Chistes Gráficos para Halloween

I like to start each class with something that will bring a smile to my students' faces - whether it's a joke, a funny video, or a silly picture, it is nice to get things off in a friendly way.

To that end I looked at the calendar and saw that there are exactly fifteen school days left until Halloween, and I did some looking online to find funnies.  Easier said than done!  I found a lot that wouldn't translate well, others that don't cross the cultural barrier, and oodles of them that were wildly inappropriate for the classroom.

Ultimately I found fifteen and translated them into Spanish to share with my students.  I figured I would share them here with you too.

Enjoy!

 

I am not the copyright holder to any of these images.  I have compiled there here for use in the classroom for educational purposes.

Happy Halloween, amigos!

--AnneK

La Colaboración - Google Docs

Today on Twitter I stumbled across a very interesting tweet about commercials in Spanish, and by clicking here and there I came across something wonderful - a shared document put together by Spanish teachers working collaboratively.  When someone finds a commercial they want to share, they write a transcript, and then paste the commercial URL and the transcript to the bottom of the document.  Then, everyone who accesses it can benefit from the contributions of others.  You can pop in, copy it for yourself, make a cloze activity for your class and it was so easy.  Wow.  Mind blown.

I do not know if it breaks some unwritten rule to post the URL to the shared document here or not . . . I read the introduction to the document and there wasn't anything there about keeping it a secret, so here goes:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pQpPcL9X84Ov4RMQMaRe3o2dpiJK3nPWoFveiIXDxJw/edit

If you are going to use their work, consider transcribing and linking a commercial yourself.  Being a contributor is a lot more fun than being a user - and you can brag to your colleagues and your administrators about your professional collaborations.   :-) 

I think someday, maybe someday soon, this sort of collaboration will be so common that this post of mine will be outdated and of no interest whatsoever.  That would actually be a good thing - seeing teachers from all over work together toward student enrichment and sharing their ideas and inspirations with one another.  We can hope!

--AnneK

El Imperfecto del Subjuntivo

There are some really great things about teaching Spanish 4.  One of them is that, by the time students have come that far, they have a very good working knowledge of the underlying structure of the language.  I only have to tell them what the endings are for the verbs, and they are off and running  - making creative sentences and astounding me with their cleverness.

So it is with the imperfect subjunctive.  We review the preterite irregulars quickly - usually in game form, then I give them the rules for creating the imperfect subjunctive and presto!  What a great group of students I have!  No need to belabor the grammar, just explain it once and let them use it as a tool for communication.

The imperfect subjunctive is especially cool because it allows us to talk about the things that could be, should be, and might be if only things were different.  And these days, memes with the imperfect subjunctive abound.  I thought I'd find a couple to share with them so they could see the language in action and, while I was at it, I figured I'd share them here too.

 

 

It is the perfect lead in to a discussion about the sequence of tenses and, with this many authentic examples, students can probably discover the pattern (imperfect subjunctive + conditional) for themselves.

These make great writing prompts and it's fun to create a chart afterwards to show what ideas people have in common.  For example you could ask, ¿Si tuvieras tres deseos que pedirías?  Then chart how many people chose money, love, altruistic ideas (cure for cancer, world peace, etc.).  It's fun!

Si tuvieras que enseñarles el imperfecto del subjuntivo a tus estudiantes, ¿qué harías?

Hasta pronto,

--AnneK

¿Trabajamos sin Pago?

My cousin Nancy Elliot, a fellow teacher, shared this with her friends on Facebook:

This struck a chord with me because it is all too true.  Teachers everywhere are putting in long hours without any overtime pay, annual bonus, or any hope of a promotion.  They do it because they care about excellence and because they want the best for their students.

I work late sometimes when I'm jazzed up about a project or a lesson that I think will bring authenticity and/or fun to my lessons.  (It's great when fun and learning coincide, which isn't always easy - you have to work for that.)  I work late when I have a lot of projects or tests to grade and my students want to know their grades the next day.  I work late when it's college application time and my students need recommendation letters.  I also work late to prepare for enrichment activities that make school more relevant and fun for my students - making sugar skulls for Day of the Dead, crafting paper flowers for a cultural display, gathering ingredients and materials for cooking lessons, and so much more.

Why do you do it?  Why do you work late without any hope for recognition or recompense?  Share your response in the comments if you like.

Hasta pronto,

--AnneK

FLANC 2014

I just dragged myself home after a whirlwind weekend of language, learning, and loving!  The FLANC Conference was awesome!  It is so exhilarating to get out of the usual routine and to reconnect with my love of the Spanish language and my love of teaching.

