Jamie Do you struggle to find AP Spanish resources? Even for those of us lucky enough to have a textbook, it can still be difficult and time consuming to find appropriate resources that reflect the level of our Spanish students. And then there are the times when students don’t remember to bring their books to class! No te preocupes…. I have some great ideas that will help you find what you need!
AP Spanish Resources for Listening
There are a number of good sources for audio that I can recommend. I’ll put it in list form for easy reading!
- If you have a textbook, often it will come with on-line audio (I think the days of CD’s are in the past!)
- Radioambulante (Podcast in Spanish about ALL kinds of things!)
- Lupa: this is an app that students can download. It helps make podcasts more understandable! There is a free and a paid version.
- Notes in Spanish (A podcast made by a married couple- one Spanish and one English, but learning Spanish)
- YouTube: search a topic you would like your students to know more about! There’s no end to the choices!
AP Spanish Resources for Reading
When I’m trying to find a source about a specific topic for my students to read about, I usually go to goole.es Then I type my search term into the box, and I see what comes up. Some of the best sources I’ve used recently include:
- Newspaper articles: sometimes I type in the name of the national newspaper from a particular Spanish-speaking country. For example: El País from Spain. You can then search that newspaper for specific topics!
- Blog posts: These are not always as reliable as professional writing, but when you’re talking about travel, or family activities, these can be a great source of “real people” information!
- One thing I often forget about is infographics. Google a topic (in Spanish) and find one for your students to read and analyze!
- Textbooks and test-prep books have lots of good readings too!
AP Spanish Exam Test Prep Resources
Throughout every unit, it’s a good idea to sprinkle in test prep activities. In my experience, students need to practice each activity multiple times before they are comfortable. With the open-ended tasks, students need time and repetition to understand and remember the required elements. Here is where I find my test-prep activities:
- I’m very lucky to have a test-prep workbook. It’s handy and easy to scan to find out if I like the practice activity!
- AP Central: there is an AP classroom for every AP teacher, and within it are tons of free activities! Be careful! Some are locked and teachers should only allow students to use them in class!
- YouTube has instructional videos
- There is an AP Community for AP Spanish teachers via College Board. Sign up for the email list and see weekly posts. There are lots of shared activities, ideas and rubrics there!
How To Make Sure Your Resources Are Accessible
Once you find the ideal AP Spanish resource, now you need to make sure students understand it! Your next step is to create an activity to support their comprehension. These can take many forms including:
- Turn a reading into a Formative. You can add your own AP-style multiple choice questions and let the program grade it for you!
- Turn a YouTube video into an Edpuzzle. You can add both open-ended and multiple choice questions.
- Create comprehension questions
- Create a graphic organizer of information about the source for students to fill in
- Identify and/or translate important vocabulary that students will not know
- Make True/False statements, or ask students to make their own and then switch with another student!
- Create discussion questions about the source. Students learn by participating in the discussion and by listening to others. It also allows you to clarify any misunderstandings for the whole group!
Other Posts You May Like
The Parts of the AP Spanish Exam
Building Confidence with AP Spanish Students
More Resources
My Teachers Pay Teachers Store: I have created lots of things for busy and overwhelmed AP Spanish teachers! Let me know if there’s something you need that you don’t see! contactspecialtyspansish@contactspecialtyspanishgmail-com
My Free Resource Library: Sign up to get the password…. I have LOTS of things for all levels of Spanish in this library!
