This game could be called Mastering Vocabulary with The Marker Game. It is so easy and takes little to no prep to get ready. Read on to learn more about this easy, competitive game. Vocabulary acquisition is a crucial aspect of language learning, but it doesn’t have to be boring or tedious. Engaging students in interactive and enjoyable activities can significantly enhance their retention and understanding of new words. One such game that injects fun into learning is The Marker Game. This simple yet effective activity turns vocabulary practice into a thrilling competition, making it an ideal a ..read more

I learned this game from Josua Cabral at the World Langague Classroom. The Die Decides is an engaging game that can be used in language classrooms to practice vocabulary, grammar, speaking, or any other language skills. I like to use it for comprehension questions to spice up plain old worksheets. When to Use The Die Decides To practice vocabulary After a story Reviewing for an assessment or final exams To add repetition to your lesson Materials Needed This is really a low-prep activity. Teachers can do it on the fly or with very little prep involved once you have an answer sheet template ma ..read more

You have heard me talk about March Madness in the classroom and it has nothing to do with basketball. I love using the March Brackets to add in vocabulary repetitions. They are great for anything from music to sports. In the world language classroom, brackets are a valuable tool for reinforcing vocabulary through repetition. Integrating brackets allows instructors to provide contextual cues or alternative meanings for target words, aiding students in grasping nuances and expanding their linguistic understanding. By strategically incorporating brackets into exercises, teachers can prompt studen ..read more

Let’s talk trading cards. Did you love to collect and trade them when you were a kid? Maybe you still do as an adult. They tend to draw in students who are fans of sports. But did you know you can use the idea of trading cards to entice students who love art, who are creative, and who like a bit of a change? Character trading cards give students an alternative way to show their understanding of content and demonstrate their language skills differently. Why should I use character trading cards? In the ever-evolving landscape of language education, educators are constantly seeking innovative met ..read more

Headbandz is a family fun game that can be played in your classroom. It is a fast-paced game of guess what I am. Instead of purchasing this game, I like to use this same concept in my classroom focusing on unit-specific vocabulary the class is working on. If you have never played the game Headbandz you’re missing out. It is a lot of fun and your students will agree. So I am going to show you how to implement a similar version in your classroom to review vocabulary (not teach it). Materials Needed Teacher-created vocabulary cards – small enough to fit on the forehead or prop up onto something ..read more

With the holiday fast approaching the students are getting restless. The closer we get to winter break, the harder it is to keep attention. I think I have come up with a solution to help keep kids engaged, using the language, and having fun! There are a lot of holiday activities for the classroom out there for us to do. They are shared in Facebook groups, on TpT, and teacher-made creations. This card game is one activity you can add to your holiday games and make the students happy. There is a different solution each time you play so you can use it with the same class over and over again…Bonu ..read more

Fingerspelling Fun! Fingerspelling can be a tedious learning task for students. It can often leave students feeling frustrated, lacking in skill, or even incapable of achieving success in ASL. To make fingerspelling fun, try to implement entertaining and creative ways to practice it. Most students respond well to games and activities that don’t feel like learning. Establishing an atmosphere of fun and making failure OK in your classroom will help put students at ease. Always keep in mind each student will learn at a different pace. If struggling students know it is OK that everyone is working ..read more

Record, pass, draw is another drawing activity that keeps students entertained and laughing while they are practicing the language. I based this activity on the draw, pass write activity from the Comprehensible Classroom. Since ASL does not have a written form, I modified the activity to work for the American Sign Language classroom. Record, pass, draw is a fun activity to use to practice language after any type of input like a story, movie talk, picture talk, or newscast. Any type of input you give, this activity can work with. It is a minimal setup for the teacher, but it does take a bit of ..read more

Although the post is about why you should use circling in the classroom I want to start off by talking about what circling is. Many people are confused by this technique or they don’t know what it is. Often times when you Google this technique it shows up as sitting in a circle talking about your feelings. This is far from that. What is circling? Circling is a technique used by teachers in the language classroom. Although it is considered a CI method, it really can benefit all language teachers and their students. Circling is when a teacher uses a sentence in the target language and then uses ..read more

Classroom Stations: As you know I am a big George Couros fan. I love him partially because of his vision of empowering students and mostly because he encourages giving students a voice and choice. If you aren’t familiar with his eight things to look for in today’s classroom, you should check them out. It is because of George’s ideas that I am trying to give students more independent time to learn, explore, create, and innovate. There are lots of ways to do this but I love using stations. I want students to use class time to talk in the target language, practice the vocabulary, and develop thei ..read more