Tag Archive for: CI Reading

Meet CI author Diego Ojeda

Do your Spanish students LOVE poetry? How about stories told from the first person perspective?

You should definitely check out Diego Ojeda‘s books, which might just be the perfect fit for your Spanish class FVR Library! 

I asked Diego a few questions to get to know him and his inspiration as an author. Read on to get to know Diego and his work too!

Have you always wanted to be an author? 

I started writing and publishing when I was 8 years old so writing is very natural to me.

 

What, to you, are the most important elements of a good Spanish language book for 2nd language acquisition?

To keep in mind student’s interests and language proficiency

 

Which of your characters do you relate to the most? Why?

To all my poetry because all my poems come from my own experience.

 

What kinds of books do you like to read?

I like to read books about education.

 

Describe your ideal writing space / atmosphere. How do you prepare to write? (Do you go to a specific room of your house? Grab a cup of coffee/tea? Go to Starbucks or the library?)

I use a very comfortable chair in the loft of my house. I can’t write while sitting at a desk.

Your Spanish students can get to know more about the immigrant experience through Diego’s work.

Diego has graciously gifted us fur of his books to give away during our 2023 ‘Spanish Teachers LOVE to Read’ giveaway to help you grow your Spanish class Free Voluntary Reading Library! (ENTER THE GIVEAWAY HERE!)

Poesía gramatical features comprehensible poems about different topics where each poem has a specific grammar focus. These poems help teachers show how grammar can be used with creative purposes. The poems are multilevel and great for any spanish FVR collection. Here’s what Diego had to say about two of his books:

 Nostalgia migrante features comprehensible poems about the topics of inmigration and emigration. Each poem reflects the author´s experience as an immigrant. By reading these poems your students will start seeing immigration from a human perspective, beyond politics and stereotypes.
Level 2, 3, 4, AP and Heritage”
 

Connect with Diego around the internet:

Meet CI Author A.C. Quintero

Do your middle school and high school Spanish students LOVE readings with a bit of mystery?

You will definitely want to get to know the author, A. C. Quintero, author of fifteen Spanish readers (and counting!) that are perfect for your Spanish class FVR Library! 

I asked Profesora Quintero few questions to get to know her and her inspiration as an author. Read on to get to know Ms. Quintero and her work too!

With titles like, ‘Las Apariencias Engañan,’ ‘El Escape,’ and ‘La Pasajera Misteriosa,’ it’s no wonder students LOVE her books!

Profesora Quintero has graciously gifted us six of her readers to give away during our 2023 ‘Spanish Teachers LOVE to Read’ giveaway to help you grow your Spanish class Free Voluntary Reading Library! (ENTER THE GIVEAWAY HERE!)

1. La Clase de Confesiones – Level 1 Spanish 

Themes: Relationships, school life, adolescent life, friendship, first love, school crushes

2. Feliz Cumpleaños – Level 1 Spanish 

Themes: Birthdays, relationships, school life,dealing with bullies, sports, adolescent life, friendships, overcoming fear, believing in oneself

3. La Obsesión Digital – Level 2 Spanish

Themes: Family relationships, food, relationship, technology, and cellphone addiction, intergenerational relationships

 

4. La Pasajera Misteriosa – Level 2 Spanish

Themes: Family, divorce, recovery, anger-management, finding friendship, personal growth, sports, travel

 

5. Las apariencias Engañan – Level 3+ Spanish

Themes: Relationships, betrayal, secrets, keeping appearances, school life, bickering teens

 

6. El Escape – Level 3+ Spanish

Themes: Technology addiction, decisions, teen life, crime thriller

1. Have you always wanted to be an author? 

I never really considered myself an author/writer, but I did notice my knack for storytelling  as a highschooler.  When we’d go to Mississippi for summer vacation, I’d hypnotize my cousins with stories from Chicago about the school, kids, relationships; basically, whatever made them laugh. I remember being aware of how to capture my audience, pacing the story, and prepping ford the punchline. 

Furthermore, during my senior year of highschool, I had a commitment group of friends who’d ask me to cheer them up with one of my famous stories. It was usually about some wacky date I had gone on. There was a story in particular that became one of my greatest hits: the guy in the banana-colored car. Earlier that year, I had gone out on a date with a guy from my cousin’s neighborhood (she had introduced us). After months of talking on the phone (no texting back then, but I did have a beeper!), he and I had agreed to meet up near a pizzeria. As I approached the banana-colored car, I noticed that he had brought his mother and sister along. The date was literally being chaperoned! It was so wild. He was probably 17 with a car. I was 16, so it was the source of a lot of laughter. I believe that my storytelling skills were honed during this time, and it’s perhaps my best tool in the powerbelt for teaching. We never finish a lesson on time because I am always telling some funny story. 

