4 Reasons Grammar Notes Aren’t Evil in a World Language Classroom
“Grammar” isn’t a dirty word when it comes to teaching world languages and using Spanish grammar notes doesn’t make you a bad teacher. Handing out Spanish grammar notes doesn’t mean that your students won’t acquire the language or that all you do is drill and kill and fill in blanks. Here are 4 reasons grammar…
7 Low Prep Activity Ideas for a Spanish Novel
After writing about 3 Mistakes I made while teaching a Spanish novel, I got a DM on Instagram asking if I had any ideas for low prep ideas when teaching a novel. As I write this, it’s spring of 2021 and teachers across the world are burnt-the-eff-out. Here are 7 low prep ideas for any…
3 Mistakes I Made Teaching A Spanish Novel
I just finished teaching the Spanish novel “Las sombras” by AC Quintero. First semester we read her novel “El armario”. These 2 books are easily some of my favorite material I’ve taught. I learned a lot the first time around. Here are 3 lessons I learned teaching these Spanish novels. Mistake # 1: I Didn’t…
7 Spanish Stem-Changing Verb Activities
As a new teacher (OK, still) I wished someone would walk me through their lesson plans for an entire concept. Today I’m showing you the Spanish stem-changing verb activities I use. You could apply this same model to any concept. Let’s go! DISCOVERY PHASE At this point in the year my students know how to…
4 Ways I Made My Existing Activities Digital
I currently teach in that special hell of mostly face-to-face but sometimes a student will switch to online with zero notice. I literally have no idea how many students will be in my room or if I’ll have any online via Zoom. This means I have to have all my activities ready for either situation. Here’s a few ways…
One Resource, Four Ways
There is nothing I hate more than spending time creating something and the activity lasts 5 minutes. Nope, not about that life. Today I’m showing you how I take one resource and use it four different ways. The Resource It’s a simple looking activity. This is one of my sentence games (Check out all of…
How I Organize Authentic Resources
I’ve struggled for years to organize my authentic resources for my Spanish classes. Recently I learned about about a program called Airtable and my head began spinning with all of the possible ways I could use it. Before we talk about that, let’s chat about why authentic resources are such a pain to keep track…
The Secret to A Great Food or Cooking Unit
I love teaching about food in Spanish but I love teaching about cooking even more! My students often tell me the cooking unit is one of their favorites. Why? Well, most everyone enjoys food. I usually have several students who enjoy cooking. But the real secret? Doña Ángela. The Authentic Resource You NEED In Your…
How to Use Screenpal For Classroom Videos
If you’ve ever heard me present, you know I love ScreenPal (formerly Screncast-o-matic). I’ve used it since 2018 and it is my go-to tool for videos. If you’ve taken one of my courses, or watched a product preview in my TPT store, that was made with Screencast-o-matic. It’s easy, affordable, and powerful. Here’s how I…
5 Myths About Canvas LMS
Let me clear up some common myths about Canvas for teachers.
Flipgrid in the World Language Class: Fall 2020 Updates
If you’ve been around my blog for long, you know I love Flipgrid. I wrote a whole series about it last year! With social distancing in the classroom and remote learning, Flipgrid is a powerful tool, now more than ever. They’ve got some great new updates too. Here’s a quick overview. New Names & Organization…
Canvas & Distance Learning: How do I organize it?
You’re new to Canvas, you’re facing remote teaching and you’re wondering the best way to organize your materials and agendas on Canvas, right? I’ve got bad news my friend. There is no best way. The blessing and curse of Canvas are the endless options and freedom to organize it how you want. Spoiler Alert: You’re…
Canvas and Google Integration
Many teachers are moving from Google Classroom to Canvas this year and lamenting the loss of everything they’ve created in Google. Fear not! Canvas integrates beautifully with Google suite products! Here are three ways to get your Google resources (docs, slides, sheets, etc) into Canvas. Link It This is the sharing method many are familiar…
Let’s Build a Canvas Course! Assignments
This is one post in a series about Canvas. If you’re new to Canvas, each post guides you through one aspect of Canvas LMS in order to avoid overwhelm. Want all the posts sent straight to your inbox? Sign up below! Now, on to assignments! Assignments in Canvas There are several ways to utilize assignments…
Let’s Build A Canvas Course! Pages
This post is part of a series about building a Canvas course from scratch. If you’d like to follow along on the journey by getting posts sent straight to your inbox, sign up below and never miss a Canvas post! What’s a Page? In a previous post I talked about Modules. Think of modules like…
Let’s Build A Canvas Course! Modules
Welcome to my behind-the-scenes look at building a Canvas course! Let’s talk about my favorite thing, modules! Warning: I’m about to great really excited about something kind of nerdy. Let’s go! Why Modules? While there are other ways to organize a Canvas course, I prefer modules. Think of a module like a three-ring binder for…
Let’s Make a Canvas Course! The Home Page
Let the journey begin! My next blog posts will walk you through making a Canvas course from scratch. Check out all my Canvas posts here. Today we’re starting with your Canvas home page. What Is The Home Page? Your home page is the first page students see when they click on your course. It can…
How to Use Canvas For Teachers: Streamline Student Menus
Welcome to my Canvas series. Each post focuses on one, manageable aspect of how to use Canvas for teachers. As a minimalist, extra, useless clutter makes me anxious and annoys me. That’s why one of my favorite Canvas features is the ability to hide unused items from students. This makes things easier for students (and…