Podcast for Classroom

http://learnrealspanish.libsyn.com/rss


This is the link for the podcast that I would like to use for my students. Once there, the title of the podcast, since there are quite a few on this site, is "Happy Christmas! A special show full of Christmas vocab, and detailed Christmas in Spain"

This podcast is about 20 minutes long, but it went pretty quickly. The hosts, Ben & Marina, begin by going over the topic from the previous lesson. They then continue to talk about Christmas practices in Spain and in England, since Ben is English. They speak in both English and Spanish, and they also allow you to answer a question or make a translation, leave you a few seconds, and then give you the answer. They also give you vocabulary and pronunciation and even homework (to talk about your Christmas celebrations).

The podcasts also come with worksheets, but you have to buy those. I looked at the sample one, and it includes the transcript of the lesson and its translation, vocabulary and meaning, and 'cool' Spanish phrases. If you buy the packet of worksheets for about 47 euros, it comes with a 1-year money back guarantee. So if you were going to get into this hardcore, it seems like it would be a good investment.

The podcast I listened to was for beginners, but there is also an intermediate and advanced level, with corresponding worksheets.

My students are literally hooked to their IPODs. They are allowed to listen to them in class if they have reached a certain behavior level. I'd love to have them listen to this as well. I would post it on my teacher website, but I'm not sure how many students would take the initiative and download it. I'm not sure if they have even been on my website at all, other than when we use it in class. I was thinking about assigning it as an extra credit project (individual) to listen and then answer questions about the podcast. Also, when my students are sent to the suspension room, they could listen to one of these and then write a paragraph or two about what they have learned. My only fear is that the computers may not have the capabilities of downloading and listening to these podcasts. I'd have to check that out before I assigned it to the suspended students. In class, though, I feel as if this would be a good substitute teacher assignment: have them listen to the podcast and follow it up with a worksheet that they could answer as they went along. I could even do that myself, but it seems like a really solid backup plan as well. Our classes usually last about 35 minutes, after settling down and all, and it seems like the perfect compromise between IPOD use and Spanish class.