I have never been a fan of snow, that’s probably one of the reasons why I moved from Boston to Austin. But one of the things I most miss about New England is the beautiful fall foliage and the crisp feeling of the air, even if it means snow is around the corner. I used to love teaching this song to my students because of the connection to the time of year. Fall means a lot of exciting things: pumpkin patches, apple picking, apple pie, pumpkin pie, Halloween tricks and treats, and so on!
I don’t get to teach this song with the same excitement anymore because nothing changes as dramatically down here in Austin (I’ve heard it said that there are three seasons here: summer 1, summer 2, and winter), but I can still share my love for the fall with you through this song and resources.
I still remember when I wrote this song during a cold winter in Boston when I was thinking back to this beautiful season. I am lucky that a group of friends and musicians in Colombia recorded many of my songs that you can find on Teachers Pay Teachers, Amazon, CD Baby, and iTunes.
Through this song, your students will explore the colors of the fall season. You and your students can imitate the sound of the wind and the freshness of the fall to introduce this activity. Use pictures of different seasons and ask the class “¿es verano?”, “¿es primavera?” and so on. Give time for answers and go through every
season until you get to “otoño.” Introduce the word “hojas,” and sing part of the song. Have your students explore different colors and help to name them. I sometimes like to use a play parachute*** andfake fall leaves*** while singing the song. It gets noisy, but it’s a lot of fun and a great way to get your students moving. This song works best with preschool-aged children. Click HERE to download free props to use this song in your classes!
Yes! I just started the new school year, and my classroom has been ready for a couple of weeks. After being a traveling teacher for a few years I truly understand the feeling one has when other teachers share pictures of their classroom, but I also remember that I didn’t really have to use any of my time before to set up space. I just had to make sure I had enough tote bags for my class. There are pros and cons to having or not having a classroom, but I consider that a topic for another post.
I am the kind of teacher who likes to make changes every year to my room. I also never finish the school year with the room looking the same because I like to move things around according to my students’ needs. This is how my room looks right now!
I have a deskless classroom. We do a lot of movement activities so this setting is perfect for our needs.
My kindergarteners and first graders sit on the rug. These carpet Spots Markers*** are great to help my little ones remember their places on the rug. I assign seats to make that transition to my class faster.
I have a closet where I keep many of the materials we use in class. I have a set of clipboards to use when we do writing activities.
I keep the notebooks for each grade in baskets. We only use notebooks in grades 3 to 5.
This year I decided to add these light filters*** to my room because the lights were very bright. I like the ambiance they give to my room.
This map by Spanish Cuentos is a “must-have” in a Spanish classroom. It’s also good to have on hand when we talk about different Spanish speaking countries.
I like keeping my classroom rules at the front so I can refer to them when I need them.
These signs with hand signals avoid a lot of interruptions in my class. Visit this post to read more about how I use them.
I really love this reading corner! The classroom cushions***are made of a fabric that is easy to clean. My students really like using them during our free reading time.
The books in the library are leveled by grade, but if a student feels that he or she can read beyond the suggested level, they will need to conference with me to make sure that the reading is not going to make them feel frustrated. Stop by my Facebook page to get the pictures of the posters I shared there.
These are some lovely friends that accompany my students when they have birthdays or need extra love during class.
I like decorating my room with authentic art and label them with their country of origin. Most of them are from Colombia (I wonder why…).
I use these signs to greet my kinder and first grade students.
This year I changed my sign from “La frase de la semana” to “La frase del ciclo” to “honor” the new 10-day cycle schedule that we have. I figured the frase will need to stay longer on my door for my students to remember it.
We have a new class pet this year. We are still deciding on a name for it. This pet is also a favorite during birthdays. It also has different outfits for special occasions during the school year. My students love it!
I am keeping my calendar area simple. I think I already have so many colors around the room, so it was fair to keep this area simple.
If you are looking for fun and catchy songs to teach your elementary students, here are nine! I wrote these songs with my students in mind and related to what was happening in my classes at that time. Some of the songs have traditional rhythms from Colombia and were sung by native speakers. The songs are short and the tunes are catchy. You will find yourself singing some of these songs at random times!
If you don’t know the “Running Dictation” activity, this link has a great explanation about it. This game is a variation of the Running Dictation. I call it “Telephone Dictation” just to give it a new name, but I am sure someone else has adapted it too. I have used it with third and fourth graders, but I am sure it works with upper levels as well.
You will need:
A clipboard.
Five pieces of blank paper.
A pencil.
A chair or a place to put the sentences.
Five or more sentences.
I divide my classes in groups of three or four. Each group gets a clipboard, a pencil, and five pieces of paper. Then I instruct them to sit in a line. I place all the materials in front of the line. I also place a chair with with 4 or 5 sentences at the end of the line. I recommend not using more than 5 sentences with lower grades.
The student who is at the end takes a sentence and reads it to the student sitting in front of him/her. Then that student whispers the sentence in the ear of the next student. They keep passing the message along until it makes it to the student at the front of the line. That student takes one of the pieces of paper and writes the message. When that student is done, he goes to the end of the line, takes a new sentence, and it starts all over again. I ask the student at the end of the line who is reading the sentence to crumple it up once they are done reading it.
