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The week before winter holidays can be a bit crazy right? You might be at the end of your rope and out of ideas, but no worries! I’ve scoured the internet for the best Spanish Christmas activities and winter-themed ideas, and gathered them here for you. Read more clicking the link below...
There are SO many great resources out there related to Winter holiday traditions in Spanish-speaking countries. I know there has been some debate about if holiday celebrations belong in the classroom, but for Spanish teachers, it is the perfect time to dig into intercultural competence, practices, perspectives, and comparisons of the Spanish-speaking world and our own. Read more below...
Need fun activities to keep your Spanish 2 students engaged and learning right up until Winter Break? You NEED this bundle! This Spanish 2 holiday activities bundle includes all THREE of my festive Spanish 2 review resources at a savings of 20%! That's 48 task cards, 48 conversation cards, and the super fun Jeopardy-style trivia game! These review activities were thoughtfully designed to give students a well-rounded review of topics covered in Spanish 2 (see list below), all with a festive, wintery theme that students will love. They are perfect for reviewing Spanish 2 concepts with Spanish 2 students before they leave for Winter Break!
The Top 10 French Christmas Songs
https://coucoufrenchclasses.com/the-top-10-french-christmas-songs/
16 French Christmas Songs Popular in France (Lyrics + Audio)
https://www.annieandre.com/listen-french-christmas-songs-carols-hymns-lyrics/
Nine French Christmas Songs to Raise Your Holiday Spirit
https://frenchly.us/french-holiday-songs/
French Christmas Songs (5 Carols with Lyrics & Translation!)
https://www.frenchlearner.com/songs/french-christmas-songs/
Un chat français:
See below on Epiphany Christmas...
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/06/world/epiphany-christmas.html
Sternsinger 2018
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lO6i7DTg5g
(chalking of the door starts at 1:36)
Chalking the door consists of the year and the initials of the three kings, Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar. This initials are also short for: Christus Mansionem Benedicat (May Christ bless the house)
https://blogs.transparent.com/german/chalking-the-doors-a-german-new-years-tradition/
Die Sternsinger besuchen die Kanzlerin
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUAGGJMxS_o
Children describing their excitement at the prospect of meeting, Angela Merkel, as well as their feelings about meeting her. Dreikönigstag is celebrated throughout Germany and an official holiday in a couple of German states like Bavaria (almost all holidays have religious backgrounds) and the celebration is primarily a Catholic one. Nevertheless, Angela Merkel, the daughter of what we might call a "Lutheran" minister (in Germany, "Lutherans" are known as die evangelische Kirche) who grew up in Communist East Germany clearly is supportive of the good works of the Catholic children's charity associated with this day.
How is AI changing education and how can it be combined with high-leverage teaching practices, the California World Language Standards and Framework, and your school's goals and expectations to improve student proficiency?
In this hands-on workshop, explore how generative AI impacts workload, lesson creation, and student outcomes. Engage in activities that demonstrate how AI can be used to enhance and adapt authentic resources for language learning.
Saturday, February 1, 2025
9:00am-1:00 pm
Cal State San Bernardino
Cost: $100.00
Light breakfast and mid-morning snacks included.
Space is limited; Register by Wednesday, January 29, 2025
Hosted by Inland Empire Foreign Language Association.
If you have any questions about the workshop, please contact info@iefla.org
The Inland Empire Foreign Language Association (IEFLA) is an affiliate of the California Language Teachers Association (CLTA) and therefore uses CLTA's tax id number. If your district needs a current W-9, or you have other questions about paying, please contact IEFLA treasurer Jennifer Lovelace at treasurer@iefla.org.
Register here:
https://my.cheddarup.com/c/ai-in-action-transforming-language-teaching-one-prompt-at-a/items?cart
Are you interested in having your students take the National Spanish Exam in the Spring? If so, sign up today by looking up the «National Spanish Exam Practice Exam» and use the provided activities Lingco Language Labs to get extra practice:
https://nationalspanishexam.org/
We are excited to announce our 2024-2025 Loyola Marymount World Language Programs! Led by LA STARS, these workshops offer standards-based, framework-aligned programs with hands-on strategies to enhance student engagement and classroom success.
With online, in-person, and hybrid options, there's something for every educator. Register today to elevate your teaching and inspire your students!
Online Program:
https://www.ocwlp.org/lmwlp-online-programs-2024-2025
In-person Program:
https://www.ocwlp.org/lmwlp-inperson-programs-20242025
Hybrid Program:
https://www.ocwlp.org/lmwlp-hybrid-programs-2024-2025
Come to San Diego, California to the CLTA Conference 2025.
