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This is where you will be able to access short passages, articles, ads, jokes, etc. all written in Spanish. This can help you to improve your fluency in the target language and help you to improve upon your reading skills in Spanish as well.

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This is where you will be able to access additional writing practice, outside of what we do in the classroom such as additional worksheet practices, practice quizzes and supplemental websites . This can help you to improve your writing skills in the target language, while also helping you to reinforce the writing practice that occurs during the classroom as well.

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This is where you will be able to access additional speaking practice activities in Spanish. Some examples are questions that you will need to answer in the target language, example scripts to practice, ice breaker activities and pair and share activities. This can help you to improve your speaking skills while also helping you to reinforce the speaking practice that occurs during the classroom as well.

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This is where you will be able to access cultural resources to better than about Spanish speaking countries and the Holidays, Customs, current events etc. that are happening there.

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Spanish Texts with Vocabulary

A great way to learn Spanish vocabulary is by reading texts, stories or articles that are completely in the language. That is why we have written our own short reading passages in Spanish about different topics.

Remember not to worry about trying to understand all of the details and the grammar rules that appear. Just try and get the gist or general idea of the text. As your Spanish improves, return to each passage and you will be surprised by just how much more you have learned.

Spanish Reading Passages

Here is the list of original reading passages that we have created. Below each passage we have also included a list of vocabulary associated with the topic along with a definition of each word.

NOTE: All of these pages are entirely in Spanish.

Aeropuerto - Airports.
Bancos - Banks and Finances.
Cine - Cinema and movies.
Colegios - Schools.
Corrupción - Corruption.
Excusas - Reading about excuses with some examples.
Fiestas Patrias de Chile - Chilean National Day Celebrations and typical things associated with it.
Fobias - Reading with a list of Phobias in Spanish.
Fumar no es sano - Smoking is not healthy.
Hospitales - Hospitals and Health
Internet - Internet
Miedo - Reading about Fear and causes of it.
Pesadillas - Nightmares
Viajes - Vacations and travel.

For Teachers

We now have Spanish reading passages with comprehension activities in PDF format that Spanish teachers can purchase and download to use in their classrooms.

El Aeropuerto - Spanish Reading Passage about Airports with comprehension questions and vocabulary lists

Los Bancos - Spanish Reading Passage about Banks with comprehension questions and vocabulary lists

El Cine - A reading passage in Spanish about four friends that like to go to the cinema/movies

Daily Routines - Spanish Reading Passage about the daily routine of the strongest man in Chile

Deportes - 20 short reading passages about different sports

Easter Island - 3 Reading Texts with exercises and a teacher lesson plan.

Las Estaciones del Año - 4 short reading passages about the 4 Seasons for lower level Spanish students (Spanish 1).

Gustar - A letter using the verb Gustar. Includes a Gustar Sentence Structure Chart.

La Liebre y la Tortuga - Fable in Spanish (The Tortoise and the Hare)

Mascotas - 5 short reading activities about pets for Spanish 1

El Mercado Central - Spanish reading passage about a trip to the Central Market (el Mercado Central) in Santiago, Chile.

Reading Passages in Spanish about Special Days of the year

If you found this list of Spanish Reading activities interesting or useful, let others know about it:

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Spanish Reading Passages for Comprehension - Lecturas en Español

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A list of reading passages in Spanish for students and teachers that include a list of associated vocabulary after each text

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My name is Danny (male version) | Spanish Writing exercise from Kwiziq Spanish

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Spanish Writing exercise. Me llamo Danny Danny introduces himself and says a little about who he is and what he does. Note: pay attention to gender agreement

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My name is Lola (female version) | Spanish Writing exercise from Kwiziq Spanish

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Spanish Writing exercise. Me llamo Lola Lola introduces herself and says a little about who she is and what she does. Note, pay attention to gender agreement!

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When to Use Ser or Estar | Spanish For Beginners (Ep.2.5)

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Mastering 'AR' Verbs | Spanish For Beginners (Ep.3)

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Personal Qs in Spanish 1 (With auto-correction) from Collaborative Exercises in Spanish - Spanish Intermediate Modern Languages speaking writing

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Develop a native-like accent, feel successful from the very beginning, progress more quickly . . . there are lots of reasons that good pronunciation is important.

You must speak out loud!

Use this section to quickly develop confidence in your Spanish pronunciation skills. With that confidence, you will progress much more quickly. But remember, for these exercises to be effective you must speak out loud, at normal conversational volume.

Spanish Vowels

The first five lessons cover the vowels. In Spanish, the vowels have only one sound each. That's one of the reasons that Spanish words are spelled exactly how they sound. Here's an interesting fact: It only takes Spanish-speaking children about a year to master spelling. Compare that to English. I'm still wurking on my English speling!

Don't stress out over the "rr"!

