Get Ready-to-Use Film Resources for Spanish Teachers
Hola! I’m the teacher-turned-creator behind Palabras y Películas, where I help Spanish teachers transform movie days from passive entertainment into dynamic, immersive experiences that students actually remember.
After more than two decades in Spanish classrooms (watching students freeze up in real conversations despite acing vocabulary quizzes), I’ve created a system that turns authentic Spanish films into powerful tools for building lasting language skills—the kind that have students confidently chatting in Spanish in hallways, at practice, and beyond the classroom walls.
After twenty years teaching Spanish at both high school and university levels, I hit a wall of frustration. My students were doing everything “right”—memorizing vocabulary lists, completing grammar exercises, writing solid essays—but something crucial was missing.
When faced with real-world Spanish conversations, these same high-achieving students would freeze completely. The disconnect was heartbreaking—and all too familiar to language teachers everywhere.
So I started experimenting. What if films weren’t just occasional treats or time-fillers, but the actual centerpiece of language acquisition? What if we approached movies not as passive experiences but as immersive opportunities for vocabulary to come alive through story, emotion, and cultural context?
Students began speaking more confidently, using richly contextual vocabulary that stuck with them long-term. They developed deeper cultural understanding and—perhaps most importantly—a genuine love for the language. I’d have coaches telling me students were speaking Spanish during practice. Colleagues would mention hearing Spanish conversations in hallways. Something magical was happening.
After seeing the pattern repeat year after year with improved AP scores, college placements, and real-world conversation abilities, I knew I had to make these resources available to Spanish teachers everywhere.
And that’s how Palabras y Películas was born—out of a desire to bring Spanish to life through story and make teaching more impactful and joyful for both teachers and students.
Here’s what makes the Palabras y Películas approach different from traditional “movie day” resources:
The magic happens when students recognize vocabulary in authentic contexts, creating those lightbulb moments where language suddenly feels real instead of just another classroom exercise. When a student excitedly points out “¡Escuché esa frase!” (“I heard that phrase!”) during a film, you’re witnessing the transformation from academic Spanish to living language.
When I’m not creating film-based Spanish resources, you might find me rewatching classic Spanish films with a notepad (old habits die hard!), exploring new hiking trails with my family, or attempting to recreate dishes I’ve discovered during travels through Spanish-speaking countries.
I believe that language learning should feel like an adventure, not a chore—for both teachers and students. The same passion that drove me to transform my classroom approach now fuels my commitment to helping Spanish teachers everywhere create more engaging, effective learning experiences.
My greatest joy comes from hearing success stories from teachers who’ve implemented these resources in their own classrooms and watched their students blossom from reluctant participants to confident Spanish speakers.