My music video, El Banco, was inspired by an activity that I created to practice the preterit tense. The activity is very educational and entertaining, and I’d like to share it with you.

Here’s how it goes:

You, the teacher, are a police interrogator. A crime was committed yesterday, and you have two suspects. The crime can be anything from robbing the bank to stealing a candy bar.

Two students volunteer to be the suspects. They go out in the hallway for 30 seconds to 1 minute. During this time, they have to very quickly get their stories straight:

• Where they went yesterday afternoon
• What time they got there
• What time they left
• Who they went with
• What they did there
• How they got there and back
• Any other details they can think of

While they are out in the hallway, you need to prep the rest of your students on their jobs. More on that in a minute.

At the end of the allotted time, you bring one suspect back into the classroom, leaving the other one in the hallway. Do not give them extra time!

You begin the interrogation and ask questions such as:

• ¿Adónde fuiste ayer?
• ¿A qué hora llegaste?
• ¿A qué hora saliste?
• ¿Con quién fuiste?
• ¿Qué hiciste allí?
• ¿Cómo fuiste?  ¿En carro? ¿En tren?

Any other questions that are relevant (¿Qué ordenaste en el restaurante? ¿Cómo se llama la película que viste?)

Then, that first student goes back into the hallway, and the other one enters.

You continue the interrogation, asking the same questions. Your goal is to trip them up and find details that don’t match.

Of course, it’s not an effective activity if only two students participate. The job of the other students is to silently observe and ultimately determine the innocence or guilt of the suspects. I always give them a sheet of paper that contains a list of the major questions where they can take notes.

Download a sample of the note-taking worksheet that I use.

If the suspects have managed to keep their stories identical, students should vote them as not guilty. If there are significant holes in the story, they should judge them as guilty. However, before we do a class-wide vote, I ask them to write a quick paragraph explaining their judgment.

And that’s the activity.

Of course, the more the teacher can jazz it up as the interrogator, the more entertained the students will be. I tend to scream a lot and throw things, but obviously that’s not everyone’s cup of tea. But there are easy things you can do in order to crank up the excitement. Turn out the lights. Put a desk lamp on the table and twist it so that it shines into the suspect’s eyes.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to write me. Also, if you try this activity, please let me know how it goes.

Last but not least, if you haven’t yet had a chance to watch El Banco, please do. I think you’ll enjoy it.

My newest music video, La Dentista, is complete.

La Dentista is a horror story about a girl who is terrified of the dentist — with good reason.  The dentist is a true monster who has a horrifying secret.

Hold up, hold up! Don’t show it your students yet!

You will definitely want to preview this one.  It may be animated, but it is definitely NOT for all ages.  If I were to give La Dentista a rating, it would be PG-13.  Mind you, there’s no blood, cursing, or sexuality.  However, it is intense. Specifically, the ending.

In fact, I’ve disabled the video from all student accounts.  If you think your students are old enough for this video, then email me, and I will change the access privileges so they can see it. 

So, why should you show La Dentista in your classes?

Well, beyond the fact that it’s AWESOME, La Dentista serves some very nice educational purposes.  The video utilizes present, preterit and imperfect tenses in an easy-to-understand story.  The song also contains tons of practice with indirect object pronouns, reflexive verbs and imperfect vs. preterit.

And for whatever it’s worth, I personally think it’s one of the catchiest songs I’ve ever written.

A few other things that you might want to know about the song and video:

1) The song has been around for almost 2 years now. However, the video actually uses a new recording of the song. There were a few parts in the song that I had never been happy with, and the video gave me incentive to fix them.

2) The story of La Dentista was actually created through TPRS in my classroom. I know that TPRS stories are usually supposed to be positive, but this one just went dark and there was no controlling it. However, you don’t have to use TPRS (or even like it) to find this video useful.

3) Although I wrote and directed the video, the animation is actually done by Robert Randolph. I knew my animation skills would be too limited for this project. I think you’ll agree that he did an amazing job. You’ll almost definitely be seeing more from him on this site.

