Interactive Foreign Language Classroom Activities

THE ORDERED AND ACTIVE FOREIGN LANGUAGE CLASSROOM
INTRODUCTION
Establishing an interactive classroom successfully begins with establishing good, consistent procedures.
Think: Procedures for everything. Procedures for classroom set-up and management, procedures for basic
recurring learning activities, procedures, procedures, procedures.
First things first: set up how your classroom is to be run. The first section of this handout is set up with that
process in mind. The more procedures you have in the mechanics of the class, the fewer behavior problems
you will experience, and the more creative you will be able to be.
After that, focus on establishing some core vocabulary and grammar activities that you come back to in
every chapter. These activities should be simple, but interactive, and address as many learning intelligences
as possible. Teach these activities as you would the set up of your classroom—with procedures that are
predictable and consistent. The second two sections of this handout give descriptions of a few of these types
of activities that you can begin incorporating in your classroom instruction now.
Feel free to take and modify any of the ideas presented here to make your classroom and instruction more
effective for the success of learners!
Lindsay Unsworth and Cynthia Barrett

CLASSROOM PROCEDURES
WHY PROCEDURES?
 A classroom cannot be interactive until the nuts and bolts have been understood, established and
practiced.
 Eliminating uncertainty in as many areas as possible helps the students know what their
expectations are in all situations and greatly reduces boundary testing and acting out.
 A combination of classroom procedures and interactive, interesting activities is a key to student
success in the foreign language classroom.
IMPLEMENTATION:
 TAKE TIME: Establishing all classroom procedures can take a week or more. Think you don’t have
that luxury? Some pointers:
o Taking the time to establish routines and procedures early eliminates time wasting later on.
Learning activities become easier and more time efficient later. You WILL catch up.
o Teach routines and procedures together with some of the core activities you will use all year
to teach vocabulary and grammar. Train them in two things at once.
 Don’t take anything for granted! Plan on saying EVERYTHING out loud and make it a procedure.
 CONSISTENCY IS KEY: If you say you’re going to do something, do it. Establish rules and procedures
that YOU will stick to. Expect students to do the same, and enforce consequences.
THE THREE STEP APPROACH TO TEACHING PROCEDURES:
1. Explain.
State, model, demonstrate.
2. Rehearse.
Repeat the procedure until it becomes routine.
3. Reinforce.
Praise when rehearsal is acceptable. Re-teach and give corrective feedback if necessary.
THREE IMPORTANT CLASSROOM PROCEDURES:
1. Daily Routine
2. Behaviors for being in class (rules, incentives, consequences)
3. Behaviors for entering and exiting the class.

ESTABLISHING CORE ACTIVITIES
REASONING
 Establishing core interactive activities will set up an engaging classroom in an orderly way.
 Students will learn that they will work together and still be expected to act a certain way and
accomplish learning objectives.
 Students become conditioned to respond to transitions and change.
 Activities address the different learning intelligences of students and incorporate differentiated
instruction.
 Name the activities. Naming them creates a classroom culture where everyone shares in the
expectations and procedures are reinforced.
VOCABULARY ACTIVITIES
The activities included in this section...
 are meant for the acquisition and practice of vocabulary words
 aim to keep practice in the target language as much as possible (as opposed to too much translation)
 encourage circumlocution by teacher and students
 address various kinds of learner intelligences
GRAMMAR ACTIVITIES
The activities included in this section...
 are meant for grammar instruction and practice
 practice grammar concepts in a variety of increasingly communicative ways
 are meant to build upon each other, from simple to more complex, from straight conjugation to
communicative practice
 address various kinds of learner intelligences

Establish courses you can always fall back on while teaching and practicing vocabulary.
Appetizers (Introduction Activities)
TPR.........................................................Teach recognition and comprehension of new vocabulary through actions
TPRS..................................Teach recognition and comprehension of vocabulary through contextualized stories
Salads (Healthy Straight-Practice Activities)
Partner Practice.....................................................Student-generated vocabulary lists that can be used to practice
vocabulary in a variety of ways
Word Wall............................ Student-generated vocabulary visual for the class that can be used in a variety of ways
Quiz Quiz Trade....................A vocabulary card activity that involves the whole class.
Main Courses (Integration and Expansion Activities)
Lotería.............................................................Students recognize vocabulary with or without the use of translation
VOCABULARY CAFÉ

