Woah, start the countdown to the end of the school year! I love this time of year. You can actually feel the energy and excitement in the air as the weather gets warmer and the calendar moves closer to summer.
I find myself looking at my planner every year around this time–trying to make sure I can fit everything in and still have time for some fun end of year activities before we send the kids home for summer.
My Favorite End of Year Activities for Spanish Class
Reading Stories
It won’t come as a surprise that I love teaching with stories. Reading and talking about summer can be a fun way to capture student attention towards the end of the school year.
Kindergarten & 1st grade
I have several super simple stories that I choose from for kindergarten and first grade at the end of the school year. I have several in the Hay un Animal series that are a fun way to review basic vocabulary and structures they’ve learned throughout the school year.
2nd grade
My second graders love reading the story, El Verano de Llama. We read the story, act it out, connect the story to our own opinions, and match up photos with sentences. After all that hard work, I love to bring out a student favorite and do a Kahoot based on the story.
3rd grade
My third graders learn about Puerto Rico and I’m so hoping we have time to read the fabulous story, El Chivo en la Huerta, by Mundo de Pepita. This is such a fun story to read and act out. The story is more involved than others they’ve read and I love to see students rise to the challenge.
End of Year Review Games
Celebrating what students have learned throughout the school year can help end the year on a positive note. Review games with content they already know is such a great confidence booster at the end of the year. Plus it’s fun to see their faces light up as students find they easily know the answers.
I love to mix it up and have some lessons with technology and some without. My favorite techy review games are Kahoot, Blooket, and Baamboozle.
I don’t play it often and perhaps that’s why they love it, but a good old fashioned game of Bingo is my favorite non-tech review game. It never fails–the lesson following a Bingo lesson has students requesting to play it again. 😂
Walk to Read Activities
I find students to have extra squirrely energy as the year winds down. This always has me looking for ways to intentionally allow for them to move. Walk to Read or Write the Room activities are great for that!
Since I don’t have a classroom dedicated to Spanish, I tend to use Walk to Read more often. That way I can set it up in the grade level hallway and use it with each class I teach.
In my 1st and 2nd grade classes I’ve found great success keeping things simple using this activity that focuses on basic sentences with colors. First, I post the clues around the hallway for students to find. They aren’t really “hiding,” just taped on the walls with the goal of having to walk around to find them.
Students have to go out and find one clue at a time. After reading it, they come back to their desk and color the correct letter the correct color. Then they can head back out to the hall in search of another clue.
Printing the clues on colored paper helps them stand out a little better. *There’s nothing worse than making it too challenging at this level! (And when you have limited time for your lesson…)
You can create a Walk to Read Activity with whatever content that makes the most sense for your students. They could read sentences describing an animal or a shape and then come back to color it. They could read opinion sentences written by people at school and then record it. Once you start brainstorming, the possibilities are endless!
Go Outside and Play
Lastly, it’s so great to just take a day and let the kids play outside. I love to bring groups of students outside to draw with chalk. It’s a simple way to get outside while still incorporating our content. If we’re working on a story, I have them draw their favorite part of the story.
Planning fun lessons that you’ll enjoy teaching can definitely help you make the most of the last few weeks of school. ¡Suerte, profes!
Are you on a cart or do you have your own classroom?!
Having a classroom or teaching from a cart makes a huge difference in the day to day experiences of a teacher. I’m here to give you all the details on how I set up my cart and how I make it work for me. That said, it’s definitely one of those things that each person needs to figure out what works best for them. Teaching from a cart is definitely challenging, but, in my opinion, getting to teach elementary students makes it all worth it.
Picking a Cart to Teach From
There are many awesome options out there; so, if you’re able to choose your cart, I encourage you to look at a bunch before you decide on one.
I used to have a fancy cart with a whiteboard but have since downsized in favor of one that is easily maneuvered in and out of classrooms and the elevator. Most of my visuals are on the google slides I teach from, so I don’t feel the need to include lots of visuals for teaching on my cart.
I’m lucky enough to work with a team of awesome Elementary Spanish teachers and we all have different carts–they said I could share photos with you so here we go!
Different angles of my cart. My computer sits on the open space on top while en route to different classes.
I love to hang student artwork from the side of my bins with binder clips.
Some questions to think about when choosing a cart…
- Do you need to display visuals on it?
- Does it have enough space for teacher items as well as items for class?
- Does it have space for your computer?
- How easily does it roll / move over transitions in the flooring?
- Can you add command strips to it to help with displaying visuals?
What’s on your cart?
I’ve had tons of people ask about how to set up their carts. I will say my organization system works really well for me; and, I’m happy to share it here. That said, I’m sure you’ll figure out your favorite way to keep track of everything you need.
I will call my system the Bin Method. I start with one bin per grade level. In them, I put worksheets, books, materials for games, etc. that are specific to that grade level’s lessons. In addition to grade level bins, I have others that I put on my cart as needed.
For example, if a class will be playing a board game, I will bring the bin with game pieces. If a class will be playing bingo, I put the bin with bingo chips on my cart. OH! And if we’re practicing conversations, I bring the big basket of stuffies/puppets.
