About the store
I'm Joshua Cabral and I have been teaching French and Spanish at the elementary, middle and high school levels for 29 years. I create authentic reading, writing, speaking and listening activities that support students as they rise in proficiency and communicate with confidence.
I regularly present and keynote on language teaching methodology and cultural competence at state, regional and national conferences. I also conduct school-based professional development workshops throughout the United States. I host the World Language Classroom Podcast with new episodes published every Monday.
I dedicate a portion of the revenue earned through my TPT store to the financial support of students and teachers in schools in Nicaragua and Haiti.
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25 Warm-Up, Starter Activities and Do Nows for the Language Class
25 Warm-Up, Starter Activities and Do Nows for the Language ClassClass starters (often called Warm-Ups, Do-Nows or Quick Questions) are a great way to set the tone for the work to be done in a class. It is also a great opportunity to have students review vocabulary and grammar regularly so that the concepts stay active. These activities are also an effective tool for class management, particularly when students know that they are receiving a grade for the work. This document includes 25 ideas
5th - 12th
French, Spanish, World Languages
World Language Assessment Rubrics: Presentational, Interpersonal, Interpretive
World Language Assessment Rubrics: Presentational, Interpersonal, InterpretiveThese rubrics will assist you in concretely assessing students using the ACTFL Proficiency Levels and Text Types. Each rubric can used with any prompt or proficiency level. This resource includes:ACTFL Text Type/Proficiency Level Descriptions with ExamplesIndividual Interpersonal Rubrics for Student ReferenceInterpersonal Planning and Rubric Teacher SheetInterpersonal Assessment Score Sheet (for entire class)Interpers
5th - 12th, Higher Education
French, Spanish, World Languages
Quick PD: Planning for Proficiency in Spanish, French & More
You’re planning tomorrow’s lesson. A reading here, a speaking task there, and a quick quiz at the end. But it all feels disconnected—and you’re not sure if it’s really helping students grow. When input, tasks, and assessments aren’t clearly aligned, students end up practicing skills that don’t match what they’re being asked to demonstrate. The result? Missed opportunities for language growth..and frustrated learners. This 30-minute PD course will help you plan intentionally from the first expos
5th - 12th
French, Other (World Language), Spanish
Quick PD: First Steps in Teaching Grammar in Context in Spanish, French & More
You introduce a grammar concept, walk through the rules, do the exercises… and still, your students struggle to use it when speaking or writing. Sound familiar? Too often, grammar is taught in isolation—detached from meaning, real communication, and student proficiency levels. The result? Learners memorize forms for a quiz but rarely apply them in context. This 30-minute PD course will help you take the first steps toward teaching grammar in a way that supports real language use. You’ll learn h
5th - 12th
French, Other (World Language), Spanish
Quick PD: Support Writing with Frames & Scaffolds in Spanish, French & More
You ask your students to write, and they don't have the confidence to jump right in. They have ideas, but they’re not sure how to start, how to build a sentence or paragraph. They're just know sure how to put their thoughts together in the target language. So, what's issue? Many learners want to write, but they lack the structure and support to do so with confidence. Without guidance, their writing stays overly simple, or never gets started at all. This 30-minute PD course will show you how to
5th - 12th
French, Other (World Language), Spanish
Quick PD: Engaging Reading Activities in Spanish, French & More
You assign a reading, but students rush through it looking for the answers to the comprehension questions. You’re left wondering: Did they even understand it? And more importantly… Did it help them grow as language learners? Too often, reading is treated as a standalone task with a check for comprehension, then we move on. Without intentional support, students miss out on the full power of reading as a springboard for communication, culture, and proficiency. How can we approach reading more eff
5th - 12th
French, Other (World Language), Spanish
Quick PD: Integrated Performance Assessments (IPAs) in Spanish, French & More
You’ve taught the unit, provided meaningful input, and engaged students in communicative activities. Then it’s time to assess—and suddenly the assessment looks very different from what students actually practiced. The problem? Many assessments focus on isolated grammar points or vocabulary recall rather than measuring students’ ability to communicate. As a result, students may perform poorly on assessments that don’t truly reflect their language growth or classroom experiences. This 30-minute PD
