Classroom Resources

This intermediate-mid to intermediate-high Spanish activity encourages students to report on current events. The activity starts by reviewing key vocabulary words by playing a game in which students describe a word to see if their classmates can guess what they are describing. A set of cards with full-color photos are included to illustrate each current event-related vocabulary word. Then, students are given a pre-printed current event card and are asked to summarize the event for their peers. There are 4 events included but this could easily be completed by having students each explore the internet to find authentic websites of current events in order to report on the most recent events.

In this intermediate low to intermediate-high ASL activity, students will learn about classifiers and their role in telling stories. A detailed PowerPoint is included to walk students through the key grammatical terms taught in this lesson. The PowerPoint also includes links to video examples of classifiers being used to describe accidents in the past as well as tell stories or jokes. After reviewing the resources, students are asked to use their new vocabulary skills to describe an accident or event that happened.

This printable resource is a ready-to-use unlabeled map of Latin American countries. It is a perfect resource for novice low students to use as they label countries and capitals, a common first step toward learning to identify the locations around the world that speak Spanish. A copy of this resource that is labeled with each country's name is posted in the comment box below. Additionally, another map that includes Spain and Equitorial Guinea is posted in the comment box.

This unit starts with a video introducing students to life in Pompeii. (This video is about 50 minutes long, it may be useful to show select scenes rather than the entire video). Students are then asked to read and translate 2 eyewitness accounts in which Pliny describes what happened the day of the eruption. Public domain versions of these letters are linked within the activity. Afterward, students are asked to examine the ruins using a video tour of the Forum Baths. To end the lesson, a variety of virtual field trip links are provided allowing student groups to each explore a different aspect of life in Pompeii.

This google slide presentation is prepared for intermediate low to intermediate mid-French students who are learning to use the past tense and specifically the phrases I have or I did. These comprehensible phrases are repeated over and over in various slides along with a photo to illustrate the meaning of each sentence. In the end, the photos are repeated without the written sentences to allow students an opportunity to recall the conjugations and/or vocabulary. Finally, students are asked to construct the grammar concept on the last 2 slides. 

This unique set of activities is geared toward intermediate mid to intermediate high Spanish students working toward the AP Spanish Language and Culture Exam. The goal of this unit is to reinforce the theme of Global Challenges as students practice each proficiency skill. The geographical region of emphasis is Chile. This unit includes an interactive PowerPoint that walks students through each individual activity as they click on icons within the slide. (Be sure to open the slide show in presentational view in order to take full advantage of the interactive activities.) Tasks include writing, listening, reading, speaking, and cultural explorations. Cultural topics referenced in these tasks include: food, celebrations, sports, geography, and art.

This resource provides 14 separate video clips of French speakers, each of which illustrates the task of speaking about past actions. Students use interpretive listening skills to identify main ideas and examine how the imperfect, simple past, and compound past tenses are formed and used through these authentic resources. The videos were prepared for intermediate and advanced level learners but could be used with novice learners as a way to introduce them to authentic language. Each video clip provides a French-language transcript and links to grammar reviews and activities for the concepts that are heard in the clip. The concepts covered include: imparfait; passé composé, and passé composé vs imparfait.

This novice low to novice high French lesson starts off with a brief grammar discussion about cognates and false cognates. Students then play an online interactive BINGO activity as students observe characteristics of the French language. The lesson wrap-ups with a series of French and English questions. The lesson is guided by a prepared google slide presentation.

This novice high to intermediate mid-French activity is perfect for second or third-year students returning to school after the summer. A slide show is provided to guide teachers and students through the activity. Students will start by sitting opposite each other and responding to discussion questions regarding their summer. After two minutes, they will change partners. Then students will use prepared question cards to discuss further summer activities with their peers. This activity will require students to practice using past tense as they answer the questions.

This novice mid to novice high Chinese activity allows students to simulate shopping experiences in China. An included powerpoint clearly identifies the can-do statements and links to an English language video that identifies the key shopping locations in Beijing. After an introduction to the cultural aspects of shopping, students simulate a shopping experience in the classroom. Fake Chinese money is included in the provided link, teachers should print numerous copies to pass out to students. Students will use this money to negotiate the prices of the items that are identified on the included shopping cards. 

This novice high to intermediate low French activity allows students to gather information from four different heritage French speakers: Franck, J-C, Stephanie, and Virginie. Students are asked to gather information as the speakers describe what they did last weekend as well as when they were younger. This activity is split into two different sections and they can be used as a group or separately.  The links to the interviews used in this activity are posted in the comment section below. Each video provides optional French and English transcripts.

Key grammar points in these audio clips include: past tense

This novice mid to novice high French activity guides students as they plan a weekend trip in France. Students use an authentic resource online to plan their trip during this 2-day activity. The printable worksheet provides a place for students to record the information they gather from the French language travel website. On day one, students find 2 locations of interest and gather information such as the region and activities. On day two, students work in groups of three to interview each other about their trips using provided French questions. They will then select one trip to present as a group. For homework, students write a paragraph describing their trip in French.

