Tag Archives: Listening

34: Technology to Support Language Students with Joe Dale (Part 1)

Posted on | Leave a comment


This is the first of a two-part episode on using technology in language learning.  Joe Dale joins me to talk about technology tools and resources to support students in the language classroom. Joe Dale is a language consultant from the UK who works with a range of organizations such as Network for Languages, the BBC, Skype, Microsoft and The Guardian. He is a regular conference speaker and recognized expert on technology and language learning. He has spoken at conferences and run training courses in Europe, North America, South America, the Middle East, Asia and Australasia.

Joe Speaks about…

  • how technology enhances opportunities to engage language learning
  • ways to use technology to practice interpersonal, reading and writing skills

Connect with Joe Dale:

Resources that Joe mentions:

Work with Joshua either in person or remotely.

Follow wherever you listen to podcasts.

Leave a comment

Posted in Classroom Procedures, Podcast Episodes, Technology

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,

25: Go-To Activities for Your Teacher Toolbox (vol 1)

Posted on | 1 comment


This episode is the first in a series of episodes that I will publish 4-5 times a year.  In these “Go-To Activities for Your Teacher Toolbox” episodes you will hear suggestions for go-to activities and games that require little-to-no prep and can be easily modified for any language or proficiency level.

Why Games and Activities:

  • useful teaching and learning tool
  • particularly useful when engaging and motivating unwilling and disinterested students
  • opportunities to practice speaking and understanding the target language
  • playing in (with) the language and building confidence
  • Brain Breaks – keep interest and focus
  • provide a relaxed context for risk-taking, lowering the affective filter
    and building community in the classroom.

4 games and activities that are:

  • little to no prep
  • can be pulled out at any time
  • are easily adapted to proficiency level of class

The games and activities:

Work with Joshua either in person or remotely.

Follow wherever you listen to podcasts.

1 Comment

Posted in Activities and Games, Podcast Episodes

Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Classic Battleship to Get Kids Speaking

Posted on | 1 comment

I always like to use classic games such as battleship in the foreign language classroom.  These types of activities don’t typically require a lot of explanation because students are familiar with the how the game is played and they can get right on task practicing their language skills.  You can read about how language instruction is improved with “fun and games” in a post that I wrote previously. 

Classic Battleship in the Foreign (World) Language Classroom (French, Spanish) wlteacher.wordpress.comHere is an example of how battleships can be used to practice  clothing vocabulary and colors in Spanish.  Students place boats (filled in boxes) on the game board. Students play against another student and try to find and sink the boats of the opponent. There are pictures of clothing down the left side and colors across the top (this can also easily be done with with subjects and verbs). To choose a square, the player must say the article of clothing and the correct form of the color.   All of the necessary vocabulary (boat names, hit, sunk, miss, examples of how to say a sentence) are on the sheet for student reference. There are two grids for each player to use, one to put his/her own “boats” on and the other to keep track of the opponent.

Classic Battleship in the Foreign (World) Language Classroom (French, Spanish) wlteacher.wordpress.comDownload Battleship Games Here:

1 Comment

Posted in Activities and Games, Listening, Speaking

Tagged , ,

Find your Match-Speaking Activity to Practice Foreign Language Vocabulary

Posted on | Leave a comment

This is a great well to keep students in the target language while they focus on a particular vocabulary theme.  The example below using clothing.  Give slip of paper to each student with pictures of five articles of clothing.  There are 6 six pairs total.  In the example below the slips on the left are paired with slips on the right.

Students circulate in the classroom and ask each other which clothing they have (they should not look at others’ answers or show theirs).  The entire activity should take place in the target language.  The objective is to find the other person who has the exact match.  If there are more than 12 students in the class, photocopy additional slips and students need to find their group of 3 or 4 that all match.  If there is an odd number of students in the class, be sure to give a slip that matches a group.

The first group to pair up without speaking English or looking at each other’s slip wins the round.  Students can then exchange slips and play a second and third time. Before playing, review the vocabulary that students will need.

These activities can be made in a WORD document by cutting and pasting images, or you can download the activities that are already made here:

Leave a comment

Posted in Activities and Games, Speaking

Tagged , ,

Setting Goals in the Foreign Language Classroom

Posted on | 2 comments

Update on this Post: I recently wrote a follow up to this goal setting post that focuses on setting proficiency goals using the ACTFL Proficiency Scale and the Can-Do Statements.  You can read it HERE.

