Blog

Exploring how video tools can impact a World Language Classroom was the theme for this #langchat discussion. Target-language videos, whether for learners or authentic, can be a fabulous tool for engaging learners of all ages, regardless of the teacher’s curriculum.  On this topic, #langchat teachers discussed increasing proficiency, bridging videos into interpersonal and presentational modes, […]

Summer break = break from kids’ learning? Is summer break really a good idea relative to children’s learning journey?  That’s certainly a hot topic for teachers and parents, and we won’t debate here.  Surely, though, over two months of little to no contact with Spanish can only hurt language development. – Follow us on Twitter – Here’s an […]

TEN MILLION VIEWS. In elementary schools, kindergartens, preschools, and homes around the world, children have joined us in singing in Spanish about everything from colors to animals on the farm.  Kids are singing about how to answer “What’s your name?” and introduce someone to a friend.  They’re showing someone around the house and commenting on the […]

Accessing the routines they thrive on Is your Spanish learning time incorporating the target language from greetings to farewells? I frequently tell teachers that my favorite aspect of our now-retired classroom curriculum, Calico Spanish Classic (still available as a digital download on TPT here), is the way the songs help teachers take advantage of routine […]

Has it seemed to you that the topic of weather and seasons has been the hardest to pin down in a catchy, effective song for early Spanish learners?  It has for us.  So, we made our own. “Las estaciones” weather/seasons Spanish song The weather and seasons are so interconnected that it was natural to put […]

A few weeks ago, the #langchat discussion centered on the details of implementing Backward Design in a World Language Classroom. Backward Design is a concept introduced in the book Understanding by Design and involves planning by establishing the goal first, then how students will show they have achieved the goal, and then the steps they […]

Happy Mom’s Day! We recently saw an adorable Mother’s Day “My mom and I” printable activity in English.  We love these activities and thought it was such a great idea we’d do something similar in Spanish. In ours, we’ve featured some of our Stories characters with their moms and grandmothers.  Here at Calico Spanish, we are moms […]

What do you get when you update a 100-year-old Spanish children’s ronda with a peppy country beat and lyrics related to time, the house, feelings, and activities?  We can’t wait to show you. I know we’ve been releasing a lot of new music lately (see Pañuelito, and Amiguito, and Así me gusta a mí, and Todo mi […]