This intermediate low to intermediate mid German activity introduces students to the punk rock band Die Ärzte. Students listen to their song "Westerland." Throughout the song, students are asked to used interpretive listening skills to gather information provided on the attached activity sheet.  Next, they are asked to read the provided German lyrics and use their comprehension skills to answer a set of questions. A list of useful vocabulary is provided to assist with more difficult phrases. Finally, students are asked to present information about their favorite location, following the model presented in the song. The entire student handout is prepared in the target language.

In this novice-mid Spanish activity, students rely on family vocabulary to read a short passage in Spanish. After each section, they are asked to check their reading comprehension skills by answering multiple-choice questions in English. Students follow up this activity by using presentational writing skills to write about their own families. Finally, a short reflection activity or exit slip is included to wrap up the lesson.

This intermediate low to intermediate mid Spanish activity focuses on identifying a person or object that most influenced them in their childhood. Students start by looking at a photo of a mural and participate in an interpersonal conversation about influences in their life. Second, students listen to the provided interview to gather information about what most influenced the speaker's life. Finally, students complete a quick presentational writing activity in which they share the most influential thing in their life. Optional extension activities are also provided.

This intermediate-low to intermediate-high Spanish language activity focuses on interpersonal conversations as students discuss various celebrations and dating tips. Some cultural aspects are introduced but the focus is primarily on target language conversation. This activity includes a warm-up, main activity, and wrap-up. Included resources are printable vocab cards needed for the warm-up, question cards to keep students on task and engaged, and a Google slide presentation that will guide the teacher and students through the activity.

This novice low French activity provides a fun way to practice pronunciation of French sounds. As a warm up, teachers use a series of pre-printed cards as they model the pronunciation of each word and sound. Students are to repeat the words. Then, teachers lead students through reciting a variety of tongue twisters, focusing on specific pronunciation sounds. Six different tongue twister cards are provided. The teacher can lead the class through each one or have students work in pairs to practice the phrases, paying special attention to the phonetic sounds made by the French alphabet.

This printable Chinese poster is a unique way to reinforce emotions and feelings in novice low to novice mid-Chinese language classrooms. Teachers can choose to print a copy for each student or print a large copy and display it as a poster in the classroom. This poster allows students to reinforce vocabulary while seeing how these common expressions in English translate to Chinese. This provides students a variety of ways to respond to the question, How are you?

This is an intermediate low to intermediate mid reading and listening activity that introduces students to Inca Kola, a popular soda beverage in Peru. The linked article includes 5 multiple choice comprehension questions to check for understanding. Students are then asked to watch 4 different Inca Kola commercials and prepare answers to provided questions. This activity is set up to be completed for homework but can be completed within the classroom if desired.

This novice low to novice mid-French activity allows students to gather information from four different heritage French speakers: Franck, J-C, Stephanie, and Virginie. Students are asked to gather information as the speakers describe themselves, describe celebrities, and compare French and American stereotypes. This activity is split into three different sections and each can be used as a group or separately. The links to the interviews used in this activity are posted in the comment section below. Each video provides optional French and English transcripts.

Key grammar points in these audio clips include: adjectives

This interactive hands-on French activity introduces students to the artist Henri Rousseau and his artistic style. The activity instructions and resources are in English, making it suitable for novice-low to novice-high French learners. This particular activity also connects directly with the national science standards as students discuss Rousseau's rainforest and the animals he chose to include in his work. Students start by exploring Rousseau's background and then explore ideas on why he chose to draw the rainforest. Students then create their own artwork while incorporating scientific elements like those found in Rousseau's work.

This is a novice-high Spanish activity in which students create a video describing their daily routine in Spanish. Printable project instructions, planning templates, and a rubric are included within the resource. Students use the included resources to work individually or in groups as they use presentational speaking skills to tell about their daily routines. This activity will also give students a chance to examine how reflexive verbs are used when describing routines. Students can use reflexive verbs in either present or preterit tense, depending on their proficiency level.

In this 9th-12th grade lesson, students will learn about traditional Latin dance styles such as salsa, mambo, merengue, rumba, cha cha, bachata, and samba. They will generate essential questions and conduct research about a particular Latin dance and its country of origin. Students will draw comparisons between the dances through presentations and dance demonstrations. While the videos are provided in English, Spanish language questions are included to facilitate target language discussion. For those wishing to incorporate the community standards, students can arrange to perform their researched dances for the school or community in an effort to bring awareness to the target culture. It is important to note that this lesson also follows national standards for dance, allowing it to connect with elective courses.