Goal Setting in the Foreign (World) Language Classroom. (French, Spanish) wlteacher.wordpress.comAs teachers we all understand the importance of setting goals and having students set goals for themselves.   Since the study of a foreign language (particularly for students beginning a language in middle school, high school or in college) is a new undertaking and and students generally have little or no previous experience, I find it very important to give them clear guidance as they set personal goals for learning a foreign language.  Students may set goals that are clearly too difficult to reach or goals that they will reach in two days.  Clear guidance from the teacher can help students to understand what attainable goals can look like in the world language classroom.  Here is an example of what I ask students to do when they begin setting goals for themselves.  I have them revisit each term and asses where they are in terms of reaching their goals.

  • As you look forward to the year ahead in, what do you hope to accomplish?  What are some areas of language or culture that you want to know more about?  What can you do to make sure that you are able to accomplish these goals?
  • Consider the many aspects of learning a foreign language as you create some goals for yourself this year.  Here are some ideas to consider: Speaking, Pronunciation, Understanding , Writing , Familiarity with Cultures, Vocabulary, Grammar.
  • Consider where your skill/confidence level in these areas is now and where you would like to be at the end of this school year.  Remember this about setting SMART goals.  Goals should be:

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Realistic

Timely

  • Take some time to write down what you hope to accomplish this year and how you plan to go about it.

You can download goal setting sheets for foreign language students HERE.

2 Comments

Posted in Classroom Procedures

Tagged , ,

Foreign Language Speaking Activities Using Pictures and Photos

Posted on | 4 comments

An effective way of getting students speaking is to have them describe a picture or photo, but this can a get a little old after a few times.  There are many paired and group activities that students can do with an image beyond a simple description.

Foreign Language Speaking Activities Using Pictures and Photos (French, Spanish) www.wlclassroom.com

I compiled 50 speaking activities using images and photos in the foreign language classroom.  Two of them are are:

  • One student orally describes a picture to a second student who then draws a copy of it.
  • One student orally describes a picture to another student who then is given a choice of pictures and must choose the one described.

You can download the entire document with all 50 ideas by clicking the box below.

These are fairly low-prep activities.  All the teacher really needs to do is find pictures (easily done on the Internet) that represent the vocabulary or topics. Why not involve students in process as well?

 

4 Comments

Posted in Activities and Games, Listening, Speaking

Tagged , , , , , , , ,

Litterature Activity Centers

Posted on | Leave a comment

If you are looking for follow-up activities to engage students in a text that they have read in the target language,  consider setting up reading stations (sometimes called centers) in the classroom.  These centers typically center on a particular interest of the student and you can have each student complete one or two of the activities depending on time and interest.  When students have a choice they tend to invest more time and focus  more attention.  Here are some ideas for setting up reading stations in your world language classroom:

reading centers

Leave a comment

Posted in Reading

Tagged , ,

Online Nursery Rhymes and Interactive Activities

Posted on | Leave a comment

This site includes these Nursery Rhymes in French, German, Spanish, and Italian:

  • Little Red Ridding Hood
  • The Three Little Pigs
  • Billy Goats Gruff
  • Goldilocks and the Three Bears

All of the stories are very interactive and have voices that read the story, words the screen, movement, Smartboard activities, and a very extensive downloadable pdf with activities to go along with each story.  This is a free site and kids love it.

Check it out HERE.

Leave a comment

Posted in Online Activities

Tagged , , , , ,

French, Spanish, Italian, and German Games

Posted on | 1 comment

This is a great site out of England that has pages and pages of online activities for students.  It is very well organized and you can find almost any topic that you want.  It is comepletly free.

Check it out HERE.

1 Comment

Posted in Online Activities

Tagged , , , , ,

TPR

Posted on | Leave a comment

Everyone is talking about TPR (and TPRS, covered elsewhere) and language teachers are excited to try it out in their classrooms. The Total Physical Response method of language teaching was created by James Asher and is based on the work of Krashen, who wrote widely on his Monitor Model. One element of Krashen’s theory was the Affective Filter concept. Mainly, this states that when anxiety is low and learners are comfortable, they are less likely to block understanding.

TPR builds upon this concept in that learners are not forced to speak until they are ready, but are rather encouraged to first demonstrate comprehension through movement and gesture. Drawing on first language acquisition research which shows that children demonstrate understanding before they produce language, TPR encourages learners demonstrate understanding before producing language.

One major benefit that I have personally observed in my classroom is a rise in student confidence as they recognize their ability to almost fully understand a class conducted entirely in the target languge. When they are focusing on this one skill early on rather than trying to speak, read, write, and understand aurally, they achieve recognizable success very early on. This then motivates them to continue to build on their success.

Students move on to speaking and essentially take on the role of the teacher in directing classroom activities. There are several books on TPR to help teachers better understand the techniques and there are numerous workshops offered throughout the country. You can find more information on the TPR Website.

Leave a comment

Posted in Listening

Tagged , , ,