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In search of music that says something real (#AuthresAugust)

Sara-Elizabeth Cottrell September 1, 2017 20 Comments

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Seeking the future of world language learning at the intersection of comprehensible input, project-based learning, global education, and love.
In search of music that says something real (#AuthresAugust)
Sara-Elizabeth Cottrell September 1, 2017
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vCan you give me a hand up on this soapbox for a minute? I’ll be here just a moment, and then we’ll move on, I promise.

It’s all well and good to march for women’s rights and hold signs about men telling me what to do, but when it’s a sexy Latin man with a crazy good beat, suddenly

If I ask you for a kiss, come and give it to me.

is not only the hit of the summer, it’s the top song for 30 weeks and counting.

Let a politician say the same thing and we’ll be marching for his resignation.  It’s disgusting, (Latin) America.  It’s disgusting, American women.  And it has no place in my classroom, I don’t care how fantastic the beat is, or how much our students love it, or how sexy Luis Fonsi got.

When compelling becomes our only standard for input, we risk falling into a swamp of the trashy and colossally stupid.  And that swamp certainly exists.  I do not care if my students are head over heels for a song or a singer, feeding them demeaning, predator-toned lyrics as if they were truth is unacceptable.

I’ve been looking around for new music to share with my students and you this year and it’s been tough.  Here are some of the lyrics from the current top 50 on the Latin Billboard chart.

I want you to show my mouth your favorite places.

Even though we just met five minutes ago.

If you stay with me or go with another, I don’t really care- we’ll be happy, all 4 of us, we’ll just make the room bigger!

Yep, you read that right. Let’s just make the (bed)room bigger.  Because that relationship philosophy is a winner, for sure.

I want to eat you, you’re gonna love it, don’t say no.

Um, I stopped being a food when I was 12 years old and had had enough of my fellow Georgians calling me “honey” and “sugar.”  And I’m pretty sure I can still say no every single time I want to.

I feel like yours, I know you feel like mine, so tell your little boyfriend you feel cold with him.

My little boyfriend?

I dream about taking your clothes off, don’t confuse my intentions.

I’m not confused: you’ve got no investment in this relationship at all.

What’s your name? I want to escape with you, to where there are no witnesses.

Wait, is this going to end up on the evening news?

Then there are brilliant, deep thoughts like

All the babies want kush, kush… the gangsters want krippy, krippy.

Bring me the alcohol that takes away the pain… nothing matters to me anymore, not the day, not the time.

Here’s another thing: it’s big news that 6.4% of the Fortune 500 companies are headed by women.  Who’s talking about the fact that 10% of the top 50 on Latin Billboard even include women, much less that 2% (1 song) is sung by a female soloist?  Well, no one, because it’s our fault this happened.  These songs aren’t there because they exist.  They’re not there because men are more naturally able to compose and sing hit songs.  They’re there because we put them there.  What does that say about us?

Even in the stunningly SIX songs of the top 50 that include a female vocalist, ALL BUT ONE are collaborations with same guys spouting the trash you read above, and the women also have brilliant things to say.

Shakira:

With me you see, you never know, one day I say no, another day yes.

JLo:

Neither you nor I have control.

Or Juanes tells the girl,

I made a mistake with you, but you made one with me too. We suffered some, but hey, we had a good little time.

And off the Top 50, even some of my all-time favorites Jesse y Joy felt like they needed to team up with Gente de Zona (because how can you hope to get a hit without Gente de Zona/Nicky Jam/Wisin/Daddy Yankee/Maluma) to pull off a hit with some drivel about how unreasonable it is for me to want to know where he is at 3 AM.

And so I dedicate my annual #AuthresAugust music post perhaps not to the newest, hottest music, but to music that actually says something real.  None of it’s on the Latin Billboard, but some of it may be new to you.

I’m a sucker for a song that talks about real love that takes a commitment.  Like Servando y Florentino:

Favorite line:

I want to put my last name on your name.

(Notice the lack of reference to taking off her clothes.)

And my heart sang when Carlos Vives was awarded the Latin Grammy for Volví a nacer (careful with the official video).

Favorite lines:

By your love I was born again… I want to marry you and stay by your side.

And then Arianne introduced me to “Caminar de tu mano” by Río Roma featuring Fonseca (you came through for us again, Fonseca!).

Favorite line:

Spend with me all the birthdays I have left.

This year has got me thinking, what has possessed everyone to stop saying anything worth saying?  What’s happened to Jesse y Joy since Espacio sideral?  Where’s No me doy por vencido?  But there are some bright rays out there.  Of course, I can’t get enough of the awesomeness that is Soy yo by Bomba Estéreo.

And there’s some fun stuff, too.  Wow, can Colombia put out some singers, and now there’s a female answer to CNCO in the quintet called Ventino.  Me equivoqué is pretty typical immature girl/boyband stuff, but at least it’s not trashy, and the preterite verbs are made for classroom use.  And “Evolución de Shakira” is just worthy of being on repeat.

