How to Recover Your Spanish Classroom from Summer Slump
Your Spanish classroom has been quiet all summer and the time has come to finally reactivate it.
Spanish is a highly immersive language, there’s a large chance that little exposure to the language during summer break will set your Spanish classroom back a few steps.
However this knowledge isn’t completely lost, there’re strategies and ideas you can use in your Spanish classroom to refresh your students’ minds and their language skills.
Keep reading for a guide on how to recover your Spanish classroom from summer slump.
Energize Your Spanish Classroom
Back to school is coming soon and it’s essential for Spanish educators to have ideas and resources that motivate students to get back on that horse
Students often lose expertise in a language during the summer because there isn’t as much reading, speaking, and listening like in the Spanish classroom. Although strategies that promote learning during the summer are of great help, let’s be honest, summer break is a vacation. Many students won’t commit to studying because they want to enjoy their time off.
Preparing in advance an answer to summer slump helps you stay organized and makes the return to the Spanish classroom smoother for students.
As a Spanish educator, you’re already familiarized with the potential your students have; tailoring your classes to their level with the right resources will bring you effective results to resume back where you left off.
Summer Slump Recovery Ideas for Your Spanish Classroom
Here are some useful and fun ideas to kickstart your Spanish classroom activities!
Spanish Classroom Decor
Posters, pictures, calendars, and a striking Spanish bulletin board are excellent ideas for motivating your students and surrounding them with vocabulary.
When you surround your students with educational resources that are visually appealing and require them to follow instructions, you encourage productivity and learning efficiency.
Plan out the spaces in your Spanish classroom and choose wisely which ones you can use with decoration. The door, lockers, and even the walls make a great canvas.
These spaces are excellent for creating different styled Spanish lessons:
- A Spanish word of the day bulletin board.
- An interactive “Yo vi” (I saw) wall where students add an item or word in Spanish they saw at home.
- A Spanish alphabet board where you revisit vocabulary of each letter of the alphabet everyday.
- Spanish verb conjugation bulletin board.
- Spanish story wall where students take a Spanish small text to read in the classroom out loud each day.
The possibilities for decorating your classroom are endless and you can tailor your decoration to your syllabus and Spanish curriculum.
Here are 25 Incredible Spanish Classroom Decor Ideas for you to get inspired.
Summer Interview (Entrevista de verano)
Promote interaction among students with an interview activity where students discuss their summer in Spanish.
This is a good ice breaker for returning students to engage with each other again with confidence. You need to prepare a set of flashcards with summer-related questions. Give a set to each pair of students and have them conduct the interviews with each other.
This Spanish classroom idea is great for encouraging conversation and refreshing Spanish vocabulary. You can always have a Spanish word bank on the board for students to use in their answers.
Encourage your more experienced Spanish students to provide assistance and feedback to those who need it for answering questions. Teamwork is key for your students to feel supported and gain confidence.
Prepare for the interview with this list of Spanish Summer Words for Kids.
Spanish Classroom Book Club
Reading during summer break helps students resist the summer slump and will also support you when your students return.
If you have the opportunity to encourage Spanish reading habits during summer, take it! You’ll notice students actually improve or return to the same level as they left.
Reading in Spanish has fantastic results for learners. It enables them to contextualize in another language and enhances critical thinking. Make sure to get your students back to the habit of reading in Spanish as soon as you return to school.
Start a book club where students practice Spanish conversation and discuss the different titles. Set reading goals to include rewards to keep them motivated, and try to choose amusing and educational titles.
Choose among this list of 12 Hispanic Authors Who Target Young Adults and Teens or from this list of 10 Spanish Children’s Books That Teach Life Lessons.
Student Center
Prepare a station in the Spanish classroom with supplies, objects, and any other material your students sometimes forget to bring.
Having this resource of supplies available is of great help for supporting any student in need without them asking questions or drawing attention. You can keep dictionaries, flashcards, and games for downtime.
The student center allows lessons to flow without disruption and is reassuring for students. Their motivation is key for resuming class with a positive attitude.
Spanish Classroom Routine
Having a routine in place optimizes Spanish classroom management.
A fixed routine allows students to know what to expect. Routines are ideal for building relationships within students and making the class dynamics flow.
Here are some steps your Spanish classroom can follow:
Check-In
Make this time for students to share how their day is going in Spanish and talk with each other before the class starts. This is an opportunity for students to use Spanish adjectives and descriptive language.
Calendar Talk
Use this space for discussing what day it is, the date in Spanish, and talk about special holidays, birthdays, or memorable events that pertain to the Spanish classroom.
Weather Report
Talk about the weather in Spanish and allow students to share specific details with weather vocabulary.
Spice up your student’s weather report with this blog post about Weather Expressions in Spanish and this practical list of Spanish Weather Words for Preschooler.
Music Wednesday (Miércoles de música)
Summer slump requires you to expose your students to Spanish at any possible opportunity.
Music in Spanish helps support listening, pronunciation, and speaking. Introduce a miércoles de música (Music Wednesday) every week and devote a space in the Spanish classroom to a Spanish song.
Print out the lyrics when possible and have your students follow the song while improving their Spanish listening skills.
Choose the best songs for your Spanish classroom with this list of 15 Amazingly Popular Spanish Songs for Kindergarten. If your students are older you can draw inspiration from this list of 10 Fabulous Indie Spanish Songs.
Add Some Extra Work
Returning to the Spanish classroom and gaining fluency requires effort. Most students have downtime at some point of the day and dedicate that time to the computer, phone, or tablet.
Encourage your students to make the most of technology and have them practice Spanish at home with an app. Getting them back on track requires them to compensate for the time spent without hearing Spanish.
A Spanish learning app can help students tackle the setback in a fun and interactive way. Most apps measure progress and proficiency, showing your students the progress they make by dedicating 10 to 15 extra minutes each day.
Make it extra fun for younger students with this list of 10 Fun, Safe, and Free Spanish Game Apps for Toddlers.
Are You Looking for Spanish Classroom Support?
Get other summer slump recovery resources and the help you need by signing up for a free class with our certified teachers from Guatemala.
Homeschool Spanish Academy provides 1-on-1 and group online Spanish classes for K-12 students. We can help alleviate the difficulty of having many students of varying levels of performance.
Even when children learn at a different pace, the results of teaching kids another language are incredibly rewarding. A strong Spanish foundation allows them to access a better future and expands their communication abilities to new horizons.
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