TOTAL PHYSICAL RESPONSE (TPR)
Reasoning: Students learn to recognize vocabulary through pictures and descriptions in the
target language without relying as much on translation.
 Actions link the word to a vivid memory.
 Actions keep the brain from translating—it helps you to start thinking in the language!
Materials:
 PowerPoint or transparencies with vocabulary words in pictures.
Rules and Procedures:
 Everyone stands up and participates!
 The bigger and cheesier the actions, the better! Sound effects welcome!
 The class comes to a consensus on an action for a word.
 No more than 1 minute spent on thinking up the action.
 Keep actions appropriate.
Suggestions:
 Don’t have vocabulary words written at first. Let students discover the words through
listening, repeating, acting, and linking the visual to the word this way before
introducing the orthography.
 Translation optional: Ask for translations in the beginning to check comprehension,
but after that, rely on students’ actions to verify they understand the word. The less in
English, the better.
Intelligences Addressed:
 Verbal / Linguistic
 Intrapersonal
 Interpersonal
 Body / Kinesthetic
 Visual / Spatial
 Naturalistic

TOTAL PHYSICAL RESPONSE STORYTELLING (TPRS)
Reasoning: Students learn to recognize vocabulary through pictures and descriptions in the
target language through a story.
 Actions link the word to a vivid memory.
 New vocabulary words linked to a vivid, interactive story.
 Actions keep the brain from translating—it helps you to start thinking in the language!
 Questions and repetitions of information also keep students thinking in the target
language.
Materials:
 PowerPoint or transparencies with vocabulary words in pictures.
 A story that links the words together in an interesting way—all in the target language.
(Many textbook companies have these stories ready-made in the ancillary materials.
They sometimes require a little modification to make them interesting...)
 Everyone participates!
 The bigger and cheesier the actions, the better!
 Everyone answers the questions out loud.
Suggestions:
 Present the key vocabulary through pictures. Make up actions with the pictures as a
reference. Practice actions for the words a few times before launching into the story.
 Spiral the questions from simple to more complex (starting with Yes/NO questions to
one word responses to more open-ended) as you tell the story. Interject the story with
these questions as you go. Don’t wait until the end—they are your comprehension
check.
Variations:
Use the written story to have the students:
 fill in the vocabulary
 identify a specific verb tense
 re-write it
 change it
 tell it in their own words
 create a little play / drama
 Intrapersonal
 Interpersonal
 Naturalistic

PARTNER PRACTICE
Reasoning: The Partner Practice is a reference vocabulary list that students keep with them to
study.
 Quick addition to daily routine
 Sponge activity for students with extra time
Materials:
 A list on colored paper with the vocabulary words either written in Spanish or English,
with spaces for the students to write in the words in the other language.
 Write the translations of the words.
 With a partner, practice the vocabulary: one person covers the Spanish side, the other
covers the words in English. Quiz back and forth.
Variations:
IN PAIRS:
 Practice Spanish to English
 Practice English to Spanish
 Practice TPR to Spanish
 Practice spelling
ALONE:
 Cover one side and practice remembering the words on the other
 Logical / Mathematical
 Intrapersonal
 Interpersonal
 Naturalistic

Práctica en pares: U2E3- Mis actividades
1. andar en bicicleta ______________________________
2. caminar con el perro ______________________________
3. cenar ______________________________
4. comer chicharrones ______________________________
5. cuidar (a) el animal ______________________________
6. mi hermano/a ______________________________
7. el pájaro ______________________________
8. el pez ______________________________
9. hacer ejercicio ______________________________
10. ir al supermercado ______________________________
11. leer ______________________________
a. la novela ______________________________
b. el periódico ______________________________
c. el poema ______________________________
d. la revista ______________________________
12. mandar una carta ______________________________
13. tocar la guitarra, el piano ______________________________
14. ver la television ______________________________
15. pintar ______________________________
16. abrir ______________________________
17. aprender ______________________________
18. beber ______________________________
19. compartir ______________________________
20. comprender ______________________________
21. hacer ______________________________
22. oír ______________________________
23. recibir ______________________________
24. tener hambre ______________________________
25. tener sed ______________________________
26. vender ______________________________
27. ver ______________________________
28. vivir ______________________________

