Inside: Are you asking “What to do the first day after winter break in Spanish class?” Here are my no-prep plans for the first day of school in the new year for all levels of Spanish class. Back from winter break activities, after winter break activity, first day back from winter break ideas for Spanish class. Return from winter break activities for Spanish class.
Author – Allison Wienhold
originally posted 12.31.18 & most recently updated 12.17.24
First day back from Winter Break in Spanish Class
Happy New Year friends! I hope you have enjoyed your break. I am spending quality time with my little family and enjoying some much-needed rest.
My plan each year has been to ease into the new year by talking about what students are dying to discuss, and what happened during their break. For in-person return from winter break activities, similar to my first day of school plan, I usually used the same basic activity across all levels.
Post Winter Break Spanish Class Plans Video
NEW! If you prefer to learn via video watch my YouTube video about post-Winter break plans for every level!
Original 1st day after Winter break Spanish Class Plans (In Person)
WELCOME & INPUT – First in Spanish, welcome students back. Optional – show them a couple of pictures of your break, describing it in Spanish.
BRAINSTORM – Next, give students a couple of minutes to brainstorm something they did over the break (and write it if they would like). During this time I will write some common phrases on the board as an example. I know even in a couple of weeks they lose confidence and I do not want to put students on the spot.
DISCUSS – Then, discuss a few volunteers’ answers, of return from winter break activities for Spanish class, circling and repeating the high-frequency phrases.
PASS OUT PAPER WORKSHEET – Pass out different versions of the find someone who sheet depending on the class. (You can get the same 1st Day Back from Winter Break Find Some Who in my website store)
(BEFORE STARTING PICK & COPY)
This PDF Spanish class post break Find Someone Who contains multiple differentiated versions to fit a variety of class needs. I like to pick one speaking & one writing to copy double sided. Mix & Match for each class & even within a class to Differentiate for all students.
- ✅ Speaking A – Interpersonal questions – yo form provided – most support
- ✅ Writing A – Writing about friends – support of s/he forms – most support
- ✅ Speaking B – Interpersonal questions – more advanced
- ✅ Writing B – Writing about friends & self – differentiated support word bank
- ✅ Writing C – Presentational writing about friends & self – most advanced
For example in a mixed level class, Heritage learners could have Speaking B & Writing C. While the rest of the Spanish 3 class has Speaking A & Writing A. All students are working on the task of describing break in the preterite, but meeting them where they are at. Or you can have multiple versions printed & students can choose if they are ready to level up today or not.
Why Teachers Love this Spanish 1st Day Back Resource
- ✅ Saves Time: Ready-to-use resource eliminates planning, perfect for stress-free return to the classroom.
- ✅ Re-engages Students: Designed to ease students back into learning after winter break with fun & interactive activities.
- ✅ Promotes Spanish Conversation: Encourages students to practice conversational Spanish, boosting their speaking confidence.
- ✅ Focuses on the Preterite Tense: Offers an accessible way to practice the preterite tense without overwhelming students with grammar drills.
- ✅ Interactive and Movement-Based: Gets students out of their seats and interacting with peers in an engaging format.
- ✅ Adaptable for All Levels of Spanish: Includes multiple pages to cater to different proficiency levels, from middle school to advanced high school students.
- ✅ Proven Engagement: Highly praised by teachers for fostering student participation & enjoyment.
- ✅ Boosts Collaboration: Helps students build teamwork and communication skills through interactive tasks.
Variations for Spanish 1/2 on 1st day back from Winter break
If you want to do a similar activity with novice Spanish students I have a solution as well. Use just 1 verb in Preterite to talk about break – fue. For novice students, it is better to ease them in with just one verb in the past tense.
Fue Find Someone Who
This Find Someone Who is the perfect one-day activity introduction to the preterite tense after break. It is a great way to review or introduce the verb ir in the preterite. Even if students have never used past tense, they just need to learn 3 new phrases – Fui, Fuiste & Fue. There is an extension to have students write about what their class did as well using fue. You have 2 ways to get this resource.
- 1st Day Back Spanish 2 Fue Find Someone Who on TPT
- The same ¿Fuiste? Find Someone Who in my website store
Spanish 2 (alternate) if your students have learned some preterite tense. You can use versions of the same holiday break FSW at the start of this post, with multiple verbs in all classes. You could use the easiest version with the yo form listed to answer on the front, and the s/he form listed on the back to later talk about their classmates.
