Search ALEX...

This novice mid to novice high German activity leads students through an authentic website as they explore topics important to German families. Vocabulary covered in this activity includes gift giving, celebrations, leisure activities, and more. As students search this site, they are guided by an activity guide that asks them to first identify key vocabulary, followed by individual exploration throughout the site to look at topics of personal interest. After exploring on their own for a bit, students are directed to specific sections of the site where they will use their interpretive reading skills to identify and explore perspectives behind family celebrations.

This detailed unit is in English but covers a topic important to all upper-level Spanish courses. After reviewing the provided resources, intermediate-mid and intermediate-high students complete a target language essay in which they compare the United Farm Worker's Movement, the leadership of César Chávez, and the legacy of Dolores Huerta to the records, narratives, and perspectives associated with the civil rights and labor movements led by and for African Americans during the 1950s through the 1970s. The resources included in this unit include videos, news articles, poems, interviews, and museum exhibits.

This full-color printable resource illustrates Spanish greetings, making it easy for students to recall advanced vocabulary words rather then relying on the most common phrases when greeting others. This prepared handout uses a series of emojis to help elementary, middle school, and high school students make visual connections with this vocabulary topic. The vocabulary words are separated into three groups: postive, neutral, and negative. This resource 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 website offers direct links to a variety of Spanish language newspapers from the United States and around the globe. These authentic materials in the target language were published for Spanish speakers and provide lots of interpretative reading practice for students as they explore current events from the Latino world. Resources are well organized and provided from Argentina, Canary Islands, Chile, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru, Venezuela, Spain, the United States and more. 

This novice mid to novice high French activity reinforces clothing vocabulary through music. Students listen to a French song by the rap group Omnikrom. Before starting the song, students use the provided pdf to answer a series of pre-activity questions before moving on to the song itself. Afterward, they are provided comprehension questions to check for understanding. Students are also asked to identify lyrics pertaining to clothing and fashion that appear throughout the song. This particular song specifically uses a dialect from Quebec. At the end of the activity, students explore differences noted in this dialect.

This advanced-level Spanish project-based learning (PBL) unit challenges students to work in groups as they examine a problem, investigate the situation, and propose a solution. The unit includes a calendar pacing out each of the 8 class days required for the PBL. At the end of each class period students are provided a self-evaluation to reflect on tasks accomplished and plan for their next steps. All necessary resources regarding the presented problem as well as investigative resources are included.  (Click on the Lecturas Inciales link to access a google folder with printable resources). At the end of the lesson, students present their findings orally and in writing following the provided guidelines and rubrics. A bibliography is provided to assist students in researching the problem. The problem presented in this PBL focuses on the Great Mosque-Cathedral of Cordoba.

This novice mid to novice high 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 the foods they eat and their favorite foods. This activity is split into three different sections and each can be used as a group or separately. French language questions are also included so that students can interview each other about favorite foods. 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 questions words, asking questions,  and IR verbs in the present tense.

This intermediate mid to intermediate Spanish activity allows students to gather information from an authentic resource, specifically focusing on informal commands. Students start this activity by participating in an interpersonal conversation about their grandparents. Then they use interpretive skills to gather information as a native speaker describes their grandparents and the advice that their grandparents would give. Finally, students work in groups to present a list of affirmative and negative informal commands that grandparents would give to their grandchildren.

This intermediate mid to intermediate-high activity introduces students to the science and technology behind the Panama Canal. Students watch two target language videos that overview the importance of the canal and then they complete a series of comprehension questions to check for understanding. Students then complete an activity that challenges them to look at how the canal has affected the environment around it. Students discuss the ecological footprint left by the canal and discuss initiatives toward ecological transportation.

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 mid to novice high ASL activity provides students an opportunity to practice vocabulary related to holidays and celebrations as well as asking questions. Students start with a quick warm-up in which they review how to use American Sign Language to stay each holiday. Then, students use the provided cards to play a game similar to Go Fish in which students ask for holidays rather than numbers.  After the Go Fish game, students will use a series of prepared question cards to practice using question words while conversing with peers. The holiday and question activities can be used together or separately depending on the goals for each classroom.

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.

Many students are familiar with the popular game Taboo. This resource allows novice high to intermediate low Spanish students the opportunity to practice vocabulary while playing this game. The linked cards specifically review vocabulary associated with nationalities and other countries. Students are asked to draw a card and describe the featured nationality or nation posted on the card without using the prohibited words. Each classmate that guesses correctly gets a point. However, if the speaker uses one of the prohibited words then they lose a point. 

The provided link is a full text Latin version of Julius Ceaser's De Bello Gallico books 1-4. Both the Alabama Course of Study and AP College Board suggest that students be familiar with both the English and Latin versions of this book. The College Board specifically suggests the following sections:

Book 1: Chapters 1-7 (Included in the provided link)
Book 4: Chapters 24-35 and the first sentence of Chapter 36 (Included in the provided link)
Book 5: Chapters 24-48 (Not included in the provided link)
Book 6: Chapters 13-20 (Not included in the provided link)

Students will use this resource to read, understand, and translate Latin at their level of proficiency. Tasks to complete include: summarizing and translating passages, demonstrating understanding of the main idea of paragraph-length prose texts, investigating important and influential works in Latin, analyzing the style of Latin authors to comprehend content.