If you have never been to a conference because it's too expensive or because you are too busy, I beg you to reconsider and to make it a priority.  Put a little money and some time aside so that you can go.  There is an amazing synergy that happens when so many dedicated and motivated professionals get together and share their ideas and their knowledge.  The energy is almost tangible.

I made a funny little meme to share with you . . .

 

Ha!  It's not too much of an exaggeration.  I have so many new ideas in my head that I can't wait to get started . . . but I will have to, because I have been going strong for two and a half days powered only on caffeine, sugar, and excitement.

I hope to have some time to post about all these great tools and ideas I got in the coming weeks.

Hasta entonces, amigos . . . 

--AnneK

Actividad de Comprensión

I like to use videos in my classroom, when appropriate.  One great time to utilize video is during the cooking/food unit - whenever that may occur in your textbook.  In Conexiones it is chapter 8 and my High Intermediate students will be watching an authentic video tomorrow of a recipe for Camarones Ahumados con Chipotle with Ingrid Hoffmann. 

I am not certain how many of my readers out there teach a Spanish IV, V, or AP class - but I figured it couldn't hurt to share the activity here in case it might be of any use to you.  With some good scaffolding, you probably could do this with a talented Spanish III class.  If nothing else, it will give you some thoughts on how you might want to structure a video watching guide.  After all, you want them actively listening and comprehending - not just putting the video on in the background.

Hasta la próxima,

--AnneK 

Regreso A Clases: Una Lección Para Mí

Back to school is such an exciting time of year!  I still get excited when it's time to buy supplies and prepare for the new year.  And Open House is both a right of passage and an opportunity to get started off on the right foot.

I have a new colleague this year, Ms. Lundquist comes to us from Johnston County Schools in North Carolina and it's great to be working with her this year.  One of the things we both agree upon is making a big impression on Open House night.  It is our first encounter with the parents and the students, so it's imperative to put our best foot forward.  She and I collaborated on getting our table set up, and I think it looks lovely!

On the table you will notice there are three papers.  One is a set of application packets for students who wish to enroll in La Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica, one is a supplies list, and one is a paper with a QR code that links to a digital version of the supplies list.  Our school is a 1:1 iPad school, so I figured we are tech savvy enough to do away with old-fashioned paper supplies lists, right?  There is no need to waste paper and ink when you can just click and do it digitally.  Am I right?

This is what the QR message looked like and I drew everybody's attention to it as soon as they arrived at the table.

If, for whatever reason, you are interested in our supplies list, you can take a look at it here:

But . . . (and I'm sure there is a master's thesis in this somewhere), it turns out the world is not as technologically advanced ad I had thought - even at our school.  I spent much of the evening running back and forth to the copy machine to copy a few more paper versions of the supplies list.  I think about 20 parents out of over 100 were willing to scan the QR code.  The other 80+ wanted the paper copy.  ¡Qué desilusión!  Some of the students weren't even aware of the existence of QR codes, which surprised the dickens out of me.  So much for that theory that the students are always way more proficient with technology than their teachers!

So I have learned a lesson - The world is not ready to be paperless just yet.  That does not mean that I won't keep trying, of course.

Should you be interested in creating a QR code for your supplies list, or for anything else you want to send out to the masses easily, they are free and easy to make.  There are a lot of places out there but I used QR Stuff.  When you get the code, just copy and paste it into your document and Presto!  Instant techie and green cred!

I hope the beginning to your school year is amazing, amigos!  As always, be in touch.

Hasta la próxima,

--AnneK

¡Me Publicaron!

Summer is over and it's time to get back to work . . . and I've done just that!  We've actually been back for several weeks but it's been beyond busy.  New students, new colleagues, new software to learn, new (higher!) expectations, new rules, new technology - you get the idea, I'm sure.

 I was recently accepted as a presenter at the Teaching and Learning with the iPad Conference in Raleigh, North Carolina. Where I will be presenting a session on creating educational materials that is geared to teachers who have been working with old-fashioned materials for years.  I titled it Colorful, Dynamic and Interactive: Reimagining Classroom Content and you can click on the link if you are interested in reading about it.  And if you live near Raleigh, you ought to attend by all means.  It would be great to meet you!

One of the organizers of the iPad conference read my proposal and invited me to write an article for his journal, Emerging EdTech.  I felt so excited and honored!  She told me to write in an informal and conversational way - like a blog post.  And suddenly I felt at ease, because (as you know) I've written a few blog posts in my time.

