Category: Games - Talia Block

BreakoutEDU in the World Language Classroom

2/8/2019

Escape rooms are all the rage right now, so why not cash in on the fun? BreakoutEDU offers a way for students to get the experience of an escape room within the confines of your classroom. Even better is that you have the opportunity to customize the breakout to fit your students’ age, content and language level. Once you get started, creating clues and events will be a breeze.

Preparation
Like any other lesson, I found that starting with the end in mind was really helpful. I set up a scenario that relates to the content we are studying and gives a hint as to what they should be prepared for. For my 4th grade animals unit, it seems as though some animals were stolen from the zoo and locked up in our school while the 5th grade students needed to unlock a petition to stop the use of plastic straws in the school.

Selecting the right part of the unit to do this is also essential. At the start of a unit, students don’t tend to have enough related vocabulary to accomplish the task, but at the end of the unit they are ready to move on to the next topic. Breakout activities are great for re-invigorating the learning and reignites excitement about the topic. Another benefit of doing the breakout mid-unit is that I can recycle material from class to create clues. Whether clips from a movie or an infographic, making a clue of something familiar can keep the clue from being too difficult or frustrating.

One last thing to consider is the amount of time you have to complete the breakout. My classes are 30 minutes long, which really becomes 25 by the time we get settled, I explain the activity and we clean up. I found that splitting the class into teams and having each team complete only one clue. If a team finished early, they were to split up and help the other groups (who were also told to accept the help!)

Top Tips for Implementing Stations

12/12/2017

After ACTFL this year in Nashville, I was very inspired to delve into the use of stations. I used them sparsely before but they were always more work than they were worth. My stations were rushed as I tried to squeeze too many rotations into my 30 minute class period; the instructions often took longer than the activity itself. During this years’ ACTFL conference, however, I had the pleasure of attending a session by Heather Sherrow and one by Joseph Pearson. My version of using stations pulls pieces of each of these presentations with my own personal spin. So here it goes!

Groupings
Work with classroom teachers, who spend all day with their students, to create strong heterogeneous groups. Since station work includes writing, reading, speaking, and listening, it is important to mix students that have various strengths. Along with the mix of academic strengths, you also want to consider social-emotional strengths. A group made completely of outwardly strong leaders can be as much of a disaster as one with all students that struggle with the target language.

I created a Google presentation with the groups so that it was easy to get them up for the class every day. The groups are assigned to a symbol or color that rotates each day. As a result, the groups don’t need to change, just the basket they find and the leader.

Culture Around Every Corner

9/19/2017

I didn’t grow up speaking Spanish. I didn’t grow up hearing the lullabies or playing the hand games. As a generally bilingual person, this is not necessarily an issue, but as a Spanish teacher (and bilingual parent), I sometimes struggle. I want to provide my students with the most culturally authentic class I can but I don’t always have the resources to do so. It isn’t the larger cultural ideas that are tough, but rather the little things, such as how a game is played or how turns are taken, that can be difficult to find. It is these things, however, that can add a little extra flair and fun to the world language class.

Keep an eye (and ear) out while watching TL content.
I was watching a video for a game, and as I was watching, I realized the kids in the video had various ways of picking whose turn it was to play. I did a quick search for each of the games and added it to my repertoire. Sometimes it’s simply a phrase or a hand gesture that comes out of watching other content, but by simply adding these little bits to our classroom, we create a more authentic experience for our students.

Find ways to match culture to content.
What are you teaching and what practices can you think of to match that content? What do we do in our country that may or may not be different in another country? Each year in Spanish we talk about food, which is a huge cultural lesson in and of itself. Our 4th grade unit focuses on food and celebrations starting with birthdays. As part of the unit, I’ve decided to teach the first few stanzas of Las mañanitas, the traditional birthday song. For each student’s birthday, we’ll sing Las mañanitas. It takes such a short amount of time but has a much greater impact than just talking about the song. Finding ways to bring in traditional poems, rhymes, hand games and songs can take a unit to the next level.

Travel (or bug someone who does).
If we had our way, many of us would travel all over the world learning and gathering knowledge. Sadly, this is not always reality. When we are fortunate enough to travel to countries where the TL is spoken, take the opportunity to speak with residents, browse the bookstore or music store, watch local TV or just observe people interacting with one another. In those time you aren’t able to travel, try and connect with a friend or family member who is. Ask them to bring back a book, video, CD, etc. that might be helpful. Giving a specific topic or general theme might be helpful to ensure they bring back what you are looking for.

Use social media.
I feel like I come back to this a lot. Social media provides a window to the world without leaving the comfort of you home (or school). By following relevant accounts, (for example: Zoo Madrid for animal), you get real-world resources at your fingertips. Within these resources I almost always find idioms or games that are more authentic than what I was using.

Here are a few fun things I picked up recently:

Disparejo – for picking turns.
This can be played with as many people as necessary. After saying “dis-pa-re-jo”, every person gives a thumbs up or thumbs down. The person who ends up without a pair (disparejo) is it. Originally, this game was played with coins, but has been adapted to using thumbs.

