Teaching in a place where long winters prevail has instilled in me and my students a deep appreciation for every moment we can spend outdoors. As Spring has finally bloomed in Boston, I’ve made it a personal commitment to use the initial five to ten minutes of class as a warm-up to play games with my students outside. Not only do we relish the fresh air, but we also use language in context while having fun. Additionally, some of the games are traditional, thus introducing cultural elements into the class.
Here is a list that includes some of the games I have been teaching my students. Click on the links to learn about each game. Most importantly, have fun and enjoy the fresh air!
Playing outside is not only fun but also beneficial for our physical and mental health. Enjoying some fresh air and sunshine can do wonders for our mood and energy levels. So, take a break from screens and technology, and have some good old-fashioned fun outside!
Here is a game I played with my first graders today. They loved it! Last week I had the opportunity to spend time with a wonderful teacher. She shared some awesome games with me, and this is one of them.
For the “la manzana envenenada”game you will need to print pictures of apples of different colors. I laminated mine and added a tiny magnet on the back. You will need a tree. You could make one with paper or draw one on your board. How does the game work?
You will need a volunteer to leave the room. While the student is out, everyone left in the room has to agree on which apple will be poisoned.
The student comes back to the room, and the class should ask, chanting in unison:
“¿Cuál es la manzana envenenada?”
The student should ask the class while collecting each apple:
“¿La manzana __________?”
This student takes as many turns as necessary before selecting the poisoned apple.
When the student selects the poisoned apple, the class yells:
“¡estás envenenado/a!”
Then the student is out of the game. Count the apples that the student collected before finding the poisoned apple. Write his or her name on the board and the number of apples collected. Do the same for every student that takes a turn. Invite another volunteer and start the game again.
You can give turns to as many students as you like.
At the end you can compare and see who collected the most or the least apples.
This game has been motivating my second graders a lot lately. We did a unit on family members, we talked about the diversity in families, and they then described their own immediate families orally and in a small written project. I modified the well known game called “Who Stole the Cookie for the Cookie Jar?” to support this unit. Instead of a cookie, I printed a picture of an empanada. This added a small cultural twist to the game (and made me hungry for Colombian comfort food…).
I told my students the story of abuelita, whomade just one empanada and that someone in the family had eaten it without her permission. I added a detective to this version. I printed a picture of a detective and gave it to one student. I also gave printed pictures of different family members to the rest of my students. I got them from my “La Familia” set that I have in my TpT store. When you play it, you can also print pictures of family members from other sources.
I gave each student in the room one picture to represent a family member, and I made sure to include pets such as a cat and dog. Before playing the game, I made sure to go over the lines of the chant. We chanted every line and also helped the detective say his/her line.
How to play the game?
Once you have assigned the different pictures of family members to the students, choose one student to be the detective. The detective will have to leave the classroom. While the detective is outside the room, give a student with the picture of a family member the picture of the empanada. Everyone in the room has to pretend to have the empanada in their hands. The detective comes back to the classroom and will have three opportunities to guess who has the empanada. The class chants: ¿Quién se comió la empanada de mi abuela? (two times) The detective answers: ¿El papá se comió la empanada de la abuela? (two times) Usually the class helps the detective chant. Depending on who has the empanada the class will answer: “El papá no se comió la empanada de la abuela.” or “El papá sí se comió la empanada de la abuela.” Remember that the detective has three turns to guess. You can play this game for a long time in class and get everyone using some language skills that they’ve learned in your class.
Every year in February, the city of Barranquilla, Colombia hosts one of the most beautiful carnivals in the world: El Carnaval de Barranquilla. This carnival has been declared by UNESCO as one of the “Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity”. That’s a mouthful, but it really is amazing! It’s important to share this with our students not only because of its recognition but also because it’s an opportunity to bring some language to the classes in a colorful way. It’s also worth mentioning that this is the city where Shakira was born and raised.
I am a big fun of using Google Earth when doing cultural explorations. You can also add the use of a play passport. With your students, first locate Colombia and the Barranquilla. Bring the language alive by asking questions such as:
¿En qué continente está Colombia?
¿Qué lengua se habla en Colombia?
¿Dónde está Barranquilla?
¿En el norte o en el sur?
¿Qué pasa en Barranquilla en febrero?
Carnival time is a happy one in Barranquilla. Dances, parades and even children celebration in their schools. Here is a short video of “El Carnaval de Barranquilla”.
One of the most iconic characters is “La Marimonda”. It’s a funny character – a combination of monkey and elephant.
Here is a cute video of two children trying to figure out what “La Marimonda” really is.
Children recreate Marimonda dances at school.
Here is a video of a professional group of dancers doing “La Marimonda” dance.
A video of the history of the Marimonda.
Now it’s your turn! Have your students create their own Marimondas and get ready to celebrate carnival in your class with this story and activities. You can find it on Teachers Pay Teachers.
I have teamed up with a group of ten World Language Spanish teachers who have teaching-related blogs and are active sellers on Teachers Pay Teachers. I am so excited about the diversity of this group – with elementary, middle and high school teachers. We have all prepared resources that will help you enhance your lessons to celebrate Valentine’s Day in Spanish class. Many of these resources will be free during the dates of the hop which are January 31 and February 1, 2015.
I am a K-3 elementary Spanish teacher. My students always enjoy mini-books in class, and I have put together one for you to use with your students.
¡Hola! I am Carolina, a Colombian elementary Spanish teacher based in Boston, MA. Fun for Spanish Teachers is the result of my passion for teaching Spanish to children and my desire to inspire collaboration and creativity in a vibrant teaching and learning community. It’s the perfect stop if you are looking for songs, games, teaching tips, stories, and fun for your classes.
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