Inside: Fun ways to use Quizlet, Gimkit, Blooket, Kahoot!, and Quizziz that you may not have considered yet!

Like all world language teachers I love using a good online  site as an activity with my students and over the years many of them have gotten far more engaging then just simply racing to match terms -- such as Gimkit  and Blooket with their  various game modes -- which if you haven't been using you definitely should.

That being said,  if you came here wanting to know how to use these as the are intended this blog is not for you. This blog is for LEVELING up how you use them, by manipulating or  implementing new rules to get students moving or collaborating in a new way with the classic online vocab/review games! 

For each of these activities  you will need a  set on that site   and students will need personal devices. I recommend computers NOT phones. My school has a cellphone ban, so it's a nonissue for me, but I imagine these activities would be hard on small handheld devices. iPads would work better-- just turn off the auto-screen shut off before playing in settings.

Quizlet (Quizlet Relay Races alá Mis Clases Locas):

Set-Up: Start the Quizlet Live game and have students add themselves on their personal devices . Once they are added  , select create groups. Instruct groups to  to find a space to sit all their computers in one line. Instruct one student to stand facing the screens of the computers and the rest of the team to be behind NOT looking at the screens.

Students the rotate each questions so that one student is looking at ALL the screens and selects the correct answer. This is the relay part. So they answer their question and then join their team behind the computers and the next student tags in to answer the questions. I allow students to talk  to their teammates, but only the "IT" student can look at the the answers and select their answers for their question.

First  team to answer all the questions and win the Quizlet Live wins the Relay Race! You'll get students  moving AND collaborating in a new way!

Gimkit (Musical Chair Gimkit):

This activity works best with either the Classic  Mode or my favorite for this game Hidden Identities mode. Instruct students that the goal is to be at the winning computer at the end of the time you have set.   You as the teacher will be turning the volume on the Gimkit on and off.

Start the game as normal, each student at their own device, but tell them that when they hear the music they should stand up and walk around the room. I like to instruct my students to just walk in a circle around the outside of my room.   Then after a minute or so of them playing like normal-- you turn your volume up so the music is playing. Students leave their computer at their spot and walk around the room.  When the music turns back off they sit back down at the closest computer to them and continue playing. Do this every 45-60 seconds and you will get students up and moving and practicing in a new and different way.  Whoever is at the winning computer at the end of the game is the winner NOT the owner of the computer unless they happen to be the same person.

Blooket or Kahoot! (Pop-Up Digital):

This gamified version of Blooket is a digital adaptation of the Pop-Up game from Sra Chase. Instead of reading questions out loud and having students answer or translate like in the orignal version of the game (which is also so fun! and you should try!) I play a traditional version of Kahoot! or Blooket -- the game mode where a question is projected and everyone answers , multiple choice, and there is a countdown and then use this game mode to change it up. 

This has a little more setup then the other options, but I promise it's worth it. I pre-divide the class into two teams  and assign each student a  number and mark different information to help me scaffold during the game such as -- English learning students, high flyers, and lower proficiency students-- I do my best to put students of similar abilities against each other aka with the same number, but on opposite teams. This requires a little of thought or prep on your part, but I usually can quickly do it in a couple minutes. If you aren't already using Flippity Name Generator for making groups -- you should! For example if I had an imaginary class of 10 (wouldn't that be the dream...):

My key of symbols:

EL - English Learners  (-) Lower proficiency (+) higher proficiency

Team 1)
(EL) Sierra   (1)
(-) Micahel (2)
Trey (3)
(+) Sabrina (4)
Austin (5)

Team 2)
(EL) Myriah (1)
(-) Brady (2)
Kailee (3)
(+) Brayden (4)
Grayson (5)

I then start the game. Teams are sitting together. Everyone answers the question. When time is up -- I will say ONE number and the people from both teams with that number will race each other to stand up  (aka pop-up) and say the correct answer.  I use the tracker paper from Sra Chase's Blog to keep track of who I have 

I like playing this game with a Blooket or Kahoot!, because students have a chance to check their answer before actually answering in front of the whole class like the none digital version of this game, so it's great for students that are slower processors or who have anxiety and want to know they are right -- also if they were wrong now they have a better chance of being right after eliminating a wrong answer.

Quizziz (Quizziz Connect Four):

I first saw a rendition of this  game from Jen Schooley Ries (TPT Cosas Divertidas) when she was playing it with Quizlet. However, I do not have premium access to Quizlet, so I couldn't do it with my students.  Something about they could only take the test version of the Quizlet so many times before it asked them to get the Premium account.