Without further ado, here is the link to my article.  I hope you enjoy it!

5 Steps for Planning Lessons Around Technology – Starting with the End in Mind

Hasta pronto,

--AnneK

Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica

Our school had a bulletin board contest a little while ago.  I meant to put up a post here but I was in a whirlwind of other things going on at the time, so I put it on the back burner.  But I did take pictures!

The gist of the bulletin board contest was to get some color and decor up around our school.  Those of you who teach elementary school are probably great decorators, but high school teachers are notoriously lax about such things.  So the contest was to motivate us to decorate.

The bulletin boards were done by each club at the school and we were told that "all bulletin boards" are available for the contest.  I selected the one outside my classroom and carefully took down the old (very old!) things that were up there and preserved them.  But to make a long story short, the folks that had their stuff up there (from last year!) were upset with me for "stealing" their bulletin board.

All the other bulletin boards in the school had been claimed by the time I got it sorted out.  I had no place for my Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica bulletin board . . . grumble.  ("All bulletin boards are available for the contest" should mean ALL bulletin boards are available for the contest.)

There is a display shelf outside my classroom, so I decided to improvise and we put together a hanging "bulletin board" display.  It is weighted down by a yard stick taped to the back.  The caption says "National Spanish Honor Society" instead of "Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica" because no one at the school, outside of Spanish students, can pronounce or understand the latter. 

The little stars down the side are members' quotes about what they love about the Spanish language and culture.  The plaque at the bottom explains what our club is about and gives a short history of our chapter.  And, though you can't see the detail on the crest from the Spanish flag, it is my favorite part.  The whole thing is made with glitter paint and it's spectacular!

We didn't win the contest but I think we at least deserved a "spirit of the contest" award or something.  We are the only club that had to do our bulletin board twice and we are the only club that put up a display without an actual bulletin board.  Oh well, sometimes you have to set your own win conditions, amigos!

Hasta pronto,

--AnneK

En La Playa - Dibujos

Sometimes I go online searching for pictures to use in the classroom.  You know the kind I mean - the kind that we foreign language teachers like with a dozen people engaged in a dozen different activities.  Those are great because they can spark so much discussion!  But they can be hard to find sometimes.

To that end, I'm sharing some with you today that will be useful to you in the next week or two as your students are finishing the year and preparing to enjoy their summer.

Just look at all the vocabulary!  The oral expression possibilities are nearly endless.  I hope you are able to find something here to have fun with in your class.  I suggest a game of I spy in Spanish.

I do not own the copyright to any of these images and I am posting them here solely as an educational resource.

Hasta pronto,

--AnneK

Verano

Summer vacation is fast approaching and it's always about this time of the year that I have a little bitty panic attack that is accompanied by this track playing in my head, "But they will be gone for weeks!  And they won't practice Spanish at all.  They will come back next year and we'll have to spend the first three weeks just reviewing and then we will be behind before we even begin."

Does that sound familiar to you?  I don't know if your mental gremlins torment you with such thoughts or not, but keeping our students involved in Spanish over the summer can be a challenge.  It's even more of a challenge when they are going on to another teacher next year and we can't offer credit for work they accomplish over the summer.

So what is the answer?  In a word: fun!  Make the "work" into something fun and you might spark their enthusiasm.  Coming up with a fun summer packet is a challenge that I assigned myself a few weeks ago.  It was a bigger task than I thought at first.  I wanted to review typical Spanish I topics such as clothing, colors, likes and dislikes, foods . . . and some of the functions of the language such as present tense, adjective agreement, reading and listening comprehension . . .  It was a lot to think about and I didn't want to make a worksheet packet.

 I decided to make summer the theme of the packet.  I loaded it full of fun vocabulary related to summertime excitement - grilling, swimming, bike riding, playing sports, and going to the beach.  Then I used color and entertaining activities to get student attention and get them interacting with the vocabulary.  Finally I added in multimedia - music, games, a virtual tour, and video.  I think it's a winning combination.

The level is for students who have finished Spanish I and are getting ready to go on to Spanish II.  The focus is fun and review, but the rigor is not especially high because at home there is no teacher scaffolding or feedback.

It's 20 pages of student motivation and teacher peace of mind.  (Okay, I might exaggerate just a bit.  But it is definitely a good packet!)