Speaking of fun, even if it is a Coca-Cola Mexico-sponsored push for exercise, putting Reik and Ha-Ash together with David Bisbal was a gem of a collaboration in Te mueves tú.

And speaking of saying real things, I get that saying anything about God is taboo in so many places now, but I don’t operate in that world, and I love, love, love this song.  Tell me: who can’t use the message that they were made special and loved? (Using this one for narrating the past this semester!)

A couple more tips: Juan Luis Guerra is an evangelical Christian, and we usually don’t put soft porn in our lyrics or videos (even in great collaborations with Juanes and Romeo and Enrique).

On the other hand, Tito el Bambino has also claimed to be an evangelical Christian and used to have some lyrics clean enough to show evidence of that claim.  Recently, though, his work can only be labeled soft porn, including the just-released “Dile la verdad,” where he says “Just tell him the truth” to the girl who puts her phone on airplane mode so her boyfriend won’t bother her while she’s getting what she really needs in Tito’s bed.

Have you found any good music lately that actually says something real?  Let me know on Facebook, Twitter, or in the comments and I’ll keep updating this post with recommendations I get!

  • Mike C. reminded me of the positive smash hit that was Vivir mi vida (see my lesson ideas for that song here).
  • Take a look at Ana Tijoux’s “Antipatriarca” shared by the amazing and thoughtful Kara Jacobs.
  • David W. recommends Fonseca’s “Gratitud” (especially for Día de acción de gracias) as well as Shaka & Dres’s fantastic “Agua para la vida” related to conservation.
  • Paula mentioned having heard of a cleaned-up “Despacito” being used for Puerto Rican tourism, but I wasn’t able to locate it.  I did however, locate the Sesame Street version, and I laughed so hard my 4-year-old came to see what was up.
  • @sralescas reminds us we can’t go wrong with Álvaro Soler’s El mismo sol.
  • @Edu4Change shared the Luis Enrique song “Abre tus ojos;” she had her students make a video for the song.
  • For schools able and willing to share religious-themed songs, Shannon shared one I love and is new to me, “A pesar de mi” by Alex Sampedro.
  • Especially with Día de la Raza coming up, Carmen suggests some pretty old but good music from Ricky Martin: Razas de mil colores.  (I love all that guitar work in his older stuff!)
  • Many thanks to my amiga Kathy for putting Morat on my radar!  Check out “Yo contigo, tú conmigo” (with Álvaro Soler!) and for reminding me of the great song “Hoy es domingo” by Diego Torres ft. Rubén Blades.
  • I was one of Camila’s biggest fans (one of the few full albums I’ve purchased was theirs), but I wasn’t impressed with too much Samo had done on his own since he left the band.  I hadn’t heard “Inevitable” though! Thanks, Suzie!
Stop demeaning women, and fight the new drug.

Will you let me share one more thing with you?  It’s tempting to say “sex sells” and “sex has been around in music for a long time,” but 1) it doesn’t sell if we don’t buy it and 2) in this post I’m not so much taking issue with the sex in the songs as I’m taking issue with the predatory, demeaning sex in the songs.  The message that I have to do whatever he says because it’s my job to fulfill his needs.  All of them.  It’s part and parcel with the need for more and more pornographic overtones in every area of pop culture, and you know what? The science is in, and porn not only kills love, it’s connected to sex trafficking.  So fight the new drug.  For your girls.  For your students.  For us all.

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Previous The alphabet book every Spanish teacher must have (#AuthresAugust)
Next The $10 gift for EVERY teacher on your list
Sara-Elizabeth Cottrell
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20 Comments

  1. Theresa Fiege says:
    September 1, 2017 at 7:43 am

    I absolutely agree!

    Reply
  2. Angie Torre says:
    September 1, 2017 at 12:40 pm

    Preach it! I agree! Loved this blog. I like Shakira’s song for the future tense.

    Reply
  3. Angie Torre says:
    September 1, 2017 at 12:41 pm

    Great blog! Songs are a great for comprehensible input. I like Shakira’s song for the future tense.

    Reply
  4. Chris says:
    September 1, 2017 at 2:16 pm

    I think this post will go viral – and it should. I’ve been feeling this for awhile but you articulated it so well. Nice piece.

    Reply
  5. David W says:
    September 1, 2017 at 5:01 pm

    Great post! Agree 100%. I like Fonseca’s song “Gratitud” for around Acción de Gracias. Shaka y Dres have a catchy song “Agua para la vida” with a pro-water conservation message that works well with AP themes. “Calaverita” by La Santa Cecilia is fun for Día de los Muertos. Casi creativo on YouTube also comes out with well made original music videos with some positive messages (not all videos of his are class appropriate, though). I’ve also gotten my students enjoying some oldies but goodies like “Cielito lindo,” “Quizás, quizás, quizás,” “Guantanamera,” “Mi Burrito Sabanero,” “Como la flor,” etc.

