You just got assigned to teach Spanish—and then you find out there’s no Spanish curriculum.
Maybe there’s no textbook. Maybe there are a few random worksheets left behind by the previous teacher. Or maybe you’ve been told, “Just use whatever you want!” and you’re wondering where on earth to start.
If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Many Spanish teachers, especially those teaching Spanish 1 or middle school Spanish, find themselves creating a curriculum from scratch while also trying to plan lessons, learn their students’ names, set up their classroom, and figure out what they’re supposed to teach next week.
The good news? You do not have to create everything from scratch.
In this post, I’ll walk you through how to start building a Spanish curriculum when you don’t have one—including how to decide what to teach, where to find a Spanish 1 scope and sequence, and how to turn that scope and sequence into manageable daily lessons.
I’ll also share some resources that can save you hours of planning time, whether you’re looking for a complete Spanish curriculum or simply need lesson plans and activities to fill in the gaps.
How to design a Spanish curriculum from scratch
When you have no textbook, designing a Spanish curriculum from scratch is crazy overwhelming. You could teach ANYTHING! To some people that feels totally liberating, but to me, it’s just too many choices. I want a guide.
As a middle school Spanish teacher, I decided to look to the high school to see what was taught in Spanish 1. What would my middle school Spanish students need to pass into Spanish 2 at the high school?
Using the high school Spanish 1 scope and sequence was the most logical way for me to prepare my students to continue with Spanish in the future. Therefore, I copied the scope and sequence of the high school, but slowed it down and spread it over 6th, 7th, and 8th grade. Here is what my first quarter included:
What if I am at a high school with no Spanish curriculum?
If you’re the only teacher in your department and there isn’t anyone else to reach out to, here are my scope and sequences. I’ve seen several different Spanish textbook series throughout my career and they usually all cover the same units, in their own unique order. Download these for free and use them as a guide.
Spanish 1 – Pretest before you plan
The first thing you’ll want to figure out is what do my students already know? If they are coming from another teacher, you’ll start the year with some review. I give my 7th grade students an ungraded pre-test with everything I expect them to remember from 6th grade Spanish. You can download my free beginning-of-year Spanish review test and then read this blog post about the quickest and best way to review. I knock out beginning of the year review within 2-3 class periods.
From there, look to see where the majority of the kids fell apart. That’s where you start. And if 80% or more of your class aced the pre-test, then look at your scope and sequence to see what comes next.
How to make your Spanish curriculum fun
One word: Games!
I teach letters with a catchy song, battleship game, and a hilarious spelling bee game. Students line up and I give them a word to spell in Spanish. Each person says one letter until the word is complete. The next person says ¡Adiós! And the person after that is out for no reason at all. The kids LOVE it and ask to play it throughout the year with other vocabulary.
Numbers: We play tic-tac-toe, bingo, and a ton more!
School supplies: A game called “Pásenme.” I call out a school supply or series of items that I want: “Pásenme 3 lápices y una pluma roja!” The students work with their table to hold up the items as quickly as possible. The first team gets two points and all other teams who complete the task earn one point.
At the end of this unit, students take all of the vocabulary they have learned to create an itinerary for a vacation to a Spanish speaking country. Students must include the dates and times of their activities and what the weather will be like at that time. They also tell me the price of the activities they chose to incorporate numbers. They really enjoy it!
How to write Spanish 1 lesson plans without giving up all your free time
Lesson planning can be very time consuming, but it doesn’t have to be. Sometimes you have to work smarter, not harder. And it’s also completely OK to ask for help. I have been helping teachers like you since 2017 by creating and sharing my Spanish lesson plans. Here’s an example:
Like what you see? You’ll love how much time and energy you can save with these pre-made lesson plans for Spanish I and Spanish II. Every unit comes with everything you could possibly need to teach!
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