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For this game, you can use the word cards from the memory game or you can write words on popsicle sticks. You will also want some of the free pop cards or write pop on several sticks. Put the cards or sticks into a container. Students take turns pulling one card or stick out of the container. If they pull a word card, they must give the definition. You can change this up a bit by requiring them to give a synonym and antonym if you prefer. If they answer correctly, they keep the card. If they are wrong, it goes back in the container. And if they draw a pop, they must put all of their cards back in the container.

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Last updated on April 6, 2022 by Not So Wimpy Teacher

Vocabulary instruction is so critical in today's classroom! A vast vocabulary will help students to become better readers and writers. Vocabulary is also essential to their performance on standardized tests. Helping kids to develop their vocabulary is time that is well spent in a busy classroom. I have developed a routine to teach new vocabulary words that keeps my vocabulary instruction simple to plan and is a meaningful use of instructional minutes. Read more about my vocabulary routine.

I love using games to practice and review vocabulary words. Games are engaging and fun. Students will remember more when they are having fun! Games can be used in centers or as a whole group activity. I have come up with ten different games that are super simple and can be played with any list of words. You can play these games with ELA words, science words, or even math vocabulary!

Bingo

Each student will need one of the free game boards. If you want to be able to use them over and over, laminate and have students use dry-erase markers. Otherwise, they can use any writing utensil. Provide a long list of vocabulary words. Students will need 24 words, so it is a good game to play at the end of the unit to review. You can also mix math, science, and ELA words for a review of multiple subjects! Students will write a different word in each box. They decide which words and what order to write them in so that every board is a little different. When you are ready to play, give students a definition. Students determine the word. If they have that word on their board, they can cover it or color it. The first person to get five in a row is the winner.

Memory

To play this game, you will need cards with vocabulary words and cards with their meanings. You can make them with index cards or you can use the free editable card template that I have provided. Students shuffle up the cards and place them face down in an array. Students take turns flipping two cards.

If they flip over a match- the word and it's meaning- they keep the two cards. If they are not a match, they flip the cards back over and it is the next person's turn. Play continues until all of the cards are gone.

Pop

For this game, you can use the word cards from the memory game or you can write words on popsicle sticks. You will also want some of the free pop cards or write pop on several sticks. Put the cards or sticks into a container. Students take turns pulling one card or stick out of the container. If they pull a word card, they must give the definition. You can change this up a bit by requiring them to give a synonym and antonym if you prefer. If they answer correctly, they keep the card. If they are wrong, it goes back in the container. And if they draw a pop, they must put all of their cards back in the container.

This game won't end on its own because there are always pop cards. When the time is up, the winner is the person with the most cards.

Headbandz

This game is perfect for a small group or center. You will need word cards. Students will take turns putting a word card on their headband so that they cannot see it but the other players can. The student will ask yes or no questions of the other group members until they can correctly guess the word. For example: "Is my word a verb?" "Is 'take' a synonym for my word?" Tell students that they must be asking questions pertaining to the definition, part of speech, and definition! Once a student guesses their word, the next player takes a turn. You can also use the timer that comes with the game to keep things moving. There really isn't a winner for this game, but it always a favorite in my classroom.

Jeopardy

This is a good whole group game, but you can have students working in teams. You will need to use word cards again and you will be taping them, face down, onto your board so that the whole class can see the blank back of the card. You will add the category and point cards that I have provided for you.

The first team will choose a category and a point amount. Flip that card over and give that team 5-10 seconds to answer. So if they choose Synonyms for three points, they need to give a synonym for the vocabulary word. If they are correct, their team gets the three-point. I usually just keep score on the board. If they are not correct, put the card back so that another team can try it. Once all of the cards have been completed, the team with the most points is the winning team. Be sure to put the toughest words in the five-point row!

Trashketball

For this game, you will need a small ball and a trash can. I also put a piece of masking tape on the floor to show students where to stand when they throw.

