Proyecto Solidario para Ayudar a Valencia(Spanish & English)

ayudar

by Maria Martinez (LTL) Contributor

Proyecto Solidario para ayudar a VALENCIA y a otras zonas afectadas por la DANA: Cómo ayudar
De entre los más de 650 recursos educativos del canal, puedes elegir 2 en formato PDF o PowerPoint y te los enviaremos por email como agradecimiento por tu donación a cualquiera de las organizaciones oficiales. Te lo explico en más detalle en este vídeo.
Comparte este vídeo para ayudar a recaudar fondos para los afectados por la DANA.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=go1eQchyYKo

Solidarity Project to help VALENCIA and other areas affected by the DANA: How to help
From the more than 650 educational resources on the channel, you can choose 2 in PDF or PowerPoint format and we will send them to you by email as a thank you for your donation to any of the official organizations. I explain it in more detail in this video.
Share this video to help raise funds for those affected by the DANA. 


#valencia #danavalencia #helpvalencia

Enhancing Student Voice through Cultural Comparisons

cultural comparisons

by Victoria Berasaluce Guerra

For most of us, curiosity to learn about a new culture is what brought us to this field of world language teaching. Maybe you were attracted to learning about new cultural food, architecture, art or language.

I remember feeling so thirsty for knowledge when I was a student… I still show that characteristic and joke that I could be a forever student. 

Culture is a key component of world language classes, and so is discovering and empowering our students’ voices. So where do we start? I’ve had students that say they don’t have a culture; they don’t feel they identify with any practice or perspective. But when we start asking questions and challenging their cultural beliefs, interesting answers come forward. A way we teachers can start the discussion is by using the cultural tree model, found in Zaretta Hammond’s book Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain. The tree model can help us explain to students how different aspects of culture range from being surface level to deep level.

A tree with many roots and text

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My work with cultural literacy in the classroom is guided by the ACTFL Cultural Standards of products, practices and perspectives. This means that students need to be acquainted with these terms and understand their meaning before they proceed to higher order thinking skills or write essays about cultural comparisons.

Think: What definitions of culture do you use in the classroom?

The definitions that we use in class for products, practices and perspectives are the following:

PRODUCTS: Are the things people make and use. They can be tangible (an item of clothing, a dish, a craft, a monument) or intangible (laws, the education system or other institutions).

PRACTICES: Are people’s actions. The way they celebrate festive days and events like birthdays and weddings, but also daily activities such as the way members of a culture greet each other, learn, work and interact daily.

PERSPECTIVES: Signal how people of a culture view the world around them, what are their values and beliefs. For example, the relationship between man and nature, attitudes towards life and death, religious beliefs, the concepts of family and friendships, the value of work. Even if we can’t observe perspectives, we can infer them by observing products and practices within a culture.

We need to break down the three Ps and this can be done in numerous ways. One of them is to bring to class an object that has cultural significance, it could be linked to your heritage even. Being Argentinean, one of the cultural products I like to share with my students is the mate, a traditional drink in my country. Not only do I bring the mate and talk about its cultural value, I also show how it is prepared (a cultural practice) and how the ritual of drinking mate is viewed in my community (a cultural perspective). I enjoy explaining how, to drink mate, we require different components (products) that make the cultural practice.

cultural comparisons

Source: Mamá, quiero mate by Catalina Di Cocco, 2017

A drawing of a pot with a spoon

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Analyze: Why is it important to teach these cultural standards?

It is important to teach these cultural standards mainly for two reasons:

To encourage critical thinking: students develop critical thinking skills through analysis and interpretation of cultural phenomena.

To foster global citizenship: cultivate global citizenship by fostering respect for diversity and promoting intercultural understanding and communication. 

Some actionable ideas to work with the three Ps in the classroom through student voice enhancement:

1 Warm-up activity. Have students run a relay race by mentioning as many products, practices and perspectives they can think of in a given amount of time. Make sure you introduce the meaning behind them first. The groups will then need to explain their answers

2 Bring a cultural product that you value, it could relate to your heritage. You can ask students to bring their own cultural product to share with the class, explaining why they chose that specific product. Have students think about the relationship between the product and a cultural practice. We can then help them think how it relates to a cultural perspective.

3 Read an article as a class that touches on cultural products, practices and/or perspectives, and guide the discussion using prepared questions. Remember that perspectives are usually the hardest ones for students to think about on their own. To help you search for an article in the target language, you can think of some of the AP themes crossover (for example: global challenges, beauty and aesthetics, etc.). Don’t be shy to include data and statistics that could add more layers of depth to a topic. 

4 Storytelling and research. Ask your students if they can remember a time when they were struck by how something was done differently in another country/community. Ask them to share how they came to know about the said practice and what were their reactions. Instruct them to research that practice to gain a deeper understanding of its cultural value. This can be presented to the class afterwards. 

5 Compare two celebrations. Have students compare a celebration from their country/community and one from a different culture. They can do this via a visual representation such as a Venn diagram (to add a TPR approach, you could use hula hoops to represent the Venn diagram and cut out words). Make sure they are considering the three Ps when doing the comparison. This is a good practice step before writing essays. Have students explain their comparisons. 

6 Case studies and debates. Deliberate first on a case study (consider a multitude of options to a given issue). Consider how the three Ps will be intertwined. After deliberating, have a classroom debate based on the case study.

Some challenges you might encounter and how to avoid misinterpretation, judgment and incorrect evaluation:

1 Stereotyping – Encourage critical analysis and avoid generalizations. All stereotypes have some level of truth, so teach about them first by giving examples your students might know.

2 Cultural Insensitivity – Promote respectful language and avoid offensive comparisons. Give a couple of concrete examples or stories for students to grasp this concept and its consequences of not practicing it. 

3 Lack of resources – Use online tools and collaborate with cultural experts. There are wonderful videos like the TED talk “The danger of a single story” that would greatly help expand students’ understanding. Provide your students with interesting, current and authentic resources.

    Think: What activities have you used so far to work with cultural comparisons and the three Ps?

    La Importancia de Aprender Español y la Inmersión como Clave para un Aprendizaje Eficaz

    inmersión

    by Alonso Cano (LTL Contributor)

    El español es uno de los idiomas más hablados en el mundo, con más de 600 millones de hablantes nativos en más de 20 países. Aprender español abre puertas a nuevas oportunidades personales, académicas y profesionales, conectándonos con culturas y comunidades ricas en historia y tradiciones. La importancia de aprender este idioma radica en su impacto global, en su relevancia en sectores como los negocios, la diplomacia, la tecnología y el turismo, y en el valor cultural que aporta.

    Razones para Aprender Español

    Relevancia Global: El español es el segundo idioma más hablado en el mundo por hablantes nativos, después del chino mandarín. Se estima que es la tercera lengua más usada en internet, lo que facilita el acceso a una gran cantidad de contenidos, desde literatura y arte hasta avances científicos y oportunidades de educación superior.

    Ventajas Profesionales: En un mundo globalizado, la capacidad de hablar español abre oportunidades laborales y de negocios en mercados emergentes de América Latina, Estados Unidos y Europa. Cada vez más empresas buscan empleados con habilidades en español para atender a sus clientes o expandirse en mercados hispanohablantes.

    Crecimiento Personal y Cognitivo: Aprender un idioma extranjero, como el español, mejora las habilidades cognitivas, potencia la memoria y facilita la resolución de problemas. Además, permite desarrollar la empatía y una comprensión más profunda de otras culturas, algo esencial en el contexto multicultural actual.

    Acceso a una Riqueza Cultural Inmensa: Al aprender español, accedemos a una vasta herencia cultural, desde la literatura de autores como Gabriel García Márquez y Federico García Lorca hasta el cine, la música y la gastronomía. El español no solo es una lengua; es la puerta a una cultura vibrante y diversa que ha influido profundamente en el mundo.

    La inmersión como Método de Aprendizaje

    Aprender español a través de la inmersión es uno de los métodos más efectivos y enriquecedores para alcanzar fluidez y comprensión cultural. A diferencia de los métodos convencionales de aprendizaje en aula, la inmersión te permite vivir el idioma, sumergiéndote en él de forma natural y cotidiana.

    Ventajas de la Inmersión Lingüística

    Práctica Continua en Contextos Reales: La inmersión ofrece la oportunidad de practicar español en situaciones reales, desde pedir comida en un restaurante hasta conversar con nativos en el mercado. Estas experiencias ayudan a los estudiantes a comprender mejor las expresiones idiomáticas, el tono y las variaciones del español según la región.

    Mayor Velocidad de Aprendizaje: Estar rodeado de hablantes nativos acelera el proceso de aprendizaje, ya que el estudiante se ve expuesto al idioma de manera constante. La inmersión fomenta una rápida adaptación al ritmo, la pronunciación y la gramática, haciéndolos parte del entorno natural del estudiante.

    Comprensión Cultural Profunda: Al vivir en un entorno hispanohablante, los estudiantes no solo aprenden el idioma, sino también las costumbres, las tradiciones y las perspectivas culturales. Esto enriquece la experiencia de aprendizaje y permite una comprensión más completa del español y su cultura. Aprender el significado detrás de expresiones, gestos y rituales sociales profundiza la conexión con el idioma y los valores de las comunidades hispanas.

    Confianza y Fluidez: A través de la inmersión, los estudiantes adquieren confianza para comunicarse y adaptarse rápidamente a diferentes contextos lingüísticos. La exposición constante al idioma fortalece la fluidez, permitiendo que el estudiante se exprese de manera natural y efectiva, incluso en conversaciones espontáneas.

    Elementos Clave de un Programa de Inmersión Efectivo

    Clases con Enfoque Comunicativo: En un buen programa de inmersión, las clases están diseñadas para promover la comunicación y la interacción. Los profesores nativos emplean una metodología práctica que integra ejercicios de conversación, juegos de rol y actividades interactivas, fomentando el uso constante del idioma en situaciones cotidianas.

    Actividades Culturales y Excursiones: Un programa de inmersión integral incluye actividades culturales y excursiones que permiten a los estudiantes experimentar la vida local. Estas actividades pueden incluir visitas a museos, participación en festivales, clases de cocina local y recorridos por sitios históricos. A través de estas experiencias, los estudiantes tienen la oportunidad de aprender sobre la cultura y practicar el idioma en un contexto auténtico y enriquecedor.

    Interacción con Hablantes Nativos: La interacción con nativos es fundamental para aprender a reconocer y usar las variaciones del español, además de enriquecer el vocabulario y la comprensión de los diferentes acentos. Conversar con personas de la comunidad local permite al estudiante adaptarse a distintas maneras de hablar y, al mismo tiempo, entender mejor la cultura y las costumbres.

    Ambiente de Aprendizaje Inmersivo y Natural: El entorno del programa debe estar diseñado para crear una experiencia de inmersión completa. Desde las conversaciones con profesores y compañeros hasta las interacciones en tiendas, restaurantes y otros espacios, el estudiante debe sentir que está viviendo y respirando el idioma en todo momento.

    Consejos para Aprovechar al Máximo la Inmersión en Español

    Participar Activamente: Involúcrate en la cultura local, asiste a eventos, festivales y reuniones para conocer a personas y practicar el idioma en situaciones informales. Cuanto más te expongas, mayor será tu progreso y tu comodidad con el idioma.

    Establecer Metas y Evaluar el Progreso: Define objetivos claros para tu aprendizaje, ya sea mejorar la comprensión auditiva, enriquecer tu vocabulario o ganar confianza en la conversación. Evaluar tu progreso regularmente te ayudará a mantenerte enfocado y a aprovechar al máximo la experiencia.

    Mantener una Actitud Abierta y Positiva: Aprender un idioma es un reto que requiere paciencia y flexibilidad. La inmersión puede ser intensa, pero mantener una actitud abierta te permitirá adaptarte más rápido y disfrutar cada paso del proceso.

    Aprovechar el Entorno para Aprender Constantemente: Escucha las conversaciones de los locales, lee carteles, intenta entender las noticias en español y aprovecha cualquier oportunidad para usar el idioma. La inmersión permite aprender tanto en momentos de estudio formal como en el día a día.

    La Inmersión como Camino hacia la Fluidez y la Conexión Cultural

    Aprender español a través de la inmersión es una experiencia transformadora que va más allá de memorizar vocabulario y reglas gramaticales. La inmersión ofrece la oportunidad de vivir el idioma en toda su riqueza y complejidad, permitiéndote no solo comunicarte, sino también comprender y experimentar una nueva cultura.

    En un mundo cada vez más globalizado, la habilidad de hablar español y de entender la cultura hispana es una ventaja invaluable. La inmersión es el método ideal para aquellos que desean alcanzar una fluidez auténtica, experimentar el español en su contexto cultural y formar conexiones significativas con el mundo hispanohablante.


    Alonso Cano is at Escuela de Idiomas

    ‘Teacher Talks’ for World Language Educators

    teacher talks

    The Teacher Talks for World Language Educators is a space and a time to discuss specific topics related to the what, how, and why of language teaching and learning. 

    As educators, we thrive when we collaborate. At LTL we asked:

    • How might we benefit from talking with other world language educators?
    • How might LTL Teacher Talks help world language teachers learn, connect with other educators, and grow in their personal and professional lives?

    October Teacher Talks

    Let’s see a specific example. For October, the Teacher Talks theme was “How to finally change a habit, keep a resolution, or make a dream come true.” If you start the school year in the month of September, October is the perfect time to set goals for ourselves and our classes. It is a time to think about what needs to change and how to make it happen. The theme for the Teacher Talks of the month was based on the book: This Year I Will… by M.J. Ryan.

    Journal Writing for Teacher Talks

    Our Teacher Talks in October began by reflecting on the following:

    • What is something/ a habit that you would like to change?
    • How can we start and keep a resolution?
    • How can we make a dream come true?
    • How can you apply what we do in the Teacher Talks today in your classes?

    Pause a second and think about these questions. I invite you to answer these questions in your journal. We will revisit them later.

    This Year I Will…

    For those of you who have not read the book, let me explain a little about how the book is organized. It has three sections and each section has short chapters. The sections are:

    • Preparing to change
    • Getting into action
    • Keeping going

    Preparing to Change

    In the section ‘preparing to change’ the titles of the chapters that caught my attention were:

    • What is the price of not changing?
    • No time is the perfect time to begin
    • Believe you can do it

    It is true. We need to first believe that we can make change happen. Then, we need to realize that there is not a ‘perfect’ time to start the journey. But, have you ever reflected on “What is the price of not changing”? When I read about this idea, I sprang into action.

    Getting into Action

    In the second section, called ‘getting into action’, the chapters that spoke to me the most were.

    • Put yourself under contract
    • Do a post-game review
    • One day at a time

    These are self-explanatory, right?

    Keeping Going

    The section ‘Keeping going’ is the one that spoke to me the most, especially the title “You can’t change what you’ve done, only what you will do,” was an eye-opener for me.

    We must indeed keep going as we cannot change what we have done. Many times when we set goals we end up derailing from them. Thinking that we can change what we are going to do is key to getting back on track. It helps us start again each time we fall! So true!

    The other chapter that was an eye-opener to me was ‘Look at the Character Strengths you’re cultivating.’ On page 196 of the book it says,

    “I say changing anything in ourselves, no matter how small, is a powerful act. Through it we grow aspects of ourselves we would not otherwise develop. That is because character strengths are formed through some kind of challenge, a rising above our limitations.” 

    How important it is for ourselves and for our students to realize that the smallest of changes towards our goal is building character strengths! 

    Character Strengths

    I invite you to read the list below and think about your goal (the one you came up with by reflecting on the questions earlier).

    What are the character strengths you will be (if you have not started), or you’ve been cultivating as you work the change? Think of your students. How can you help them develop these character strengths? How important are these character strengths when learning a world language? How might building these character strengths move students forward in their proficiency level?

    • Self-regulation
    • Self-trust
    • Resilience
    • Determination
    • Humor
    • Compassion
    • Humility
    • Patience
    • Forgiveness
    • Courage
    • Strength
    • Drive
    • Persistence
    • Hope
    • Faith

    This list is not exhaustive. It might help us and our students realize that small steps towards changing what we said was important to us help us build and grow our character strengths. How important might ‘courage’ or ‘patience’ or ‘determination’ be when learning a language?

    Finally, on page 200 we read a short but important phrase:

    “Stop, acknowledge your progress, and celebrate your success.”

    I wondered… How can we do this regularly? For ourselves? For our students? Why is it so important?

    Teacher Talks for All Language Educators

    Join us for our next Teacher Talks (whether you have read the resources or not). We will learn from each other, connect, and it will help us move forward!

    … Y los sueños, sueños son

    sueño

    by Ramón Clavijo (LTL Contributor)

    Hace años tenía un montón de sueños. Ahora lo que tengo es sueño 😴 y un montón de años… Es posible que alguna vez hayas leído esta frase entre las muchas que, a modo de chanza, podemos encontrar por la red. Pero más allá de su pertinencia para crear algún meme gracioso con el que asumir de manera jocosa las consecuencias del paso del tiempo en nuestras vidas, dicha frase pone de manifiesto la versatilidad de la palabra sueño en español.

    En efecto, a diferencia de otras lenguas romances, la evolución etimológica nos ha dado a los hispanohablantes una mayor pluralidad en cuanto a las acepciones de sueño, palabra con la que podemos designar tanto la necesidad fisiológica de dormir como las escenas que se representan mientras dormimos, así como los deseos o anhelos que nos motivan a buscar nuestras metas.

    Asimismo, según el significado que transmita, sueño va asociado a diferentes verbos y expresiones, incluyan o no la palabra. Dicho de otro modo, su campo léxico es muy amplio, pues está formado por numerosas expresiones, modismos y combinaciones léxicas que usamos en nuestro día a día y que tus estudiantes deberían conocer. Por ello, con esta entrada, incluimos una infografía en la que podrás encontrar algunas de estas expresiones.

    Dichos significados, al igual que las implicaciones socioculturales que conllevan, están presentes en numerosos manuales de español en diferentes niveles. Así pues, nos gustaría hablarte de algunos de ellos, por si te pudieran resultar útiles para tus clases. Sin embargo, para no alargar demasiado esta entrada y evitar que se te cierren los ojos mientras la lees 😪, dejaremos dichos recursos para nuestra próxima publicación, abrigando el sueño de que la leerás con tanta atención como esperemos que hayas leído esta.

    Teamwork – Las 5 C de trabajo en equipo

    teamwork

    by Justa Rebollo Paz (LTL Contributor)

    Trabajo en equipo

    “La unión hace la fuerza…” 💪🏼y para que una empresa, un colegio o un grupo de personas que trabajen hacia un mismo fin, es necesario tener en cuenta LAS 5 “C” famosas del trabajo en equipo. 

    Veamos….

    1- COMUNICACIÓN: los mensajes tendrán que ser claros, las consignas completas y no ambiguas. Expresar ideas con claridad. Los líderes deben ser transparentes y brindar toda la información para que su equipo funcione con agilidad, sin tropiezos ni dudas en el camino.

    2- COMPROMISO: es tarea del líder brindar información y hacer conocer, con claridad, las tareas de cada integrante del equipo. Habrá tareas individuales y tareas comunes a varios miembros o a todos, pero deben ser expuestas, explicadas, y si fuera por escrito, y firmado, ¡mejor! Es esencial motivarlos de manera constante para que el compromiso con sus tareas, con la empresa y con los compañeros de equipo, crezca paulatinamente.

    3- CONFIANZA: La confianza es clave en todo equipo. Confiando en cada uno podemos delegar con tranquilidad, sabiendo que se va a hacer lo mejor y siguiendo las metas grupales. Pero a priori debemos confiar en nosotros mismos. Así podremos entonces, confiar en los demás. Y si le agregamos el plus, de hacerle saber a cada uno, que tenemos confianza en el/ella, y en su tarea…. ¡mucho mejor! 

    4- COMPLEMENTARIEDAD: si todos los miembros del equipo tuviéramos las mismas responsabilidades, nos pisaríamos en nuestro trabajo cotidiano y trabajaríamos casi sin sentido. Poder delegar tareas y distribuirlas a todos los miembros del equipo, destacando sus fortalezas, hace un equipo más complementario y eficiente. Aun haciendo la misma tarea “visible”, si el enfoque o la mirada va por diferentes caminos, podemos complementarnos y sacar mejores frutos.

    5- COORDINACIÓN: Una buena coordinación de un líder entusiasta y que trabaje codo a codo con el resto del equipo, es clave. En un grupo de personas siempre hay tantas opiniones como personas…. o casi. Por lo tanto, es clave que el líder tome la batuta y tenga la última palabra. También en cuanto a delegar y distribuir tareas, roles y funciones. También al motivar. También al modificar tareas. También al exigir (o indagar previamente) cuando alguno flaquea un poco…

    Ahora te pregunto…
    ❤️Se respetan todas por igual?
    ❤️Se fomentan?

    https://educar-a-consciencia.webnode.page/l/trabajo-en-equipo


    Teamwork

    “Unity is strength…” 💪🏼and for a company, a school or a group of people to work towards the same goal, it is necessary to take into account THE 5 famous “C” of teamwork.

    Let’s see….

    1- COMMUNICATION: the messages will have to be clear, the instructions complete and not ambiguous. Express ideas clearly. Leaders must be transparent and provide all the information so that their team works with agility, without stumbling blocks or doubts along the way.

    2- COMMITMENT: it is the leader’s job to provide information and make known, clearly, the tasks of each member of the team. There will be individual tasks and tasks common to several members or all, but they must be presented, explained, and if it were in writing, and signed, better! It is essential to motivate them constantly so that the commitment to their tasks, to the company and to their teammates, grows gradually.

    3- TRUST: Trust is key in every team. By trusting each other, we can delegate with confidence, knowing that we will do the best and following the group goals. But a priori we must trust ourselves. Then we can trust others. And if we add the plus of letting each one know that we trust him/her and his/her task… much better!

    4- COMPLEMENTARITY: If all team members had the same responsibilities, we would step on each other’s toes in our daily work and work almost meaninglessly. Being able to delegate tasks and distribute them to all team members, highlighting their strengths, makes a more complementary and efficient team. Even doing the same “visible” task, if the focus or the view goes in different directions, we can complement each other and get better results.

    5- COORDINATION: Good coordination by an enthusiastic leader who works side by side with the rest of the team is key. In a group of people there are always as many opinions as there are people… or almost. Therefore, it is key that the leader takes the lead and has the last word. Also when it comes to delegating and distributing tasks, roles and functions. Also when motivating. Also when modifying tasks. Also when demanding (or investigating beforehand) when someone falters a little…

    Now I ask you…
    ❤️Are they all respected equally?
    ❤️Are they encouraged?