What you do need is a quiz version of a set that students can take over-and-over again . Great for lots of repetition or review . I found using a shorter quiz on Quizziz and giving them the homework link worked for this game in my classes. Put students in groups of 3-4 and have ONE student open the homework version of the quiz (linked somewhere they can access) on their computer -- this is extra work , but I like to have a few quizzes that are targeting different skills over the subject we are reviewing, so they can rotate or choose what they want to practice first.

Assign each group a symbol:

Group 1 - ⭐
Group 2- 🩷
Group 3-🔺
⚫, 😊 , ❌, ✅  Etc.  

Draw a large connect four board on your white board -- literally whatever fits on your board. I think I usually do like 5X9.

The groups all hit start on their quiz at the same time. When a group finishes a quiz they show you the finished page-- I tell them they need an 80% or better. If they have that 80% or better they then can either draw their symbol in any box on the board OR erase the symbol of any other group. They then return to their group and start the next quizz or repeat the same one. Play to a set amount of time (group with  the most symbols on the board wins) or until a group get' s   a Connect Four. 


No matter which of these new takes on classic digital games you try I hope it brings some joy to your classroom! Happy teaching and let me know what you think!

Inside:   Introducing the tv show Tierra Incógnita  and watching Episode 1 ideas!

This blog is about 3 years in the making if I am being honest, but it's about one of my all time favorite things.-- teaching with authentic tv shows. I first saw this in action during my time student teaching with Allison (Mis Clases Locas)  when she was using  the classic, El Internado in her Spanish 2-4 classes.

Since then I've used lots of different shows in my Spanish classes including, but not limited to, other favorites such as Go! Vive a tu manera (Materials I use with this show HERE and HERE), Latin Street Foods (Awesome free materials HERE), etc.  I was teaching Spanish 2 and 3 and using Go! Vive a tu manera in Spanish 2 -- I would have loved to  keep using it in Spanish 3, but the semester length classes  meant that I had students in Spanish 3 that never took Spanish 2 with me, so they didn't have the previous knowledge with the show and would have needed to rewatch the episodes while others had already seen episodes in Spanish 2 -- which they didn't  want to rewatch. So  I was in a predicament... I want to watch a show, but WHAT show. 

Disclaimer: I have always paid for my own streaming sites to be able to use these shows in class and I find it very worth it in my opinion. I know that isn't the reality for every classroom or every teacher.

Luckily,  Allison discovered and shared about Tierra Incógnita and using her super easy to implement with ANY episode templates   (also her resources would make GREAT sub plans if you need them), I was able to whip something together super quick that year to use with my students. I (really WE)  fell in LOVE with the show. It's a little spooky with a good mystery storyline and suspense, but totally appropriate for high schoolers. It's not quite as high school musical, cringy as Go! can be in my opinion though students loved that about that show, too. 

Tierra Incógnita is a Disney+, TV 14 show that is located in a fictional town, Cabo Qwert, in Argentina.  The show follows a teen boy, Eric Dalaras, and his family as they try to discover what happened 8 years ago when his parents mysteriously disappeared from the amusement park their family owed.  There are secrets, suspense, mysteries to solve, and plenty of adventure. Think modern Scooby Doo.

Over the next 2 years  , because I taught on 95min blocks, I had to make additional materials and activities to go along with the episodes to fill that time and in the process I  made games, review slides, introductory activities, etc . and it quickly become one  of my students favorite parts of our curriculum. I have been using this show exclusively with Spanish 3 students, but it can be adapted to use in 2 or upper levels as well. I haven't really used shows with Novice Low-Mid students and find I prefer to start a show after I've read a novel with students, so they have some of the language skills I think are necessary for them to actually enjoy watching the show. I've been dying to  share more about what I've been doing with this show with all of you , so here is:

PART 1 - Before Watching and Episode 1!  

**Download my FREE materials HERE  , so you can follow along as I describe my plans!**

Depending on how long your classes are you totally don't have to do everything I do, since I at one point taught 95min blocks I have a little "arsenal" of stuff made now and you can totally pick and choose what works for you and your classes. I'm also presently teaching Spanish 3 and Advanced 3, so I am  making Novice and Intermediate versions of most of my activities.

I'm going to walk you thought my present reality  and plans of introducing this show this week to my Spanish 3 students. My schedule is a little different then it was in the past. I  see all 170 of my students on Mondays. We have a late start for PD and then have an 8 period day (35min classes). The plan is to watch the show on Mondays , instead of how I traditionally did it every Friday in the past. Then I see my odd class periods in an 85 min block (Tuesday and Thursday) and my even class periods  opposite that (Wednesday and Friday). For that reason, myself and my amazing colleague  have put together the following plan and materials and I'm so happy to share them all with you!

