Inside: End of the year games for Spanish class. The end of the year can be… interesting, right? Everyone is tired, you have run out of ideas, testing has already been done, and summer is on everyone’s mind. Here are some ideas that work with ANY unit or theme and put all the summer energy to
The Super 7 vebrs and Sweet 16 verbs are the most important verbs to know in any language in order to communicate about many topics and accomplish many tasks.
Some days you just need a break from the monotony! Preparing for exams, transitioning to a new unit, days when half your students are gone for a basketball tour
So, are you itching for winter break to get here or what?!? I am drowning here, people! Between report cards, conferences (for my students and my own kids!), shopping, baking, parties, wrapping... DROWNING!Don't get me
My second year Spanish students need some practice distinguishing between subjects with their verb forms (subject/verb agreement), so I modified and typed up one of my student’s free writes (work smarter, not harder, right?) for a good ol’ horizontal conjugation practice. What is a horizontal conjugation? A horizontal conjugation is a perspective re-write. It is…
This Listen, Write, Draw activity is an example of one of those activities I had been doing before I encountered comprehensible input strategies that I didn't
What do you do for sub plans when you have to leave your Spanish students? Here are 3 ideas to keep your middle or high school classes moving forward and learning without a Spanish-speaking sub when you have to be out of the classroom! There are variations for with and without technology, and a FREE resource!
Do you remember playing with magnetic or wooden shapes when you were little? I had a set of wooden shapes in different sizes and colours which could be used to make all sorts of pictures and patterns. This is my DIY version, which I made for my class recently as we've been learning about shapes. I started with seven or eight sheets of colourful paper and being very lazy, I cut the shapes out mainly freehand and holding the whole bundle together at the same time! The only shape I didn't cut freehand was the circle as I find I can never get a perfect circle, they just get smaller and smaller as I keep cutting, trying to make them perfect. This pack of paper was from Lidl for £2. What a bargain! After cutting the shapes I laminated them. I have a little laminator at home for doing school bit and pieces (supermarkets sell them for around £10). Then I made up some ideas cards by creating pictures with the shapes and taking photographs of them. When the children at school make their own pictures and designs, I'll take photographs of them too and increase the box of ideas cards. Shapes are great for all sorts of learning including.... Colour and shape recognition Sorting for size, colour, shape Making patterns Making repeating patterns Creating pictures and art You can also discuss properties of shapes such as whether they have curved or straight lines, number of sides, corners etc... Here are some of the other picture card ideas I made. Repeating patterns Create pictures Create art!
Understanding the theme of a story can be challenging. Like all human beings, students want to take the easy way out. They read a difficult text and they want “the answer” to magically pop into their heads, without doing any mental stretching to get there. They think that we English teachers will look at any […]
There is something about the structure and routine of Michaela's Especially Education task boxes students are drawn to. They take immense pride in showing off their finished work, keeping all the materials together, and putting the tasks away into their rightful places.
As more and more research comes out about the power of Growth Mindset and more and more people are leaning towards this line of thinking (heck, even my District is getting on board...they talked about it at a training I went to over the summer!), I figured that this would be as good a time as any to teach my students about their own brains and mindset. So I began my first week of school with a few lessons that really set a great tone for my students. To begin, I wanted something tangible and hands-on for my students to experience. So I searched online and found this lesson here. In a nutshell, I folded some paper in a crazy figure (that didn't actually look all crazy...until I tried to make it...go to the blog for exact instructions) and told the students they needed to recreate it. I had them get into groups of 7-8 students, put the figure in the middle and gave them each the exact same piece of paper I used. There were only two rules: They could not touch the folded paper and they could not have a second piece of paper. Most of the students got right to it. As they were working, I walked around with a clipboard and wrote down everything that I was hearing in the groups. At the beginning, I heard things like: This is easy. Look, we just fold it this way and then that. Let me get my scissors and we can all just cut it. Hmmm....I wonder how she did that. Can you just show me what you are doing? Then, as time went on and recreating the folded paper wasn't as easy as they thought, the narrative started to change. I started to hear: Wait, what? This isn't going to work. I can't get this. What did you do? Seriously, she had to use tape. How did she get that part? Let's only do one paper at a time in case we make a mistake. This was also the time when I started to see some kids just sit back and watch. They stopped trying altogether and just let everyone else experiment. I also noticed some kids taking charge completely and not letting others have opinions. Then, towards the end, I heard: This is impossible. I give up. I just can't do this. What on earth did she do? She used magic. After about 10 minutes of working, I called them all together again (no one was able to fold it correctly), I showed the students what they said. It was a bit eye-opening for them to see that some just quit so early on or that they declared the task impossible. Clearly it wasn't, as I had just folded the paper. They just wanted me to tell them the answer. This then lead into a nice discussion about the basic principles of growth mindset. That you have to keep going and trying. That your brain was meant to learn. So I passed out a quiz that I got from Angela Watson of the Cornerstone for Teachers. (she has a whole Growth Mindset pack that is really useful) They took the quiz, which asks questions about whether students think they can learn and grow or if they were just born that way. Then, we watched a video that Angela links from the Khan Academy about the fact that our brains were born to learn. We wrote down many ideas from the video, the biggest being that failure = growing. That REALLY stuck with them. I then asked the students to write down all of the words they could think of that pertained to their idea of what it means that "you were born to learn." The more important words, in their opinion, were to be larger than the less important words. Effectively, they were making a free form word cloud. I then took their picture as if they were screwing in a lightbulb, glued it onto the word cloud they created, and using tissue paper, they formed a "lightbulb" above their hand. All in all, this was a fabulous way to introduce the idea of growth mindset to my students. This entire process took two days to complete, but it was well worth it. The students continue to make connections to that first video from Khan Academy and refer to the idea of "failure = growing" still. I am also finding that there is just a much more positive tone in class because of it. I can't wait to continue on with future lessons. Have you delved into growth mindset? What are your experiences?