    Focusing on Good Role Models in Our Society (Spanish & English)

    culture

    by Maria Martínez (LTL Contributor)

    Let’s Highlight and Focus on Good Role Models in Our Language Lessons

    Lately, there is a big focus in the media on bad role models in our society. And as important as this is to uncover bad things, to make sure they don’t happen again, to deal with injustice and to keep everyone safe, I think there should be an emphasis on the opposite too. Let’s focus also on the good role models, the people who have achieved and are achieving great things, who have fought and are fighting for injustice, people whose work ethic can inspire the young generations and all of us.

    I propose several activities to do this in our language lessons, activities that can reinforce vocabulary whilst serving as an inspiration.

    What makes a person outstanding and inspiring?

    What qualities do these exceptional people have?

    Just asking those two questions can create a great opportunity to discuss adjectives and values in our society. We can also discuss how some values have changed for the worse, and how we, as a society, are focusing on empty and superficial values. A great opportunity to compare the role models in our society nowadays compared to role models in the past.

    You can focus on any famous inspiring role model or students can also focus on a family member that has really inspired them. Below are a few examples from activities and resources in my channel, Bilingual Cerebros.

    What adjectives can you use to describe a person that really inspires you?

    Ein Bild, das Text, Menschliches Gesicht, Grafikdesign, Screenshot enthält.

Automatisch generierte Beschreibung

    Ein Bild, das Text, Menschliches Gesicht, Mann, Person enthält.

Automatisch generierte Beschreibung

    From these examples we can discuss how they are the opposite of some of the bad role models that sadly we are seeing recently more than ever on the news, and mention the negative adjectives too, but without giving it too much of a focus, as we want to cover the vocabulary, but we want to focus on the positivity and good role models and not the opposite. What we focus on, grows. So, let’s focus on goodness.

    More examples:

    In my channel you can find biographies of inspiring people with activities to practice the past tenses, reading and comprehension and questions about the texts. These are some of the resources that I recommend:

    Ein Bild, das Text, Menschliches Gesicht, Person, Kleidung enthält.

Automatisch generierte Beschreibung

    Women that changed the world: https://youtu.be/RQWGwicnDvg?si=cajB7mnuD895EfrU

    Ein Bild, das Text, Menschliches Gesicht, Mann, Kleidung enthält.

Automatisch generierte Beschreibung

    José Hernández: https://youtu.be/7nQPBZ8rmIM?si=IjtYSbznawOOI840

    Ein Bild, das Text, Menschliches Gesicht, Person, Kleidung enthält.

Automatisch generierte Beschreibung

    Frida Kahlo: https://youtu.be/k3FuLWt-5-w?si=gh-1sNwT3xrkeaVD

    This is the link to the Playlist to this section in the channel:

    Please let me know what other biographies you would like me to upload next, I appreciate your comments.

    I hope these ideas and resources are helpful and inspire your lessons to focus on positivity and to create a better world together.


    Vamos a destacar y enfocarnos en buenos modelos a seguir en nuestras clases de idiomas

    Últimamente, los medios de comunicación se centran mucho en los malos modelos en nuestra sociedad. Y por muy importante que sea descubrir cosas malas, desenmascarar a personas fraudulentas, asegurarse de que no vuelvan a suceder, abordar la injusticia y mantener a todos a salvo, creo que también debería hacerse hincapié en lo contrario. Centrémonos también en los buenos modelos a seguir, las personas que han logrado y están logrando grandes cosas, que han luchado y están luchando por la injusticia, personas cuya ética de trabajo puede inspirar a las generaciones jóvenes y a todos nosotros.

    Para ello propongo varias actividades en nuestras clases de idiomas, actividades que pueden reforzar el vocabulario y al mismo tiempo servir de inspiración. 

    ¿Qué hace que una persona sea excepcional e inspiradora?

    ¿Qué cualidades tienen estas personas excepcionales?

    Simplemente hacer esas dos preguntas puede crear una gran oportunidad para discutir adjetivos y valores en nuestra sociedad. También podemos discutir cómo algunos valores han cambiado para mal y cómo nosotros, como sociedad, nos estamos centrando en valores vacíos y superficiales. Una gran oportunidad para comparar los modelos a seguir de nuestra sociedad actual con los modelos a seguir del pasado.

    Puede centrarse en cualquier modelo a seguir inspirador famoso o los estudiantes también pueden centrarse en un miembro de su familia que realmente los haya inspirado. A continuación, os muestro algunos ejemplos de actividades y recursos en mi canal, Bilingual Cerebros.

    ¿Qué adjetivos puedes usar para describir a la persona que más te inspira?

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    A partir de estos ejemplos podemos discutir cómo son lo opuesto a algunos de los malos modelos que lamentablemente estamos viendo últimamente más que nunca en las noticias, y mencionar también los adjetivos negativos, pero sin darles demasiado énfasis, solo para cubrir el vocabulario, pero lo que queremos es centrarnos en la positividad y los buenos modelos a seguir y no al revés. Aquello en lo que nos centramos crece. Entonces, centrémonos en la bondad.

    En mi canal puedes encontrar biografías de personas inspiradoras con actividades para practicar el tiempo pasado, lectura y comprensión y preguntas sobre los textos. Estos son algunos de los recursos que recomiendo:

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    Mujeres pioneras que cambiaron el mundo: https://youtu.be/RQWGwicnDvg?si=cajB7mnuD895EfrU

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    José Hernández: https://youtu.be/7nQPBZ8rmIM?si=IjtYSbznawOOI840 

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    Frida Kahlo: https://youtu.be/k3FuLWt-5-w?si=gh-1sNwT3xrkeaVD

    Y más biografías en esta sección del canal. Listas de reproducción de esta sección: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5TlFjB4h2gVeH0XWB3C-TYWfFEAstkQm&si=17FbbPhCnDACMJEp 

    Por favor déjame saber qué otras biografías te gustarían que suba al canal, agradezco tus comentarios.

    Espero que estas ideas y recursos sean útiles e inspiren sus lecciones para que se centren en la positividad y así crear juntos un mundo mejor.

    Culture is my Daily Catalyst!

    culture

    by Noemí Rodríguez (LTL Contributor)

    How can we lead with culture on a daily basis in our classrooms?

    Culture can serve as your daily catalyst, as it did for me! A few months ago I had the opportunity to teach a High School Spanish Level III class and we began with the unit, “Stories of the Past”.  The unit’s communicative functions & essential questions are: -How does our past define who we are? -How does our present shape our future? -Recount the past -Describe how life used to be -Compare/contrast life in the past to the present

    Working with department colleagues, we established that we would utilize the reader, “La Llorona de Mazatlan” and backwards planned our unit with the reader in mind, with a focus on Mexican culture, stories & legends.

    As I began with this unit, I had an approximate window of when this unit would conclude and the different points of entry that I wanted to explore with students, based on the upcoming reader, vocabulary & structures necessary to address these communicative goals. I also started the school year with this unit and chose to focus primarily on describing past events & actions. So I began to plan out my weeks….

    Week 1/2: Getting to Know Each Other, Establishing a Classroom Community/Goals & Descriptions of Summer Vacations  (Google Slideshow) 

    Getting to know students and establishing a positive classroom culture is a key ingredient from day one. One way I approached this concept was doing a “Breakout” with students. Thanks to Kristine Keefe-Hasan (@kkeefe_hasan) aka LaProfeAlta, I was introduced to her breakout, Gozadera, which had the students working in teams to try to unlock the puzzles! It was neat to see them working together to build our classroom community during the first few days together. I also used Canva to design my Spanish III syllabus, which was a different way to approach the typical first-day class outline. (rodriguez syllabus espanol iii)

    I started off by describing what I had done in the summer and ironically, I had recently taken a trip to Mexico with my family. I was able to provide input through images and video of my experience and as a pre-assessment for students, asked that the students share the same through the creation of a Screencast video of their summer vacations. This provided me with immediate insight as to how well the students could describe past events and from this, I changed my instructional practices to further emphasize descriptions in the past. 

    Week 3: Highlighting Famous Spanish-Speaking Individuals  (Google Slideshow)

    After the first class meeting, I knew the students needed way more input! I selected the biographical reader, Vidas Impactantes, and broke the class into six different groups, to allow students to become “experts” on a particular Spanish-speaking individual and to also highlight Hispanic Heritage Month.

    Students read in class and I utilized the technique of “Reciprocal Reading” as students alternated which role they played as they read in small groups. As a follow-up assessment, students created informative Google Slideshows about their individual to be shared with the class. They were also given an interpretive reading and presentational writing assessment/quiz focused on key vocabulary. This key vocabulary pulled from Vidas Impactantes had a direct correlation to the unit’s essential questions & the upcoming reader: La Llorona. 

    Week 4/5: El Pasado: Leyendas Mexicanas (Google Slideshow)

    These weeks served as recycling vocabulary from La Llorona, so I continued with my emphasis on input by providing students with (4) Mexican legends that we would read together and discuss. I also provided vocabulary lists through Quizlet, which students practiced with vocabulary both in/out of class. I displayed these lists for students to view & we also “acted” out the words as a whole group.

    I utilized different reading techniques such as volleyball translation, whole group reading, popsicle stick reading (randomly calling on students to continue), paired reading and stop/summarize reading. Each legend that students read was read differently. After reading and discussing these different legends, students discussed which was their “favorite” and interviewed my sister-in-law via Skype, who happens to be from Mexico. I also used the song & music video, “Robarte un beso” to emphasize my sister-in-law’s favorite legend: El Callejón del Beso. 

    Week 6/7/8: La Llorona, Our IPA, The Reader & Mexico: El Presente (Google Slideshow 1 , 2

    Before diving into the reader, “La Llorona”, I wanted to build background knowledge for the students about this legend. Students completed an EdPuzzle activity for homework and I conducted a MovieTalk narrating the legend using a Youtube video. I posted the La Llorona vocabulary in the back of the classroom, so as I retold the story, I could continue to recycle/emphasize certain words.

    At this point, I felt the students were ready to engage in a summative Integrated Performance Assessment with the emphasis of Mexican Legends. Students were provided a different version of La Llorona to read & respond to questions as their interpretive portion, students engaged in a Writers Workshop process by re-writing their own version of their favorite Mexican legend and finally, students had to re-tell their stories/ask questions about one another’s favorite legends for their interpersonal portion via Flip.  Questions posed to assist with their conversations were as follows: 

    • Describa tu leyenda mexicana a tu compañero. 
    • ¿Quién es parte de tu leyenda?  ¿Qué pasó?
    • ¿Cómo terminó tu leyenda?  ¿Te gustó la leyenda? ¿Por qué?

    We began to read the reader as a class and at this point, because of the backward design process and all of the “preloading” of the important vocabulary that was coming up in this reader, students were able to comprehend 90-95% of the story. In one of the beginning chapters, a discussion between the main character and her father takes place about whether or not Mexico is a safe country. We paused as a class to explore this question and I used materials created by the wonderful Kara Jacobs (@karacjacobs) to discuss narco-violence. 

    Taking it a step further and hoping to have students further connect, my brother who is a police officer shared via Google Hangouts how widespread Mexican cartel violence truly is as he described some of his experiences with local gangs and hostage situations. Please know that my intention was not to scare these 10th/11th-grade students but to ensure that they are aware that these crimes are happening globally and also, affecting our communities locally in New Jersey. 

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    Culture Daily

    A wonderful aspect about these culturally relevant readers is that it does provide a teacher with moments to transition for a bit outside of the reader and dive into a topic that is compelling/interesting for the students to explore & discuss. 

    My short experience with teaching Spanish III proved that you CAN utilize common curriculum documents, essential questions, and communicative functions but still allow culture to guide the path & planning of daily lessons. I chose to emphasize Mexico, Mexican culture and legends but there are many different ways one can go to reach that same goal of utilizing a culturally relevant reader with students for communicative purposes!

    Novel Professional Development Initiatives (PDI) for World Language Educators

    Language Teaching Lab’s Professional Development Initiatives (PDI) is a key component of the what, how, and why of language teaching and learning. Teacher Talks and the LTL Book Club fill a gap in the PDIs already offered by other world language organizations.

    The Teacher Talks is a space and time to discuss specific topics related to the what, how, and why of language teaching and learning.

    The LTL Book Club is an opportunity to converse with other world language educators about the book chosen for the month, on topics and themes relevant to world language educators.

    Both PDIs are based on reading (books or other sources related to world language learning), talking to like-minded and diverse groups of educators, listening to the different voices in the Language Teaching Lab community, and self-reflecting on your teaching and learning. 

    Ideally, educators should read the materials before the discussions, but we know that sometimes, there is no time to do it. With that being said, attending these PDIs, i.e. listening to other educators explore rich ideas from the books and how they transfer in the classroom setting, might help us move forward in our personal and professional lives. So, I encourage you to attend, even if you have no time to finish reading the materials!

    The topics and themes of the books are universal and geared toward finding answers, asking questions, and gaining new insights into language teaching and learning. But that is not all! As part of the PDI community, you may connect with educators who teach the same language, or level or share your philosophy. You may also end up connecting your classes as pen pal friends, for video exchanges, and much more. 

    We know that learning languages opens doors to global opportunities and enriches lives. LTL PDIs is all about empowering teachers to cultivate critical thinkers, life-long learners, and global citizens in every classroom. Language Teaching Lab PDIs connect world language educators to learn together and help us grow professionally and personally. 

    Halloween, El Día de los Muertos y El Día de Todos los Santos + Monsters Competition! (Spanish & English)

    Halloween

    by María Martínez (LTL Contributor)

    Why I love this time of the year!

    I love this time of the year! But when I come to think about it, it wasn’t always the case…

    I grew up in Spain, and when I was little, this time of the year was the beginning of the cold weather, shorter days, longer nights, and still a long wait for Christmas…

    At the beginning of November, we celebrate “All Saints Day”. However, as a child, I didn’t like it, because it would mean going to the cemetery and in those days, children weren’t explained much about it, the importance of that commemoration and its meaning. So, to be honest, I didn’t like it very much…

    However, today, things have changed very much. Thanks to the Internet and social media and the globalization that they brought, we can learn about different ways to celebrate similar things in different cultures. 

    I really find it fascinating how El Día de Muertos is celebrated in México compared to how somber the topic of death is in Spain. It is a great teaching opportunity in lessons to talk about how the same topic can be perceived so differently in different countries. 

    The new generations are enjoying experiencing these traditions, even when they are not typical from their own countries. For example, in Spain in the past, Halloween was always a foreign celebration that you would see in the movies. Nowadays, Halloween is celebrated in many Spanish cities and even small villages and children can experience it firsthand. 

    The same thing can be said about El Día de Muertos in the United States. Nowadays, it is celebrated in many major and smaller cities, for example in Los Angeles, San Diego, Alburquerque to name a few. And it is not only the celebration itself, but the learning about its meaning and all the traditions around it in schools so that children grow up with the experience of this celebration but also an understanding of its meaning.

    I invite you to watch a few resources related to these 3 topics: Halloween, El Día de Muertos y El Día de Todos los Santos. Remember that if you need the PDF or PPT versions from these resources, you can contact me on bilingualcerebros@gmail.com and I will be happy to share them with you. They are free.

    Do you like this time of the year? Was your experience growing up different too? 

    Resources:

    Halloween Monsters Competition

    I invite you all to participate and invite your students to take part in the 2nd edition of the Halloween Monster Competition: https://youtu.be/Y_o2UoOARdw?si=AiRZNwoYrwUtclx8

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    ¡Por qué me encanta esta época del año!

    ¡Me encanta esta época del año! Pero cuando lo pienso, no siempre fue así…

    Crecí en España, y cuando era pequeña, esta época del año significaba siempre el comienzo del frío, los días más cortos, las noches más largas y aún había que esperar mucho para la Navidad…

    A principios de noviembre celebramos el “Día de Todos los Santos”. Sin embargo, cuando era niña no me gustaba, porque significaba ir al cementerio y en aquellos días a los niños no se les explicaba mucho sobre eso, la importancia de esa conmemoración y su significado. Entonces, para ser honesta, no me gustaba mucho…

    Sin embargo, hoy las cosas han cambiado mucho. Gracias a Internet y las redes sociales y la globalización que trajeron, podemos aprender sobre diferentes formas de celebrar estos días en diferentes culturas. 

    Encuentro realmente fascinante cómo se celebra el Día de Muertos en México en comparación con lo sombrío que es el tema de la muerte en España. Es una gran oportunidad didáctica para hablar en las lecciones sobre cómo el mismo tema puede percibirse de manera tan diferente en diferentes países.

    Las nuevas generaciones disfrutan viviendo estas tradiciones, incluso cuando no son típicas de sus propios países. Por ejemplo, en España antiguamente Halloween siempre fue una celebración extranjera que se veía en las películas. Hoy en día, Halloween se celebra en la mayoría de las ciudades españolas e incluso en algunos pueblos pequeños y los niños pueden vivirlo en primera persona. 

    Lo mismo puede decirse del Día de Muertos en Estados Unidos. Hoy en día, se celebra en muchas ciudades grandes y pequeñas, por ejemplo, en Los Ángeles, San Diego y Alburquerque, por nombrar algunas. Y no es sólo la celebración en sí, sino el aprendizaje en los colegios sobre su significado y todas las tradiciones que la rodean para que los niños crezcan con la experiencia de esta celebración, pero también con la comprensión de su significado.

    Te invito a ver algunos recursos relacionados con estos 3 temas: Halloween, El Día de Muertos y El Día de Todos los Santos. Recuerda que, si necesita las versiones PDF o PPT de estos recursos, puede contactarme en bilingualcerebros@gmail.com y estaré feliz de compartirlas contigo. Son gratis.

    ¿Te gusta esta época del año? ¿Tuviste una experiencia diferente en tu niñez?

    Resources:

    Concurso de Monstruos de Halloween

    Os invito a todos a participar e invito a vuestros alumnos a participar en la 2da edición del Concurso de Monstruos de Halloween: https://youtu.be/Y_o2UoOARdw?si=AiRZNwoYrwUtclx8

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    DER: Gamifying Your Units with Digital Escape Rooms

    DER

    by Victoria Berasaluce Guerra (LTL Contributor)

    If you are reading this article, you might feel intrigued by using digital escape rooms in your World Language classroom. Whether this is your first try at digital escape rooms or a returning fan, here I share some ideas and steps that might be helpful

    Starting with…why even do a digital escape room (DER)?

    Digital escape rooms are basically an activity online where there is an imaginary room you and/or your group must escape from by solving several clues that will finally release you from the room. Physical escape rooms also exist, and you can try them in your class or with friends at a special venue. It’s fun!

    So what are the benefits of DER?

    For starters, their versatility for any unit of your curriculum. They help boost collaborative work and engage students through problem solving and critical thinking. They are also easy to tailor to your classroom’s needs and a novel way to incorporate culture. Last but not least, they prove engaging for educators looking to be creative with their assignments.

    When to use DERs

    You could create a DER for the end of your unit to review the contents seen in class, or you could incorporate them as an introductory activity (keeping in mind that students should be able to tap into their background knowledge in the target language).

    As a plus, digital escape rooms engage students in all core language skills: reading from the clues, listening to audio resources and instructions, writing to solve the clues and speaking between peers and with their teacher, using the target language.

    A teacher can also differentiate through escape rooms by incorporating:

    • different modalities of resources: text, auditory and visual
    • different roles of the players to exploit their talents
    • design an escape room where different paths lead to the same goal

    Next is…brainstorming DERs

    The sky’s the limit when designing a digital escape room. You could base them on any unit you taught, in any language, for every level of language.

    Before starting the building process, teachers need to consider the backwards design planning. This stage can be exhilarating and creative, but you need to be crystal clear on what your objectives are before starting to plan the storyline.

    Some questions to ask yourself:

    1. What are my objectives? Your escape room might be based on a unit or a reading you did in class.
    2. What skills do you want your students to have mastered or practiced after the activity?
    3. Storyline? What narrative are you thinking of?
    4. What rules will I establish for my escape room? Will I give limited attempts to help each group? Will I let them use any resource from the class material? Will it be a collaborative or individual activity? F2F or fully virtual?

    Okay…now how do I actually start a DER?

    To introduce the technical content, I will clarify that even though there are many ways to create DERs, I will focus on the steps to follow when creating them on Google slides. And don’t worry if your school or institution does not use Google. 

    Step 1: Set the room and the mood

    On a blank Google slide, choose your background by clicking on “Background”, then choose an image from your computer or search the web. To add any elements into the room, insert an image. When searching the web, you can add the words “transparent png” to the search to make sure the image does not have a background when you add it onto the slide. You can also add yourself as an emoji from the Bitmoji Chrome Extension in your browser.

    Step 2: Create locks

    You might create your lock/s in a separate Google form. You can customize the header image, add a title and introduction. Remember to click on the three-dot menu to turn on the option “response validation”. You might add a final message once the lock is “opened”. Another way is to use an external tool to create the actual visual locks, such as Flippity.

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    Step 3: Construct clues

    You can choose if you want to set a path of linear clues or let the students find clues randomly. Finding clues randomly will make the game more complex and test their collaboration and communication skills more. You also must decide if you will add any “distractions”, so elements that don’t really lead to anything. This will also add a level of complexity to the game since students will have to discern what elements serve them for their mission and which ones don’t.  You will need to produce links from the elements in the room to the different clues (external sites or Google forms for example).

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    Step 4: Set a timer and make it competitive!

    To set a timer, click on “add video” and search Youtube for a timer specific to the number of minutes you want. Just make sure to watch it first to ensure it is appropriate for school.

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    Step 5: Share it and have fun!

    After testing the DER, copy the URL of the slide and paste it into a blank slide. Change the “/edit” in the URL to “/preview” and hit “Apply”. You will have to allow access so that anyone with the link can view. You can find these settings under the “Share” button on the upper right corner. To make sure your slide gets published and seen, click on “File”, “Share” and “Publish to web”.

    Feel free to reach out and share your DERs!

    Here is an example of a final DER that I created for a unit based on “Agentes secretos y el mural de Picasso” by Mira Canion:

    DER

    Give it a try! Click on the picture or check this link. This is an example so that you get an idea. Please, do not get discouraged if you cannot advance much.

    Enjoy!

