Become a more confident language teacher.
One’s gotta go is a popular discussion prompt that is perfect for communicative language classes. The basic premise is that students are looking at 3-4 images of different things and picking the one that they would eliminate from existence if one had to go away forever. How to play One’s gotta go This discussion activity…
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It’s January– you’re tired, they’re tired. Routines have started feeling…routine…and the same old challenges that you’ve been dealing with since the fall are starting to feel really old. Now is a particularly great time of year to be predictable in expectations but unpredictable in planning. Instead of starting the next unit or chapter and working…
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Last night, we had our third meeting of our local PLC (Northern NY & VT – sign up here if you live in the area and want to connect!). Our guiding question was, “Describe a recent lesson in which students were engaged?” I am really inspired by the creativity of the teachers in our group…
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Back in the day, I turned the classic children’s song “Juguemos en el bosque” into a game for my students to play and get in repetitions of clothing vocabulary. It was a great filler game and always an option for P.A.T., in addition to a planned part of the lesson for any unit that targeted high frequency structures…
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I shared this game on my blog many years ago, and I’m posting it an updated version today since it is so buried in the archives. “Thief” is a game that I first learned about from Michele Whaley, who read about it in a post by Jeremy Jordan on the MoreTPRS listserv. I have historically used…
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Pencil Grab is a super simple activity that I learned from Carmen Andrews-Sanchez via Kristin Duncan’s blog (update: her ‘TPRS Teacher’ blog is no longer active). Pencil Grab requires zero preparation, is easy to play, and it’s fun for students! Update: You may also know this activity as “The Marker Game“! What is Pencil Grab?…
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“Odd one out” is a fun game commonly played by language teachers, whether first or second+. You may have played it under a different name, or without naming it at all! The basic concept is that students are given a list of three to four items, and they must identify the “odd one out”–the item that…
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I am a very bossy person by nature, and unfortunately I didn’t realize it until right after I graduated from high school. By the grace of God, I’ve learned how to tame my nasty natural instincts…although it’s not always easy! Being married helps 🙂 I think that this is why the game that I’m about…
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Speaking of games, I realized that I’ve never posted my classes’ all-time favorite: El bebé malo (bad baby), introduced to me by Bryce Hedstrom (well, his website anyway!). Start with a tiny object! Find a small object to hide. In my class, we alway hide the smallest doll in my Russian Nesting Doll set: it’s…
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Here is another PAT idea from Charlotte Meyer on the FLTeach listserv. She read about it in her Avancemos textbook, so you might already be familiar with it. Who knows 🙂 Anyway, I like it because it is simple, takes no preparation, and could be played for a short amount of time (it’s always nice…
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