I also have bins for my teacher items on the top of my cart. Desk things I use throughout the day include, post its, pens, paper clips, binder clips, sharpie, highlighter, tape, scissors, stapler, backup staples. I also bring stickers, bandaids, kleenex, hand sanitizer, balls, puppets, and my COFFEE / water.
Don’t forget to print off and bring your schedule with you! I number my lessons so I always have my list of which class is on which lesson on a clipboard (on my cart). Who can remember all that throughout the day? Not me.
How do you remember everything?
When I’m planning lessons each day, I do not consider myself finished with a lesson until everything I need to teach it is on my cart. So, if I need copies for the lesson, they are in the bin for that grade level. If we are reading a book, it’s on the cart. If I need puppets or stuffies, on the cart. Manipulatives for a game? On. The. Cart.
Like everyone, I am, of course, human. I occasionally realize I left something in my office as I’m teaching a lesson. Luckily, I teach with some amazing teachers and they are always very gracious in covering for me as I run back to grab what we need.
Also, it’s really easy to set something down in a classroom somewhere and not ever think about it again until you need it as you’re teaching days later in another class. It can be challenging to think back and find it again! I try my best to never set things down in the classrooms I’m in and instead always put them down on my cart.
Random thoughts about teaching on a cart
More than anything, remember that YOU are the magic of your class, not the space you’re in. As much as I’d love to decorate and teach in a space dedicated to the Spanish language and cultures, I can still effectively teach in other spaces.
This advice could really be given about a variety of topics, but it’s helpful to adjust your expectations when teaching on a cart. You can’t do all the things. Accepting that some types of activities aren’t ideal when teaching on a cart allows you to focus on those that are better suited to the situation.
It can be quite challenging teaching in someone else’s space. I have found it so helpful to develop good relationships with my colleagues. It’s easier to handle frustrations when we know each other well. Being open and flexible can go a long way, as well.
Okay, there you have it! Leave questions below in the comments–I’d love to hear from you. If you’re on a cart now, I encourage you to leave some advice for us!
Are you having trouble wrapping your brain around teaching a new level?
When you’re used to teaching older students, it can be quite a shock to switch levels and think about teaching students as young as kindergarten. You’d think this would be a fairly uncommon occurrence (switching from teaching high school to teaching elementary). However, I hear questions about it quite often. Having gone through this experience myself, I’d like to share my thoughts in case it might be helpful.
If you didn’t initiate the change (or even if you did), I want to first encourage you to take the time you need to grieve. Acknowledging the sadness you feel about leaving your school & leaving your job as you know it can go a long way in working towards acceptance.
When I switched to teaching elementary, it was because our high school numbers were down and I was told my job would now be 80% elementary and 20% high school. I was shocked and nervous but ultimately grateful I still had a job in the district I love. Taking time to feel all the feelings really helped me ultimately move past them.
*I now teach elementary school full time and love it even more than I loved high school—it’s nice when things have a way of working out for the best.
Where do I start?
My first recommendation for teachers switching levels is to think about what you would like to learn about your new grade levels in your first year.
I had been teaching for 7 years when I switched, but I had a ton to learn about my new younger students! I intentionally sought out opportunities to learn about each grade level and I asked lots of questions. I observed other elementary Spanish teachers and I also asked the classroom teachers I worked with if I could observe them teaching a lesson. That combined with casual daily observations helped immensely as I learned about my new students.
Something important to keep in mind as you plan and teach lessons to younger students is: you are learning right along with them–and that’s a good thing!
-As you try new things and see how it works or doesn’t work, you are learning.
-When you ask if anyone has a question and you get 10 hands in the air, zero questions and ten stories, you are learning.
-When you think your directions are clear but no one knows what to do, you are learning.
-When you practice the new technology ahead of time and still find yourself troubleshooting in front of the class, you are learning.
It’s okay to learn the messy way.
Really, it’s okay to learn the messy way, as you go, with the students.
Be patient with yourself and give yourself grace. One thing I love about younger kids is they give grace freely.
Things I have learned about elementary students
Some won’t know how to write their name when they start kindergarten *Tip: write it for them with a yellow marker and have them trace
They all want a turn, all the time
It’s much faster for the teacher to make the partner groups (with younger grades k-2)
If you say yes to one child going to the bathroom, at least 5 more will ask to go
Kids love to hold things–using manipulatives is very engaging
Attention spans are much shorter and your lessons will need to move quickly. Keep kids guessing and embrace your silly side! I like to add movement breaks or activities that include movement within each lesson to help get the wiggles out.
You don’t need to say all the words–be very intentional about just using the words you need (especially when in the target language)
Awesome things about elementary students
They will LOVE you
You can convince them almost anything is fun
They are super willing to try new things (trying new words and sounds in their new language)
They love to be helpful–you’ll always have lots of volunteers if you need help with anything
They love school
They have tons of energy
You can do this
Switching levels (especially this big of a switch!) can feel like changing jobs entirely. Please remember to be patient and give yourself grace. Work on being yourself and enjoy getting to know your new students. It is so worth it in the end!
These posts might be helpful when preparing to make the shift from teaching high school to elementary Spanish class:
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