The teacher will need a list of vocabulary words. I like to do boys versus girls- so I have them line up boy, girl, boy, girl, etc. But you can do different teams if you want. Have students get in a line starting at the tape. Ask the first person a question. You can just give them a word and ask for a definition or a synonym or to use it in a sentence. You can even use questions from assessments. If the student gets the question right, they get a point for their team and they get the chance to throw the ball. If they make the basket, they get a bonus point for their team. But, if they are not correct, the question goes to the next person in line. At the end of the allotted time, the team with the most points is the winner.

Board Games

This is so simple to implement because you are using simple games that students already know how to play. Games that I suggest are Candy Land, Checkers, Connect Four, Chutes and Ladders, etc. It is ok if the games seem childish for your grade level. The kids love playing them anyway!

You will also need word cards. The game is played according to the rules. The only change is that before a player can take their turn on the game board, they must flip over a word card and correctly define it. If they are correct, they get their turn. If they are incorrect, it is the next person's turn. It is so simple, but my kids beg for it!

Game Show

This is another whole group game that you will play in teams. You will need some sort of buzzers or bells. I got these fun animal sound buzzers on Amazon. Click the picture to purchase.

This post contains affiliate links. If you use these links to buy something we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks."

I like these buzzers because each team gets its own animal sound. The kids LOVE it. But be sure to do some training about proper use. I take a point if I hear a buzzer at an inappropriate time. Teams stand in a line behind their buzzer so that they can easily take turns. The teacher asks any vocabulary question and when a team thinks they know the answer, they push their buzzer. The first buzzer I hear gets to answer. If they are correct, their team gets a point. If they are incorrect, the other three teams get another chance to buzz in and answer. Then those four students go to the back of their team line. The winning team is the team with the most points when time is up or you run out of questions.

Charades

This game doesn't require any prep and could be done when you find yourself with a little extra time before lunch or during rainy day recess. I often play this with the whole group with teams, but it could be played with a small group. Teams will take turns being the actor. Either give the team a word card or just whisper the word in their ear. The team or the student will go to the front and act out the word. They can't talk. The audience will guess what words they are. You can give the audience teams buzzers or just let them call out answers. You can give teams a point for getting answers correct, or you can just play for fun.

Rolling Words

This is a super simple game. Students will play in a small group and only need word cards (or even definition cards!) and a die. Players take turns flipping a card and giving the definition (or if it is a definition card- they give the word).

Would you like ALL the FREE game printable mentioned in this post? #of course! Click below to get your freebies.
If they are correct, they roll the die to see how many points they get. If they are incorrect, it is the next person's turn. The winner is the person with the most points when time is up or all the word cards are gone.

To learn more about how I teach vocabulary, check out this post.

And if you want a done for you 10-minute vocabulary routine that focuses on tier 2 words, check out my Vocabulary Builders Bundles.

Have a Not So Wimpy Day,

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10 Games to Play with any Vocabulary Words

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It takes a lot of practice to master new vocabulary. Here are ten game to play with any vocabulary words, including free printable.

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10 Ways to Use Maze Games in Spanish Class

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Maze games have students answer questions, but they are also trying to find their way to the end of the maze. Grab a freebie to try with your classes!

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My favorite activities to have students share what they did all weekend or after a longer break! Great to have in your bag of tricks after a long weekend.

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¡Mi Lápiz! is a review game known by many names. Some people simply call it, "The Dice Game", others call it "¡Seis!", or "Surrender in Seis". I realized that what my students tended to say most when they were playing was something along the lines of, "MY PENCIL", so I decided to try changing the name to match, and now that's all you hear! I first learned of this game from a someone had posted on one of my social media feeds, and I just had to try it! There's almost ZERO set-up, but the engagement is huge! Youtube video

Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.

Not a need, but a want..

Not a need, but definitely nice to have are little containers for the dice to go in!

