Spanish Cultural Reading Comprehension Activities

I love to create cultural reading activities for my students because it’s a great option for students to learn about culture in a simple, comprehensible way! I created these Spanish cultural reading comprehension activities as a fun way to integrate our reading comprehension skills while we learn about culture around the world.

These Spanish Cultural Reading Comprehension Activities will have your students wanting to travel! They give your students an opportunity to explore while practicing important reading skills. It’s also a fun way to incorporate teaching your students all about the people who live in the Spanish-speaking world.

Spanish Cultural Reading Comprehension Activities

These topics range from holiday celebrations to regions around the world. You can print them and put them in your classroom library, or use them as sub plans throughout the year! They are printable and digital so you can post them in your Google Classroom or leave copies in your emergency sub binder!

La Tomatina

Students read and discuss holiday traditions in Spain regarding La Tomatina festival. The reading is provided in both color & black and white. There is a graphic organizer with comprehension questions to go with the reading.

Martes el Trece

Include culture, months, and dates vocabulary in this print and go reading for your classes! Students will read and discuss cultural traditions regarding Martes el Trece. I like to try to watch the calendar and use this for a fun activity on a Friday the 13th in the school year, or a Tuesday the 13th – depending on how the days fall!

Give Your Lessons a Passport

There’s something magical about watching your students light up when they connect with a new culture. These Spanish Cultural Reading Comprehension Activities aren’t just about learning facts. They invite students to experience traditions, foods, festivals, and daily life from places they’ve never been. Suddenly, reading isn’t a task. It’s a trip.

When we explore topics like the vibrant celebration of Inti Raymi or the colorful streets of Cartagena, we’re doing more than teaching vocabulary. We’re helping students see the heart of the Spanish-speaking world. And let’s be honest, the more your students connect with the content, the more they show up, lean in, and remember what they’re learning.

You don’t have to wait for a holiday or a perfect theme week. Culture can live in your classroom every single day. It just takes the right stories to make it happen.

Ecuadorian Culture

One of my dear friends, Josefina from Mrs Cabello Spanish Class, has a series of resources on artists and culture from Ecuador! Check out these readings:

• Camila Pérez
• Gianpiero
• Juan Pueblo

El Día de Sant Jordi Reading & Activities

St. George’s Day is such a fun day to learn about with your students! The story and legend about El Día de la Rosa is great to share with your students. It’s a great example of a cultural celebration that isn’t usually talked about.

El Yunque Cultural Reading Comprehension Activities

This printable and digital resource is clear and accessible for your students, and easy for you to use! Students read and discuss El Yunque in Puerto Rico, along with the wildlife and climate there. The reading is provided in Spanish both with and without vocabulary footnotes to support your novice learners.

La Ciudad de Oaxaca Reading & Activities

Bring your students to Oaxaca with a printable and digital cultural lesson! Students explore the infographic or Google Slides, then answer the comprehension questions or complete the graphic organizer. It’s a great option to help your students explore the city!

Spanish Cultural Reading Comprehension Activities Bundle

You can find all these readings in my Spanish Cultural Readings Bundle on my website. Click the image below to find it in my shop!

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Creative Ways to Use These Readings

If your students are anything like mine, they love variety. That’s why I love using these Spanish Cultural Reading Comprehension Activities in lots of different ways. Try setting up a reading station where students rotate through cultural readings each week. Add some comfy pillows or a few country flags and watch them get excited to read.

You can also turn a reading into a storytelling challenge. Ask students to retell the tradition or festival they just read about in their own words. They can even act it out or create a mini poster to share with the class. When they teach it, they own it.

And if you’re ever short on time or ideas, these readings are lifesavers for last-minute lessons. Just print and go or drop the digital version in your classroom platform. Easy for you, exciting for them, and packed with purpose every time.

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