Classroom Resources

The president of the United States is among the most powerful political figures in the world. In the international realm, the president speaks for the country and is the symbol of America. At home, the president suggests the policy agenda for Congress and is the leader of his or her political party. Americans look to the president for leadership, while at the same time fearing the concentration of political power in the executive branch. Each of these activities introduces students to the executive branch and explores the ways that checks and balances limit presidential power.

This lesson looks at the legacy of George Washington, perhaps the most influential leader in the creation of the American nation. Through his achievements as commander-in-chief during the Revolution, in support of the drafting and ratification of the Constitution, and as the first president, Washington was instrumental in transforming the ideals of the Revolution into reality. His career as a soldier, revolutionary, constitution-maker, and chief executive of a new nation demanded a range of skills and talents with few precedents in history.

When students have completed this lesson, they will be able to evaluate, take, and defend a position on the contributions of the "Father of His Country" to the nation's traditions of constitutional government and citizenship.

In this YouTube video, students will be introduced to George Washington Carver, an Alabamian who made contributions in the fields of science in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. George Washington Carver sure was one brilliant guy! He overcame many of the obstacles that he faced to develop many inventions, including hundreds of uses for peanuts.

This resource is full of statistics and informational material related to eating disorders. Included are links about warning signs and symptoms, prevention, body image, and treatment. 

How are food and beverage marketers blurring the line between advertising and entertainment to engage young consumers, and why do this concern nutrition experts and children’s advocates? To what extent are product-related games, quizzes, and apps making children both recipients and tools of marketing? In this lesson, students consider various forms of advertising, then keep logs of the ads and other branded content they encounter in a specified period, and reflect on their experiences with marketing.

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 novice high to intermediate low Spanish activity provides several examples of native speakers discussing their favorite foods. Students are asked to gather information from authentic resources, focusing specifically on the names of dishes, ingredients, the origin of the dishes, and other pertinent information. As an extension students can use the information to create a written or oral presentation comparing the foods from the video with their own favorite foods. Students can also discuss their favorite foods with classmates in an effort to enhance interpersonal communication skills.

This Spanish intermediate mid to intermediate-high activity introduces students to Gustavo Becquer's Rima LIII, a poem on the College Board's suggested reading list for the AP Spanish Literature and Culture Exam. This activity includes both the English and Spanish texts. There are links to 2 sets of Quizlet cards, one that focuses on Spanish language literary terms and another that focuses on vocabulary from the poem. A 10 question multiple-choice Quizziz quiz is provided along with comprehension questions and discussion questions that encourage interpersonal conversations about the content in the poem.

This Spanish infographic is unique in that it uses affirmative tú commands, both regular and irregular, to promote nutrition. This two-sided graphic introduces students to the MiPlato/My Plate program which is referenced in student health and nutrition programs throughout the state.  The front of the graphic identifies the key food groups and suggests ways to stay healthy. The back identifies each food group and lists a variety of foods (vocabulary words) for each group. This particular authentic resource is perfect for reinforcing food vocabulary with novice mid to intermediate low students.

This Spanish language video was created specifically for novice mid to novice high students. It introduces students to a variety of technology-related vocabulary by identifying and explaining various parts of a computer or laptop. This resource connects easily with Alabama's Digital Literacy standards. A printable transcript is provided for teacher or student use. The provided link relies on Latin American Spanish but an option to view a Spain version is included. Open the Guía Didáctica  to access a set of printable activities that can be used by students as they watch and work with this video resource.

This Spanish language video was created specifically for novice low beginning students. It introduces students to 50 cognates, showing them that there are lots of similarities between Spanish and English. This is a great way to activate previous knowledge before introducing new material to students. A printable transcript is provided for teacher or student use. The provided link relies on Latin American Spanish but an option to view a Spain version is included. A set of printable activities is included to accompany this video.