This website offers direct links to 11 different Chinese language newspapers. These authentic materials in the target langauge were published for Chinese speakers and provide lots of interpretive reading practice for students as they explore current events from throughout China.

In this novice-mid to novice-high Spanish activity, students will learn and practice the art of bartering for items. Students will participate in a simulated market using fake money to purchase items that are needed to meet a specific list of items. This link provides printouts of items to shop for as well as funny money that can be used in the bartering process. A slide show presentation walks students through the cultural idea of bartering and introduces them to some of the key vocabulary words they will need to complete this simulation.

This intermediate mid to intermediate-high Spanish activity introduces students to multicultural fashion as well as the controversies that have evolved as designers incorporate indigenous designs into their work. Students start by reading a target language article and answering a series of comprehension questions to check their comprehension. Students then weigh in on the presented controversy by sharing their ideas to provided discussion questions. Students then compare this presented situation to other similar situations within their own culture in which large corporations have taken advantage of indigenous cultures.

This unique resource is a compilation of 94 influential Hispanics. The list can be sorted by name or country and provides a photo of each person along with 3-4 direct links to online resources that provide in depth information on the person. These links go directly to information about the person on sites like Wikipedia, Biography.com, History.com, ThoughtCo, The Artchive, and Google Scholar. All resources are in English, making this a perfect resource for novice learners looking to investigate important perspectives from the Hispanic world. With over 90 to choose from, each student in the class can select a different person to research and present.

This unit is based on the novel In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez. While the activities and discussion questions are in English, the novel itself and the accompanying activities connect language learners to other classroom subjects as they read about the fight for social justice through the eyes of sisters who dared to confront Trujillo and his dictatorship in the Dominican Republic. This story addresses global challenges, family and community, and personal and public identities. Novice through intermediate low language learners can use this as a cultural unit alongside their language instruction. Intermediate mid to high students can reflect upon this story in the target language as they discuss and write about the topics that are addressed, comparing them to battles for justice fought by those in their own country. An included extention activity asks students to read about others (specifically women) who have shown courage in bringing about social change.

This link offers novice low to novice high German students an opportunity to hear a variety of people introduce themselves while sharing where they are from, the languages they speak, their age, occupation, and their nationalities. There are two different audio resources, each with 5 different interviews. As students listen to each they are challenged to write down the speaker's nationality, age, occupation, language, and country of origin. After completing the interpretive listening tasks, students are then asked to engage in interpersonal conversations using a provided list of basic introductory questions in German.

This useful resource provides a list of basic conversation starters for Spanish students in the novice low and novice mid learning stages. There are 20 different questions written in both the formal and informal forms so that students can compare the grammatical differences that appear based on who they are talking with. This resource can be printed for students or printed in post form to hang on the classroom wall. These questions also make great bell ringer questions. As students start class, the teacher should call out a number and have students use that question to start interpersonal conversations with their peers.

This novice-high to intermediate-low Spanish activity focuses on the correct uses of ser and estar. The provided lesson activity includes 4 heritage speakers describing their past. As students listen they are asked to complete a cloze activity that requires them to specifically listen for examples of how the speakers are using ser and estar. Students then discuss the uses of ser and estar that were observed in the video samples. Finally, students are asked to create their own dialogues showing that they can correctly use these two verbs in the preterit and imperfect tenses.

This is a novice, mid-high level Spanish listening activity in which students watch an authentic resource (McDonald's commercial) while interpreting the information provided. The activity includes a link to the commercial on YouTube and a cloze activity for students to complete while watching. Three personal connection questions are provided to allow students an opportunity to practice writing or speaking skills as they compare the gathered information to their personal lives.

This intermediate low to intermediate mid Spanish activity focuses on enhancing conversational skills while using city/town vocabulary. A provided slide show starts off by introducing the can do statements for this activity. Students then play a game of chutes and ladders in pairs. A link to a printable game board is included. When a student lands on a blank space, he or she must grab a prompt card and answer the question or do the prompt. If a student lands on a space with a star, he or she must answer one of the trivia questions. Each of the questions references vocabulary needed to describe things around town. The provided questions use multiple tenses but teachers can adjust the questions for lower level learners if needed.

This novice low to novice mid Chinese activity helps students describe their daily routines. The activity starts off by quickly reviewing how to tell time using a provided clock printout (with Chinese numbers). Students then randomly select 4-5 activity cards (provided) and use these verbs to create a daily schedule. The goal is to be creative based on the actions that were drawn. Upper level students can use these resources to work in pairs to interview each other about their daily activities.

Novice low and novice mid learners will study family vocabulary early on during their language learning. This printable resource allows students to see most vocabulary words in context. It is a family tree showing the relationship of each person to the student or tú. The most common vocabulary words are included on the family tree without English translations. Only words that do not directly relate to the student are translated into English. This resource can be copied for individual student use or printed as a poster to hang in the classroom.