Watch La Dentista

This video will be for subscribers only, so please purchase full-site access. For only $19.99 a year, you can gain access to every single song, video and game I’ve ever published. More information on full-site access.

In a few days, I will release my newest music video, La Dentista.

The video was originally scheduled to be a Halloween treat, but, well, sorry about that.

I couldn’t be more pleased with the video. It’s funny and scary, and I personally think the song is really catchy. I think your students will love this one.

That said, it is not for grade school students.

I have always loved horror movies, as you can probably see in a lot of my videos (Adónde Vas, the PAN prologue, etc), but never has the horror element been so outright.

If I were to give the new video a rating, it would be PG-13. Mind you, there’s no blood, cursing, or sexuality. However, it is intense.

So why did I choose to make this video?

I’ve always created videos that amuse me. I don’t make them by committee, and I don’t focus group them. For good or bad, everything you see on this site is me and my personality.

Some of you will understandably not want this video available to your students, which is why I’m changing the way this video is released.

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING:

I have disabled La Dentista from all student accounts.

If, after watching it, you determine that your students are old enough to view it, then email me, and I will activate the video on that student account.

However, if you do not contact me, they will be unable to watch the video.

Many of you will think I’m being overly cautious, but we’ve all been on the receiving end of parental complaints, and I want to make sure that I’m not putting you in an uncomfortable position.

This video will be for subscribers only, so please purchase full-site access.

In case the idea of a PG-13 horror music video does not appeal to you, I promise that I’ve got you covered.

I just finished filming Las Excusas, a new music video about a girl who lists the eight reasons for not doing her Spanish homework.

The song has always been one of my favorites, and the video is looking really good so far. It’s adorable, funny and, like all of my videos, it has a rather large dash of immaturity thrown in.

The video will be released very soon. I’m hoping to get it out before winter break, but I won’t promise it yet. At the absolute latest, you’ll have it in the first week of January.

Once again, this video will be for subscribers only, so please consider purchasing full-site access.

I have finished a brand new song that I think you’ll like quite a bit.

Amnesia is a new song about a man who wakes up in the street and has no idea who he is. He runs from stranger to stranger, asking for help. Although the song is quite conversational and will be great for teaching how to ask for help and directions, the primary focus is one that I think most Spanish 2 teachers will be able to use:

Amnesia was designed to teach the difference between saber and conocer.

Listen to Amnesia

OTHER BIG NEWS

It’s been awhile since ¡PAN! came out, but I assure you that there is lots of new stuff is on the way. In fact, I’m working on 3 new music videos at the same time. The first, La Dentista, should be released in a couple of weeks. The second, Las Excusas, should come out in mid-December. The third, a new song and video, designed to teach the present perfect, will come out immediately after winter vacation.

To whet your appetite, here’s a still frame from the upcoming video, La Dentista, my first animated video since Billy la Bufanda:

Please note: Although La Dentista is tongue-in-cheek and not intended to be taken seriously, it is most definitely not appropriate for grade school. You will want to preview this one in advance to determine whether or not it is acceptable for your classroom. For those of you who do not want your students to see it, I will give you the option of removing it from your student accounts so that they can not see it at home.

My most ambitious music video is finally complete.

Watch the ¡PAN! Music Video

¡PAN! is about a boy who wants bread. Bread with butter. He doesn’t get it at home, so he and his friends go to a restaurant to seek it out. And they dance.

The song is ridiculous and immature, but it’s also perfect for teaching phrases for ordering in a restaurant. The following phrases get lots of rhythmic and comic repetition:

• ¿Me pasas…?
• Quisiera
• ¿Me trae…?
• Pedir
• Tener hambre
• Tener ganas
• Bueno para la salud

Watch the ¡PAN! Music Video

Please note, this song is exclusive to subscribers to the site. Although anyone can view a preview of the video, only those who purchase full-site access will see the entire 7-minute video. Learn more about Full-Site Access.