Spanish in the Summer

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Summer is rapidly approaching. There is a plethora of ideas, books, and resources out there to teach Spanish. Here is a list of all the ideas that would work well with summer to help your students/kids learn more Spanish.

{By the way, if you are a teacher and thinking of hosting Spanish summer camps, check out my series here with a ton of games, activities, and crafts to do your own camp.}

Here is the unit I developed on Oceans. {Free printables available.}

Si Quieres Ver Una Ballena is such a sweet and funny book about how to spot a whale. I have developed some activities for it here.

Here is a post with a list of Ocean-themed books in Spanish for kids.

 Books for summer...a great time to read!

I love doing this unit with my students in the summer! {Free printables available}

Insects are another great subject to study during the summer.

For the younger set, here is an activity to go along with La Oruga Muy Hambrienta.

Enjoy teaching Spanish this summer!!!

Teachers Pay Teachers

A few years back I discovered Teachers Pay Teachers and fell in love with the site.  Much to my delight their were tons of Spanish resources! While I don't sell my materials on the site I have greatly benefited from downloading freebies and paying for resources I want to use with my students. I will highlight a few resources so you can see what type of materials are available. It is so worth it to spend some time taking a look at all that is offered to Spanish teachers!

Free items

Weather Speaking Activity

Christmas Vocabulary Activities - These are awesome! I used them this past December. You can read about it here.

Hundreds Chart Mystery Picture - I love these to review numbers and colors. Here is how I do it.

Mafalda Body Parts Exercises - A great review of body parts using the famous Argentine comics character, Mafalda.

Days and Months Crossword

Penguin Prepositions

Spanish Alphabet Chart

Paid Products

These are items I have paid for and used. Really, there is so much on this site that when you get to a certain topic you need to teach all you need to do is search.

Ocean Animals - I will be using these soon in an ocean unit for my younger students.

Spanish Shoe Verb Exercises - Great review for high school students.

Synonyms in Spanish - A way to increase your students vocabulary base. 

Ser and Estar Worksheets

Polar Bears and Penguins - I used this in my Polar Animals unit.

Spanish Plurals Worksheets - Lots of practice!

Spanish Speaking Countries and Capitals - Activities and quizzes

As you can see there is a wide variety of resources. Since I teach students from the age of four all the way to adults, I need a variety of activities with different skill levels. Teachers Pay Teachers has definitely made my life easier when it comes to prep and planning! Check it out!

Need more teaching ideas?

Unit Studies in Spanish

Each semester I teach one unit study to my elementary-age students. It is a time to branch out and learn about the world around them and to increase their vocabulary. So here's a look at all the unit studies I currently have on the site. They include vocabulary lists, teaching ideas, book suggestions, and many of them have free printables.

Oceans- I am planning on doing this one in the spring. I can't wait! Here is also a post on ocean-themed children's books in Spanish.

Plants-I like to do this unit in the spring or summer. It includes two free printables.

Solar System-I just finished teaching this unit to my students, and it has been one of my favorites!

Rainforest-With this one, you can incorporate some geography of South America.

Polar Animals-Since I live in Alaska, this unit study was near and dear to my heart. Learn about the Arctic and Antarctic animals. If you want to incorporate prepositions into this unit, check out this penguin activity.

Pumpkins-We measured pumpkins and talked about buoyancy with this unit. A great one for the fall. This is a great activity to do during this unit. 

Pirates-Argh!

Insects-Great for the spring and summer. You can also incorporate this ladybug unit into it.

Are you looking for more teaching ideas? See the whole series here.

Upcoming Series: Teaching Tips for Language Learning

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I am so excited to bring to you in January a whole series on teaching tips for language learning! I have been working since November creating graphics and writing posts so that I could bring you thirty-one days of teaching ideas! There will be all kinds of activities provided that you can use within your classroom. Many of the ideas can also be transferred to a homeschool or small group setting. Actually, most of my teaching these days is done that way since I offer small group lessons to kids.

So here is a quick look at what is in store on Debbie's Spanish Learning...

I love variety in my teaching because frankly, I get bored easily! So I will have posts on how to incorporate art and drawing into language learning. I will give you ideas on how to use Story Cubes, stickers, and word clouds to build your students' vocabulary and increase their fluency. We will talk about how to incorporate pictures, board games, and even flyswatters into what you do. So please join me in the new year. My hope is that you will be able to glean something new that you can go use in your teaching.

This is the link to a post with the list of everything I will be discussing. Please note that the link won't work until January 1st.

Teaching Tips for Language Learning

See you soon!

31 Days of Teaching Tips Coming Soon!

It has been quiet here as I have been frantically working to finish a series coming in January to the blog, 31 Days of Teaching Tips for Language Learning. Here is the link (which won't go live until January 1, 2016). I thought in the meantime I would share the above graphic to give you an idea of some of the topics I will be covering when it comes to teaching another language. Whether you are a language teacher in the school system or a homeschool mom trying to impart another language to your kids, it is my hope that you will find something useful during the series that can help you in your teaching. I hope to see you in January!!