    Reply
    1. Sara-Elizabeth Cottrell says:
      September 2, 2017 at 12:04 pm

      Thanks so much – I love getting recommendations like this!

      Reply
  6. Mike C says:
    September 1, 2017 at 7:09 pm

    Well, it’s not new, but I like “Vivir mi vida” by Mark Anthony, and I like Shakira’s remix of “La, la, la” that she did for the World Cup a few years ago.

    Reply
    1. Sara-Elizabeth Cottrell says:
      September 2, 2017 at 12:04 pm

      Vivir mi vida is FABULOUS!

      Reply
  7. Paula says:
    September 2, 2017 at 2:49 am

    Thank you! I do want to point out that a colleague mentioned that there is a cleaned up version of ‘the song of the summer’ being used as to promote Puerto Rican tourism that is classroom appropriate, although I haven’t had time to search for it this week.

    Reply
    1. Sara-Elizabeth Cottrell says:
      September 2, 2017 at 12:03 pm

      Thanks for that tip! I also heard Sesame Street made a version, and I’m assuming it was much different from the original. 😉

      Reply
  8. Kathy Griffith says:
    September 2, 2017 at 9:04 pm

    I totally agree, and this post made me check out the U.S. Top20 (I haven’t listened to popular music in English for decades)–good grief, it was awful! My favorite band at the moment is Morat– ‘Yo Más Te Adoro’ and ‘Yo Contigo, Tú Conmigo,’ which they sing with Alvaro Soler. I also love ‘Hoy es Domingo’ by Diego Torres and Ruben Blades.

    Reply
    1. Sara-Elizabeth Cottrell says:
      September 3, 2017 at 4:05 pm

      Thanks, Kathy! I’m with you on U.S. pop music – I have some appear on my Pandora “energy” station but I’m oblivious to most of it.

      Reply
  9. Suzie Knowlton says:
    September 3, 2017 at 12:31 am

    I agree! Here are some songs that I like to play in my class. We rarely watch the official videos; I err on the side of showing just the lyrics most of the time.
    No pide tanto, Idiota by Maldita Nerea
    Inevitable by Samo
    Madre Tierra by Chayanne
    Cuando te veo by Chocquibtown
    Ese camino by Julieta Venegas
    Te quiero ver bailar by Juancho Style
    Eres para mí by Julieta Venegas y Ana Tijoux
    Preguntas by MR
    Si te vienes a bailar by Efecto Pasillo
    Mira como vuelo by Miss Cafeinna
    Labios by Jenny and the Mexicats
    Tienes que creer en mí by Frankie J
    A bests by Mirella Cesa y Sie7e
    Hola mi vida by Tan Bionica
    Vamos a Bailar by Gipsy Kings

    Reply
    1. Sara-Elizabeth Cottrell says:
      September 3, 2017 at 4:06 pm

      Thanks for these recommendations! I’ve heard Eres para mí but not the rest of them!

      Reply
  10. Shannon says:
    September 3, 2017 at 8:28 pm

    Last year my students could not get enough of “A Pesar de Mi” by Alex Campos, and the video is GREAT for comprehensible input. There are so many helpful visuals throughout!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XNhcWNJblY

    I’m planning to make my daughter read your post, and all of my students… Then they will know that it’s not just me. You should have seen the soapbox that I got on last year when one of my students asked if I liked “Despacito!”

    Reply
  11. Myra Johnson says:
    September 3, 2017 at 9:05 pm

    Thank you, thank you, thank you, Sara-Elizabeth!!! I couldn’t agree more! I’ve always wondered why anyone supporting women’s rights would encourage our young people to listen to such lyrics. Thank you for finding and sharing songs we can use in our classrooms!

    Reply
  12. Carmen Magadan says:
    September 11, 2017 at 2:50 pm

    Razas de mil colores de Ricky Martin, especially with Día de la Hispanidad / Día de la Raza coming up 10/12.

    Reply
    1. Sara-Elizabeth Cottrell says:
      September 11, 2017 at 7:10 pm

      ¡Gracias!

      Reply
  13. Kate says:
    October 29, 2017 at 4:21 pm

    Preach!!! Also, thank you so much for finding some wholesome songs for the classroom. I appreciate the effort and look forward to using more music with purpose.

