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?
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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Technology is everywhere these days. Over the past few years teachers have found themselves teaching their students how to use new technologies that they themselves are just learning. I know we all have different comfort levels with using technology ourselves in addition to using it with our students. I’m here to help!
I never saw myself as a “techy” person. I am, however, a curious person. I like to understand how things work and when I encounter a problem I need help with, I like to find out how to fix it on my own next time. Let’s be real–I encounter tech problems all day long so it’s really nice to be able to troubleshoot on my own.
Over the years, this has led me to build up a decent knowledge of the technology I use each day. I’m lucky to work in a district that equips us with great tech tools and professional development for technology. We use MacBooks, iPads, and SmartBoards. Not even a month before we went virtual last spring, we went 1:1 with iPads. What crazy timing, huh? In the past, we had larger ratios of iPads to elementary students.
I’ve never been one to use technology just because it’s new and exciting. I think we might be mostly past that these days. However, I’ve always felt it important to have a specific reason or problem to solve when using technology.
Señora's Thoughts on Using Tech with Littles
Little learners can use technology! I promise they can, it just takes some time and a whole lot of patience. My experience with students as young as kindergarten tells me that as long as we break down the skills into their simplest form, young students can learn how to manage tech on their own.
Now, in a normal year, I typically wait until several months into the school year to use technology in my kindergarten Spanish classes. However with the impending doom of potentially (probably, most certainly, definitely) moving to virtual school this past fall, I started right away. I spent time teaching students to use the Seesaw app. We broke down the skills and tackled one per lesson. One day our technology learning goal was “I can use the drawing tool in Seesaw.” Another day it was “I can use the microphone to record my voice.” Additionally, “I can take and upload a picture to Seesaw.” Practicing and revisiting these skills over time helps even young learners become quite confident in their abilities.
I do like to have students practice or revisit a new tech skill fairly soon after learning it. I recently taught 1st graders how to login and use the game Kahoot. That first time using it took pretty much the entire lesson. I planned another lesson for the next week that also had us practicing those login skills. It went more smoothly and students were ready to play the game faster than the first time!
Don’t be afraid to try something new. Seriously, I get it. Sometimes when we try something new it doesn’t work the way it should or the lesson completely flops. But you’re still learning something valuable! As frustrating as it can be sometimes, don’t forget that each time you venture out and try something new with technology, you are learning. The more I’ve tried things (one way the first year, a slightly different way the next year), the better I am at designing lessons that use technology to help us reach our learning goals.
When things don’t work the right way, I try to demonstrate to students my approach to problem solving. I like to model this for students in the moment, even if I’m frustrated. Kids can learn so much from seeing adults encounter a problem and then talking through their thought process to try and solve it.
One thing I’ve struggled with over the years is the use or decreased use of the target language when introducing new technologies. It can be challenging to teach young learners how to use new tech entirely in the target language. I don’t claim to have the correct answer here as I believe each teacher needs to find the balance that works best for them.
That said, I’ve come to focus my energies on creating projects that help students use as much target language as possible. If I can quickly explain the tech tools in English and send students on their way to create in Spanish, I feel good about that. I encourage you to find a balance that works for you, taking into consideration how long your lessons are and how much experience your students have with their second language.
My favorite ways to use technology in a world language class
Bring the world to the classroom
Even though I teach in a small town, there are still tons of opportunities to bring the world inside our classroom. This is one of my favorite reasons to use technology.
I use videos in all sorts of different situations. One obvious use for videos in a language class is to introduce students to the many countries that speak their new language. Seeing the places makes them so much more real for students. I like to show short clips at the start of a country unit. It’s also nice to show some more in depth videos that teach about the location. Some favorite YouTube channels of mine are: Nat Geo Kids Are We There Yet? and Travel with Kids.
I like to introduce new topics with a video. It can be so powerful to bring that visual experience to students. Teaching about volcanoes? Show a quick clip of one erupting. Teaching about rainforest animals? Show a video and see which animals you can spot! I’m currently teaching my 2nd graders about the different regions of Peru. How can you really grasp what the Nazca lines are if you haven’t seen them? This video is a great one. I’ve learned there are videos out there for just about any topic. It can take some time to find good ones but I consider that time well spent. I see my students connecting with the topic right away!
Another way to bring the world to your classroom with technology is Google Earth. These always end up being my favorite lessons. I just walk around listening to my students’ exclamations at all the cool places and things they find. I love that they are in control of their exploration experience. I will go more in depth in another post about specifically how I teach students to use this app. That said, I do like to model it first for the class. I typically airserve my ipad to the board and take the students on a little excursion, modeling how to use the street view.
*If your district does not have student ipads, you can still get great value with google earth–you can show it from a computer or teacher ipad.
I love to use Google Earth when we’re learning about other countries. I even use this app when we’re learning about the continents and oceans in 1st grade. What better way to learn about the world than to see the real thing!
Encourage students to show what they know
This one is HUGE for language classes! There are so many different student friendly apps out there that allow kids to genuinely show teachers what they can do with their new language. I love to keep the technology simple so that language is the focus of the time spent.
I’ll do more in depth posts later but my favorite apps for showing what you know are: Seesaw & Adobe Spark Video. PicCollage is another fun one as well. I have used all three of these apps with young learners.
Especially for young learners, I encourage teachers to use technology that allows students to record their voice. I learn so much about how well students can manage their new language by listening to these recordings. After in class practice, a students’ true ability shines through when they are working independently.
Use tech to create resources
This is probably no surprise but I love creating my own resources and technology helps me do that! It may seem intimidating but it doesn’t have to be. I use google slides to create most of my resources.
I honestly started to make my own classroom materials because I had trouble finding exactly what I needed. When you make your own–you are in control! You get to choose the vocabulary and the exact skill level it is created for. Don’t feel like you have to completely re-make everything you use–just start with one activity or resource.
One of my favorite things to create for my students is stories that include the people at our school. When they see their principal or gym teacher as a main character in a story, engagement goes through the roof.
Whole group activities
Do you remember the days when Kahoot was basically the only option out there for whole group tech games? While I still love and use Kahoot, there are now several other great options that work for elementary aged students. Check out Blooket and Baamboozle for review day or game day technology resources.
Heads up–I have only used Blooket in 2nd grade and up so far. I taught my 1st graders how to use Kahoot this year and we’ll be sticking with that for the time being. Baamboozle worked well with students as young as kindergarten, however.
As teachers we know that adding in the word “game” makes almost anything more fun. I love to use these whole group tech resources to up the excitement and thus engagement in our lesson.
Individual activities
This section is more likely to apply if your students have access to technology within your classroom. With all the restrictions of our current times, I am finding myself digging into this area more than ever. Although I miss our small group games, individual tech games have done a nice job filling in.
I am pleased with several different games I’ve tried for individual student practice.
- Boom Cards–these are new-ish to me but OMG so great! My students love them and I love to see how engaged they are while working on them.
- Flippity Matching Games
- Quizlet–Matching and Flashcards
Whew–who knew I had that much to say about technology! Please reach out if you have tech questions. I’m happy to help.
