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Our recent AP Spanish Language Workshop with IEFLA and Morelia Baltazar & Olga Sutton was a hit! Teachers left feeling empowered, with practical strategies for using AP Spanish strategies in their classrooms—whether they were just starting out or already experienced.
Thanks to all the teachers that attended and the members who helped make a success and such an enriching experience! We're excited to see how everyone applies these new tools. Stay tuned for future workshops!
The energy was high as we kicked off the workshop!
Spanish teachers were primed for a hands-on experience with AP strategies!
The stage was set for an unforgettable session!
Olga & Morelia took the stage, ready to prepare everyone for the new and improved AP Spanish Langauge Exam!
Join CLTA and Elevate Your Language Teaching! For just $25 a year, you can become a member of the California Language Teachers Association (CLTA), gaining access to a wealth of resources to enhance your teaching. Membership includes monthly newsletters, webinars, valuable teaching materials, and more. As an added bonus, your CLTA membership also includes membership to IEFLA, connecting you with local language educators and events. Don't miss out—become a member today and take your teaching to the next level! Click the link below and become a member today!
We’re creating a short promotional video for CLTA 2027 in Ontario, CA, and we want to feature Inland Empire world language teachers.
We’re asking teachers to submit a 5–7 second video clip answering ONE of the following questions of your choice in your target language:
“What does teaching language mean in the Inland Empire?”
“Why do you teach a second language in your community?”
“What keeps you teaching languages, even when it’s hard?”
“What’s one moment that reminded you why this work matters?”
“How has teaching languages shaped who you are?”
“How does your community shape your teaching?”
“Why does language matter where you teach?”
“What makes your students’ voices unique here?”
🎬 Film on your phone in your classroom, hallway, outdoors, or community space
This video will highlight language as connection, identity, and community in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties.
📩 Please email your video by February 22, 2026 to be considered to: vicepresident@iefla.org.
Help us show that in the Inland Empire, language lives here.
Join us in Sacramento for the 2026 CLTA Conference!
CLTA & FLAGS are teaming up to bring world language educators an unforgettable professional learning experience in the heart of California’s capital. Don’t miss this chance to collaborate, grow, and celebrate language education!
This year’s CLTA Pre-Conference lineup features several dynamic educators representing Riverside and San Bernardino Counties. These local presenters are bringing practical, classroom-tested strategies designed to strengthen communication and engagement across language programs.
From Riverside County:
Yongzhen (Jennifer) Wu – Guy Emanuele Elementary School (Riverside)
Workshop A-3: “Voices in Action: Academic Conversations as a Pathway to Oracy in Dual Language Settings.”
Jennifer Wu and Irma Zuniga will guide elementary dual language teachers through structures and routines that promote meaningful academic conversations. Participants will learn how to deepen discussions, build confidence in bilingual learners, and design equitable talk strategies that directly support California Communication and Global Competence standards.
From San Bernardino County:
Bethany Thompson – Apple Valley Unified School District
Workshop C-2: “▶️ Press Play – AI for Listening.”
Bethany Thompson will showcase how generative AI tools can revolutionize listening instruction. Learn to create custom songs, podcasts, audio clips, and videos tailored to your students in just minutes. Attendees will leave with creative resources that boost engagement and comprehension—ready for immediate use.
Abraham García – Citrus Valley High School (Redlands)
Workshop C-1: “Comprehensible Input in Action: Stories, Music, Games, & Culture.”
Experience Comprehensible Input from the learner’s perspective with an Italian mini-lesson, then explore how CI strategies can maximize target language use in secondary classrooms. This session demonstrates authentic routines, interactive games, and culture-based projects that help teachers keep students communicating from Level 1 through AP.
These workshops prove that innovative language teaching is happening right here at home. Consider joining and supporting our local colleagues as they share their expertise with educators from across California!
👉 Register now and represent the Inland Empire at CLTA!
Make your Spanish class meaningful and engaging with this ready‑to‑go Afro‑Latinos reading activity pack — perfect for Black History Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, or anytime you want to highlight diverse voices in Spanish‑speaking communities. This no‑prep resource includes a comprehensible reading passage and three print‑and‑go activities — task cards, a crossword puzzle, and worksheets — all centered on notable Afro‑Latinos like Roberto Clemente, Celia Cruz, Gwen Ifill, and Govind Armstrong. With both Spanish and English versions included, you can easily differentiate across levels from Spanish 1–4. Comes with answer keys and flexible use ideas for sub plans, independent practice, centers, homework, and more. 🌍📚
Celebrate Chinese New Year in your classroom with engaging, culturally rich activities designed to spark curiosity and deepen students’ understanding of this vibrant festival! 🌟 From the legend of the Nian beast and symbolic traditions like red envelopes and zodiac animals to hands‑on crafts, festive music, and food‑centered explorations, this resource offers creative ways to bring the Spring Festival alive for learners of all ages. With printable coloring pages, book recommendations, interactive games, and tips for incorporating language and cultural reflection, you’ll have everything you need to make Chinese New Year meaningful and fun for your students.
