Category Archives: Activities and Games

Using Powerpoint to Practice Foreign Language Writing

This is a great activity that use powerpoint to get students writing  and practicing verb forms.  The teacher begins each slide with a single click reveals three number combinations.
Practice Foeign (World) Language Vern Forms and Tenses with Powerpoint (French, Spanish) wlteacher.wordpress.comThe first number is the subject and the second number is the verb. Students then have 30 seconds (the triangle disappears to show time passing) to write the three subjects with the correct form of the verb. An additional click shows the three subjects with the correct verb forms so that students can check their verb forms.  Here is an example of a French writing activity.
French Activities:
Spanish Activities:

Interactive Crossword Puzzle to Practice Foreign Language Vocabulary

Interactive Foreign (World) Language Crossword Puzzles (French, Spanish) wlteacher.wordpress.comWith this Interactive Crossword Puzzle students have the opportunity to practice speaking, listening and writing in the target language.

  • Partner #1 has the A picture sheet and the B crossword puzzle.
  • Partner #2 has the B picture sheet and the A crossword puzzle.

The two partners alternate reading a clue out loud from the crossword clues on his/her crossword puzzle sheet. The other students has the answers on the picture sheet and provides the answer orally at which point the student reading the clue fills in the answer.

These can be created using websites to create word puzzles or you can download the activities below.

French Interactive Crossword Puzzles:

Spanish Interactive Crossword Puzzles:

Communicative Foreign Language Activity (Speak, Listen, Write)

Give your students an opportunity to practice and gain confidence in speaking, listening and writing in the target language. This activity  can focus on any verb tense as well various other grammar points.

Communicative Foreign (World) Language Activity (Speak, Listen, Write) (French, Spanish) wlteacher.wordpress.comStudents circulate in the classroom and ask each other questions using the subject pronoun and verb (in the correct form) found on their paper. The objective is to find the other person who has the same 6 sentences. My activities typically include 6 matches. If there are more than 12 students in the class, I simply photocopy additional slips and students need to find their group of 3 or 4 that all match.

When a match (or group) is found, the students work together to write the six sentences in the target language. The entire activity can easily take place in the target language.  The example below is for reflexive verbs in French.  These two papers match, but only these two. The other four have one verb that is different.

Here is a template to create your own

Complete French Activities:

Complete Spanish Activities

Foreign Language Reading Activity for Beginners

This activity gives beginner students an opportunity to see how much they  understand in the target language. To begin, the teacher posts 6 paragraphs written in the target language around the classroom. It is important to focus on vocabulary and structures that the class has covered. Students are given a set of questions whose answers can be found in each of the paragraphs. Students move around individually or in pairs to each paragraph and record the answers. This is a great beginning reading activity that can then be used to get students speaking in class once they have all of the information and the teacher verifies the information with the class orally.  Once students are familiar with this type of activity it can be used with more advanced vocabulary and structures in subsequent years.  It is a great way to focus on cultural elements as well.

These activities can be created using WORD documents.

You can download full versions here:    FRENCH     SPANISH

Language Puzzles to help Students Understand Verb Tenses

verb_tensesThis activity presents a made up language. Students look at examples of how verbs show tense and must decipher what words puts a verb in the past, present, or future. This is a great exercise to help students understand the abstract concept of verb tenses. By using an artificial language students will be able to create phrases in the past, present, and future without resorting to grammar rules. You will find yourself referring back to exercise throughout the year as students struggle with understanding verb tense. This great for a language arts class or any foreign language class.   You can download a full versions of this activity here.

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Foreign Language Speaking Activity with Reflexive Verbs

This is a great activity that I use to get students moving around the classroom and speaking to each other in the target language using reflexive verbs along with reflexive pronouns.  Student ask each other when they do certain activities (wake up, go to bed, wash up, etc) and record answers. I provide students with a question sheet as well as an answer sheet ( which includes times to use in response to questions). All information is presented with pictures to avoid translation. A follow-up activity requires students to ask about another person so that a different reflexive pronoun is also used.  Students have a lot of fun with this communicative activity.