Monday (35min class):

Introduce characters using Bunches of Hunches  (alá Señor Wooly). I hang pictures of the characters all around my room and then give students a sheet of paper with descriptions on them. (Novice have full descriptions and Intermediate have sentence starters to help them make their own predictive descriptions) Their job is to write the letter of the character that they best feels goes with each description.  I then project pictures and ask students to  share the predictions they choose. This way we are getting to see the characters before we watch, they are being exposed to language  for them to make predictions, and they got LOTS of repetition and input from me.

Day 1 (Tuesday/Wednesday) (85 min class):

I will introduce each character and some background of the show using Personalized Questions and Answers and some guided notes and slides to help students connect to characters and associate them with their names , as well as introduce them to some vocabulary we would be seeing in the first episode.

We will then watch Episode 1 and they will complete the appropriate level of a event ordering viewing  activity  -- I find that viewing activities keep students engaged with the input of the show. Additionally, I should note that I do not use English subtitles , but Spanish ones and find that  most students comprehend the show quite well, because of the supports of the pre-teaching activities. With any time left in class after watching Episode 1 they can work on the viewing activity.

Day 2 (Thursday/Friday) (85min class):

Students turn in their viewing activity -- sometimes if there is time I go over it with them as a class, but not always. I do a "Clip Chat" using stills/screen shots from the episode and circling to review what happened in Episode One -- this way if anyone was gone they get to "watch " the episode as well and can participate in the class. We then play either a Quizlet Relay Race or Gimkit Musical Chair Round to review vocabulary used in  Episode 1/the show. Then finally we will play the Marker Game with statements about Episode 1 to review what happened.

If you want to check out any of these activities or materials mentioned for teaching this engaging and fun show in Spanish class they are all 100% editable and FREE on my TPT.

And if you have anything you'd like to share  please email me at [email protected] and I'll add them to this blog! 

-Sierra 

Inside:  How to play this  engaging, comprehension based, role playing game in your world language classes.

Elimination. Werewolf.   Mafia. (Although many tend to stay away from this name and rightfully so),  Etc... This game is known by MANY names and is a pretty common  deception based, role playing game that has been adapted not only by various board game/card game companies over the years, but by language teachers all over the world. Martina Bex blogged about it HERE and has some great scripts that can be used all year round. I found that I tend to like playing more like Sra. Chase describes on her blog HERE as it's more accessible for lower-level students. ( She also has version for French, German, and more on her blog)

No matter the level of students-- this game can be easily adapted, played with 0 tech if you'd like or need, is incredibly communicative and comprehensible, as well as SOOO engaging. When I say this is the #1 asked for activity by students after I introduce them to it-- I mean it! Your students will be talking about it for months to come.

What is it?

In the version I play (which you can get HERE). The class is transformed into a town that is being plagued by  a mummy (or mummies). It's important to note that my resource has a general "Halloween" vibe. I found using this theme made the game more comprehensible for my students, but you can play it at any point in the school year, so I will be using my terms for roles moving forward instead of traditional roles like angel, doctor,  villain etc. I also don't like any  death or violence in my game, so most of the time I have the mummies scare the townspeople into comas that they all wake up from if they mummies are captured and I have the mummies get arrested. 

Each student is given a role via cards from a deck of cards. Depending on the number of students you have in class you can increase how many students are playing as each role. Really the only prep comes from prepping your cards so you have the appropriate combination and number for each of your classes. Which I can usually do in a few minutes while students do the quick word search warm-up which is included in my  resource. 

In a class of  25 for example I would prepare my cards as following:

3 Aces (Mummies) - their job is to attack and elimante all the other people in the game
1 Queen (Witch) - save the townspeople, so they can arrest all the mummies
1 King (Detective) - identify the mummies to help the townspeople arrest them
20 # cards (Townspeople) - arrest all the mummies before they are all put in commas

(Really their are 5 major roles cards. So let's do some math -- # of students in your class -5 major role cards = how many number cards to add to your pile)
​

Now pass those cards out to students with the importance of keeping identities secret stressed.

Here's how to play:

1) After cards have been passed out I always  review roles and who does what and when. You as the teacher will narrate the entire thing. In my resource I have included a typed out and simplified script to read on slides that include pictures of card and their corresponding jobs to help keep you in the target language while  explaing the game, but also for the sake of time never feel bad if you want to explain the HOW part to students in English. They'll get plenty of good input during the game.