Spanish Poetry Writing Activities de Día de San Valentín o El Día del Amor y la Amistad
These six poetry templates are perfect for middle and high school Spanish classes, and can be adapted for any level! Great for bulletin board decorations as well -- get your students writing in Spanish and having fun!
Valentine's Day THIS OR THAT Jamboard Game in Spanish
Get ready to unleash engagement, talking, and interaction in the target language with your students with this THIS OR THAT Spanish Valentines Day game. I do this every year and it's an excellent way to spice up your class. THIS OR THAT helps students get to know each other and feel more comfortable participating. It also provides you the opportunity to connect with each one. This THIS OR THAT game is fully in Spanish
Sant Valentin Vocabulary Activities en français
Love is in the air! Why not capitalize on all the festivities with a little sweet French Valentine vocabulary enrichment for your students?
This resource includes a list of 25 Valentine's Day themed vocabulary words in French with 7 different fun practice sheets. You can use all these versatile activities in a single instructional day, parcel them out as bell-ringers/morning work, or as a complete sub pan!
La Saint-Valentin | French Phonics Board Games | French Vowel Sounds
Do your French Immersion students need more practice with simple French vowel sounds? Are you looking for ways to provide extra practice blending and decoding French consonant/vowel patterns?
This set of French Phonics board games is perfect for working on "la conscience phonologique". Featuring 7 board games, each one has students practice blending consonants with the vowel sounds: a - e - i - o - u - é.
A French Friendship Activity for Valentine’s Day
They love this activity and keep the papers for the whole year.
I give each student 10 peel off address labels. They come 30 to a sheet. I project a list of the names of students in the class on the screen.
On each label, each student writes the name of a student and a compliment in the target language for the 10 students whose names follow his on the list. Then they write a compliment for each of these 10 students and sign their name. You can practice ahead of time or have on the board phrases in the target language that they can use. “You have pretty hair.” “I like your eyes.” “I admire you because…” “You are very…” “I like you because…”
When the students have finished writing the compliments on the labels, they go to each person on their list, read the compliment, and then they stick the label on the student’s sleeve or back.
After they have all of the compliments distributed, I give each a colorful piece of paper where they can permanently stick their compliments. Some of the papers are pink and have Valentine designs on them and some are other colors and have other designs. The students who do Valentine’s Day usually will choose the Valentine design. Those who don’t do Valentine’s Day can choose another design. It’s a friendship activity and all students can participate. The paper is three hole punched so that they can keep it in their binders. They love this activity and keep the papers for the whole year.
IEFLA (Inland Empire Foreign Language Association) is looking for 5 outstanding students in your classes (no more than 5 students per teacher). Do you have students who have been incredible this year and who should be honored at Cal State San Bernardino? IEFLA in partnership with the California State University, San Bernardino, Department of World Languages and Literatures presents:
The 27th Annual Honors Reception for Outstanding World Language Students Wednesday, April 22, 2024 from 6:00-7:30 p.m. at California State University, San Bernardino.
World Language Teachers who teach in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties are invited to submit the names of students of any course/level whose world language achievement they would like recognized at the honors reception. Be on the lookout for our next newsletter for more info!
Are you participating in Locura de Marzo, MMM25, or Manie Musicale? This year Spanish Mama from www.spanishmama.com shared an interesting article about this exciting music event. For those who may not know, *Locura de Marzo* (or “March Madness” in Spanish) — also called *Manie Musicale* in French — is named after the college basketball tournament that takes place every March in the U.S. March Madness is a huge event across the country, and Spanish and French teachers have been using the energy surrounding it to promote authentic Spanish and French music.
Teachers around the world collaborate to choose 16 songs. Throughout March, students listen to the songs and vote between two at a time. The winning song moves forward, while the losing song is eliminated.
Click below to learn more:
Learn More About Locura de Marzo
Competition for Spanish classes starts on February 20, so get your classes involved today!
