• Unlock Peace and Joy with Reading

    Unlock Peace and Joy with Reading

    Picture this: your most energetic class is quiet, engaged, and acquiring language at a level you didn’t think was possible. And with a little front end set up, you have zero prep for it…

  • Pitufar: an upper level low/no prep game

    Pitufar: an upper level low/no prep game

    This is a huge flashback for me. I remember smurfs (los pitufos en español) were all the rage when in was in 3rd grade. I used to draw them all the time for my…

  • Tea for 2s

    Tea for 2s

    In case you missed my previous post on tea parties, I suggest you check that out first. I had only done a tea party with my upper level students before. I wondered, “How does…

  • Let’s have a tea party!

    Let’s have a tea party!

    A tea party is an interactive experience and the perfect way to hook your students on any novel, show or story that has several characters before beginning to read (or watch) it. I first…

  • ¡AI-yúdame! Snorkl – (for feedback on speaking and thinking)

    ¡AI-yúdame! Snorkl – (for feedback on speaking and thinking)

    If you’re like me, you do informal assessing all the time, but the formal not so much. Students respond chorally in Spanish, interact in pairs and small groups, but seldom get that one on…

  • ¡AI-yúdame! Brisk  – (for feedback on writing)

    ¡AI-yúdame! Brisk – (for feedback on writing)

    This is the second post I’m making about an AI tool for writing proficiency feedback. If you didn’t get a chance to read my post on Class Companion yet, you can read it here.…

  • Day one: success!

    Day one: success!

    I feel like I had a very successful first day of school today and would like to give you a glimpse of my Spanish 2 and IB classes on day 1. Spanish 2 IB…

  • Start the Year Right: Tools to Help Explain Your Acquisition-Driven Approach

    Start the Year Right: Tools to Help Explain Your Acquisition-Driven Approach

    Whether you’ve dipped your toes in or jumped all the way into teaching with a focus on comprehensible input, you’ve surely realized that it is a decisive paradigm shift for students. They are not…

  • ¿Cómo te llamas?

    ¿Cómo te llamas?

    I hate/love this time of year – the dwindling summer days that fly so quickly by, but it’s always exciting getting ready to meet a new group of students! Gearing up for introductions, I…