Teaching Tips for Language Learners

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I just recently started writing  a series coming to Debbie's Spanish Learning in January 2016! I am collecting a plethora of teaching ideas and tips to use in a classroom, small group, or homeschool setting. Some will be totally new ideas I haven't posted about before. Other posts will collect all my teaching tips for different topics like verbs, vocabulary, etc.  Many of the ideas will be applicable to other languages, too. So here is a quick look at some of the ideas I will be sharing with you...

This week I will begin incorporating Rory's Story Cubes into some of the lessons I will be doing with my more advanced students. I am planning on using the Action Story Cubes to review verb conjugations and tenses with my top students who are struggling with keeping all the endings from the different tenses separate in their minds. I am also thinking of using these cubes for writing and speaking exercises to develop my students' fluency.

I just finished typing up two new "Card Talkers" activities. If you are unfamiliar with these printables that I offer {They are free!}, please check out this post. All you need are the printables and Spanish Playing Cards (one deck per five students) to do this activity.

I am also developing some ideas for using word clouds to help with vocabulary building. Here is my Pinterest board of Spanish word clouds.  If you have used these before in your teaching, what do you do?  I would love to hear how you incorporate them. They are great for thematic vocabulary!

I am also planning on sharing the Spanish Fun Facts that I display for my students. Over the past year I have been collecting facts about the Spanish language my students can read about. For example, do you know the other name for "Spanish"? Castellano. How about how many Spanish-speaking countries are there in the world? I have also made small posters that talk about vocabulary differences within the Spanish-speaking world.

I will also give ideas for teaching concepts of time (months, seasons, days of the week, clocks) for younger students.  Other topics will be about using pictures, dice, games, stories, and even colored pencils to help you teach language.

So please come back in January for all the tips and teaching techniques. It is my hope you will find something you can use in your classroom or with your own kids!

Ocean Unit Study in Spanish

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This coming spring I will be teaching an ocean unit to some of my Spanish students {ages 4-12}. Here's a look at the materials I have prepared and the resources I will be using...

I LOVE reading children's books to my younger kids. Here are some options:

Cómo atrapar una estrella - A boy tries to catch a star, but in the end finds that a starfish is his friend.

Perdido y encontrado  - A boy tries to help a penguin find his home.

Una Isla Bajo el Sol - This is a sweet story of a boy visiting an island. The language is simple and repetitive. As of this posting it is out of print and is expensive. You might want to see if the local library has it. The price may change if they print it again.

Un Día Una Señora Se Tragó Una Caracola - Modeled after "I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly", this book has a fun ending!

Océanos: Mundos submarinos - For older kids with more language experience. This is more of a science book about the oceans.

Estela, la estrella del mar - I have been loving the Estela books in Spanish lately! Estela has such cute conversations with her little brother, Samuel. This one is all about the sea.

Si quieres ver una ballena - If you want to see a whale there are certain things you must do. I have paired this book with a drawing and listening activity that you can read about here.

Another item that I picked up for this unit is a game,Spot it! Splash Card Game . My students love Spot It! games because they are fun and competitive. I love them because when you use them in another language vocabulary learning happens fast!  Here is how I use Spot it! in my lessons.

To teach the different sea life animals (see the vocabulary list below) I will be using these cards from Teachers pay Teachers. If you make two sets of cards you can play memory and Go Fish with them.

Sea life Cards

For my younger students I will be using two games from Mrs. Home Economist...the Build-a-Crab game (a good way to review body parts in Spanish) and the Ocean Animal Race. You can find both of them here. Also, for students that are just starting to write I am going to use Peces Plurales to have them practice how to make words plural in Spanish.

For older kids you can have them create "Sea Life Riddles" in Spanish. Have them write a description of an animal that lives in the ocean in Spanish. See if your other students can guess which animal the description is about. I also have my more advanced student either write or describe an ocean scene like this one.

Here are some other activities that can be done in Spanish...

Ocean I Spy- A great way to review animal names

Pearls in a Seashell- Counting review for younger kids

Flota y Hunde - Do an experiment on items that float and sink

Ocean Zones- Great activity for slightly older kids. Here's more information on ocean zones in Spanish.

And finally, here is an activity to review the names of the oceans in Spanish along with the continents so that you can teach a bit of geography.

And my list of vocabulary for the students and parents...

Los Océanos Vocabulary

I am looking forward to all these fun activities and learning possibilities with my students soon! If you have any more ideas that I could incorporate please don't hesitate to share.

Ocean-Themed Books for Kids in Spanish

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This fall I will be pulling together a unit study in Spanish on oceans. Part of my prep work is finding children's books to go along with the unit. Here is a look at some of the books I will be using when we study oceans...

