Con Ganas de Triunfar

A complete Spanish lesson plan for Con Ganas de Triunfar — ready to open and teach.

Jaime Escalante walks into an East Los Angeles classroom and announces that his students will learn calculus. The story is true, the stakes were real, and Edward James Olmos plays it without sentimentality. The film is in English, but the culture, the community, and the argument it makes belong entirely to the Spanish-speaking world.

Good films have natural moments — a powerful scene, a cultural encounter, a shift in the story — where the language and meaning come together. This plan identifies those moments in Con Ganas de Triunfar and builds a lesson around each one. For every scene, you get vocabulary and cultural notes, comprehension activities, and communicative tasks your students can work through in class or independently. A pre-film warm-up gets them ready before the first screening.

Everything is included: the teacher’s guide, student worksheets in Spanish, and an answer key.

Not sure yet? Download a free sample → See exactly what our Spanish lesson plans include before you buy.

📅 Teach it when it counts

• Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept 15–Oct 15) — The East Los Angeles classroom is America — this film belongs in every Spanish program, even in English.
• Back-to-School / First Month of School — A teacher who refuses to accept limits on his students — the right film to set the tone for a rigorous semester.

Language: Spanish | Director: Ramón Menéndez | Year: 1988
Level: Intermediate | Format: Downloadable PDF — instant delivery

Classic catalog plan — may not include every activity found in our newest releases.

Download for $29.95. Print it. Teach it.