    Reply
  14. 9 songs for a Spanish class health unit & “duele” | Musicuentos says:
    March 8, 2019 at 6:44 am

    […] “Yerbatero” – Juanes Music video: A tad bizarre Focus phrases: “Tengo toda clase de brebajes, plantas medicinales.” “Sufre de depresión, mal de amor, lleva varias sin dormir, y sus días no van bien en el trabajo.” (Note: the song includes this line you may want to ignore- “Y para la señora que el marido ha sido infiel, no se preocupe, búsquese uno usted también” – because artists have a hard time singing about real love…) […]

    Reply

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    •  July (6)
      • Back-to-school time! Upcoming posts, resources on sale
      • Starting my interactive notebook
      • I can do more with you than I can alone (Black Box)
      • This is design-based learning: A disaster relief team
      • No dog with my iced tea, please
      • All they need is accurate input... right? Wrong. (Black Box)
    •  June (5)
      • The new required school supply: Find your own audience
      • Grammar drills aren't all in your head... or in your head at all (BlackBox)
      • Product Launch: Calico Home Learning Series Level B
      • The one-word key to teaching culture
      • Why your method doesn't matter: Black Box videocast
    •  May (4)
      • Embedded listening
      • Rubrics: How important is task completion?
      • Add this to your Novice AND Intermediate HW choice options NOW
      • What a design-based WL program looks like
    •  April (6)
      • "Three Before Me" poster in German and French
      • Three before me
      • Why interpersonal isn't interpretive
      • How can a transition empower your class?
      • How can I help you put research to practice?
      • Forced to adopt a textbook: Now what?
    •  March (7)
      • New song: El perdón for two levels
      • En español, por favor: Fostering bilingualism in children
      • It's not about the I in IPA, or the vocab list
      • Armed for a world of incomprehensible input: Circumlocution training
      • Timely repost: the "I don't understand!" signal
      • Poll: what conference proposals?
      • Anatomy of a novice question
    •  February (7)
      • I see a... great chance to practice prepositions
      • Speaking of motivation: Guest interview on Paulino Brener's EPC Show
      • It's TIME! Open registration for Camp Musicuentos '15
      • The M that trumps your method, materials, & madness
      • Shake things up: Vary your seating - every day
      • #Teach2Teach 3: A coach who failed me, and a coach who didn't
      • Pronunciation gold: Forvo.com
    •  January (7)
      • It's a myth, #11: Assessing communication without communication
      • My favorite authentic resource combining culture & calendar
      • #Teach2Teach Question 1: The Great Balancing Act
      • All new resource: Battleship for es / está
      • 2015 Resolution #3, Expand your learning network: New blogs to watch
      • 2015 Resolutions #2: Act like we're on the same team
      • 2015 resolution #1: Stop being so hard on yourself
  •  2014 (97)
    •  December (22)
      • Book Club '14: George Müller & Bruchko
      • Best of 2014 #1: Every language teacher's biggest mistake
      • Best of 2014 #6: Carol Gaab's rebuttal to my TPRS critique
      • Book Club '14: Creating Innovators
      • Best of 2014 #2: Where I depart from classic TPRS
      • Book Club '14: Stella Bain, Gemma Hardy, & a bittersweet hotel
      • Best of 2014 #7: What I love about TPRS
      • Book Club '14: Monuments Men, With the Old Breed, In Pharaoh's Army
      • Book Club '14: The Kite Runner
      • Best of 2014 #3: Sample homework choice systems
      • Book Club '14: Crazy Busy
      • Book Club '14: The Hobbit & The Scarlet Pimpernel
      • Best of 2014 #5: How I use verb charts
      • Book Club 2014: Amazing Grace (Kozol)
      • Book Club '14: A Step of Faith & Walking on Water (The Walk series)
      • Best of 2014 #4 & #8: Curriculum planning outside the textbook
      • Book Club '14: Five Days at Memorial & Men We Reaped
      • Best of 2014 #9: Genius hour isn't a great idea for novice classes
      • Book Club '14: The Painted Veil & Life After Life
      • Best of 2014 #10: The new JCPS curriculum documents
      • Happy Cyber Week! Resource sale Dec. 1-3
      • Musicuentos Book Club 2014
    •  November (4)
      • Lessons from ACTFL '14: if they have all the answers, they're trying to sell you something
      • What's ahead: ACTFL, best of '14, and the book club
      • Linguacafé: The idea that rocked my interpersonal world
      • What we learned at IFLTA '14: Everyone struggles, Culture leads
    •  October (5)
      • Communicative teaching in the shadow of [grammar-focused] common assessment
      • More multi-tasking children's lit
      • Next on my PD list: New proficiency videos
      • What we learned at KWLA: share, think, respect
      • The game-changing authentic resource guide for Spanish 3+: it's here!
    •  September (4)
      • Three days and then...
      • The technology that's making us irrelevant...and more relevant
      • Thank you, reflective teachers
      • See you this year? Conferences & Camp Musicuentos
