Voices en Español

For those of you who teach Spanish, here are some online resources that might be of interest:

Enchanted Learning has a stack of activities, coloring book printouts and worksheets for young children learning Spanish. Some of the materials are available for free but to gain access to the complete online library of detailed actitives and worksheets you have to buy an annual membership. It only costs $20 but it’s worth every penny, especially if you’re a teacher who likes to have an assortment of worksheets and activities on file for when you have a substitute teaching your class or you want to review concepts and vocabulary you’ve previously taught. I’ve used this site in the past (the English worksheets for my Spanish students), and several of the activities and ideas I got from it were a big hit with my first and second-grade students.

My second web site recommendation is more appropriate for Spanish teachers at the high school or university level. Canal Encuentro is an online TV channel created by Argentina’s Ministry of Education. Although it is a site that is clearly targeted at native Spanish speakers, it has such a wealth of information on numerous topics, from art to science, that it could give you some ideas to supplement your lesson planning, particularly if you teach motivated students with an advanced level of Spanish. Canal Encuentro also has some children’s science programming but it may be at too high a level, in terms of vocabulary and speaking speed, for kids learning Spanish.

In addition to its video programming, what also distinguishes Canal Encuentro is its “Espacio Docente“, a space where teachers can find pre-written lists of questions and suggested activities to immerse students in the subjects. Some of the topics currently featured include nuclear energy, the life of flying insects, the art of Salvador Dali and Surrealism.

Overall, the site is extremely comprehensive and it’s free. There’s no fee to access any of the materials on the site.  Argentina’s taxpayers’ pesos at work!