Inside: How to start Spanish class with bell ringers. Daily classroom routines for Spanish class to save your sanity. Daily routines and bell ringers in Spanish class to help with classroom management.
Happy New Year! I know with the start of the year, many of you will be teaching new classes. Or maybe you just want a fresh start with the classes you are midway through. Either way, classroom routines like bell ringers are an excellent way to set your Spanish classes up for success in 2024.
Why Have Classroom Routines in Spanish Class?
Classroom routines make everything smoother for teachers, as well as students. As a teacher, it makes planning for many preps easier. By keeping these routines consistent across levels, you can use the same resources such as songs across all classes, just adjusting our conversations.
Routines also help students to be less anxious about coming to your class. They feel more comfortable when they know what to expect each day. My elementary-aged son is extremely particular and easily stressed by transitions and change. Routines are everything to us. When his school sticks with set routines and schedules, it eases his anxiety by knowing exactly what to expect.
What Daily Classroom Routines to Start Spanish Class?
Routine as students enter the room
Do you have a set procedure for what students should do right away when they enter?
For example, this was the routine in my classroom. Students enter the classroom and put away their phones. When we were Deskless, all backpacks were to be placed along the back wall. Then they did the posted daily bell ringer task of the day. There is a projected Google slide instruction to remind students what to do and what they need to start class.
Or maybe, you can greet all the students at the door. Maybe they state a specific language-specific password as they enter. Due to switching between four preps in a 4-minute passing time, I was not able to consistently make passwords work. If it can work in your schedule, checking in with each student as they enter has tremendous benefits.
Small Talk in Spanish to Start Class
Depending on the level of the class, your small chat can be as quick or long as you would like. It could be as quick as an SEL check-in to see how everyone is doing or feeling. Or your small talk could include any or all of the following: calendar, weather, birthday, plans after school, what you did over the weekend, news, etc.
Instead of doing the typical textbook Spanish 1 unit, I incorporate these topics each day as they are relevant. We started the year in Spanish 1 heavy on the calendar, but then later in the year just sprinkle it in as interesting dates, birthdays, weather, etc happen.
During the school year that I had an every other day Hybrid, A/B students’ in-person schedule, I did not see students each day to do our normal class starters. With our every other day in-person block, we started every class with free reading, and then music. I would highly suggest this if you are also on a block schedule.
Why Bell Ringers Matter in Spanish Class
Bell ringers in Spanish class are also known as Para Empezar, Campanada, warm-ups, or icebreakers. They serve as a fantastic way to initiate your Spanish class on a positive note. These brief activities not only help students transition into Spanish mode but also build a positive classroom community.
Bell ringers allow you to introduce diverse cultures, new vocabulary, music, jokes, reinforce previously learned concepts, and create a positive atmosphere. I will share a few new creative bell ringer ideas, as well as my tried & true favorite para empezar class starters. Feel free to skip to whatever works best for you.
My Favorite Spanish Class Bell Ringers
See more details about these daily themes later in the blog post!
Other Creative Bell Ringer Ideas for Spanish Class
Word of the Day in Spanish Class
Begin each class by introducing a Word or Phrase of the Day. Project the word on the board, English translation, and context in a sentence. As an extension, students could write or say the new phrase on their own. For upper levels, it could be a new rejoinder or cultural idiomatic expression. Or there could be a new phrase each week that is posted on a board, or used as the password to enter class.
Picture Prompts or Picture Talk
Display an authentic image related to a particular theme or topic you’ll cover in class. Ask students to describe the picture. Then the teacher can crowdsource and work to describe the image in greater detail. This visual approach not only sparks creativity but also reinforces language retention. This is a great way to incorporate authentic resources and the diversity of the Spanish-speaking world.
News Articles or Headlines
Start novice Spanish class by projecting an authentic news headline in Spanish from a Spanish-speaking newspaper. For upper-level classes, this could be expanded into reading a short authentic news article. This helps students stay current with what is happening in the world.
Persona Especial
Another bell ringer for novice Spanish class is a Special Person interview. These were originally developed by Bryce Hedstrom. They use comprehensible language to build a positive classroom community and get to know each other. You can learn more about how I use them in this persona especial blog post.
Quick Quizzes
Develop a set of short, fun quizzes covering previously learned material. These quizzes can be on paper or using technology like Blooket, GimKit, or Quizlet Live. Or you could do a quick game of 1, 2, 3, ¡SALTA! or The Marker Game as a formative assessment or review. Quick assessments like these review essential concepts for students, especially on a Monday. They also give the teacher a better feel of where students are at.
Themed Spanish Class Bell Ringers
If you have been following my blog for a while, you know I love my daily themes for bell ringers. As you can see, I like alliteration. If you have access to a classroom library, I would highly suggest starting Tuesday & Thursday with Free Voluntary Reading. If, not, you can follow my schedule below.
My Current Favorite Spanish Class Bell Ringers
- Weekend Chat – NEW weekend chat resource + blog post ways to mix up weekend chat
- Weekend Chat 2024 – from my website
- martes del mapa – NEW martes del mapa slides + martes del mapa blog post
- NEW Spanish Speaking Countries martes del mapa 2024 – Spanish
- Spanish Speaking Countries Videos in ENGLISH – great for exploratory or a culture class
- música miércoles – NEW música miércoles slides – blog post about using music Wednesday
- NEW Música miércoles 2024 music bell ringers from my website
- jaja jueves – Jaja jueves 2024 + jaja jueves blog
- baile viernes – NEW Baile viernes Bell Ringers + baile viernes blog post
- Baile viernes 2024 Spanish Brain Breaks
If you are short on time, you can get ready-to-go class starters for a year here on TPT. Or if you prefer, you can get Para Empezar 2024 in the Mis Clases Locas shop.
Other Daily Theme Ideas for Spanish Class Bell Ringers
- lunes – lunes de lectura, lunes de libro
- martes – martes de meme, martes de motivación, arte martes,
- miércoles – miércoles de música, miau miércoles
- jueves – jaja jueves, jugar jueves
- viernes – viernes de baile, viernes de video, viernes de viaje
Incorporating bell ringers into your Spanish class routine can be a game-changer in terms of student engagement and learning outcomes. These brief activities not only set a positive tone for the lesson but also provide valuable opportunities for language practice and cultural exploration. Experiment with different bell ringer ideas to discover what resonates most with your students and create a vibrant and dynamic language-learning environment.
Want a Free Sample of my Favorite Bell Ringers for Spanish Class?
Just enter your email below & I will send you them!
