In our global community, communication is key! Something wonderful is happening on Teachers Pay Teachers where foreign language teachers are transforming dusty, dull, out-of-date approaches to learning language into joyous, creative, fun, and exciting experiences.
Try these resources from just a few of TpT’s Spanish Language Teachers (and look forward to meeting more of this dynamic group of educators!)
LaProfesoraFrida, who teaches at two International schools in Amsterdam, says, “Let’s face it, textbooks can only go so far. Foreign Language teachers are a creative bunch who want to bring the language alive for their students!” Try her My Spanish Family Unit (grades 5-12).
Teacher-Author Lita Lita teaches 1st and 2nd grade bilingual education in Spain. She says, 
“I began creating my own units because finding good Spanish resources online was almost impossible. Now I love seeing more Spanish teachers here on TpT. My favorite units are the bilingual ones where you can find both English and Spanish. I like it when they don’t focus on the language but on Math or Science. This is why I create small pieces of work that students can take home to share with family and get them excited about the new language.” See her All about teeth fold and learn (Grades K-2).
TpT’ers Nicole and Eliceo feel that, “If there’s one thing that bilingual teachers have in common, it’s their search for quality, affordable bilingual materials. The good news is that over the last few years, bilingual teachers from around the globe have begun to share their expertise and teacher-created resources through TpT.”
Nicole goes on, “When Eliceo and I moved to Yucatan, Mexico, the search for bilingual materials became even more challenging. It pushed us to develop our creative side and motivated us to create our own teaching materials that we now share through TpT. For example, we created an entire line of Interactive Notebooks in English & Spanish (Grades K-2) for the core subject areas, to provide our students with a more hands-on learning experience.”
“My name is Angelica Sandoval and I teach 1st grade dual language immersion in Chula Vista, CA. In the past, we always had to translate products from English to Spanish. Now, we can just go on TpT and find what we are looking for without the extra work!”
“My students absolutely love the monthly literacy center!” says Angelica. Try her Matching Sentences in Spanish August-September (grades K-2).
“One of the toughest things about teaching in a foreign language is the lack of 
quality resources,” explains La Maestra Sonriente. “So often publishers forget that teaching literacy in another language does not look exactly the same as teaching literacy in English! Merely translating an English curriculum to make a Spanish version just doesn’t work when it comes to learning to read.
TpT connects bilingual and foreign language teachers to quality literacy materials that are authentic and show understanding of linguistic differences. And most importantly, when you buy from a seller who works with bilingual students, you know that your purchases have been successfully tested with students who are just like yours!”
She goes on to say, “When I first started teaching, my biggest struggle was finding fun and engaging materials that helped my students learn to read syllable by syllable in Spanish. My beginning syllable bump game (Grades PreK-1) is one of my favorites for the beginning of the year!”
Sra Sol feels that “TpT is a fantastic resource to find enrichment activities necessary for the World Language learning experience. So much of learning a language in a traditional classroom is memorization. TpT offers activities to use the language in authentic and creative ways that can engage students like no textbook can.
This product is a Technology Bundle (Grades 6-12), which contains six of my top-selling technology activities that connect students to the ‘real world.’ The materials range from an activity about traveling through Spain on the metro to a webquest about three restaurants in different Spanish-speaking countries.”
Resources for Grades PreK-12: Don’t miss these Spanish Language Teachers
“On TpT you can find a larger variety of more authentic resources that have been created by real teachers and been tested in real classrooms,” says Woodward Education, a husband/wife team based in Santiago Chile who have owned and run a Language school there since 2002. Take a look at their Easter Island Reading Activities and Worksheets (Grades 10-12).
Night-light Lessons points out, “many of the resources on TpT allow for speaking opportunities, which is something most foreign language teachers are looking to include in every lesson.” Here’s one example: Station activity for el pretérito or the past tense in Spanish (Grades 8-11).
La Profe Plotts feels that “not only is TpT a great place to find tangible resources for my classroom, it is a wonderful community of educators who are willing to collaborate and share ideas.” Try her 48 Spanish Present Tense Task Cards (Grades 7-12). “Task cards are a great way for students to engage with grammar and process what they are learning in a variety of ways,” she says.
Island Teacher says, “I love that TpT gives foreign language and ESL teachers a chance to discover new ideas and resources that go ‘outside the box’ of standard textbook materials.” Foreign Language Vocabulary Task Cards 20 Activities (Grades 6-11).
I Speak Your Language recommends her Spanish Countries Trivia Game (Grades 6-10) that can be used as a sub plan or a daily trivia question.
“TpT is a breath of fresh air to teachers of foreign languages,” says Creative Expressions. “It’s easy to read about and collaborate with teachers of all languages from all over the world. This just lightens the load of any teacher teaching a foreign language. Hundred of lessons are at the tip of your finger tips in so many different languages. The lessons are first quality because all of us have struggled finding top notch materials for our students of foreign languages.” Explore her Dia De Los Muertos unit (Grades 6-8).
Educando-Einsteins, a bilingual teacher who lives in Spain, states, “When I think of TpT, I can only see advantages.” Try Multiple Intelligence Centers for early finishers (Grades 2-5)
Mundo de Pepita has taught Spanish K-4 in a small town on the coast of Maine for 16 years, founding the program and developing the curriculum and assessments from scratch. . Try Números Activity Pack & Minibook Printable Spanish Resources (Grades PreK-2). “Those moments of not being able to find valuable materials is becoming a thing of the past. And, for many of us, especially here in New England, we are the only foreign language teacher in the building, so opportunities to connect and share are quite limited. It is amazing to see and experience the professional camaraderie, enthusiasm, and expertise all in one place!”
Finally, meet Juliana Suarez from Bogotá, Colombia. She says, “I teach kinder bilingual for gifted students in Texas. Before TpT, I spent a lot of time translating and creating materials for my students, but translating endlessly was taking time away from other tasks.
My best seller is My Morning Work Routine in Spanish (Grades PreK-1). A packet filled with activities aligned with the TEKS (Texas Standards) and Common Core, where the students review reading, math, writing and Social Studies.”
