As busy Spanish teachers, you know we love activities that are easy to prep for and super versatile. I love using the same game multiple different ways; think of all the time saved because students already know the process / procedures for play!
Enter…tic tac toe.
When I think back to my first experiences with the tic tac toe game as an educator, I see my high schoolers working in pairs, conjugating verbs to capture their space on the board. It’s a decent way to practice the conjugation skills in isolation, I suppose. But, I’ve come to learn that tic tac toe can be so much more than that!
Depending on when I’m using the game within a unit, I’ll use it for different purposes. We can start super simple with actions or single word recall and move all the way to practicing the question/answer process or sentence creation!
Playing this game with my elementary Spanish classes
Whole group & With Partners
In addition to the variety of ways we use content with this game, I also like to switch up the format of the game. I usually start out with a whole group game–clase vs. Sra. This can be a quick game at the start of a lesson or to wrap up a lesson (anyone else always overplan just in case?). OR, it can be one of the main activities of the lesson. If that’s the case, I often model the game by playing with the whole group first and then I send them to work in pairs.
In a normal year, I give a pair of students a sheet of paper with 4 tic tac toe boards on it for partner play. They can mark off x’s and o’s with different colored markers as they play. This year, I’ve modified for “socially distanced” play. Students sit at distance and mark both the x’s and o’s on their own paper. In theory, it helps us stay a bit safer.
Okay, how do I switch up the content with this game?
At the very start of the unit, I encourage you to only play as a whole group. This allows the teacher to model and provide all kinds of input. I put up a board with just images relating to our new unit of study. Students can choose their spot on the board by doing the action for it (if there is one), saying the Spanish word, or coming to the board to point at the spot they would like. If they didn’t produce the word, I model it and encourage them to repeat if they are comfortable. I never force students to repeat words in Spanish.
Later on in a unit, I love to pair this game with a grammar structure. Sometimes I include an image along with a sentence in each space. In that case students simply read the sentence for the spot they want. Other times I continue to use a board with just images but encourage students to produce a sentence.
For example, my first graders recently learned to describe rainforest animals. We used the same tic tac toe boards from earlier in the unit (just images) but now they were able to describe the color or size of the animal instead of just saying the animal name.
Later in the same unit we snuck in talking about our opinions of the animals and used “me gusta” or “no me gusta” during the game.
Lastly, depending on the level of my students, I like to add in the question / answer process during tic tac toe. For example, my third graders are learning about different foods in the 5 food groups. We played tic tac toe with the question, “¿Cuál fruta es?” and answer, “Es una manzana.” This simply encourages them and gives them practice speaking in sentences.
It might sound like we play tic tac toe all day / every day in my class. BUT! it’s just one of many different strategies to keep my students engaged and using Spanish. I love to switch things up on them. They’re always excited to see which way we’ll practice Spanish when I roll my cart into their room each lesson.
Which version of tic tac toe do you want to add into your lesson sometime soon?
I often get comments about how “brave” I am when I teach my kindergarten students to use different apps / tech tools. I’ll admit that in the middle of a tech lesson on something new, it often feels a bit crazy, but the outcome is SO worth the chaos.
I recently taught my kindergarten students to use the online / app based game Kahoot. I don’t usually use that game in kindergarten but I’m looking for different whole group games that are socially distanced. My favorite whole group games for kindergarten don’t work so well with our current covid restrictions.
So! I found myself introducing this fun new game to my group of very excited kinder friends. I’ll talk through my step by step process but first let me address the issue of target language. Straight up honest, I used mostly English to help students navigate getting logged into the game. In other years I would have used more Spanish; however, with my 90% TL goal significantly lowered in this pandemic year and with this specific group of learners in mind, I chose to stick with English.
My Process
Señora: “Amios, today we’re going to learn how to play a fun game called Kahoot! It will help us practice our weather words in Spanish.”
Students: “YAY!”
Step 1:
I put my iPad up on the board using AirServer to model steps for students. (I like to model new things before the iPads are in my students’ hands.)
First we needed to find the link I shared to students’ Seesaw journal. I linked to the login page for Kahoot so it would take students directly there.
If you don’t have an online platform at your school, I would make sure the Kahoot app is already installed on student iPads. Then they can open the app and enter the game code that way.
Step 2:
After I reminded students how to find their Spanish Seesaw class and click on the link, it was time to show them the process for logging into our Kahoot game.
Step 2a:
Students have to tap on the white box that says “game pin” in order to start typing in the numbers. They find the game pin numbers on our SMART board. After typing the numbers they have to tap the black box that says “enter.”
This was a bit tricky for students this age. Several were able to type in the numbers on their own but most needed more encouragement / support.
Step 2b:
Next, students need to tap on the white box that says “nickname.” After writing their name they need to tap the black box that says “OK, go!”
Step 2c:
I find students aren’t sure what to do after they get to the green “You’re in!” screen. I like to remind them verde / green = get ready to go.