Just portion the dice out into containers like or , and POOF! The dice no longer escape from desktops and roll all over the floors! It's a life saver! I have a set very similar to this one and while they were pretty cheap ($1/container), they've held up well for over five years!

The point of the game is to be the first to complete the sheet/set of questions correctly.

There is only one pencil, because only one person may write at a time.

Begin with the pencil in the middle. Take turns rolling the die. The first person to get a six gets to take the pencil and start writing.

Everyone else continues to roll. AS SOON AS someone else gets a six, they get to take the pencil and start writing.

That's it! Sometimes I will set this on a timer and only let them play for about 8 minutes, but we have played for 40 before and they were not happy about calling it quits when the bell rang!

If I can tell the game is dragging, or the excitement wavers for a moment, I'll throw a giant timer up on the board and let everyone work for a minute, then resume the game. Olivia Smith mentioned that she will add another number for more variation - say if they roll a 2 they get the pencil, BUT they have to write with their non-dominant hand!

A few more notes:

Remember, the first person to complete the sheet CORRECTLY wins - so as they finish, I check their answers and give them some feedback. Sometimes there's a huge upset because they worked too quickly and made a mistake, sacrificing valuable pencil time to the other player(s)!

I usually keep the worksheet length short - think around 15-30ish questions that are fill in the blank. Longer sentences are tough, because sometimes the pencil will get snatched out of their hands mid-sentence and they'll forget what they were doing!

Click here to pin this post for later!

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Low-Prep Review Game: ¡Mi Lápiz! - SRTA Spanish

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Looking for an engaging review activity, but don't want a lot of prep time? This game is perfect for any class, and any grade level! All you need is a pencil, some dice, and a worksheet or set of questions! Click to see how to play!

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¡Corre en Círculos! is one of my favorite activities to do with my classes. I use it at least once a chapter. I have mentioned it in a few other blog posts and , and I figured it was about time I clarify how this activity works and why I love it so much!
Click here to read my post on ¡Corre en Círculos! for Distance Learning or Hybrid Schedule!
Watch the Video

¡Corre en Círculos! is an activity that to review or practice with my students. If you have played "I Have Who Has" or "Chain Reaction" it is similar. If you keep them in mind you'll catch onto this quickly!

The first time I remember doing "I Have Who Has" as a student was in elementary school, in music class. We would do it with rhythms, one student clapping a rhythm and another student clapping it back. I remember liking it when it was my turn, but waiting impatiently and (mildly) inattentively for my turn to come around.

Fast forward about 15 years to teaching high school Spanish. I decided to try a "Chain Reaction" with my classes. As a teacher, I witnessed boredom, stress from my students that were anxious about missing their turn, and impatience. Some students liked it, but the overwhelming reaction was, "Please let's never, ever do that again." Okay, clase. Duly noted.

I still liked the idea of one thing "triggering" the next answer or action. I just wanted to figure out a way to make it more active. Thus, ¡Corre en Círculos! was born. It's not quite the same as "I Have Who Has" or "Chain Reaction" because there's no speaking or listening involved (although I'm working on an idea that I might test drive this year). It's more reading and writing based, but there's also no waiting involved!

How does ¡Corre en Círculos! work?

In the most general way possible, here's how to do this activity:

Students can start at any page around the room.

Read a prompt at the bottom of a starting page.

Record their answer to the prompt.

Find their answer on the top of a new page.

Look at the prompt on the bottom of the new page, record their answer, then find the next sheet.

This continues until students find the prompt that leads them back to where they started (thus ). You can make this circle as big or as small as you want. Most of my activities are 25 prompts, but some are smaller by necessity Círculo(Spanish-speaking flags and countries has 22, weather has 9). Depending on how well the students know the material, or how difficult the prompts are, this can take them between 25-40 minutes.

The visual below may help! In this particular activity, students look at an image showing what the weather is like, then describe the image in a sentence.

