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These lessons are geared towards high school students 9-12 in a Spanish 1 or 2 classroom.
These lessons are geared towards high school students 9-12 in a Spanish 1 or 2 classroom.
5 things to build connections with students
5 things to build connections with students
I plan to greet my students at the door each day to set a positive tone and let them know I’m excited to see them.
I want to get to know my students' hobbies and interests and incorporate them into my lessons to make learning more engaging and meaningful for them.
I’ll make sure to learn and pronounce each student’s name correctly because it’s important to show them respect and make them feel valued.
I plan to attend their extracurricular events—whether it’s a game, concert, or recital—to support them outside the classroom and build stronger connections.
I know that something as simple as smiling can create a welcoming atmosphere, so I’ll make it a point to do that consistently in my classroom.
Creating a positive classroom environment is all about making students feel safe, respected, and encouraged. I want my classroom to be a place where students are comfortable expressing themselves, asking questions, and learning from their mistakes. By fostering respect, promoting kindness, and maintaining open communication, we can build a space where everyone feels valued and supported in their learning journey.
Activities
Activities
Getting to Know Each Other Through Language
Getting to Know Each Other Through Language
Ice breaker activity: During the first week of school students introduce themselves in Spanish (e.g., "Me llamo _____".) and share one fun fact in english with their peers.
Paired conversations: After their introductions students will find a partner and ask each other questions such as "como te llamas" (what is your name?), ¿De dónde eres? (Where are you from?), ¿Qué te gusta hacer, (what do you like to do?)
Group sharing: After they get to know each other, they will each introduce their partner to the class in Spanish.
Students will choose a new partner each time we practice paired conversations.
Circle Time in High School?!
Building Positive Connections
Building Positive Connections
Compliment circle: Students and teacher sit in a circle and take turns giving a genuine compliment to the person on their left (e.g., "Me gusta tu sonrisa. Eres muy inteligente.") I will demonstrate and encourages meaningful compliments. This also allows students to get comfortable with each other and brings them out of their comfort zone.
Gratitude circle: Throughout the year we will continue this circle but with gratitude. Once a week, students and teacher will sit in a circle, preferably outside as it allows us to be grounded, and each student says something positive about someone else in the class (e.g., "Gracias, Rumaldo, por ayudarme con la actividad de hoy.") (Thank you, Rumaldo, for helping me on today's activity.) This reinforces postive interactions and peer recognition.
Creating Class Expectations Together
Creating Class Expectations Together
Students thrive in a place where they are heard which is why I want to hear what they think should be expected of themselves and myself as their teacher. I will ask students to share their thoughts on what makes a classroom feel safe and welcoming.
Student creativity posters: In groups, students brainstorm classroom rules in Spanish, focusing on respect, participation, and kindness (e.g., "Respetar las opiniones de los demás", "Participar en clase", "No interrumpir"). Each group creates a poster with their rules, and the posters are shared with the class. Afterward, choose a few rules from each group to create a final set of class expectations. I will share with them my expectations as well. Student-created rules can help build a positive environment and ask for feedback on how everyone can contribute to it
Anti-Bullying
Anti-Bullying
Creating an anti-bullying atmosphere in the classroom is essential. I want every student to feel safe and respected. I’ll encourage open conversations about bullying and its effects, making sure everyone understands the importance of treating each other with kindness. By setting clear rules against bullying and promoting a culture of support, we can create a classroom where everyone feels welcome and valued.
Creating an anti-bullying atmosphere in the classroom is essential. I want every student to feel safe and respected. I’ll encourage open conversations about bullying and its effects, making sure everyone understands the importance of treating each other with kindness. By setting clear rules against bullying and promoting a culture of support, we can create a classroom where everyone feels welcome and valued.
Empathy Journaling
Empathy Journaling
Students write a brief reflection on how they can make others feel included and safe in the classroom, using phrases like "Voy a ayudar a mis compañeros" (I am going to help my classmates).
Students use the map to write what they say, what they think, what or how it makes them feel and what they should do. This allows them to map out their feeling and organize their thoughts.
This activity encourages empathy, inclusivity, and respectful communication while reinforcing Spanish vocabulary related to emotions and behavior.
Chain Reaction and Bully Prevention
Chain Reaction and Bully Prevention
Students will watch the following videos and reference their empathy map and open discussion about ways we can be someones hero and how to prevent bullying from happening. High school can be scary considering there are a multitude of people in one class with different stories, but if we talk about and channel our emotions in a safe way then we can be the change.
One act of kindness can start a chain reaction of positivity. After watching, students discuss the impact of the video and share ideas on how they can create a positive chain reaction in our classroom and school.
I ask students what it means to them and why it is important. At this time I ask students to write synonyms or associated words in Spanish.
Along with this, as a class we discuss what is bullying and why it impacts negatively the classroom enviorment. We share our thoughts and *depending on the classroom we watch (yotube short videos) then preform short skits (of our own) where they show respectful vs disrespectful scenarios.
*Some classes are shy and choose not to act out skit, students will be given the option to write a skit and not preform*
Share a couple moments of sportsmanship and respect with students allowing them to think of scenarios they would want to recreate.
Translates to:
What are you looking at?
Nothing, nothing!
Better not be you pig.
Skits: In pairs or groups, students create and perform short skits where they show examples of respectful vs. disrespectful behavior (e.g., interrupting, name-calling). I will provide sentence stems on the board like "No es correcto insultar a otros" (It's not right to insult others), "Debemos ayudarnos" (We should help each other), etc.
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