This novice mid to novice high French activity leads students through the process of inviting others to a variety of events. Then, they are challenged with the task of accepting or rejecting the invitations using the target language. A slide presentation is provided to guide the class through the activity. After a brief warm-up that reviews necessary vocabulary, students are given 5 minutes to plan a fun activity using a set of provided activity cards as a guide. They will then take turns sharing their written invitations and have students verbally accept or reject each invite using the targeted vocabulary.

This novice-high to intermediate-low writing activity encourages German students to use an authentic website to write get-well cards to their peers in class. The instructions ask students to select a German card from the site, write an email, and then send it to a friend in class. Those who are novice learners should be sure to write in the present tense and focus on asking how their friend feels and what is going on. Those who have learned to communicate using the past tense can ask what happened or other past-tense questions. 

This unit plan is prepared in English but offers links throughout to French language resources making this suitable for a wide range of high school language learners. Intermediate mid to intermediate high students should use the French language resources as they are introduced to the life and works of Charles Baudelaire, a 19th-century French Symbolist poet who was an admirer of Edgar Allan Poe. As students study the poems and his style, they are challenged to compare Baudelaire's work with other poets.  As they work, they will make connections to the literary terms and styles covered in their Language Arts classrooms. 

This is a public domain Spanish language copy of Miguel Cervante's Don Quixote. This site includes an organized table of contents linking the reader to each chapter in the book, making it easy to locate the sections of the text that are recommended by the College Board for the AP Spanish Literature and Culture exam. This resource provides students an opportunity to interpret, restate, and react to what is read in the authentic written text. The text can also be used to describe the main ideas and significant details from the story.

This novice low to novice mid activity introduces French students to the authentic resource, Paris Match. This online version of the popular magazine is much like People or Time magazine in the United States. Students are provided a printable PDF that keeps them on task as they search through the website looking for recognizable words and cognates. They start by examining the person featured on the current cover and are then asked to choose an article in which to look over and gather basic information, making inferences into what the article is about.

This two person Spanish game encourages students to use conjugation skills as they attempt to locate and sink their partner's fleet before their partner achieves the same. Three versions of the game's printouts are included: one with preset verbs, one that allows teachers to add their own verbs and another that allows teachers to adjust all aspects of the game. Complete instructions for game play are included. This game could easily be adapted to any language by customizing the provided blank game board.

This printable Spanish resource is an infographic in the target language focusing on the need to wash hands regularly. It is appropriate for novice high to intermediate low students.  Seven different formal affirmative commands are used in context allowing students to see how these commands are used in formal writing. This document also demonstrates how pronouns are used with affirmative commands. Students can use this infographic to identify the health-related vocabulary words used throughout the authentic resource. If time allows, students can create their own health-related instructional poster.

This intermediate-mid to intermediate-high Spanish activity allows students to listen to the imperfect subjunctive tense in context. A heritage speaker from Central Texas describes the importance Spanish would have on her future children. A worksheet is provided to guide students through the conversation as they use interpretive listening skills to gather the required information. Students are then guided through a review of the imperfect subjunctive and its' conjugations. Finally, students are asked to interview classmates following the outline of the original interview.  A provided PowerPoint presentation (linked in the comments below) allows the teacher to easily guide students through this activity.

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 their health, clothing style, and past times/hobbies. Speakers use phrases like 'should' rather than direct commands when describing how to have a healthy lifestyle. This activity is split into three different audio sections that can be used as a group or separately.  There is also a list of French questions to aid in interpersonal conversations as students discuss the information they interpreted from the video. The links to the interviews used in this activity are posted in the comment section below. Each video provides optional French and English transcripts.

This link provides a downloadable reading of the book Lazarillo de Tormes, a book on the College Board's AP Spanish Literature and Culture Exam's suggested reading list. The audio file allows students to use interpretive listening skills as they gather information from this authentic text read by a Spanish speaker. The site divides the audio into 5 separate sections that match the book's natural divisions.

This novice high to intermediate low Spanish activity introduces students to foods from Spain. Students start by reading a target language article and answering a series of multiple-choice comprehension questions to check for comprehension. Afterward, students are asked to watch a series of target language videos, each introducing students to a dish that is unique to Spain. Students are asked to select one dish to focus on as they create a presentation for the class. During the presentation, they introduce the dish, where in Spain it is from, the ingredients, and how to prepare the dish. If students are familiar with commands then this activity would allow them to review this grammar topic while using commands in context to explain how to prepare the chosen dish.

In this intermediate mid to intermediate-high ASL activity, students will practice discussing the concept of time in American Sign Language. They will also focus on discussion time conflicts through interpersonal conversations. The activity asks students to each select a prepared card that includes the details of their assignment and serves as a guide to keep the students on task as they converse. A Google slide show is included to walk the teacher and student through each step of the activity.

Note: This lesson was created to use in an online environment but can easily be adapted to the face-to-face classroom.

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 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 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.