    Frená / Slow Down (in Spanish and English)

    Slow Down

    by Justa Rebollo Paz (LTL Contributor)

    Frená

    • 🛑 Frenaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!
    • 🛑 Frená y mirá
    • 🛑 Frená y prestá atención.
    • 🛑 No andes en piloto automático.
    • 🛑 La vida pasa más rápido de lo que queremos y de lo que esperamos.
    • 🛑 Así que frená y disfrutá de cada instante.
    • 🛑 Frená y viví.
    • 🛑 Frená y valorá.
    • 🛑 Frená y saboreá…
    • 🤍 Ese mate calentito que te preparaste a la mañana.
    • 🤍 Esa persona que te dió una mano en el trabajo.
    • 🤍 El sol en la cara.
    • 🤍 Esa persona que te dejó pasar… o que pasó primero y te sostuvo la puerta para que pasaras.
    • 🤍 Esa flor que ayer estaba por abrir y hoy abrió.
    • 🤍 Las palabras de tu mamá. De tu abuela.
    • 🤍 Las miradas de quien ames.
    • 🤍 Esa persona que te preguntó cómo estabas y realmente quería escuchar tu respuesta.
    • 🤍 Ese amigo que te hace reír.
    • 🤍 El perro moviendo la cola al verte. O el gato ronroneando.
    • 🤍 El mate que ya se lavó un poco pero igual te cebaron con la mejor onda del mundo.
    • 🤍 Ese proyecto que tenés en mente.
    • 🤍 La complicidad.
    • 🤍 El alfajor que te compraste.
    • 🤍 El gorrioncito que pasó por la ventana.
    • 🤍 Ese beso que te dieron. El que te mandaron. O el que todavía esperás.
    • 🤍 Frená en lo simple y vas a ver, que llegas al final de cada día lleno de pequeñas cosas, que hacen bien al corazón.
    • 🤍 Y así, vas a poder coleccionar lindos momentos, lindos recuerdos, para cuando no te quede otra que estar frenado…
    • 🤍 Disfrutemos hoy.
    • 🤍 Y para terminar, te regalo esta frase que no se de quien es pero leí por ahí… “A partir de ahora buscaré los siempre del los jamases y viviré mi vida disfrutándola con todos los matices.”

    Slow Down

    • 🛑 Slow down!
    • 🛑 Slow down and watch
    • 🛑 Slow down and pay attention.
    • 🛑 Don’t go on autopilot.
    • 🛑 Life goes faster than we want and expect.
    • 🛑 So slow down and enjoy every moment.
    • 🛑 Slow down and live.
    • 🛑 Slow down and assess.
    • 🛑 Slow down and enjoy…
    • 🤍 That warm mate you prepared yourself in the morning.
    • 🤍 That person who helped you at work.
    • 🤍 The warm sun on your face.
    • 🤍 That person who let you pass… or that passed first and opened the door for you to go 
    • 🤍 That flower that was about to open yesterday and opened today.
    • 🤍 The words you heard your mom say. The ones you heard from your grandmother.
    • 🤍 The gaze of the one you love.
    • 🤍 That person who asked how you were and really wanted to hear your answer.
    • 🤍 That friend who makes you laugh.
    • 🤍 The dog wagging its tail at seeing you. Or the  purr of your cat.
    • 🤍 The mate that is not so strong now but was given to you with all the love in the world. 
    • 🤍 That project you’ve been pondering about for a long time.
    • 🤍 Helping a friend.
    • 🤍 The alfajor you bought for yourself.
    • 🤍 The little sparrow that passed by the window.
    • 🤍 That kiss they gave you. The one they sent you. Or the one you’re still waiting for.
    • 🤍 Slow down on the simple things in life and you’ll see that you get to the end of each day full of little things that fill your heart.
    • 🤍 That way, you will be able to collect nice moments & nice memories for when you have nothing else  than slow down.
    • 🤍 Let’s enjoy today.
    • 🤍 And to finish, I give you this phrase that I don’t know whose it is from but I read it somewhere and loved it… “From now on I will look for the always of the nevers and I will live my life enjoying it with all the nuances”

    IG @educaraconsciencia

    #disfrutarlavida #disfrutarelmomento #agradecer #gratitude #pequeñosdetalles #nodalomismo #educarconelejemplo #educaraconsciencia🤍

    Imágenes en mente – AI y cultura (in Spanish)

    Imagenes

    by Ramón Clavijo (LTL Contributor)

    Hace un año, un usuario de Instagram le pidió a la inteligencia artificial 🗣🤖 que generase imágenes en las que se representara a las comunidades autónomas de España 🇪🇸 como si fueran personas. Después, compartió los resultados a través de su cuenta y las reacciones no se hicieron esperar: se abrió un debate respecto a si reflejaban o no la realidad de cada comunidad 🗨🗯.

    En efecto, ¿por qué se habría elegido, para representar la esencia de una determinada región española, a una persona de un género, edad o rasgos concretos? Bueno, se supone que dichas imágenes fueron generadas después de que el usuario en cuestión hubiera introducido datos relativos a aspectos geográficos, culturales e históricos que, si bien no han trascendido, en algunos casos pueden intuirse 🤔. Así, por ejemplo, Galicia está representada como una mujer mayor, de mirada desconfiada y vestida de manera tradicional 👵. Tal vez de esta forma la inteligencia artificial haya querido reflejar el envejecimiento progresivo de la población gallega y su condición históricamente rural.

    Ahora bien, si el algoritmo que da las instrucciones no deja de ser una producción humana, es lógico pensar que estará sometido a la condición humana, incluida nuestra tendencia a interpretar la realidad en forma de ideas preconcebidas, estereotipos y, especialmente, imágenes mentales 🧠💭.

    Y aquí es adonde queríamos llegar: a la importancia de las representaciones mentales en cuanto formas de ver el mundo y entender la realidad, así como de reflejar nuestras expectativas, deseos y, por qué no, nuestros prejuicios.

    ¿Y a qué viene todo esto? Pues a que, debido a su potencial, también podemos echar mano de las imágenes mentales en nuestras clases 👩🏻‍🏫👨🏻‍🏫. Si no sabes por dónde empezar para poder implementarlas en el aula, te recomendamos un libro 📖 con un título muy directo: ¡Imagínate…! Imágenes mentales en la clase de español, de Sgel.

    En él se plantean una serie de actividades ✏️ cuyo nexo de unión son las imágenes mentales, usadas como catalizador para desarrollar las distintas destrezas del lenguaje. Así, en palabras de los autores, “trabajar con imágenes puede aumentar la fluidez tanto en la producción oral 🗣 como en la escrita 🖋, porque si los alumnos tienen una cosa en mente que quieren decir, quedan liberados de la necesidad de encontrar un mensaje que transmitir, y pueden centrarse en encontrar la forma de expresarlo” (página 18).

    Así pues, seas una persona 🙋🏻‍♀️ o Terminator 🤖😎, nunca está de más recurrir a la introspección, generar como resultado imágenes mentales y expresar con ellas el mensaje que quieras transmitir 🗣🥰.

    Nota: te dejamos los enlaces a la cuenta desde la que se compartieron las imágenes, para que puedas valorarlas:

    Starting Strong: Portfolios & Learner Profiles

    by Noemí Rodríguez (LTL Contributor)

    As we all continue to get to know our new groups of language learners, I have been working on different systems to set up the school year for success and highlight language proficiency along the way. I believe that implementing portfolios, self-reflection surveys and having constant communication are solid ways to begin the school year. 

    Portfolios: A Window into Student Growth

    Portfolios serve as a valuable tool for tracking student progress and showcasing their achievements. By incorporating a variety of artifacts such as writing samples, audio samples, projects, and reflections, students can develop a sense of ownership over their learning and see their language growth over time. Ideally, if these portfolios can be a part of their World Language program from year to year – what an incredible way to see students grow along the proficiency continuum. 

    Here are different ways to utilize World Language portfolios:

    • Goal Setting: Encourage students to set personalized learning goals at the beginning of the year. Discuss the WHAT & HOW behind the goals they set. 
    • Showcase Achievements: Celebrate student accomplishments by featuring their best work in their portfolios. This boosts language confidence and encourages future effort. I love being able to pull a students’ portfolio during parent-teacher conferences! 
    • Self-Assessment: Incorporate opportunities for self-assessment throughout the year. This allows students to reflect on their growth and identify areas for improvement. Here is a self & peer assessment for the writing prompt: Who Am I
    portfolios

    Digital portfolios offer an easy, personalized space to showcase their growth and achievements. By collecting a variety of writing and speaking artifacts digitally and having students reflect on their learning journey, they can develop a much deeper understanding of their progress and look back at any time. I like to use a Google Form to collect all of the URLs of my students and you can view a sample here. Make sure students change their digital portfolio sending to “anyone with a link can view”. 

    Learner Surveys: Understanding Individual Needs

    Are your students auditory, tactile or visual learners? Surveying students can provide insight into their different learning styles, interests, and goals. By gathering this information, we can tailor our instruction to meet their individual needs. Here are a few websites that I have used to determine which type of learner I have in my class. This is one way to collect data about your students and as a result, monitor & adjust my future lessons according to these learning styles. 

    Another way to learn about your students is to simply administer a survey to “get to know them” and their preferences! I like to learn about a students’ interests, self assess on their Spanish speaking/writing/reading/listening abilities and any obstacles and/or future goals they may have for themselves at the start of the school year. I also like to tap into which units of study are of interest and certain in-class activities they prefer. 

    Here are a few sample Google Form surveys to get to know my students throughout the school year and gather insight on their preferences. 

    By starting off the year with a language growth goal in mind, at the midway point in the year, I like to one on one conference with students to see whether or not they have met the language goal they had proposed and if they haven’t or are still working towards it, they are then asked to state at least two actions that are reasonable and realistic to help them attain this goal by the end of the school year. It also provides insight to administer a similar survey at the midpoint in the school year and again at the end of the year. 

    One on one conferencing or conferencing with students in small groups can go a long way. I highly encourage you to set up appointments with students during the first three weeks of school, mid year point and again at the end of the year. I ask students to schedule themselves over that time period using a Google Doc (sample). Even if this means that I only meet with one or two students each time we have class, this ensures that I dedicate quality time in getting to know my students and discussing their progress in my class. 

    Building Relationships Through Communication

    Effective communication is essential for building trust and rapport with students. Here are some strategies to foster positive relationships:

    • Open-Door Policy: Maintain an open-door policy to encourage students to seek help and support whenever needed.
    • Active Listening: Practice active listening to demonstrate that you value students’ perspectives and concerns.
    • Ongoing Written Communication & Reflection: Students have composition notebooks that serve as a weekly reflection. 
    • Positive Reinforcement: Provide positive feedback and encouragement to reinforce students’ efforts and achievements.

    Students also have composition notebooks that serve as their “Yo aprendí” journals. These notebooks are used at the end of every week and students reflect about their progress in class. They add to these notebooks on a weekly basis (beginning classes in English, one paragraph) and I am able to communicate with students directly by adding my own notes and insights on their reflections. We go back & forth each week – so I am always corresponding with students in a low-stakes way about how they feel, what they did well and any goals they have for the next week ahead. 

    We all understand that it is important to get to know our students and begin to forge relationships right from the first day. By developing strong connections with students, classroom teachers are able to establish climates of respect and mutual understanding in caring, nurturing environments, where student success is celebrated {no matter how big or small!} and learning becomes contagious.

    How will you start strong this school year?

    Headin’ Back-to-School with GenAI

    GenAI

    by Noemí Rodríguez (LTL Contributor)

    The title of this blog post may make you feel like an actual person is walking alongside you – as you re-enter the school building in the coming days or weeks! The truth is, Generative AI has so many possibilities to ASSIST educators, it is no longer an option to ignore it.

    Those first few days back can be very stressful and while Generative AI (GenAI) can’t set up your classroom for you – it CAN design a welcome letter, back-to-school night presentation or set up a solid seating chart! Generative AI just tipped it’s hat forward, did a little dance and walked in as your new, powerful, strong ALLY {*cue the visual in your mind} – helping to navigate the complexities and many tasks in preparation of a new school year.

    It’s Time to Train Your GenAI Ally!

    Generative AI (GenAI), with its ability to process information rapidly and generate human-like text, offers a wealth of possibilities for educators. Let’s explore how this technology can revolutionize your back-to-school preparation in the coming weeks.

    Streamlining Classroom Management

    • Seating Charts: First and foremost, our student’s privacy is of utmost importance. When writing prompts or asking your LLM of choice to assist you with a task- DO NOT INCLUDE IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION! Use initials or first names only! The key is not to provide any of these LLMs your personal information or anyone else’s – be strategic in the precision of your prompt! When designing a seating arrangement for your classroom, you need to consider each of your student’s learning styles and ensure that they are seated to succeed. You can provide a general overview of your class such as: “Create a seating chart for a Spanish 2 class of 25 students, considering language proficiency levels and learning styles.” or provide a specific parameters to include a fairly anonymous student list, classroom layout, student preferences such as: “Arrange my students in a 5×6 seating chart in a table format, considering the following preferences amongst my Spanish 2 students- special seating requirements include: AG needs to sit near the front, BB and CH do not work well together, DP needs to also sit near the front near AG, HD is chatty and should not sit near GR, AG or JV, PR requires a door nearby.” Using a LLM like Gemini makes it easy to export into Google Sheets for future reference and or/adjustments in the future.
    • Attendance: Avoid the traditional roll call in those first few days of school. Instead consider a fun, easy warm up for your students to introduce themselves to the group. This will allow students to say their own {preferred} names AND it gives you a chance to hear how they would like their name pronounced. As someone who dreaded the roll call – class after class – it always felt like nails on the chalkboard when they mispronounced my first name {or sometimes made a joke about “never winning an Emmy“} A student’s name is tied to their identity and it is so critical to ensure that they are made to feel welcomed and valued in those first few days together. You can ask your LLM of choice to provide a variety of fun ways to introduce one’s self on the first few days with this prompt, “It is the first few days of school and you are a Spanish teacher, getting to know each of your new students. You would like for students to quickly go around the room to state their name and introduce themselves by selecting ONE word that best describes themselves, their interests, their summer vacation, etc. Come up with a list of at least twenty different fun introductory topics for students to highlight something about themselves using just one word.

    Building Community and Engagement

    • Welcome Letters: Wondering how to jazz up your “welcome back” letter? AI can help draft a general welcome letter that you can customize. Try this prompt: “Write an engaging, kind and sincere welcome letter to Spanish 2 students emphasizing the importance of language learning in today’s globalized world. Outline the course’s focus on conversational fluency, cultural competence, and critical thinking skills. Clearly communicate expectations regarding class participation, homework completion, and assessment methods. Include a brief overview of key course themes or units to generate excitement and anticipation. Limit to 500 words.”
    • Syllabus Development: While your expertise is invaluable in crafting a meaningful syllabus, AI can assist in generating initial drafts. Head over to Canva (snag your free educator account if you don’t have one yet!) and browse through their array of templates. You can also provide your LLM of choice, your course goals, learning objectives, and grading policies, and it can create a basic outline. “Write a syllabus for a Spanish 1 course focused on conversational skills, with a grading breakdown of 20% daily preparation, 60% evidence of learning through the modes of communication: interpersonal, interpretive, presentational, and 20% Integrated Performance Assessments”
    • Get-To-Know-You Icebreakers: Building strong relationships with students and building a community in your classroom from the start is crucial. Generative AI can provide a variety of icebreaker ideas tailored to your class level and interests. For example, “Create 5 icebreaker activities for a French 3 class focused on getting to know one another, discussing summer vacation and personal interests.” Check out this Would you rather? (English / Spanish) resource created thanks to Canva + Bulk Create.

    Enhancing Back-to-School Night

    • Ideas for Back to School Night: If you are looking to change up your upcoming Back-to-School night presentations with parents & guardians, why not ask your personal assistant to help brainstorm new ideas? Try this: “Provide at least three different back to school night activities (no more than 3 minutes) each that I can facilitate with my group of parents and guardians from my German 2 High School Class.
    • Presentation Slides: It’s easy to create a captivating, informative slideshow! There are many AI slideshow tools out there to help educators, such as Canva, SlidesAI, Almanack.ai or Gamma. Provide AI with key points and desired visuals, and it can generate a basic framework – it provides a wonderful starting point that you can refine and make your own. For example, “Create a PowerPoint slides outline for a Spanish 1 back-to-school night presentation highlighting course goals, materials, and assessment methods.

    Tips for Using Generative AI (GenAI)

    It’s essential to use GenAI wisely and begin training. You can ask your LLM of choice – “Ask me 20 questions to better understand my role in education.” Once your LLM poses the questions and you reply thoughtfully, it will have this very insightful information moving forward.

    Here are additional tips when prompting your LLM of choice:

    • Provide Clear Instructions: The more specific your prompts, the better the AI’s output. Strategic precision is key.
    • Review and Edit: AI-generated content is a starting point or a first draft. Always review and refine to ensure accuracy of what is created and alignment with your teaching style- make modifications to better fit your needs.
    • Maintain Authenticity: Use AI as a tool to enhance your work, not replace it. Avoid blindly copy/pasting.
    • Ethical Considerations: Be mindful of copyright and plagiarism issues when using AI-generated content. Cite AI

    By harnessing the power of generative AI, language teachers can reclaim valuable time and focus on what truly matters: connecting with students, ensuring that classrooms are a source of joy and designing incredible learning experiences with language acquisition at the core.

    Remember, it’s essential to maintain our human connections in our classrooms. Your passion for language learning and your ability to connect with students are qualities that no AI can replicate.

    GenAI

    Looking to dive in deeper with GenAI?

    Here is where I would LOVE to continue to help support your AI literacy journey as a language educator! I have set up a membership-based learning community exclusively for language educators: The AI Innovator Community for Language Educators (with monthly GenAI workshops, access to five asynchronous courses, a quarterly newsletter with insights, private Innovator community discussion space), I also share often within our Team Lo Logramos FB community, and designed a variety of courses.

    Take advantage of this partnership between Lo Logramos Consulting and Language Teaching Lab – Get a $5 off discount when you use the code LTL5 at checkout, exceptions may apply

    Lo Logramos does accept School POs, so feel free to reach out! team.lologramos@gmail.com

    My Roots, My Heritage

    heritage my roots, my heritage

    If you follow the blog, you may have read  R.E.S.T., which stands for relaxing, engaging, serendipity, and trying new things. The “S” for serendipity was for me the highlight last month as I ended up visiting the house of my ancestors (on one side of the family) that dates from the 1700s. It moved me more than I expected and that is how I decided to focus this month on My Roots, My Heritage. 

    Past, Present, Future

    The phrase “Don’t forget where you came from” took a whole new meaning to me. It made me see the past reflected in the present and moving towards the future. All I am now is in part the fruit of the values, beliefs, courage, and hope of my ancestors as well as my own experiences that constantly shape who I am. Learning about our roots is necessary in building our future. 

    Heritage

    As educators, we celebrate ‘Heritage Months’ throughout the year to acknowledge and recognize those who came before us and their contributions. According to the Cambridge dictionary, ‘heritage’ is “the history, traditions, practices, etc. of a particular country, society, or company that exist from the past and continue to be important.” 

    Another definition found in Family Heritage Blog states “Heritage is a person’s unique, inherited sense of family identity: the values, traditions, culture, and artifacts handed down by previous generations. We absorb a sense of our heritage throughout our lives as we observe and experience the things that make our family unique.” 

    In celebrating our roots, we get to understand our world and ourselves better. It helps us reflect on our identity, our voices, and our future, as well as the identity and the voices of those who surround us. 

    heritage

    LTL Blogs on Identity and Heritage

    At Language Teaching Lab we have explored topics related to heritage, roots, and identity in several of our articles such as,

    As language educators we have the opportunity to navigate the topic ‘heritage’ in our class for students to understand themselves better as well as understand their place in the world, all while exploring their heritage and roots. 

    Proficiency Levels

    At the same time, we can aim at teaching ‘My Roots, My Heritage’ from an early age and proficiency level. Students progress from the Novice to the Intermediate proficiency levels by answering questions on the topic, such as,

    • What is your name/last name?
    • Why is that your name/last name?
    • Are there any other members of your family you share your name with?
    • Where were you born? 
    • What does the word ‘ancestor’ mean? Who are your ancestors?
    • Where were your ancestors born?
    • What do you know about your family history? 
    • What are your family traditions? Talk to your family and find out!
    • What food is a tradition in your family? When do you have it? How do you have it? With whom?
    • What is your grandparents’ traditional food?
    • Do you know what your grandparents’ grandparents’ traditional food was? You may want to expand traditions regarding celebrations, books, types of music, clothing, flowers, places, etc. You get the idea!)
    • What do you do every day? 
    • Do you know what your ancestors did every day? How can you find out?
    • What is important to your family?
    • Why is it important to understand where you come from?
    • Why is it important to connect to your roots?
    • How does heritage shape your identity?
    • How do you describe your heritage?

    I invite you to think about your own roots and heritage and those of your students, to help find our uniqueness and our common humanity.

    ¿Y a mí me lo preguntas? -Spanish

    by Ramón Clavijo (LTL Contributor)

    ¿Crees que soy capaz de hacer esta entrada únicamente en forma de oraciones interrogativas? ¿Por qué no iba a ser capaz de ello? 😏 ¿Por ser difícil? 🤔 ¿Por ser absurdo? 🙄 ¿Acaso no sería realmente curioso poder hacerlo? 😉 ¿Lo crees o no? 🤨 ¿A que no has visto ninguna otra entrada planteada de esta manera? 🤭 ¿No te arrepentirás de haber empezado a leer este post tan raro?

    Bueno, me doy por vencido… 😔 Es realmente difícil, prácticamente agotador y, francamente, un poco absurdo… 😮‍💨 ¿Quién me mandaría a mí meterme en camisa de once varas? 🤦‍♂️

    No obstante, sirva el primer párrafo de esta entrada para poner en valor el uso pragmático que se les da a las oraciones interrogativas en el lenguaje coloquial ❓️😌. En efecto, en nuestra vida cotidiana, para lo que menos usamos las preguntas es, precisamente… para preguntar 😲. Me explico: si bien la interrogación es el recurso que utilizamos para obtener una determinada información, también es cierto que, la mayor parte de las veces, en contextos no formales, echamos mano de ella para dar nuestro punto de vista 🤔, expresar sentimientos 😳, reaccionar ante una determinada situación o influir sobre el oyente 🤨.

    Se trata de un contenido complejo, ya que a menudo entran en juego factores paralingüísticos. Pero merece la pena profundizar en él y tenerlo en cuenta en nuestras clases, sobre todo en aquellas actividades que implican interacción oral 🗣. Al fin y al cabo, tus estudiantes están expuestos a la mayoría de estos usos de la interrogación, ya sea en canciones 🎼, en series 📺 o en películas 📽. Vamos, en el español real

    Por ello, te adjuntamos una infografía 👇 con algunos de estos usos y sus ejemplos, para la que hemos tomado como fuente el libro Español coloquial 📖, de Edinumen. Asimismo, nos gustaría recordarte que también abordamos este tema en el curso de refresco para profesores no nativos que ofrecemos todos los veranos 🤗.

    ¿Qué? ¿A que nos ha quedado bien esta entrada…? 🤔 (¿Acaso creías que no iba a intentar de nuevo redactar en forma de preguntas? 😌 ¿Por quién me has tomado? 🤭).