WORD WALL
Reasoning: The Word Wall is a student-generated visual for the vocabulary words they are
learning.
 Associates words with pictures
 Students responsible for creating a study resource for themselves
 Become invested in the teaching process
Materials:
 Large index cards (easiest is to have the word in the target language already written on
one side)
 Pencils, colored pencils, markers
 Draw a picture of the word on the reverse side of the card.
o The simpler and easier to understand, the better
o Make pictures large and use color
o No English translations
o Words in Spanish okay, as long as they’re not the vocabulary words themselves
 Options for generating:
o Have one class per chapter or new vocabulary list be in charge of creating the
Word Wall
o Have all classes make cards for the Word Wall, and the students whose cards
make it on the wall (make a criteria like “easy to understand” or “most colorful
and interesting”) receive extra credit
 Post cards on a wall in the classroom with sticky tack or on a word wall chart purchased
at a teacher store.
Activities to Use with Words on Word Wall:
 “Oops!” (for pronunciation practice): Take words from word wall and add cards that say
the equivalent of “oops!” in the target language—about 1 “oops!” card for every 10-15
words. Shuffle the cards, and have students come up and draw a card. If they can
pronounce the word correctly, they keep the card. If not, they give it up. Picking an
“oops!” card makes the students give up ALL the cards in their hand. The student with the
most cards at the end is the pronunciation king. (Variation: play in groups with
vocabulary cards for each group.)
 Flyswatter: Put the words on the class board either picture side out or word side out. For
picture side, teacher calls the words in Spanish, and students attempt to touch the
corresponding picture first. For word side, teacher can call the words in English, or, even
better, circumlocute the word the word in the target language and the first student to
identify it correctly wins the point for their team.
 Charades: Split the class into 2 teams. Shuffle the cards, and have students draw
randomly. They act out the words for their team without speaking, and their team needs
to say the word in the target language.
 Mind Reader: Students choose a word from the Word Wall and have to use
circumlocution to describe their word to their group so their group can guess it.

 Vocabulary Toss:
Before the Game
Purchase and set up in the classroom a mini basketball hoops that comes with a small
sponge "basketball." Use masking tape to create on the floor a foul line that shots will be
taken from.
Prepare in advance a vocabulary activity employing words that are included on the
students' word wall. Prepare at least one question for each student in the class. The
following sample question formats will work nicely for that purpose:
 Provide a definition and ask students to identify the word-wall word
that matches the definition.
 Provide the phonetic pronunciation (for example, pro-NUN-see-ay-
shun) and ask students to say or point to the word.
 Provide a sentence that has one word missing; that word can be found
on the word wall.
 Provide a synonym (a word that means the same thing) or an antonym
(a word that means the opposite), and have students identify the word.
 Provide a rhyming word and ask students to identify the word-wall
word.
 Provide two dictionary "guide words" and ask students to identify a
word wall word that might be found on the same page as those words.
(For example, the word wonderful would be found on a dictionary page
with the guide words "wall - word."
The Game
Arrange the class into 2 to 4 teams. Ask one of the questions you prepared (see Before the
Game above) of the first student on the first team.
 If a student identifies the correct word-wall word, that student earns a
point and a chance to double his or her score (earn two points for the
team) by trying to shoot a basket. A successful shot earns that second
point; there is no penalty for a missed shot.
 If the student does not identify the correct word-wall word, pass the
question to the first player on the next team.
 At the end of the game, the team with the most points is declared the
winning team.
 Intrapersonal
 Interpersonal
 Naturalistic
Resource: Education World http://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/04/lp328-05.shtml

QUIZ QUIZ TRADE
Reasoning: An interactive, whole-class way to practice vocabulary.
Materials:
 Vocabulary cards from the Word Wall
Procedures:
 Each person gets a card.
 Find a partner by raising your hand in the air. Give a high-five to someone else with their
hand up.
 Show your partner the picture side of the vocabulary card. Your partner tells you the
word.
 Look at the back of your card and correct your partner.
 Your partner will show you the picture side of their card and quiz you.
 Trade cards, raise your hand, find someone else to work with!
Rules:
 EVERYONE PARTICIPATES! Your classmates need to see as many words as possible.
 PARTICIPATE THE FULL 5 MINUTES! The more words you see, the better!
 YOU MAY NOT TALK TO THE SAME PERSON WITHIN 5 TURNS! This is not about talking
with friends. This is a study strategy.
 TAKE CARE OF THE CARDS! They are property of all the Spanish classes, and they all
need them!
Variations:
 Practice Spanish to English
 Practice English to Spanish
 Practice TPR to Spanish
 Practice spelling
 Intrapersonal
 Interpersonal
 Naturalistic