Inside: A fun brain break in Spanish for the language classroom. I’m working hard this year to make sure I break up our classes with some sort of movement. I came up with Find Your Blob for something that’s quick and ties into the lesson. The students are speaking the TL, but because it’s related to their
The Unfair Game is a totally unfair twist on Jeopardy that your students will LOVE to hate! Learn how to play and find sample game boards in this post.
I have a super quick project that you are sure to find useful in your classroom. It is an Indoor Recess Cart, customized to your own students' interests. Not only is this cart easy to put together and compact in size, it also allows you to put to use items that you probably already have on hand. The main reason I created an Indoor Recess Cart was for sub days. I've always had a variety of activities students could choose on the days that we couldn't make it outside. However, I had them tucked here and there in the classroom, way too much explaining to leave for a sub. Once I consolidated the activity choices on the Indoor Recess Cart, it was much easier to leave for a substitute. To create an Indoor Recess Cart, you will need a utility cart. Once you have your cart and assemble it, you will print your labels. I printed mine on cardstock and laminated them for durability. Finally, I glued the labels on the cart. Click on the link below for a FREE set of labels for your Indoor Recess Cart. After your cart is put together and labeled, next comes the fun part...filling it. I recommend not over stuffing the cart. It will be too difficult for students see what activities are available and too difficult for them to cleanup appropriately. You should discuss with your students the expectation for the Indoor Recess Cart. That way students are responsible for it and it doesn't become one more thing that you have to manage. Below are some ideas for an Indoor Recess Cart. Ideas for an Indoor Recess Cart include: 1. a utility cart 2. a variety of simple games, like Memory, Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel Game!, Connect 4, and Hi Ho! Cherry-O 3. jigsaw puzzles (I like to put mine in baggies and store in one shoebox size tote.) 4. fun art supplies and drawing journals (Spiral notebooks I give students at the beginning of the year, that only come out on indoor recess days.) 5. dominoes 6. building toys, like Legos and Brain Flakes After you loaded up your cart, you're finished! You have a fabulous Indoor Recess Cart that your students will really enjoy. As the year progresses, trade out some of the activities, so that students will continue to be interested in the choices. Thank you so much for stopping by! Stay well. School Is a Happy Place is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associated Program, an affiliate program that allows this site to earn advertising fees. Please know that all of the recommendations on this site are authentic and come from personal experience.
Check out three simple ideas for assessment in a CI classroom, and get started assessing your students' acquisition!
Save money by making your own privacy folders for students, using dollar store display boards. Here's a DIY tutorial.
So, the trick to teaching with comprehensible input is to get a million repetitions in a way that doesn’t feel repetitive. Games are one way that make that task easier for me and this game is…
When I was in grade school, I loved to work with similes and metaphors. Such fun! Years later, I realized that just because I enjoyed something doesn't guarantee that my children will feel the same way. Some children just need a little extra practice before a concept is understood and mastered.
Reinforce behavior by displaying The Essential 55 in your classroom with this poster inspired by Ron Clark's Essential 55. Please do not forget to leave feedback to receive credits on future TPT purchases. If you find any errors or have questions regarding this product, please contact me at Bianca...
Keep your classroom organized, your sanity intact, and your social media channels popping.
Students complete an interpretive reading activity about directions in a city with integrated technology aspect via Google Maps and QR Codes.
Finding new ways to include reading in my classroom has been the biggest part of my lesson plans this year. Whether it’s getting them to interact with the reading in some way via True and False Statements or the Most Important Sentence activity, or just getting them to re-read the story, having a variety of […]
Create a syllabus for World Language courses that conveys important course information and clarifies aspects of your course that are nontraditional.
Fun Activities for Spanish class to bring back that joy that is missing. No tech activities and the best fun Spanish games using technology.
For the last few years, I’ve been creating units to use with the students in my classroom. I wanted them to learn Spanish, but as they reached level 3+, I wanted them to learn in through the …
Check out 7 comprehensible input activities you can use in your world language classroom to deliver CI to your students!
I love games. (I love them so much I decidated an entire page to lists...