2025 offers MORE SESSIONS on Saturday & Sunday! Sessions will be 45 minutes each! With more double sessions! SIX (6) on Saturday and THREE (3) on Sunday. Click the link below to see all the details:
🎉 Nominate Someone for an Award!
Don’t forget, the deadline for SWCOLT 2025 Award Nominations is November 8th!
🎓 Apply for a Scholarship!
Need some support to attend SWCOLT 2025? Submit your scholarship application by November 8th!
📅 Join Our SWCOLT-CLTA Webinar Series!
Stay tuned for our upcoming webinars filled with valuable insights and tips!
🌟 News from Our SWCOLT States
Catch up on the latest happenings and updates from around the SWCOLT community.
✈️ Conference Registration is Open!
Mark your calendars for SWCOLT-AZLA 2025 in Phoenix, Arizona, from January 23-25!
Click the link below to secure your spot and accommodation:
CIEE is looking for a few teachers that can help coordinate for them across the world! Being a coordinator can be a great side hustle for teachers to earn some extra cash, travel the world, and help to connect their local community with cultures from across the world.
Coordinators typically:
Are curious about other cultures
Enjoy spending time encouraging and working with teenagers
Want to share their community with other cultures
Love to travel!
Coordinators are paid for their help and go on some pretty amazing trips! In the next 12 months CIEE will be going on trips to Costa Rica, Mexico, Iceland, and Italy!
It isn’t much a time commitment, is really rewarding, and I bet you’d love the trips we go on! If you have any interest, please let me know. I’d love to hop on a call and tell you about it and answer questions!
For additional information click on the link below or come to hear Danny Velasquez tell about the program at the CLTA Jamboree, Chino Hills High School on September 30..
Flangoo is a subscription-based service for digital World Language readers available in Spanish, French, and German!! A sister company of Teacher’s Discovery®, Flangoo creates an affordable solution for World Language teachers who want to offer students a wide range of readers. One Flangoo account gives you and up to 150 students access to an entire virtual Free Voluntary Reading (FVR) library. Try it out!
How about some quick, fun activities to do with your students in the target language! Let’s start with...
Who's telling the truth?
Have them fill out a survey telling something strange they did as a child. Choose several of those answers and display them on your board or presentation.
This can be played online. Call on 4 people in the class, including the person who wrote the sentence, to read the sentence as if they wrote it.
You ask each person two questions, and they answer, acting as if they wrote it. Then the students type in the chat who they think is telling the truth, but the students wait to send until you say, "Send".
After they send, you ask each actor if they wrote the sentence to reveal the truth-teller. The actor with the most votes gets extra credit. The students who got it right get extra credit.
This is a great game to play with your upper levels, especially now with the fun Among Us game, students have to try to figure out who the imposter is! Here’s an example:
Example: When I was little, I used to hide in the kitchen cupboards.
Questions: Why did you hide in the cupboards? (asked to all actors)
or How old were you when you hid in the cupboards? (asked to all actors)
Who knows you best?
Choose a volunteer and have them select a question to answer (#1-12).
The teacher asks the question, then all of the other students guess what the interviewee's answer is.
They type it in the chat but don't send it. When the teacher says "send", they send it.
The teacher then asks the interviewee to send their answer. Everyone who gets it right gets a point.
Here are some sample questions. You can adapt them to any level, any unit:
What are you afraid of?
Where do you like to go on vacation?
What is it that makes you angry?
What are you laughing at?
Do you prefer to cycle, ride a horse, or drive?
What do you prefer: doing the dishes, mowing the lawn, cleaning the bathroom, or vacuuming?
At night, do you prefer to play a game, visit a relative, watch a movie, or read?
Who would you like to be lost with on a desert island?
Approximately how many pairs of shoes do you have?
Which public transport do you prefer (plane, boat, train, bus, metro, etc.)?
What is your favorite zoo animal?
What is your favorite holiday: Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Year's Eve, Valentine's Day, Halloween, Easter, July 4th
Scavenger Hunt:
If you're online, ask students to find something that makes people happy/sad/frustrated etc and show it to the camera. Ask students to find something hard/soft/wet/round/square etc and show it to the camera. Great for all levels and another great way to start some fun, personalized discussions!
Are you looking for a job? Know someone who is looking for employment? There are currently 9 positions open in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties for Spanish teachers. Click the express link below to go directly to all of the current listings by area in EdJoin!
The Polyglot is published 10 times a year. It is a publication of the Inland Empire Foreign Language Association. Editor of the Polyglot is Abraham Garcia, M.A., of Citrus Valley High School at Redlands Unified School District.