5th - 12th
French, Other (World Language), Spanish
Quick PD: From Vocabulary Lists to Communicative Tasks in Spanish, French & More
You’ve got a list of vocabulary you have to teach. You introduce the words, quiz them, maybe throw in a game or two. But something’s missing...your students aren’t using the words to communicate. Many language teachers are required to follow a curriculum that leans heavily on vocabulary lists. The problem? These lists often focus more on memorization than communication and leave students stuck at word recall rather than real-world expression. This 30-minute PD course will help you transfor
5th - 12th
French, Other (World Language), Spanish
Quick PD: Boost Interpersonal Speaking Skills in Spanish, French & More
You ask a question in class… and get one-word answers. Or worse, blank stares. You want students to engage in real conversations, but getting them to speak spontaneously can feel like pulling teeth. Why is this so challenging? Interpersonal speaking isn’t just about practicing vocabulary or rehearsing dialogues. It requires confidence, risk-taking, and meaningful opportunities to interact in real time, something that many classroom tasks don’t naturally support. This 30-minute PD course gives y
5th - 12th
French, Other (World Language), Spanish
Quick PD: Participation That Works for All Students in Spanish, French & More
You look around your classroom and see the same few students raising their hands and speaking up. Meanwhile, others stay quiet and you’re left wondering: Are they disengaged, or just participating in ways I’m not noticing?Too often, participation is measured by who talks the most or volunteers first. The problem? That definition leaves many learners out and can unintentionally reward compliance over communication. In a proficiency-focused classroom, participation should reflect engagement with
5th - 12th
French, Other (World Language), Spanish
Quick PD: Daily Strategies That Build Comprehension in Spanish, French & More
You give input every day...stories, videos, reading. But you may wonder, " Are my students really understanding?" Comprehension doesn’t automatically develop just because students are exposed to the language. Without intentional support, learners can feel overwhelmed, rely too heavily on translation, or miss key meaning altogether. This 30-minute PD course will help you build comprehension on purpose through small, daily instructional choices. You’ll learn how to: Use quick comprehension strat
5th - 12th
French, Other (World Language), Spanish
Quick PD: Quick and Effective Writing Feedback in Spanish, French & More
You spend time giving detailed feedback on student writing… correcting errors, adding comments, marking everything you can. But when the next assignment comes in, the same issues are still there. The problem? Too much feedback can overwhelm students... and teachers. When everything is corrected, nothing stands out. Students don’t know what to focus on, and the feedback doesn’t lead to meaningful improvement. This 30-minute PD course will show you how to make feedback more focused, effective, and
5th - 12th
French, Other (World Language), Spanish
Quick PD: Short Writing Tasks to Build Proficiency in Spanish, French & More
You ask your students to write and you get blank stares. Then the questions, “How many sentences?” “Can you help me?” "How do you say...? You know writing is an essential and useful skill in language learning, but it often feels like a chore for students. Writing is often approached as a major task. It is long, high-stakes, and can be overwhelming. Without consistent, low-pressure practice, students miss out on opportunities to build writing confidence and proficiency over time. This 30-minute
5th - 12th
French, Other (World Language), Spanish
Quick PD: No Prep Speaking or Writing Tasks in Spanish, French & More
You’re short on prep time but still want students using the target language...really speaking and writing, not just recalling vocabulary or filling in blanks. You want communication, not worksheets. The challenge? Most speaking and writing activities take extra time to design and prepare. Without ready-to-go options, it’s easy to fall back on simple recall tasks that don’t truly build proficiency. This 30-minute PD course will show you how to use no-prep speaking and writing tasks that promote
5th - 12th
French, Other (World Language), Spanish
Quick PD: Build Strong Listening Skills in Spanish, French & More