    •  August (6)
      • How I teach La ciudad de las bestias
      • Putting homework in their hands: Sample systems
      • The First Day Story: Empowering with CI
      • Keeping games communicative
      • Let's talk tacos: Informing parents & students on proficiency
      • Regreso a clases! Ciudad on sale
    •  July (2)
      • Oso de Mantequilla: A tribute
      • It's coming!
    •  June (8)
      • What we learned at Camp Musicuentos
      • Lesson plan: Indirect objects and celebrations (template too)
      • New Podcast: What kind of corrective feedback works?
      • New resource: Educating parents and students on proficiency
      • Another resource: JCPS new curriculum documents (K-12)
      • Introducing the past tenses together
      • Time for you to get feedback?
      • Product launch: Calico Spanish homeschool learning series
    •  May (9)
      • Upcoming workshop (IN): Proficiency-based lesson planning
      • Stop calling this easy & fast
      • Revisiting Photopeach for the AP Final
      • Stop stressing: It's wrong to do the best you can
      • Three tasks for crafting an effective message: Black Box Podcast episode 4
      • A Year in a Day: Camp Musicuentos 2014
      • Taking care of business: Summer collaboration for a successful year
      • 4 ways to tweak the exit ticket
      • Black Box Podcast episode 3: To Sell Is Human, part 1
    •  April (9)
      • Top 25 Spanish novels
      • Let's play
      • New activity resource: Tweetfest!
      • Black Box Podcast episode 2: Circumlocution
      • An impromptu "langcamp"
      • See you at ACTFL '14
      • 4 ways to keep curriculum relevant
      • Tutorial on the best free PD you'll find in your own home
      • The Musicuentos Black Box Podcast: IT'S HERE!
    •  March (11)
      • Authentic visual illustrations of proficiency (Spanish)
      • Curriculum planning outside the textbook, Part 2
      • A week or more of working with Vivir mi vida
      • Resource release: Complete verb pack
      • Curriculum planning outside the textbook: Part 1
      • Corrections to simple verb pack
      • Musicuentos is on Pinterest!
      • Is this the best we can do?
      • Writing a restaurant review: Activity from Bethanie Drew
      • Putting a number grade on proficiency-based assessment
      • Resource release: Simple verb pack
    •  February (7)
      • My favorite source for restaurant (and other) reviews
      • Guest post: A TPRS rebuttal by Carol Gaab
      • TPRS strategies I don't put in my toolbox
      • What I love about TPRS
      • Repost: Valentine's #authres from Twitter
      • How I use verb charts
      • Guest post: What students need- A leader (David Seibel)
    •  January (10)
      • Every language teacher's biggest mistake
      • My new favorite digital storytelling app
      • Why Genius Hour can't work in a novice classroom
      • Website review: Geoguessr
      • 2014 resolutions #5: Use more authentic sources.
      • 2014 Resolutions #4: Take a step outside the textbook
      • Reviewing 2013: Five blogs to watch
      • 2014 Resolutions #3: Survey your students.
      • 2014 Resolutions #2: Collaborate with someone
      • 2014 Resolutions #1: Read a book
  •  2013 (110)
    •  December (13)
      • The #1 Musicuentos post of 2013 (and the six years before that)
      • Best of 2013: #2 - Tips for the new AP
      • Best of 2013: #3 - Choice in homework, updated
      • Best of 2013: #4 - Novice song for Spanish Class Idol
      • Best of 2013: #5 - Can you control vocabulary?
      • Best of 2013: #6 - Is your lesson plan out of whack?
      • Best of 2013: #7 - Four habits that enrich vocabulary
      • AP Spanish final exam: Controversia navideña y Vacunas para niños
      • Best of 2013: #8 - Novice high vs. Intermediate low
      • Best of 2013: #9 - Using assessment to inform your teaching
      • Best of 2013: #10 - Spot-checking conversations
      • First-ever Musicuentos ebook: Reader's Guide to Ciudad de las bestias
      • Happy December!
    •  November (8)
      • AP Spanish essay - Obamacare
      • Vote: Musicuentos proposal for ACTFL '14
      • Setting goals
      • Don't go to ACTFL '13 without TELLing
      • Repost: A story for demonstratives
      • Listen to some Grammy music
      • Caring about the Really Big Deal
      • Calm before the excitement!
    •  October (4)
      • Using assessment to inform your teaching
      • Just some fluff: Makeup for busy mom teachers
      • Top 3 mistakes teachers of novices make
      • Book review: Teach Like A Pirate
    •  September (7)
      • Interacting with authentic materials: a guide
      • Using audio-lingua
      • Seven keys to a great story
      • Stations: Exploring music
      • It's a myth: Equipping students to communicate with... themselves
      • Turn a Novice Song into "Spanish Class Idol"
      • Is your lesson plan out of whack?
    •  August (12)
      • Children's literature for the world language class (Helena Curtain)
      • App review & Giveaway! High School Spanish
      • Choice in homework, updated
      • Back to school: Proficiency posts
      • App Review: Storykit (bonus - meet my family!)