LOTERÍA
Reasoning: A student-created document that links the meanings of the vocabulary with
pictures.
 Associates words with pictures
 Student-created: they make their own associations and visuals
 Simple starting point for circumlocution
Materials:
 A blank Lotería board in an even grid (3x3, 4x4, 5x5, etc.)
 Pencils, markers
 Choose a certain number of the vocabulary words that will be hardest for you to
remember.
 Draw pictures of those words randomly in the boxes. Make the pictures as clear a
possible so you will recognize them immediately.
Playing:
 Teacher calls the vocabulary in Spanish and has students mark their pictures. To win,
students need to call back the vocabulary in Spanish.
 Teacher can circumlocute the words in Spanish and have students guess which word
it is and mark them. Great opportunity for extra participation points.
Bean Rule
 One bean gets thrown, we put the game away, and do boring seatwork. (Follow
through with the first class who does this—it will only take one class for all the rest to
know you are serious.)
Prizes:
 Stickers
 Participation Stamps
 Homework / Warm-up Passes

Variations:
 Can be played in partners with the Partner Practice for reference—review or sponge
activity
 Intrapersonal
 Interpersonal
 Naturalistic

Bingo!
Instructions: Choose the 25 words that will be hardest for you to remember. Draw them in
random order in the boxes below.

Establish courses you can always fall back on while teaching and practicing grammar concepts.
Appetizers (Introduction Activities)
Cornell Notes................................................................A way of teaching college-note taking and grammar concepts
Cloze Notes..............................................................Teacher-generated notes with spaces for important information
Jigsaw Teaching..................................Students discover and learn grammar concepts and teach them to others
Circle the Sage.......................Students become the master teachers of grammar concepts and help classmates
Tell a Friend...............................................................................A quick, in-class way of reviewing grammar rules daily
Salads (Healthy Straight-Practice Activities)
5 a Day Quizzes..........................................................................Small daily quizzes focused specifically on conjugation
Hand Jive.................................................A silly way for students to practice conjugation patterns with classmates
Battleship............................................A partner game that practices conjugations through writing and speaking
Dice Game........................................................A paired or group activity that creates sentences from conjugations
Main Courses (Integration and Expansion Activities)
Find Your Match........................................................A stand-up matching and translation game with conjugations
Find Someone Who........................................Students ask and answer questions using grammar and vocabulary
Earthquake!............................Students make up sentences about themselves and others and respond to others
Inside-Outside Circle...................................Practice grammar structures and OPE questions in this Q&A activity
Pass the Picture..........................Groups use grammar structures and teacher prompts to write about a visual
GRAMMAR CAFÉ

INTRODUCING THE CONCEPTS
CORNELL NOTES
Reasoning: Teaching effective note-taking strategies and study of those notes is a good way to
prepare our students for college. Cornell Notes teach students how to organize information
presented to them, together with study strategies that will help them remember that information
after class is over. When introducing Cornell Notes, also introduce their benefits.
Materials:
 Notebook paper
 PowerPoint or Lecture
Procedures:
 Set up paper either by drawing or folding it so that there is about 1” of space on the left
side and bottom.
 Students title the notes.
 Through lecture or PowerPoint, explain the new grammar concept.
 Students take notes on the large center section.
 For homework, students write questions and topics in the left space, and personal
reflection of the material at the bottom. They go through the notes with a highlighter or
colored pen to identify main ideas and expand on incomplete concepts.
 Linguistic intelligence
 Logical-mathematical intelligence
 Spatial intelligence
 Intrapersonal intelligence
Resources:
 www.avidonline.org

CLOZE NOTES
Reasoning: Cloze notes help students focus on concepts you feel are important, while keeping
them engaged in the note-taking process.
Materials:
 Teacher-generated notes copies with spaces for missing information students will fill in
during the presentation of the concept(s).
 Prepared Power Point or lecture.
Procedures:
 Present the new grammar concept through lecture or PowerPoint.
 Students listen and fill in the missing information on the teacher-generated notes sheet.
Intelligences:
 Linguistic intelligence ("word smart")
 Logical-mathematical intelligence ("number/reasoning smart")
 Intrapersonal intelligence ("self smart")
Resources:
 www.StudySpanish.com Copy and modify notes on grammar topics.
 http://tpduggan.tripod.com/powerp.html Pre-made Power Point presentations on
Spanish grammar concepts.
 http://pwidergren.net/PPT/gram/spgram.htm Pre-made Power Point presentations on
Spanish grammar concepts.
 http://worldlanguages.pppst.com/spanish.html Resources for more pre-made Power
Point presentations.