    Academia Iria Flavia – Spanish Courses – Know all the possibilities! Get a 20 off discount when you use the code LTL20 at checkout, exceptions may apply

    Preguntas
ifspanish.com/en/cursos-profesores/

    Hispanic Heritage Month: Ideas for Lessons and Resources (English and Spanish)

    bilingual cerebros Hispanic Heritage

    by María Martínez (LTL Contributor)

    https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5TlFjB4h2gUSjM3eV-Zan1gOAVO8l9q6&si=Ont68OJ_YShdl_Rh

    Hispanic Heritage Month has started having a big impact and has gained importance in schools in the USA during the last decade or so, but it all started 56 years ago. “The observation started in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week under President Lyndon Johnson and was expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover a 30-day period starting on September 15 and ending on October 15. It was enacted into law on August 17, 1988.

    Instead of starting at the beginning of September, Hispanic Heritage Month takes place over 30 days starting on the 15th — a nod to the anniversaries of national independence for several Latin American countries: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua all recognize September.

    From Bilingual Cerebros we offer a range of free resources and activities to support students, families, schools and teachers celebrating this special month. From biographies to celebrate important and inspirational people in the Hispanic community to virtual visits to the 21 Spanish speaking countries exploring their gastronomy, traditions, music, festivals and celebrations, places and monuments to visit and creating projects in the classrooms. Bilingual Cerebros shares all these free resources to support the Bilingual Community all over the world. Feel free to request any resources by email at bilingualcerebros@gmail.com 

    These are the recommended sections and activities you can use:

    https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5TlFjB4h2gVeH0XWB3C-TYWfFEAstkQm

    And don’t miss these quizzes to test your knowledge about Spanish Speaking Countries:

    1. Quiz about Spanish Speaking Counties / Cuestionario sobre Países Hispanohablantes / 50 Questions
    2. 21 Países hispanohablantes: ¿De qué países son estas banderas? / Spanish Speaking Countries quiz

    Happy Hispanic Heritage Month!


    El Mes de la Herencia Hispana ha comenzado a tener un gran impacto y ha ganado importancia en las escuelas de EE.UU. durante la última década, pero todo comenzó hace 56 años. “La observación comenzó en 1968 como Semana de la Herencia Hispana bajo el presidente Lyndon Johnson y fue ampliada por el presidente Ronald Reagan en 1988 para cubrir un período de 30 días que comenzó el 15 de septiembre y finalizó el 15 de octubre. Fue promulgada como ley el 17 de agosto de 1988. 

    En lugar de comenzar a principios de septiembre, el Mes de la Herencia Hispana se lleva a cabo durante 30 días a partir del día 15, un guiño a los aniversarios de la independencia nacional de varios países latinoamericanos: Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras y Nicaragua reconocen septiembre. 

    Desde Bilingual Cerebros ofrecemos una gama de recursos y actividades gratuitas para apoyar a estudiantes, familias, escuelas y profesores que celebran este mes tan especial. Desde biografías para celebrar a personas importantes e inspiradoras de la comunidad hispana hasta visitas virtuales a los 21 países de habla hispana explorando su gastronomía, tradiciones, música, festivales y celebraciones, lugares y monumentos para visitar y creando proyectos en las aulas. Bilingual Cerebros comparte todos estos recursos gratuitos para apoyar a la Comunidad Bilingüe en todo el mundo. No dudes en solicitar cualquier recurso por correo electrónico bilingualcerebros@gmail.com 

    Estas son las secciones y actividades recomendadas que puedes utilizar:

    Y no te pierdas estos cuestionarios para poner a prueba tus conocimientos sobre los países de habla hispana:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcuKPNoCoFc
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2t_iSyVSTmg

    ¡Feliz Mes de la Herencia Hispana!

    Mi album de figuritas / My Big Album of Stickers

    Mi album de figuritas

    by Justa Rebollo Paz (LTL Contributor)

    Mi album de figuritas

    🤍Si ahondo en mi memoria laboral, de maestra, de directora, en mi carrera como docente, y todos los distintos momentos y etapas por las que pasé, puedo ir armando y completando mi gran álbum de figuritas.

    🤍Y como buena virginiana, creo que lo organizaría por secciones.

    ➡️ Buenos maestros: tuve varios, no muchos. Pero de todos aprendí un montón.
    ➡️ Lindos momentos: esta sección sería gorda… fueron muchísimos lindos momentos vividos y compartidos a lo largo de mis 37 años de docencia.
    ➡️ Alumnos: cada uno fue importante. Cada uno tuvo algo que me guardo en lo profundo de mi corazón. Con cada uno aprendí a ser mejor maestra.
    ➡️ Padres: que me marcaron el rumbo o me hicieron recalcular. Que me desafiaron y me hicieron salir de mi zona de confort. Que me potenciaron y me hicieron ver la parte más humana y sensible de mi rol.
    ➡️ Profesores que me capacitaron: y que trato de recordar con lujo de detalles. De quienes aprendí mucho y me cuestioné varias veces. Y sus palabras siguen vivas en mis apuntes que guardo como un tesoro.
    ➡️ Equipo de maestras: que valoro, y admiro. Con quienes seguimos intercambiando experiencias, sugerencias y alegrías. Quienes más de una vez me escucharon enojada, me escucharon motivadora y me vieron pasar en silencio. A quienes siempre traté de alentarlas y protegerlas. Quienes recurrieron a mí en momentos complejos y después de ayudarlas, mi corazón explotaba de felicidad. A quienes exigí tanto como a mí misma. Con quienes formamos un equipo invencible con un único objetivo… los chicos.

    🤍Cuáles fueron y son las figuritas de oro de tu album?
    🤍Y las más comunes?
    🤍Y las difíciles?

    IG @educaraconsciencia
    Spotify Educar a consciencia

    #recuerdos#aprendizajes#carreradocente#maestra#alolargodelavida#docente#gratitude#educaraconsciencia🤍


    Mi album de figuritas

    My Big Album of Stickers

    🤍If I dig deep into my working memory, as a teacher, as head, and all the different moments and stages I went through in my career, I can put together and complete my big album of stickers.

    🤍And as a good Virginian, I think I would organize it in sections.

    ➡️ Good teachers: I had several, not many. But from everyone I learned a lot.
    ➡️ Special moments: this section would be big… there were so many nice moments lived and shared throughout my 37 years of teaching.
    ➡️ Students: Each one was important. Each one had something I keep deep in my heart. With each one of them I learned to be a better teacher.
    ➡️ Parents: Those who marked my course or made me recalculate. I was challenged and pushed out of my comfort zone. Those parents that empowered me and made me see the most human and sensitive part of my role.
    ➡️ Teachers who trained me: I try to remember them with a luxury of detail. From whom I learned a lot and questioned myself and my actions. And their words are still alive in my notes which I keep as a treasure.
    ➡️ My Teams: I value them and I admire them. Teams with whom we continue to share experiences, suggestions, and joys. They more than once heard me angry, heard me motivating, and watched me pass in silence. Teams whom I always tried to encourage and protect. Those who turned to me in difficult times and after helping them, my heart exploded with happiness. I demanded my teams as much as I demand myself. Teams with whom we form an invencible group with one goal… our students.

    🤍 Which were and which are your golden stickers?
    🤍 And the most common ones?
    🤍 And the difficult ones?

    IG @educaraconsciencia

    R.E.S.T. During Any Break 

    R.E.S.T.

    What’s your favorite part of a summer, winter or any break? For me, it’s all about R.E.S.T.

    Yes, taking time to rest during a break is essential for my well being. While physical rest, like slowing down and having periods of inactivity is not only needed but also important, I’m referring here to a different kind of rest— R.E.S.T

    The “R” is about Relaxing, Recharging, Renewing, and Reviewing my goals 

    According to the Cambridge dictionary, relaxing is a “pleasant activity that makes you become calm and less worried.” When you unwind and set aside your duties, it’s easier to recharge and rethink what you want to accomplish next. It helps you organize your ideas and focus on what truly matters. During your next break, renew yourself and consider the big questions: What have I achieved so far? Where has it taken me? Where am I going?

    The “E” in R.E.S.T. is about Engaging, Enjoying, and Evaluating

    The Merriam Webster Dictionary defines engaging as “having emotional involvement or commitment.” When you are fully engaged, you enjoy what you are doing more and can evaluate your progress with a new light. This helps you find your purpose and move forward with clarity. 

    The “S” is about Serendipity

    As defined by the Cambridge dictionary, serendipity is “the fact of finding valuable things by chance.” Breaks are perfect times to discover unexpected treasures! I wrote about how ‘serendipity’ inspired me in “Professional and Personal Experiences Inform My Language Curriculum.” Whether meeting new people, visiting new places, or participating in professional learning communities these experiences can inspire you to do something different, thoughtful, and maybe also fun. You never know where your next inspiration will come from.

    The “T” in R.E.S.T. is about Trying new things and Trusting yourself

    I love learning and being with people, so visiting different places in good company is a must during breaks. Trying new things can open doors to new adventures!—whether it’s a walk on the beach, a visit to a new spot in town, listening to Calm, or tasting a new dish. Inspiration comes in many shapes and forms!

    Have confidence in yourself. You’ll make the right choices and create lasting memories from your experiences. Trust yourself; you have it in you! 

    Next time you are on a break, think R.E.S.T. You’ll return refreshed and ready for teaching with a new perspective.

    La Influencia Árabe en la Lengua Española

    https://euroidiomas.eu/

    by Alonso Cano (LTL Contributor)

    La lengua española, también conocida como castellano, es un reflejo vivo de la historia y la rica interacción cultural que ha tenido lugar en la península ibérica. Una de las influencias más significativas y duraderas en el español es la del árabe, una lengua que dejó una profunda huella durante los más de 700 años de presencia musulmana en España, desde el siglo VIII hasta el XV.

    Según el filólogo español Rafael Lapesa, más de 4.000 palabras de nuestro léxico (incluidos los topónimos) provienen del árabe, lo que supone en torno a un 8 % del vocabulario total del castellano.

    Contexto Histórico de la Influencia Árabe

    La influencia árabe comenzó con la conquista musulmana de la península ibérica en el año 711 y se extendió durante la dominación de al-Ándalus, el territorio gobernado por musulmanes. Durante este periodo, hubo un intercambio cultural y lingüístico intenso entre los habitantes musulmanes y los cristianos y judíos que convivían en la región.

    https://euroidiomas.eu/

    Aportaciones Léxicas

    El legado más evidente de esta convivencia es el vasto número de palabras de origen árabe que se han incorporado al español. Se estima que alrededor de 4.000 palabras en el español moderno tienen raíces árabes. Estas palabras abarcan diversas áreas del conocimiento y la vida cotidiana, reflejando la avanzada cultura y tecnología de al-Ándalus. Algunos ejemplos notables incluyen:

    • Almohada (al-mujadda): Refiriéndose al cojín o almohada.
    • Almendra (al-majroud): La fruta seca del almendro.
    • Aceituna (al-zaytūna): La fruta del olivo.
    • Algodón (al-qutn): Material textil obtenido de la planta de algodón.
    • Alcohol (al-kuḥl): Sustancia química que se encuentra en bebidas fermentadas.
    • Alcalde (al-qāḍī): Funcionario que preside un ayuntamiento.

    Influencia Árabe en Términos Científicos y Técnicos

    La influencia árabe es especialmente notable en términos científicos y técnicos. Durante la Edad Media, los eruditos musulmanes hicieron avances significativos en campos como la matemática, la astronomía, la medicina y la química. Muchas de las palabras relacionadas con estos campos provienen del árabe, como:

    • Azimut (al-sumūt): Término de navegación y astronomía.
    • Cero (ṣifr): Número que representa la nada.
    • Jirafa (zarāfa): El animal africano de cuello largo.
    • Química (al-kīmiyā): La ciencia que estudia la composición y propiedades de la materia.

    Influencia Árabe en la Toponimia y la Nomenclatura

    La presencia árabe también se refleja en los nombres de lugares. Muchos topónimos en España tienen origen árabe, como:

    • Guadalquivir (al-wādi al-kabīr): El gran río.
    • Guadalajara (wād al-ḥijāra): El valle de las piedras.
    • Almería (al-Marīyya): La atalaya o torre vigía.

    Impacto en la Gramática y Fonética

    Además del léxico, el árabe ha influido en la fonética y la sintaxis del español. Algunos sonidos presentes en el español, como la aspiración de la “h” en ciertas regiones, pueden rastrearse hasta la influencia árabe. Asimismo, la estructura de algunas expresiones y la incorporación de partículas como “ojalá” (inshallah, que significa “si Dios quiere”) reflejan esta herencia.

    https://euroidiomas.eu/

    Legado Cultural

    Más allá de la lengua, la influencia árabe se extiende a la arquitectura, la música, la gastronomía y otras áreas de la cultura española. Este legado cultural enriquece y define la identidad única del mundo hispanohablante.

    La Influencia Árabe

    La influencia árabe en la lengua española es un testimonio de la rica historia de interacción y convivencia en la península ibérica. Este legado lingüístico no solo añade profundidad y riqueza al español, sino que también nos recuerda la importancia del intercambio cultural en la formación de las lenguas y las sociedades. Hoy, las palabras de origen árabe en el español son un puente hacia un pasado compartido y una celebración de la diversidad cultural.

    la influencia árabe

    ¿Cuál es tu palabra favorita de influencia o raíz árabe? A nosotros nos gustan muchas… Aceite o gazpacho entre nuestras preferidas.


    Euroidiomas Escuela de Idiomas de Úbeda

    20 Decisiones por minuto / 20 Decisions per Minute

    by Justa Rebollo Paz (LTL Contributor)

    20 Decisiones por minuto /20 Decisions per minute

    20 Decisiones por minuto

    🤎 Débora Ball, de la Universidad de Michigan, afirma que los docentes toman un promedio de 20 decisiones en el lapso de un minuto y medio; y nos alerta sobre la necesidad de que éstas no queden libradas al azar, ya que de eso depende la calidad de lo que se enseñe.

    🤎 De las decisiones que toma un docente en una clase, se calcula que el 97% se tomarán de forma rápida e inconsciente. 🤎Este tipo de decisiones, si bien son efectivas para resolver situaciones rápidas, son las más proclives a errores.

    🤎 Muchas de ellas son decisiones pequeñas, de gestión en el aula, de motivar a ciertos alumnos de manera distinta que a otros, de intervenir frente a una situación disruptiva, de cambiar de estrategia cuando alguna no es suficiente, de tareas administrativas o de logística, de cómo transmitir conocimientos dejando que sus alumnos experimenten, planificación de actividades, cambio de voz, observaciones, etc.

    🤎 Por otra parte la Dra. Bondie, profesora de la Escuela de Educación de la Universidad de Harvard, propone que los docentes analicen sus decisiones diarias, tomándose un tiempo para pensar en profundidad sobre las elecciones realizadas y los motivos que las llevaron a tomarlas.

    🤎 Para esto es importante tener al día la planificación diaria o semanal.

    🤎 Como directivos tenemos la responsabilidad de demandar y exigir la planificación, no solamente para supervisar y estar al tanto de lo que se hace, sino para colaborar con la efectividad y calidad de la enseñanza, y evitarles tanto estrés a los docentes.

    🤎 La propuesta es que podamos reflexionar en cada comunidad educativa en la búsqueda individual y colectiva de mejora de nuestras decisiones en el aula, y en la escuela.


    20 Decisions per Minute

    🤎 Deborah Ball, from the University of Michigan, states that teachers make an average of 20 decisions in the span of a minute and a half; and alerts us to the need for them not to be left to chance, since the quality of what is taught/learned depends on that.

    🤎 Of the decisions a teacher makes in a class, it is estimated that 97% will be made quickly and unconsciously. 🤎 These types of decisions, while effective in resolving quick situations, are the most prone to errors.

    🤎 Many of them are small decisions: classroom management, motivating certain students differently than others, intervening in a disruptive situation, changing strategies when one is not enough, making tasks that are administrative in nature or about logistics, on how to transmit knowledge by letting your students experiment, activity planning, changing voices to grab students’ attention, observations, etc.

    🤎 On the other hand, Dr. Bondie, a professor at the Harvard University School of Education at Harvard University, proposes that teachers analyze their daily decisions, taking time to think in depth about the choices made and the reasons that led them to making them.

    🤎 For this, it is important to keep up with the daily or weekly planning.

    🤎 As leaders we have the responsibility to demand and demand planning, not only to monitor and be aware of what is being done, but also to collaborate with the effectiveness and quality of teaching, thus, avoiding more stress to teachers.

    🤎 The proposal is that we reflect in each educational community on the individual and collective quest to improve our decisions in the classroom, and at school.


    El poder de la colaboración a través de murales colaborativos (in Spanish)

    by Ramón Clavijo (LTL Contributor)

    No vamos a descubrir nada nuevo si afirmamos que saber colaborar es fundamental para la formación integral de nuestros estudiantes 🤝. Sin embargo, a veces no es sencillo desarrollar y saber llevar esta idea a la práctica 🤔🤯.

    Para conseguirlo, es preciso que los alumnos se impliquen en las distintas tareas y proyectos del aula. Y obtener tal implicación pasa, en primer lugar, por darles a conocer las diferentes herramientas colaborativas que la red pone a su disposición 🛠💻.

    Hoy hablaremos de tres de ellas, que sin duda podrán servirte para que tus estudiantes puedan intercambiar puntos de vista respecto a la manera de enfocar las tareas que estén realizando en ese momento. Su rasgo en común es la idea de mural colaborativo ✏️🧱🖊, si bien cada una de ellas está “especializada” en un aspecto concreto de dicha colaboración. Todas ofrecen versiones gratuitas con restricciones en cuanto al uso de sus funcionalidades, que se pueden desbloquear accediendo a las versiones de pago 💳.

    Plataformas de colaboración:

    Padlet

    👉 Así, por un lado, tenemos Padlet, quizás la más sencilla e intuitiva de las tres. Puedes asignar a cada grupo de trabajo un padlet desde el que podrán subir los resultados de sus investigaciones 📝, compartir recursos y enlaces 🔗 y comunicarse entre ellos y contigo 🗨.

    Stormboard

    👉 Si prefieres hacer mayor hincapié en las lluvias de ideas 🌧, tu plataforma es Stormboard, ya que está especialmente diseñada para ello. Con ella, podrás no solo plantear dichas tormentas de ideas ⛈️, sino también organizarlas y administrarlas (si bien las funcionalidades superiores están reservadas para las opciones de pago).

    Mindmeister

    👉 Y si lo tuyo son los mapas mentales 🗺💭, te recomendamos Mindmeister. En efecto, con esta última podrás generar mapas mentales en línea a partir de las aportaciones de tus alumnos. Se parte de una idea principal, desde la que se pueden crear subtemas ilimitados ♾️, que además se pueden ir enriqueciendo con archivos adjuntos 📎 o recursos multimedia 🔊🎞.

    Además, la versatilidad de estas plataformas hace que no se ciñan a un contexto concreto. De esta manera, seguro que les encontrarás un hueco en cualquier punto de la secuenciación de tus clases: para introducir un tema, como repaso de contenidos ya trabajados o como actividad final.

    Lograr la colaboración entre los estudiantes

    Lo importante es hacer de ellas una herramienta con la que conseguir que tus estudiantes se impliquen en todas aquellas tareas que les propongas 🙋🏽🙋🏻‍♀️🙋🏻‍♂️.

    El poder de la colaboración

    Educator Wellness & Generative AI

    Educator Wellness & Generative AI

    by Noemí Rodríguez (LTL Contributor)

    Wellness goes beyond simply being healthy – it’s the active pursuit of physical, social, emotional and mental well being. This can mean many different things – and ultimately, it comes down to what works for YOU! In my opinion, mindfulness is a key component of mental wellness and involves cultivating present-moment awareness without judgment of yourself and/or others. I appreciate and respect both the difficulty and clarity when practicing daily mindfulness. And now, at no cost, we can harness the power of Generative AI to assist us with our daily balancing act of all the things that consume our day to day and sometimes interfere with our wellness.

    So how can Generative AI help educators gain wellness in their daily lives?

    Large Language Model as Personal Assistant

    First, a LLM (Large Language Model) can become your new personal assistant! There are many out there such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google’s Gemini, Anthorpic’s Claude, or Microsoft’s CoPilot – they can prove to be very useful in both our personal and professional lives. By training your new assistant in learning YOU and your priorities- whether personal or professional- you are taking a necessary first step to allow this technology to begin to acclimate itself to you.

    A simple way to connect is by asking your LLM of choice “Ask me twenty questions in getting to know me, my role in education and my focus for this school year.” Once you receive those questions and provide responses that are unique to you, the LLM will remember, recall and use this information going forward with the content that is uniquely designed for you. You are in the driver’s seat, controlling the outcome based on how you train the model.

    Weekly Guidance & Planning for Wellness

    If your home is anything like mine – there are many schedules to coordinate and a lot to keep track of, which can often cause stress and miscommunication. In tasking your LLM to assist you with coordinating schedules, consider a Sunday preparation system of communicating with your LLM, “what’s the best way to manage “x, y and z” this week based on these times and create a Monday to Friday schedule, in a table format with this information outlined” or “we have “x, y, z” in our fridge, plan out at least 5 evening meal recipes that are less than 20 minutes to make with these ingredients and consider the following dietary restrictions: _______.”

    Whatever it is that you have on your horizon this coming week, see if a LLM can assist you with time management, planning and scheduling.

    Coping Strategies & Self-Care for Wellness

    That sudden feeling of overwhelm can take over quickly. Ultimately, it is always important to seek assistance from a mental health professional and check with them first. In a time crunch, when I feel unsure how to bring my anxiousness down in that present moment, I can ask ChatGPT for coping strategies for anxiety, stress, apprehension, etc. depending on what I am feeling. I can also ask ChatGPT to provide strategies for my own self-care.

    For example, “Plan out at least three movement activities to help me take a five minute break at various points in my work day.” However, please remember to always check with your mental health professional before including ChatGPT suggestions in your strategy repertoire.

    Meditations & Mindfulness for Wellness

    Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us.” (Source: mindful.org) Mindfulness has positively impacted me in many ways. By setting up a Mindful Bot in a platform like Mizou– you can interact (or your students) and practice daily mindfulness in this space, without fear, judgment or criticism. Remember, a chatbot can be ANYONE, learn more in this previous blog post dedicated to chatbots.

    Imagine being gently led through a meditation session, with a calming voice providing instructions to relax your body and focus your attention. That’s exactly what guided meditations can offer. I’ve always appreciated using apps like Calm, Headspace or Simple Habit.

    With the help of ChatGPT and an AI recording, you can explore different techniques such as deep breathing, muscle relaxation, and visualization. Using an AI Tool such as TTS Maker or Narakeet – you can transform any text to speech, in multiple languages too. By first prompting ChatGPT to design a guided meditation “Create a five minute guided meditation for me that discusses the power of positive thinking and provides lots of breathing techniques.” Here is what Gemini designed for me, instantly.

    Five-Minute Guided Meditation: Cultivating Positivity Through Breath

    Find your calm: Settle into a comfortable position, sitting or lying down. Close your eyes or soften your gaze. Take a few moments to become aware of your breath and any sensations in your body.

