Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Introduction
It’s been approximately six years since I made the definitive decision to become a language teacher.
During those six years I have often either been enrolled in language classes, or have been teaching
language classes, or both. Nevertheless, what you see here is a product of much more than language
instruction. Since deciding to teach language, all of my teachers, notwithstanding their fields of
specialization, have taken on a dual role in my education. As a student, not only did I strive to learn the
material being presented, but I made a personal commitment to assimilate into my own teaching practices
the effective ways that the material was presented. If a teacher utilized an activity that I liked, or a
presentation that was effective, I stole it. This packet is partially a bi-product of over half a decade of
highway robbery. The activities and games that you’ll find in this packet have been pick-pocketed from
sociology, science, English, and even Shakespeare professors. But teachers aren’t the only source of
inspiration for a pedagogical thief. This packet also contains games and activities adapted from cereal
boxes, neighborhood parties, church outings, summer camps, board games, and family reunions. On
occasion I do give credit to game creators, some of which are even myself, but for the most part I’ve
considered everything you see here as “free-ware,” and I encourage all of you to look the other way and
do the same.
Organization
This packet contains 30 fun and effective language learning games that have been tried and proven
successful in my own Spanish language classroom. These activities have been categorized into the
following themes, listed in chronological order:
• 1 General Review Games: These games often utilize a format that is consonant with the employment of
vocabulary, grammar, morphology, syntax, communicative language use and cultural learning objectives.
Many of these games have been adapted to be “low affective filter” games that allow under confident
students to participate and feel validated without interference from highly competitive students.
• 2 Communicative Language Use Games: Although many of the games in the packet employ this
element, these games specifically center on meaningful communicative interactions amongst students, and
the use of target language structures.
• 3 Vocabulary Games: The activities in this category are quick and exciting games that teach students
vocabulary and circumlocution skills. These activities are often communicative.
• 4 Grammar Games: Grammatical concepts and structures are specifically focused on here, although they
too have been treated in many of the other activities. Different modalities of communication that employ
specific forms are stressed in this section’s games, and the widely untouched topic of syntax is even
included here.
• Appendix: Here you will find some of the materials that you will need to begin immediately
utilizing these activities in your own classroom.
Contact Information:
Curtis Kleinman
Yavapai College Spanish Instructor—Prescott, Arizona
Phone: 928-776-2290
Email: curtis.kleinman@yc.edu
If you would like an electronic copy of this packet, please see my website:
http://curtiskleinmanspanish.wetpaint.com/page/Fun+and+Effective+Language+Learning+Activities or
http://tinyurl.com/spanishactivities.
1 General Review Games
1.1 Musical Chairs
Theme: General Review Game
This is a good game to use as a review for quizzes or tests. First make up short language tasks, equal to the number
of students in your class (if your class has twenty five students come up with twenty five short relevant tasks).
Tasks should be short enough to be accomplished in 30 to 45 seconds. Here’s an example of a language task I use:
Some tasks may be as simple as supplying the correct vocabulary word, or reading a short sentence in the target
language and answering a question about it. Then, print up each one of these language tasks on a piece of paper
and apply to it a number (in this case, 1-30). Finally cut each numbered task out and tape them to the tops of the
students’ desks, one task per desk. Students sit in a desk that has a language task on it, and number their paper
from one to thirty. Tell the students that when you say go, they will have 30 seconds (or 45) to complete the task
that is affixed to the desk in front of them. Turn music on to signal that their time with the first task has begun. Cut
the music signaling that their time has expired. Each student should write the answer on his or her answer sheet,
and when the time comes to move on to the next task, students should stand and move with their answer sheet to the
next corresponding number on their paper. The number on their answer sheet should always correspond with the
next numbered desk that they are sitting at. You may want to include a few free desks where a task is not given to
afford students a break or a chance to make sure that their numbering isn’t off.
