10 Ways to Use Task Cards in the Foreign Language Classroom

Are you looking for new and inventive ways to make vocabulary and verb form/tense practice more engaging, communicative and proficiency-based in your foreign language class.  Have you seen task cards popping up all over the Internet? They are getting more popular because they are a very effective way of accomplishing our goals for students. Task cards are particularly useful because they provide lots of opportunities for hands-on activities and movement in the classroom.

Here are some examples of task cards for the foreign language classroom:

• Spanish Vocabulary Task Cards
• Spanish Verb Form/Tense Task Cards
• French Vocabulary Task Cards
• French Verb Form/Tense Task Cards

There many ways to use task cards in the language classroom. Here are a few of my go-to activities:

1. Warm-Ups (Do Nows): When they enter the room, students choose 2 or 3 cards and complete the prompt.
2. Fast Finishers: Students that finish another activity early can choose a few of the cards and complete the prompts.
3. Exit Ticket: Just before the end of class hand out a task card to each student and they respond to the prompt and hand it to the teacher (who verifies the answer) as they leave the room.
4. Station Activity: Divide the cards up into different areas (stations) around the room put students into groups. Give student or group a task card response sheet. When groups finish the cards at the station, groups rotate to a new station.
5. Scoot: Place a task card on each desk. Each student gets a response sheet. Students answer the question on the task card and then “scoot” to the next desk until they have rotated all around the room. Set a timer to complete the prompt. You can also put several cards on each desk for students to complete. They can either complete them all in one round or rotate back to that desk to complete the additional cards.
6. Differentiation: Assign students specific cards that respond to their current abilities with the material.
7. Back to Back: Give a pair of students the same task card to answer. They sit or stand with their backs against each other. Students read and complete the prompt at the same time when the signal is given to begin. This works best when answers are written on mini white boards. The first to answer correctly gets a point. This can be done with two big teams with one team member coming up to compete against a member from the other team, or in small groups of 3, with two students competing and one judging.
8. Traditional Board Games: Combine the task cards with traditional game boards and have students complete a task card to be able to move.
9. Quiz Games: Play games like Jeopardy and use the task card as prompts and questions.
10. Interactive Bulletin Board: Put task cards on a bulletin board or around the room. Assign individual students 8-10 numbers. If done during class students can circulate and write the answers on a response sheet. This can also be done as a homework assignment.

• Spanish Vocabulary Task Cards
• Spanish Verb Form/Tense Task Cards
• French Vocabulary Task Cards
• French Verb Form/Tense Task Cards