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In this episode, we talk about December. I’m sharing three low-stress activities that keep students engaged, help them revisit everything they’ve learned, and still give them meaningful input, even when their energy (and ours) is running low.

These ideas have worked beautifully in my own classroom. My students stay focused, they collaborate, they read, they listen… and I get to step back a little without sacrificing the quality of the lesson.

Top Takeaways

1. Review + Recall + Input
Students list everything they remember about a story or unit, reread the text in groups, and create an illustrated or mapped version.

2. Dictation That Actually Works in December
We combine recall → dictation → comprehension tasks.

3. “Guess Who?” Based on Your Content
A collaborative guessing game using characters, themes, or topics from the semester. Students listen, discuss, negotiate meaning, and celebrate everything they’ve learned.

Free Resource

Want an easy way to keep students moving and collaborating this month?
Download my Stations Template Freebie here:
👉 growingwithproficiency.com/stations

It includes 10 ready-to-use station ideas you can apply to ANY unit — perfect for December when you need structure + movement + input.

Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

Episode 31 — Stations & Rotations
Ten ideas you can use right away, plus the downloadable template.

Episode 125 — More on Stations
A deeper look at creating smooth, purposeful rotations.

Episode 171 — ClipChat with Amy Marshall
Ideal for seasonal commercials and short clips during December.

Episode 173 — My ACTFL Takeaways + Dopamine
Great for managing energy and motivation during this season.

December can feel heavy… but with the right activities, it can also feel joyful, calm, and full of meaningful learning.

I hope this episode gives you simple ideas to celebrate everything your students have learned — and to take care of yourself, too. 💛✨

Growing With Proficiency The Spanish Teacher Academy is open this week with a new six-month membership that gives you full access to everything at a more accessible price. Go to growingwithproficiency.com/academy or DM me ACADEMIA for the link.

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If you are exhausted this December and looking for simple, meaningful ways to keep your students engaged — this episode is your cafecito.

I’m sharing what truly stood out at ACTFL this year, and spoiler alert: it wasn’t a new app, a new tech tool, or a shiny new curriculum. It was something much more human:

✨ Curiosity + Safety = Motivation.

In a powerful session with Samara Spielberg, she shared how dopamine rises when learners experience curiosity, anticipation, and the desire to know what happens next. And the moment she said that, everything clicked. I suddenly saw the pattern in the effective activities.

In today’s episode, I break down three simple, low-prep strategies I learned at ACTFL you can use right away in your world language class — even in December — to spark that curiosity while keeping comprehension and safety at the center.

🌟 In this episode you’ll learn:

• Why curiosity naturally increases student motivation
• How Picture Talk with one compelling image can create instant intrigue (learned from Mira Canion)
• How cultural storytelling (inspired by Carolina Gómez) builds prediction, anticipation, and deep meaning
• How the Movie Trailer Technique gives you easy engagement with zero prep
• How simple “cliff-hanger” moments create dopamine, motivation, and comprehension
• Why motivation is not about hype… it’s about relevance, safety, and curiosity

And toward the end, I talk about the piece many of us forget: teachers need community too. ACTFL reminded me that when we feel supported, inspired, and connected — our classrooms change.

Which is exactly why I’m so excited about the six-month membership option now open inside Growing With Proficiency: The Spanish Teacher Academy. This is for any Spanish teacher who wants to grow as a teacher, to gain practical, comprehensible-input strategies, and to access culturally rich units, and a supportive community — without burning out.

If you’re thinking, “I want to teach better, but I need it to feel manageable…” this six-month option is exactly for you. 👉 Join the Academy

The World Largets Lesson with SDG

Samara Spielberg IG: @samaraspielberg

Carolina Gómez IG: @funforspanishteachers

Mira Canion www.miracanion.com

Episode of Growing With Proficiency on Picture Talk
Episode with Karen Rowan on storytelling, comprehension, and brain-friendly instruction

If this episode gave you a spark of hope this December, share it on IG and tag me @growingwithproficiency.

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¿Te sientes que se te acabo la gasolina? ¿Tienes poco tiempo pero muchas ganas de que tus clases sigan vivas y activas? En este episodio te comparto 3 estrategias reales para que tus clases sean dinámicas, participativas y en español — sin que tengas que quedarte hasta tarde preparando cada día.

Hablamos de:

🎯 Preguntas personales y rutinas de entrada que activan la clase desde el minuto uno.

🔄 Brain breaks, pausas mentales y descansos estratégicos para renovar la atención y la energía.

📚 Lecturas culturales o anclas de input + actividades simples alrededor — para mantener español auténtico sin sobrecargar al profe.

