If I close my eyes and think back to when I was in Spanish class, the fondest memories that I have are from game days. By the time that I was in Spanish 3 and 4, we played games almost every Friday and they were really fun. Whether it was Spanish Bananagrams, Life, or Cucharas, we had a great time and we really did speak Spanish. When I became a Spanish teacher, I started out at a school that had essentially every Teacher Discovery Spanish game known to man and I was BLESSED! I was able to play games with my 1s and 2s right away and my students really enjoyed it. We had a plethora of games and it was honestly something that made me extremely sad to lose when I moved to a new school. I was heartbroken to lose those resources (and my students.)
Luckily, my new district offers us opportunities to write grants to the Teays Valley Educational Foundation to purchase supplies for our classrooms. I wrote a grant to receive roughly $1000 worth of games from Teacher’s Discovery that target themes such as school and also grammar topics. Truthfully, I prefer to do explicit grammar lessons with games because it makes it more bearable and allows for a communicative purpose to be in place when teaching grammar.
Over the last 5 years, I have learned some do’s and don’ts about facilitating game days in the novice-level classroom and what my expectations should be for each time we play. After sharing my latest game day on Instagram, people wanted to know more. So, ask and you shall receive.
The first and most important step is to gather the games for novice-level learners. The games I choose are over familiar topics throughout the year. This past week, I chose to play the following games because I knew my students would know the language inside of them.
It’s really important to note that if your students cannot understand the language in the game, there is no point in playing. These games are meant to be a communicative activity where students can actually speak the language and make meaning of the words they see in front of them in the game.
Setting your expectations right away is very important. You cannot walk into this day without a plan. All hell will break loose if you have no plan. For me, I first start with setting my expectations for students in each game. I type out instructions on paper for each game or print out the ones that the game comes with. I do try to put the instructions in comprehensible Spanish for my students to add to the input they get that day. The first game day, we go over the instructions together for each game as a whole group and then the students read the instructions again when they get into their game groups.
After you have the instructions, place the games around the room where you see best. This really differs for each person. I just make table groups and call it good. This will change once I get some flexible seating!!!!
Now, here is the most important part. Set your expectations for what you want students to do before, during, and after the games. I know this sounds like simple classroom management….but I have forgotten to do this before and my day was longer than it needed to be. I write my expectations on the board because….well, you will see once you read them. Here is what I write/say:
1. Absolutely no technology. This is a bonding day with your classmates and not with your screens. You actually have to talk to each other today.
2. Everyone needs to try a game.
3. All games end up back where you found them and exactly how you found them. You can sit on the ground but the game needs to end up back where you found it.
4. Use your inside voice!
5. Speak Spanish!!!!!!!!! If you play a card, say what is on it in Spanish. If you play Dos/Uno, say the color and the number you play. If you play Connect 4, read the sentence you need to complete aloud. If you play Cognate Frenzy, read the choices when you are the judge.
Let’s talk about #5 for a second before we move on. After 5 weeks of Spanish, they cannot and will not produce enough spontaneous Spanish that allows them to speak in Spanish for 90% of the class. However, if they can say the words in the game and give it their all to do so, they can produce 90% of their playing time in Spanish. Playing time to me means the time they are actually playing the game when it is their turn. My expectations will increase gradually as we learn more throughout the year. The first few times we play, I do remind them often to use Spanish and give them pointers of when they can use it.
Now, it is time for the fun part! Play the games with your students. A successful game day isn’t just about the students and what they do. You play a vital role in the success of the day. The more they see you interacting with them and modeling how to play the game, the better the day will go. My favorite is when kids start to fight over me and want me to play their game in their group first. It is the ultimate community building day where everyone is involved and having fun. At the end of the game day, I like to ask my students what they think went well and what they think we can improve on. I ask myself the same thing. This past week, I learned that I want to create a small form for my students to fill out after each game that asks them to tell me any new words they learned and what went well for them. I want to keep a portfolio of their comments and watch them grow over the course of the year.
The biggest challenge for anyone getting started may be finding games that are affordable and worth the time and effort. While I was able to get a grant for games, that isn’t something that is easy for everyone. I would recommend starting on Teacher’s Pay Teacher’s and finding games on there. I love the games that Profe. Zulita and Srta. Spanish make because they are always comprehensible for my kids. Another idea is asking kids (Novice Mid-High) to create their own games in a project! Miss Señorita has a great project outline for this. You also might have luck creating an Amazon Wishlist or Donor’s Choose project to get games. An easy game to find (usually) is Uno and is perfect for any language classroom. As mentioned before, I have two brand new games in my store for Hispanic Heritage Month and school!
Another thing about sourcing games is that you can also be picky with which kids play what game that you have. For example, I have some kids that are not ready for Bananagrams even with a list to help them. So, I specifically made groups for that class and placed a game for them to try first before they could switch games. This particular class has several students that receive accommodations and it was one that I really felt needed to be made. I have also completely removed options from class for one reason or another. For example, I had a class that could not play Cognate Frenzy because they just didn’t care to take it seriously and were obnoxiously screaming when they played. So, away it went and we didn’t get to have game day for a few weeks until we worked towards earning back trust.
Well, there you have it! All of my tips and tricks for facilitating a successful game day in the novice-level classroom. I would love to hear how you play games in your class and if you have any favorites! Feel free to comment, send me an email, or message me on social media with your ideas. I can’t wait to hear how you facilitate games in your classroom.
PS: Subscribe to my blog and get a FREE word wall!!!!!!