You may be familiar with the "trilled r" as represented by the "rr" character. Many English speakers find this sound difficult to reproduce. If you are one of those people-don't worry about it! Eventually, you will probably get it. But even if you don't you can still sound good. You'll just have a bit of an exotic foreign accent.

If you're serious . . .

If your goal is to speak Spanish conversationally, what you really need is a complete, step-by-step conversation course. Compare your options.

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Spanish Pronunciation with Audio | Learn Spanish Pronunciation

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Develop a native-like accent, feel successful from the very beginning, progress more quickly . . . there are lots of reasons that good pronunciation is important. Use this section to quickly develop confidence in your Spanish pronunciation skills. With that confidence, you will progress much more quickly.

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Duolingo Spanish Podcast, Episode 1: Mi héroe, mi amigo

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Spain & Its Culture (Photo: )

Spain boasts a rich, complex culture, with a far-reaching influence all across the globe. With Spanish food, architecture, history and language, it's hard to go wrong when visiting to Spain - but it doesn't hurt to learn a bit about the culture you're about to experience beforehand.

The Spanish Language

Spain has influenced linguistics in just about every corner of the world, and more than 400 million people speak Spanish worldwide, making it the second-most commonly spoken language on earth (falling behind Chinese, but ahead of English). Spanish is the official language in 21 countries in Europe and Africa and Central, South and North America. A handful of independent territories speak Spanish as their official language, as well.

Spanish is considered a Romance language, along with Catalan, French, Italian, Romanian and Portuguese. Its roots lie in a specific type of spoken Latin, which developed as a dialect on the Iberian Peninsula in the fifth century. The modern Spanish dialect specific to Spain is called "Castilian," though the term carries different meanings, depending on the region, and it can also refer to political and social perspectives.

Spanish is a poetic, expressive and detailed language, which is why an English-to-Spanish translation often expands a text by 15 to 25 percent. Dialects vary widely among regions - for example,the entire "vosotros" family of verbal conjugations is only present in Spain, Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina. If you know a bit of Spanish and are preparing for a visit to Spain, consider brushing up on the country's dialect nuances before your trip.

Spanish Music and Dancing

Inevitably, an immersive Spanish experience includes music and dance, of which Spain has no shortage. Flamenco music is often considered the country's national music, but in reality, the style didn't arrive in Spain until the early 19th century. Some of Spain's older music, often traditional to specific regions in the nation, flies under the radar for visitors.

The Renaissance and Baroque periods proved pivotal in developing Spanish traditions in music. The Renaissance produced classical music, whereas lighter folk music came out of the Baroque period, in many ways overshadowing Renaissance-era Spanish music. Traditional folk music in Spain was stifled under the dictatorship of Francisco Franco in the 20th century, as Franco banned regional music in an attempt to create a uniform, nationalist country. Franco's death in 1975 sparked a revival in regional pride and traditional folk music.

Now, music and dance genres abound in Spain, each telling its own story. Some of Spain's most popular musical stylings include:

Jota: This fast-paced genre originated in Aragon, but it proves popular through the whole country. Jota dances traditionally consist of couples raising their hands above their heads, playing castanets.

Fandango: Before flamenco, fandango was the most popular dance in Spain. It's traditionally performed by couples, and it's generally energetic and joyful.

Flamenco: No visit to Spain is complete without a flamenco night, so ask your concierge or Spanish contacts where to find the best ones. The genre originated in Andalusia's gypsy culture, combining Jewish, Moorish and Andalusian influences.

Paso Doble: This is a one-step traditional dance, usually performed with a fast, lively attitude.

Sardana: This style of dance, in which several couples join hands to dance in a circle, originated in Catalonia.

Muneira: Accompanied by bagpipes, this dance is traditional to Galicia and Asturias, and it can be danced by singles or couples.

Bolero: This is one of the oldest traditional Spanish dances, and it features a fast-paced, spirited attitude, broken up by unexpected pauses and turns.

Sevillanas: Relatively similar to flamenco, these dances feature four-part music and a four-part dance.

Zambra: This dance is rooted in Moorish tradition, but the Moors adapted it to Spanish music and dance trends.

Spanish Cuisine

Food plays a massive role in Spanish culture. Some of the world's most famous chefs come from Spain, and certain restaurants in Catalonia and the Basque Country require reservations a year in advance. Make sure to diversify your culinary experience in Spain with some of the country's most traditional dishes:

Paella: You'll find the most authentic paella in Valencia, where the dish originated in the mid-19th century. The most traditional paella recipes include chicken and rabbit as key ingredients, though some coastal regions prefer to use seafood.

Patatas Bravas: You won't find much spicy food in Spain, but _patatas brava_s is an exception. This dish features peeled, cubed and fried potatoes, accompanied by a hot red sauce.

