What are Interpersonal Reading & Writing Activities for Spanish Class? 

It is important for your students to be able to communicate in writing in Spanish, right? It’s part of the ACTFL guidelines and is a requirement on the AP Spanish exam. So getting them familiar with interpersonal writing is critical. I’m sure you’re thinking “of course!”  But I also love the ability to give my students lots of quality input, check for comprehension, AND get them writing a response. So one tiny activity becomes an entire class worth of activities. Curious how I set it up? Keep reading!

Step 1: Interpersonal reading

I give my students a short reading passage from a “friend” in a Spanish speaking country. This is such an easy way to sneak some culture into my lesson. For example, this letter describes the weather in Argentina in December. 

Step 2: Reading comprehension

I ask my students some basic questions about the reading to make sure they understood it and to spark some class discussion. You can use simple true/false questions (in English or Spanish depending on their level), ask them to make cross-cultural connections/comparisons, or simply to identify the main idea. 

Step 3: Interpersonal writing 

Now that the students have seen a model for what the letter looks like, have them write a response! Make sure they include some cross cultural examples (Wow, really?? It’s hot in December in Argentina? In Chicago it’s freezing and snowing). 

You will love this simple design for a lesson plan involving interpersonal writing. My students are always so proud of how much they are able to comprehend and the cultural easter eggs grab their attention. They love writing back and explaining things from their perspective. Would you love to try this style of lesson today but are short on time? Check out my ready made reading passages with comprehension questions here.