Author – Allison Wienhold
Published on May 13, 2024
Inside: Do you want to teach through movies in Spanish class? Do you need good Spanish movies for learning Spanish, family movies in Spanish, and the best way to use a movie in the classroom?
Teach Through Movies in the Spanish Classroom
Over the past few years, Mis Clases Locas has become a go-to source for good Spanish movies for learning Spanish. Maybe you have come across my blog post for appropriate films in Spanish class. Or you may have used one of the family movies in Spanish I have suggested. You can see in my Mis Clases Locas Curriculum for Spanish 1-4 that I like to use about one culture-rich film per quarter of Spanish.
Do you prefer to listen to your PD?
I’ve had the chance to share about using movies in the classroom in the following ways over the past couple of years. If you prefer to learn via podcasts, check these out.
- World Language Classroom Podcast Guest – Ep 80 Movies, Videos, Shorts & Clips with Allison Wienhold – March 2023
- Practical Proficiency Podcast Guest – Movies in World Language Class #9 – Allison Wienhold of Mis Clases Locas – March 2024
- World Language Teacher Summit/IWLA – Master Movie Magic – October 2022
How to Teach a Movie in Spanish class
Pick a Film to Use in Class
When choosing a movie, a big question to ask yourself is “What is my goal for this film?” There is no right or wrong answer, but this will change what you choose. The best place to start to pick a movie is to check out this list of my top 15 appropriate films.
Do you want a seasonal film or for a specific topic? Check out these more specific posts.
- Movies focused on Mexico/ Mexican-Americans
- Best Movies for Black History Month in Spanish Class
- The Best Movies to Teach the Day of the Dead
- Best Spanish Earth Day/Medio Ambiente Movies
I only pick movies for my classes that have deep cultural connections to the Spanish-speaking world. If I am going to spend multiple days or even a week on something, there has to be culture and more than just watching any movie with Spanish audio. **This is also how you can get admin buy-in to show a film. Show how many standards one film can cover.
What subtitles and audio to use in Spanish class?
- Upper-level Spanish- Spanish audio & Spanish subtitles
- Spanish 2 – Spanish audio & Spanish or English subtitles (depending on the purpose and group)
- Spanish 1 or Exploratory Spanish – Spanish audio & English subtitles
- Culture or non-language class – English audio & no subtitles
Make sure to check that the audio and subtitles you are hoping for are included before purchasing. Most DVDs come with multiple language and audio options. Check your public library for DVDs you can borrow for free!
Most streaming services have the option to change the audio & subtitles. See these posts for more information Netflix with Spanish Subtitles & Disney+.
*If you are leaving a movie with a non-Spanish-speaking sub, use English subtitles. Also, level explicit directions on HOW to change the audio and subtitles and have a student assigned to help. Otherwise, students might watch a whole movie in English while the teacher is away on a Honeymoon. (real talk, it was fine and worth it).
Teach through Movies – Introduce a Movie in Spanish class
Introduce the Characters
Using a slideshow of the characters in comprehensible Spanish is a game-changer. It allows for more input in Spanish. Plus it makes the viewing experience much more valuable for everyone.
Watching a full film in another language could be daunting to a student, but if they already understand and know which character is who, it lifts a lot of the anxiety of following along. Knowing the characters builds confidence and adds to the overall enjoyment of the film in another language. For example, there are free character introduction slides for a popular Spanish movie at the bottom of this post.
Introduce The Culture
Another way to dig deeper into the culture of a film is to introduce cultural products, practices, and/or perspectives before watching. This can be done by projecting authentic resources, screenshots from the film, or watching videos in advance, such as the trailer.
This way students can point out cultural references as they are watching to be able to better connect and compare. As an example see this blog post with lots of authentic resources to introduce Encanto, plus get slides of authentic resources and characters here.
Teach Through Movies – How to Watch a Film
Time Crunch?
As with everything this will vary greatly depending on your situation. If you are crunched for time, or students have a sub, you might watch the film straight through over a couple of days or one block.