Gazpacho: This chilled soup perfectly complements a hot summer's day in Spain. It originated in Andalusia, the country's most southern region, and it combines cucumber, onion, garlic, pepper and tomato with salt, olive oil, wine vinegar and water. Chopped cucumber, onion, tomato and pepper typically top the soup.

Jamon Iberico: Almost every bar and restaurant in Spain has a leg of ham on the menu, which staff will, upon order, carve into distinctively flavorful slices.

Pulpo a la Gallega: This dish is traditional to Galicia, and it features boiled octopus with sea salt, paprika and olive oil.

Tortilla Espanola: If you're used to the tortillas of the Americas, prepare yourself - this dish is entirely different. A tortilla in Spain is essentially an omelette starring pre-fried potatoes and eggs. Some eateries add chopped onions, as well.

Tapas represent one of the most famous Spanish traditions in food. Tapas are essentially small dishes featuring a variety of foods, served like appetizers or snacks. Some dishes are cold, but you'll also find warm tapas, featuring dishes like tortillas espanola and meatballs. Tapas allow a perfect opportunity to sample several types of traditional Spanish dishes in one sitting, and they are sometimes served complimentary with drink orders.

For an affordable and truly traditional tapas experience, head to the mountainous inland area of Granada, Spain.

Major Spanish Festivals

A sense of fun and celebration of life is woven tightly into Spanish culture, so you won't find any shortage of parties in Spain. The country hosts an array of annual festivals, so, to experience Spanish culture in its fullest, consider arranging your trip to include one of the following fiestas:

Tamborrada (January): In San Sebastian, locals take to the streets for an all-night celebration of their city's gourmet club tradition. Drummer groups march through the city, and the party continues until sunrise.

Las Fallas (March): Head to Valencia to join in on one of Spain's most famous festivals, which comprises days-long parades, dancing, fireworks and drinking, with participants ceremoniously burning large wooden structures.

Carnival (40 days before Easter): Held in Cadiz, Spain's Carnival celebration competes with the more famous version in Rio de Janeiro. The festival traditionally kicks off the Lenten season, featuring decorative costumes, street parties and a general circus theme.

Feria de Sevilla (April): This week-long festival celebrates spring in Seville, with food carts serving regional drinks, music, dancing and culinary specialties.

Haro Wine Festival (June): Head to the relaxed city of Haro for its annual wine festival, which includes a huge wine fight in the streets.

The Running of the Bulls (July): During the second week in July, Pamplona hosts Spain's most famous festival, which honors Saint Fermin. As the name suggests, participants run through the streets followed by seven bulls, in which the goal is to touch as many bulls as you can. Bullfights cap off this festival.

La Tomatina (August): Visit Bunol for this festival of undetermined origin, in which people gather from across the globe for massive tomato fights.

La Merce (September): Get a taste of Catalonian culture at La Merce in Barcelona, at which thousands of people come together for four days to embrace Catalan culture through food, parades, concerts, castling, fire runs and fireworks.

Fiestas del Piilar (October): In Zaragoza, this festival honors Zaragoza's patron saint. It has food stalls, concerts and carnival games, plus a religious ceremony with an altar dedicated to the saint.

Catalan Culture

You can't visit Spain - and especially Barcelona - without learning about Catalan culture. Modern Catalonia dates back to the 15th century, and the region sits in northeastern Spain and the Iberian Peninsula, bordering France to the north and the Mediterranean Sea to the east. The autonomous community's (of which Barcelona is the capital) 7.5 million people operate under their own independent government, exercising independent national rights. Catalonia manages its own social services, schools and health care system.

Catalonia has gained and lost its autonomy throughout its history and braces against the Spanish government in a longstanding, controversial and ongoing struggle for independence. Catalonian culture includes parades, dancing (especially sardana) and music (particularly havaneres).

Bullfighting in Spain

Bullfighting is Spain's national sport, even though it creates widespread controversy and draws resistance from around the world. A modern bullfight comprises three parts:

1. A bull enters the ring, and the torero riles it up by waving capes and prodding him to charge. The picador then thrusts lances at the bull to tire him.

2. The banderillero comes out into the ring, planting short, barbed sticks called banderillas into the bull's withers to anger him further.

3. The matador enters, holding a sword in one hand and a small cape in the other. The matador works to dominate the bull and ultimately impales it with the sword between the shoulder blades.

The sport has an ancient history, dating as far back as 2,000 B.C. Spanish bullfighting began in 1726 at the hands of Francisco Romero. Spain's largest bullring, called Las Ventas, sits in Madrid with a historical museum dedicated to the sport.

Bullfighting proves to be one of the most controversial of Spanish traditions, sparking opposition from all over the world, including Spain. Opponents of the sport typically claim it promotes and celebrates animal cruelty. The Canary Islands and Catalonia have banned it, but the Spanish government overturned Catalonia's ban in 2016. However, Barcelona is still considered an anti-bullfighting city, as are many other cities in the Catalonian region.

