Circe en Español: proposal and application of digital material in Spanish for preschool students

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33871/22386084.2026.16.11716

Keywords:

digital teaching material, spanish language, systemic-functional linguistics, multiliteracies pedagogy

Abstract

The elaboration of materials is a recurring theme in research within the field of Applied Linguistics; however, studies focused on the contexts of Spanish teaching and learning, especially when aimed at children, still represent a gap in our area. Based on this, this article aims to present the experience of creating and applying the digital material Circe en Español in a full-time municipal school. For the development of the material, we utilized the theoretical framework of Systemic-Functional Linguistics, based on Systemic-Functional Grammar (Halliday; Matthiessen, 2014) and Grammar of Visual Design (Kress; Van Leeuwen, 2021), Multiliteracies Pedagogy (Cope; Kalantzis, 2010), Preschool Writing (Megale, 2019; Vygotsky, 1991;1995) and the Spanish Language Curricular Guidelines (SXXX, 2023). Methodologically, this research is situated in the subarea of Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) and is supported by a qualitative approach (Creswell, 2010), following the theoretical-methodological precepts of Design Based-Research (DBR). Circe en Español was planned for application across three lessons, focusing on Spanish lexical content related to food, and its visual design was developed using the digital tools Vidnoz and Canva. During its application in a full-time municipal school, with students enrolled in pre-A and pre-B, we observed engagement. These data reveal the necessity of continuing to invest in projects such as the one presented in this article, in order to promote the teaching of additional languages also for children in early childhood education and the initial years of elementary school.

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Author Biographies

Ana Carolina Guimarães Seffrin, Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM)

Bachelor of Arts in Languages (Teaching Degree in Spanish) from the Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM). She works as a scholarship holder at the Miguel de Cervantes Collection at UFSM. Holds a Master's degree in Public Law from the University of Vale do Rio dos Sinos. She was a scholarship recipient of the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES), at the CAPES-Prosup level. During September 2010, she was affiliated through an agreement between the Graduate Program in Law at the University of Vale do Rio dos Sinos and the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais (PUC-Minas) – PROCAD UNISINOS/PUC Minas – as a scholarship holder, conducting studies and other activities at the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais as a "Sandwich" Master's student. She was a "guest" researcher – "invitada" – at the Gioja Institute, Faculty of Law of the University of Buenos Aires (UBA), having conducted studies at that institution.

Suzana Toniolo Linhati, Federal University of Santa Maria (UFSM)

Holds a Ph.D. in Languages (UFSM), a Master's degree in Language Teaching (UNIPAMPA), and a Bachelor's degree in Languages – Spanish (UFSM) and in Languages – Portuguese (FAETI). She worked as a Spanish language teacher in the private school system (2017–2022) and in the municipal school system (2024–2025) of Santa Maria/RS, and as a substitute professor in the Languages – Spanish and Respective Literatures program (2024/UFSM). She is currently an Assistant Professor of Higher Education (UFSM) and a tutor in the undergraduate distance-learning program in Languages – Spanish and Literatures (EaD/UAB – UFSM). Her research interests lie in the field of Applied Linguistics, with a focus on the development of teaching materials and digital resources for teaching Spanish to children (preschool and early school years), as well as the creation of teaching and digital materials incorporating gamification elements, with an emphasis on Alternate Reality Games (ARG).

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Published

2026-08-31

How to Cite

SEFFRIN, Ana Carolina Guimarães; LINHATI, Suzana Toniolo. Circe en Español: proposal and application of digital material in Spanish for preschool students. Revista Educação e Linguagens, Campo Mourão, v. 16, p. 1–22, 2026. DOI: 10.33871/22386084.2026.16.11716. Disponível em: https://periodicos.unespar.edu.br/revistaeduclings/article/view/11716. Acesso em: 11 sep. 2026.