The script in my resource is along the lines of:

"Everyone in the town goes to sleep (students close eyes.) " BONUS TIP: I like to play instrumental "spooky" music in the background and walk around as  I talk to cover up the sound of students moving etc. during the game.  "The mummy (mummies) wake(s) up. The mummies attack ONE person." They mummy points at the person they want to attack. You as the narrator need to remember who , so I recommend writing it down. "The mummy goes to sleep" "Now the witch wakes up and gives a potion of protection to one person. The witch goes to sleep" The witch points at one person to save.   I would also note who that is. If that person is the same person that the mummy chose they are safe from the attach. "Now the detective wakes up." They point at one person. You nod your head yes if they ARE a mummy and NO if they are not. "Now the detective goes to sleep." "Now the town wakes up" And all students open their eyes.

Now that morning has  come it is your job as the narrator to explain who the victim was if there was one and what happened. In my resource I have included 25 simple scripts for victims as well as one for if the witch correctly gives the potion , but you can really do whatever is comprehensible for your students.

On my resources slides I have provided some simple phrases for students to use if they would like to participate and be a part of the conversation, but as the narrator and teacher it is my NUMBER ONE job to supply as much comprehensible input via the scripts and repetition of the story, so I mostly just tell them what happened and then instruct them to vote by pointing at who their vote is on the count of 3. Who ever get's the most votes is "arrested" and exits the circle and cannot talk.

I instruct students that are eliminated that they are in comas and also CANNOT talk. But they can silently observe. Because I am deskelss I like to have students rearrange chairs into a circle and then as they eliminated I have them move their chair from the circle, so it's easier to tell who is in or not.

Who wins? How does the game end?

**The mummies win if they outnumber all other cards aka "townspeople and the major roles helping townspeople".

**Townspeople win if they arrest ALL mummies.

I do not announce if the witch or detective are eliminated I continue narrating their jobs so students don't get disheartened and they get maximum input repetitions.

Don't want to do a "Halloween" themed version? Check out Martina's themeless ones HERE OR this Christmas one from Sra. Chase.

You have other "themed versions" you'd like to share? Email me at sierra.depping and I'll add them to this blog!

Inside: New, trendy classroom decor and materials to share with students.

Anyone else a fellow Swifitie?!  NO? That's okay, (but you're seriously missing out!)

Many of you are probably aware of how popular Taylor Swift has become this summer with her re-releasing her albums and her tour and if you weren't just google  it!  At her concerts fans have started trading friendship bracelets and that's where I took the idea for the bulletin or door decor from. On top of that, there is a common phrase of being in your "_____ era" (Boy Mom Era, Teacher Era, etc.) because of Taylor Swift which is where the Spanish Learning Era comes from  and I think it will be a big hit with students. I thought it was a fun way to spark conversation about how students can take their own  Spanish learning outside of the classroom, so to help you all out  I have compiled some  lists to help you all!

​Grab the resource to display these ideas with students as a bulletin board or door decor --> HERE!

1) Listen to Spanish music.
Here are some playlists I recommend! 
 Canciones para la clase,   Alvaro Soler,  Morat,  Cleaning Kit en español,   Camilo  

2) Read Spanish novels or comics.
Comics en español,  Wayside Publishing Comprehensible Novels -- if you  have a classroom library and you already do free voluntary reading that's  a great way to start and if a student is interested in reading more outside of class don't stop them! I've found that Spanish versions of popular graphic  novels like Heart Stopper and Nimona are super popular.

3)Watch Spanish television or movies.
Netflix: Go! Vive a tu manera, Siempre bruja,  Maya en los tres, 
Disney+: Tierra Incognita,   Viaje al centro de la Tierra, Mexico: Nailed It!

4) Create a Duolingo account.
No, I don't think Duolingo is an actual way to learn a language without other comprehensible input and means to acquire language naturally, but it is an easy support that can help with spelling and vocabulary acquisition. I also find that students become naturally competative when placed in classes and can see where  they stand as a class. In my humble opinion any Spanish interaction outside of the classroom is good and can't hurt.

5)  Listening to podcasts in Spanish.

If you don't already use these in your classroom I highly recommend using them! These are best suited for students at a  Novice High or Intermediate level  unless they have additional support. Duolingo Podcasts,  The Unlimited Spanish, Cuéntame Podcast, Un Día en español

Hopefully  having these resources in your toolbox can help you give sound recommendations to students as they continue their Spanish learning journeys.

I was first introduced to the Plate Sketch Game by Cynthia Hintz 5 years ago when I was student teaching with Allison Wienhold (Mis  Clases  Locas) and recently I was re-reminded of how fun and engaging , but also input heavy this activity is thanks to the teacher's guide for Bianca Nieves y los 7 Toritos by Carrie Toth (Somewhere to Share). We had a great time using this activity with the novel -- one of my favorite teacher's guides of all time.

Materials:
Cheap  paper plates
Sharpies
A script of what to say!