💡 Cómo usar plantillas y rutinas listas (como las de la Spanish Teacher Academy) para planear menos y enseñar mejor.

Si estás buscando una forma sostenible, realista y auténtica de enseñar español, este episodio es para ti.

¿Te interesa explorar más? Ve a growingwithproficiency.com/academy para descubrir cómo puedes unirte a Growing With Proficiency The Spanish Teacher Academy para acceder a recursos completos, plantillas listas y apoyo para planear sin estrés.

Growing With Proficiency The Spanish Teacher Academy is open this week with a new six-month membership that gives you full access to everything at a more accessible price. Go to growingwithproficiency.com/academy or DM me ACADEMIA for the link.

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Have you ever felt disconnected from your passion for teaching — like you’re doing all the things but nothing seems to spark joy anymore? You’re not alone.

In this re-released episode of Growing With Proficiency: The Podcast, we talk with Spanish teacher Mirna Deakle, who shares her journey of burnout, rediscovery, and finding her authentic voice in the language classroom.

Mirna opens up about how she shifted from survival mode to purpose-driven teaching by centering her curriculum around culturally rich content and student connection. From a unit inspired by Mayan traditions to facilitating real-world interactions through virtual guest speakers, her transformation shows what’s possible when we stop teaching about the language and start using the language to communicate.

Whether you’re teaching through comprehensible input, content-based instruction, or district-mandated curriculum, this episode offers practical ideas to bring back joy, engagement, and meaning — without adding more to your workload.

🔍 In this episode, you’ll learn:

• The emotional and physical challenges that lead many language teachers to feel disconnected
• How to define clear goals and stay focused on what matters despite obstacles
• Practical strategies for integrating authentic cultural content into our classes
• Why student identity, representation, and storytelling increase motivation
• How community and collaboration can reduce burnout and support growth

✨ Key takeaways for world language teachers:

• Find your authentic voice: Your personal story matters — and your students benefit when they hear it.
• Set meaningful goals: Teaching feels lighter when you’re guided by purpose rather than perfection.
• Use culturally rich content: Real voices and lived experiences lead to deeper communication and curiosity.
• Create real-world connections: Students engage more when the classroom feels connected to the world.
• Don’t go alone: Community can make this profession sustainable, energizing, and joyful.

📚 Resources mentioned:

• Balún Canán by Rosario Castellanos
• Growing With Proficiency: The Spanish Teacher Academy
• Episode 84 — The Power of Reading for Language Acquisition with Dr. Stephen Krashen
• Episode 51 — Before, During, and After Reading Strategies

If this episode speaks to you, share it with a fellow world language teacher and leave a review — we’d love to hear how you’re rediscovering your voice and joy in the classroom.

For more resources, visit growingwithproficiency.com

Click here to download for FREE ➡️➡️➡️ https://growingwithproficiency.com/diadegracias

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If you’ve ever found yourself searching for an activity that is engaging, meaningful, and actually supports language acquisition, this episode is for you. Many of us want our students to feel confident understanding and using the language — without us spending hours planning something new every day.

In this conversation, I’m joined by Amy Marshall, a world language teacher with over 25 years of classroom experience, known for her thoughtful use of ClipChat. ClipChat blends short films with teacher-guided narration to build comprehension in a way that feels natural, visual, and compelling. Students watch, listen, and make meaning — and we guide the language to match what they need.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What ClipChat is and why it works to support real acquisition
• How to choose the right video clips for different levels
• Why slowing down can actually boost student confidence and understanding
• How small student responses (“guided output”) create a natural pathway for teachers to give even more input
• Practical routines like Write & Discuss, acting with whisper support, puppets, gallery walks, and picture grid listening
• How one short clip can carry your class for days or even weeks — without adding more planning to your plate

This episode is full of strategies that work in real classrooms — including the classes that are wiggly, chatty, distracted, or just tired.

If you’re working to design world language classes rooted in comprehension, communication, and cultural connection, you’ll find something here to take with you tomorrow.

Resources Mentioned

• Read the blog here
• ClipChat Examples & Classroom Materials:
  Zona de Profes on TPT — https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Zona-De-Profes
• Amy’s Website: https://zonadeprofes.weebly.com
• Short Film Playlist for ClipChat: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKhH5MAAh6FpSBBumo6Cv8lG_iS8Q9Lpz
• Free November Resource: Download Here: https://growingwithproficiency.com/diadegracias
• Join the Academy Waitlist: https://growingwithproficiency.com/academy-waitlist
• IG Claudia Elliott
• Growing With Proficiency TPT Store
• Free FB Community

Be Part of the Community

If this episode inspired a new idea, I’d love to hear about it. Tag me on Instagram @claudiamelliott and share which clip you’d like to try — or send me a DM and I’ll help you brainstorm one.

