Students love this challenge. They must work in pairs to cover a wide variety of hypothetical questions such as What season would you choose to live in forever? what superpower would you have? If stranded on an island, what three items would you choose to have? etc…They must answer the questionnaire in a timed format and then compare their answer to those of their teammate. The team with the most comparable answers wins the challenge. This document is entirely in Spanish and designed to be used at any level. I use it mostly as an on the fly “Friday Fun Day” lesson.

This is a fun travel themed activity that can be done on the fly even with a sub. The context is that students wake up late for a flight to their vacation destination and have to work their way through the airport to catch it. To do this, they must place all the actions in the correct sequence for example; check bags before going through security, show boarding pass before boarding etc…To add a little fun I time the students and give them only 20 minutes for this part. When they complete the sequence they then must answer questions from the airlines safety card before take off.

This is great for a thematic chapter over movies, cinema, plots, film making etc… Students get to look over a list of the top 25 children and family movies of all time according to Rotten Tomatoes. They then must choose of those 25 which ones would make their own “top 10” list and explain why, using vocab such plot, director, scene, actors, romance films, action films etc…This can be used as homework, sub plans or additional fun practice for a movies and cinema themed chapter.

This Performance Task is designed for a Spanish level 3 or 4 class. It focuses on story telling using preterite and imperfect together. The performance task includes a writing component (approximately 100-150 words) that is then transformed into a script (100-150 words) and live performance or drama. Students really enjoy these absurd stories and performances that are created in a collaborative manner. Expect to laugh at the ideas that students come up with! Allow 6-7/ 60 min class periods to complete. This product includes a launch document, detailed checkpoints with directions and a grading rubric.

Nice Intro Reading Comprehension in English that discusses terminology (Hispanic vs. Latino), Geography, a bit of history and Languages. This is a super basic Spanish cultural reading with follow up questions and a blank map of Central and South America. Great no prep supplemental reading, homework or substitute plan. Could be used on the first day of class. Simple and straightforward editable document. Duration is about 25-30 minutes. Option 2: Translate this document into Spanish and have your upper level students complete it.

Here is a great, simple first assignment for beginner’s in Spanish. It could be given to students on day 1. Students are asked to study a list of Spanish cognates and fill in the blanks to an English story line to create a customized story in Spanglish. Have students share out. Allow 15-30 min for this mini lesson. These usually turn out to be pretty funny! In addition to creating the stories, you can also have students draw an illustration on the back. Thanks for looking!

Reading Comprehension on Dia de Muertos (Day of the Dead). This is a super basic Spanish 1 cultural reading with follow up questions. Great no prep supplemental reading, homework or substitute plan. Simple and straightforward. Duration is about 20 minutes.

In this activity students are asked to read Spanish lyrics of 12 different popular Disney songs and figure out which movies they are associated with. This can be completed as a standard worksheet exercise or you can spice it up a bit by making in a competition, where students are given a set amount of time to complete as many as they can. I don’t allow any translation via computer or phones for this one because it would make it too easy. Instead I encourage the use of dictionaries. This also makes a quick and easy sub plan or homework assignment. Also just FYI, students really enjoy listening to Disney Spanish soundtracks on Youtube while completing this assignment.

This hand out is a collection of 10 popular movie synopsis written in Spanish. Students must read the synopsis and try to figure out what movie it is describing. Then they are asked to write three sentences. The title of the movie, rather or not they have seen it (good to use for present perfect grammar) and if they liked it why or why not. This is a no prep assignment that can be used for a sub plan, additional reading practice or homework. Great for levels 2 or above.

This is a nice, simple activity (25-35 min) that does not require any preparation. Students love this approach to practicing translation. With all the favored Disney quotes on one page, students translate them from Spanish to English and then try to figure out what movie they are associated with. Dictionaries and/or textbook recommended. As a follow up, the students are asked to write down their own favorite Disney quote and translate it into Spanish. Designed for Spanish level 2 or 3.

