The first day of school is tomorrow for me, and I will admit; I am more nervous than usual. I was doggedly tired at the end of last year, and consequently I didn’t lift a finger this summer (only to put delicious food in my belly!). I was too caught up going to World Cup matches, gardening, and truly relaxing!
However, I CHERISH the first day with my students because we embark on a student-centered, energetic, and linguistically affirming activity: the school tour. It’s a home run every time! In fact, when I implemented it for the very first time 7 years ago, I overheard one student remark that she had learned more Spanish the first day than in her whole middle school experience! NOTE: I do this for Spanish I classes only.
While I am sure Clarissa was hyperbolizing, something definitely resonated with her. And here’s how you can wow your students as well.
First Day, School Tour Activity (see first activity below)
This is by far my favorite activity! Click on this link (free)for the instructions and 3 free follow up activities that will extend the fun! I’ll admit, I got a bit carried away with the follow-up activities🤣😹
First, I provide students with an activity sheet. These have all the names of the places we’ll visit. It is included in the link provided above. After this, we exit the room, and walk around the school. As we explore, I pause, point, and say the words in Spanish. For example, when we arrive at the bathrooms and I point and say “el baño”. Students then find the word and write the English equivalent (see this resource for a more critical thinking type warm up). This is perfect for my freshman who could use another tour of the facilities; it also is a good segue into definite articles, gendered nouns, if I wanted to go that route as well (I ask students to make observations with the words, and they inevitably see “el baño” and “la oficina” so I mini-lesson on these words).
Once back in the class, students compare answers. We do some choral repetitions. This year, I have pictures that I will use to review the words we learned during the tour (included here in the follow up activities).
When class is dismissed, I normally tell them Adiós o que tengan un buen día. I teach this expression freshman year, and their upper-level teachers always compliment me for it!
And it’s a wrap! Believe it or not that takes up 45 minutes! See more options and SOLUTIONS for starting the fire strong!
What type of schedule do I have?
Our first day of school, we have short 45-minute classes. On a typical block schedule day I’d see 3 sections for 90 minutes. However, on the first day, we have 5 cohorts of students!
Believe it or not, I don’t even go near the syllabus, or at least for a few days. As students file into the room, I greet them with “hola” and a few students reciprocate. Once they are boarded in their seats, I introduce myself by writing “Me llamo Sra. Quintero” on the board. I then go around and have them repeat after me and then tell me their names. They normally derive a lot of enjoyment from this language-empowering communicative activity, and thus report feeling a sense of success on their first day.
First Day First Activity (I included this second to prioritize the school tour)
I pass out an index card and ask them to write their names, the phonetic pronunciation of their names, and pronouns.
For students who are comfortable, I allow them to get out of their seats and greet others with “Hola, me llamo” to as many people as possible. On the back of the index card, I have them write their favorite Chicago sports team, an idea I got from Kia London.
If you implement any of these activities, please let me know in the comments where this was posted! I love reactions and feedback.
- ¿Quién es el chico nuevo? Learn about greetings, interrogative words, and Guinea Equatorial (Spanish-speaking country in Africa) with this graphic style Ebook resource!
- Interview with Ainhoa: Make learning effortless with this activity! Student will acquire tons of incidental vocabulary words throughout the interview, and get reps of some very pivotal verbs in context: Ser, gustar, and tons of cognates! y Follow up activities included!
- New resource! ¿Quién soy yo? Scaffolded personal interview questions to allow students to engage in conversation, one question at a time. There are 10 building blocks of learning activities included!
- Comic strip about the first day of school. Glossary and questions included!
- Dialogue between two students about the first day of school. Perfect for acting out in class!
6. Make the most of those cognates with Cognate Connection! This empowering activity will help students harness their language power!
7. Datos Interesantes Sobre el Español is an informational texts that provides a comprehensible overview of the Spanish language with its connection to Romance and Indigenous languages. Perfect for first week with level 2, leisure reading, or sub plans.
8. El profesor estudioso is a short story told in the first person to give students an opportunity to see first the contextualization of person conjuguations.
9. Rafael Nadal and the verb gustar! This resource is a great addition to a unit or activity. on personality traits, preferences, and/or sports.
10. Afro-Costa Rican Day! This resources provides students with important details about the recognition, celebration, and traditions!
Comprehensible Novels for the Classroom
Looking for an engaging classroom novel? Need help building a classroom library? Check out readersbyacquintero.com
Don’t have a classroom library? Check out this list of digital reads for your students!
Discover the perfect novel for any classroom with our extensive library, tailored for every level and interest. Each book comes with proven teaching materials designed to captivate students through engaging storylines, language use, authentic expressions, and essential grammar structures. Empower your teaching and keep your focus where it matters most: on your students’ learning!
Novels and Resources by A.C. Quintero
A.C. Quintero Literary Partners!
Command Performance Language Institute
Wayside Publishing
Teacher’s Discovery
The CI Bookshop (Europe)
Teaching Spanish Made Easy (TPT) Catalog
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