    Deep cleansing breaths: Inhale slowly and deeply through your nose, feeling your belly rise. Hold for a count of two, then exhale slowly through your mouth, releasing any tension. Repeat this breath three times, focusing on the rise and fall of your abdomen.

    Breathing in positivity: Imagine yourself surrounded by a warm, golden light. With each inhale, picture this light filling your lungs and spreading throughout your body, replacing any negativity with confidence and peace. Exhale slowly, releasing any worries you might be holding. Repeat this breath visualization for a minute.

    Positive affirmations: Silently repeat these affirmations with each inhale and exhale:

    • Inhale: “I am strong.” Exhale: “I am capable.”
    • Inhale: “I am worthy.” Exhale: “I am loved.”

    Bringing it back: Gently bring your awareness back to the present moment. Notice the sounds around you and any sensations in your body. Take a few final deep breaths, inhaling positivity and exhaling anything that no longer serves you.

    Ending with presence: When you feel ready, wiggle your fingers and toes, and slowly open your eyes, carrying this sense of calm and positivity with you throughout your day.

    Remember, even five minutes of positive thinking and focused breathing can make a big difference. Make it a daily practice to cultivate optimism and inner strength.”

    *An audio recording of the above thanks to TTS Maker.

    Combating Procrastination

    Guilty as charged – procrastination is real in my life. With tasks that I often dread or do not want to finalize, I sometimes wait and wait until the last minute. And, the anxiety builds and the looming deadline is mere hours away.

    Where can I turn for assistance with designing a step by step plan to manage these tasks?

    AI assistants can offer strategies for breaking down tasks into smaller, more manageable steps. They can also provide motivation and accountability strategies to help stay on track. A free tool such as GoblinTools can assist – providing a helpful “to-do” list. It requires no identifying information, so it is also a safe tool for our students to use. There are several helpful tabs to check out!

    I also appreciate using both ChatGPT & Canva to design slideshows! By using the “bulk create” app within Canva, you can create a slideshow full of motivational tips for educators!

    How can Generative AI assist you in the coming days, weeks, months either personally and/or professionally? 

    My hope is that you will take that next first step and begin to experiment, play and develop your own system to harness its incredible power. Could you imagine other ways ChatGPT or other LLMs can assist you with your wellness & well being? Feel free to share below!

    I invite you to say goodbye to those endless to-do lists and that feeling of racing to always catch up! Generative AI isn’t here to replace you, it’s here to assist you and work with you. I hope you will consider welcoming this technology and all of the amazing capabilities it has to assist you with your wellness.

    *If you are interested in joining a unique community dedicated to exploring these ideas and many other topics related to Generative AI in language instruction, consider a membership to our AI Innovator Community for Language Educators.

    A yearly subscription includes monthly themed GenAI workshops, access to several asynchronous courses dedicated to GenAI in the language classroom, a quarterly newsletter with the latest tips & insights and ongoing chats & collaboration amongst educators within the private AI Innovator discussion space. There are also several GenAI courses available to begin or continue your journey in learning about Generative AI as a language educator! Use LTL10 for $10 off!

    La Tradición de las Tapas en Úbeda

    tapas

    by Alonso Cano for LTL

    Úbeda, ciudad declarada Patrimonio de la Humanidad, no solo destaca por su impresionante arquitectura renacentista y su rica historia, sino también por una tradición gastronómica muy especial: las tapas. Esta práctica culinaria, profundamente arraigada en la cultura andaluza, se vive de manera única en las calles y bares de Úbeda.

    tapas

    Tapas en Úbeda

    Tapas: Origen y Evolución

    La tapa, cuyo origen se remonta a siglos atrás, se dice que comenzó como una pequeña porción de comida servida junto a una bebida para “tapar” el vaso y evitar que el polvo o los insectos entraran. Con el tiempo, esta sencilla práctica evolucionó hasta convertirse en una auténtica expresión de la gastronomía local, ofreciendo a los visitantes y habitantes de Úbeda una variedad de sabores y experiencias culinarias.

    Variedad y Sabor

    En Úbeda, la oferta de tapas es tan diversa como deliciosa. Desde clásicos como el jamón ibérico y el queso manchego, hasta especialidades locales como los OCHÍOS, los ALCAUCILES, las berenjenas fritas con miel, los caracoles en salsa y el famoso lomo de orza, cada tapa es una muestra de la rica tradición culinaria de la región. Los ingredientes frescos y de calidad, muchos de ellos provenientes de la fértil tierra jienense, garantizan una experiencia gastronómica incomparable.

    Tapas: Un Ritual Social

    Tapear en Úbeda no es solo una cuestión de comida, sino también un ritual social. Los bares y tabernas se llenan de vida a todas horas, convirtiéndose en puntos de encuentro donde la gente se reúne para disfrutar de buena comida y buena compañía. Este ambiente de camaradería y celebración es una parte esencial de la experiencia de las tapas en Úbeda.

    Ruta de las Tapas

    Para aquellos que quieran sumergirse por completo en esta tradición, Úbeda ofrece diversas rutas de tapas que permiten explorar la ciudad de bar en bar. Cada establecimiento ofrece su propia especialidad, permitiendo a los visitantes descubrir nuevos sabores y platos en cada parada. Estas rutas no solo son una excelente manera de disfrutar de la gastronomía local, sino también de conocer la ciudad y su gente.

    Una Experiencia Imperdible

    La tradición de las tapas en Úbeda es una invitación a disfrutar de la vida a un ritmo más pausado, saboreando cada momento y cada bocado. Para los amantes de la buena comida y la buena compañía, tapear en Úbeda es una experiencia imperdible que deja un sabor de boca inolvidable y el deseo de volver una y otra vez.


    Euroidiomas Spanish School in Úbeda

    Más que hablar… Juego de roles para el nivel intermedio o más (in Spanish)

    by Ramón Clavijo (LTL Contributor)

    Hablar por hablar fue un programa radiofónico nocturno que alcanzó su mayor éxito en los años noventa y en la primera década del siglo XXI 📻🌃. En él, la gente llamaba para contar algún problema de tipo personal con la esperanza de que los otros oyentes les dieran algún consejo al respecto 🗨☎️.

    No sólo hablar

    La gente hablaba 🗣, sí, pero seríamos injustos con la riqueza de la lengua española si solo nos limitáramos a este verbo. En efecto, en dicho programa unos contaban, exponían, confesaban, reconocían, manifestaban, anunciaban, revelaban, lamentaban, proclamaban o pedían, mientras que otros contestaban, opinaban, aconsejaban, replicaban o proponían. Como vemos, este programa era un reflejo de diversas funciones comunicativas a las que podemos referirnos más allá de los verbos hablar o decir.

    Practicar otros verbos de habla

    Y eso es lo pretendemos en esta entrada: proponerte una actividad con la que tus estudiantes podrán practicar diferentes verbos de habla (enriqueciendo su vocabulario), así como el estilo indirecto.

    Para poder desarrollarla, necesitaréis:

    -Un oyente que llame a la radio planteando un problema y un locutor que reciba la llamada (primera representación).

    -Dos oyentes que llamen para aconsejar a la primera persona y que interactúen con el locutor (segunda representación).

    -Otras dos personas que, al día siguiente, comenten el programa (tercera representación). Aquí es donde deberán usar el estilo indirecto, sintetizando lo que escucharon la noche anterior en la radio mediante oraciones en las que deberán emplear una variedad significativa de verbos de habla.

    Una vez terminado este primer turno de representaciones, podréis continuar con más llamadas radiofónicas hasta que haya participado toda la clase ↩️.

    Recurso útil

    Para que puedas llevar a cabo dicho juego de roles, te adjuntamos una infografía 👇 en la que aparecen una serie de situaciones incómodas o embarazosas 😅😳 (que hemos tomado de ¡Exprésate! Actividades de expresión oral, de SGEL), así como varios de verbos de habla 🗣, que serán los que tus estudiantes deberán usar cuando reproduzcan las conversaciones en estilo indirecto.

    ¡Seguro que de vuestro programa de radio saldrán consejos muy interesantes! 🥰

    hablar

    Qué es el “colegio” – What is a “school”

    by Justa Rebollo Paz for LTL

    ➡️ Si buscamos la definición de la palabra “colegio” en el Diccionario encontramos varias definiciones:

    • 1.Establecimiento de enseñanza para niños y jóvenes.
    • 2.Establecimiento o institución donde se dan o se reciben ciertos tipos de instrucción.
    • 3.Enseñanza que se da o que se adquiere.

    1️⃣ habla de enseñar. Un maestro que imparte sus conocimientos y los niños o jóvenes, son los que supuestamente aprenden… pero no los menciona.

    2️⃣ involucra no solamente al que da, sino también al que recibe! Buenísimo!… Pero me hace pensar otra vez en una educación obsoleta, cuando habla de “instrucción”.

    3️⃣ habla de una “enseñanza que se da o que se adquiere”… me gusta más, porque en un sistema educativo, todos aprendemos, alumnos, maestros, directivos.

    colegio

    🤔 Pero sigo pensando en qué es el colegio. No es solo hablar de enseñanzas, aprendizajes, alumnos y maestros. No es solo contenidos académicos como se sostenía hace 100 años. No están involucrados solamente los alumnos y los maestros.

    🤍 Un colegio es MUCHO MÁS que eso. 🤍 Un colegio es (o debería ser):

    ✔️un espacio de encuentro donde se aprende a ser amigos

    ✔️un lugar de formación en valores para la vida

    ✔️una casa para toda la familia, para que participe, se comprometa y se involucre

    ✔️un lugar seguro, cálido, que denote confianza, cobija y protección

    ✔️un ambiente lleno de motivación, risas, humor y alegría

    ✔️un espacio donde uno puede desplegar su creatividad, su arte y su sensibilidad

    ✔️en donde las fortalezas de cada uno son buscadas, encontradas y destacadas, y las debilidades son acompañadas por todos

    ✔️una casa de contención, donde cada alumno, cada familia, y cada integrante del equipo docente y no docente, pueda sentirse escuchado, abrazado y cuidado

    🤍 Un colegio es mucho más que un lugar para aprender

    Bueno, si. Es un lugar para aprender… pero muchísimas más cosas, que solamente contenidos académicos.

    🤍 Ojalá un colegio baste, y no haya que complementarlo con otras actividades extras

    🤍 Ojalá, como padres estemos tan tranquilos sabiendo que vamos hacia el mismo norte, que podamos descansar cuando no nos dan las manos en casa.

    🤍 Ojalá encuentres un colegio para tus hijos que sea a tu medida.


    ➡️ If we look for the definition of the word “school” in the Dictionary we find several definitions:

    • 1.A teaching establishment for children and young people.
    • 2.Establishment or institution where certain types of instruction are given or received.
    • 3. Teaching that is given or acquired.

    1️⃣ talks about teaching. A teacher who imparts his knowledge and the children or young people are the ones who supposedly learn… but it only mentions teaching.

    2️⃣ involves not only the one who gives, but also the one who receives! Great!… But it makes me think again of an obsolete education, when it talks about “instruction.”

    3️⃣ speaks of a “teaching that is given or acquired”… I like it better, because in an educational system, we all learn, students, teachers, managers.

    🤔 But I keep thinking about what school is. It is not just talking about teaching, learning, students and teachers. It is not just academic content as it has been the norm for 100 years. It’s not just students and teachers involved.

    🤍  A school is MUCH MORE than that. 🤍  A school is (or should be):

    ✔️a meeting space where you learn to be friends

    ✔️a place of training in values ​​for life

    ✔️a ‘house’ for the whole family, so that they can participate, commit, and get involved

    ✔️a safe, warm place that denotes trust, shelter, and protection

    ✔️an environment full of motivation, laughter, humor, and joy

    ✔️a space where one can display creativity, art, and sensitivity

    ✔️where the strengths of each one are sought, found, and highlighted, and the weaknesses are accompanied by everyone

    ✔️a ‘containment’ house, where each student, each family, and each member of the teaching and non-teaching team, can feel heard, embraced, and cared for

    🤍 A school is much more than a place to learn

    Well, it is a place to learn… but many more things than just academic content.

    🤍 Hopefully one school is enough, and it does not have to be complemented with other extra activities

    🤍 Hopefully, as parents we can be calm knowing that we share the same values and that we can trust when our hands are full.

    🤍 I hope you find a school for your children that suits your family.


    Contact Justa Rebollo Paz with Educar a Consciencia through


    Globally Grooving: Using Authentic Music in the Language Classroom

    by Noemí Rodríguez (LTL Contributor)

    I LOVE using music in my classroom with students. How about you? Music is engaging, helps with retention of key structures & vocabulary and provides a great lens into the target language and culture! Between the awesome, dance-promoting beats, incredible repetition and cultural connections, music is an easy way to check off several boxes as a world language teacher! Here are some of my top ways to globally grove with your students!

    Use Music to Investigate Target Culture

    Using music goes WAY BEYOND just the lyrics! Before listening to a song with students, why not delve into a musician or band’s background- who are they? where are they from? how long have they been together? what kind do they make? Play the music video – without sound – and ask students to make observations about what they see. Can students create a list related to our 3Ps: practices, perspectives, products from the target culture? Or write a simple story around what they see? Would you, as the classroom teacher, be able to design a Movietalk around this music video?

    Please see this previous blog post to learn more about the Movietalk technique. In the music video, is there dancing? Can students in your class try the dance from the music video? Or can they create their own dance? If you can get your students moving – sometimes my high school students were a bit reluctant – dancing to music can be SO FUN!

    Music Competitions

    Whether you have students compete in a dance off, lip sync battle, or karaoke competition, using music each week can be incredibly engaging for all learners. Assign a new song each week to your groups! Try it! Students listen to the song for a few minutes during each class, with lyrics provided and if you want to infuse some gestures to match the lyrics – why not?

    On Fridays…

    On Fridays, I would host our weekly music competition towards the end of our time together and we had a “batalla” between each of the classes. Would Period 1 sweep the competition this week or perhaps Period 4? I kept a simple tally of “points” for their combined efforts in singing, dancing and overall enthusiasm with performing our weekly song as a class. The class that “wins” for the week would receive a certificate of musical talent (template here)- which all students would sign – I laminate and would proudly display in our classroom.

    Other Educators…

    For my weekly competitions, I used authentic music and sometimes, music made for students learning a language – Señor Wooly and Canciones de HipHop by the textbook series: Realidades were easy to use with students for their catchy beats and simple lyrics.

    Señor Wooly also has a great website with a ton of activities embedded around his catchy tunes! And if you can – pick up some of those inflatable microphones, it can really inspire students to sing!

    *Señor Ashby hosts two annual music competitions known as “Locura de marzo” and “Locotubre” – in the Facebook community, teachers are so incredibly generous with their creative creations and I SO appreciate that all of the authentic songs are carefully selected by educators – so you know the songs are a-ok to sing with students!

    Leading up to each competition, teachers share activities, readings, slideshows- all connected to the songs that as deemed the “sweet sixteen”. Voting takes places on a GLOBAL level and students can predict their winners from the very start- just like a March Madness Basketball Bracket! There are plenty of Spotify playlists too, and here is one by Cassie Molloy that has all of the previous songs in one place, over eight hours!

    *Maniemusicale is available for my French teacher friends.

    authentic music

    Cloze Activities

    An easy way to have students listen to the music is to create a cloze activity, as they listen, they fill in what is missing from the lyrics! A great website that can help students listen for what is missing is lyricstraining.com. I’ve had one student volunteer sit and fill in what is missing, as the class sings the song out loud, filling in what they believe is missing and music videos are available from all over the globe!

    There are also many teachers who have generated AMAZING Activities on the topic for the WL classroom. Here are some of my favorites from the Spanish teacher community – Bertha Degadillo shares ideas on her blog & resources on her TPT page, Kara Jacobs has resources on her blog page: CEAuthRes, and Allison Wienhold has competitions during Hispanic Heritage Month, as well as música miércoles on her blog & TPT store .

    Extension Activities

    Draw images to represent the lyrics/chorus in a song, have students compare & contrast.

    Lyric scramble – students put the lyrics in the correct order after listening.

    -Create (or have students create) true/false statements or guiding questions about the lyrics.

    -Use a word cloud (generated from the chorus or lyrics) to either pre-teach vocabulary or help prompt a post-viewing writing activity.

    Change it up! Have students use the melody and create their own song / change the lyrics.

    -Use music as a timer for your Daily Do Now or Classroom Activities.

    Music For my Elementary Friends

    Having time with my almost nine month old, I have enjoyed singing along to several songs in Spanish made for young children! We dance, move around and sing to the tunes every day- many involve animals! Here are some of my favorites {so far!} for the little ones!

    Tortuga, Tortuga La Vaca Lola Susanita tiene un ratón Los pollitos dicen pio pio Veo Veo

    I hope you are inspired to use music with your students this week and always! If you have any other ideas or resources for the language classroom related to songs, please feel free to share below!


    For more blogs on the topic visit

    El subjuntivo entre acordes: Canciones para el nivel intermedio (in Spanish)

    by Ramón Clavijo (LTL Contributor)

    ¿No te parece fascinante que tus alumnos retengan con facilidad las letras de las canciones 🎶🥰, incluso de las más complejas? Es asombroso ver cómo reproducen sin aparente dificultad sus palabras más complicadas, sus rimas, su sintaxis… En efecto, las canciones son una puerta al español que los profesores debemos mantener no solo abierta, sino además bien cuidada y con sus goznes en perfecto funcionamiento 🚪🎵.

    Por eso, hoy nos gustaría hablarte de una serie de canciones que te pueden venir muy bien para abrirles de par en par a tus estudiantes las puertas del subjuntivo. Y para ello, nos vamos a centrar en las siguientes estructuras con las que expresar deseos y peticiones en español:


    👉 Querer + infinitivo / querer que + subjuntivo.

    Podemos encontrar un buen contraste entre una y otra matriz en la canción Quiero tener tu presencia, de Seguridad Social. Canción noventera, marchosa, con buen ritmo y trazas de denuncia social.


    👉 Ojalá (que) + subjuntivo.

    Para trabajar con esta estructura podemos recurrir a un clásico entre los clásicos: Ojalá que llueva café, de Juan Luis Guerra 🌧☕️. Con ella, además, podemos ver léxico relacionado con el español de América (en especial, productos agrícolas 🍯🥔🍓), sin olvidarnos tampoco de la reivindicación social.


    👉 Que + subjuntivo.

    En relación con esta matriz, te presentamos a otra veterana de las “canciones ELE”: Shakira. Hubo un tiempo en el que sus letras tenían un contenido profundo. De esa época, rescatamos para ti la canción Que me quedes tú, cuya sucesión de verbos en subjuntivo hace todavía más bonito su mensaje de amor 🥰.


    👉 Pedir que + subjuntivo.

    No dejamos Colombia 🇨🇴 para trabajar la siguiente estructura. En este caso, te hablamos de A Dios le pido, canción con la que Juanes se hizo conocido en España allá por el cambio de milenio. Amor ❤️ y contenido social 🌎 a partes iguales en una canción de la que no dudamos que le gustará a tus estudiantes.


    👉 Solo le pido a Dios

    Y ya que hablamos de pedirle cosas a Dios 🙏, no podemos terminar esta entrada sin mencionar al cantautor argentino 🇦🇷 León Gieco y su Solo le pido a Dios: guitarra, armónica, voz rasgada, letra reivindicativa y subjuntivo.

    ¿Qué más podemos pedir?

    A ti, lo único que te pedimos es que nunca pierdas la pasión por enseñar el subjuntivo… 😊

    Nube de palabras (subjuntivo)

    Book Review Summer Contest / Concurso de verano de reseñas de libros

    by María Martínez (LTL Contributor)

    Book review contest with prizes for winners

    Here’s to a summer with fewer screens and more reading to let your imagination soar!

    A contest for all ages with 4 categories: Infant, Primary, High School, and Over 18. With prizes for the winners donated by fantastic writers that will make your imagination fly. We invite you to participate and share with your friends and family.


    Concurso de reseñas de libros

    ¡Por un verano con menos pantallas y más lectura para dejar volar tu imaginación!

    Un concurso para todas las edades con 4 categorías: Infantil, Primaria, Secundaria y Mayores de 18. Con premios para los ganadores donados por fantásticos escritores que harán volar tu imaginación. Anímate a participar y comparte con tus amigos y familiares.

    Las reseñas o recomendaciones de libros deben incluir los siguientes puntos:

    Infantil:


    Primaria

    Plazo de presentación:

    31 de agosto de 2024

    Email: bilingualcerebros@gmail.com


    Meaningful Feedback is Critical for All 

    https://languageteachinglab.com

    by Noemí Rodriguez (LTL Contributor)

    Feedback is essential to the learning process, whether we seek it or we receive it. 

    Learning and teaching are incredibly dependent on feedback. What opportunities do you provide for your students to receive feedback and reflect? And, as an educator, how do you seek feedback from your colleagues, administration or students to enhance your lessons?

    In my classroom, I create opportunities for students to receive feedback through individual conferences, peer review activities, and self-assessment exercises. This allows them to reflect on their strengths and consider actionable next steps to assist themselves in their language development. And, as a language educator, I actively seek feedback from my colleagues, administration, and my students to refine my teaching methods and ensure my lessons are engaging and effective.

    https://languageteachinglab.com

    Feedback for Teachers

    Teachers can welcome their students at different points in the year, to share their own (anonymous) comments about how the class is organized and running. Teachers can set up online surveys or a Google form, to have this feedback take place in an environment where students feel comfortable to share their honest opinions.

    Another idea that comes to mind is with a professional development model of teachers learning from teachers. Using whichever evaluation model a local district has put into place, teachers can observe each other’s lessons and provide realistic feedback as to what they feel went well during the lesson and what maybe did not go so well. Teachers can help each other by targeting specific goals that they may have for themselves. Teachers can also learn new strategies and techniques from each other, by watching model lessons and providing constructive criticism to one another. 

    When you create an environment that is structured around meaningful feedback it also involves self-reflection. As teachers begin to reflect on their own practices, they can provide feedback to themselves by taking a closer look at their lessons, assessments and techniques used to engage student learning. Posing a different question/comment each month for a teaching staff to consider, may be a good starting point. Then, allowing for the articulation of these self reflective ideas & practices during department meeting time, may allow for these professionals to really make meaning of what they do each day and realize whether or not it is deemed to be effective or how it can be improved. 

    *The TELL Project also offers an array of self-reflection tools for language educators. 

    Feedback for Students

    Providing one on one feedback to our students is so valuable to their learning and progress in language proficiency. In a world language classroom, rich feedback goes beyond simply correcting grammar mistakes. It offers specific and actionable guidance. When a teacher can pinpoint exactly where a student stumbles, they can provide targeted suggestions for improvement. This might involve recommending vocabulary that better expresses the student’s intended meaning, or suggesting alternative sentence structures for greater clarity.

