Spanish Class Amazing Race!

My Spanish 3 students embarked on a thrilling, two-day adventure: La Carrera Asombrosa (The Amazing Race). This challenge took over two hundred hours of planning and created a whirlwind of excitement throughout the school and turned upstairs into a maze of Spanish language challenges that had the kids using their brains and their scooters. Based on their last 4 chapters of learning—8A - de vacaciones: all about vacations, travel, and cool places to go; 8B - ayudando en la comunidad: focuses on how to help out in your community and do good deeds; 3A - ¿qué hiciste ayer?: we’re talking past-tense stuff—what you did yesterday and how to say it; 3B - ¿cómo se va...?: directions, places around town, and how to get there without getting lost!—they put their Spanish to work solving problems and racing through obstacles. They had to navigate through the school on scooters, following roads I built upstairs…No big deal… just a minor construction project…with painter’s tape!)

Each challenge was designed to reinforce their vocabulary and grammar while pushing their problem-solving abilities. They had to think quickly and rely on their Spanish skills. They identified traffic signs, conjugated verbs, and traced routes on maps, they had to use technology, their listening skills, reading skills and. 

For the ultimate real-world experience, I went out and got some Spanish speaking service members from around the base—Army, Navy, Marines, and even ICE (how cool!)—to record the audio clues. It was like an all-star cast of Spanish speakers guiding them through the race. Trust me, these students got a taste of authentic Spanish, no sympathy included. On top of all that, they had to use their listening and reading skills to follow clues, their tech skills to scan QR codes, and, of course, speak in Spanish to get things done.

A big shout-out to the entire school for allowing me to use their spaces for the challenges. From the gym to the library, every nook and cranny (inside and outside of the building) became a possible checkpoint on the race. Watching my students race around, work together, and compete like their Spanish grades depended on it (which they kind of did) was seriously fun. They worked through the clues, made quick decisions, and tried their best not to crash into any walls on their scooters.

I couldn’t be prouder of how my students tackled this challenge. They showed teamwork, perseverance, and a lot of energy (maybe too much energy, but hey, it is all about the race). The whole experience was a mix of learning, laughter, and a little bit of chaos—just the way learning should be.