El Libro de la Vida

Update 10/2/17 - I highly recommend Arianne Dowd's materials for El Libro de la Vida. 


I am going to be out for a few of days for conferences and I wanted to leave some plans that were valuable, yet doable and relaxing too. So, I finally watched the movie, "El Libro de la Vida" and made a question guide to go along with the movie. It is a sweet movie and visually beautiful. I made this basic guide with questions for upper level students to do as they watch. They will watch the movie in Spanish with Spanish subtitles. For my lower level students, they will watch with subtitles in English and do a shorter writing assignment, perhaps filling in the chart at the end of the guide.

On another note, I am sure that this movie will be a great one to show next November 1-2 too!

The La Santa Cecilia song "Calaverita" might be a fantastic way to start a unit on El Día de los Muertos. Here is a slideshow to use (read more about it here):

                  

PD with AltLatino

The NPR AltLatino podcast is one that I look forward to listening to each week. I have listened to all of the podcasts since it started in June 2010, most of them while I have been running, my favorite time for listening to music! I have developed lots of ideas for using songs in the classroom while listening to the show and it is one of my favorite music resources (2nd to Zambombazo of course!).

The hosts Jasmine Garsd and Felix Contreras do an excellent job of keeping the show light, but informative. The podcasts are a mix of the two hosts talking and playing music. The talking is mostly in English but most of the music is in Spanish. The focus is on Latin Alternative music from all over Latin America, the United States and Spain. The show is a great representation of the cultural fusion happening in the United States.

Some of the shows are fun. Some are mellow and slow. Some are fast and invigorating. Whatever type of show it is, I always learn something from the show. The shows that are linked below are the ones that I have learned the most from (and are most appropriate for my students). I compiled them because I am considering using some of them in my upper level classes this semester. Not only would they be good for students, but this is great PD for Spanish teachers too!

Azuquita Pa'l Cafe: What Coffee Songs Mean To Latin America

With Guitars Like Machetes: Son Jarocho 101

Cumbia: The Musical Backbone Of Latin America

Te Odio, Te Amo: Why Telenovelas Rule Latin Entertainment

Es Un Monstruo Grande Y Pisa Fuerte: 12 Latin American Protest Songs

El Pueblo Unido: More Latin American Protest Songs

Alt.Latino: Immigrant Songs 

5 Stories About Immigration, In Song Form

Riding 'The Beast': Alt.Latino Interviews Salvadoran Journalist Oscar Martinez

Juanes, The World Cup And Seven Great Soccer Songs

This Week On Alt.Latino: Special Guest Manu Chao

Guest DJ Lila Downs: The Music That Makes Her Fierce

There are a ton of other really good ones!

*Note*: Some of the shows might contain some parts that some teachers may not be comfortable having students listen to.