Step 3:
Students are ready to try this whole process on their iPads. Even though we just went through the process, they will definitely need step by step directions at this point.
We’ve been working on staying in our seats and raising hands when we have questions. Whew–anyone else know the feeling of being a mama/papa duck with 4 or 5 kinder ducklings following you around asking questions? I like to remind students I can help them faster if they stay in their seat–then I can zip around the class to answer questions.
Step 4:
I know it’s hard to wait as students slowly try to type in numbers and their name. Remind yourself that learning these skills is part of the goal for this lesson.
There are always a few students who ultimately need me to physically get them logged in; but, I find if I’m patient, most are able to succeed on their own with my sideline support.
Step 5:
It’s almost time to play the game! Before pressing start, I explain to students that they will see the question on the board and they will choose the answer on their ipads.
Step 6:
Press start. For all my grade levels, I provide auditory input during this game by reading all questions and answers.
For kindergarten students, I tell them which color is which answer. *I suggest you only have 2 answer options for Kindergarten students! For example, for this game I repeated several times– “hace sol is red” and “hace viento is blue.”
A Few More Thoughts
I often pause the game part way through to help students calm down. I love how excited they get and their engagement is so high–however, I find students often need to dial down their energy to help them re-focus. I also do this after we’re done with the game. I’m sure you have a favorite way of helping young learners calm down; that said, lately I’ve been enjoying raising our arms up and then down as we breathe in and out.
I found playing this game was a good time to point out here that I love mistakes. I never want students to feel badly for getting an answer wrong so we talk about how we’re all learning and mistakes mean we’re trying.
Don’t feel badly if your tech lesson completely flops. I feel this most often with younger learners. Remember, there is always a positive take away, even if it takes a minute to see it. You are learning as the teacher and students are exposed to new tech skills. This is so great! Even if you found yourself surrounded by 10 students holding iPads all asking questions at the same time…I’ve definitely been there a time or two.
Wrapping It Up...
My students loved playing Kahoot and asked to play again in our very next lesson. I’ll definitely make a new Kahoot game for us to play in our next unit. That way we can practice our new tech skills!
Reading and playing. I know, not new concepts. Especially for an elementary teacher! That said, these words have been a game changer for me. They have helped me find more joy in a job I already loved. Even more importantly, they have helped me teach more effectively.
I keep these words in mind when I think about and plan lessons for my elementary Spanish students. A few years ago I started intentionally re-thinking how I teach with an increased focus on playing. Play combined with reading has had an incredible impact on my teaching.
Reading in the Elementary Spanish classroom
Over time, I have learned that even our young learners benefit from reading-focused activities in their new language. I know our youngest learners are still learning to read in their first language, but that doesn’t mean they can’t read in their second language as well.
Using simple readers like Mundo de Pepita’s booklets was my first introduction to reading with my students and not just to them. I love sitting in a circle and pointing to the words as we say them together. After that we take turns and volunteers get to read the different pages. Then (in the years pre-covid) I encouraged students to read on their own to a friend or stuffed animal. Gosh I miss those days and look forward to their eventual return.
One of my favorite things about reading with students is that they get to experience the language in the context of sentences. After reading and repeating a simple sentence structure many times, students start to internalize it. After time the goal is for them to create that sentence on their own, right? Reading is a most important way to model language for students. I used to think young learners only needed oral input, but I’m here to tell you they can and should be reading as well!
Playing in the Elementary Spanish classroom
We all have more fun when I plan with the idea of “play” in mind. Not only are we having fun, but after a few months I saw students acquiring the Spanish language faster and with more ease. It’s so exciting to witness students using their new language spontaneously!
When students are playing a game in class, they don’t even realize they are learning. We all love hearing “aww, it’s over already?” when it’s time to finish up class. There’s a true sign students are engaged and focused on your learning goals.
Now, when I talk about playing in class, please don’t hear me saying we play just for the sake of having fun. I’m talking about intentional, linked to my learning goals, play while using the target language.
I’m pretty sure my background in being a camp counselor helped me build up this skill–but, I can turn almost anything into a game. (And you can too, I promise.) I use a few different techniques and I’m sure there are others. It’s important for teachers to find strategies that work best for them and their personality.
Here are some favorite ways to increase the sense of play:
High energy—When the teacher is excited / pumped and having fun, most students will automatically be excited. Starting an activity or lesson with high energy gets students engaged right away. Then you can move the lesson in a more relaxed or calm direction.
Suspense, Surprises, & Secrets–Anything that keeps students guessing brings a playful sense of excitement to your classroom.
Chants—This might be my summer camp background but I often find myself clapping rhythms and making up chants within my lessons. This can be spur of the moment or chants made ahead of time to help learn a new concept or vocabulary.
As you’re planning or brainstorming in the future, I hope you’ll look for ways to bring more intentional reading and “play” into your lessons.
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