El Internado – Laguna Negra is a 7-season series from Spain set in a boarding school called Laguna Negra. It is a drama series with teen and adult romance, family drama, school problems, murder, lies, secrets, an escaped mental patient, a good healthy dose of the supernatural! Perfect for intermediate high school Spanish students to get hooked on a series and forget that they are acquiring language!
@darcypippins uses this series with her level 3-AP classes with the Spanish closed-captioning on. They earn time watching the series as a reward or staying in Spanish during class!
I am using it in class as well. I included it in my general permission slip (we view several rated PG-13 and R films [edited for some content] in level 3 and 4 so I usually do one permission slip for everything in the beginning of the year.). There are many bad words (gilipollas, coño, joder are among the favorites), some romantic situations, some violence, mild gore, a little bit of skin, and a lot of suspense. Overall I think the mild PG-13 elements are far outweighed by the interest level of this addictive series!
My level 3 students are really enjoying the series and ask to watch it every Friday. I give it 2 thumbs up, way up!
Kristy Placido 
Did you have an entire page with lesson plans on this show and reading guides, etc? I thought I saw some in the past, but can’t seem to find it anymore!
I do not but Dustin Williamson should! His website is williamsonci.com
Do you use Edpuzzle to show the series?
No, I show it on DVD.
Cool, thanks for responding! I starting today using Netflex.
Was curious if you assess with this or if you only show it “for fun” and to discuss? I don’t want to take away from their joy in watching it, but watching something without assessment feels…wrong? New teacher still trying to justify things…
I don’t assess but I do usually include some Internado-themed essay prompts on their exams. (They have various options to choose from and many of them love to choose the Internado options!)
I feel like I read somewhere that you use the VLC player to show the DVDs for Region 2. Is that correct?
If so, how do you get your subtitles to show, or do you?
That is correct. You can show subtitles with it, there is a menu.
Okay. I must be doing something wrong 😦
Thank you for this blog I have used the series for the past two years for my AP students. They watch it once a week with closed captions and then blog in Spanish about that episode with the exchange teacher from Spain that helped in their class in their Spanish 4 class. This year I am going to require a Skype interaction as well. Two students purchase the entire series after they
graduated because they wanted to see the series to the end which is impossible when we only have time for once a week viewing,
So despite being authentic is it still pretty comprehensible to students? I know that I even struggle watching and listening to authentic shows, movies, music, etc because of the speed at which native speakers speak (I only studied abroad for 2 months, so I think that contributes to my proficiency struggles)
This show will also do wonders for YOU! It has for me!
I use the DVDs and put the closed captioning on. That way we can read in Spanish as we listen.
I recommend you watch ahead of your class. There are some inappropriate scenes you may wish to cut and also you won’t be caught off guard if you don’t understand something.
I frequently stop, explain, and discuss. It is not totally comprehensible but it is very compelling and they get a lot out of it for that reason!
Sounds great! Thanks for the response! I’m going to have to invest in all 7 seasons of it, might take a while if its cost prohibitive. Where did you purchase it from?
I’m definitely going to get it for at least me though, here in NE Ohio there aren’t many opportunities to practice Spanish outside of my classroom. I’ve been teaching level 1 for the past three years, which has killed my proficiency, but now I’m going to be teaching levels 2, 3, and 4. I’ve never taught these levels before but El internado might be a good addition to 3 and 4 maybe. Other than that though, I have no clue what I’m going to teach in these classes. The district is very TPRS friendly though and does not have textbooks. So the freedom is incredible
I ordered from amazon.es. You use your regular login if you are registered on amazon.com. The shipping isn’t terrible either!
I had a friend bring me a couple seasons back from FNAC in Madrid and it actually ended up being even cheaper to order them from Amazon than to buy them at a store!
I also highly recommend the show El Barco. I am watching it right now and I love it.
Hello could you please send me your permission slip, that you send to the parents? Thank you so much.
Jmlittle3@gmail.com
Check out somewheretoshare.com for an even BETTER permission slip which I have begun using this year myself!
¡Hola! Would you mind sharing your permission slip that you hand out at the beginning of the year? I’m interested in using this as well next year, but want to cover all my bases!
pD Mil gracias por todos los recursos y todo el trabajo que compartes… eres una de mis favoritas en twitter y el “blogosphere”! 🙂
Dear parents of Spanish 3 and 4 students:
In addition, this semester students will be viewing some authentic Hispanic films which were produced in Spanish-speaking countries as well as a television show from Spain. Some of the films are unrated, PG-13, or R. I have carefully previewed each of these and I have chosen them because of the cultural and linguistic content that I feel will benefit these students who have chosen to expand their language study at a higher level. The two R-rated films are both rated R due to violence (war-related) and profanity. I do censor several scenes for content when viewing in class.
If you would like to come to my classroom and preview any of the films, you are welcome to do so by appointment. Your child will need your permission to view any film which is rated R or PG 13.
Sincerely,
Kristy Placido
Spanish teacher
Check and sign please
_____ I agree that my child may view any films which Mrs. Placido has selected for the class and I give permission for him/her to see any film with R or PG-13 rating that the class will be viewing.
_____ I do NOT grant permission for my child to view the rated R film, but he/she MAY see PG-13 or lower.
_____ I do not grant my child permission to see PG-13 or R films in class.
______________________________ _________________
Parent signature date
Just watched the first episode on Youtube.
Thanks for putting this on the blog. I LOVE this series for so many reasons. The primary reason is that it is great input for the students. They are completely engaged and listening and reading the language simultaneously. The second reason is all the vosotros. I don’t really use the vosotros when I’m speaking just because I’m not comfortable with it, but when the students see the command forms, etc… they are challenged to try and figure it out. The third thing is the conversation that occurs during and after each episode. They describe the characters, ask questions in the language about plot while watching, and predict what’s to come in the next episode. This is the carrot I’ve been looking for to keep them in the language and to keep them signing up for Spanish each year!
You mentioned in your post that you were going to buy this series and consider using them in class. Did you buy them and, if so, do you plan to use them in class?
I bought them from amazon.es and I will use them with my level 3s. I will post about how it goes!
Did you have an issue playing the DVD’s since they are formatted for Region 2 dvd players?
I use the free VLC program on my computer. Works like a charm!
Great find! Thank you finding all the links to the first season. Just used them to create a YouTube playlist which can be found here—> http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL15A445B97835669F
Will have to buy the series, too! Looks engaging and entertaining!
Thank you, Audrey! Great idea!
I have not actually used it in class. I found out about it from a friend on Twitter. She uses it in levels 3-AP. I am just watching it myself right now to decide how/if I want to use it. I LOVE it…some bad language and some skin as well. Probably PG-13ish. If I were to use it I would most likely make it just a fun thing to watch from time to time.
Hi! I was wondering if u would share a little regarding how u use this program in your classroom.. Do u preteach any vocab? Watch each segment a few times? Just very curious as to how this looks in ur classroom:) thanks for all ur great posts n sharing!! I am so glad I stumbled upon… U!!