How to play:
1) Pass out one paper plate and one sharpie  to each student.
2) Instruct students to put the plate on top of  their head and that they will draw what their teacher describes WITHOUT talking. Spanish example: "Pónganse el plato encima de la cabeza.  Clase, mientras yo describo, quiero que Uds. ¡dibujen! Dibujen lo que describo pero ¡no lo vean!"
​3) Then slowly say your script "In the center their is a boy"  and add on to it. "In his right hand he was an apple" "Behind him their is a house" "The house as 4 windows and a door" etc.
4)At the end compare their works of art and continue to circle "Does Dan have the boy in the middle?" "How many windows are on the house in Hailey's artwork?" etc.
5) Finally, you can award points for each thing in the right place or vote as a class for the best overall/most accurate or clear.
6) Finally, have fun and be ready for lots of laughs!
​
Holiday ready-to-go, themed options:

El Día de San Valentín  - by Profe Sierra
Check out Mis Clases Locas blog for a Navidad themed version

And if anyone else makes a version wants to share please email me at [email protected] I'll add it to the list to share with everyone!

Resentimiento, also known as Trash Ball or Grudge Ball, is a review game I remember playing back when I was in high school (specifically in math class of all places) and I've seen it pop-up various times in different teacher's guides and curriculum throughout my time teaching, so I thought I would type up my own blog to reference about this classic game. It's often in rotation for me as it requires so little prep, but is extremely engaging and gets students moving. I did not invent this game, honestly who knows who did, but you can also read about it on  this blog from Martina Bex if you would like to see it explained somewhere else-- she also explains really well how to introduce and set up this game so there are no hard feelings from students (believe me there can be it's very competitive.)

This game is for me-- a no-prep game which is a reason I love it. Here's what you need to do!

Prep: You need a list of questions /tasks to ask your students. You can predetermine these, pull them from the top of you head as you go, put them on a slideshow  they can be fill in the blank, true/false, open ended it's totally up to you.

Set Up:
-You need a bucket , bin, or trash can for students to aim at
-a ball for them to shoot with. I use a small soft one from Amazon
-tape or place rulers on the group to indicate the two locations students can shoot from one pretty far away from the basket and one about halfway to it
-Place your class into teams this works best if you have at least 3-4 teams but I have done up to 6 depending on the size of my class
-Have each team come up with a Spanish team name and then write them on the board. Below each team name draw 10 Xs.

Start the Game:
- I arbitrarily choose a team to start . I tell them the game is going to  make them resent people and have grudges so they might as well start with me. :) 
-I ask the first team a question.
* If they answer correctly: A  team member will get the ball and decide which line to shoot from. If they miss they get to erase 2 Xs from any other team (you can never do anything to your own teams Xs only other teams) If they shot from the line closer to the basket they get to erase 4 Xs and if they make it from the back they can erase 5 Xs.
*If they answer incorrectly: That team must add  2 Xs to the board, again they can't give them to their own team they must give them to other teams.

-When taking or adding Xs a team can decide to divey them up however they want. That might 4 to one team or 2 to one and 2 to another or each gets 1 taken away.

You can end the game after so much time or if you have a certain list of questions you want to answer or 2 min before the bell rings it's up to you and your student's engagement. The winning team is  whoever has the most Xs at the end of the game and even if a team's Xs are all gone they can come back when other teams miss a question and have to add Xs to the board.

Hope you and your students have a great time reviewing and creating memories!

Reviewing content before a mastery check or assessment is a great  chance to gamify your classroom and still get in lots of student-to-student collaboration and  repetitions of  key structures or vocabulary for a unit.

This blog isn't going to dive into  how I teach using Sr. Wooly, but instead just one activity that I did. I traditionally teach Guapo, Confesión de Víctor, and Feo as a trilogy over a week or two in Spanish I. I like the story, vocab, and ability to work in that description, clothing,   and other classic vocabulary  sets since I don't teach a traditional  curriculum. I think it makes it more authentic and engaging for sure!

I think this game can be easily adapted to any content or topic with a little creative thinking. I like that it ties in random/luck like The Unfair Game, The Lucky Reading Game, Grudge Ball or Decisiones which  are all review games we love here in my classroom.

What you need:
-A common topic students are familiar with and have been working with!
-Task cards - simple tasks that require students to show mastery or practice using information covered in class (Translate, Write, Draw, Fill -in -the-blank,Write a question, etc.)

-Posters or drawings on the board you can assign or hid random points behind. For my Víctor review it was different headshots of Víctor from throughout the story.