Océanos: Mundos Submarinos- This is from a series {Ciencia Asombroso} of books that have to do with science. I love the colorful illustrations in them and the simple language. I can use these books with intermediate to advanced students. There is just enough information in them for it not to be overwhelming.

Una Isla Bajo el Sol -As of this posting, this book is out of print, but if you can get your hands on it for a reasonable price it is worth it. In this story a boy is heading towards an island and plays "I Spy" during the trip. This book has beautiful illustrations and vocabulary that is repeated and added to on each page.

Un Día Una Señora Se Tragó Una Caracola-Another out-of-print book, but so worth it. This book is mimicked from "There was was a lady who swallowed a fly" except she swallows a shell, a crab, a sea gull, some sand... You get the picture. In the end, something fun happens with all that she has ingested!

Si quieres ver una ballena- A sweet book about a boy who gives advice on how to see a whale.


Estela, la estrella del mar-I LOVED this book! Estela takes her little brother to the ocean and educates him on the wonders of the sea. So cute! There are several other Estela books in Spanish that I may get because this one was cute, funny, and filled with great vocabulary for my students.


Hello Ocean/Hola Mar-The ocean experienced with all five senses.


Perdido y Encontrado -A trip across the oceans to find a home for a lost penguin. This is one of Oliver Jeffers' books in Spanish. He has several others that your kids might enjoy. {Oliver Jeffers' Spanish books}

Later this fall, I will post about the ocean unit I have set up...

If you have any other suggestions for ocean-themed books in Spanish, please leave me a comment.

Murciélagos en la Biblioteca

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Are you getting geared up for fall yet? I recently came across a children's book in Spanish that would be great for the fall or the month of October. I actually read it to some of my students this summer. They adored it! Murciélagos en la Biblioteca is a cute story about bats. For me, the words "bats" and "cute" don't normally go together, but the story line and the illustrations are just so precious that I couldn't help but love this book. One night a whole group of bats find that a window in the library is open. They fly in and spend a night of reading.  The book has been translated from English in such a way that it is still written in rhyme which adds more fun to the reading of the story. Brian Lies has written other bat books in the series, but unfortunately I don't see them available in Spanish. Maybe in the future...

Here are some other great books for the month of October...

Chumba la Cachumba- This is a great book to teach the concept of telling time in Spanish to young children. The illustrations are humorous and the words come from a traditional Hispanic song. Here is Luis Pescetti singing the song with a group of kids in Mexico.

Así me siento yo  is a great book for teaching emotions. After reading the book we do pumpkin faces based on the emotions we read about. Here is the post with more information and a FREE printable.

Another list of books for the fall.

A pumpkin unit in Spanish for October contains a vocabulary list, free printable, and children's books suggestions.

So what are you doing this October with your Spanish students? I would love to hear your ideas!

Top Posts on Debbie's Spanish Learning

Do you need some new ideas for teaching your kids or students Spanish? Here's a look at the most popular posts on my site...

• 1. For high school students that have been introduced to the preterite and the imperfect here is a file folder game.

• 2. There aren't many books out there for young kids on emotions, but I LOVE this one! It is the best one I have found so far.
• 3. Card Talkers are a great speaking activity for students that have some background in the language.
• 4. These simple faces on ping pong balls are great for reviewing emotions.
• 5. Dice are a supply I always have on hand when teaching. There can be used a variety of ways in a language classroom. Here are some ideas.
• 6. Here is a list of short stories you can use with your more advanced students.
• 7. All teachers love their supplies, right? Here are some that work well in a language classroom.
• 8. This pumpkin unit is the most popular here out of all the unit studies I have posted.
• 9. I love these "spot the differences" cards and use them all the time when we have a few extra moments in class.

• 10. And finally a post on teaching geography in Spanish.

Spanish Preschool Fun

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I recently purchased two games to use with the youngest of my students (preschool through early elementary). Pengoloo and Snug as a Bug in a Rug are great games to review colors in any language. And Snug as a Bug in a Rug also reviews shapes, some simple numbers, and the words "big" and "little".

Pengoloo  is a wooden game with hollow penguins who "sit" on different colored eggs. Each player gets an "iceberg" with the numbers 1-6. Players roll a die with colors on them (the colors of the rainbow). The goal is then for them to collect penguins that have that colored egg underneath them. To win the game a player has to collect six penguins. While we play I have my students tell me the color they rolled and also the color of the eggs that they choose.

Snug as a Bug in a Rug has three levels of play and is a cooperative game in which the players try to get all the colored bugs "under the rug" (the game board) before the three stink bugs get on the board. As students play I have them identify the items they are looking for on the bug (i.e. rojo, cuadrado, tres, etc.).

Both of these games created a lot of high interest and motivated my students to review the vocabulary. I also like the fact that I can use these games with two of my Spanish units: Polar Animals and Insects.

Do you have any great game suggestions that can be used in Spanish (or another language) to review vocabulary? I would love to hear about them!