You can create these activities in WORD or you can download complete activities that are ready to use here:

Very Effective Online Vocabulary Activities for Foreign Language Class

The activities on the links below are great for students to individually practice many vocabulary topics in a very interactive way.  Some of the activities include sound and students can practice their listening comprehension as well as their ability to recognize words when they see them in print.  These are also effective for the smartboard as well. The activities work just as well on an individual computer screen.

Digital Dialects-Great tool for the Foreign (World) Language Classroom(French, Spanish) wlteacher.wordpress.com

Foreign Language Class Group Speaking Project for a Food Unit

Foreign (World) Language Food and Restuarant Project (French, Spanish) wlteacher.wordpress.com

You can download full versions of this project here:

We have the food unit that comes up in our foreign language classes almost every year and every text book has at least one chapter devoted to it.  I  created this group project that has students incorporate everything that they learn during a food and restaurant unit.  Students work in groups to create a sales pitch. They have 5 minutes to present their concept for a restaurant to a group of judges (I use other teachers in the school who can understand this level of the language).  Sometimes I record the presentations and email the videos to faculty members to vote on.  Presentations include ideas for the style and decor, the place setting, uniforms, a menu, a chef, and one prepared specialty of the house for the judges to test.

Foreign (World) Language Food and Restuarant Project (French, Spanish) wlteacher.wordpress.com Foreign (World) Language Food and Restuarant Project (French, Spanish) wlteacher.wordpress.comTo keep it completely proficiency-based, they have visuals to represent decor, menu, restaurant style, uniforms, etc. but they speak in the moment with no notes. The idea is to have them speak completely at their proficiency level without any memorized, prepared language. This is a great way to have them use everything that they learn throughout a food unit, and it’s an effective alternative to skits. I always give students an a a sheet with useful phrases and vocabulary to use during the presentation as well as an in-depth rubric that the judges also use. This is lots of fun and all about proficiency and showing the students what they can do with the language, and the project-based learning aspects are very effective as well.

You can download full versions of this project here:

Using the Gouin Series in the Foreign Language Classroom

The Gouin Series is an activity that helps to move students from listening to speaking.  It was developed by Francois Gouin in the 19th century.

The teacher presents a series of six to eight relatively short statements that describe a logical sequence of actions that takes place in a specific context—buying a gift, cooking a meal, making a cake, making a phone call, writing and sending an email. The statements include concrete action verbs and use the same tense and the same person.  The teacher first presents the statements to the class orally, accompanying them with pantomime of the actions involved.  Props are useful. The class responds first by doing the actions, and then responds by saying the words while still performing the actions. The class speaks first as a group and then as individuals.

Elements of a Gouin Series:

  • An introduction to  set the scene
  • Concrete action verbs
  • One specificcontext
  • One tense
  • One person
  • 7-10 -syllables
  •  6-8 statements
  •  Props or visuals
  • Logical sequence

How to Teach a Gouin (Action) Series:

  1. Teacher presents orally, with pantomime and props
  2. Teacher repeats orally, class pantomimes with teacher
  3.  Teacher repeats orally without pantomime, class pantomimes,
  4. Teacher repeats orally, individuals pantomime
  5. Class repeats orally and pantomimes
  6. Individuals lead the series
  7. Possible reading, writing activities

Example of a Gouin Series:

Going to Class

  • I put my book in my bag.
  • I walk to class.
  • I enter the classroom.
  • I sit down.
  • I take out my book.
  • I put my book on the table.
  • I open book.

Up and Down: Foreign Language Vocabulary and Verb Form Activities

Up and Down: Foreign (World) Language Vocabulary and Verb Form Activity (French, Spanish) wlteacher.wordpress.comThis is an effective activity for students to practice language forms and vocabulary.  It is adaptable to many different structures.

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The three activities offer students an opportunity to work collaboratively.  Here is my favorite one because it is most interactive:

Students cut up the squares and line them up in order in one long strip placing the response under the prompt. There are two variations

–Start with principio/début and go to fin

–Start with fin and go to principio/début

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You can also find 20 versions of this activity on a number of French and Spanish vocabulary and grammar topics on the links below: