Simple Stories in Spanish

Sandra is a Spanish teacher on her way to Costa Rica for a much needed vacation. But Sandra’s plans are interrupted when a handsome stranger pushes her out of the airplane over the Yucatan peninsula …

Some students feel that they just don’t know anything, so why even try? Perhaps they just need a little bit of motivation and confidence. Daniel is not the smartest student, but he finds inspiration …

Hannah is a curious girl. When a butterfly lands in her back yard, she wants to learn all about it. After visiting the library, she learns that these butterflies are special and that they fly all the…

If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I love hiking in nature. At the beginning of July I did a few really difficult hikes in the mountains. While they were hard, they were also stunningly bea…

The story of the three little pigs, or los tres cerditos, is one of the first many kids learn. This story of hard work, personal responsibility, and delayed gratification never goes out of style. 

Thi…

In my recent trip to Mexico I learned about the aluxes, small elves that, according to Mayan folklore, protect the nature of the Yucatán Peninsula. Today’s story is about one of the aluxes and the mi…

Scary stories exist in every language, in every country. In the Spanish speaking world, none is more well known or widespread than the story of the weeping woman, La Llorona. La Llorona haunts rivers…

The end of the school year sparks excitement for summer break, but it can also cause some sadness and students and teachers say goodbye - some for the summer, some for longer. Imani walks through the…

I care a lot about mental health. I usually feel like I have a good grasp of my own mental health, but there are days I want to ignore the world and all my responsibilities in it. I have many activit…

Srin is from India, Anna is from Spain. They met on the beach in Miami. Since that first meeting, they have become inseparable. Now they are ready for the next chapter in life’s adventure.

This story …

This episode is a faster retell of La Semana Santa from season 4. Semana Santa, or “Holy Week” occurs the week before Easter. While it is a religious celebration all over the world, the most grand Se…

Juan is a little cat. In a previous episode (El gatito valiente: https://smalltownspanishteacher.com/2022/05/30/simple-stories-in-spanish-el-gatito-valiente/ ), Juan got separated from his family in …

This episode is a faster retell of El gatito valiente from season. Juan is a little cat. He thought today would be like any other day exploring with his family, but instead he woke up to discover tha…

My son wrote a research story for his 5th grade class about black panthers. Through his writing I learned a lot about black panthers that I didn’t know before, like they are actually jaguars and leop…

This episode is a faster retell of the celebration of Las Fallas. One of my favorite fiestas occurs in March in the city of Valencia, España. San José (St. Joseph) is the patron saint of Valencia and…

Every now and again I am sent a story by a listener. Today’s fascinating, true story comes from Sharon.

The Florida Everglades is facing a big problem. Many of its native species are being killed off …

One of my favorite activities is to create stories with my students. Today’s was created by my Spanish 1 college class. You can see illustrations of our class story on my website through the link in …

Today celebrates 5 years of Simple Stories in Spanish! In honor of its 5th anniversary, I have decided to retell one of my favorite stories from season 1. This story was inspired by the capuchin monk…

Isabel wishes she were home for Christmas instead of all alone in a big city. She knows that other people in her apartment building are also alone, so when the electricity goes out, she decides to sp…

Juan lives a boring life in a boring house, driving a boring car to a boring job. When he turns 40, he decides that it is time to do something exciting, so he turns to the world of extreme sports.

Thi…