My parents were the first African-Americans to speak Spanish to me. When they did, I thought, Wow! That’s cool. They know how to speak another language. Their knowledge of the language came from their professional experiences. Little did I know at the time, this would have an impact on my life. The Importance of Incorporating Afro-Latin Content Into…
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For the last three years, Spanish students have been able to follow the top stories from the Spanish-speaking world in El mundo en tus manos. Each week, Maris Hawkins and I identify important and interesting current events and write up comprehensible summaries so that beginning language learners can understand. As we prepare for the 2019-2020…
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This post is for all the Spanish teachers. No matter who you are, no matter where you are, no matter what or how you teach, this post is about your curriculum. It is about how you–how we–include afrolatinidad in our courses. It is about how you–how we–share with our students the many different colors of latino. Wait, what’s…
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Head’s up, USA: “Gas Shortage in Mexico could mess up your Super Bowl party by causing a guacamole crisis“. You’ve GOT to be kidding me. Language teachers share authentic perspectives Perhaps you have heard mention of the gas shortage in Mexico. In an effort to crack down on the costly huachicol (petroleum theft), Mexico’s newly inaugurated president Andrés Manuel…
Read MoreWhether you call them Stations or Centers, you probably love them—and so do your students. Stations give you a laissez-faire teaching day and provide lots of movement and small group interaction for students. Stations do not, however, come without challenges. Stations often take quite a bit of prep work. For the proficiency oriented, comprehension based…
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Film, politics, sports, conservation, and activism–these are just a few of the topics that the stories from the new EL MUNDO EN TUS MANOS subscription have addressed. Maris and I are passionate about finding stories that your students will connect with and that will open their eyes to the things happening in the world, near…
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Once I decided to teach for proficiency, I become hungry for stories–real stories, invented stories, silly stories, sad stories, unbelievable stories, scary stories…anything. Language is best taught when it is being used to transmit messages, not when it is explicitly taught for conscious learning. ― Stephen D. Krashen, The Natural Approach: Language Acquisition in the Classroom If you…
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What are you most excited about using in class this coming year?? What is your plan for helping your students to better communicate in the target language? What resources, ideas, and strategies have you learned about this summer and are dying to implement? Guess what? I’ve got a recommendation— News you can use Maris Hawkins…
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This spring, we celebrated the two year anniversary of El Mundo en tus manos, the news publication that brings you simplified news stories from the Spanish speaking world! It has been a fantastic two years, and I have enjoyed curating current events from around the globe to bring you interesting and important stories that will…
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Many of us pursued a career as a Spanish teacher because at some point we became connected to a Spanish speaking culture. Maybe we were born into one, maybe we traveled, maybe we studied abroad, maybe we met a cute guy at a salsa lesson and now we’re married and have a pile of salsa-dancing…
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