Los podcasts- Grammar Girl

If you are like me, you are a grammar nerd. I love correcting people's grammar mistakes, much to my friends' chagrin. I love teaching grammar. I love talking about grammar. Recently, I started listening to Grammar Girl's podcasts. They are 5-7 minute podcasts about grammar topics. While they do not pertain to foreign languages (although there are some references and comparisons to foreign languages), I find that they are helpful for having a better understanding of English grammar, which can only help my Spanish grammar.

You can listen to the podcasts on Grammar Girl's website (below) or you can access them on iTunes.
http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/

Los podcasts- Notes in Spanish

For the last four years I have been using Notes in Spanish (www.notesinspanish.com) as a way to practice my listening skills in Spanish. Notes in Spanish was founded by a married couple that lives in Spain. Ben is English and Marina is from Madrid. They met when Ben moved to Madrid and was looking for a conversation partner. They create podcasts for three different levels of speakers- Inspired Beginners, Intermediate and Advanced. The Inspired Beginners level is perfect for Spanish 2 on up. They begin with the basics and work on up. They also add a little culture in the podcasts. The Intermediate and Advanced levels are all in Spanish and the topics range from holidays to politics to technology to what to do on the weekends in Spain. The podcasts are available on the website and on iTunes.

Three years ago, I started using the podcasts in the classroom. It is difficult for the students at first, but I think it not only helps them with listening comprehension but also gives them a bigger world view.

When students listen, I just have them either fill out a worksheet or write down twenty new expressions or grammar points that they learned.

Los podcasts- Portales

I just discovered a great Spanish resource on Itunes. It's through ItunesU, and it's 100% free and 100% in Spanish. Portales is one of the podcasts (which is a combination of the two words iPod and broadcast) that is offered on Itunes. They are short (3-5 minute) podcasts about Spanish culture. Everyone speaking is a native speaker (I think!). There are a variety of topics ranging from Spanish last names to festivals in Spain. They are not for beginners in Spanish, so I am going to try to introduce these to my Spanish 3 students. They will most likely need some guidance, but they also need the challenge of hearing native speakers.


For homework one night I will have my students listen to "Surnames in Spanish." I will give them the following to help guide them through the podcast. They should be ready to answer questions about the podcast when they come to school the next day.

Los apellidos
¿Cuántos apellidos tienen los españoles?
El primer apellido es de _____________________.
El segundo apellido es de ____________________.
¿De dónde es el apellido Tortajada? [escoger (choose) uno]
Navarra Andalucia Aragón
¿De dónde es el apellido Maganto? [escoger (choose) uno]
Madrid Castilla la Mancha Castilla la Vieja
¿Dónde está Aragón en España?
¿De dónde es el apellido Ros? [escoger (choose) uno]
Madrid Cataluña Cantabría
¿De dónde es el apellido Solé? [escoger (choose) uno]
Valencia El País Vasco La Rioja
¿Porque William solo tiene un apellido?