Lesson plan: How to make reviewing Spanish letters and numbers FUN!

How do you make learning and reviewing numbers and letters in your Spanish class FUN?

How do you encourage your students to use the target language to practice their ABCs and 123s?  Please leave a comment below and share your ideas with us!

Here are some ways that I’ve used with my Spanish classes:

1.  Through song!  Even though I work primarily with high school students, they still get into singing the ABC song in Spanish.  🙂  The ABC song that I use in my classes is: “El Alfabeto,” from Sing, Dance, Laugh and Eat Tacos 2! by Barbara MacArthur.

2.  Asking for phone numbers.  Students can be silly with this one and pretend they’re asking for a date.  🙂  They can pretend they are someone famous and they don’t need to use their real phone numbers.

3.  Math and the Maya.  Teach how the Maya wrote numbers.  Even if you’re not a “math person,” it’s fascinating to learn that the Maya were one of the only ancient civilizations that had the concept of “zero” and place value!  Discovery Education even has a Brain Game using the Mayan math system!  SO cool for fast finishers.  You can find YouTube videos that explain Mayan Math.  One year my students got so into Mayan numbers that they always used the Mayan math symbols to keep score of games we played in class!

4.  Connect The Dots!  Using not only NUMBERS but ABCs too, these partner Connect The Dots activities are super fun!

This is a Communicative, Partner Activity— Students pair up and practice listening and speaking skills while one guides another through a dot-to-dot activity! ( GREAT for foreign language classes, but also awesome for younger students learning their ABCs and numbers! )

The letters and numbers are in a specific order, but NOT in numeric or alphabetic order. Students need to pay attention and listen to their partner to connect the dots in the correct order! The order is given at the bottom of each page.

10 separate dot-to-dot activities are included in this packet and each set of instructions guides your students to create a different animal.

Make sure you have enough time to give each student a chance to be the one giving directions and the one listening and connecting the dots.  I would also suggest printing off 2 and sticking them right into your emergency substitute folder!  ABCs and 123s are ALWAYS a good thing to practice, no matter what time of year.

If you check these out, please let me know what you think!  Positive feedback makes my day!  🙂

Enjoy!

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The Best Way to Earn CEUs! Traveling in Spain!

If you’ve been following me on Facebook, you’ll have seen a few photos from my summer vacation!
(I’ve been doing giveaways on FB if you can guess where I took certain pictures!!  Visit my FB page for your chance to win TpT gift codes!)

My husband planned an amazing trip through France (to Chartres and through Normandy) and then through Spain (we made a big circle through cities in Southern Spain).  It was an amazing trip because my parents were able to join us!  It was their first time in France & Spain!  Such a great opportunity to show them places I love to visit!

As a Spanish teacher, being able to travel through Spain and use the language and learn more about the culture is an invaluable experience that enhances our teaching.  Wouldn’t you agree?

La Mezquita, Cordoba, Spain

Did you know you might be able to earn CEUs (Continuing Education Units) towards relicensure through travel experiences??

(Check with your state.  The Minnesota Department of Education allows units to be claimed for related travel.)

I only wish we could earn the actual number of hours we spend in a foreign country towards relicensure…  (Insert sad face emoji… lol.)  I believe I can claim between 10-20 hours total per license period.  Considering I spent at least 20 hours just touring Spanish cathedrals this summer… And at least another 20 inside museums learning about the art history of Spain… But…

There really isn’t a more enjoyable way to earn CEUs!
  Ronda, Spain

 Toledo, Spain
Merida, Spain