I just ended our 3rd week of distance learning, however this was my first week teaching live online classes. I do have to say that it has been exhausting trying to figure out how to make the class interactive and engaging while being so far apart from my students and only interacting through a screen. Learning new tools is a plus but is also exhausting. By my first class session I thought I had mastered Zoom, but it when I taught my first class (a second grade group), I realized that there were more things to learn. I shared my plan for the class using the screen sharing function of Zoom. One of my students then started using the annotation tool to scribble over the shared screen agenda, and that’s when I knew I needed to learn more. It was a bit funny but frustrating at the same time.
Anyway, we came up with the list below while brainstorming with some of my students about quick games we could do in class without the need to share my screen. By not sharing a screen, it also becomes possible to see every student. We have played these games in our classroom before, so the students should know them well. It is necessary to adapt some of these games to make it work for our current online setting.
Simón dice: We usually play this game in class by saying “Señora dice” instead of Simón dice. Sometimes I like choosing a student to be “it” and the name “Simón” will be replaced by that student’s name. Choose one person to give directions or say a command. Everyone should follow the direction only if they hear “______ dice.” If someone follow directions when the person directing hasn’t said “_____ dice”, that person will be out of the game. You can continue until one of few people are left in the game.
Charades: I usually have between 8 to 16 students on a live class on Zoom, so it’s not easy to divide the groups, or at least I haven’t tried it. This works great with students 2nd grade and up. You will need to use the chat tool for this game. I am not familiar with platforms other than Zoom, but in Zoom the host can choose to privately chat with a student. The rules for this game are simple. No words or pointing at anything, just acting it out for other students to guess. Choose one student to act out a word. Send the word in a private message to the chosen student only. Have the student act out the word and give students turns to guess. Whoever guesses first will become the next actor. You might want to write the word on a piece of paper or board to show to the students later.
Color colorcito: This is a game that my kindergarteners love playing in the classroom. It usually involves one person naming colors and the other students running to find the color. If the person naming the color tags someone who is not touching the color, then that person becomes the new “it.” See my previous post here for a longer explanation of the way I usually play it in the classroom. Because it’s impossible to play a “virtual” tagging game, we made it for students to look for an object of that color in the room. The person who finds the color last will say the new color.
La caja mágica: You could either use a box or a bag. Place and object inside, describe it and have your students guess it. Click hereto find more ideas.
Sigue al líder: Play some music and choose one student to lead the class in different dance movements.
Congelado: Play music for a few seconds, stop the music and everyone has to freeze. If anyone continues moving, they will join you to find other students who are not freezing or continue moving when you stop the music.
El director de orquesta: This game is known as “Follow the leader.” Choose one student to close his or her eyes, and this student will have to guess who is directing the group. While that student has his/her eyes closed, choose another student to direct the group. Write the name of the “director” on a white board or a piece of paper and show it to the group. The student directing then has to do movements or gestures that everyone else will copy. The student who is guessing will have three opportunities to guess who is directing the group. If the student doesn’t guess, you can reveal the name of the student director, and then you can all clap for him or her. You can decide how long you want to continue with this game.
Do you have any other games to add to this list? Feel free to share them in the comments or email them to me for updates to this post.
These are three simple and easy to understand stories that I have written for elementary students, although I have also been delighted to hear from middle school teachers that they have used them with their beginner classes. These stories have a lot of repetition in them.
Make sure to download the free resources that go along with them. Just click on each picture below, and it will take you to a new link to download the stories and activities.
This is a short story with a simple goal, to raise students’ awareness about the negative environmental impacts of latex, plastic, and other materials. I created a story after being inspired by another video (further below in this post) that demonstrates why releasing balloons into the air can have such terrible consequences for animals, especially birds.
In my short and comprensible story, a red balloon listens to two birds talk about how another bird died after eating a piece of a popped balloon. This makes the red balloon sad, and it wishes never to be big. Download the story to see what happens next!
Earth Day is on April 22nd, and using this story is a great way to introduce this celebration to class. You can download the story for free from my Teachers Pay Teachers store.
You might also take a look at organizations such as Greenpeace to complement the story. Greenpeace has YouTube channels for some Spanish speaking countries: Argentina, Colombia, México, Chile with many videos that are short, sweet and simple and can inspire many interesting lessons and reflection.
Here is a link to the video that I came across, made by Mexico-based Pamela Quibec, which served as inspiration for Simón el globito:
With the current health situation world wide bringing school closure in some places, some teachers have been advised to come up with plans and ideas students can do at home. I have put together a list of online and printable resources that teachers can share with their students. As language teachers, we all know that these types of resources can’t ever replace the value of personal interaction and contact time with students, but in this situation, these resources can certainly come in handy and continue exposure to the language. I included printable resources and recommend teachers to put them together in packets just in case students don’t have internet access at home. All of these resources have access to free materials.
Farm animals are always a hit in early elementary classes.This fun and repetitive song will be a great addition to your activities. Here are some ideas to use along with this song:
Activities
•Find Colombia on a map.
• Show a farm and the different animals. Introduce Tío Ramón (Uncle Ramón) and tell them that he lives on a finca (farm). Introduce the different animals and tell them the dog makes a different sound in Spanish. The dog says “guau, guau”.
• Have children make the sounds of the different animals when you name them in Spanish. You can also ask them the colors of the animals to link to the lesson on colors.
• Animal bag: Place different animals in a bag. Blindfold a child and ask him/her to reach in the bag and pull out an animal. Have the child guess the animal. Other children can give cues about the animal.
• Animal dice: Use a square shaped box and place pictures of different animals on every square. Have the children throw the dice while naming the animal and saying the sound it makes.
La finca del tío Ramón / Uncle Ramón’s farm
En las montañas de Colombia está la finca del tío Ramón,
En las montañas de Colombia está la finca del tío Ramón.
En la finca hay una vaca y la vaca hace muu.
En la finca hay un perro y el perro hace guau, guau
En la finca hay un pato y el pato hace cuac, cuac.
En la finca hay una oveja y la oveja hace baaa.
En la finca hay un gato y el gato hace miau.
Uncle Ramon’s farm is in the Colombian mountains,
Uncle Ramon’s farm is in the Colombian mountains.
There is a cow on the farm, and the cow goes moo.
There is a dog on the farm, and the dog goes woof.
There is a duck on the farm, and the duck goes quack.
There is a sheep on the farm, and the sheep goes baaa.
There is a cat on the farm, and the cat goes meow.
Uncle Ramon’s farm is in the Colombian mountains,
Uncle Ramon’s farm is in the Colombian mountains.
¡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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