Infinitive= a ____________________________________________ verb (action word) that ends in -__________,
-__________ or -__________.
Everything before the ending is called the _______________.
bailar
stem-> _______________
ending-> _______________
Ejemplos:
ayudar (a) _________________________ aprender _________________________
buscar _________________________ beber _________________________
contestar _________________________ comprender _________________________
entrar (a, en) _________________________ comer _________________________
esperar _________________________
llegar _________________________ abrir _________________________
llevar _________________________ compartir _________________________
necesitar _________________________ escribir _________________________
pasar _________________________ asistir _________________________
usar _________________________
In English, verb infinitives have a __________ in front of them.
Present Tense Indicative (Indicates ___________________________________________)
When you ________________________________________________________________(-ar, -er, -ir), and you
_______________________________________________________________, you conjugate the verb.
Subject Pronouns
I = ____________________ we ____________________
you (familiar) ____________________ ya’ll (Spain) ____________________
he ____________________ they (masculine) ____________________
she ____________________ they (feminine) ____________________
you (formal) ____________________ ya’ll (L.A.) ____________________

-ar -er -ir
yo nosotros yo nosotros yo nosotros
tú vosotros tú vosotros tú vosotros
él/ella/ud ellos/ellas/uds él/ella/ud ellos/ellas/uds él/ella/ud ellos/ellas/uds
There are __________ for the present tense indicative.
1. _________________________________________
2. _________________________________________
3. _________________________________________
¡A practicar!
conjugation translation conjugation translation
hablar:____________________
yo ____________________ ____________________ nosotros ____________________ ____________________
tú ____________________ ____________________ vosotros_ ___________________ ____________________
él ____________________ ____________________ ellos ____________________ ____________________
ella ____________________ ____________________ ellas ____________________ ____________________
ud ____________________ ____________________ uds ____________________ ____________________
comer:____________________
yo ____________________ ____________________ nosotros ____________________ ____________________
tú ____________________ ____________________ vosotros ____________________ ____________________
él ____________________ ____________________ ellos ____________________ ____________________
ella ____________________ ____________________ ellas ____________________ ____________________
ud ____________________ ____________________ uds ____________________ ____________________
escribir:____________________
yo ____________________ ____________________ nosotros ____________________ ____________________
tú ____________________ ____________________ vosotros ____________________ ____________________
él ____________________ ____________________ ellos ____________________ ____________________
ella ____________________ ____________________ ellas ____________________ ____________________
ud ____________________ ____________________ uds ____________________ ____________________

Cloze Notes: ser y ester
Ser and ester both mean ____________.
In English we conjugate to be in this way:
I __________ we __________
you __________ ya’ll __________
he __________ they __________
she __________
In English, there is only one way to say to be. But it can be used in different ways.
The apple is green.
can mean
1. _______________________________________
or
2. _______________________________________
In the first case we are talking about a ____________. In the second, ____________.
In Spanish, a different verb is used to express “to be” depending on whether the speaker intends to address a
condition or an essential quality.
La manzana está verde. _______________________________________
La manzana es verde. _______________________________________
Ways to remember ser and ester:
Ser Examples:
D __________ __________________________________________________
O __________ __________________________________________________
C __________ __________________________________________________
T __________ __________________________________________________
O __________ __________________________________________________
R __________ __________________________________________________
Remember: ______________________________
Conjugations
yo __________ nosotros(as) __________
tú __________ vosotros(as) __________
él/ella/ud __________ ellos/ellas/uds __________
Estar
E __________ __________________________________________________
L __________ __________________________________________________
F __________ __________________________________________________
A rhyme: ______________________________, ______________________________
______________________________
Remember: ______________________________

Conjugations
yo __________ nosotros(as) __________
tú __________ vosotros(as) __________
él/ella/ud __________ ellos/ellas/uds __________
¡A practicar!: Why ser or ester?
1. Ella es la profe. ____________________
2. ¿Dónde está mi libro? ____________________
3. Daphne es la prima de Ariel. ____________________
4. Los panqueques son dulces. ____________________
5. Los panqueques están dulces. ____________________
¡A practicar!: Escribe las oraciones.
1. Jason and Wesley are funny. _______________________________________
2. Where is the bathroom? _______________________________________
3. Ye Jin is from Korea. _______________________________________
4. Aisha is a basketball player. _______________________________________
5. The hotwings are really hot! _______________________________________