Fue Question Cards
If you want something different than a Find Someone Who (or as a second day extension/remediation) try Fue Question Cards! The question cards have many options all using the same questions as the fue Find Someone Who.
You could post the big questions and have students sign under them as pictures above. Or break students into small groups with sets of all the questions. (Or even do all of them to get lots of repetitions in!).
- Get your print & go fue question cards on TPT
- Or get the same resources in my website store – Spanish 2 Conversation Cards for Fuiste
>> For flexibility & repetitions get both Fue Activities in the money Saving Bundle!
NEW – Novice Spanish 1 Post Break Weekend Chat
If you want to start weekend chat for the first time, I have a new novice Spanish weekend chat resource. Use it to introduce a post break chat in the past tense day 1. Plus have enough activities to spiral review & practice preterite every Monday! Get all 50 of these Google Slides in my website store as well Weekend Chat Novice Spanish Middle School.
Or Spanish 1 1st Back Back Option Without Preterite
Don’t want to mess with introducing the past tense in Spanish 1 or exploratory Spanish? This Super 7 present Find Someone Who is a great no prep 1 day activity to review & build a solid foundation.
MORE Upper-level Variations for the First Day Back from Winter break
Using 1st Day Back from Winter Break Spanish Preterite Find Someone Who (in my store) or TPT
Spanish 3 – Use the after-winter break holiday break FSW with the yo form listed. Help with confidence using the correct yo form in the past tense, and a word bank of possible s/he forms on the back.
Spanish 4 – Use the return from winter break holiday break FSW with the least support and will come up with the yo and s/he forms independently.
>> Learn many ways to use a Find Someone Who in this blog post.
Pro tip for more Spanish > Before setting them loose, have students look through the possible questions and make sure they know what everything is asking. Clarify as needed in English before starting. Then once the activity starts, it can be in all Spanish.
With a clipboard, sheet, and pencil, students go around asking each other questions in Spanish. They should add elaborating details and sign each others’ sheets.
Once they have all squares signed, students practice the s/he forms by writing about what their class did. Depending on the class, you can see above how much assistance they get with the writing. All students will also write about what they did.
Optional Extensions on 1st Day after Winter Break Plans
Need two days of plans? Have some super high fast finishers? Add some of these extensions. Depending on the class and interest I may pick a couple of extensions of return from winter break activities for Spanish class. These would probably happen the next day depending on time.
- Discuss as a class who did what.
- Have students use these Weekend Chat Question Cards to chat more in pairs about their break
- Make a giant Venn Diagram comparing and contrasting students, or the teacher and a student. (This would be a good way to add in the plural forms).
- Have students draw what a classmate did. Put these up around the room or project with a document camera and guess who the picture is describing.
- Have students draw what they did. These could be used to have them describe each other in Spanish. Or have the teacher use them to describe what they did.
- Have students complete the Digital Slides for 1st days back from winter break alone or in pairs to get more preterite practice.
- Play 2 Truths and a Lie (students write two things they actually did and one lie. The teacher then reads these and the class guesses who it was and what their lie was).
- Do a free write where students write what they did and what a classmate did.
But what if I am Paperless or have learners at home?!
Chat about winter break with quarantine-friendly options that can be used in editable Google Slides in person, hybrid, online, or a combination of all of them. These editable slides include reading, speaking, and writing practice and could be used as a class starter or for a full plan for your first class back. This is what I personally used in 2021 to start the semester in my Spanish 3/4 class.
You could assign these digital slides to students who are sick, absent, or on vacation. Or the whole class could use these as a digital extension after the Find Someone Who.
- Or get the same post break resource in my website store
+More Weekend Chat ideas for all year long
**Resources for French Class the first day back from winter break
Follow these same plans for the first day back from French class! (similar to First Week of French Class)
>> Post-Break FRENCH Find Someone Who
Here’s to an amazing 2025!
Here are other ideas for this time of year
- NEW Los 3 Reyes Magos in Spanish Class (January 6th) – cultural alternative these plans
- Lista lunes – Winter Holidays
- Spanish Songs for Hanukkah
- Spanish Class Christmas Songs
- Valentine’s Day
- lista lunes febrero
- Black History Month
- Carnaval in Spanish Class
Have New Students Right Now?
Play a few rounds of Name Game Speedball to learn all names!