The summer fun packet is temporarily $5 over at my Teachers Pay Teachers store.  And if you email me and tell me you bought it, I might just have a special gift for you.  (My name is AnneKarakash and I am at gmail.com.  Put the two together and you have my email address.)

Thank you for reading, amigos.  Have a brilliant summer!

Hasta pronto,

--AnneK

Repaso del Año - Español 2

I put together a year-end review for my Spanish II students.  They have their final exams coming up later this week and next week.  I wanted to make sure they have all the topics in one place so that they know what to study.

I did not link most of the vocabulary topics because the students have access to them in Dropbox, but I found links to online practice activities for many of the grammar topics on Quia.

Since every Spanish II course is a little bit different from the next, I doubt the document will be of extensive use to you as it is.  But the list of topics, the links to online practice, and the speaking/writing prompts might be of some use.  Feel free to take it, look it over, and build upon it to meet your own needs.  I am putting this up in an editable Doc format so that you can use it and make changes to reflect your own vocabulary topics, grammar topics, and speaking/writing prompts.

Click the image above or click here to download the file.

I am not teaching Spanish 1 or 3 this year, so I haven't made study guides for them.  Maybe next year!

Hasta pronto, amigos.

--AnneK

An Explanation of WEIRDO Verbs

Years ago in Spanish class I learned subjunctive in the same grueling way that people before me had learned - with long and complicated rules that made little sense to me and that seemed incomprehensible.

"The subjunctive mood occurs with a change of subject in subordinate clauses and requires the the employment of a verb of volition, negation, or doubt in the main clause."

It is no wonder everyone thought the subjunctive so hard!  Rules like the above make it nearly impossible to understand.

Years ago I came across the acronym WEIRDO that was used to describe which sorts of verbs would trigger the subjunctive in the subordinate clause.  It was like a breath of fresh air and I suddenly had a cute little way of laying out the rules for the subjunctive to my students.

But I have a lot of teachers write to me and tell me they don't know what I mean by "weirdo verbs" or that they would like to have a way of presenting this material to their students.  Yesterday Michelle, a reader of this blog, wrote and asked how to teach weirdo verbs to her students.  So I got to thinking about it and decided to make a Power Point that we can use to show to our students and help them make sense of the subjunctive.

I had a great time making this slide show, creating the background images, animating my little weirdo monster and playing around with various colors and effects.  I think your students will find it memorable and I hope it will help them to understand the mechanics of the subjunctive a bit better.  Click the image above or click here to download the Power Point.

I would love to hear from you if you find it useful, amigos.

Hasta pronto,

--AnneK

Haber y los Tiempos Compuestos

Who doesn't have a hard time with the perfect tenses?!  At least at first, they can be very confusing, especially to those students who might not have a strong grip on their own language.  I often find that students are unable to distinguish between "have verbed" and "had verbed" in English, and that makes explaining it in Spanish even more difficult.

Using the perfect tenses may be quite difficult, but forming them really isn't necessarily very hard.  The participles are fairly straightforward and there are just a few forms of haber to learn.  Even so, it is nice to have everything organized and in one spot for studying purposes.

 

As I look closer at the image now, I see that one of my students is confused about which forms of haber go where, so do not use this one as an example.  I will track her down and help her make corrections early next week.  One does not want to be studying the wrong thing after all.

If you want the template to use in your classes, you can click the image above or you can click here to download it.

As always, it would be great to hear from you if you find something useful here.  Its great to connect with my fellow Spanish teachers in the world.

Hasta pronto, 

--AnneK

Y El Tiempo Pasa . . .

Where does the time go?  I have all these blog posts I want to put up but I keep coming home and crashing instead of blogging.  There are solid biological reasons for my behavior, yes.  But it's a shame that I haven't found time for this blog lately.

Let me start the backlog of lost posts with el Día de las Madres.  (A little late, I know.)  Students of mine were testing and my classes were only half full, so it was one of those days when you feel like you can't introduce new material, you can't do anything super meaningful, and you certainly can't do an assessment.

So I had them working on a little Mother's Day activity in grupitos and, when they had a chance, they were each to get a picture of themselves as a gift for their mother.  Here are some of them for you to enjoy.

I took construction paper and made the back drop in the morning before school.  Then, as a group, we came up with some ideas about what we wanted to say to our mothers.  Each person was able to write their own personalized message, but it had to be in Spanish.

I got a lot of nice feedback from the moms and a lot of stories from the kids about how they got to teach their mothers a bit of Spanish.

Hasta pronto,

--AnneK