January 6 marks Three Kings Day, a celebration rich in culture, food, and storytelling across the Spanish- and French-speaking worlds. From rosca de reyes to galette des rois, this tradition offers a delicious way to bring culture to life in the classroom—no wrapping paper required.

Easy, meaningful ways to celebrate in your classroom:

🇪🇸 Spanish Classroom Ideas

• Rosca de Reyes Culture Talk: Explore the symbolism of the crown, the niño escondido, and traditions across Mexico, Spain, and Latin America.

• Mini Reading or CI Story: Who finds the niño? What happens next? (Bonus: future tense or mandatos.)

• Compare Traditions: Reyes Magos vs. Santa—students discuss celebrations in different countries or families.

• Letter to Los Reyes Magos: Short writing activity at any proficiency level.

🇫🇷 French Classroom Ideas

• Galette des Rois & La Fève: Learn about the fève, the crown, and who becomes le roi or la reine for the day.

• Listening Activity: Short video or song about l’Épiphanie.

• Cultural Comparison: France vs. U.S. winter holidays—or compare with Reyes Magos.

• Role Play: Who gets the fève? What do they “command” the class to do? (Hello, imperatives!)

👑 Whether it’s food, storytelling, or a quick cultural comparison, Three Kings Day is a low-prep, high-impact way to keep the holiday spirit alive while building language and cultural competence.

Valentine's Day Activities en español et en français!

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!

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Spanish-Valentines-Day-Poetry-Activities-Dia-de-San-Valentin-2398765?st=5b981830adfe90b33712853cc59d30b5

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

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Valentines-Day-Spanish-THIS-OR-THAT-Jamboard-Game-6556448?st=feb375834e5335631e2b9963be912bc5

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!

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/French-Valentines-DaySant-Valentin-Vocabulary-ActivitiesEmergency-Sub-Lesson-10788181?st=e184430f31ab91af5e760e23b8ebee1b

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.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/La-Saint-Valentin-French-Phonics-Board-Games-French-Vowel-Sounds-9022413?st=0e99c86d2fde4530c6bb1228c72c4a9e

 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.

Join the Southern California Arabic Teachers Council for a full day of professional learning focused on:

✨ Differentiated Instruction: Meeting All Learners Where They Are

Presenter: Dr. Wafa Hassan

This conference is designed for world language educators looking to strengthen instructional practices, support diverse learners, and walk away with practical strategies ready for the classroom.

📅 When: Sunday, January 18, 2026

🕘 Time: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM (PST)

📍 Where: Hilton Orange County – Costa Mesa

3050 Bristol St., Costa Mesa, CA 92626

🔗 Register: https://www.scaltc.com/upcoming-events

📩 Questions or Assistance:

Hadia Al Abdullah

📧 scaltcouncil@gmail.com

📱 (818) 384-3836 (WhatsApp)

Sponsored in collaboration with Qatar Foundation International and LMU World Language.

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:

https://clta.net/webinars/

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/ 

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!