    I often ask students to be self reflective in their study of the language at the beginning and at the end of a unit of study. Rich feedback also acknowledges strengths and celebrates progress. By highlighting areas where a student shines, the teacher fosters confidence and motivates continued effort. This well-rounded approach to feedback empowers students to become more strategic and self-aware language learners.

    AI Tools

    There are now several AI Tools that can assist language teachers provide rich feedback to students. 

    Briskteaching Under the “Feedback” tab, teachers can use Targeted, Glow & Grow,  Rubric Criteria or Next Steps as different ways to provide feedback on written submissions 

    Curipod  – Check out the AI generated feedback & reflection components that can be added to slides

    Microsoft Immersive Reader or HelperBird Chrome ExtensionBoth tools provide students the opportunity to listen, practice reading out loud and gain feedback on their pronunciation skills

    MizouGenerate a language tutor chatbot for your students to connect in real-time about any topic and further their understanding. The same chatbot can serve as a rich source of feedback. 

    PadletStudents and teachers can use a tool like Padlet or Google Drive as a visual digital portfolio space for ongoing additions and collaborations throughout the school year. 

    Students can self-reflect at several points in the school year as well. I appreciate when students set goals for themselves at the start of the school year, we have a one on one mid-year check in meeting and an end of the year student reflection. A student slideshow, Google Form or creating a vision board as language learners are all great ways to gauge self-reflections. 

    Feedback acts as a personalized roadmap, guiding students towards fluency and accuracy. By offering specific suggestions, acknowledging strengths, and fostering self-reflection, teachers can empower their students to take ownership of their learning journey. A continuous cycle of feedback and improvement paves the way for students to confidently navigate the complexities of a new language. 


    LoLogramos – Get a $5 off discount when you use the code LTL5 at checkout, exceptions may apply

    Last Quarter of the School Year in a MS World Language Class

    I don’t know about you but the last quarter of the school year in a Middle School world language class is at the same time the most rewarding and the most challenging of all.

    It is the most rewarding because you start sowing the fruits of your teaching. Students speak more, write more, and understand more. They feel empowered by their language growth.

    At the same time, after spring break, I usually find my middle school students more active than earlier in the year. So what do I do? I embrace life’s flavors and indulge in the richness of the moment.

    Throughout the year and definitely during the last quarter of the school year, I plan tasks that will let me embrace and indulge the flavors and richness of my students. Though not new, let me share four of the many ‘tasks I might use in the last quarter of the school year. They include collaboration, poetry and movement, singing and making connections, and dramatizing a reader’s theater. 

    https://amzn.to/4bpgQ3r

    Last Quarter: Magnetic Poetry

    After reading poems from the book Laughing Tomatoes: And Other Spring Poems / Jitomates Risuenos: Y Otros Poemas de Primavera by Francisco X. Alarcón, students collaborate with students in the same or in other classes or with students in other schools to write a ‘magnetic poem’ together using Build-your-own Online Magnetic Poetry Kit.

    The Magnetic Poetry Collaboration Plan explains how to bring out the best flavors and richness of students while having fun creating poems.

    https://amzn.to/3wq3oNV

    Poetry off the Page

    Through Poetry off the Page based on Glenis Redmond‘s workshop at the Kennedy Center, students learn how to best recite poems using their whole body through

    • positioning themselves to recite by planting their feet on the ground
    • projecting their voice to be heard
    • personalizing a poem (make it theirs through movement and gestures), and
    • doing it with purpose

    The poem ‘Paisaje en el tintero’ by Juan Carlos Martín Ramos in Las palabras que se lleva el viento is a wonderful one to implement Poetry off the page successfully. The poem also has an important message for students about their own active role in building their future and that, even if they fail, they can start again. 

    https://amzn.to/4blzskT

    Last Quarter: Songs and Music

    I enjoy teaching the song ‘Mundo agradable’ by David Lebon and I even created a plan in case you want to include it in your curriculum. I also explain the process in a video. 

    Among other things, students,

    • Describe and explain what the phrase “Mundo agradable” means based on individual drawings about their ‘mundo agradable’
    • Explain what they like about a song and how it makes them feel
    • Give opinions about the artists and/or the song
    • Explain which verse is their favorite and why
    • Explain how the song connects with what they know
    • Connect the song to the Sustainable Development Goals, the Human Rights or other topics or themes 

    We go deep into the song and we enjoy Latin American rock in the process!

    Reader’s Theatre

    Jill se pone en forma. It is a reader’s theater I use when doing the unit on ‘Health and Wellbeing’ as the book is about some ‘body parts’ who are concerned about Jill not being fit. The body parts collaborate in making Jill get fit. It is short and sweet but funny at the same time as the story is told from the ‘body parts’ perspective. 

    last quarter of the school year 
https://languageteachinglab.com/voices

    Try one or Try them all

    Some students shine when collaborating using technology and moving the ‘magnets’ on the virtual fridge. Others embrace the drama of the poetry off the page and their acting transmits energy. Some enjoy the singing and the beat of a song in another language. A bunch indulge in the richness of a reader’s theater that allows them to express themselves in the shoes of a character.

    All this while describing, explaining, comparing, giving opinions, and asking questions in the language. I am always at awe to hear the connections students make among the different resources I use in class. Give it a try! It is absolutely worth it to embrace life’s flavors and indulge in the richness of the moment. Moreover during the the last quarter of the school year.  

    Lo tuyo es puro teatro: expresiones útiles (in Spanish)

    By Ramón Clavijo (LTL Contributor)

    El teatro nos ha dado gobernantes arbitrarios, criados sin escrúpulos, príncipes atormentados y amantes irracionales. Pero también nos ha dado expresiones con las que describir situaciones, valorar comportamientos o juzgar actitudes. Conocerlas les permitirá a tus alumnos incrementar su léxico y acercarse aún más a la lengua cotidiana, así que, ¿por qué no enseñárselas?

    Algunas de ellas se refieren a elementos escénicos. Pensemos, por ejemplo, en las bambalinas, lienzos entre los que se oculta al público el trasiego de personal durante la representación de una obra. Por ello, decimos que hacemos algo entre bambalinas cuando lo hacemos de forma discreta, para que no llegue a conocimiento de los demás 🤫.

    Quien también permanece oculto al público es el apuntador, persona que, situada en una posición estratégica en el escenario, se encarga de dictar el texto a los actores cuando estos olvidan alguna de sus líneas. Su función suele pasar desapercibida 😶‍🌫️, de ahí que se emplee su figura para exagerar la ausencia o presencia de personas en una determinada situación; y así, decimos que a tal o cual acto no fue ni el apuntador o, al contrario, que fue hasta el apuntador.

    También podemos encontrar expresiones que hacen referencia a la actuación de los actores y actrices sobre el escenario. Así, por ejemplo, decimos que alguien hace mutis por el foro cuando abandona un lugar sin llamar la atención, en alusión a la salida que los actores hacen del escenario cuando así se lo exige el guión🚶‍♂️.

    Si alguien hace mutis por el foro, quizás lo haga para eludir responsabilidades. Otra manera de eludirlas es hacerse el sueco, en referencia a los cómicos del teatro romano, quienes calzaban unos zuecos llamados soccus, y de los que se dice que permanecían impertérritos cuando eran increpados por el público, de ahí que usemos esta expresión para hablar de alguien que trata de desentenderse de un asunto haciéndose el despistado 🤷‍♀️.

    Y ya que hablamos de actuaciones, cuando queremos censurar un comportamiento exagerado, falso, no creíble 🧐, podemos considerarlo una pantomima y calificar a quien lo realiza como una persona teatrera 👺.

    Por último, algunas de estas expresiones también contienen referencias a obras de teatro o a sus personajes. En este sentido, son perceptibles las alusiones teatrales en ser una celestina o ser un donjuán. Y a ellas podemos añadir al perro del hortelano 🐶, que ni come ni deja comer, o dicho de otra manera, ni disfruta de algo ni permite que otros lo hagan.

    Nosotros no vamos a terminar esta entrada haciendo mutis por el foro, sino que lo queremos hacer recordándote que más abajo incluimos una infografía que puede ser útil para tus clases 👇. Igualmente, te pedimos que no te hagas el sueco y no permitas que estas expresiones se queden entre bambalinas y que no las conozca ni el apuntador. ¡Enséñaselas a tus alumnos!

    Lo tuyo es puro teatro https://ifspanish.com/en/

    And the Stars Align… Combining AI + CI

    By Noemí Rodríguez (LTL Contributor)  

    If you are a language teacher, then you are probably using comprehensible input teaching methods (repeat, recycle, repeat) or have heard about them – it is not a surprise that by adjusting language strategically and providing input (either spoken or written) that is tiered to only include words, phrases and structures that students comprehend – students will be able to make meaning of the language and in fact, acquire. Which is how and why Acquisition Driven Instruction works so well. Our goal as language educators is to fill our student’s minds with lots of useful language, so they can USE the language in the future in their presentational and interpersonal communication. This is also why I believe WE (the people who use languages) keep the languages alive- and languages do in fact change and evolve over time, thanks to all of us!

    As Generative AI begins to take over how we “do” our day to day tasks – let me attend that meeting but have my AI assistant take notes, let me figure out what is for dinner tonight or let me write that important letter of recommendation – it also makes sense to look at how this incredible technology can assist language teachers with designing resources and activities with comprehensible input at the heart of the design. And, in addition to a CI lens, can we also harness the power of Generative AI to focus on true intercultural aspects of the target language (products, perspectives & practices) AND design lessons that meet ALL of our student’s needs? My friends – the answer is YES!

    Let’s begin with THE PROMPT!

    The most important part of using any Generative AI tool is how descriptive you are with writing your prompt. Chat GPT is continuing to learn YOU and understand who you ARE – and as a result, you must specify with your language, level, proficiency target(s), students (general information*), content, delivery of content and potential modifications in mind.

    I’ve designed the below guide to assist language teachers create a well designed prompt, with the intentionality of having the “export” align with your expectations. I’ve also created a collaborative prompt library for language educators, which is one of the many perks in joining the AI Tools for Language Educators Institute community. When designing your prompt, consider all of the different important elements that you would like to include. A simple rule of thumb is understanding the better the prompt provided, the better the output. Chat GPT or other LLMs of preference can truly serve as your thought partner, brainstorming buddy, content creator or my favorite role- your new personal assistant. Consider the possibilities!

    AI @team_lologramos

    So, how do we merge the world of AI with CI?

    It all goes back to your well designed prompt! By specifying the type of language instruction model you are using, reference using cognates in your language (hopefully they exist!), frequently used words from the target language and specific targeted vocabulary (not sheltering grammar & treating expressions as vocabulary words) – the content created by Generative AI will align to your ADI expectations. And don’t forget to lead with culture in your CI lessons!

    Plug the following prompt into your LLM and see what it can do!

    Be sure to change the language and/or information that is underlined to make the prompt specific to you and your language class.

    You are an acquisition driven instruction teacher of Spanish, which means you focus on delivering comprehensible input and making language easy to understand and comprehend for beginning language learners. You teach a group of 7th grade students in a suburban middle school and they are currently discussing their school schedules and day to day activities using Novice Mid or A1 language. Can you write a paragraph (no more than 150 words each) in Spanish in comparing and contrasting a typical school day in Spain with a typical school day in the United States. Include information about schedules, subjects, and extracurricular activities. Repeat and reuse the following vocabulary expressions at least three times in this paragraph: tiene, empieza, termina, es aburrido, es interesante. In addition to cognates and the vocabulary provided, use ONLY the most frequently used vocabulary in the Spanish language. You can reference this website for the top 100 frequently used words in Spanish to assist you with your development of this reading passage: https://spanishforyourjob.com/commonwords/, use cognates frequently. For this paragraph, create at least five follow up comprehension questions based on this paragraph in Spanish and one open-ended prompt for beginning level language learners to respond. Create a simple table with a typical school schedule with start/end times using military time and specific classes at each time in both countries, in Spanish. And design a simple dialogue between a teenager from Spain and a teenager from U.S.A. discussing the key information from the paragraph about their school days.

    Tools to use AI

    I used Gemini (Google’s LLM) and it provided the following Google Doc ( *asked if I could export the schedule/table into a Google spreadsheet as well). The fascinating part is that designing this initial resource for me took a matter of seconds. And of course, I can look at this “School Life” reading as an initial draft and go in to make modifications to further customize it, understanding that my students should comprehend at least 90% of this reading. I can also have the LLM create “tiered” versions of this text, further simplifying it or making it a bit more challenging, to allow for students to read the text at their individual reading level. And – to take this reading passage and use an AI tool to design a slideshow export – head over to Diffit.me and copy/paste your text into the third section labeled “Any text or excerpt” and let the magic happen! Diffit.me can also export into Google Docs, Google Forms, pptx or PDF files.

    Another great way to merge the world of AI with CI is with chatbot design and providing a low-stakes environment for interpersonal practice! I had previously blogged about using chatbots in the language classroom as conversational partners. Remember, your chatbot can be ANYONE! So who would you like your students to chat with? Someone famous? An artist? A musician? An athlete? And the same goes with WHAT your students are chatting about with their chatbots – you can ask your chatbot to target specific vocabulary and adhere to the provided conversational rules. Similarly to those reading passages, you have to set the specific parameters with language use and level to ensure that the chatbot adheres to your expectations and truly becomes a great language practice partner for your students!

    One more tip considering how a CI-focused teacher can leverage the power of AI tools – Generative AI can also design images, change backgrounds and create videos for you! So, if you have a fun story that you were never really able to locate the right pictures to match the storyline – check out Canva, Magic Design and see what image(s) or video can be generated for you. Here are some neat images that I generated this afternoon while working with a fantastic group of language teachers!

    Canva also now has Dall-E (OpenAI’s Image Generator) and as teachers, we receive premium access to this incredible platform. Canva has so many neat capabilities, I continue to enjoy exploring and experimenting- check out their “AI-powered” apps!

    Looking to dive in deeper with AI?

    Here is where I would love to continue to help support your journey as a language teacher! I have designed an asynchronous course as mentioned before: The AI Tools Institute for Language Classrooms (with monthly support built in*), host free-virtual meetings often for the Team Lo Logramos FB community, and will present a two-part webinar series in May with the incredible Joe Dale (@joedale) ! Please also do follow @team_lologramos to stay connected!

    I hope this post has given you some great ideas on how to leverage Generative AI with a CI focus in the future



    Students Move Forward: Proficiency in the World Language Class

    move forward
    students move forward: proficiency in the world language class

    Move forward, the theme for the month, was inspired by a question I have been pondering a lot lately; 

    How might a proficiency-based curriculum approach help students move forward in their language acquisition? 

    There is a huge difference in an educational setting between noticing language and acquiring language once students have time to process it. Acquiring language is making it yours to use when communicating. 

    This first question inspired other questions. 

    How do you implement a proficiency-based approach in the language classroom? What type of questions should I/ we ask to develop students’ language proficiency to move forward?

    A proficiency-based language approach has the objective to help students think and communicate ideas. 

    When answering questions, students demonstrate specific understandings, knowledge, and language skills that over time, reflect progress and the transition from one proficiency level to the next.

    Teaching for proficiency starts by asking the right questions to help students develop communicative functions based on a context provided: describing, explaining, comparing, etc. It is about finding meaning and having a purpose to communicate what helps students to move forward in their language acquisition.

    What is the data on the topic? 

    There is an array of data on proficiency-based language instruction. These are some worth- exploring resources:

    What lesson plan works best for implementing a proficiency-based language learning that help students move forward?

    This is one lesson plan template I use for planning for proficiency. It helps to ask the right questions and plan accordingly. Use it and let me know if it helps.

    What rubrics best align with a proficiency-based approach to language instruction?

    Rubrics may be used for grading, giving feedback, self-assessment, and goal-setting. They can help students understand expectations and components of an assignment, become more aware of their learning process, and improve their work through timely and detailed feedback.

    One possibility is the ‘single-point rubric’ as explained in the Cult of Pedagogy. Teachers can create the criteria to meet expectations for the assignment, provide feedback on areas for improvement, and have evidence of exceeding standards. The rubrics for World Languages from the Ohio Department of Education show examples of rubrics for each mode of communication. Organic World Language (OWL) also offers great rubrics to assess student proficiency in the language. 

    What do you do if your innovative teaching methods are met with resistance from students or other stakeholders? 

    Don’t give up! 

    Students need an authentic purpose for learning, relevant learning experiences, and a real audience. They also need to have these questions answered,

    • Why is this important?
    • How will I use it?
    • How does this connect with something I already know? 

    When I read the book Innovate Inside the Box: Empowering Learners Through UDL and the Innovator’s Mindset it reminded me to center my teaching around those questions important to students. This book also inspired me to create and innovate within the constraints of the educational setting I am immersed in. 

    Other things that can be helpful if you feel there is resistance from students and other stakeholders are: 

    • Communicating the goals and benefits of using this approach 
    • Repeating the goals and benefits of a proficiency-based approach as needed and providing new ideas and examples
    • Explaining the proficiency levels to students and showing them what it looks like in terms of language use
    • Evaluating and re-evaluating students’ progress
    • Inviting teachers to the classroom 
    • Understanding the perspective of other stakeholders

    In the classroom, welcome questions, ask students for feedback, create a structure to support ambiguity, and help students become comfortable with the uncomfortable. 

    What would you recommend for a novice language teacher or anyone who would like to implement a proficiency-based approach to their language instruction? What workshops, classes, or online/onsite courses would help achieve their goals? 

    I highly recommend starting your journey by attending an Organic World Language training, either online or onsite, as a way of immersing yourself in the experience. 

    Other recommendations include becoming familiar with the Teacher Effectiveness for Language Learning Framework and taking the Avant Advance online teaching training, 

    Of course, attend state, regional, and national conferences for world language educators such as GWATFL, NECTFL, and ACTFL. Get involved in your local professional learning communities

    Students and teachers alike will move forward in the proficiency-based teaching and learning continuum.

    students move forward: proficiency in the world language class

    Motivating and Inspiring Through Music in Language Lessons

    by Maria Martinez (LTL Contributor)

    Looking back at what motivated me as a learner when I was a child and I started learning English, brings back memories from my primary school years in a small village in the south of Spain. Back then foreign languages were introduced in Year 6 (at age 12).

    Before that, I’ve had my first contact with English through music like most of us did back then, listening to Madonna, Michael Jackson and all the great singers from the 80s, (I’m showing my age now…🙃😊) musicals like Grease, etc. And of course, I loved singing their songs without having a clue about their content and mispronouncing every single word: “Wi ar de worl, wi ar de children!” or “Laik a berjen, tach for the beri ferst taim” 🤣

    One day, I remember that one of my sister’s friends heard me singing and started laughing at me (not only because of my singing, but more because of the words that I was saying… Well, not that she knew any better, as she was older than me and the older generations were learning French…). I must have been around 8 or 9 years old, but I remember it really annoyed me and that day I decided that one day I would speak English really well and that I would understand every single word from my favorite singers.

    Some years later, when I was about 12-13 and I was already learning English at the school, I remember that I had fallen in love with the boy band of that time “New Kids On The Block.” I used to spend hours and hours listening to their songs, rewinding my tapes (very 80s!) and writing down the lyrics that I could understand by decoding them on my own and using my Spanish/English dictionary to find out what they were singing about.

    Ahhh the 80s! No Google Translate back then to help me, all manual… But you know what? There was something about that process that really helped those words and sentences stick better in my head and allow them to stay in the long-term memory and embed themselves as part of my vocabulary. 

    Don’t get me wrong, I am really in love with technology and all the advantages that it brings; however, I am seeing how relying too much on technology is making us all slowly less sharp… Faster for some things, but in terms of independent learning and reasoning, I think that the abuse of technology could make us lose some of our intellectual capacities gradually, so I believe that keeping a balance is very important. The key thing is to find the balance, like with everything else in life.

    Music in Language Lessons

    Going back to the motivation and inspiration when learning languages, I believe that Music is without a doubt a tool to be used in lessons as frequently as possible. I invite you to the section in my channel called  MUSIC & ACTIVITIES IN SPANISH & ENGLISH LESSONS, where I post and recommend songs and activities related to them.

    I try to choose songs that have great messages, key structures, verb tenses that need to be revised (subjuntivo, pretéritos, etc.) Also, I try to give ideas of activities that you can do in Spanish and English lessons. I hope you find them helpful and include music in your lessons to motivate and inspire students. Be on the look as I will be uploading many more soon.

    Check that section of the channel and let me know!

    ♡ Website: www.bilingualcerebros.com

    ♡ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bilingualcerebros

    ♡ instagram: https://www.instagram.com/languages_sra_martinez/

    ♡ tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@bilingualcerebros

    ♡ facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LanguagesResourcesSraMartinez

    ♡ twitter: https://twitter.com/LanguagesSra

    ♡ linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maria-martinez-5bb94a1a5/

    Con las cosas serias no se juega… ¿o sí? (in Spanish)

    Vamos a jugar

    by Ramón Clavijo (LTL Contributor)

    El diccionario de la RAE define serio/-a como real, verdadero y sincero, sin engaño o burla, doblez o disimulo. Teniendo en cuenta esta definición, no nos equivocamos si decimos que la enseñanza del español es una cosa muy seria. Nosotros nos la tomamos muy en serio y estamos seguros de que tú también lo haces.

    Pero eso no significa que siempre debas ser un profe serio ni que siempre tengas que estar seria en tus clases 🤨❌️. Y es que también podemos hacer que el español sea real, verdadero y sincero con juegos 🎲🃏.

    En esta entrada te presentamos algunos juegos con los que conseguirás que tus alumnos se lo tomen muy en serio pasando un momento realmente divertido. Vamos con ellos:

    👉 4 en letras: se trata de un juego ideal para que tus estudiantes puedan rescatar de su memoria palabras cortas y sencillas que seguramente ya hayan visto y conozcan. No importa si son plurales, formas verbales o topónimos; cualquier combinación que resulte en una palabra correcta en español dará un punto a quien la consiga. 4️⃣

    👉 Mim Too: juego idóneo para que tus alumnos pierdan la vergüenza y eliminen el estrés. Deberán hacer mímica 🫶 para representar a un personaje 🥸, objeto 🫖 o animal 🐶 que haga una determinada acción. ¿Te imaginas a un guardaespaldas regando plantas carnívoras? ¿O a una tetera haciendo patinaje sobre hielo? ¡Pues estamos seguros de que tus estudiantes sabrán representarlo!