Students would continue beyond what is shown in the visual, until they reach the picture that illustrates "Hace fresco." That would lead them back to the beginning, completing the activity.

Variety is the Spice of Life

This activity can work with SO many different topics and concepts. You can do something as straightforward as subject-verb to practice conjugation like I have here with ar, er, and ir present tense verbs.

I like to add multiple levels of prompts for differentiation like I do here with my telling time set - there's one set of prompts where students interpret the sentence and write the time, and one where they read the time and write how to say it in Spanish. Or, you can add visuals like I did with this demonstrative adjectives set.

My set has "dead ends" built in that redirect students if they make a common error. In this vocabulary set, they read a short sentence describing a family member and have to figure out who it could be. My Directions Interpretive Activity with QR Codes follows this same concept, only instead of reading the prompt they scan it with a device and follow instructions from there on an interactive map. Seriously, the possibilities are

Setting Up ¡Corre en Círculos!

Now that you get how to use it, I wanted to talk about how I set it up and intro this with my students. Print the file and cut the sheets in half. Tape the sheets in random order around the room - or have your students do it! I travel between rooms so I usually just set the sheets and a few things of tape by the door. Students know they are expected to help with set up by grabbing a sheet or two, then attaching it to an appropriate space on the walls.

The first time I intro this activity to any class, I demo the first few by looking at the prompt and working through that one as a class, then walking to the answer, and showing them how it works. I remind them to look at the prompt on the bottom, write their answer, then find their answer.

Students can start at any piece of paper taped to the walls, and I encourage my classes to spread out because if 10 of them are trying to see one half sheet it's a little cozy. Often I'll get little teams of 2-3 working together, and I don't mind that at all. The conversations are all about what they're trying to accomplish, discussing how the language works, or searching for their answers together. Other times I'll get a few individuals who "race" around the loop on their own, trying to beat their classmates. Either way works for me, they're all into it! I just turn on my favorite Spanish Pandora station and float!

If you would like to download a set with the student answer sheet, answer key, and all the questions and prompts made for you, here are ALL of my ¡Corre en Círculos! activity sets!

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¡Corre en Círculos! - Get your students moving while they practice! - Srta Spanish

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¡Corre en Círculos! is one of my favorite activities to do with my classes. I use it at least once a chapter. I have mentioned it in a few other blog posts and , and I figured it was about time I clarify how this activity works and why I love it so much!

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How to Play the Flyswatter Game in Pairs: Partner Matamoscas

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Matamoscas is a fun game that’s been around for a long time! I have no idea where it came from, or who first started it, but it sure is fun! Some people just call it

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In groups - have starbucks bags on each table with prompts. Set a timer on the screen.

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Students think of a day in their life that they will never forget. In the center of the flower, they finish the phrase at the top. Pass their paper to another person and they write a question on the petal to get more information about that day. Pass papers until all petals are filled. When you get your paper back, share out about your memorable day in groups/ with a partner and answer all the questions you were asked.

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Give students a word from the unit and see what they can do! Or pick their own word? From @MrRobHistory on Twitter

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Padlet with link to instructions, examples - based on a song but you could do any text

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Warmup - put up a photo of a town - would you visit? what activities do you think they have available? etc.

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AirPano.com * VR Production Studio * Virtual Travels * 360° Aerial Panoramas and 360° Video around the World

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AirPano is a VR project created by a team of Russian photographers focused on taking high-resolution aerial 360° photographs and 360° video. Today AirPano is the largest virtual travel resource in the world -- by geographical coverage, number of aerial photographs, and artistic and technical quality of the images - featuring 360° panoramas and 360° videos of the highest quality shot from a bird's eye view.

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Each student has a question card - find a partner, ask each other your question, then trade cards and find a new partner. Keeps the conversation going without asking same questions over and over.

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Ask the students - what is something you could teach the teacher? the class?

