Good news! You are almost done. Bad news! Students are crazy, tired, lazy and possibly mentally checked out. Surviving the last few weeks or days of school are important because…. Long summer days are right around the corner. Surviving the last few days with a good attitude and energetically is difficult to do. Here are a few ideas to help you get through the last few weeks of Spanish class before summer break.
1. Movies
Have you been waiting the entire school year to watch a certain movie? There are tons of movies available online that would be great to show in Spanish class. You could give students choices or browse through Teacher’s Pay Teachers and see what movies/video lessons you find. There is a wide variety of movie and learning guides for everything from Coco to more serious movies on immigration and the Dirty War.
2. Technology
Students love using technology—most are addicts, right? Try doing something in one of the following apps./websites: Quizlet, Kahoot, Plickers, Epic, a Webquest, Duolingo, Animoto, iMovie, Google Apps, have them create something in PicCollage or another app. Students are often more engaged when using technology.
3. Music Madness—- May Madness
Revisit songs your class loved this year or listen to new songs. You could make a bracket and have your Spanish students vote which is their favorite.
4. Stories
Have students write or “publish” creative stories using all the Spanish they have learned this year. Read stories to the class. Do activities such as comparing and contrasting texts, talking about sequence or character traits.
5. Games
Students always love playing games. If weather permits get outside and play a few games outside. Or spice up your daily routine with a new morning meeting game. It is fun to see kids so engaged in an activity while learning or practicing Spanish at the same time.
6. Experiments
The end of the year is a great time to do some hands-on Science experiments, STEM challenges or cooking/taste testing projects. You will be stunned on how engaged students are when asked to work in partners or small groups to complete an experiment or challenge.
7. Research projects
Research projects are a great way for students to learn more that they are personally interested in; in Spanish class maybe that is a particular country, cultural practice, famous artist or singer, etc. Research projects are great for students to work individually or in a pair. Great for continuous learning in Spanish after your entire Spanish curriculum is finished for the year. After finished students could present their findings or you could have a gallery walk through the class. For a gallery walk have students display everything and have students move throughout the room and learn about each person’s presentation at their own pace. You may want them to write some info about each project to hold them accountable and keep them on task.
8. Review?
Believe it or not, some people are required to give a final to their Spanish classes. This is a great time of year to review how far your students have come this academic year and show how much they have learned in Spanish in a short time.
Take a few deep breaths and try some of these activities to keep your Spanish students engaged and growing their Spanish language skills until the last day of school. AND once the final class is through; treat yourself to a massage, a big glass of wine, some chocolate or maybe all three!