    👉 Sospechosos inhabituales: juego colaborativo que reproduce una rueda de reconocimiento policial y que sirve para que tus alumnos, a partir de un nivel A2, puedan practicar el vocabulario relativo a hábitos, gustos y personalidad de una manera original. ¡Deberán ponerse de acuerdo para encontrar al culpable! 👮‍♀️👮🏽‍♂️

    👉 Dixit: las imágenes de sus cartas lo convierten en un juego atractivo en clases de español. Tus estudiantes deberán asociar una carta determinada a un concepto concreto (puedes proponer ideas como “subjuntivo”, “las clases de español”, etc.), en función de lo que les evoque el dibujo, y luego tendrán que adivinar la imagen elegida por sus compañeros. ¡La inclusión de este juego en niveles intermedios y avanzados es una apuesta segura! 🖼✅️❌️

    Esta pequeña selección no es más que una muestra del uso que se les puede dar a los juegos en nuestras clases. Juguemos con nuestros estudiantes, sin importar su edad, y conseguiremos que se tomen el español muy en serio.

    Juegos en la clase de ELE

    Chatbots in Your Classrooms

    by Noemí Rodríguez (LTL Contributor)

    After several months of highlighting different Generative AI Tools for the language classroom, the most exciting has been using conversational chatbots. The idea that students can practice their language skills in a low-stakes, non-judgmental way, available at any time and personalized to fit their language level is quite revolutionary. AI has the power to enhance our students’ language learning experience and also provide limitless opportunities to practice speaking in the target language.

    As with any AI tool, educators must design prompts that are specific to the task and adhere to the intended learning outcome. Within your prompt design, it is important to share who the chatbot IS, the language students are learning, language proficiency targets and specific key phrases/vocabulary you would like the chatbot to use. You can also set up your chat bot to be engaging, kind, funny, creative, etc. For example, with your novice learners, tell the chatbot to limit the questions and responses to a certain number of words for a student who is learning another language, repeat & recycle high frequency vocabulary and be supportive & helpful in the replies provided.

    In what ways can our students practice their language learning? Here are a few scenarios, prompts and a Chatbot Choice Board for you to copy and share with your language colleagues (or students!).

    Chatbot Uses & Sample Prompts

    Language Tutor – Consider designing a tutor for your students to practice their conversational skills or be provided with direct feedback given your language class, level and current unit of study.

    Sample Prompt – You are a friendly Spanish tutor, ‘Srta Bot’. Engage the student in a simple dialogue in Spanish and discuss what the student is like, characteristics about themselves, family members, basic greetings, foods, preferences in activities, clothing items and weather conditions. Limit your questions and responses to simplistic, no more than 30 words. Repeat and recycle frequently used vocabulary in Spanish. Be funny and engaging. 

    Role Play – A chatbot can be anyone….no, really….ANYONE! Who would your students like to speak in the target language with? Anyone from the past, present or even future can “come to life” as an interactive chatbot. Or how about a particular professional to interact with like a nutritionist, an astronaut or a climate change activist? You can also transform your chatbots into animals – imagine what your dog may say to you if they could?

    Sample Prompt – You are Greta Thunberg, climate activist, engaging in a discussion about the Amazon rainforest’s climate crisis with a novice French learner / student. Use simple sentences and questions to discuss the climate change effects on the rainforest and its inhabitants. Repeat and recycle cognates from the Spanish language related to the Amazon rainforest such as desforestation, climate change, animals.

    Debate Partner – Having students engage in a lively discussion about a topic that is relevant to your unit of study can be exciting and the chatbot can point out some important points that students may have not considered before!

    Sample Prompt – You are engaged in a debate about education. You will play the part of a debater who supports the opinion: not everyone should have access to public education. The student, who is learning Spanish, will play the part of a debater who supports the opposite opinion: everyone should have access to education regardless of age or gender. State your opinion and ask simple follow up questions, limit your questions and answers to an A2 or Novice High proficiency level.

    Design A Story! – Students can work one on one with a chatbot to come up with a story together! A creative way for language learners to design a story about any topic of study, create an engaging story for an intended audience and consider questions as well – to design their own adventure within a story!

    Sample Prompt – You are co-writing a narrative story with a student who is learning the Spanish language and has an A1 or Novice Mid proficiency level. The story involves three to four characters, a plot, conflict, rising and falling action and a conclusion that resolves the conflict. Be creative and original in storytelling. Provide helpful feedback to help correct grammar and/or spelling mistakes.

    Assessment Prep/AP Lang Practice – Before an upcoming performance assessment, design a chatbot to serve as a conversational buddy to review essential questions and unit performance objectives.

    Sample Prompt – You are a teacher of Spanish who is assisting a student practice their language skills before an upcoming integrated performance assessment. You review the following essential questions by engaging in a dialogue to help the student practice respond and share their thoughts about: What makes up a balanced lifestyle? How do you define wellness in your community? What routines, habits and foods contribute to healthy living? Be sure to keep the conversation all about a balanced lifestyle and how we maintain wellness in our daily lives. Repeat and recycle key vocabulary that involve cognates from the Spanish language. Be supportive and provide feedback related to the student’s use of grammar and spelling when appropriate.

    With these different chatbot uses in mind, there are two current platforms that I have used which allow language teachers to generate these bots for students and they do not require any identifiable personal information from the student, such as emails or full names. The student is an anonymous participant but perhaps uses their initials only or an assigned numerical code, so the teacher can later review the conversation on their end once completed.

    Chatbot Design Platforms & Resources

    Mizou – It allows teachers to design their own chatbots, search within a community of available chatbots, set their own to “public” or “private” and students are provided with a link to access the session, once the teacher has made it “live”. You can view tutorials on their site.

    SchoolAI – This AI tool has MANY capabilities, as they are considered an “all-in-one” platform for educators. The site has “spaces” available for teachers to set up for students to practice their language skills.

    *For both of the above tools and many others, I have created and shared simple five minute or less tutorial videos on the Lo Logramos Youtube Channel, be sure to subscribe to stay connected to future AI Tools tutorial videos for language educators & language instruction!

    *To learn more about how to transform your language classroom with AI, you can check out my newly launched asynchronous course: The AI Tools Institute for Language Classrooms to assist language teachers of any language! A seven session journey with guiding slideshows, resources, guides, helpful reflective questions and many videos, all in one space!

    Chatbot Choice Board

    To receive your own copy of the handy Chatbot Choice Board, please head over to the private Team Lo Logramos Facebook Community. There you will be able to request to join our community and later, access the Chatbot Choice Board for use in your language department or with your language students!

    Thank you for reading! I hope that you keep experimenting, sharing and learning about how Generative AI can help transform your language classroom and your students’ language learning experience! I do hope we stay connected and feel free to reach out with any questions, wonderings or comments! @team_lologramos


    LoLogramos – Get a $5 off discount when you use the code LTL5 at checkout, exceptions may apply

    Make it Happen! #GoalsProject in Spanish Class

    It has been great to focus on one goal a month since the beginning of 2024. So many times we start school strong to find ourselves drifting as the months go bye. So far, in 2024, we have concentrated in collecting moments and doing more of what we love. So, in March, we will continue with … Make it Happen!

    To me, to ‘make it happen’ is to accomplish what you dream of or desire by doing what is best for you and your students. It does not mean that it is easy or that it is a quick fix. It will probably require effort to solve problems and face different challenges. Thus, I want to encourage you to take the first step, take action, and make it happen!

    It was the end of January and I remember thinking: What do I want to accomplish? How am I going to do it? Then, I learned about the #GoalsProject through social media and I signed up as soon as I got the green light from my school.

    #GoalsProject – Make it Happen!

    The #GoalsProject is done by students all around the world based on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (I wrote about the SDGs in What Do You Do When You Learn Something New?). The UN SDGs are the solutions to world problems and a call to action to make it happen.

    The #GoalsProject is a richly infused 6-week global collaboration project based on the SDGs to promote taking action in the classroom. It requires students to practice 21st century skills: learning skills, literacy skills, and life skills, which are essential for students to succeed in life. As a world language educator, this was exactly what I envisioned for my students!

    The #GoalsProject also encompasses most of the principles of Powerful Learning. And what better way to provide voice and agency to my students than through taking action for the SDGs.

    To introduce the project, students talked about the SDGs and learned about their importance and how crucial it is to help in achieving these goals by 2030. This year, students dug deeper into SDG 12 – Responsible Consumption and Production. 

    Middle school was given 3 SDGs to choose from, and SDG 12 was the one we picked for sixth grade Spanish. I chose SDG 12 because it relates directly to the work we do at school with TerraCycle ‘to recycle the unrecyclable.’ 

    Activities and Tasks: Make it Happen!

    Some of the activities we did and some tasks my 6th-graders performed in Spanish class during their participation in this program are these:

    • Participating in a Virtual School Assembly  
    • Responding to Youth Ambassadors 
    • Having a video-conference with students in the Dominican Republic 
    • Completing a KWHLAQ graphic organizer 
    • Listening to videos about the ‘Circular Economy’ 
    • Completing a Systems Thinking Compass 
    • Creating a poster for Fact-ivist! 
    • Brainstorming solutions to problems related to SDG 12 

    Let me share a little bit about these tasks below. There are links to the sources used as well. 

    Participating in a Virtual School Assembly

    The Virtual School Assembly was a webinar in which my students participated with thousands of other students in the world. It showed students the scope of the project and gave purpose to what they were doing.

    Responding to Youth Ambassadors 

    After listening to what Youth Ambassadors from all over the world did towards the SDGs and why, my students found inspiration to start their contribution to helping achieve the SDGs. Their responses in the Padlet showed how impacted students were by the Youth Ambassadors speeches/ presentations to a personal level. 

    Having a video conference with students in the Dominican Republic 

    Connecting with students their age from another country in Spanish and learning about their projects was a highlight for most of my students. 

    Completing a KWHLAQ graphic organizer 

    To show students’ thinking we used the KWHLAQ graphic organizer which is based on six questions:

    • K – What do we think we know about this topic? 
    • W – What do we need to find out? 
    • H – How will we find out the answers to our questions? 
    • L – What are we learning and what have we learned? 
    • A – What action will we take? 
    • Q – What new questions do we have? 

    Using the KWHLAQ helped me see what students learned and what their interests were.

    Listening to videos about the ‘Circular Economy’ 

    The Ellen MaCarthur Foundation is all about the circular economy, which is key in achieving SDG12, Responsible Consumption and Production. We listened to some videos on this topic and discussed them. 

    Completing a Systems Thinking Compass 

    I loved having students complete the Systems Thinking Compass because it is a tool that helps students see the interdependence of any system.

    The Systems Thinking Compass is easy to understand as it uses the four points of the regular compass but renaming them. So the N for North, becomes the N for Nature. The E for  East becomes the E for Economy. The S for South becomes the S for Society, and the  W for West becomes the W for Wellbeing

    For example, having the SDG 12 in the center and thinking about the impact of consumption and production from the lens of Nature, Economy, Society, and Wellbeing helped students identify the issues and then connect their commonalities.  It was probably the most difficult activity we did as it required them to think in systems, make connections, and then present their ideas to the class.

    Creating a poster for Fact-ivist!  

    Researching data related to the SDG12 in Latin America was challenging as they had to find reliable sources. Students did their research starting from a simple Google or Bing search and narrowed it down to relevant sources like the World Bank, UN.org, Paho, Agenda2030lac, IDB, etc. In the end, students were able to identify data related to the SDG 12 that was interesting to them and complete their assignment of creating a poster using data.

    At the beginning, data such as the amount of food that is wasted, was surprising to them, but it made this SDG real! Then, they created a poster to represent the data found using a digital art tool like Canva. The cherry on top was publishing their poster for the world to see. You can check them out in the Fact-ivist Gallery. 

    Brainstorming solutions to problems related to SDG 12 

    Using a storyboard, students sketched their possible solutions to problems related to SDG 12, from recycling to creating innovative ways to wasting less food. They came up with such great solutions! Then, they wrote a sentence or two about their sketches. 

    Make it Happen!

    In a fun way, students learned about the SDGs while having the opportunity to think about the world’s needs and contribute with their different perspectives to make a change. This experience was very powerful as it showed students what they can do to help the Earth and that they can do it.

    I am happy to have made it happen for my students!

    Modismos con animales – El arca del español (in Spanish)

    by Ramón Clavijo (LTL Contributor)

    Si tienes estudiantes que están en la edad del pavo 🦃, te habrás fijado en que hay momentos en los que es difícil gestionar sus emociones. No hay que ser un lince 🐈 para darse cuenta de que se trata de una etapa complicada…

    Seguro que en tu aula tienes estudiantes que en ocasiones se sienten como la oveja negra 🐑⚫️ de la familia o de su grupo de amigos. A ellos hay que ofrecerles mucha empatía.

    Otros posiblemente avancen como una tortuga 🐢 en el aprendizaje del español. No pasa nada: podemos pararnos un momento, bajar el ritmo, acompañarlos en su lento caminar y darles un empujoncito para que avancen más rápido y alcancen a sus compañeros.

    Tal vez algunos sean unos gallitos 🐓 que necesitan reafirmarse en el aula. A ellos hay que tratarlos con mano izquierda, llevarlos a nuestro terreno y ganar su lealtad.

    Probablemente no falten los ratones de biblioteca 🐭📚, aquellos a los que sí les gusta estudiar. Es posible que en ocasiones no quieran hablar porque temen quedar como repelentes ante el resto de la clase. Hay que saber entenderlos y administrar sus intervenciones, para no exponerlos demasiado si no lo desean.

    Alguno habrá que tenga memoria de pez 🐟🤔 y apenas recuerde cuándo usar el subjuntivo… Debemos ser pacientes y no transmitirles presión.

    Linces, gallos, tortugas, ratones… pueblan nuestra lengua cuando queremos hablar de comportamientos o actitudes humanas. Para todos estos animales hay un sitio en nuestra arca. Así que, ¡no seas gallina 🐔, da el paso y usa los modismos con animales en el aula!

    Nosotros te ayudamos con una infografía muy mona 🐒 en la que aparecen algunas de estas expresiones junto con su significado.

    Visible and Invisible – Teaching Identity in World Languages

    As the new year started, I thought about what is important to me. To keep my line of thoughts, I brainstormed a phrase for each month. So far, I came up with ‘collecting moments’ for January, and I chose ‘doing more of what you love’ or follow your passion for February.

    I realized that my students’ work in the unit “Visible e Invisible,” where we talked about  ‘identity,’ encompasses both phrases perfectly: “moments” and “passions.” One definition of ‘identity’ describes it as “the characteristics determining who a person is or group of people are.” 

    In some earlier posts, I wrote about ways I work on identity and what I do for projects. If you are interested in reading about those topics, here they are: 

    Throughout the unit on ‘identity’ students went deep into learning, thinking, and expressing themselves about who they are, describing both the visible and invisible parts of -self.

    Including all Modes of Communication

    As a language teacher I make sure that projects include all forms of communication. Interpretive tasks, such as reading articles or watching videos, interpersonal, and presentational tasks related to the topic. The presentational tasks are usually the culmination of the project where students bring together what they learned throughout the unit.

    A couple of resources I used for the interpretive reading and listening are an article on the ‘iceberg cultural’ and the story “El dia en que descubres quien eres” by Jacqueline Woodson, which I read aloud.

    Students learned basic ways of saying who they are and what they are like in this unit geared towards the interpersonal mode of communication. Some resources that we used included Amy Lenord’s “Yo” unit and “Mi red personal,” an activity I did in an ISTE professional development webinar a few years ago. These activities and tasks helped students talk about themselves during T.A.L.K. practices and assessments. 

    I incorporated art into the unit. Students analyzed art like ‘Braiding’ by Lin Tianmiao and ‘Caja de memoria viva’ by Adrián “Viajero” Román (see: Professional and Personal Experiences Inform My Language Curriculum for more information about these pieces of art) to help them understand the concepts of visible and invisible developed in the unit. 

    The final project included a drawing of a half-face to represent the visible and invisible parts of self, writing a composition/essay, and recording a video where they talked about themselves using FLIP. After they completed the tasks, I asked them to complete a reflection about what they learned and I was amazed reading them.

    Students’ Reflections

    Let me share some so you can see for yourself, 

    • I am proud that I wrote a whole essay in Spanish. I liked that we got to draw as part of the project. I learned that I know more vocabulary in Spanish than I thought and I learned that everyone has a different personality.
    • I learned more about identity and more vocabulary. I also realized that identity has a deeper meaning. I hope people who view my artwork realize that the half face is to show the ‘visible e invisible’ on a person. I learned that everyone may not seem as they appear. I learned a lot of new words and their meanings so I can create more complex sentences.
    • I liked how I was able to learn more about myself because I described myself in a different way. I am proud of my drawing because I put down all the characteristics that make me, me. I learned that people see themselves in a way I could not see them, and I learned more about what they think of themselves and tried to make them feel like I understood them.
    • When I look at my self-portrait, I want people to know that there is more to everyone than what meets the eye. Even if someone is your best friend there are still many things you don’t know about them.

    The QR codes from their recordings and the half-face drawing were displayed outside the classroom, so the community could learn more about who my students are.  🙂

    Moments and passions also guided my students in their “Visible and Invisible” unit on identity. I wonder what phrases will guide me in the months to come.

    La banda sonora de nuestras vidas (in Spanish)

    by Ramón Clavijo (LTL Contributor)

    Decía Chaikovski (o tal vez solo dijo, o quizás nunca llegó a decir, pero eso ahora no importa) que si no fuera por la música 🎶, habría más razones para volverse loco 🤪.

    No sabemos si estaríamos más locos o no, pero de lo que no hay duda es de que, sin la música, a nuestras clases de español les faltaría algo 🤔. Y no nos referimos solamente al hecho de poner canciones en el aula para que nuestros alumnos completen espacios en blanco, sino a tratar la música como un tema en sí mismo.

    En este sentido, nos parece muy interesante el tratamiento que se le da en la unidad 9 del libro Etapas Plus C1 📚, en la que se presentan una serie de actividades que siempre podrás adaptar a niveles inferiores (de hecho, ¡funcionan muy bien con B1 y B2!).

    En ellas, se trabaja el tema de la música a partir de la idea de recuerdo, de vivencia, de experiencia. Y eso es algo que nos parece precioso 🥰 (y sobre todo, implementable* en el aula).

    ¿Quién no tiene una canción asociada a una determinada época de su vida? Pensemos en los tiempos de la escuela 👩🏻‍🏫, en aquel viaje sin los padres 🚍, en aquel primer amor ❤️, en aquel verano 🏖🏕… ¿Acaso no son momentos asociados a alguna canción? 

    Así pues, ¿qué te parece si promueves entre tus estudiantes ese viaje al recuerdo? Imagínate cuánto vocabulario podrán usar para hablar de sentimientos asociados a canciones 🗣. Piensa en las estructuras de las que podrán echar mano. Y además, combinando los tiempos de pasado…

    Pero puedes ir más allá: haz que el español también forme parte de su recuerdo. ¿Qué canciones relacionan con las diferentes etapas y contenidos en su aprendizaje de nuestra lengua 🎶📚? Seguro que entre sus canciones favoritas hay alguna en español que les ha permitido practicar el subjuntivo o en la que han aprendido alguna palabra que ya no olvidarán nunca. ¡Hagamos que hablen también de ello!

    Aquí te dejamos una infografía 👇 que podrás utilizar si finalmente te animas a llevar la música a tus clases de español. Nosotros te damos la “partitura”. ¡El ritmo lo pones tú!

    * Nota: Sí, lo sabemos, implementable no está en el diccionario. Ahora bien, la RAE no la censura, por atenerse a las reglas de derivación, así que nos hemos permitido el lujo de usarla 😌. Y además, ¡nos gusta mucho esta palabra! 🥰

    La banda sonora de nuestras vidas

    Literacy Strategies in the Language Classroom

    Picking up word meanings through reading is ten times faster than intensive vocabulary instruction.” –

    Stephen Krashen

    by Noemí Rodríguez (LTL Contributor)

    We all know and understand that READING is a fundamental practice to acquire vocabulary in context and understand how target structures function. Our learners need {ACQUIRED} INPUT in order to create OUTPUT. With this in mind, how do we as language teachers also take on the role as “literacy coaches” in our classrooms? How do we navigate through all of the authentic text or texts adapted for L2s and select the ones we feel are most beneficial to our novice, intermediate or advanced learners? And, what types of literacy strategies can we incorporate to make the process of reading meaningful and valuable for ALL of our learners?

    *SELECTING THE RIGHT TEXT

    -Is the text an appropriate reading level for students? (It should be easy to read! i+1) 

    -Will the text capture the students’ interest? 

    -Do students’ need prior/background knowledge to comprehend the text? 

    -Is the text culturally relevant & engaging?

    Text samples can be word clouds, comics, music lyrics, poems, train schedules, tickets, info-graphics, memes, tweets complied (#authres), simple articles, fictional stories, etc.

    Screen Shot 2023-02-10 at 11.35.50 AM

    There is SO much out there– you just have to simplify and choose what is best suited & engaging for your learners. Also, you can transform a “high linguistic” level reading to novice level by using the embedded reading technique by Laurie Clarcq & Michelle Waley (Hombre de globo sample*) Ultimately, I feel that units of study CAN be planned around literature and appropriate texts through guiding essential questions and authentic resources, as opposed to isolated vocabulary lists and by drilling grammar points.

    Resources:

    Non-Fiction WL Texts

    Pinterest Boards

    Close Readings (Non-Fiction/Novice High)

    Leslie Grahn’s Authentic Resources

    Reading Diversity: A Tool for Selecting Diverse Texts 

    Command Language Performance Books

    In addition to these incredible sources, we now also have Generative Artificial Intelligence tools such as Diffit.me, Briskteaching, MagicSchool.ai that can assist with leveling a text for our students and creating multiple versions, to ensure comprehensibility and to serve as being at that right level for students. These tools also generate guiding questions, open ended prompts and a variety of other activities which measure reading comprehension.

    *FREE VOLUNTARY READING (FVR) LIBRARIES

    Last year, I set up Free Voluntary Reading every Monday with our Spanish II students beginning in late February. We completed our Do Now, had our partnered chats about our past weekends and dove into our pre-selected (*non-authentic) readers as a class with an independent follow up activity. We read for fifteen minutes quietly and when finished, students used their notebooks to select one of the activities from the Lectura Libre options table to demonstrate their comprehension of what they had read during class time. In order to select which reader was the right one for each student, we completed a “book tasting” in advance.

    I was able to order 2-3 copies of the same text (many were ordered from Command Language Performance Books *I do not work for this company) and students were able to pass books around the classroom. I encouraged students to look at the front cover, back cover and open up to the middle of the book to read a few sentences. If the book was too difficult for them to understand/comprehend, they were asked to pass it along and try a different book. They scribed their thoughts on this “speed reading” log and at the end of class, selected which book would be “theirs” for FVR every Monday.

    Screen Shot 2023-02-10 at 11.28.27 AM

    Resources:

    Lectura Libre Log

    Independent Reading Log

    ¡Lectura Libre! Tabla de opciones

    *PRE-DURING-AFTER READING STRATEGIES

    Screen Shot 2023-02-10 at 10.54.55 AM

    Pre-Reading

    Building Background Knowledge

    *Using images, quotes, infographics, book covers, questions, songs, etc

    Using Visuals & Thought-provoking questions 

    Become Familiar with New Vocabulary 

    *Create a musical jingle with any of the words 

    *Organize these words in a human chain/web  

    *Play with the new vocabulary! Find ways to recycle any new vocabulary! 