You hit play on a listening activity… and hope for the best. Some students tune in, others not so much, and when you ask what they understood, the room goes quiet. We sometimes treat listening as a passive skill, expecting students to pick up meaning just by hearing the language. In reality, without guided support and clear purpose, students struggle to engage, retain, and truly comprehend what they hear in the target language. This 30-minute PD course will help you transform listening tasks int
5th - 12th
French, Other (World Language), Spanish
Quick PD: Use Authentic Documents at Every Level of Spanish, French & More
Your curriculum might not mention authentic texts. But you know the essential real-world, culturally embedded input is. How do you bring this into your classroom now, no matter the proficiency level? Sometimes we might think that authentic resources, like blog posts, ads, social media posts, and signs, are only suitable for students with higher levels of proficiency. The problem? Waiting until students are “ready” means missing out on rich, culturally-relevant input that builds interpretati
5th - 12th
French, Other (World Language), Spanish
Quick PD: Communicative Activities for Spanish, French & More
You’ve planned a high-energy activity. Your students are laughing, moving, maybe even competing. But at the end… you wonder: Did they actually communicate in the target language? It’s easy to fall into the trap of using activities that feel fun but don’t lead to meaningful language use. As language teachers, we want our students to enjoy class and build proficiency, but not all engaging activities are truly communicative. This 30-minute mini-course, part of my “ Ready For Tomorrow: Quick Wi
5th - 12th
French, Other (World Language), Spanish
Grading Scale Spreadsheets
This file will does all the calculating for you when you are grading papers. There are 12 spreadsheets with total points ranging from 20-75. When you are ready to grade a paper, just look at the sheet with the total number and find the number correct (or incorrect) and the percentage is right there. Print these out and perhaps laminate them so that you can use them all the time. You can also just pull them up electronically.
1st - 12th
For All Subjects
Foreign Language Teacher-Self-Assessment Document
This is a document that I create to help myself stay focused on effective and productive language teaching. I assembled the criteria from many different sources including state and national standards as well as my own research in applied linguistics and psycholinguitics (second language acquisition). I keep the document handy and refer to it once in a while to remind myself of what needs to be happening in my classroom. Each school year I make it a point to focus on one of the areas and make
1st - 12th, Higher Education
World Languages
World Language Classroom Teaching Activities (03/2012)
Each month I publish a free Newsletter on my website World Language Classroom Resources.
You can download the March 2012 edition here, which focuses on Comprehensible Input, Circling and the Gouin Series in the World Language Classroom.
Be sure to follow me on TPT and you will be notified each month when the new edition of the Newsletter is published.
PreK - 12th, Adult Education, Higher Education
World Languages
Showing 1-20 of 34 results
About the store
Experience
I'm Joshua Cabral and I have been teaching French and Spanish at the elementary, middle and high school levels for 29 years. I create authentic reading, writing, speaking and listening activities that support students as they rise in proficiency and communicate with confidence.
I regularly present and keynote on language teaching methodology and cultural competence at state, regional and national conferences. I also conduct school-based professional development workshops throughout the United States. I host the World Language Classroom Podcast with new episodes published every Monday.
I dedicate a portion of the revenue earned through my TPT store to the financial support of students and teachers in schools in Nicaragua and Haiti.
Teaching style
I am very communicative in my approach and create materials that allow students to engage authentically with French and Spanish.
Awards & shining teacher moments
I work closely with state, regional and national language organizations. I have received several "Best of Conference" awards and I have been invited to keynote over 15 national education conferences.
My own education history
I am Franco-American of Canadian descent. I have a DEUG (Diplôme d'Études Universitaires Générales), a BA in French and Spanish, an MA in Applied Linguistics and a CAGS in Instructional Leadership and Coaching from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. I have traveled, lived and studied in Europe, Canada and Latin America and have a strong interest in language policy and cultural enrichment.
Additional biographical information
I dedicate a portion of money earned through TPT to the financial support of students and teachers in school in Nicaragua and Haiti.
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