This intermediate mid to intermediate-advanced lesson leads students through a study of both Las redondillas, an arraignment of men for what Sor Juana believed was hypocritical behavior, as well as her autobiographical Reply to  Sor Philotea de la Cruz. These two documents will help students understand why Sor Juana has been called the first feminist of the New World. The lesson included in this link is in the target language, making it suitable for level 4 and 5 students. The included activities will connect Spanish courses with literary standards covered in English literature classes. Activities include analyzing the two works and the treatment of gender stereotypes that are presented. Finally, students create a timeline of Sor Juana's work and draw parallels to current events around the world.

Teachers of novice and lower intermediate learners can access an English copy of the lesson in the comment box below. 

This unique intermediate mid to intermediate high Spanish activity challenges students to reenact the popular television show "Shark Tank." Students are first introduced to the Mexican version of the show to ensure everyone understands the concept behind the presentations they are to give. Students are then split into 3 groups. One group takes on the role of the sharks while the other two are asked to pitch specific product ideas. Students are challenged to research and present specific project ideas that are capable of helping meet the needs of the local community. Not only are students verbally presenting their project, but they are also looking for ways to address world challenges that face their assigned country. Printable instructions and rubrics are provided.

This full-color printable resource illustrates Spanish prepositions, making it easy for students to recall each vocabulary word. This prepared handout uses a red ball and a blue box to help elementary, middle school, and high school students make visual connections with this grammar topic. This resources can be printed for each student or enlarged to hang on the classroom wall allowing students to make connections between the target language and their own. This resource is most useful for novice low and novice mid language students.

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.

In this intermediate low to intermediate-high Spanish activity, upper-level Spanish students select a children's story to read to an elementary-aged classroom. After selecting their story students work in groups to create a lesson in which they teach 10-15 vocabulary words, read their chosen story, and lead the elementary children in a short activity based on the story. This activity assists students in achieving community standards by creating a community-wide event that promotes the target culture.

This interactive lesson engages intermediate mid- to intermediate-high students as they explore the world of Latino music. Students study important artists within the Hispanic world and then role play by performing some of their top hits. The overall project is a re-creation of the popular TV show 'The Voice.' Students who want to show off their performance skills take on the roles of the artists that they studied. Those who do not want to perform can take on the role of judges. This unit is separated into three days of activities and a printable Spanish document is provided to guide students through each step of the activity from research to performance. As an optional extension, students can choose to perform their songs for others in the school or community.

This novice low to novice high grammar game helps Spanish learners 'see' how the target language is formed so that they can make connections between the Spanish language and their own. This game will work for any tense but the instructions are specifically geared toward indicative present tense conjugations. Students work in groups to create sentences. A die is rolled to determine the subject of each sentence. Then, students match the verb stem to the correct verb ending based on the subject determined by the die. Finally, students use this newly constructed verb to write a sentence using the verb and current vocabulary.

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 Science and Technology as students practice each proficiency skill. The geographical region of emphasis is Puerto Rico. This lesson 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 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 novice low to novice high grammar game helps Spanish learners 'see' how the target language is formed so that they can make connections between the Spanish language and their own. This game will work for any tense but the instructions are specifically geared toward reflexive present tense conjugations. Students work in groups to create sentences. A die is rolled to determine the subject of each sentence. Then, students match the verb stem to the correct verb ending based on the subject determined by the die. Finally, students use this newly constructed verb to write a sentence using the verb and current vocabulary.

This unique set of lessons 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 Personal and Public Identities as students practice each proficiency skill. The geographical region of emphasis is Honduras.  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 intermediate mid to intermediate-high Spanish activity allows students to research and portray a famous Spanish artist while participating in a traditional Spanish tertulia. Students are first asked to research an artist and create an autobiography poster in the first person. They are then asked to play the part of their person by attending a tertulia with other famous artists. A list of tertulia topics is included to ensure students hold interpersonal conversations on a variety of past, present, and future topics. A detailed, printable rubric is provided to assess both presentational speaking and writing skills.