This Performance Task centers around a traveling theme (places and activities) and the Ir + a + infinitive grammar structure. Students are asked to plan a trip to a Spanish speaking country using computer lab research. As a product they are asked to type up their plans in a word doc. and create a picture slide show on ppt or prezi that highlights their adventure, using real info such as flights, hotels and tour companies.This PT has a nice writing component as well as the oral assessment. It includes a rubric and an example travel plan. Allow 4-6 days for research, slideshow design and oral presentations.

Looking for a good topic for a Spanish 3 or 4 Essay/ Writing Assignment? This is a great performance task that is centralized around a 400 word essay. Students always have plenty to talk about in this exciting NASA role that they take on. As the world nears its destruction, students are asked to choose 10 people from a list to take with them to Mars to start a new civilization. In the essay they are to talk about their choices and explain why. The Grammar focus is preterite, but can be modified for any tense. As an optional follow up to the essay, students can create a physical model of their new city on Mars using household items and present their project to the class. Time frame is 3-60 min classes for Essay. Allow 4 additional days for the city models and presentations. This Product includes a launch document, all checkpoints with detailed instructions, List of people and descriptions to choose from (in Spanish), a grading rubric, sample essay and the additional city model project instructions.

A great Performance Task that gets the students talking/laughing about it for weeks afterwards. Students get to play the role of a novice Hollywood actor as they create a “part 3” to the popular YouTube video series “Que Hora Es” (see link below). Show the students the videos by Cedric the Entertainer and then given the launch document for this PT. There is a nice writing component that goes with the final presentation so students get to practice both their writing and speaking skills. I use this as my first Performance Task in Spanish 1, 6 weeks in to the semester. However it could be modified to fit any level. Duration 5-7 days including presentations. Comes with Grading Rubric . Video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cKGyOE_jOI&index=3&list=PL9DC292155F87A2C6 Link for Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZGac0jM8f0&index=2&list=PL9DC292155F87A2C6

Reading Comprehension that compares and contrasts family life in the U.S. and Mexico. This is a super basic Spanish cultural reading with follow up questions. Great no prep supplemental reading, homework or substitute plan. Simple and straightforward. Duration is about 25 minutes.

Students get to express their opinions using comparisons and superlative statements. The material is contextualized, hitting on some fun popular culture (iphones, superman, Justin Bieber etc…) A great way to practice the more advanced comparative and superlative structures. Designed for Spanish 2 and 3.

This is a short activity (about 7 minutes) that runs the course of 4 days. Students are to complete each time trial in the time allotted. Each round gets more challenging as they have less time to complete that round. Set student goals at an 80% pass rate for each round as well as a class average of 80% or higher for all four rounds. Choose a prize as an incentive to reach the goals. I throw a fiesta if they achieve their goal. Students love this short, simple activity. It makes for a great exit ticket.

Students create their own version of the board game Clue based on a shopping mall theme. They have to create player and item cards, detective pads and a 100 word essay about the characters they created. This is a well rounded project and students love playing their own game as a final product. Allow 6-7/ 60 min classes for the entire PT including 1 day to play the game. Product includes all detailed directions, checkpoints to keep students on task, launch document and grading rubric.

Reading Comprehension over cultural differences in houses of Latin America and the United States. This is a super basic Spanish cultural reading with follow up questions. Great no prep supplemental reading, homework or substitute plan. Simple and straightforward. Duration is about 20 minutes.

In this Performance Task students get to host a foreign exchange student for a semester. In preparation for their arrival, students are asked to put together a “first day of school packet” for their new guest. This PT has a nice balance of components such as drawing and labeling a map of the school, writing out their schedules and sending a letter to their new arrival. Students enjoy this creative approach to practicing school themed vocab. Duration is 5-6 days. A grading rubric and sample letter is included. Designed for Spanish 1

Reading Comprehension on superstitions from around the world. This is a super basic Spanish cultural reading with follow up questions. Great, no prep supplemental reading, homework or substitute plan. Simple and straightforward. Duration is about 20 minutes.