-A way to indicate that a team has chosen a poster (a piece of paper, writing initials on the board, dragging and dropping an image if you have an interactive board) I used 'Víctor's signature' so he was effectively singing the headshot as a way to keep it all on theme.

All of my materials for this Victor version are linked at the end!

How  to Play: 

1) Place your students into groups of 3-4 students
2) Set a timer for how long you want to play (30ish min is good! But less can work , too)
3) One student comes up and gets a task card and takes it back to their group. You can see my Víctor Trilogy ones HERE. (I cut them apart and printed them on different colored paper for each group for my own organizational needs)
4) When a group thinks they have the answer they bring the task card up and if it's right they get a   signiture to place on the headshot they want to. If it wasn't write give them a hint or point out whats wrong and send them back to fix it.
5) They keep going repeating steps 3-4 until the timer runs out.
6) They you flip over the posters to reveal how many points each was worth. Multiply it's worth by how many signatures each group they assigned to each specific poster.

Watch a video explanation HERE!

For example:
If Equipo Morado  had 5 signatures under the poster worth 5 points, 6 under the one worth -20 , and  7 under the poster worth  50 points. So that team would have 655. (But I also make my students do the math in Spanish to review numbers and because they are better mathematicians than I am). You can make them worth 5, 10, -5 . It really doesn't matter. It's all random. I would recommend changing it from one class to the other or they'll tell each other which ones to pick! That's  why I write on the back of my laminated posters each class with random point amounts.

Here are my slides for the Víctor Autograph Review if you happen to also teach these or want to see what it looks like as well as the  posters and signatures.

I'd love to hear how you adapt this game to other topics!

Technology is a beautiful thing, when it works, right??... Well hopefully it usually works for you and you can use some of these sites , games, and ideas to enhance your lessons and make your lives easier!

I am always looking for websites and other fun things to make class more engaging OR my life easier, so with no further ado and in no particular order here are 10 websites I use often in my classroom and some of the ways that I use them!

Gimkit
​
Gimkit is a student favorite, especially with all the new and different game modes coming out. Students answer multiple choice questions, listen and click an answer, or type in an answer in order to gain money or energy to complete different game mode tasks. My students love the fishing mode, draw it mode (think Pictionary-- it's awesome) and tag. mode This is a paid subscription , but my district does pay for it.  The reason  they pay for it and the real reason I love it  is that with the paid subscription I can get data on my students. After they finish playing I get a student-by -student write up that shows how many questions they answered, words they missed, words they never missed, etc. I love assigning Gimkits as we read novels so I know what vocabulary we need to focus on or target during that unit. I also like that Gimkit has a HW option like Blooket where you can assign practice or review to students to do on their own. And as you will hear with many of these, I love that other teachers have created lots of sets for almost any curriculum or novel and I don't have to recreate the wheel.

Blooket

A student favorite no matter the level. I like that the modes are engaging and as new ones come out my students get excited to review or introduce content using the interactive fun modes. I like to use the traditional, kahoot-esque modes for  reviewing content as a class. I also like this mode for assigning homework , review materials, or extension activity options. There are so many sets available on this website as well. I've rarely had to make new ones.


*GAMEIFY BLOOKET AND GIMKIT*  with Musical Chair on Gimkit/Blooket

Not that Blooket  and Gimkit aren't already fun , engaging, games, but let's take it to the next level and make it a movement-based game. As students play I randomly yell Levántate and students have to stand up and walk around the room. When I yell Siéntate they have to sit down and begin playing at the computer closest to them. The goal is to be at the winning computer when the timer runs out. You will have to set expectations of sitting down where they are closest and not purposefully sabotaging computers etc. You can have everyone put in a code name in Spanish instead of their real names so that kids don't look for certain computers.

Quizziz

This website has assessment, instruction, and practice (HW) options . I  like assigning them as HW as a comprehension check for students. It will give the m a percentage and clearly let them know if they should move on. It's fun to do a class/group one at the end of the unit or before summative assessments because it will break down questions by which was hardest, etc. It also  gives a class percentage so you can see how proficient your students are. It still has a game aspect just not various modes like Blooket and Gimkit. There are lots of assessments created by other teachers on there as well. I do not pay for a subscription by any means I just use what is free or create what I need. I like them for reading standard checks.

Quizlet

Quizlet is like the ancestor of Blooket and Gimkit. In many ways Quizlet walked, so some of these other sites could run... that being said it probably has the most sets available over the widest range of topics and curriculums. It's also  a great option for students that want flashcards or something like that. I post links or provide them often so students can review before retakes.

*LEVEL UP* with Quizlet Live Relay Race

This is a  student favorite every year and you can read how to do Quizlet Live Relay Races from Mis Clases Locas. Seriously, your students will love it and it get's them moving!

