Language is more than mere vocabulary and grammar. Authentic cultural stories like this one can help students to communicate. Students need to know the background information that these kinds of stories provide to understand the metaphor-laden speech and imagery that every native speaker uses all the time—up to six [...]
I've been teaching Latin almost exclusively with Roman myths for the last three years - with very positive results. I shared this Darmok activity some time ago. Since teaching with mythology is working so well, talking about Darmok bears repeating. Download the updated Darmok classroom activity here. If you love [...]
Think about adding these expressions for "Excuse me" and this class activity to your repertoire. Stick it in your beginning of the school year folder so you'll be ready in the fall. Here is this article in a a one-page pdf printable format. I find that these courteous expressions [...]
SONGS FOR CINCO DE MAYO This is a set of 11 traditional Mexican songs—lasting favorites that will not go out of style in 2 weeks. The songs are in Spanish, with English translations and colorful graphics, and there are historical and cultural notes in English for each song. You [...]
In a Professional Coaching session with a friend and veteran Spanish teacher last week, she mentioned an issue that was troubling her regarding curriculum and instruction at her school: Some colleagues are spending a lot of class time promoting politics that are tangentially related to Spanish-speaking countries and populations [...]
Fairy tales from the target language culture are a valuable tool we too often have overlooked in world language teaching. Traditional stories teach both culture and language at the same time. .