Short speaking tasks may be assigned as well by linking two tasks. Task 18 may say, “Ask the person behind you
where he or she is from, in Spanish.” Task 19 would then read, “Wait for the person in front of you to ask you a
question in Spanish and then respond in Spanish.”
Note: Cultural music can be played during this game. The teacher should lower the volume of the music to signify
that the time allotted for that question has expired. Once the students have changed chairs the teacher should raise
the volume once again.
1.4 Football
Theme: General Review Game
The teacher begins by drawing a football field on the board, similar to the figures below.
Fig. 1—Football Field with ball on Pirate’s one-yard-line Fig. 2—Football Field with ball on Dragon’s 25-yard-line
The class is divided into two large teams, and the teacher flips a coin to decide which team goes first. The team
that wins the coin toss, the Pirates, in this case, (the Pirates, in the case of Figure 1) will take possession of the ball,
starting on their own one-yard-line (the teacher then draws a picture of a football on the one-yard-line on the board,
[see Figure 1]). Each team will have one representative that will be asked to answer a question presented by the
teacher (questions can be lexical, grammatical, or even cultural in nature and can be answered orally or written long
hand, and can be answered in the target language or in the L1, all depending on the needs of the situation). The
team’s representative changes with every question. If the team’s representative answers the question presented
correctly the team will advance the ball up the field (represented by the teacher erasing the picture of the ball at the
one-yard-line and re-drawing it at the 25-yard-line). The team’s representative may receive help from his
teammates when stuck on a question, but a correct response with teammate help will only retain possession of the
ball, it will not advance the ball forward. Three non-advancements in a row will result in an automatic turnover.
However, if the representative answers incorrectly, the play is deemed a turnover and the other team will gain
possession of the ball and begin to advance the opposite way up the field. If a team scores a touch down they must
go for the extra point by first answering a question and then by making a basket in the trashcan from a distance
specified by the teacher. The team can opt at any time to attempt a field goal. The distance of the field goal is in
direct proportion to the difficulty of the question (the further the distance the tougher the question). Field goals are
made by first answering the question correctly and then by making a basket in the trash can (once again the distance
to the trashcan should be positively correlated with the difficulty of the question). This game is especially fun to
play during football spirit weeks.
Note: The key to the success of this game is having plenty of questions that fit into four different difficulty
categories. When the ball is at a team’s own one-yard-line (as is the case for the Pirates in Figure 1 above), and
they are attempting to advance the ball forward, questions should be pulled from the easiest of the four difficulty
categories (e.g. “Please translate this word from English to Spanish” etc.). However, if the team is on their
opponent’s 25-yard-line and are attempting to score on the next play (as is the case for the Pirates in Figure 2
above), the question should be pulled from the most challenging difficulty category (e.g. Please translate the
sentence, “It has been attempted but never completed” etc.) On the other hand, if the team is on their own one yard
line and want to go for a field goal, instead of advance the ball forward, they should also be presented with a
question from the most challenging difficulty category. Extra point questions should be pulled from the easiest
difficulty category pile.
1.5 Jeopardy
Theme: Interrogatives/General Review game
http://www.quia.com/cb/219557.html
Jeopardy is a wonderful game for teaching interrogatives because all of the answers must be given in the form of a
question. Obviously the game can be played utilizing any one of a myriad of themes. The link above shows a good
example of an on-line jeopardy game, created with the use of the jeopardy creator program, Quia. This particular
jeopardy game is centered around food vocabulary and grammar, but jeopardy is also a wonderful medium for
introducing cultural questions (e.g. “According to the video we saw, this is the most effective way to get around in
Buenos Aires.” Answer: “What is the subway?”). This on-line version can be played with two teams and an LCD
projector, but a poster board with categories written by hand is just as effective.
Next, students go back to their seats and trade cards, with a neighbor. The neighbor then reads the signatures and
confirms that the signatures are not forgeries by going and asking the author of each signature the same original
question that he or she has autographed. If the signature is confirmed by the student, then the question is marked
correct, if the signature is a forgery, the question is marked incorrect. Give points for this assignment based on the
number of correct answers.