If you’d like to take this game a step further, here is a fun sheet for working on probability.

**Disclaimer: I would not suggest hitting anyone with a bottle, but this is the best video I could find to show you!**

Piedra, Papel y Tijeras
I always learned this game as yan ken po, which is also how it is called in Japan. This is a great example of regional and country differences. Here are some other ways to play rock, paper, scissors in Spanish (From Wikipedia): Piedra, papel o tijera, cachipún, jankenpón, dum-kin-voy,yan ken po, pin pon papas, chis bun papas, hakembó, chin-chan-pu, How-are-you-speak o kokepon.

Of course, these bits and pieces look different across the Spanish-speaking world, but I do my best to ensure my resources are authentic. What fun cultural tidbits do you use in your class? I’d love to add them to my bag of tricks!

Testing TakeOver - Tips for Teaching During Testing

4/28/2017

Spring is in the air… Which means it's time for testing! As a Spanish teacher, testing technically doesn't affect me at all. But with PARCC and MAP testing back to back, testing can feel overwhelming for both students and teachers. Not only are students’ brains a bit friend, but also, I miss classes due to the testing schedule.

Testing, however, does not need to keep you from teaching. In fact, this is a great opportunity to try a new idea you had or to play with the way in which you and your students interact with the curriculum. Here are just a few tips for keeping the learning alive during testing:

1. Turn everyday games into live action. Games are a great way to work with content without students thinking it’s work. Even better, live action games get students moving and expending energy as they think. Whether you want to focus on vocabulary or practice asking and answering questions there’s a game for you.

Human Tic-Tac-Toe: Set up a tic-tac-toe board on the ground and divide the class into two teams (X and O). Students answer a question (or ask a question about a vocabulary word) in order to move into the correct space. You can do this as a class or get multiple games going to get more students involved. Provide each group with a stack of pictures, words, definitions, etc. to work from so they can continue to play after one team wins.

Flyswatter: Everyone loves a chance to hit the target, but the way it’s traditionally played doesn’t keep the whole class involved. Change this game around by printing multiple sets of pictures of your vocabulary list and place the pictures all around the room – on the tables, floor, walls, etc. Divide the class into multiple teams (if you have 3 of each picture, make 5 teams, for example) and give each student a number. Call the number and call a word. Students with the number called find the word around the room. The students that find the pictures get a point for their team. Make sure to set some ground rules, though: walk don’t run, only one student per picture, play in silence, you have to give a sentence for each picture to get a point, etc.

2. Think Outside the Classroom. A lot of times, testing affects multiple teachers’ schedules. While it can be a pain for everyone, it also gives you the chance to do some shared activities. One great activity is a scavenger hunt. Divide the class into teams and create clues for them to find certain teachers. You can make the clues as easy or as difficult as you want. At each stop, have students ask a question. For example, students ask the librarian her favorite book or the art teacher her favorite artist. If a teacher wants to participate but won’t be around, just leave their picture hanging with the answer. J Once the clues were written, it didn’t take much to organize the clues and get the treasure hunt set up. Want to extend the activity? Have students work in groups to write different clues and create their own treasure hunt around the school.

3. Involve the students. Testing can be a perfect excuse to let loose and play some games. My students really wanted to play Quizlet Live, but I didn’t have the decks set up for them. I was able to quickly create sets to match word and picture, but I wanted something more. I created a list of as many vocabulary words as I could from the year and previous years in a Google Doc. I shared the Doc and asked students to write a description for as many of the words as they could. We wrote some sentence starters and talked about what kind of things they could write and it was off to the races! I was able to quickly create a deck of over 50 words in one class period to use with them the next day. Not only did they have a blast playing the game, but they did all the work!

4. Make them move. Right after finishing a test, it can be a lot to ask students to sit still for another 30 minutes; especially at the elementary level. To keep it Spanish focused, however, I didn’t want to take them out to the playground to run around. Instead, we moved all the tables to the side and did some kid-friendly workouts in Spanish. You can search YouTube and find some great stuff – just make sure to watch it first of course!

Brain Breaks

12/7/2016

If you’ve ever taught elementary school, you know the kids are squirrely. They can’t sit for more than 10 minutes or so before needing to stand up and move. This is great for language teachers as we often want our students moving around the room and interacting. There are times, however, that we need students to focus on an interpretive task or work on a presentational activity.

After reading about primacy and recency, I realized this was a great way to plan my lessons. Even with a 30 minute period, students could only focus on a task for about 10 minutes before needing a change. Enter the brain break.

Not only do brain breaks give students a chance to rest and recharge their brains, but also it is a way for me to incorporate cultural songs and ideas and to review previous lessons. Here are a few of my favorites:

Chocolate
This is a popular one with students as they get to talk (and think about) chocolate. It has a simple rhythm and simple hand gestures, but it gives them a chance to interact with a friend during class.

Cho-co-la-te
Choco choco la la
Choco choco te te
Choco la
Choco te
Choco Choco la te

Palo, Palo
This is a new find and the students love it! Again, simple words and gestures make it easy to introduce and do during class and it’s just fun! (The action starts about 2 minutes in.)