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Sounds effects:  choose a short story or chapter to read aloud to students.  Select a few expressions or vocabulary words to listen for, and assign students a noise to make when they hear their word.  Start with a slow reading, then get faster.  Other students are trying to catch a student that misses their cue.

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Sounds effects:  choose a short story or chapter to read aloud to students.  Select a few expressions or vocabulary words to listen for, and assign students a noise to make when they hear their word.  Start with a slow reading, then get faster.  Other students are trying to catch a student that misses their cue.

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Give the class different colored cards or pieces of paper.  Use 2-4 different colors.  Students stand and as music plays they walk around the room.  When the music stops, they have to find someone with the same color card they have and do a speaking activity.  Music starts again and continue.  Could switch cards periodically.

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Give the class different colored cards or pieces of paper.  Use 2-4 different colors.  Students stand and as music plays they walk around the room.  When the music stops, they have to find someone with the same color card they have and do a speaking activity.  Music starts again and continue.  Could switch cards periodically.

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After reading the story/ article, give students a similar article/story.  Some sentences are the same, some are different.  Students must decide which sentences weren't in the original story.  

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After reading the story/ article, give students a similar article/story.  Some sentences are the same, some are different.  Students must decide which sentences weren't in the original story.  

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Hot potato whole class activity from @silvius_toda 

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Hot potato whole class activity from @silvius_toda 

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This is another activity which I learned from Emma Vanderpool, a Latin colleague and few CI-user in Massachusetts. It is a collaborative activity which can be used to preview a story, to review a known one, or as a warmup using known vocabulary. Here are her directions:

Return the original whiteboard to students to review what should be illustrated there.

1. For each round, I gave students 25-30 seconds to read what was on the board and then 15 seconds to draw. The 25 seconds gave students a chance to re-read the story/sentences on the board, to look at what had already been drawn, and what needed to be added. Giving students only 15 seconds meant that they had to be quick in their drawing but essentially, they drew less which allowed for more rounds and for the activity to last longer.

2. There is a lot of critical thinking in this activity, because it causes students to re-read the sentences and to compare it with the whiteboard pictures which they have each time to see what is missing. Lots of close reading required!

3. Instead of a circle, I made it one continuous circuit so that the whiteboards traveled about 8-9 students. When we finished, students got their whiteboards back, and it was fun for them to see what had been added to their original drawing. Plus, since they had illustrated the story over a series of different whiteboards, they knew how they themselves had drawn the various parts of the story, so they liked seeing how others had drawn it.

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This is another activity which I learned from Emma Vanderpool, a Latin colleague and few CI-user in Massachusetts. It is a collaborative activity which can be used to preview a story, to review a known one, or as a warmup using known vocabulary.

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Cartoon olympics group activity from @silvius_toda 

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Cartoon olympics group activity from @silvius_toda 

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Here is a great pre-reading activity which I just recently learned from my colleague Bob Patrick, who created this. I added some tweaks to it, so below are our collaborative directions for this activity:

Pre-Activity

1. Create a list of new vocabulary words which you wish to pre-teach

2. Create drawable sentences using these words - in many cases, the more random the sentence the better! I have found that 8 sentences are a good number. Be sure to get in repetitions!

3. Create PowerPoint/Google slides of these sentences - 1 sentence per slide.

Activitity

1. Have the words above listed on the board, and call attention to them establishing the meaning of each.

2. Students work in groups of 4.

3. 4 students from the class are the identified judges. Each has a whiteboard, marker and eraser rag, and are seated together at one end of the room. Have those four chairs marked "iudex".

4. In each group, every student has a whiteboard, marker, and rag

5. Number every student in a group as 1, 2, 3 or 4. If there are groups of three, one student will be both numbers 1 and 4. If there is a group of 5, two students will be number 4.

6. Using the vocab above, project the first sentence on the screen - every student draws the best picture possible. Give students 1-2 minutes to establish meaning among the group and then around 2 minutes for each to draw a picture.