2.  When / why did you first start writing Spanish language books?

I started writing books in Spanish approximately 5 years ago. In fact, the first book I wrote was Cómo salir de la zona de Amigos, but not the first one published. At the time, there was a sheer lack of representative characters and narratives. I live and work in Chicago, and I remember reading some CI books and not really feeling a personal connection, even though they were comprehensible. My opportunity to write actually came when I had a really interesting class. What I was doing wasn’t working, so I decided to create “La clase de confesiones” to highlight the vocabulary and structures I wanted them to acquire. When I saw their reaction to the story it made me feel like I had reached them on some level. I worked arduously to learn how I could publish the book so other students would have a great experience reading. 

My mission from then on was to write books with a wide range of characters with a variety of experience- and not just the stereotypical drama.  This is precisely what I have tried to do with book such as La clase de confesiones, La bella mentira, El último viaje (all of which feature Black and Afrolatinx characters, which was very scarce at the time I started writing). 

3. What, to you, are the most important elements of a good Spanish language book for 2nd language acquisition?

From my own experience it is compelling high interest content that facilitates acquisition while reading. This has also been corroborated by research. When we read or listen to content that is compelling, it’s easier for acquisition to take root.

 Secondly, the content should have some type of personal connection. It has to connect to the lives of the students. This is one of the reasons why so many of my books take place in settings that are familiar to students (school, neighborhood, classroom), and the topics connect to their lives. Who doesn’t have a school crush, like Carlos Solis en La clase de confesiones? Who hasn’t made an unwise decision about uploading a silly prank or something they’d come to regret on social media, as the boy in the novel El escape? Who hasn’t felt the pressure of making extremely agonizing choices, such as Valeria, in El último viaje? Who’s day hasn’t been totally derailed by a text message, like Adán in El mensaje. And lastly, who doesn’t like a juicy (but appropriate) tale of betrayal similar to the unearthed secrets in Las apariencias?  

These stories resonate with students because they feel the joy, the pain, the hurt, and suspicion of the characters; it’s very real for them. Lastly, making sure the book is comprehensible adds enormously to the equation, however,  I also think that interest does outweigh comprehensibility on some levels. I have seen this in my class at times where students would choose a book like El escape, they’d read, and get so hooked that they’d flip back and forth from the glossary.  I even had some of my Spanish IV students challenge themselves to read La Casa en Mango during Free Voluntary Reading. I used to read Andrew Weil’s books in Spanish, and because I was very interested in the topic of health, I would look up words. That is not ideal for a classroom setting, but students who are quite taken by a story that is more will go the extra mile regardless of level. 

4. Which of your characters do you relate to the most? Why?

First off, I love this question! I mostly relate to Carlos Solis from the series “La clase de confesiones.” Truth be told, many of the embarrassing events in the book constituted my middle school and high school experience. Most of the teachers in both La clase de confesiones and its sequel La bella mentira (my favorite book!) are based on real teachers- even the ones that end up dating (spoiler alert). On a positive note,Carlos walks to fire, his character is put on trial, but he prevails in the end; my real life crush rejected me freshman year. Years later, when the tables were turned, he tried to rekindle that flame; but that wick had burned its last string. “Buddy, you had your chance!”  

5. What kinds of books do you like to read?

I love to read biographies, historical fiction, and books about the Black or Afro-Latinx experiences. I am reading “Indómita” by the Afro-Boricua writer Dalma LLanos-Figueroa. I have an ongoing blog post with my favorite books: 

https://wordpress.com/post/acquinterobooks.wordpress.com/1199

6. Describe your ideal writing space / atmosphere. How do you prepare to write? (Do you go to a specific room of your house? Grab a cup of coffee/tea? Go to Starbucks or the library?)

I love writing in coffee shops! I found this new one near my house. I usually listen to one of the Youtube mixes below, and I work. 

Profeosra Quintero’s reading, writing, and coffee space. ☺️

Connect with Profesora Quintero around the internet:

🐦  Twitter: @klasekastellano 
 
📸  Instagram: @a.c.quintero 
 
💻  Blog: https://acquinterobooks.wordpress.com/
 
📚  Facebook Group: CLICK HERE 

A Spanish book lover’s giveaway!

We’ve teamed up to offer a 🌟SORTEO🌟 with 4 prizes to help you build your Spanish Class FVR Library

Scroll to learn more about the prizes and to find the giveaway entry form!

PRIZE #4 : books, personal library stickers, $20 TpT gift card, and FVR lessons

📚 Author Jade Greene is gifting 2 of her books – ‘Sueño Hecho Realidad’ and ‘El Duende de Salento.’

🖼️ Stella Claire Shoppe from Etsy is gifting a set of personal library stickers (¡en español!).

🎁Srta Spanish is gifting a $20 TpT gift card.

📝 The Stress Free Spanish Teacher is gifting FVR Organizer printables.

