Let’s Talk About El Día de los Tres Reyes Magos! What is the connection between los Tres Reyes Magos and the 12 days of Christmas? Have you ever wondered why …
Los Reyes Magos – History, Lesson Plan & Activities Read More »
Different Christmas Traditions: Las Posadas December 16th marks the beginning of Las Posadas, a Christmas tradition that originated in Spain and is now celebrated throughout Latin America. This tradition consists …
Day of the Dead (Día de los Muertos) The Day of the Dead or Día de los Muertos observed November 1st and 2nd is a vibrant and profoundly meaningful tradition …
Day of the Dead – Día de los Muertos Classroom Activity Read More »
Summer ’13 High School Spanish Immersion in Costa Rica: Our High School Immersion Students had a life-changing summer in Costa Rica! Before departing the USA, we talked extensively about …
Two easy tips for how to study Spanish! Almost all Spanish tests, when you break them down to their most basic components, are a combination of vocabulary and grammar. If …
2 Effective Tips for How to Study Spanish (and really learn it!) Read More »
Ever wish you could acquire your second language as naturally as you did your first? True language acquisition is the idea behind immersion programs abroad and immersion-style teaching. “I’m not …
Language Acquisition vs. Language Learning: Truly Acquiring a Foreign Language! Read More »
Tú and usted, using the forms of you in Spanish: In our work with professionals learning Spanish for workplace communication, we often encounter the patterns they learned in high school …
To tutear or not to tutear…the forms of you in Spanish Read More »
Some relevant and interesting debate topics for Spanish Class Hopefully your Spanish students have been exposed to important historical themes through their classwork and readings. However, what better way to …
Need some interesting, relevant Spanish class presentation topics? Let us help you get started with unas ideas: Light Topics: Common Slang Expressions Every day you say things that don’t translate …
An effective immersion model is educational, fun and inserts students into the community There are a lot of summer programs out there for high school students, with different approaches to …
High School Spanish: An Effective Immersion Model Read More »
Learning a new language can always be tricky; some of the most embarrassing scenarios include these common Spanish-English translation mistakes: Whether or not you travel abroad this summer, chances are …
One dust sandwich, please, discussing some common translation mistakes Read More »
Having trouble motivating students? Getting ready to send your graduating Spanish students off to college and into the world – hoping that they’ll continue their language studies? For a lot …
Motivating students- Connecting to Spanish in the “real world” Read More »
I’m going to study abroad in Latin America! What now? Once you’ve made the decision to study abroad, what you do in the months leading up to your departure can …
Top 5 ways to prepare for study abroad in Latin America Read More »
Use one of the easiest tunes to remember the tricky irregular preterite tense Irregular preterite tense can be difficult for many students. We all know that remembering the lyrics to …
Sing your verbs: Teaching the irregular preterite tense Read More »
Formal Spanish Greetings- Getting Started Whether you’re traveling to Costa Rica with us this summer or working with Latinos in your own community, properly greeting and conversing with the people …
Out of the classroom and into the world: Formal Spanish greetings Read More »
Spanish Immersion in Costa Rica and the 5 C’s of Foreign Language Education The 5 C’s of Foreign Language Education have been developed by ACTFL as the national standard for …
Spanish Immersion and the 5 C’s of Foreign Language Education Read More »
Informal Spanish greetings If you’re traveling to Costa Rica with Common Ground this spring or summer, you’ll be greeted a lot of different ways by Ticos (Costa Ricans). Greeting people …
Beyond Hola: Spanish Greetings in Costa Rica (and beyond) Read More »
The internet is full of Spanish teacher resources. Interactive quizzes and printable worksheets abound, but here are some of our favorites that serve 5 distinctly different purposes: 1. Word Reference.com: …
What’s in store for High School Spanish students who stick with the language…stay on that path bilingual students! Start studying Spanish in high school – and stick with it – …
Ok, so I take another grammar quiz…then what? Tips for aspiring bilingual students Read More »
If you’ve ever had trouble saying “for” in Spanish, you’re not alone! Let’s talk about por vs. para: The key to understanding por vs. para is to think of the …
Spanish Resources Online: Supplement your Spanish Learning! Whether you want to follow international news, work on your pronunciation, or just find the right Spanish word, here are a few online …
Spanish Resources Online: Where to get your daily dose of Spanish Read More »