JIGSAW TEACHING
Reasoning: Students discover new grammar concepts on their own, and have to teach a
classmate who has not read the same material the concept. This process engages the student at
the beginning as they are responsible for understanding the grammar concept and helps them to
retain the new information through teaching it.
Materials:
 Copies of explanations pertaining to a particular grammar concept, divided into smaller
concepts
 Notebook paper for Cornell notes, OR
 Cloze Note copies
Procedures:
 Divide students into groups of 3 or 4.
 Introduce the topic through a brainstorm: “This grammar concept is called __________
(imperfect verb conjugations, possessive structures, adjectives, etc.). What do you think
this will teach you to how say? How could you use this structure in day-to-day
communication? Give some possible examples in English.”
 Distribute divided explanations to groups (groups will get explanations of different points
of the concept). Students take notes on their concepts.
 Re-group students by numbering them while in their groups. For example, if you have
groups of 4, number the students from each group from 1 to 4. Have all the 1s meet
together in a specified location, all the 2s in another location, etc.
 In their new groups, the students teach their concept, while the rest of the group takes
notes. At the end, all students should have notes on all concepts.
 The teacher can choose to review the notes to clarify what students need to know and
clarify any unclear concept.
Intelligences:
 Bodily-Kinesthetic intelligence
 Interpersonal intelligence
Resources:
 www.StudySpanish.com

CIRCLE THE SAGE
Reasoning: Students discover new grammar concepts on their own, and have to teach a group
of classmates who have not read the same material the concept. This process engages the
student at the beginning as they are responsible for understanding the grammar concept and
helps them to retain the new information through teaching it.
Materials:
 Copies of explanations pertaining to a particular grammar concept, divided into smaller
concepts
 Copies of Sage Requirements
 Notebook paper for Cornell notes, OR
 Cloze Note copies
Procedures:
 Assign a few students (sages) a grammar topic to study and be prepared to teach.
 Divide the rest of the students into groups. The “sages” are assigned a group to teach the
concept to. The rest of the group takes notes.
 As a class, review the notes to clarify what students need to know and clarify any unclear
concept.
 Throughout the year you can assign all students at least one opportunity to be a “sage”,
giving them requirements and a grade for the assignment.
Variations: Use this as a review activity, right before a test: Choose students who have a clear
grasp one of the many concepts you have introduced in the chapter (or semester). On a review
day before the exam, set up your class into groups. Each “sage” will be in charge of tutoring
classmates in that concept. On review day, the students who are not sages can get help from the
sages who teach the concept they need help with.
Intelligences:
Resources:
 www.StudySpanish.com

TELL A FRIEND
Reasoning: We remember 95% of what we teach others. When students explain a concept to
others, they’ll remember it better.
Materials:
 “Tell a Friend” prompt (either PowerPoint slide or transparency)
Procedures:
 Give students 2-3 minutes to talk through a grammar concept with a classmate.
 Review the grammar concept as a class.
 Can be done daily as part of the class routine, especially as you are learning and
practicing that grammar concept.
 Can be tested on the chapter exam.
Intelligences:
Resources: Teacher-created.

BASIC PRACTICE
5 A DAY QUIZZES
Reasoning: A quick daily quiz that practices nothing but conjugation. Students really have to
know how to conjugate to pass these quizzes.
Materials:
 5 a Day prompts with answers (PowerPoint slide or transparency)
 A specific list of verbs that students are given to study to take the quiz.
Procedures:
 Students take out a blank piece of paper (or a scratch paper with none of the target
language on it). They write their name and make 5 T-charts.
 Display the 5 a Day prompt. For each verb, students:
1. Write the infinitive verb and its translation on the top of the T-chart.
2. Conjugate the verb in ALL forms.
3. Write the English translation of the subject and verb at the bottom.
Example: Students see: hablar (tú)
Students write: hablar: to speak
hablo hablamos
hablas* habláis
habla hablan
*you (inf) speak
 Time students for 5 minutes. They may not work together on this.
 At the end of 5 minutes, students put writing utensils away, and get a marker. They trade
papers, and write their name at the bottom of their classmate’s paper. They correct their
classmate’s work.
 To receive their quiz grade, students must get 3 perfect quizzes within the time frame the
quizzes are occurring in class, or come to tutoring.
Variation: Have students complete a certain amount of verb conjugations perfectly a specified
number of times within 5 minutes on www.conjuguemos.com.
Intelligences:

HAND JIVE
Reasoning: A fun way to remember the patterns of conjugation.
 Students practice verb endings with a partner
 Memorable patterns
Materials: PowerPoint slide or transparency of conjugation patterns being learned.
Procedures: For each type of verb, teach the conjugation pattern.
 Model the pattern and the hand movements.
 Have students perform the pattern with you in the air in front of them.
 Have students practice with a classmate.
 You can make this a quick part of your daily routine, especially if you are doing 5 a Day
Quizzes.
Intelligences:
 Musical intelligence

BATTLESHIP
Reasoning: A way to practice conjugations through a game. The writing of the verbs provides
repetition (helping students memorize the patterns). Playing helps them put the patterns into
communicative context.
Materials:
 Battleship boards
 Answer keys
Procedures:
 Introduce the Battleship concept by giving the reasons behind the game.
 Students write the conjugations on both parts of the board.
 Have students correct their boards (give them points for correct conjugations).
 Students outline “boats” on the top part of the game board.
 Students play in pairs completely in Spanish, except for the English translations of the
conjugations. (You can give them an oral grade for staying in Spanish).
Intelligences:
Resources:
 Original Battleship template
 Website by Señora Brownell http://www.chsspanish.com/enespanol.html#level1

¡¡Batalla de barcos!!
verbo
definición:
estar (u) poder (u) decir (j) traer (j) querer (i) venir (i) leer (y) dormir (u) pedir (i)
yo
tú
Ugly Betty
Carlos
Santana y yo
vosotros
Los Lonely
Boys
verbo
definición:
estar (u) poder (u) decir (j) traer (j) querer (i) venir (i) leer (y) dormir (u) pedir (i)
yo
tú
Ugly Betty
Carlos
Santana y yo
vosotros
Los Lonely
Boys
Reglas: Para buscar los barcos, di un sujeto y el verbo conjugado, y la traducción en inglés. ¡La persona
que hunde todos los barcos del compañero primero gana!
5 barcos Vocabulario
1 = 2 espacios ¡Estalló > Hit!
2 = 3 espacios ¡Se pasó! > Miss!
1 = 4 espacios ¡Se hundido! > Sunk!
1 = 5 espacios La bomba falló! >
Misfire!

Batalla de barcos
Submarino = 1 espacio Destructor = 2 espacios Acorazado = 3 espacios Portaviones = 4 espacios
Falló. Estalló. El _____ está hundido.
MI MAR
necesitar buscar aprender comprender abrir compartir
yo
tú
él/ella/ud.
nosotros (as)
vosotros (as)
ellos/ellas/uds.
SU MAR
necesitar buscar aprender comprender abrir compartir
yo
tú
él/ella/ud.
nosotros (as)
vosotros (as)
ellos/ellas/uds.

DICE GAME
Reasoning: A way to practice conjugations through a game. The writing of the verbs provides
repetition (helping students memorize the patterns). Playing helps them put the patterns into
communicative context.
Materials:
 Dice game prompt: slide / transparency
 Set of two different color dice for groups or partners
 Paper and pencil
Procedures:
 Display the prompt. Explain that 1 die represents the subjects column, and the other
represents the verbs column.
 Students roll dice to find the subject and verb. They conjugate the verb in the target
language, and translate it into English. Their partner listens and corrects.
 If they are correct, they win the number of points on the dice. If there are errors, no
points.
 If they aren’t sure and they want to use notes to help them conjugate or translate, they
can win only half the points.
 Choose whether you want students just to say them (you walk around and listen) or write
them (they turn them in for points).
Variations:
 One tense: one verb, column 1: different tenses, column 2: different subjects
 Different Tenses: Comparative tenses. Preterite vs Imperfect Column 1: Imperfect,
Column 2: Preterite “Ana estudiaba cuando Pedro llegó.”
 Play in groups, instead of partnerships.
 Have students write the conjugations and translations, and have partners or other groups
correct them. The winner is the partner or group with the most correct.
Intelligences:
Resources:
 Bureau of Education & Research (BER) Resource Handbook