Below are this year's song selections for Locura de Marzo and March Madness Music in Spanish, as well as this year's Manie Musicale selections in French:
🎶 “Locura de Marzo 2026” 🎶
“Ángel” — Grupo Frontera & Romeo Santos
“Music Sessions, Vol. 0/66” — Bizarrap & Daddy Yankee
“¿Para Qué?” — Ela Taubert
“Coleccionando Heridas” — Karol G & Marco Antonio Solís
“Si Sabes Contar” — Los Ángeles Azules
“Goodbye” — Arthur Hanlon, Carlos Vives & Goyo
“6 de Febrero” — Aitana
“Regalo” — Álvaro Soler
“Tocando el Cielo” — Luis Fonsi
“Luna Llena” — Ebenezer Guerra & Elvis Crespo
“Buen Café” — Efecto Pasillo
“Amuleto” — Diego Torres
“Narcisista” — The Warning
“La Mujer Que Soy” — Fanny Lu
“Vuela” — Luck Ra & Ke Personajes
“Akakaw” — Renata Flores & Los Mirlos
“TQMQA” — Eladio Carrión
🎶 Manie Musicale 2026 – Sélection officielle
« Extraordinaire » — Fredz
« Chapeau » — Port-Aux-Poutines
« Toucher la lune » — Maheva
« Ton visage » — MPL
« Afro beauté » — Eloïsha Iza
« Monde parallèle » — Richy Jay
« Le musée imaginaire » — Oli
« Peur d’y croire » — Charlie Oz
« Je rentre à la maison » — Boulevard des Airs
« Jamais oublier » — Kelly Bado
« Aussi simple que toi » — Lenaïg
« La vie qu’on mène » — Mentissa
« Demain demain » — Luiza
« Et si » — Billie du Page
« Nou ici » — Jyeuhair
« No Fear » — Saël & Yaniss Odua
Feel free to share the excitement and get your students involved in these fun and culturally enriching competitions!
Join us for this exciting monthly professional learning series designed for world language educators! Each session free for members of CLTA and/or SWCOLT and it's packed with practical strategies and fresh ideas to elevate your teaching. These webinars (as well as the members from previous years) are recorded and they're available to all members.
📅 Upcoming topics include:
Jan. 14, 2026: Tiering Tasks and Text to Challenge All Learners (Leslie Grahn)
Feb. 11, 2026: Integrating Art into the WL Classroom (Lin Li Hall)
Mar. 11, 2026: Successful Interventions in DLI Classrooms (Elinez dos Santos Figueiredo)
Apr. 8, 2026: Teach Smarter, Make It Meaningful: Habits and Strategies for Real-World Language Learning (Dr. Cecile Nedellec)
Register here:
Sensei Kanesaka's presentation at the Norton Museum of Art’s ArtSpeaks series — Floating Worlds of Leisure: Popular Culture and Performance in Edo Japan (1603–1868) in West Palm Beach, FL sold out on January 23! His engaging talk — exploring how popular culture and performance flourished during Japan’s Edo period, alongside stunning prints and performances — attracted a full house and enthusiastic audience. This incredible turnout speaks to sensei's expertise and ability to bring art, history, and culture to life in a way that truly resonates.
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/
Get ready for the 22nd Annual Spanish Declamation Contest at The Girls’ Middle School! 📝✨
🗓 When: Monday, March 9, 3:30–6:00 PM
📍 Where: The Girls’ Middle School, Palo Alto, CA
💻 Hybrid Option: Available for schools 30+ miles away
This contest is open to Spanish students Levels I–V, elementary (4th–5th), middle, and high school students from both public and private schools. 🌎 All genders welcome! Native speakers can compete in their own fluent category.
What to do: Memorize and perform a Hispanic poem in Spanish! 🎭
Categories:
Basic Spanish
Advanced Spanish
Spanish for Fluent Speakers (Beginners & Experts)
Schools can submit 4–6 students per category, and hybrid schools can send up to 3 videos (or one per category).
👩🏫 Judges: Latino educators and personalities will evaluate memorization, pronunciation, dramatization, volume, and diction. Certificates will be awarded for participation! 🏆
This is more than a contest—it’s a celebration of Hispanic culture and the Spanish language and an opportunity to connect with students and teachers across schools.
📅 Submission deadline: March 4
📧 Questions or entries? Email vmeza@girlsms.org
or call (650) 968-8338 ext. 110
🌟 ¡Celebremos juntos la poesía y la lengua española! / Let’s celebrate Spanish poetry together! / Célébrons ensemble la poésie espagnole!
Registration will open soon for SWCOLT 2026: Denver Omni Interlocken on February 19-21 2026, Broomfield, CO! Secure your spot early and take advantage of the Early Bird Rate of $255 through November 30, which includes access to 70+ sessions, the Member Reception, and your SWCOLT 2026 Membership.
Regular and late registration rates apply after November 30. Students can register for just $125, but space is limited. Don’t forget to add on Thursday’s pre-conference workshops for hands-on learning opportunities. Visit SWCOLT’s website to explore all options and register today!
Register today here: https://www.swcolt.org/
Join the IE/LA STARS at Loyola Marymount University! Kick off the second year with an inside look at the 2025–2026 workshops and certificate programs created to energize your world language classroom at Loyoyla Marymount University in Los Angeles. Explore practical CI strategies, culturally responsive instruction, tech and AI tools, AP success pathways, and leadership development.
Don’t miss this opportunity to connect, grow, and learn alongside a dynamic community of educators. Register today!
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, México, Iceland, and Italy!
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 several 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!
Thanks for being part of IEFLA! Have an idea or resource for our next issue? Email us at vicepresident@iefla.org.
The Polyglot is published 10 times a year from August to May. It is a publication of the Inland Empire Foreign Language Association. Editor of the Polyglot is Abraham García, M.A., of Citrus Valley High School, Redlands, CA.