I am constantly on the lookout for authentic videos I can use with my students. As every world language teacher knows, there is a delicate balance to finding the perfect authentic resource that is both engaging AND understandable to students. I know I am not alone in saying I have spent hours and hours searching for the perfect authentic resource. One of my go-to video resources is the Discovery Kids series, Doki Descubre. They are short 1 minute videos centered on a dog named Doki, who teaches young kids about healthy lifestyle choices. Doki has become a staple of my Spanish 1 course and the students often ask for more “dog videos”. And the best part? Videos about almost any topic can easily be found on YouTube! 
I always watch Doki videos at least twice on my SMARTboard. The first time I play the video without pausing and the second time I pause it to ask students questions to further their understanding. Before we watch a video I always remind my students of the same things. First, that Doki is a cartoon dog meant to impersonate a young child. This means that the message Doki shares will be incredibly basic and something my students already know. This is something they can use to their advantage! Second, Doki is a cartoon and cartoon characters in every language talk incredibly fast sometimes, so they won’t understand everything that is said and that is OK. Finally, I remind them to do their best and not get discouraged if they’re confused, but to focus on the words they know.
In Spanish 1 I use Doki videos about food and sports, you can see my Doki videos playlist here. Hands down, my students prefer the videos where Doki plays sports with friends and teaches them about sportsmanship. The best thing about the sports videos is that they have a very basic storyline which makes them easier to follow. I use this video worksheet in Spanish 1 to build on students’ knowledge as we go through the 5 sports videos. I also use these videos, but not the worksheet, with my Spanish 5 students during our sports unit. They offer a nice break in class and at that point the students can understand almost everything in the videos. Each level gets something different from the videos, but they both enjoy them!
With class not continuing as usual this year, I won’t see my Spanish 1 students in person for our sports unit. Because I know how much past students have enjoyed Doki and in order to still give my students exposure to authentic Spanish, I am using the Doki y los deportes videos on Edpuzzle. While it won’t be the same as using the videos in person, at least it keeps a sense of normalcy for my students and hopefully puts a smile on their faces!
