SITUATION
When I began my role as the elementary Spanish teacher at Huron Academy, the school did not have a formal Spanish program in place. There was no curriculum, no dedicated classroom, and no instructional resources for delivering K–6 foreign language instruction. The school population of over 500 students presented both a logistical and pedagogical challenge, especially without a consistent learning environment.
TASK
My goal was to design and implement a standards-based Spanish curriculum from scratch that would be developmentally appropriate, culturally enriching, and engaging across all grade levels. I also needed to create a sustainable delivery model that would work without a classroom, while maintaining high levels of student participation and language retention.

ACTION
Curriculum Design: I developed a full K–6 Spanish curriculum aligned with the ACTFL 5 C’s of Foreign Language Education:
Communication: Designed immersive, conversation-based lessons using call-and-response, songs, and dialogues.
Cultures: Incorporated celebrations, stories, and cultural artifacts from Spanish-speaking countries.
Connections: Integrated Spanish into classroom themes (e.g., weather, numbers, food) to reinforce core subject learning.
Comparisons: Fostered awareness of linguistic and cultural differences between English and Spanish.
Communities: Involved families with take-home activities and celebrated cultural events school-wide.
Portable Classroom Setup:
- Built and customized a mobile teaching cart equipped with instructional materials, visuals, manipulatives, and a portable whiteboard.
- Used a rotating schedule to visit classrooms and deliver Spanish instruction in a consistent, engaging way.
- Coordinated with homeroom teachers to adapt my materials to various classroom environments.
- When available, integrated Smartboard activities to reinforce vocabulary and listening comprehension with interactive tools.
Instructional Innovation:
- Differentiated instruction for grades K–6 by using age-appropriate games, storytelling, TPR (Total Physical Response), and music.
- Created custom lesson plans and assessments tailored to student development and pacing.


RESULT
Successfully delivered weekly Spanish instruction to over 500 students annually, fostering school-wide exposure to a second language.
Students consistently demonstrated growth in receptive and expressive Spanish language skills as measured by informal performance-based assessments.
Teachers and administrators praised the engaging and culturally inclusive nature of the curriculum.
The program became a recognized and celebrated part of the school community despite its nontraditional delivery model.
My creative use of a mobile classroom and personalized curriculum became a model of resourceful, standards-aligned teaching in limited-space environments.