Educandy

Another great option for student individual work time , extension, or intervention. This site takes any set of vocabulary you may have and creates lots of little games for students to play to practice. These games include tic-tac-toe, crosswords, memory, word searches, etc. Not as organized as other sites nor as many sets, but it's pretty easy to make them from Quizlets. However, it can only be played on as an app, so your students would need personal devices OR a classroom iPad as a station is a great way to use it.

Flipgrid

Flipgrid is a site that allows you the teacher to pose a question verbally or written to your students and they respond  with videos. I use these often for speaking assessments, because it's great for students that don't want to talk in front of others as well as it allows me to listen to them speak as many times as I need to in order to give an accurate score. Students can also respond to each other by recording video responses to each other's questions. It's free, it's user friendly, and it's great if you're going to be gone and you still want your students to talk and give them feedback.

Flippity
Flippity.net is powered by Google and houses a variety of templates from Google Sheets that become things like Jeopardy, Word Searches, Name Wheels, Digital Break-Out Rooms , etc. No more wasting time on formating or creating just punch in your information and let the template do the work. I highly recommend the name wheel which I use often because it makes groups for me, puts students in order for conferencing, and so much more. 

EdPuzzle

This site really blew up during the pandemic, but I still love it for review, extension, and intervention. I also love using it for movie talks , because those aren't my favorite CI activities to do. But basically you can  link any YouTube video and insert questions throughout the video that students need to respond to. I use the free version and pre-made videos other teachers have made. I like to use these for listening assessments sometimes , too.

Garbanzo

This is an education website that is tied to the SOMOS curriculum from the Comprehensible Classroom by Martina Bex. You can read more about it at her blog here. I often use it to intro a new SOMOS unit in Spanish I or as extension as we go through the unit. I like the data it gives me and the repetitions my students get in. They are adding more stories and podcasts and things all the time!

Sr.Wooly

Sr. Wooly is a video and graphic novel creator and it is AMAZING and so worth every cent. We use curriculum money to buy our subscription. I love that each story has assignments housed on the site and that they come with activities, lessons, and a very collaborative community. It's a great sub plan and you'll gain access to several graphic novels if you're wanting to teach with novels.

*BONUS* saying 10 websites has a good ring, but I also use,

Duolingo

I have all my students create accounts day one and any time they finish fast they know that it is what they are supposed to be working on with free time in my class. They could also choose to free read from our classroom library, but most work on duolingo on their Chormebooks. I also use the podcasts often in my upper classes and will be sharing more on that soon.

What sites do you use in your classroom? Am I missing any on this blog?

It's important before I begin talking about my bullfighting unit I taught in Spanish III recently that I recognize and thank the amazing creators that shared before me, because without their bravery and consistency in sharing I wouldn't have been spending SOO much time creating things for this unit, so a HUGE thank you to Elizabeth Dentlinger  for the materials and mapping of her bullfighting unit, as well as Carrie Toth and Allison Wienhold  for sharing on their blogs, so that I didn't loose my mind trying to teach something new. That being said I will be linking things from their blogs as I go!

DISCLAIMER: I teach on 90min blocks and I see my students every day, so my lesson/day  plans may seem extensive. YOU may need to break up days to make them work in your room or get rid of less "essential" activties.

Day 1:

I used the KWL idea from Sra. Dentlinger and just made my own so that it said my own name you can edit THIS ONE.  I liked this because it gave me a really clear idea of how little my students knew about bullfighting and especially Spain.

We watched a short youtube  video of Northern Spain (because that's where I lived and went to university) while they filled out the first  two sections. They then handed them back into me.

Then I used Sra. Dentlinger's  PQ+As for bulls and bullfighting. Because I am doing this as our first unit/novel in Spanish III , I just added some more  questions that asked students to use a little more language since they had that ability.

Then students read this short non-fiction informational reading about Spain and bullfighting  (volleyball translation style) with a partner and completed the activities on the back individually. I like incorporating these kinds of readings at the beginning to help set the scene and to just get in more of that kind of reading and language for my students. It's how they learn 'limita'   'frontera' 'notre, este, sur, oeste' etc. 

For extension/fast finishers: I assigned an EdPuzzle about the geography of Spain.

Day Two:

I handed back the KWL sheet and had students add anything they learned about Spain and Bullfighting so far  to the L section and the re-collected them.

I then had students read the Torero Reading from Sra. Dentlinger individually. We went over them as a class.  We did this before watching Blood Brother's on Youtube so students understood the different rolls of different toreros.

I read about the 60min documentary on Somewhere to Share and looked everywhere for the full documentary everyone talked about being free in their blogs. It's not any more,  boo! But I did find this 15min excerpt from Youtube and had students watch and answer  these questions as they watched.   We then went over the questions as a class.