      • Back to school: Evaluate traditions
      • Back to school: Blogs with great ideas
      • App review & giveaway: Word Magic dictionary and thesaurus
      • My authorized AP syllabus
      • Back to school: Musicuentos "first days" posts
      • Back to school: Give them signals
      • Going back to school with Musicuentos
    •  July (6)
      • Tips for the New AP
      • Don't be fooled! What the AP does and doesn't measure
      • Illustrating proficiency with a laugh
      • Snag some free apps while you can!
      • Stop asking for unnatural language
      • Fun video: Animals, present, feelings
    •  June (9)
      • Targeting problems with a pop quiz
      • Song, irregular present, part 4: Tengo tu love
      • It's my birthday - check out our presents!
      • A meaningful approach to grammar
      • Websites for creating online magazines
      • A world with no magazines
      • Guest post: Coaching with choice
      • Screencast: Photopeach
      • Communicative grading made easier
    •  May (10)
      • Health infographic: Novice - Intermediate Activity
      • A lesson in finding authentic sources easily
      • Tips and songs for past participles
      • Foster higher-level thinking from the beginning
      • Summer: Language for the fun of it
      • Novice high vs. intermediate low
      • E-magazines with learner appeal
      • Step outside the textbook: Tell a story
      • Repost: Novice description with Jengibre and Pin Pon
      • Interpersonal communication by choice
    •  April (11)
      • Novice speaking: Describing self with Sie7e
      • Can you control vocabulary?
      • Activities from authentic resources: Future tense
      • Why I love mistakes
      • Maternity leave!
      • Lots of your class gone? Pick up a book.
      • Abandon the multiple-choice question
      • Songs for future tense
      • I choose béisbol: sample "homework" report
      • 300 times thank you
      • Reporting like kindergarten
    •  March (11)
      • Training in circumlocution: Ban the dictionary
      • Fun activity #9: A leer
      • Last tips on avoiding burnout
      • Cortometraje for narration
      • Make developing curriculum even easier
      • Even more tips on avoiding burnout
      • Authentic resource: trivia games
      • Still more tips on avoiding burnout
      • Two more ways to ease into developing curriculum
      • Song, irregular present, part 3: Carmelina
      • More tips on avoiding burnout
    •  February (10)
      • Intermediate news activity for all three modes
      • Easing into developing curriculum
      • If you don't pay attention to comprehensibility...
      • Burning out or burning bright?
      • Keeping the class engaged: Change activities
      • Fun activity #8: A cantar
      • Twitter/relationships activity, just in time for Valentine's
      • Tech tools gone wrong
      • Grading regular free-topic writing
      • Add more music to homework choices
    •  January (9)
      • Spot-checking conversations
      • Song, irregular present, part 2: Hace tiempo
      • Four habits that enrich vocabulary
      • Paragraph form
      • Myths 8 & 9: I don't do it because they can't handle it.
      • Assigning homework
      • Song, irregular present, part 1: Sigo con ella
      • More choice every day
      • A novice cross-curricular activity from authentic materials
  •  2012 (39)
    •  December (2)
      • 5 New Year's resolutions for every WL teacher
      • It pays to have a focus
    •  October (2)
      • Best and worst games I've seen
      • Example: authentic text for novices
    •  September (7)
      • Success with Stations
      • More student choice in homework
      • Prezi: The Choice is Theirs (KWLA 2012)
      • Prezi: Kick the Vocab Quiz (KWLA 2012)
      • Take the leap to standards-based assessment
      • Fun activity #7: Conecta cuatro
      • A song for feelings
    •  August (11)
      • Screencast: Edmodo
      • Myth #7: Spanish Mike is a taco.
      • A study in motivation, part 2: Self-assessing abilities
      • It's my blogiversary - but you get the gift
      • Menus
      • Reading guides: Cajas de cartón & Esperanza renace
      • A re-post for your first days back: Abecedario
      • Screencast: Finding authentic sources for prompts
      • Maintaining personal proficiency
      • Ideas for the first days of school
      • AP redesign: Units & EQ's
    •  July (9)
      • A study in motivation
      • Advice for teachers in training
      • More uses for Amor de mi tierra
      • Book review: The Talent Code
      • Songs for 'duele'
      • The Case for Commands
      • Got idioms?
      • Like Musicuentos? Like it on Facebook.
      • Very short times with very young kids
    •  June (1)
      • 5...4...3...2...1... LAUNCH!
    •  March (4)
      • Another change: Survey says...
      • Design your own final exam
      • What I'm changing this week
      • Repost for CSC12: Increasing target language
    •  February (1)
      • A storytelling success story
    •  January (2)
      • Not going to ACTFL again, but for the best reason ever
      • Free Ebook for WL educators
  •  2011 (57)
    •  November (1)
      • Dear novice-learner teacher - love, an AP teacher