7. After this, in their groups, students have 1 minute to help each other out with their pictures by suggesting addition to the pictures for clarification or suggesting changes

8. Roll a die, and whatever number rolled is the student numbers who will submit their pictures to be judged. If I rolled a 5 or 6, then re-reroll die.

9. At the front of the class on the board ledge or on chairs, groups will place their pictures for the class to see.

10. Teacher clarifies the meaning of the sentence with the whole class.

11. The four judges score on a scale of 1-5. Teacher gives paper to the judges to write down their score. Teacher keeps up with totals.

12. Have the judges declare a "best in show" for the sentence, and show the picture to the class.

13. Have students erase their whiteboards, and begin again.

14. When all sentences have been done and scored, team with highest, next highest and third highest are declared the gold, silver and bronze medal winners of Cartoon Olympics. Have gold, silver and orange (or three different colors) stars to award to each member of the winning teams.

15. If all sentences are not finished, this may extend to a second day.

1. I was surprised at how engaged students were in this activity. The fact that students do not know if they will be selected to represent their team keeps students accountable to the activity.

2. I have found that this is usually a 2-day activity, since around four sentences is how many can be done in a 50-minute period.

3. The random roll of the die keeps the activity novel.

4. I like how the groups collaborate among themselves to establish meaning of the sentence.

5. The group consultation after students draw their picture is very important, because nobody in the group knows whose picture will be selected. This way, students will ensure that all aspects of the sentence are represented in each other's pictures.

6. Students really do enjoy seeing each other's pictures as they are displayed at the front before the judging.

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Here is a great pre-reading activity which I just recently learned from my colleague Bob Patrick, who created this. I added some tweaks to it, so below are our collaborative directions for this activity: Pre-Activity Create a list of new vocabulary words which you wish to pre-teach Create drawable sentences using these words - in many cases, the more random the sentence the better!

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This activity was developed by my friend and fellow Latin CI user Bob Patrick, and it has now become one of my go-to activities for starting a new "chapter" because it allows me to introduce 8-10 new vocabulary words/structures in a fun, engaging way.
Directions

1. Pick 8-10 new vocabulary words which you wish to introduce. A mix of nouns, adjectives, adverbs, and verbs is good.

2. Write one vocabuary word and its English meaning on an index card. Repeat until all words are done.

3. Organize class into groups of 3-4 students.

4. Each group needs to have a sheet of paper, a writing utensil, and a student who will serve as recorder.

5. Give each group a card.

6. Inform students that they will be writing a short story in Latin as a group.

7. As a group, the students are to create a sentence in Latin which uses the word on the card. They are to underline their word in the story when they use it.

8. When the group is done, they call you the teacher over to check the "grammar" of the sentence. If something needs correcting, then tell them.

9. When the group is done with the word, they are now to switch with another group who is done. Sometimes, I have more words than groups, so I put the extra cards on a desk so students can go up to the desk and exchange words there.

10. The group then writes a new sentence as part of a story which now incorporates the new word. The group calls you over to check the grammar and to make any corrections. Once that is done, the group finds a new word and repeats the process.

11. Once most groups have used 3/4 of the words (if not all of them), tell the groups that they have a few more minutes to come up with an ending to their story. For this part, they will not call you over.

12. Collect the cards and stories

13. You as the teacher type up their stories (they may require grammar editing), and read them as a class on the next day.

1. This is a fun activity, because since students do not know which new words they will be getting, the stories suddenly become very random, which makes them all the more fun to read.

2. Students really want their group's stories to be read.

3. This is a great way to do pop-up grammar when students ask you to look over their sentences.

4. Because each story has specific targeted vocabulary in it, students enjoy seeing how different groups use those words, so there is a degree of anticipation and of vested interest.

5. Because each story has specific targeted vocabulary which students had to use, and because you review each story with them as a group, students acquire those 8-10 words VERY quickly.