About the Author

Brenna Swanston is a freelance writer, editor and journalist. She covers topics including environment, education, agriculture and travel. She previously reported for the Sun newspaper in Santa Maria, Calif., and holds a bachelor's in journalism from California Polytechnic State University. Swanston is an avid traveler and loves jazz, yoga and craft beer.

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Spain & Its Culture (Photo: ) Spain boasts a rich, complex culture, with a far-reaching influence all across the globe. With Spanish food, architecture, history and language, it's hard to go wrong when visiting to Spain - but it doesn't hurt to learn a bit about the culture you're about to experience beforehand.

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What is Day of the Dead? | National Geographic

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Spanish One Additional Resources- Padlet

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History of Costa Rica

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Relief

Two mountain chains together run almost the entire length of Costa Rica. These are, in the north, the Cordillera Volcánica, noted for its volcanic activity, as the name implies, and, in the south, the Cordillera de Talamanca. The Cordillera Volcánica may be divided into three ranges, from northwest to southeast: the Cordillera de Guanacaste, the Cordillera de Tilarán, and the Cordillera Central. Designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983, the Cordillera de Talamanca is a massive granite batholith, quite different geologically from the volcanically active northern ranges. Costa Rica's highest point, Mount Chirripó (12,530 feet [3,819 metres]), is in the Talamanca system. Two of the highest peaks in the Cordillera Volcánica, Irazú (11,260 feet [3,432 metres]) and Poás (8,871 feet [2,704 metres]), have paved roads reaching to the rims of their active craters. These volcanoes, overlooking the Valle Central, pose a serious natural hazard, as do earthquakes for most of the country. Arenal Volcano (5,358 feet [1,633 metres]), about 56 miles (90 km) northwest of San José, is the country's youngest stratovolcano. Its last major eruption, in 1968, destroyed two villages, and the volcano continued to spew lava and breccia into the early 21st century.

The Valle Central is separated into two parts by the continental divide. The eastern part is drained by the Reventazón River to the Caribbean, and the western sector forms part of the basin of the Grande de Tárcoles River, which flows into the Pacific. Another large structural valley, the Valle del General, lies at the base of the Cordillera de Talamanca in the southern part of the country. To the north and east of the mountainous central spine lie the Caribbean lowlands, constituting about one-fifth of the country and reaching less than 400 feet (120 metres) in elevation. The Pacific lowlands, which contain several small valleys and plains, include only about one-tenth of Costa Rica's territory.

Climate

Thermal convection and onshore breezes bring abundant rains to the Pacific coast in the wet season, generally May to October in the north and April to December in the south. Northeasterly trade winds on the Caribbean provide ample year-round precipitation for the country's east coast, with the heaviest amounts occurring in the Barra del Colorado region. The higher mountain ranges have warm temperate climates, and the Pacific slopes have alternating wet and dry seasons.

Situated in the Valle Central at an elevation of 3,800 feet (1,160 metres), San José enjoys moderate temperatures and ample rainfall. Average monthly rainfall there ranges from well under 1 inch (25 mm) in February to more than 12 inches (300 mm) in September, with a yearly average of more than 70 inches (1,800 mm). Temperatures vary with elevation. San José has a mean temperature of 69 °F (21 °C), while means of 59 °F (15 °C) and 80 °F (27 °C) have been reported at stations located at 7,665 feet (2,340 metres) and 682 feet (210 metres), respectively.

Plant and animal life

Dense broad-leaved evergreen forest, which includes mahogany and tropical cedar trees, covers about one-third of Costa Rica's landscape. On the Talamanca range grow numerous evergreen oaks and, above the timberline, mountain scrub and grasses. The northwest, with the longest dry season, contains open deciduous forest. Palm trees are common on the Caribbean coastline, and mangroves grow on the shallow protected shores of the Nicoya and Dulce gulfs along the Pacific. Mosses, orchids, and other tropical plants are abundant. Many of the world's tropical biologists have carried out studies at the various research stations of the Organization for Tropical Studies, which has its headquarters in San Pedro, a suburb of San José, as well as at the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Centre (Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza; CATIE) in Turrialba.

Costa Rica's numerous and varied life zones make the country attractive to biologists. Mammalian life is both abundant and varied and has major ties to South and North American populations. The South American species include monkeys, anteaters, and sloth s, and the North American species include deer, wildcats, weasels, otters, coyotes, and foxes. There is a wide variety of tropical birds in the lowlands, and reptiles, such as snakes and iguanas, and frogs are common.

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Costa Rica | History, Map, Flag, Climate, Population, & Facts

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Costa Rica, country of Central America. Its capital is San Jose. Of all the Central American countries, Costa Rica is generally regarded as having the most stable and most democratic government. Costa Rica is also known for its strong commitment to the environment and for protecting its numerous national parks.