March Madness: Basketball Vocabulary in Spanish Class

March is here, and that means—March Madness has arrived! Teachers and students are filling out brackets, talking about favorite teams, and seeing who'll make it to the championship game! March Madness is the perfect time to add basketball vocabulary into Spanish class.

One of the best ways to win students’ attention is by connecting their interests to language learning. And what better way to do that than by teaching Spanish basketball vocabulary? Whether they play the sport or just enjoy watching, students will love learning how to talk about "baloncesto" in Spanish.

Here are three fun and easy ways to get started:

Warm-Up: Basketball Vocabulary in Spanish

Learn up to 45 Spanish basketball vocabulary words with TWO word searches. Give students the input they need to start talking about basketball in Spanish! Students first define the words, then find them. Includes:

• 30 basketball nouns—from aro (hoop) to jugador (player) and tiro libre (free throw).

• 15 basketball verbs—like tirar (to throw), pasar (to pass), and bloquear (to block).

• answer keys

Perfect for Spanish 1, 2, or 3—use it to enrich any sports unit, as a choice activity, or for fast finishers. It’s also a slam dunk for sub plans!

Practice: Worksheets

Reinforce basketball vocabulary in seven different ways! These independent worksheets help students organize & practice basketball words while working at their own pace.

• 2 Vocabulary Lists—Translate from Spanish to English & English to Spanish.

• Matching Activity

• Scrambled Words

• List masculine & feminine nouns

• Form plurals

• Writing Practice—Use the new words in five sentences!

Teachers love these resources!

"It’s that time when it is all about March Madness and the various tournaments… great resource for vocabulary & activities surrounding March Madness."

"Engaging and fun! My students love sports, and this was a great topic for them on basketball."

Game Time: Play Bingo!

Want to add excitement? Bingo is always a win! This engaging, easy-to-play game helps students reinforce basketball vocabulary while having fun.

• 40 printable bingo cards—printed 2 per page, so the whole class can play.

• 30 basketball nouns—like balón (ball), entrenador (coach), jugador (player), and robo (steal).

• 2 vocabulary lists in English & Spanish—use them as a call list to call out words in either language.

• Calling cards & answer keys included—making it easy for you to play and check student responses.

Students will have fun learning new words for a popular sport. And as a teacher, you’ll score points by adding real-world excitement to your lesson plans!

Overtime Activities:

Keep the excitement going! Have students use their new basketball vocabulary with these extension activities!

1. Have students draw and label a basketball court in Spanish, identifying key terms like cancha (court), aro (hoop), línea de tres puntos (three-point line), and more. This visual activity helps reinforce vocabulary while making connections.

   
   

2. Practice writing and speaking skills and have students become sports announcers! Pair them up to write and recite a play-by-play commentary of a basketball game at your school. They can use present-tense verbs like pasa (passes), tira (shoots), and anota (scores) to narrate the game just like real sportscasters! With these activities, your students won’t just be learning basketball vocabulary—they’ll be using it like pros!

For the Win:

Take the lesson beyond the classroom! Have students check out brackets, rankings, and team stats on ESPN Deportes to see how basketball is covered in Spanish.

Spanish 2 and 3 students can go beyond to read an article about a March Madness game in Spanish. This real-world connection helps students see the language in action and builds reading comprehension. Students will be caught up in the excitement of March Madness while strengthening their Spanish skills!

So, bring the game into your Spanish classroom this March. Grab these basketball-themed Spanish activities now! Find them in my Teachers Pay Teachers store and make learning sports vocabulary a win-win!

(And... GO CLEMSON TIGERS!)