This intermediate low to intermediate mid-Spanish writing assignment requires students to write a 10-15 sentence paragraph using the subjunctive mood. This assignment guides students through the writing process, making it a perfect assignment for students who have just started learning to use the subjunctive mood. The topic of the writing assignment requires students to use space and technology vocabulary to write about an experience in space. However, this assignment can easily be adjusted to work with any vocabulary topic.

This Spanish game board can be used for any level of proficiency (novice low, novice mid, novice high, intermediate low, intermediate mid, intermediate high). This game is based on a Spanish television series and can easily be adapted to use with any vocabulary topic. Instructions are included for how to play and how to assemble the game board. Options for individual and full class (large) game boards are included. When questions and answers are provided in Spanish, students are able to reinforce their interpersonal communication skills.

This resource offers a list of 180 questions that cover a variety of Spanish proficiency from novice mid to intermediate mid. This diverse list of questions can be used at the start of class as a bellringer to practice presentational writing or speaking skills. If the class focus is writing, students should take no more than 5 minutes to write freely about the assigned topic. If the class focus is speaking, students should take 2 minutes to gather their thoughts then use an online recorder to record their response. Responses should be adjusted in length based on level. Finally, allow students one minute to reflect on their work. If the class focus is on interpersonal speaking then students should work in pairs to discuss the assigned topic for no more than 5 minutes.

This novice low to novice mid activity allows students to hear vocabulary in context as they watch and analyze a video of friends meeting at a discotech. Students are also able to observe culturally appropriate gestures that are important to the greeting process within the Spanish culture. Students start by discussing greetings within their own culture then compare these ideas with those observed in the video interaction. They are also given an opportunity to examine how informal tones appear both through gestures and grammar usage. After copying vocabulary words and phrases onto the provided worksheet, students are asked to create and participate in their own conversations. A rubric is provided to assist in assessing the interpersonal task.

Novice mid and novice high Spanish students work with a series of infographics focusing on fruits and vegetables. Each student is encouraged to gather specific information from the authentic resource they are assigned. After gathering the required information students complete an interpersonal communicative activity by interviewing their peers about the other infographics. 

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.

Intermediate low to Intermediate mid-Spanish students are asked to create a digital advertisement for a product of their choice using a mix of formal commands and impersonal subjunctive expressions. To complete this presentational writing assignment, a set of slides with instructions and a project example is included. The link also provides a planning checklist for students and a grading rubric. 

This useful resource provides a list of over 50 regular AR verbs along with a detailed Quizlet flashcard set that can be beneficial to helping beginning students memorize key vocabulary. Each Quizlet features a drawing to help students associate each action with an image rather than just a translation. This deck can be used for a variety of review activities such as matching and spelling. This link also provides a printable list of these common verbs.

This resource provides a list of over 24 ER verbs along with a detailed Quizlet flashcard set that can be beneficial to helping beginning students memorize key vocabulary words. This deck can be used for a variety of review activities such as matching and spelling. This link also provides a printable list of these common verbs as well as a fill-in-the-blank practice activity.

This novice low to novice high Spanish activity requires students to create written/digital presentations as well as prepare oral presentations about their families. Students who do not want to describe their own family are encouraged to select a celebrity family to focus on. This presentation is a chance for students to show off their mastery of the verbs ser and estar, simple sentences, and adjective agreement. Printable instructions and a rubric is provided. This activity could be easily adapted to any language.

This resource provides a list of  20 IR verbs along with a  Quizlet flashcard set that can be beneficial to helping beginning students memorize key vocabulary words. This deck can be used for a variety of review activities such as matching and spelling. This link also provides a printable list of these common verbs as well as a fill-in-the-blank practice activity.

This novice high to intermediate low Spanish activity allows students to use their creativity and cultural knowledge to create an invitation to a quinceañera. Students have the option to create their invitation digitally or physically. Through this activity, students will research clothing, gifts, locations, and other aspects of the quince celebration. Afterward, students will use presentational writing skills to present this information in a creative way. Students will then use past tense to describe what happened at the party. Using the provided rubric, students will be assessed on their creativity, grammar usage, vocabulary usage, and ability to include the cultural requirements.