Palo, palo, palo
Palo, bonito
Palo, eh
Eh, eh, eh
Palo, bonito
Palo, eh

Hand clap
Everyone loves a good hand game and this one is no different! There are three parts to this, the second being quite long. While there is not a lot to the game, I love that the students learn the words associated with the different actions. As they move their hands, they have to say the words. For now, I only have them do part A, but as they get better I may add in part B and the finale. (Start video 1 min in.)

Busca algo…
This is a game we used to play as part of the color unit, but our color unit has been absorbed in other places (thankfully). Kids simply listen for the color (busca algo rojo) and walk around the room to find it. There are three rules: no running, no talking, and no touching other people. It’s a quick and simple way to get them moving and spot check for if they remember their colors. If you want to change it up, have them look for objects or letters.

Body Rock, Paper, Scissors
This is your typical rock, paper, scissors game, except that students use their entire bodies to form each object. Before playing, I go over each word and each movement with the students. We practice them in different orders and then in order. When they are ready to play, students close their eyes and say: “roca, papel, tijeras, ¡ya!”. On ya they pick a movement and open their eyes. You can teach phrases like “I win” or “rock beats scissors” as an added bonus.

Estatua
Another great way to review vocabulary is with statue. I name an object and students freeze in a way that demonstrates that word. Sometimes, I throw in feelings or adjectives as well.

When introducing the brain break, it can take a few extra minutes out of class, but once students know the song or game, all they require is the title of the activity to get going. It is worth the minutes up front to help long-term class participation and interest.

These are just a few of the many brain breaks out there. Not all are specific to the World Language classroom, but they can be adapted quite easily. Another option is to take a favorite rhyme or hand game in your target language or to search in your language via YouTube or Google.

No matter what you find, find a way to let students move and have a good time.

La Copa Mundial 2014

5/27/2014

http://tinyurl.com/copamundial2014

The World Cup is upon us! What better way to end the year than with a celebration of the most popular sport in the Spanish-speaking world?!

I am lucky to have an incredibly collaborative specials team that is willing to work with me throughout the World Cup unit. In art, students make flags and posters to represent their country, and in music they learn national anthems and chants. Best of all, in PE, students play a World Cup tournament, where they use the flags and cheers to show their national pride. All of this ties together our learning in Spanish class, where students get basic information on the World Cup and this year's host, Brazil.

At the elementary level, one of the most important pieces is keeping it fun and interactive. Students use all three modes of communication to complete their journey through the World Cup. Students interpret graphics and schedules, present information in the target language (TL) about their assigned country's team, and works with classmates to find a common game to watch during the tournament.

Not only is it important to provide students some background in football and the World Cup, but to help them feel like they are a part of the action. The cultural connections to products and practices are essential.

Here are some resources to get you started:

Building Better Sentences

3/4/2014

When learning a new language, creating sentences with that language can be one of the most difficult tasks. Students can easily respond with a single word, and the more advanced students make simple sentences. While this is great, and an important part of the progression of learning a language, I always want more! Helping students create strong sentences is a challenge in their first language, so can we really expect them to create complicated sentences in a novice level language class? Of course!

Fortune Teller Fun - el comecocos

11/21/2013

Who didn't love playing with fortune tellers (or cootie catchers) as a kid? Why not bring some childhood fun to Spanish class! A fortune teller is a great way to practice colors and numbers along with any other content you are studying.

The first part of the activity is a great interpretive activity, as students listen to your instructions and fold as they go. While many know how to make a fortune teller, they should listen and follow the steps as you go. For step-by-step instructions, click here.

Students choose 4 colors for the outside. They should make sure they can spell them in Spanish!

Students write 8 different numbers - one on each half triangle.

*Numbers should not exceed 25 or so, since they have to count that high at each turn.*

Game Day!

10/7/2013

What's better than game day in class? The best thing about playing games, as far as I can tell, is that students are learning and having a good time at the same time. In the language classroom, when students are engaged in a game, they are not only using the target language, but also manipulating it.

Some games are perfect for those extra minutes in class, others take a whole class period, and yet others are great for creating stations or for play with a substitute. Even better, it is often the simplest of game that students love the best.

Think about your favorite games as a child. Candy Land? Tic-tac-toe? Dot to dot? Pretty much any game can be made to work for the language classroom.

Tic-tac-toe for learning colors

Tic-tac-toe is a class favorite. Students pick a box, and if they answer a question correctly, they mark an X or O. Want to make it more challenging? Students can ask each other questions based on whatever material you are learning. You can pre-load the information into the board (see picture) or leave it blank and have students draw cards with questions or pictures.

Board games make planning for subs easy. Create a set of questions for the unit or provide students with pictures of the vocabulary. Students can use Candy Land or Chutes and Ladders or a culturally appropriate game board. Roll the die, answer a question and move your piece accordingly. Didn't answer the question correctly? You're stuck until your next turn!

Connect Four is another great game. You can use the real board or throw it up on the interactive white board. Answer the question correctly and drop your piece.

Click the document below to set up your own interactive Connect Four game!

connect4.notebook
File Size:	177 kb
File Type:	notebook