2.3 Regatear*
Theme: Communicative Language Use
The teacher hands out four different sets of picture files containing pictures of various products (food, clothing,
etc.) to four different students (one set of picture files per student). The teacher then proclaims that the four chosen
students will be “sellers”. The teacher then distributes an equal amount of fake money (especially good to use a
foreign currency like pesos, or euros) to each of the students who have not been designated as sellers (for examples
of foreign currency see appendix). The teacher then proclaims that the rest of the students are buyers. The sellers
arrange the pictures of products that they have been given in an aesthetically pleasing manner—as much as
possible, given the circumstances. Then the teacher tells the students that the buyer who gets the best bargain, and
the seller that makes the most money will receive a prize. The students practice with interrogatives, with the
common cultural practice of bargaining, and with using pertinent vocabulary (usually the products that they are
buying). By changing the currency to something like soles, sucres, or bolivares, this game turns into a larger
number learning game. Now products cost thousand or hundreds of thousands, instead of double-digit prices.
Note: Make sure that the sellers have plenty of change :0)
3 Vocabulary Games
3.1 Catch That Phrase
Theme: Vocabulary/Circumlocution
This game is similar to the Hasbro game Catch Phrase, and is an innovative way to help students practice and
develop circumlocution skills. There are many variations of this game; I include the format that works best for
large groups. The teacher divides the class into two groups and calls one representative from each team to come up
to the front of the room. The teacher hands one representative a pile of flash cards with vocabulary words written
on them, as well as their English equivalent. The student must now describe to his team the first vocabulary word
on the flash card without actually mentioning any of the words written on the card. Depending on the proficiency
level of the class the teacher may allow students to describe the target language vocabulary word in English, just as
long as they do not use the English equivalent that is also written on the flash card in their description. High
proficiency students will be able to describe the word in the target language. The teacher may choose whether to
allow facial expressions and/or hand gestures. The teacher gives each team representative one minute to describe
as many words as possible. One point is earned for every word that their team guesses correctly. The teacher keeps
a tally of the cumulative score of the team and chooses a winner after every student has had the chance to describe
for the team. Dividing the class into smaller groups when possible is best to give each student many opportunities
to describe the vocabulary words.
4 Grammar Games
4.1 Do You Like Your Neighbors?
Theme: Grammar/Vocabulary--Indirect Transitive Verbs and Clothing Vocabulary
In this game the class sits in a circle in chairs or desks. The teacher removes any desks that may be empty do to
absences or excess chairs from the circle. The teacher then approaches a single student and asks her, “Do you like
your neighbors?” If she answers, “No, I do not like my neighbors,” the people to her right and left must stand up
and switch chairs. As they do this the teacher who asked the original question must try to steal one of the
“neighbors’” chairs. If the teacher is successful, the person who is left standing without a chair must ask the next
question. He then approaches another student and asks, “Do you like your neighbors?” If this student answers
“No, I do not like my neighbors,” then the previous process repeats itself. If the student answers, “Yes, I do like
my neighbors,” then he must add another qualifying statement such as, “but I do not like people that wear skirts.”
Now, you guessed it, everyone in the circle that is wearing skirts must get up and exchange seats with someone else
while the person who asks the question races to steal one of their seats. The person who remains standing in the
middle of the circle, unable to find a seat chooses another individual and asks the questions again, continuing the
game. This game is wonderful for reviewing transitive indirect verbs like “gustar” in Spanish that seem to be so
problematic for English speakers. This game is also a good way to review clothing vocabulary.
4.3 Elemeno P
Theme: ABC’s/Numbers/Verb Conjugations
The teacher start’s by saying “A” in the target language, thereafter the students are required, as a class, to continue
saying the A,B,C’s, (one letter can be said per student in large classes, two letters per student in large classes). The
difficulty of the game is that the students are situated in rows and are not allowed to look around at one another.