Make sure to follow and subscribe so you don’t miss the next conversation. We grow by learning together — we learn, we try, we grow, and then we pass it on.

Click here to download for FREE ➡️➡️➡️ https://growingwithproficiency.com/diadegracias

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En este episodio, comparto uno de mis episodios favoritos en español sobre tres cambios fundamentales que transformaron mi clase y renovaron mi motivación como docente.

Estos cambios surgieron a lo largo de 15 años en el aula y responden a una pregunta que muchas profes me hicieron recientemente: ¿Cómo construir una clase donde la conexión, la comunicación y la cultura sean el centro, y donde el español se use de manera auténtica?

Hablaremos de:

• Construir conexiones con los estudiantes empezando por sus nombres.
• Comenzar a usar el español en clase, en lugar de enfocarnos en explicar reglas.
• Poner la cultura en el corazón de la experiencia para desarrollar curiosidad, identidad y pertenencia.

Cuando nuestros estudiantes participan en eventos comunicativos significativos, la competencia lingüística crece y la clase se siente más humana y más viva — para ellos y para nosotros.

Suscríbete para seguir construyendo clases que apoyan la adquisición, la competencia comunicativa y la conexión cultural.

Click here to download for FREE ➡️➡️➡️ https://growingwithproficiency.com/diadegracias

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A conversation with Wesley Wood

What happens when we stop planning for the “average” learner and instead design our classrooms with neurodivergent students and students with disabilities in mind? In this episode of Growing With Proficiency: The Podcast, I’m joined by Wesley Wood, Disability Specialist at Georgetown University and former world language teacher, for a powerful and eye-opening conversation about expanding what is possible in the language classroom.

Wesley brings deep experience supporting students with disabilities as well as working side-by-side with world language teachers. Rather than focusing on labels or deficits, he invites us to see the strengths and identities our neurodivergent learners bring — and to plan instruction that welcomes different ways of processing, communicating, and engaging from the very beginning.

Together, we explore:

• Why planning for the “middle” unintentionally leaves many students out
• How planning for the margins strengthens learning for everyone
• The difference between accommodations and designing with accessibility in mind
• How predictable routines, visuals, and co-created norms help students feel safe and ready to communicate
• Ways to offer multiple paths to input: visuals, text, audio, modeling, and gestures
• How choice and flexible output honor students’ strengths and lower anxiety
• What it looks like to slow down, observe, and truly see our students

This conversation connects deeply with the core of our work in world language classrooms: comprehensible input, communication, connection, and cultural competence. You’ll walk away with mindset shifts and simple classroom practices you can begin using right away — not by doing more, but by seeing differently.

If this episode resonates, make sure to follow the podcast, share it with a colleague, and tag Claudia on Instagram @claudiamelliott so we can continue learning and growing together.

Resources:

Growing With Proficiency The Blog
Growing With Proficiency The Spanish Teacher Academy Waitlist
Growing With Proficiency TPT Store
Free FB Community

Click here to download for FREE ➡️➡️➡️ https://growingwithproficiency.com/diadegracias

Click here to download for FREE ➡️➡️➡️ https://growingwithproficiency.com/diadegracias

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Every world language teacher knows the power of music — but how do we move beyond karaoke Fridays and make songs truly comprehensible and meaningful for our learners? 🎵

In this episode of Growing With Proficiency: The Podcast, host Claudia Elliott sits down with veteran teacher and blogger Kara Jacobs to unpack how she turns authentic songs and music videos into acquisition-rich, culture-centered units. Together, they explore how to create stories around songs, use visuals to support comprehension, and design lessons that engage both novice and heritage learners.

You’ll learn:

• How to choose songs that are compelling, not just grammatically useful
• Simple ways to make authentic music accessible for every proficiency level
• How “triple input” — audio, visual, and text — boosts comprehension

Why translation and storytelling can deepen students’ cultural connectionWhether you teach Spanish, French, or any other language, this episode will leave you inspired to use music as a powerful tool for communication and connection in your classroom.

🎧 Tune in, take notes, and start making songs comprehensible!
Subscribe to Growing With Proficiency: The Podcast wherever you listen, and join a community of teachers transforming language classes through acquisition, proficiency, and culture.

Resources:

Free resources created by Kara Jacobs

Acquire & Inspired PD Opportunity with Kara and AnneMarie Chase. Details are available HERE.

Growing With Proficiency The Blog
Growing With Proficiency The Spanish Teacher Academy Waitlist
Growing With Proficiency TPT Store
Free FB Community

Click here to download for FREE ➡️➡️➡️ https://growingwithproficiency.com/diadegracias