PRIZE #3 : books, personal library stickers, $20 TpT gift card, and FVR lessons

📚 Author Diego Ojeda is gifting 4 of his books – ‘Poesía Gramatical’ and ‘Nostalgia Migrante.’

🌟Get to know author Diego Ojeda in this blog post!

🖼️ Stella Claire Shoppe from Etsy is gifting a set of personal library stickers (¡en español!).

🎁The Spanish Brew is gifting a $20 TpT gift card.

📝 The Stress Free Spanish Teacher is gifting FVR Organizer printables.

PRIZE #2 : books, Spanish teacher tote bag, $20 TpT gift card, and FVR lessons

📚 Author A.C. Quintero is gifting 6 of herbooks – La clase de confesiones,’ ‘Feliz cumpleaños,’ ‘La obsesión digital,’ ‘La pasajera misteriosa,’ and Las apariencias engañan.’ 

🌟Get to know author A.C. Quintero in this blog post!

🖼️ Tapas For Two Gifts from Etsy (You might also know her as Educando Entre Mundos!) is gifting a teacher tote bag (¡en español!).

🎁 Mis Clases Locas is gifting a $20 TpT gift card.

📝 The Stress Free Spanish Teacher is gifting FVR Organizer printables.

PRIZE #1 : books, Spanish teacher tote bag, $20 TpT gift card, and FVR lessons

📚 Author Carrie Toth is gifting 8 of her books! ‘Bianca Nieves y los 7 toritos,’ ‘La Calaca Alegre,’ ‘Vector,’ ‘Papálotl,’ ‘Bananas,’ ‘S.O.S.tenible,’ ‘48 horas,’ and ‘La hija del sastre.’

🌟Get to know author Carrie Toth in this blog post!

🖼️ Tapas For Two Gifts from Etsy (You might also know her as Educando Entre Mundos!) is gifting a teacher tote bag (¡en español!).

🎁 The Engaged Spanish Classroom is gifting a $20 TpT gift card.

📝 The Stress Free Spanish Teacher is gifting FVR Organizer printables.

There are 22 ways to enter the giveaway below!

(And you’re probably already doing most of these anyway! 🤭)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway rules: Giveaway runs from February Wednesday, February 22nd to midnight on Saturday, February 25th, 2023. Open to World Language Teachers. U.S. residents only. Prizes may not be the exact examples shown in the pictures based on availability. Winners will be chosen at random and contacted via Instagram Direct Message by @thestressfreespanishteacher or by email and must respond within 24 hours or a new winner will be chosen. This giveaway is not sponsored nor endorsed by Instagram.
Free WEEK of Spanish lessons about Paella

Free WEEK of Spanish Lessons

Free WEEK of Spanish lessons

Grab your free WEEK of Spanish lessons including a Spanish Comprehensible Input Reading about PAELLA! 🥘

¡Hola Profe!

Have you been searching for COMPREHENSIBLE INPUT resources, but not sure where to start or how to implement them? I think you will ❤️this free WEEK of Spanish lessons! I’ve included step-by-step lesson plan examples for Spanish teachers with tons of ideas on how to use all of the printables and supplements included in this FREE download.

Free WEEK of Spanish lessons about Paella

DECIDE WHAT WORKS FOR YOU

A lot of supplements are included with this free download, but that doesn’t mean you have to use them all! Decide what will work for you and your Spanish students. If you’re short on time, choose the 1 day lesson plan example. Or, if you don’t feel like you have any time at all, save this as an emergency substitute lesson for your Spanish classes.

EVERYTHING YOU NEED IS INCLUDED

Everything you will need is included! You can guide your Spanish students through learning the vocabulary & set them up for success by pre-teaching the Spanish vocabulary that is most important to know to understand the reading. Spanish word searches and Spanish vocabulary matching puzzles are included as well as a student vocabulary mini poster. There are 2 versions of the reading in Spanish, and both are suitable for Spanish 1 (with teacher led support) and up!

READING, WRITING, SPEAKING

Students practice reading comprehension with the lectura about PAELLA and the Spanish comprehension questions provided. Students also practice writing as they answer the questions. Students practice reading & speaking with the conversation task cards included. 

EXTENSION ACTIVITIES

After completing the lesson, you can choose to add extension activities of your own! A few examples:

  • Watch a YouTube video about PAELLA
  • Analyze an infographic (Find Spanish class Infographics here!) about PAELLA
  • Students could create their own infographic about PAELLA
  • Students could draw a short story about cooking PAELLA and illustrate it.
  • Students could choose another food from Spain to research and present about.
Free Spanish CI Reading Resource
free Spanish lesson about PAELLA

LOOKING FOR EVEN MORE COMPREHENSIBLE READING RESOURCES FOR SPANISH 1, 2, & UP? Check these out!

 

Interested in a FREE GAME to practice LA HORA with your Spanish students? Check out the link below! 

Free Spanish Class time game LA HORA