EXPANSION ACTIVITIES
FIND YOUR MATCH
Reasoning: Helps students recognize correct conjugation in context.
Materials:
 Note cards with different subjects and conjugated verbs
 Music
Procedures:
 Divide the cards up among the students.
 While the music plays, students trade cards with everyone they see.
 When the music stops they look at the card in their hand. If they have a subject, they have
to find their matching verb, or vice versa. They stand next to each other in a circle and
work out the English translation for their sentence.
 After all students have found their match and are standing in the circle next to their
partner, one partnership at a time will present their sentence in Spanish and their English
translations.
 After all partnerships have presented, start the music and play again.
Intelligences:
 Linguistic intelligence ("word smart")
 Logical-mathematical intelligence ("number/reasoning smart")
 Bodily-Kinesthetic intelligence ("body smart")
 Musical intelligence ("music smart")
 Interpersonal intelligence ("people smart")
Resources:

Mi mejor amigo y yo
jugábamos videojuegos
todos los días.

FIND SOMEONE WHO
Reasoning: Students use subjects and verbs to interview each other and find out information.
Also uses the vocabulary of the section being taught.
Materials:
 Find Someone Who Sheets
 Answer sheets/slide/transparency
Procedures:
 Students write the questions in the “you” form for the interview.
 They write their own answers to the questions so they have them ready when they’re
asked
 Hand out or display answers; have students correct verb forms
 Students stand up and mingle. They ask and answer questions in the target language.
Classmates sign the paper if they have the same answer as the student (or different—you
can have them compare answers and write about them later).
Intelligences:
Resources:

EARTHQUAKE!
Reasoning: A less-structured way of practicing vocabulary and grammar. Students come up
with their own statements and have to listen and respond to the statements made by classmates.
Materials:
 Small stickers to place on the floor
Procedures:
 Students are given a topic they have to talk about involving the grammar and/or
vocabulary they have been practicing in the chapter. Example: When I was a child, I used
to...
 Begin activity with a class brainstorm. Ask students how to say the statement above, and
come up with as many activities as they can think of in the correct verb tense.
 Have students stand in a circle. Give each student a sticker (minus one, if you’re not
playing) to put on the floor at their feet. (I usually play with the students—it’s great class
building.)
 The person who doesn’t have a sticker stands in the middle of the circle and says one
thing they used to do when they were young. All students who used to do the same thing
must trade spots with someone else in the circle. The person who doesn’t get to a sticker
is the new person in the middle of the circle.
 Every 3-5 turns, someone can yell “Earthquake!”, and everyone has to change places.
Rules
 Everyone must participate. No one just stays on their sticker.
 You must move at least 2 stickers away from the place you’re currently standing.
 The person in the middle can’t repeat what the last person in the middle said.
Variations:
 The teacher can throw out different subjects to the students in the middle of the circle.
Intelligences:
 Linguistic intelligence
 Logical-mathematical intelligence
 Bodily-Kinesthetic intelligence
 Interpersonal intelligence
 Intrapersonal intelligence

INSIDE-OUTSIDE CIRCLE
Reasoning: An interesting way to practice questions and answers based on an OPE or grammar
structures.
Materials:
 Note cards with questions / prompts.
Procedures:
 Students form two circles with equal number of students, if possible. Students in the first
circle stand close together, facing out. Students in the second circle surround the first,
facing in.
 Students in one of the circles have the prompt cards. They ask their partner in the other
circle the question and listen and correct the response. Give a time limit of 1 minute
where the student responding must fill up the entire time with as much detail as possible.
 Reverse roles. The students hand the prompt card to their partner, and their partner now
asks them the question, listening and correcting. Give the students 1 minute to respond.
 Have students rotate. Tell one of the circles to rotate a certain number of people. Have
them count out loud in the target language to prevent skipping partners.
Intelligences:
 Naturalist intelligence
Resources:
 Dr. Spencer Kagan’s “Cooperative Learning”
 Cooperative Learning training through NISD

PASS THE PICTURE
Reasoning: Students work together using vocabulary and the target grammar to write a
paragraph about a visual prompt.
Materials:
 Visual prompt
 Paper clipped to the back of the prompt
Procedures:
 Teacher asks a question. Students look at the visual, a student writes the answer on the
paper.
 Students pass the visual and paper to the right. Teacher asks another question, the next
student writes the answer.
 Students continue passing the paper and visual as the teacher asks 6-8 questions.
 At the end, students read the paragraphs to their groups, make corrections, and share
them with the rest of the class.
Intelligences:
 Naturalist intelligence
Resources:
 www.myavid.org

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