How to Structure a Spanish Unit: Planning with Confidence
Planning a unit for Spanish class can feel overwhelming—especially if you’re trying to balance vocabulary, grammar, culture, and proficiency-based activities. Whether you’re a new teacher or just looking to streamline your process, having a solid structure in place can make a huge difference. This guide will walk you through the steps to confidently plan a successful Spanish unit.
1. Start with the End in Mind
Begin by identifying the essential outcomes for the unit:
- What should students be able to do by the end?
- Which vocabulary and grammar concepts are needed to support that?
- How will you assess their understanding?
Use “I can” statements to guide your objectives. For example:
- “I can describe my daily routine.”
- “I can ask and answer questions about family members.”
This keeps the focus on communication rather than just isolated grammar points.
If you have a common assessment provided by your district, be sure to look at that and see what topics, concepts, and vocabulary your students will need to know.
2. Choose a Unit Theme
Having a theme gives the unit purpose and helps tie together all the skills you’re targeting. Some common Spanish 1 unit themes include:
- Introductions & Personal Info
- Family & Relationships
- School & Classroom
- Daily Routines
- Food & Restaurants
- Weather & Seasons
- Hobbies & Free Time
Pick one that aligns with your curriculum or student interests.
3. Select Vocabulary & Grammar Targets
Choose vocabulary that supports your theme and essential outcomes. Keep it manageable—about 10–20 core words or phrases per unit. Reinforce these words through listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
For grammar, avoid overloading the unit. Focus on one or two key concepts, such as:
- Subject pronouns
- Present tense verbs
- Adjective agreement
- Gustar + infinitive
Always connect grammar to meaningful communication.
I have a wide variety of resources available for all of these topics on my Teachers Pay Teachers store as well as on my YouTube Channel.
4. Plan Your Assessments Early
Decide how you will measure student growth:
- Formative assessments: warm-ups, quick checks, exit tickets
- Summative assessments: writing prompts, speaking interviews, presentations, or projects
Knowing your assessments in advance helps guide your lesson activities and pacing.
5. Build in Repetition with Variety
Students need repeated exposure to vocabulary and structures, but that doesn’t mean doing the same activity over and over. Mix things up:
- Use TPR, games, and interactive notebooks
- Incorporate short readings and listening tasks
- Practice speaking in pairs, groups, and class-wide
Make sure you’re recycling language from previous lessons to build long-term retention.
You will need lots of repetition with teaching the vocabulary. Be sure to check out these Creative ways to teach Spanish Vocabulary.
6. Integrate Culture Meaningfully
Rather than dropping in random facts, weave culture into the unit. For example:
- In a food unit, explore meals in different Spanish-speaking countries.
- In a family unit, compare traditions or naming customs.
- Use authentic materials (menus, social media posts, videos) to make culture feel relevant.
7. Leave Room for Flexibility
No unit ever goes exactly as planned—and that’s okay! Build in time for review, reteaching, or diving deeper into what students enjoy.
Use student feedback and formative assessments to adjust as you go. Being flexible doesn’t mean being unstructured—it means being responsive.
Final Thoughts
Looking for more support with teaching Spanish 1? Be sure to check out my Ultimate Guide to Teaching Spanish 1, packed with strategies, essential topics, and a free lesson plan to get you started!
Unit planning doesn’t have to be stressful. With a clear theme, realistic goals, and engaging activities, you can create Spanish units that help students grow in confidence and communication.
How do you plan your units? Let me know in the comments.