Activities to use in class

Activities

This list includes activities to practice communication and practice the contents of our text.  Each activity can be adapted to meet the individual needs of each class or group of students.  The teacher can decide if the students are going to work alone, in pairs, in small groups, or as an entire class.

Scrambled vocabulary.  Each student picks a vocabulary word and scrambles the letters.  One student writes the scrambled word on the board and the other students guess the vocabulary word. This is very helpful as a vocabulary review and a spelling check.

Line up.  The teacher asks something and the students have time to think about their answer. For example, How long did you study outside of class?  The teacher explains they are going to line up according to their answers.  The students who studied the most go to one side of the classroom and those that studied less go to the other.  In this way, they are making a line to represent their answers. To finish, they have to respond with an answer like, “I studied for forty minutes yesterday.”

Show and tell.  Each student brings and object and has to talk about it. This can be an activity to get to know each other, or to practice a specific grammar point.

My classmate. Students work in pairs and answer different questions. Then, each student presents his/her classmate to the class by explaining their answers.

A demonstration.  Each student explains how to do or prepare something. This can be a fun way to practice the imperative.

The Future. Students can talk about their futures or the future of another person.

Simon says.  One person says a command like, “Touch your head.” If the person says, “Simón dice” everyone completes the action. If the person does not say it, no one should do the action. This is a good way to practice listening skills and commands.

Where am I?  One person describes a place and everyone else tries to guess the place.

Is it?  The teacher picks and describes a word. Everyone else tries to decide if the description is correct.

You should. Students create and sell something.  This can be a fun way to practice the conditional or the subjunctive.

What is it?  The teacher chooses a vocabulary word and the students have to write a description. This is a good way to practice vocabulary.

A picture is worth… The teacher picks a vocabulary word and the students have to draw it without using words or language.

My soulmate.  Students describe their ideal friend, or their soulmate. This can be a fun way to practice the imperative or the subjunctive.

I am looking for...  Students write a description of a job. The list of requirements can be a fun way to practice the imperative or the subjunctive. 

What do I see? The teacher draws a picture or shows a photo and the students describe what they see. This can be a good way to practice writing or speaking.

Who am i? Students describe themselves in the present, the past or the future. 

Who are we? The class discusses or creates a list of impactful, important or known individuals.  It is necessary to write the names on cards. The teacher glues a card to each student’s forehead. Then, the students have to decide who they are by asking and answering questions. 

The house of my dreams.  Students describe their dream home. They can draw or write a description. This can be a fun way to practice the future or conditional.

I am selling…  Each student picks an item to sell to the class. They can create a poster to sell the item to practice their writing skills. 

My memories. Students draw and write out memories from a specific time in their lives.  They can include information about their favorite foods, books, friends, activities, class, movie, person, or animal.  This can be a fun activity to practice the past tenses. 

My travels.  Students pick a country they want to visit and make a brochure to share information with the class.  The brochure can include a variety of information determined by the teacher such as main cities, places of historic importance, typical food, the flag, animals, celebrations, and/or a specific number of pictures.

My dream vacation. Students pick a country they want to visit. Students create a postcard. On one side they draw or use printed material to visually represent the country. On the other side they write a message home that they want to share about the country.

Activities with a ball. Sometimes it is fun to throw a ball.  In ti activity, the teacher picks a verb tense and a verb. The first persona who has the ball conjugates the verb in the “yo” form. The second conjugates in the “tú” form. The third conjugates in the “él, ella, usted” form.   The next person to receive the ball conjugates in “nosotros/nosotras” form. The teacher decides if the class will conjugate in the “vosotros/vosotras” form. The last persona conjugates the verb in the “ellos, ellas, ustedes” form and returns the ball to the teacher.