Since 2022, I have been using the same five words for my Spanish Class Agreements:
respeta • participa • mira • habla español • escucha
I keep these words because they work for me and my students. What I change each year is the song and the way I introduce them. This gives me consistency while still making the routine feel new for my students.
But before I bring out the poster or teach the song, we start with a conversation.
I Don’t Co-Create My Class Agreements
I know many teachers co-create their Class Agreements with their students, but I actually don’t.
I already know the five words I want to use. What I want my students to be part of is the conversation behind those words.
During the first or second day of class, I ask:
How do we want to feel in Spanish class?
And yes, I ask this in English. Especially with my youngest learners, I want them to be able to share what they really think without being limited by how much Spanish they know.
They might say happy, safe, excited, included, or comfortable, and I write their ideas down.
Then I ask:
How can you show me you are being respectful in class?
That’s when I start hearing things like, “I can listen,” “I can look at you when you’re talking,” “I can participate,” or “I can try.”
We talk about their ideas, and then I tell them, “Next class, I’m going to bring you our words.”
I already know what the words are, but now they connect to a conversation we have had together.
Then I Bring in the Spanish
The next time I see them, I introduce:
respeta • participa • mira • habla español • escucha
Each word has a gesture, so we connect the Spanish with movement and meaning from the beginning. We practice the words and gestures together, and then we add our Class Agreements song.
The song quickly becomes part of our routine because this is how I start class every day.
We sing, do the gestures, and remind ourselves of the conversation we had about how we want to feel when we are together. It gives us a predictable way to begin class while also reinforcing Spanish that students will hear throughout the year.
As we move through class, I continue using the words and gestures naturally. I can say mira or escucha without stopping to translate because students already know what I mean.
The words might be on our Class Agreements poster, but they don’t just live there. They become part of our routine and part of the Spanish we actually use.
Want to use these Class Agreements in your classroom?
Download the FREE Class Agreements poster with respeta, participa, mira, habla español, and escucha and use it to create your own routine with your students.
Same Words, a New Song
While the five words stay the same, I like to create a different song each year.
Part of the reason is very simple: I don’t want to get tired of singing the same thing every year! I also teach some of the same students from one year to the next, so changing the song gives them something new while keeping the language familiar.
Last year, our theme was The Honey Bee, using the melody of Shakira’s “Waka Waka.”
This year, the inspiration came from something I love: soccer.
From the World Cup to Our Spanish Classroom
I LOVE soccer, and this year I had the opportunity to travel to Kansas City to see Colombia play in the World Cup.
When I heard Shakira’s “Dai Dai,” I knew I wanted to use it as inspiration for this year’s Class Agreements song.
But before I introduced our version, I wanted my students to understand why I had chosen it.
The day after our conversation about how we wanted to feel in class, I told them I wanted to share something with them. I showed them pictures from my trip and talked about going to see Colombia play.
I did this intentionally. It was an opportunity to connect with my students and let them see a little bit of who I am outside of the classroom. I love soccer. I cheer for Colombia. These are things that are part of who I am, and I love being able to share some of that with my students.
Then I played “Dai Dai.”
They immediately started recognizing soccer players and making connections. We talked about the song, what Dai Dai means, and even the different languages Shakira uses.
Then I told them that this was the inspiration for our Class Agreements song this year.
We practiced our five words, added the gestures, and started singing.
They loved it!
An Idea You Can Make Your Own
One of my favorite things has been seeing how many Spanish teachers have taken this idea and made it their own.
Some teachers use the songs I’ve created with the same five words and gestures. Others take the idea and create their own songs or versions for their classrooms.
And I love seeing that because it doesn’t have to look exactly like mine.
Choose a few words that make sense for your classroom. Give them gestures. Find a song that you and your students will enjoy. Most importantly, make it something you can actually come back to throughout the school year.
For me, our Class Agreements have become much more than a poster or something we talk about during the first week of school. They are part of how we begin our time together every day.
We sing, we gesture, and we remind ourselves of how we want to feel in our classroom.
It’s a simple routine, but it brings us back to something important every day: the kind of classroom we want to create together.
Ready to try it with your students?
Download the free Class Agreements poster and make the routine your own.
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