Once they are all done with the sentences they have to get together to organize them and make sense of them. Taken together, the sentences usually relate to a story or book we are reading in class.
Are you ready to try this activity in your next class? Let me know how it goes!
Ana Maria was born in Colombia and she currently lives in the United States. She is the founder of Spanish Plus Me, an initiative to promote the introduction of the Spanish language to children through the use of songs, movement, and fun.
There are many ways to incorporate Earth Day into Spanish class. As a way to review or explore new vocabulary, even to add Global Education, and raise awareness through Spanish class.
One of the biggest challenges I faced a few years ago while doing a 30-minute Spanish class for beginners was trying to find a simple and short Spanish song for Earth Day that would allow me to introduce basic vocabulary and phrases. Despite many great options out there (beautiful videos with great messages), I couldn’t find a fit for my specific needs regarding time and amount of vocabulary included in the lyrics. I decided to compose my own song to make sure I was targeting the vocabulary I needed and that the song was simple enough for my students to sing along.
Mi Tierra is the name of the song I composed, and it is now available on my album, Short + Fun Spanish Beats. I also have created some activities to get the best out of it in the classroom, and I will share some of them with you. I hope the following ideas can help you make it a memorable and fun Earth Day celebration that raises awareness for your students.
Prior to playing the song, familiarize yourself with the lyrics and the vocabulary.
Show the students an image of our planet. If there is technology available I recommend Google Earth.
Talk about color, shapes, who and what lives on Earth, and brainstorm ideas to take care of our planet: reduce, reuse, recycle
Read aloud the lyrics of the song while emphasizing the key words. Then ask the kids to listen to the song and raise their hands when they hear words they know. Play the first verse and stop.
Review the words in the second verse and repeat the exercise. For students who can read, you may project the lyrics on the board and have them point at the words they recognize.
Colors: Usually the first vocabulary kids learn in Spanish class includes colors. Finding familiar vocabulary in a song will help the kids to feel confident about being able to understand the lyrics, singing and using additional vocabulary. Singing will help your students to practice pronunciation and retain what they have learned.
Depending on the amount of time available for the class and the age of your students, you can try the following activities:
Make circle shapes attached to popsicle sticks in green and blue, or paint your students’ palms: one blue and the other one green. Then ask them to raise up each shape or painted hand whenever they hear to the word in the song
Add blue and green colors to an Earth drawing (Check out the guide to sing “Mi Tierra” on my TPT store for pre-made coloring and cutting out activities)
TPR (Total Physical Response): Representing the words with gestures and body movements is the best way to remember the vocabulary and also making it fun for the kids.
For this song you can play around with different options to use body movements. You can choose some words to use American Sign Language (example: tierra, azul, verde, recycle), or create movements to represent some of them (animals, plants, people, take care, cities, and towns).
I usually create the movements and then teach them to the kids, but I sometimes like to give them a couple of options to choose from. They are also creative and happy to help you come up with the gestures or movements to connect with the words. For example, they might like to make lion claws or roaring faces, or imitate a monkey when singing about animals.
Pop-up activities: My students love pop-up activities, and we do them with different songs on the album, and also with this one. You can divide your class in different groups, depending on the amount of students and the amount of words you think they can identify. Assign a word to each group and make tally points to count when they pop up (raise their hand or say the word aloud, whatever you prefer) as they listen to the assigned word while you play the song.
This exercise is great to help them to attune their ear to the pronunciation of the words, and to pay attention to the words in the song, as well as making it easy to identify other words.
Thank you to our guest blogger Ana for sharing your knowledge, songs and experience with all our readers. Please make sure to stop by her website to learn all about her and Spanish Plus Me.
¡Hola! I am Carolina, a Colombian elementary Spanish teacher based in Boston, MA. Fun for Spanish Teachers is the result of my passion for teaching Spanish to children and my desire to inspire collaboration and creativity in a vibrant teaching and learning community. It’s the perfect stop if you are looking for songs, games, teaching tips, stories, and fun for your classes.
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I have a deskless classroom. We do a lot of movement activities so this setting is perfect for our needs.
My kindergarteners and first graders sit on the rug. These 
I have a closet where I keep many of the materials we use in class. I have a set of clipboards to use when we do writing activities.
I keep the notebooks for each grade in baskets. We only use notebooks in grades 3 to 5.
This year I decided to add these 
This map by 
I like keeping my classroom rules at the front so I can refer to them when I need them.
The books in the library are leveled by grade, but if a student feels that he or she can read beyond the suggested level, they will need to conference with me to make sure that the reading is not going to make them feel frustrated. Stop by my 
These are some lovely friends that accompany my students when they have birthdays or need extra love during class.
I like decorating my room with authentic art and label them with their country of origin. Most of them are from Colombia (I wonder why…).
I use these signs to 
This year I changed my sign from 
We have a new class pet this year. We are still deciding on a name for it. This pet is also a favorite during birthdays. It also has different outfits for special occasions during the school year. My students love it!
I am keeping my calendar area simple. I think I already have so many colors around the room, so it was fair to keep this area simple.
This chime is a lifesaver when my 
