Using Authentic Resources in Your Foreign Language Classroom

For a long time I struggled with how to include culture in my classroom. Where do people find the time to sandwich it between all the curriculum we have to cover? It seemed to me that the fun culture components got dropped so that we could race to the final exam. But isn’t that why we love language? It’s the tool we use to access all the good stuff: food, festivals, traditions, study abroad!

Then, like a bolt of lightning, I discovered authentic resources! Thank heaven for professional development conferences. In retrospect it seems so simple: use real videos, articles, and info graphics designed for Spanish speakers to help teach the current theme or grammar point we’re learning. It’s a two for one deal: you confront the curriculum WHILE using the culture.

The key is to create an accompanying activity that is at your students’ level. Sure, the video will be “hard” and they won’t understand everything. That’s the point! It gets them prepared for real world Spanish and takes away their fear of not understanding every word. However, the questions you create to go along with the video are things they can answer. This really helps to boost their confidence!

While incorporating authentic resources, you can use interpretative readings (articles, info graphics, etc) or interpretative listening activities (audio files, video, etc). These materials provide excellent input for your little language learners. In the “deportes” unit, my students analyze a variety of sports: the world cup, the Olympics, and even the Super Bowl. With so much to choose from, its easy to make cross cultural connections and comparisons. I like to start with something that they are familiar with, like the Super Bowl. Then, slowly introduce them to additional resources from Spanish speaking countries. For an example of my Super Bowl interpretative reading, click HERE.

If you are interested in using authentic resources in your Spanish classroom, please click HERE to visit my TpT store to see a variety of activities I use in my Spanish 1 and 2 classrooms.

Here are some specific examples of authentic resources focusing on “los deportes”:

Info graphic and video on soccer “el fútbol.”

Here are some specific examples of authentic resources focusing on “la comida”:

Biutiful movie interpretative listening

“La cosecha” interpretative listening

McDonalds interpretative listening and reading

Subway interpretative reading