Then my students worked on Sra. Dentlinger's El Traje de Luces worksheet.

Day Three:

We did a Kindergarten 'Read'/Picture Talk of the book Ferdinando el toro. Kindergarten Read is exactly what it sounds like. I like students grab pillows and folding chairs and the sit on the floor in front of my stool criss-cross-applesauce and I read them a book. This time I used this Youtube video (because I am not a native speaker and I like to get them exposure to  as many accents/native speakers as possible) and I paused and would do some circling with the images.

I then had students decorate a pair of bull horns in pairs of 2. They could decorate them however they wanted  and they put their names on the horns. This is because we then went on to play 'Pin the horns on the bull'.

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I drew this picture of a bull on a jumbo sticky note pad , but you could easily project a photo of Ferdinand the Bull from the movie, too.

Students then had to direct their partner to put their single horn using Spanish directional words. The whole class would yell 'Olé' when they were done and we voted on who got the closest as a pair and they got candy. It was VERY fun. Everyone was super engaged and it was truly one of those connection over curriculum moments or 'memory making' moments.

Then students worked individually on this Anatomy of a Bull worksheet. I had to make my own version of Sra. Dentlinger's, because the link to the website her students used doesn't work anymore. SO  here's mine. I don't love the website I found to replace her's , but it "worked" fine for this activity. If you find a better version let me know!

Day Four: 

I wrote the bod y parts of the bull on paper and we taped them to the picture of the bull I drew to review/check the worksheet from the day before. I just wrote the one large post it's and we stuck them on.

Then we listened to the Duolingo Podcast El torero de hoy and students completed this worksheet as the listened.

Day Five:

Our final day students came to class prepared to debate for or against bullfighting and we did this fishbowl style.

They then wrote a  letter tell someone about bullfighting and giving their opinion on the tradition. Here's my assessment .

Now we're moving on to reading Bianca Nieves y los 7 toritos by Carrie Toth and I can't wait to share that journey, too!

I'm starting a new series where I quickly talk about my go-to, comprehensible input techniques so I can more easily share a  'how to' with people asking for more in-depth explanations then what I provide over on Instagram  or Twitter-- make sure you're following me for ideas like this one!   (@profe.sierra)

This week we'll be looking at Weekend Talk. I was introduced to this technique by Allison  (Mis Clases Locas) when I was student teaching with her. She also has a blog full of ideas here . I've also read about it from Ben Slavic and Martina Bex, so I am by no means the founder or creator of this ingenious idea. It's been around in the  'Comprehensible Input Toolbox' for a lot longer then I've been using it.

At its core Weekend Talk or, Weekend Chats as it is sometimes referred, is  a more thematic form of Personalized Question and Answer. It's your chance to talk to your students about their lives and what happened over the weekend. I love it for Spanish II and III, because it's a very organic way to get in reps of the past tense, but more then that I love that it is a chance for connection  to happen during curriculum and that it requires little to no-prep on my part. I do this most Mondays in my classroom, but I especially love it when there has been a long weekend, an event (like homecoming,  prom, etc.) or a holiday.

Lowest Prep Versions

1) The OG Way

To keep this super simple and the lowest-prep possible you can simply ask students questions: What did you do this weekend? Where did you go? Did you... (go to a football game, play a video games, go out to eat?) ? And anything else that is comprehensible and relevant to ask your students. I like to go in with like 5-7 questions and a list of my students names. I check them off to make sure everyone has shared and then we move on to our normal "as scheduled" activities.

2) Yes or No

Give students a list of typed out options for activities they may have completed over the weekend. Have them check yes or no if they did those. Collect them and simply call our info "_____ and _____ went to the football game." , "_____ visited family.", etc.

3) 2 truths and 1 lie -- here's my FREE template I use.

Have students write two true statements about their weekend and one lie. They read it out loud and  their peers try to guess the lie.

4) Timed Free Write

Set a timer. Supply some sentence starters and frames and have students write to you about their weekend.

These kinds of comprehensible input techniques are essential, because I think they are the closest many of our students get to organic and natural use of the target language in the sheltered space of a language classroom.

Other Ideas:

Here are some other options for 'shaking up' Weekend Talks from other Spanish teachers, because I  strongly believe in not recreating the wheel!

Digital Version 
Find Someone Who  Version
Question Cards - for  conversation practice OR my FAVORITE post them on the board and have students write initials under what they did and discuss the results as a class.

Should I post a blog about having my Spanish 3 students do visual blogs for Weekend Talk? Let me know if you'd want to hear about that, too!