    During Reading

    Demonstrating Understanding While Reading/Listening

    *Graphic organizer (story elements) to organize information

    Connections to Text 

    *Using post-it notes to make Text to Text, Text to Self or Text to World Connections

    *Reading Role Play (Literature Circles Bundle, Reciprocal Reading (free spinners!) – visual below*) 

    Screen Shot 2023-02-10 at 11.08.49 AM

    Making Predictions 

    *Select appropriate stopping points to predict what may take place next

    After Reading

    Visualizing  Text & Retelling

    *Retell the story, create your own story and write/narrate a story

    Comprehension Questions 

    *Create different questions to measure comprehension

    Demonstrating Knowledge: Presentational/Interpersonal  

    *Most important words, Sentence-Word-Phrase

    *Writing prompts (poetry)

    *WRITING STRATEGIES & WRITER’S WORKSHOP

    (1) MORE READING = BETTER WRITERSWhich texts, readers, realia, poems, songs, infographics, novels are you using with students? STUDENTS SHOULD READ EVERY DAY!

    (2) STRENGTHENING SENTENCESUsing question words: Who, what, where, why, when, how to help students revise their own writing and create powerful, descriptive sentences.

    ¿Qué? – What?    ¿Cómo? – How?   ¿Quién? – Who?  ¿Dónde? – Where? ¿Por qué? – Why?

    (3) PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES & SUPPORT FOR REFLECTIONIt is important to remember that writing is a PROCESS and it will likely take multiple attempts & revisions for student empowerment. Don’t rush the process, allow students to reflect, revise and refine writing multiple times! Use self-reflection rubrics to help students self-evaluate and monitor their progress. Use peer & teacher conferencing to strengthen their original writing sample. 

    Below are the steps to have students engage in a Writer’s Workshop:

    Screen Shot 2023-02-10 at 11.03.53 AM

    I’d like to highlight 4: Peer Support with a station rotation activity in class. Students can work together in small groups to assist one another at each station. Here are the signs that match each station, directions are posted below to help clarify what the expectations are for students. They can also use a self-reflection rubric, here is a sample for the writing prompt: Who Am I?

    Screen Shot 2023-02-10 at 11.06.18 AM

    I created this comprehensive slideshow (which you can copy/paste/edit) for any reading activity and to also assist with implementing Writer’s Workshop in the future. 

    Exploring the world through literacy can serve an enriching experience for our students!  By integrating reading into the daily routine of the language classroom, students not only expand their vocabulary but also improve their acquisition of the target language and gain a deeper cultural perspective with authentic sources. There are SO many wonderful ways to infuse literacy strategies in your language classroom! I do hope that reading is part of your future daily practice!


    LoLogramos – Get a $5 off discount when you use the code LTL5 at checkout, exceptions may apply

    Una sesión de película (in Spanish)

    by Ramón Clavijo with Academia Iria Flavia (LTL Contributor)

    Cuando hablamos de llevar el cine al aula de ELE, no podemos pensar solo en “poner películas”, sino que debemos aprovechar al máximo todos los elementos que el séptimo arte pone a nuestra disposición 🎞🥰. Veamos, por tanto, de qué manera podemos integrar el mundo cinematográfico en la enseñanza del español.

    🎶 La banda sonora: La música expresa sentimientos, nos evoca sensaciones, nos permite crear imágenes a partir de lo que escuchamos… Así pues, una buena idea, antes de ver una película, es ponerles extractos de su banda sonora (que sean fácilmente identificables) y pedirles que relacionen cada fragmento con algún sentimiento, sensación o situación (después deberán tratar de reconocerlo en la película). 

    👩‍🦰👴🏻 Biografías de profesionales del cine: ¿Qué mejor manera para trabajar el indefinido que las referencias a la vida del actor o de la actriz que protagonizan la película que vamos a ver? El input puede ser un texto adaptado, el vídeo de una entrevista, el extracto de un reportaje televisivo…

    🏆🗣 Galas de premios: ¿Qué tal si después de ver en clase una película que haya sido premiada les pones a tus alumnos el discurso del actor o actriz galardonados, o del director o directora premiados? Te aconsejamos echarle un vistazo a la unidad “D de discurso”, del manual C de C1. ¡Incluso tus alumnos pueden preparar su propio discurso de agradecimiento!

    🎞👍👎 Críticas / reseñas: Las opiniones cinematográficas (tanto las profesionales como las de aficionados) son un excelente input para trabajar no solo estructuras de opinión y valoración, sino también las diferencias entre el lenguaje formal y el registro informal. A este respecto, puedes echarle un ojo a la unidad 5 del Nuevo Prisma C1.

    📸 El poder de la imagen: Una actividad muy divertida consiste en proyectarles, por un lado, fotogramas de la película que vamos a ver, y mostrarles, por otro, fragmentos de diálogos (si estos son expresivos, mejor). Tus alumnos tendrán que relacionar las imágenes y los textos, prestando especial atención a los gestos de los protagonistas, así como al tipo de lenguaje empleado en los diálogos.

    Como ves, son muchos los aspectos que podemos explotar en el aula. Te dejamos una infografía 👇 con estos y otros elementos. ¡Seguro que se te ocurren muchas ideas interesantes para trabajar con ellos!

    Elementos de cine

    Gratitude and New Year’s Resolutions in the Classrooms (English and Spanish)

    by Maria Martinez (LTL Contributor)

    As 2023 approaches its end, I would like to start by expressing my gratitude to Language Teaching Lab for giving me the opportunity to share my experience and resources here and also to all of you who follow and read this blog. 

    Mindfulness and Gratitude

    In my last contribution for this year, I want to focus on Mindfulness and Gratitude. It is very important to always find the time for them in our lives and of course, in our classrooms and in our households, modelling activities that include these aspects for our younger generations. It must start from home, but it should be a part of the curriculum.


    In my Spanish and English lessons, I always try to incorporate mindfulness and gratitude in different ways. Sometimes through stories containing morals or a final reflection, which I have already shared with you in a previous article. And sometimes, through mental breaks in the lessons where I do breathing techniques with students, and also share my “Bilingual Mindfulness” Videos with them so while they close their eyes and focus on their breathing they can also hear these affirmations with soothing music.

    They are a fantastic way to practise mindfulness and at the same time reinforce Spanish and English. It can also be done as a pronunciation practice if students say these positive affirmations out loud. There are several videos on my ‘Bilingual Mindfulness’ section in the channel and I will upload more in the future. These videos focus on nurturing positivity and self-esteem and I recently uploaded one that focuses on gratitude. This is the link to the playlists of this section.

    New Year’s Resolutions

    This time of the year is also the time to look at what we have achieved this year and what are the goals that we still have not reached. Thinking about this helps us think about what we want our New Year’s Resolutions to be. I have some activities for this in the channel that I would like to share with you. There are two versions: one bilingual and the second one only in Spanish. In this video you can find ideas to help your students or children at home think of ideas for their New Year’s Resolutions while reinforcing their language skills.

    These are the links to both versions:

    New Year’s Resolutions (Bilingual video in Spanish & English)

    Propósitos para el Año Nuevo  (Spanish version)

    Christmas Story and Drawing Competition

    And lastly, I would like to share with you a CHRISTMAS STORY AND DRAWING COMPETITION – With certificates and prizes for the winners: books signed by the writer Trinidad Miquelarena Peña. Watch the video to find out how you can participate. Share with students, family and friends and encourage them to participate too. 😊 

    👉 https://youtu.be/l8g0pyylydk?si=uwMa5lXW_JAOEQXN

    There are many additional resources in the channel to support students with the competition. Please find the links below:

    Christmas Traditions & vocabulary (bilingual video in Spanish & English)

    Tradiciones de Navidad y vocabulario (vídeo en español):

    Christmas crosswords / Crucigramas de Navidad (Spanish & English):

    Short video to revise Christmas vocabulary (Spanish & English):

    El verdadero valor de la Navidad (una historia corta):

    Guess the Christmas Song (A bilingual game):

    Typical Christmas meals and desserts in Spain (Short video):

    Happy holidays to everyone and a great start to 2024!


    GRATITUD Y PROPÓSITOS DE AÑO NUEVO EN LAS AULAS

    A medida que 2023 se acerca a su fin, me gustaría comenzar agradeciendo a Language Teaching Lab por brindarme la oportunidad de compartir mi experiencia y recursos aquí y también a todos los que siguen y leen este blog.

    Atención plena y la gratitud

    En mi última contribución de este año, quiero centrarme en Mindfulness y Gratitud. Es muy importante encontrar siempre tiempo para ellos en nuestras vidas y por supuesto, en nuestras aulas y en nuestros hogares, modelando actividades que incluyan estos aspectos para nuestras generaciones más jóvenes. Debe empezar desde casa, pero debe ser parte del plan de estudios.

    En mis lecciones de español e inglés, siempre trato de incorporar la atención plena y la gratitud de diferentes maneras. A veces a través de historias que contienen moraleja o una reflexión final, que ya os he compartido en un artículo anterior. Y a veces, a través de descansos mentales en las lecciones donde hago técnicas de respiración con los estudiantes y también comparto mis videos de “Mindfulness bilingüe” con ellos para que, mientras cierran los ojos y se concentran en su respiración, también puedan escuchar estas afirmaciones con música relajante.

    Son una forma fantástica de practicar mindfulness y al mismo tiempo reforzar el español y el inglés. También puede ser una práctica de pronunciación si los estudiantes dicen estas afirmaciones positivas en voz alta. Hay varios vídeos en mi sección ‘Mindfulness bilingüe’ en el canal y subiré más en el futuro. Estos vídeos se enfocan en fomentar la positividad y la autoestima y recientemente subí uno que se enfoca en la gratitud. Este es el enlace a las listas de reproducción de esta sección.

    Resoluciones de Año Nuevo

    Esta época del año también es el momento de mirar lo que hemos logrado este año y cuáles son las metas que aún no hemos alcanzado. Pensar en esto nos ayuda a pensar cuáles queremos que sean nuestros propósitos de Año Nuevo. Tengo algunas actividades para esto en el canal que me gustaría compartir con vosotros. Hay dos versiones: una bilingüe y la segunda sólo en español. En este vídeo puedes encontrar ideas para ayudar a vuestros alumnos en clase o hijos en casa a pensar en ideas para sus propósitos de Año Nuevo mientras refuerzan sus habilidades lingüísticas.

    Estos son los enlaces a ambas versiones:

    Resoluciones de Año Nuevo (Vídeo bilingüe en español e inglés)

    Propósitos para el Año Nuevo (versión en español)

    Concurso de Cuento y Dibujo de Navidad

    Y por último me gustaría compartir con vosotros un CONCURSO DE CUENTO Y DIBUJO DE NAVIDAD – Con diplomas y premios para los ganadores: libros firmados por la escritora Trinidad Miquelarena Peña. Mira el vídeo para saber cómo puedes participar. Comparta con estudiantes, familiares y amigos y anímelos a participar también. 😊

    👉 https://youtu.be/l8g0pyylydk?si=uwMa5lXW_JAOEQXN 

    Hay muchos recursos adicionales en el canal para ayudar a los estudiantes con la competencia. Encuentre los enlaces a continuación: 

    Christmas Traditions & vocabulary (bilingual video in Spanish & English)

    Tradiciones de Navidad y vocabulario (vídeo en español)

    Christmas crosswords / Crucigramas de Navidad (Spanish & English)

    Short video to revise Christmas vocabulary (Spanish & English)

    El verdadero valor de la Navidad (una historia corta)

    Guess the Christmas Song (A bilingual game)

    Typical Christmas meals and desserts in Spain (Short video)

    ¡Felices fiestas a todos y un gran comienzo de 2024!

    Una lengua con cuerpo II (in Spanish)

    by Ramón Clavijo (LTL Contributor)

    Modismos con partes del cuerpo II

    No queremos que tus estudiantes te echen en cara que no les has enseñado suficientes modismos relacionados con las partes del cuerpo, así que hoy te traemos una nueva entrega, la segunda de Una lengua con cuerpo.

    Te traemos también una nueva infografía, que les podrá ser de utilidad tanto a los alumnos aplicados y motivados como a aquellos que prefieren rascarse la barriga (ay, todos hemos tenido estudiantes de este tipo 🤦‍♀️🙄, aunque ahora preferimos mordernos la lengua para no desviarnos del tema 🗯❌️). 

    Seguro que será un material útil tanto para tus alumnos más callados, a los que les da vergüenza hablar en clase 😳, como para aquellos que hablan por los codos y no callan ni debajo del agua 🗣🗣🗣.

    Estamos convencidos de que estas expresiones serán de gran ayuda tanto a los estudiantes que atienden en clase 😊👂 como a aquellos alumnos a los que tienes que vigilar con frecuencia 👀, echándoles un ojo cada dos por tres para asegurarte de que trabajan durante las clases.

    No tenemos duda de que será un material provechoso tanto para los estudiantes más nerviosos 🫨, que no pueden pegar ojo el día antes de un examen, como para aquellos más despreocupados, que duermen a pierna suelta incluso el día anterior a un examen final 😴🤤.

    Podrán usarlas tanto tus alumnos más imaginativos y creativos, quizás un tanto despistados 🙃, como aquellos más realistas y que prefieren tener los pies en el suelo 🤔.

    En suma, nos alegrará saber que estas expresiones serán mano de santo 😇🤚 cuando tu alumnado quiera expresarse con más fluidez en español. Al fin y al cabo, los modismos son un recurso muy habitual que ayudará a tu estudiantado a lograr más confianza en su producción 👩‍🎓👨🏾‍🎓😌.

    Nota: En esta entrada hemos hablado de muchos tipos de estudiantes. Sean como sean, de lo que estamos seguros es de que todos ellos son todo corazón 🥰🥰🥰.

    Prompts and Resources to use AI in World Language Class

    Let’s see some prompts and resources for AI use to get you started.

    It is easy to get excited with AI! It is everywhere for us teachers to learn and use. In the context of AI, the phrase ‘Building adapting students’ caught my attention while attending “Elevating Innovation Virtual Conference” earlier this month. I would make that phrase ‘Building adaptive students and teachers’ as for many teachers, this is a new arena. I pondered on this topic of ‘adaptability’ related to innovation.

    In sum, how can world language teachers foster and cultivate an environment for students and teachers to build, to design and to create with AI? Once you feel the itch for AI use in world language class, it is almost impossible to stop. 

    What AI websites for world language teaching are good-to-explore resources?

    Some good-to-explore resources are mentioned in the following blogs:

    • Matt Miller has summarized lots of resources for us
    • Maris Hawkins did a great job putting resources into action in her latest post 
    • Mr. Hooker also brought us great ideas in his blog 
    • And some well known resources such as ChatGPT, Claude, Canva, Adobe Firefly, Pressto are also worth investigating

    What effective AI prompts may you use?

    I attended Monica Burns, Ed.D @ClassTechTips during the conference and loved her prompts. For even better results, Burns recommends adding some of the following to your prompts

    • Curriculum goals
    • Learning objectives
    • Standard
    • Grade level
    • Student interest

    Some of the examples she presented included,

    • Write [number] open-ended questions for a discussion about [topic] for a group of [grade]. Make sure to incorporate [standard]
    • I am teaching [topic] to [grade] and they love [interests] Make a list of connections that can help them stay engaged and retain knowledge
    • Help me see the connection between [topic] like [specific example] and [what I’m teaching this week]
    Photo from Monica Burns’ presentation

    I am interested in learning from you. As I heard in the conference, “A key to building culture is having empathy for the ‘hidden stories’ inside others” as innovation will always start and end with people. How do YOU use AI in world language classes? What other prompts and resources have you used effectively? What other tech tools are your go-to ones?

    Una lengua con cuerpo (in Spanish)

    by Ramón Clavijo (LTL Contributor)

    Cuando un estudiante está con el agua al cuello 👤💧🔝, necesita que le eches una mano 🫳❤️. Si confía en tu capacidad como profesor o profesora, si entre vosotros se establece una relación de lealtad, estamos seguros de que acabará poniendo la mano en el fuego por ti 🫳🔥. Y no porque tú te creas el ombligo del mundo 🌎, sino porque habéis llegado a ser uña y carne 🫶.

    Pero no solo nuestros estudiantes necesitan ayuda. También nosotros necesitamos sentirnos arropados. Cuando tenemos la sensación de que nos hemos levantado con el pie izquierdo 🦶😞, cuando sentimos que no somos capaces de dar la cara 🫣, cuando estamos irascibles y sacamos las uñas 💅 a la menor adversidad… siempre viene bien sentir el apoyo de una sonrisa amiga 😄. Sobre todo en nuestra profesión: somos lo que transmitimos, y si expresamos optimismo, nuestros alumnos aprenderán mejor👨🏾‍🎓👩‍🎓🥰.

    Estamos seguros de que cuando te encuentras en una situación así, hay alguien a tu lado en disposición de ayudarte 😊, alguien que, sin pelos en la lengua 👅, te aconseja de manera sincera. Nosotros, por nuestra parte, tal vez no podamos hacer mucho desde estas líneas, pero lo que tenemos claro es que, si algún profe necesita recursos para sus clases, no vamos a quedarnos de brazos cruzados 🙆🏻‍♀️.

    Por eso, te dejamos una infografía con unas cuantas expresiones idiomáticas relacionadas con las partes del cuerpo, por si la encuentras útil para llevarla al aula. Y es que el español, como un buen vino, es una lengua «con cuerpo» 🍷🤭.

    Modismos con partes del cuerpo I

    Academia Iria Flavia

    Teaching and Celebrating International Days in World Language Classes

    Teaching and celebrating international days in World Language classes helps students see the power of learning languages. The International Days in September are particularly special to me. They help me set the tone of what is important in class, they help expand students’ global views, and they help me see how (un)comfortable students are in an immersion-style class. We celebrate International Literacy Day, September 8 and International Dot Day, September 15. In this post, we will only talk about International Literacy Day.

    International Literacy Day (ILD) has been recognized on September 8 since 1967, when UNESCO chose this day as a reminder of the importance of literacy as a human right. Each year, UNESCO adopts a theme and the one for this year is “Promoting literacy for a world in transition: Building the foundation for sustainable and peaceful societies.” I wondered if my students would grasp this theme, and  I was pleasantly surprised when they surpassed my expectations. 

    I presented  UNESCO’s theme, an image, a poster, and a book to my students, and used thinking routines to help go deeper into comprehending the concept of “Promoting literacy for a world in transition: Building the foundation for sustainable and peaceful societies.”

    First, students found cognates, such as,  ‘promoting’ ‘transition’ ‘foundation’ ‘sustainable’ and ‘societies’. and familiar words, within the theme for the year. 

    Then, students studied and described the image from the ILD concept note to go deeper in their understanding. It was developed by UNESCO and showed the relationship between literacy and the UN 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The image I used is the following:

    There are posters with the Sustainable Development Goals icons in my classroom, so my  students are very familiarized with them. They observed the symbols in the image, and started making connections. Here, they ‘got’ the word ‘peaceful’.

    The second visual was the poster created by UNESCO to celebrate ILD. Students worked with a peer and in small groups to describe the poster and then discussed it as a class. The poster I used is the following:

    International Literacy Day

    Students loved the poster! It brought the words ‘literacy’ and ‘world’ to the forefront. I had to explain with gestures the word ‘building’ as it is not a cognate or a familiar word to my students. After I helped them figure out the meaning of “building”, they got what “Promoting literacy for a world in transition: Building the foundation for sustainable and peaceful societies” meant. It was one of those ‘Aha’ moments in learning.

    I chose a book that showed a concrete example related to the ILD theme for 2023. I read “El violín de Ada” written by Susan Wood and translated by Shelley McConnell. It is based on the story of the “Cateura Orchestra” in Paraguay that made its instruments with recycled materials. Students immediately connected the story to ‘building sustainable and peaceful societies’. Many of my students play instruments so they made a personal connection to the story.

    Moment of truth! It was time to put ideas together. I asked them to connect the theme, the book, the image, and the poster to see how much they really understood. For this, students used the Project Zero Thinking Routines “10×2” in 5th grade and Hexagonal Thinking in 6th grade.

    I loved how my 5th graders stretched their thinking and completed the thinking routine using a limited number of words. They wrote words familiar to them and then they asked me if words like ‘creative’ ‘talented’ ‘curiosity’ were cognates and tried to figure them out in Spanish. Students felt so proud of their work, and I was proud too.

    I gave each of my 6th graders a printed sheet of paper full of hexagons. They had to individually write a word connecting the resources in each hexagon. Afterwards, in groups of 3, they glued their cut hexagons by grouping them by themes. In the end, they had to write a phrase that described the groupings. It was my first time using hexagonal thinking and I loved how students worked individually and in small groups, and what they created. All groups concluded that education is fundamental for building strong communities. ‘Wow!’ I thought, ‘they got it.’

    Have you integrated international day celebrations into your world language classes? How do you think teaching and celebrating international days in world language classes might impact your curriculum? If you have not started celebrating international days yet, start by choosing one that you want to share with your students. Then, think of one or two activities that you can include in your class. Next year you will revisit your plan and I am sure that you will be adding a spin to it. This is one way of starting integrating international days into your world language classes. International day celebrations set the tone for what is important. 

    Esto va a ser la junta de la trócola (in Spanish)

    by Ramón Clavijo with Academia Iria Flavia (LTL Contributor)



    The content provides information about the origin of the expression “la junta de la trócola” and suggests teaching students the names of common car parts in Spanish. It also includes an infographic for reference.


    En los años 90, el dúo humorístico Gomaespuma hizo un anuncio de radio en el que el mecánico de un taller le decía a un cliente que la reparación de su coche iba a resultar muy cara debido a que estaba estropeada la junta de la trócola.

    Si bien aquellos eran tiempos en los que no existía la “viralidad” de hoy en día, la expresión “eso va a ser la junta de la trócola” se extendió al lenguaje común para hablar de una reparación muy cara, aunque la mayoría de la gente probablemente no supiera a qué parte del coche se refería (e incluso hubo quien pensó que en realidad se trataba de algo que no existía, y que simplemente se había usado en el anuncio porque sonaba gracioso).

    No podemos pretender que nuestros estudiantes sepan qué es la junta de la trócola, pero sí podemos enseñarles los nombres de algunas partes del coche de uso común y que pueden resultarles útiles si deciden comprar o alquilar un vehículo en España o en un país hispanohablante.

    Por eso, te dejamos esta infografía. Esperamos que te sea de utilidad.

    Por cierto, la junta de la trócola sí existe ✅️: se trata de una polea que ayuda, mediante una correa o cadena, a transmitir la potencia del motor a cada componente del vehículo para que este pueda moverse.