Base your vocabulary on the resource and not the other way around.
Finding a resource with all of the vocabulary words you hope to teach is near impossible. Instead, find the resource first and pull the vocabulary list from there. Focusing on cognates and other familiar words or phrases can also help the resource better meet your needs.
There is no resource too difficult.
As an elementary level teacher, many resources seem daunting at first, but breaking an article or infographic into pieces can help ease the anxiety. One resource can be used over a period of multiple days to attract students’ attention to certain information.
Create an interpretive to help focus the information.
The activities that go along with the resource can help guide students’ thinking and lead them in the right direction. By pulling certain words or phrases, you direct their attention to what you think is important. By adding pictures, some of the more difficult words can become more clear as well.
Once they find the word, they have to find evidence from the picture to prove it. Instead of trying to read the entire infographic, students know to focus their attention on one specific piece.
It seems simple enough, but it can often drastically change the results. Still not getting what you want? Search Google Spain or Mexico, for example, by just changing the ending. Instead of images.google.com try searching images.google.mx.
Use social media.
Twitter and Instagram are great resources for finding authentic resources. Follow the accounts of governments, music critics, and news outlets. Some of my favorite Twitter accounts are BuzzFeed México (@BuzzFeedMexico) for fun quizzes and articles with easily decipherable language, @Gobiernodechile for initiatives and news straight from Chile, and @CulturaenBta for the cultural happenings in and around Bogota, Colombia. For great Instagram accounts in Spanish, check out my previous post on Top Instagram Accounts For The Spanish Classroom.
What tips do you have for finding the perfect authentic resource?