    •  October (3)
      • Learning from #langchat
      • Not your average health unit
      • Presentation: Target Language: Expect More, Say Less
    •  September (6)
      • Spanish 3 assessment documents
      • For KWLA 2011: Media from Reel to Real
      • Accuracy vs. proficiency: an illustration
      • Fun activity #6: A escribir
      • App review: Tour Wrist
      • Myth #6: Memorizing vocabulary
    •  August (5)
      • Trending topic = authentic comprehensible input
      • Got the rubric!
      • New year, new units, new assessments
      • Jumping on the Animoto bandwagon
      • Rethinking "late" work
    •  July (1)
      • A song made for early Spanish 1
    •  June (9)
      • Proficiency & tacos
      • Proficiency levels shouldn't be a secret
      • Flipbook illustration
      • Ethics in the language class - we aren't their parents
      • Activity #5: Gira la botella
      • Symbol Illustration
      • Connecting your classroom
      • Myth #5: The textbook is all I need
      • Taking paperless to the blog
    •  May (2)
      • Combat the 'este tiempo' monster
      • Children's DVD giveaway!
    •  April (6)
      • Activity #4: Drama Inmóvil
      • Myth #4: The Time Whine
      • Have you used PhotoPeach?
      • The myths aren't going to ACTFL
      • Fun activity #3: ¡Arriésgate!
      • Fun activity #2: A conversar
    •  March (3)
      • Dismantling Myths 2 and 3: Learning about language and its cousin, Grammatical Terms
      • Activity 1: Cuento poco a poco
      • (Trying to) Make learning fun
    •  February (10)
      • Two new options for out-of-class fluency
      • Great resource from la Sra. Birch
      • Dismantling Myth #1: What's a qualified teacher?
      • Keep singing: 189 pages of Spanish lyrics
      • #Charlando para aprender
      • Vote for this week's #langchat topic
      • It's time for them to use their time
      • For tonight's #langchat: A game for description
      • Short listening activity tailor-made for beginners
      • Ciudad de las bestias: Guides public & streamlined
    •  January (11)
      • Instead of the vocab quiz
      • Best songs for stem changing irreg. present
      • Do something drastic - kick the vocab quiz
      • Topic for #LangChat 1/27
      • Topic for the first #LangChat 1/20
      • Low-level learners can't understand authentic media, what?
      • They can't speak, and it's our fault: Dismantling the myths
      • Don't teach a health unit without this song
      • New: A language teachers' weekly chat on Twitter - choose our first topic!
      • Since I stopped teaching to the [AP] test
      • Faith and Culture: help me decide our AP topic
  •  2010 (38)
    •  December (4)
      • 9 ways to increase students' TL use
      • I love collaboration
      • The problem with translation (from a student)
      • Why music is more powerful than anything (& how to use it)
    •  November (2)
      • iPad giveaway!
      • A collaborative project for our Spanish-teacher PLN
    •  October (2)
      • And the winner is...
      • In the spirit of open source: Ciudad de las bestias
    •  September (10)
      • Books recommended as 'easy'
      • Pure present tense & at least 22 repetitions of 'ya no'
      • For a conference attendee: resources in math
      • Searching BBC Mundo
      • Prompts with Power: writing/speaking prompts
      • Prompts with Power: Prezi
      • Prompts with Power: German & French resources
      • Prompts with Power: Dating in high school
      • KWLA Presentation: PLN-ology
      • Tweet with double objects
    •  August (6)
      • Interactive comic creator using Maya & Miguel
      • Ads of the World | Creative Advertising Archive & Community
      • Added some great new links
      • First 12 days of Spanish 1
      • My supply list
      • Scope & sequence, word list for Spanish 1
    •  July (4)
      • 5 tips for increasing (your own) target language use
      • A warm-up from @samocamila: por vs. para
      • Camila's all on board! (well, on Twitter)
      • Getting vocabulary from a tweet
    •  April (3)
      • Huge toy giveaway from SpanglishBaby
      • A case for avoiding "pet" grammar
      • Authentic audio with future tense
    •  March (2)
      • Interesting blog post about iPod as language lab
      • News article: appeal + subjunctive for influence
    •  January (5)
      • A high-interest exercise for imperfect/pasado continuo
      • A song with 17 verbs in past subjunctive
      • My corporate Spanish links, all in one place
      • "Adora la Exploradora"-the week we didn't feel like a boring past-tense review
      • My level 1 and 2 stories (for Bethanie, and whomever else)
  •  2009 (80)
    •  December (2)
      • A song with 37 repetitions of "más que"
      • Switch to a communicative set-up
    •  November (10)
      • Print & audio sources for AP synthesis essay re: efficient energy
      • Two songs for voy + a + infinitive
      • A case for free-topic blogging
      • It's 19 de noviembre!
      • Camila's new single: "Mientes" (release date 11/24!)
      • A case for pleasure reading
      • Noviembre - a popular month for songs
      • Zachary Jones's "Clozeline"