They must maintain a fixed gaze on the front of the room. Then they must spontaneously continue with the rest of
the alphabet, however if two students begin to say the same letter at the same time, “H” for example, the whole
class must start over again, with the teacher re-initializing the game by saying “A”. Students try to get to the end of
the alphabet, or to count to the number thirty or even to run through all of the conjugations of an irregular verb in
the past tense.
4.4 PITsynTAX
Theme: Syntax skill builder/Subjunctive Practice
This game is an adaptation from the popular “cornering the market game,” PIT, by Parker Brothers, and one of few
activities that focus on building syntax skills. The teacher divides the class into groups of five. The teacher then
gives each group a different deck of cards that he has created. The composition of the deck of cards is vital in this
game. The teacher creates different decks of cards with one word in the target language printed on each card that
composes the deck. When the teacher creates each deck of cards he has at least one target sentence in mind, “I play
cards at night” for example. In this case the teacher must create a deck composed of 25 cards, (five cards that have
the word “I” written on them, five cards with the word “play” on them, five with “cards” on them and so on).
[Note: Here the teacher can vary the game slightly by adding more or less players to a group. A group of 4 would
necessitate a deck of 16 cards, utilizing a target sentence four words long (e.g. “Do you use soap?”). In this case
the deck would have four cards with the word “Do” written on them, four with “you” written on them and so on. A
similar process would be followed for a sentence six words long or one of greater length.] Once each group
receives a deck of cards, the cards must be thoroughly shuffled and each student receives a hand of five cards.
Using the first target sentence example, students may receive hands with the words, “I,” “I,” “night,” “at,” and “at”.
When trading is opened by the teacher, the goal of the game is to form a sentence using all of the words that they
have been dealt. Obviously this student’s hand does not form a sentence. When trading has been opened by the
teacher, each student can call out “one, one, one” to the partners in her group, signifying that she would like to trade
one card for another group member’s one card. If she would have said, “two, two, two,” the student would be
trying to trade two cards at a time, which would be a good move in this case since this student has two repeated
words, “I” and “at”. Once a student has formed a complete five word sentence in this case, he or she will knock
three times on his desk, signifying that trading has concluded. He shows his sentence and the group decides if his
sentence is correct or if trading should continue. If the student’s sentence is correct, he has won the game. The
teacher then might want to have a playoff with all the groups’ winners in the middle of the room, or simply rotate
the different decks of cards from one group to another, so that each group has a turn using all of the different decks
of cards (and thus, form all of the different target sentences). This is a great game to work with subjunctive as well,
contrasting sentences that employ subjunctive conjugations with those that employ indicative.
My weekly schedule:
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Doctor’s Work: 2:00-6:30 PHI 101: 8:00-9:30 Work: 9:00-3:30
appointment: Work: 10:00-4:00
10:30-11:30 SPA 102: 5:00- EDU: 4:00-6:30
SPA 102: 5:00- 7:30
7:30
Partner 2
You and your friend have been wanting to see a play that’s been in town for the last few weeks but your
schedules haven’t permitted it. You are both very busy and never seem to be free at the same time. This
is the last week that the play will be in town, and you have just called your friend to once again try to
arrange a time to go to the play together. The play runs for two hours and has two showings per day
Monday through Friday of this week. The matinee showing begins at 11:00 am and the evening showing
starts at 7:00 pm. Find a time when you can meet your partner at the play.
My weekly schedule:
Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday
Pick up Linda: ANT 11:00-12:30 BIO 151: 8:30- GEO: 8:00-10:30 River Trip: Gary’s
12:15 Work: 3:00-8:00 10:00 ANT 11:00-12:30 Family, All Day
FRE 452: 1:00- Work: 10:00-4:00
3:30
2.3 Regatear, 2.4 Subasta
3.10 Vocabulary Tournaments
Tournament Bracket