchases recommended below.

1.  AP Summer Institute: I think this is critical for teachers new to this course, regardless of their teaching experience.  If you can choose any location, try to go to St. Johnsbury in Vermont!
2. Wendy Gómez Campos’ blog, especially this page.  Following her lead, I printed the rubrics and directions for each of the four free-response  sections.  I printed them on obnoxiously bright colored paper and gave them to students at the beginning of the year, and they have become integrated into what we do on a regular basis.  The peer- and self- assessment forms are really, really helpful too.  I feel that using them has helped improve the quality of student work and reduced the “basic” feedback that I would otherwise give.  Now I can focus on more constructive  feedback for each student.
3. Podcasts:  Radio Ambulante (all around Latin America), Spanishpodcast.net (Spain), Hoy Hablamos, and Duolingo are my favorites.  More on what I do with them here.  Unfortunately and sadly, Spanishpodcast suddenly stopped recording in 2021.  However, their deep archive is still worth noting.
4. (VeinteMundos): Unfortunately VeinteMundos suddenly ceased publication. Many articles are still available through wayback archive.
5. Kara Jacobs’ blog , Arianne Dowd’s blog, and Claudia Elliott’s blog:  Deep, culturally rich, make-you-think resources that are just plain fantastic. Still as amazing as ever!
6. Punto y Coma:  This resource reminds me a lot of the old Puerto del Sol that sadly folded several years ago.  Based in Spain–though not limiting content to there– it is a magazine that is rich in audio and print, timely, and engaging to students. I learn a lot from each issue.  It also has ready-to-go activities with answer keys for the articles in the magazine.  These activities are similar to the style of questions used in IB curriculum/exams, so they can be helpful in supporting the mission.
7. Formative:  I run almost all of our online instruction through formative and it really helps me to keep from losing my mind!
8. Self-selected reading, especially novels like La Calaca Alegre, Vidas Impactantes, La Hija del Sastre, and La Guerra Sucia. New this year to our classes: La Lucha as summer reading.  All these titles are now available from Wayside Publishing.
9. Group Essays to teach the argumentative essay + giving live feedback in class.
10. Current events, Circumlocution, + Semi-spontaneous speaking  activities to promote confidence and perceived competence in speaking another language.

What resources have you found to be the most helpful?  What do you wish that you had at your fingertips?  Comment below!

On the Way to School

A quick note with some resources to revamp a tired, boring, and pretty much pointless novice level school unit. In the course of this new unit I want students to begin to gain an appreciation for the value of education throughout the world, especially with an eye to comparing school cultures around the world.  So much better than just listing school supplies & favorite classes!

Some helpful resources:

• A gallery walk with the materials available here from the amazing Neil Jones.
• The film On the Way to School–in many languages throughout the film, including Argentine Spanish
• Trailer of film about Malala + interpretive activities here: Malala
• An interpretive reading and activity created by me and the exchange student from País Vasco who lived with my family two years ago.  It leads to a sentence frame for students to prepare a description of their school lives.  Find the documents here:
  Olatz school description level 1 for blog and Olatz School comprehension + hula hoop venn for blog  We also worked on comprehension of these topics with Gimkit.
• There is an older Zachary Jones activity about back to school in Bolivia & purchasing school supplies that is also intriguing.
• Finally, we will wrap things up with preparing welcome videos for incoming students who speak Spanish.