      • Two songs + resources for Ojalá + subjunctive
      • A song just for @mamitati
    •  October (13)
      • You can't buy this in a textbook
      • Cultural connections: Four songs to explore using Google Earth
      • David Bisbal's YouTube channel
      • Correction on Pin Pon in Shrek
      • Four songs for contrasting que & lo que
      • Nominados en la 10a entrega de los Latin Grammy
      • Story and songs for subjunctive: indefinite/negative antecedent
      • AP sythesis essay sources: Los indocumentados y el sistema de salud
      • Blog that does what I do, only better
      • My October playlist
      • We must not ignore the Paz Sin Fronteras (video)
      • Build your perfect tenis (en español)
      • Video with por, haber, past participles, commands, from Coca Cola
    •  September (10)
      • Latin Grammy website gets a cool makeover... and nominations!
      • Songs for the elusive 3rd pers. sing. preterite
      • I just made my first Yodio
      • KWLA Fall 09 Conference presentation
      • Found Juanes on Twitter
      • For you French teachers
      • Bilingual toy giveaway, gracias a @mamitati
      • Keeping your eyes open for gold nuggets
      • CNN launches Latino in America
      • Bob Esponja on Mundonick
    •  August (4)
      • A correction on the correction of La Frase Tonta
      • I am in technology heaven
      • An AP oral presentation, with past tense: "Consecuencias"
      • I love crossover songs
    •  July (2)
      • Raimundo, the bilingual Latin American snail
      • A song for object/refl pronoun 'te'
    •  June (6)
      • A song for your hip-hop fans
      • Developing world citizens
      • Follow me on Twitter
      • Aquí Estoy Yo: video oficial
      • A new group on my radar
      • Two months later, back to the blogosphere (with a companion)
    •  April (5)
      • A most fantastic performance at Premio Lo Nuestro
      • The heroes speak Español
      • A brilliant pair of songs contrasting por/para
      • Useless grammar I used to teach
      • Adding some links--check 'em out
    •  March (7)
      • Negative commands + culture
      • Winds of change
      • Our students aren't the only ones who have speaking problems!
      • Activity: News interaction (present perfect)
      • A new smash hit with a subjunctive benefit
      • A shout out for Jacob & Joshua
      • El campesino y la princesa (a Spanish 3 story test, with a bit of subjunctive)
    •  February (15)
      • More interactive websites, courtesy of my students
      • A product I love
      • Good stories for commands
      • a story for imperf. vs. pret. and subjunctive influence
      • Interactive websites: practicing house/location/color vocab
      • Subjunctive for doubt: Story, song, activity
      • A good story for 'tiene'
      • A song for subjunctive/nosotros commands
      • A story for demonstratives
      • Rules in a communicative class
      • Cause and effect
      • Relating everything to English
      • A correction on La Frase Tonta
      • Equipping and informing, for free
      • A project based on motivation
    •  January (6)
      • "How much is estuvo de pie?"
      • One more song for subjunctive
      • A couple more subjunctive songs
      • An example of vocab
      • Internet scavenger hunts
      • A Spanish 2 story test
  •  2008 (51)
    •  December (7)
      • Videos from Jesús Adrian Romero
      • Alex Campos's YouTube channel
      • A story test
      • A video for Navidad
      • Great new song for subjunctive
      • ¡Nueva música!
      • A fantastic blog post
    •  November (14)
      • Ever heard of Patito feo?
      • Two groups you just can't go wrong with
      • Things to be thankful for
      • Grammar learning vs. acquisition
      • Forced to give grammar tests?
      • High aptitude is a beautiful thing
      • Another Spanish 1 reading
      • New media list!
      • At the ACSI conference in Dayton
      • Story success: Huevos verdes con jamón
      • Another story source!
      • Words we don't use
      • Song success: Hace tiempo
      • El carro de sus sueños
    •  October (12)
      • Overgeneralizing, again
      • Spanish 2 Story: La llama se llama...
      • Song success: Me voy
      • Not posting lately
      • overgeneralizing
      • The outcome of Pin Pon
      • Pin Pon in Shrek?
      • Best practices
      • Reading in Spanish 3
      • SCORE!
      • My media list
      • Awesome YouTube video
    •  September (18)
      • KWLA '08: Assessing comprehension without English
      • Song success: La llave de mi corazón
      • Spanish 1 Story: Insectos grises para el almuerzo
      • Finding stories
      • How do I find the music?
      • Modeling the billingual lexicon
      • Summaries of some classroom SLA articles
      • Love/Hate Krashen
      • Another article that rocked my world
      • More sunshine
      • When it's not all coming up roses
      • What on earth is going on here?
      • So, what are the cuentos?
      • The verdict on pop test 1
      • People I love
      • A pop test
      • Some assumptions
      • Starting to share my journey

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