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Honors Reception Nominations Begin March 9th! Watch for the March Polyglot
The Polyglot March 2026
The Polyglot March 2026
CLTA Is Coming to Ontario!
CLTA Is Coming to Ontario!
Save The Date
Save The Date
It's official! IEFLA is hosting the 2027 CLTA Conference February 25-28, 2027 in Ontario California.
We want to highlight the best the Inland Empire has to offer! Look for the Call for Proposals for Sessions and Workshops.
Are you interested in being on the planning committee? Contact vicepresident@iefla.org.
IEFLA Member Recognized as Outstanding Teaching
IEFLA Member Recognized as Outstanding Teaching
Congratulations to our very own Abraham García being recognized at the 2026 CLTA Conference in Sacramento as an Outstanding Teaching. In addition to being an Outstanding Teacher Abe is also the IEFLA Polyglot Editor, the CLTA representative to SWCOLT and the official MC of the IEFLA Honors Reception.
Congratulations Abe!
IEFLA Student Honors Reception
IEFLA Student Honors Reception
The 2026 IEFLA Student Honors Reception Nominations will be open from March 9 - March 20th (or until 40 teachers have replied). Teachers in the Inland Empire can nominate up to five students to be recognized on April 22, 2026. Due to space, we can only accept 40 teachers to nominate, so don't hesitate.
Nominate your students today by filling out this form.
Questions about the Honors Reception? Contact treasurer@iefla.org
Bring Some Fun to Your Spanish Class with a «Chisme Box»
Bring Some Fun to Your Spanish Class with a «Chisme Box»
Looking for an engaging way to get your students speaking and listening in Spanish? Try using this SEL tool in your classroom... the Chisme Box! In this activity, students anonymously write fun, interesting (and appropriate!) facts about themselves in Spanish. Then teacher reads them aloud, and the class guesses who it's about!
📝 Gather Supplies: A box and slips of paper for students to write on.
🎭 Set the Stage: Emphasize that this is a fun and respectful activity to practice Spanish.
✅ Establish Rules:
- Keep it lighthearted and positive—no mean-spirited gossip!
- Use appropriate and respectful language.
- The focus is on fun facts, not rumors.
✍️ Students write their chisme (interesting fact) anonymously.
📥 They drop their papers into the box.
📢 The teacher reads each one aloud in Spanish.
🤔 Classmates guess who it's about!
Variations:
🌎 Theme-Based: “Things I did this weekend,” “My favorite things,” etc.
📚 Adjust by Level: Simplify for beginners or challenge advanced students.
👥 Group Work: Have small groups write and share their "chisme" together.
🔁 Make it a Routine: Use the Chisme Box regularly for consistent practice!
Would you try this in your class? Let me know how it goes! 🚀💬 #SpanishClass #ChismeBox #FunWithSpanish
Watch @laprofenoriii in her video below:
https://www.tiktok.com/@laprofenoriii/video/7346802046244244779
Watch the full interview from MiTú TV:
https://mitu.tv/mitu-daily/the-story-of-the-viral-chisme-box
🔧 Tech Tool: Gemini Storybook Exporter
🔧 Tech Tool: Gemini Storybook Exporter
Looking for a quick way to turn AI-generated stories into classroom materials? The Gemini Storybook Exporter Chrome extension lets you easily export storybooks created in Gemini into PDFs, images, or plain text for printing, sharing, or editing.
This is especially useful for world language teachers who want to create simple illustrated readers, CI stories, or vocabulary-focused texts for students. With one click, you can turn an AI story into a clean, classroom-ready resource.
👉 Try it here:
https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/gemini-storybook-exporter/ajgnomhojkgbbfnmgihegmhgffgpbcam
MCLASC Meet Up - Solidarity - Santa Monica
MCLASC Meet Up - Solidarity - Santa Monica
Our sister affiliate MCLASC in Los Angeles is having their first MCLASC Meet-Up of the year entitled, "Forget conjugating verbs", let's inhale pierogis, stroganoff, and schnitzel instead!
Join your fellow world language teachers for an unforgettable Saturday night of authentic farm-to-table Polish cuisine, great drinks, and even better company (plus ones welcome)!
Plant-based, vegan, and dietary restriction-friendly options are available.
CLTA members are welcome, too! So spread the word!
Please RSVP to Betsy Basom admin@mclasc.org by Thursday, March 12.
Santa Monica
1414 Lincoln Blvd, Santa Monica, CA 90401
Saturday, March 14 @6pm
For more information visit https://www.mclasc.org/upcoming-events.
CLTA/SWCOLT 2025-2026 Webinar Wednesdays
CLTA/SWCOLT 2025-2026 Webinar Wednesdays
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:
Mar. 11, 2026: Achieving National Board Certification in World Languages: YES, YOU CAN! (Lisa Bartels and Erin E.H. Austin)
Apr. 8, 2026: Teach Smarter, Make It Meaningful: Habits and Strategies for Real-World Language Learning (Dr. Cecile Nedellec)
Register here:
National Spanish Exam
National Spanish Exam
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/
LMWLP Programs for 2025-2026
LMWLP Programs for 2025-2026
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!
Coordinators Needed - Travel Abroad!
Coordinators Needed - Travel Abroad!
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
Flangoo
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!
Express Link to EdJoin JOB Listings
Express Link to EdJoin JOB Listings
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.
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