Great for the little ones in your life -- use in Easter baskets, at Sunday School, for small group crafts, or even in the classroom (no glue, no mess)! They can easily be turned into ornaments or added to wreaths. Singles -- individually bagged crafts, each with their own instructions; great for gifts and party favors. Bundles -- multiple crafts in one bag; great for in the classroom and group activities. Bundles are available in multiples of 4. Each set of 4 wooden lacing crosses includes six bright colors of 100% acrylic yarn and four plastic (kid-friendly) weaving needles! This is a complete kit, so you're ready to craft as soon as it arrives. Easy instructions and a visual is included. Many color options! Any yarn color set you choose will include 6 colors. Size: each cross is 6" tall, 4" wide Handmade in Sanford, Florida
This activity is like putting together a puzzle as students create sentences to describe the pictures. They build Spanish sentences using three words by choosing a word of each color to construct the sentence. You can download two free versions of the activity below. Activities to Build Spanish Sentences
I LOVE using centres with my students! My students love them, and will choose many of the centres to play during indoor recess instead of lego and other toys. It rained this week and one of my boys chose to build with magnets on cookie trays! Setting clear routines is the most important part. Take the time to teach the games to your students so that they understand how to play properly. If they haven't mastered the French vocab, then you will have behavioural and focus issues come up. With younger students, make sure you practice the game as a whole class many times before you introduce it as a centre. Set-up: I use the cards from my "j'ai fini" board as the centre rotation cards, as the centres are all things they can also choose to do if they finish their work early. I recently updated the file to include centre group cards, so you can write their names on the group # cards to set up your groups before they come to class. Normally my "j'ai fini" board is set up like this: Since they're on magnets, it's really easy to move them over to the other side of my whiteboard to set up the centres. I line them up vertically and put the group # cards beside them. I have each centre set up on a table group (except bug in a rug, they play on the carpet). I review the rules of each centre with them, and the CLEAN UP rules. We talk about what each centre should look like when it's been properly cleaned up. They get started at their centres, and I work with my small group at my table. When I'm done with them (about 10 minutes) I ding my bell. This means clean up and come back to the carpet. Once they're all back at the carpet, we look around to check that the room is cleaned up properly. Any groups who wrote on whiteboards are able to read a sentence they wrote to the class. This is our sharing centre. Then I move the centre cards on the whiteboard down one spot, and tell each group where they are going for their next centre. Here are some of the centres I do: 1. Bang game: Put all the vocab you’re practicing in a container. Students pull out a card. If they can say it in French (or use it in a sentence, to make it harder) then they can keep the card. If they pull a card that says “bang” then they get another turn (or lose all their cards, your choice!) You can use any empty yogurt container or plastic tupperware. Just make sure they can't see through the container! Some of my students like to play bang and then write the words they won on a whiteboard! 2. Bug in a rug: Lay out the vocab in a grid. One student hides the “bug” under a card, while the other students close their eyes. They guess in French which vocab card it’s hidden under. Whoever finds the bug gets to hide it next. This game requires an honest conversation with your students about why cheating will ruin the fun of the game! 3. Go fish: You can print any of the flashcards you're using in class. Copy them 2 or 4 per page to make them smaller. 4. Word building: Magnets on cookie trays! My students use our visual dictionaries or word wall strips to choose their words/sentences to build. These awesome magnets come from wintergreen. This set is much cheaper, but you'd likely need multiple sets. The cookie trays are from the dollar store. Ideally you want small magnets so they can fit more words on the cookie tray. 5. Sentence building: Print squares with a variety of sentence starters, numbers, colours, and objects. Students then put the words in order to build sentences. You can extend this by having them read their sentences to a partner, or write their sentences on a whiteboard/in their journals. 6. "Pictionary": One student draws on a whiteboard, the other student has to guess what they are drawing. 7. Matching: Picture to the word. My students use our visual dictionaries to check their work over when they're done! 8. Cootie catchers/fortune tellers with a partner. 9. Bingo - 1 group member can be the bingo caller, others put tokens on the words that are called. I use these as the bingo tokens. 10. Writing on whiteboards - 11. Hunting for sight words - 12. Cube game - Roll the cube and answer the question. Extension - write the question! I bought the cubes here, and write different prompts on sticky notes to slide under the plastic. 13. SMACK game - One student says the word, whoever smacks it first gets to say the next word! 14. Spin and graph sight words - 15. Stamp the sight words, themed vocab, or sentences! 16. Write the sight words - I bought salt from the dollar store and added a few drops of food colouring, then gave it a good shake. Students use a sharp pencil to write words in the salt! 17. Read and clip - 18. Spinner games - I use these in centres to give my students prompts for oral communication or writing. They can spin the spinner and either say a sentence or write a sentence. They can review vocabulary in partners (one spins, one says the word). 19. Working with Mlle - The BEST part about centres is that it means I can pull small groups to work with. Do you have any centres you love? Feel free to share in the comments :)
Inside: Ideas for playing Bingo in the Spanish classroom and a free printable Bingo board. It might seem odd to dedicate an entire post to the humble game of Bingo. Bingo is traditionally a game for developing listening skills and recognizing words, a staple in almost any language classroom. Don’t miss the versatility of this game,
Need ideas for your French classroom? See my posters, decor, and setup for maximum French in the classroom and cool Francophone culture...
