If you’re anything like me, you start the school year full of excitement, ideas, and inspiration. But we also know that once we’re back in the classroom that excitement can quickly give way to overwhelm.
In the last blog and in Episode 151 of Growing With Proficiency The Podcast, I shared the three essential pillars for creating a sustainable language classroom. Today, we’re continuing our summer series by diving into five concrete steps to help you plan your year in a way that supports both your students’ growth and your own well-being.
Before we dive into planning, let’s ground ourselves in a few essential truths from second language acquisition (SLA) research—truths that should shape the way we build our year.
First, comprehensible input embedded in communicative events, not explicit grammar instruction, is what leads to language acquisition. That means our units should begin with a clear communicative purpose and provide students with input they can understand, not with a grammar point or a list of vocabulary words.
Second, language doesn’t develop in a linear sequence. Our students don’t acquire “the verb to like” and then “the verb to have” in a tidy order. They don’t need to master all the present-tense verbs before being exposed to other tenses. This means we don’t have to, and shouldn’t, plan our curriculum as a rigid grammatical ladder.
Third, language acquisition is a slow, gradual process. It takes time, repetition, and continued exposure for students to internalize new structures. We need to be patient. What our students need most is not more rules, but more meaningful input. That’s why rich, compelling input should be at the heart of every unit we plan.
With these principles in mind, we can move into planning our year in a way that is both intentional and sustainable, for our students and for ourselves.
Planning Your Year
1. Begin with the Big Picture
Start by mapping out your year. Grab a year-at-a-glance calendar, digital or printed, and block off the essentials: first and last days of school, holidays, professional development days, testing windows, and major school events. This gives you the structure you need to begin planning with intention.
Once your calendar is set, identify what I call “communicative anchors”—the big questions that will guide your units. These should be rooted in compelling input and real communication, not grammar points or isolated vocabulary.
For example, if you want to do something for Hispanic Heritage Month, don’t just think “biographies.” Ask yourself: What are we going to talk about? Maybe you explore identity through music, like a song from Bad Bunny. Maybe you look at traditional dance, sports, or films. The key is identifying what conversations you want to have with your students and choosing content that supports those.
And remember: just because something is on the calendar doesn’t mean you have to do it, or you only talk about it during that specific month. Prioritize what matters to you and your students.
2. Bring Back What You Loved
Before creating anything new, reflect on what worked last year. Which units were a hit with your students? Which ones felt easy and joyful to teach? Which lessons aligned well with your values and your goals?
Now is the time to reuse them. Place those units on your calendar, choosing moments that make sense for your classroom flow. Early in the year, you might want to lead with something lighter and more community-focused. Around testing weeks, choose shorter or lower-prep units that give both you and your students some breathing room.
Don’t feel like you have to build every unit from scratch. What worked before can work again, with small adjustments and fresh energy.
3. Fill in the Blanks
Once you’ve placed your seasonal themes and favorite units, look at what’s left. These are your “gaps”, and they’re where you’ll build in any required curriculum, standards, or assessments.
This is the moment to be strategic. What themes do you have to include? What are your non-negotiables for the year?
For each one, ask yourself again: What are we going to talk about? That question will help you identify your communicative anchor.
From there, consider: What kind of input will I use? A story, a song, a clip, a novel, a short film? What supports will my students need to make that input comprehensible?
And don’t forget to bring in the joy. Maybe you’ve been wanting to try a new short film or a novel. Maybe there’s a song that’s been stuck in your head all summer. Use this space to integrate new ideas and resources that bring life to your classroom.
4. Add Storyasking or One Word Image
I build in at least one Storyasking or One Word Image (OWI) session every quarter. These lessons take more of my energy, but they’re also among the most powerful tools I use for providing personalized, compelling, comprehensible input.
If you’re new to these strategies: Storyasking involves co-creating a story with your class, often using a loose script with personalized details. One Word Image is the process of building a character together from a single drawing or idea.
These lessons create a strong classroom culture, tons of repetition, and moments your students will remember. Schedule them in now so you have the time and energy set aside when you need it.
5. Step Back and Simplify
Once you’ve mapped out your units, take a step back. Ask yourself:
- Does this feel realistic?
- Does it allow room for flexibility?
- Does it support my well-being and the relationships I want to build?
If it feels too packed or ambitious, take something out. There’s no prize for doing more, especially if “more” leads to burnout. Aim for four to six units per semester, allowing time for daily routines, interruptions, and those unexpected moments when a conversation or story takes on a life of its own.
You don’t have to teach every topic this year. You can rotate in new content next year. And you can always make adjustments as you go. What matters most is that your plan supports communication, connection, and sustainability.
Plan with me
Inside the Spanish Teacher Academy, I’ll be leading a live session (in Spanish) where we plan an entire unit together from communicative anchor to lesson sequence. If you’re a Spanish teacher and would like to join, you can start a free trial at growingwithproficiency.com/trial, and I’ll send you all the details.
In the next post of this series, we’ll talk about what to prioritize before the first day of school. Until then, I hope this gives you the clarity and structure you need to plan with confidence.