For example, when I taught junior high exploratory, we had a long final block on the last day of class. But they did not need to take a final. So, we always just watched the whole movie in Spanish to celebrate the end of the quarter. Some good, newer family movies in Spanish for junior high are: Chupa, Puss in Boots 2 & The Casagrandes Movie
I don’t grade while watching guides, but rather they help students focus. They might be a completion, accountability grade for 21st-century skills, but never based on correctness.
More Time
If you have more time, I have found great success in spreading out a film over a few days or a week. This means watching 20-30 minutes per day. Spreading it out gives more time for other input-based activities, review, and discussion.
A Typical Day Using a Movie
This is for a 45-minute class. It is after spending a day introducing the characters, culture &/or vocab. This would also make sure to get multiple modes of communication all in one class.
- Introduce/review the film
- Watch 20-30 minutes using a movie guide
- Do a five-minute mini-partner or group discussion in Spanish over what they watched
- Close with a five-minute free write about what they watched.
To mix up teaching with a movie on a later day
- Start with a ten-minute Blooket review of the characters
- Watch a film using the guide
- Play a quick review game like the marker game or 1, 2, 3, ¡SALTA!
- To wrap it up, or discuss your guide questions so far.
What to do after a movie
Depending on your goals there are many ways to wrap up a film or assess if needed. All of my movie guides come with a few post-film reflection questions in Spanish to discuss. Plus they have a post-film character matching. This page could be used as an assessment if needed. This could be given the next day after reviewing and discussing the film.
Post Movie 1 Day Plan
One specific post-film example comes from a time when I was out of the state for a wedding in early November on a Thursday/Friday and then had a scheduled formal observation the Monday after in Spanish 1. (I know right).
I introduced the character with my slideshow and used the film trailer before I left. Then, the students watched Coco with the sub while I was gone.
On the Monday of my observation, we did a post-film “everyday IPA” (Name & idea c/o Meredith White). The post-film day plan included 15 minutes of each task, interpretive, interpersonal, and presentational.
- Interpretive – They used an authentic infographic about Coco and answered questions in English
- Interpersonal – I cut up basic discussion questions about the film in Spanish & students worked in pairs to chat
- Presentational – Students wrote about the film
The observation went very well, as students were engaged in utilizing all modes of communication in one class period. This also really helped my admin see the WHY of showing a film. They saw the cultural connections, the standards utilized, and how it gave the students something they wanted to speak and write about in Spanish. You can get all of the resources from that post-film activity below.
Free Coco Pre & Post Film Activities
But what if I do not have time for a full film?
Episode 1 of a TV show is a great option. Right now I would highly suggest Tierra Incógnita. You can learn more about this engaging PG thriller on Disney+ in this Tierra Incógnita blog post. It also includes freebies & season 1 activities.
Another option is the newer Netflix show Maya y Los 3 is the answer for a lack of time! Episode 1 is only about 30 minutes. I have a ready-to-go episode 1 guide here & you can also get free character introductions.
Watch this video about using TV programs in Spanish class to learn more.
Have even less time? Try a Short Spanish Movies
Good Spanish Movies for Learning Spanish
I know you are super busy and have very little time to create things yourself. So, to help you out here are blog posts with tons of authentic resources plus guides that are already made for you. Pick one of these family movies in Spanish and enjoy a nice break from the routine with your students.
- Vivo
- Encanto
- Coco
- El Camino de Xico
- Ferdinand
- Wish
- Gato con botas: el último deseo
- Chupa
- Dora & the Lost City of Gold
- The Book of Life
- Pachamama
- Selena
- A Million Miles Away
- Canela
- Pelotero
More Spanish Movies for Learning
- NEW Appropriate Spanish Language Movies on Netflix
- Spanish Class Documentaries – includes a freebie for any film
- Pick which movie you will use from this list of 15 appropriate films.
- You can see all of my ready-to-go movie guides together here.
What other good movies in Spanish would you add?
