Update on Jalen's Spanish 4 and AP Lesson Plan Books

Um, okay.  It's July 1st and I just finished writing Lesson 29 (out of 30, you know that's how I roll...) for Spanish 4A.  I have been working at my computer the entire month of June 6-8 hours a day (sometimes more) with only three or four days off from writing, and all I have to show for it is Spanish 4A (almost...just gotta write the final exam/Lesson 30.)  NOT Spanish 4B, and certainly not AP Spanish A or B to go with it.

It's taking way longer than I delusionally thought in my head, mostly because I am doing so much cultural research in order to make the culture/AP theme lessons really, really good.  I don't like lists of surface facts about culture; in fact, I hate them and I do not have the skill to teach them well in a classroom situation.  I can't stand the glazed-over stares of boredom.  So I'm digging down researching until the "fact" I'm going to talk about in class becomes utterly fascinating to me (once it's fascinating to me, I know I can pull it off in class as well,) trying to find the very best authentic resources online to showcase the cultural product, practice, and/or perspective, framing it within one of the AP themes, and making materials that require critical thinking and engagement on the students' parts.

It's a LOT of work.

But...I'm really happy with the way 4A is turning out.  I'm looking forward to teaching with it this Fall.

So, more soon as I continue on this project.  All I can say for sure at this point is that first semester Spanish 4A will be up for sale in time for school to start (by August 1st.) Whether I'll have 4B ready to go with it or not, and the status of my AP Spanish lessons, I'm not sure about right now. If worse comes to worst, I'll have to continue on 4B into the school year and publish it some time this Fall. I can't imagine that happening later than the end of October or so, but definitely in time for Spring. Just worse case scenario. I am still hoping to finish 4B by the time I report back to work in August (August 14th.)

(Incidentally, this is EXACTLY what happened two summers ago when I wrote level 3.  3A took all of June and most of July, and then I sped up and wrote 3B in about three weeks, last week of July and the first two weeks of August.  I know this from looking at the "date modified" on those files. Those level 3 books are equal size and quality, so I'm not sure why the second book goes faster, but it does.)

Okay, back to work now...