Example of OWAT w/ Latin 1

Ariel est nympha marina (mermaid). Yoda Arielem . Yoda est . Ariel emere vult. Yoda estsollicitus et perterritus, quod Ariel Yodam emit. Ariel est tristis, quod Yoda non est frater. Ariel fratrem vult. Ariel fortem fratrem videt sed eheu! frater est ! quod frater est femina, Ariel est irata, et gladio (with a sword) feminam necat (kills). nunc Ariel est irata. Ariel fratrem non vult, sed pecuniam vult. Ariel Publix , et Yodam vendit. Ariel pecuniam habet. subito Flavia apparet! Flavia Yodam emit, sed Flavia displodit. edepol!

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This activity was developed by my friend and fellow Latin CI user Bob Patrick, and it has now become one of my go-to activities for starting a new "chapter" because it allows me to introduce 8-10 new vocabulary words/structures in a fun, engaging way. Directions Pick 8-10 new vocabulary words which you wish to introduce.

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One word picture activity - whole class from @silvius_toda 

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One word picture activity - whole class from @silvius_toda 

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One of my favorite CI activities is One Word Picture, because it does not require any real preparation on my part as the teacher, and the burden for this activity is actually on the students. All I have to do is simply ask questions in Latin in order to keep the activity going and to draw what students tell me. Here is the setup:

1. Take a vocabulary word and draw it on the board. This works great if you are trying to introduce a new vocabulary word.

2. Define the word for students in English in order to establish meaning. Hopefully, the meaning of the word is obvious from the picture.

3. Now tell your students in English, "Now I need you to tell me what to draw/add to this picture, but I will only do it if you tell me in Latin. intelligitisne? ita? tunc incipiamus!"

4. Begin to ask students simple questions in Latin to elicit responses, and based on what they say, add to the picture. For example, if you are starting with a vir , ask "qualis vir est? ubi est vir? quid vir agit/facit?"

5. Take comprehension timeouts to ask students in Latin about the new picture which has been drawn, pointing to various parts. Students are the ones who created the picture, so they should have not have a problem answering. Example: in pictura est vir - qualis vir est? (mortuus). estne vir vivus an mortuus? (mortuus). estne vir vivus? (minime)

6. Whenever things start to slow down in One Word Picture, in order to regain momentum, I will always say "_____ aliquid portat - quid _____ portat?" Once you get a response and add it to the picture, then you can start all over again with questions about this new addition. Example: vir aliquid portat - quid vir portat? (avis). vir avem portat - qualis avis est? quid avis agit/facit? quid avis portat?

7. Depending on the level of your students, you can start asking "why" questions to come up with a story. This is an intermediate level skill and actually requires a great amount of language production for students, so be careful.

8. At the end, ask students to describe the entire picture back to you in Latin, as you point to various parts of the drawing. Due to sheer number of repetitions and because it is a visual representation of the word, they should not have a problem telling you about the picture

9. Depending on your comfort level with CI, what you have drawn based on student input transitions very easily to now telling a TPRS story to the class.

10. If you think your students are up to it, turn it into a timed-write where students need to write a story about what is happening in the picture.

it is low key and non-threatening. No one is being put on the spot.

because students are the ones creating the picture, it is a compelling activity; therefore, they have a degree of ownership. It is okay to say no to certain suggestions if you do not think it is appropriate or if you do not know how to draw it. I had students want me to draw puella obstupefacta est , and although I commend them for having internalized the phrase, that is way beyond my basic drawing ability - what does obstupefacta est look like?

it is a simple comprehensible activity, and if you keep restating what you are drawing and asking questions about various parts of the picture, you will get in a TON of repetitions.

you are creating an actual picture for students, and students are relying on the visual image instead of words for cues.

because you the teacher are doing the drawing, most likely, that in itself is enough to keep students engaged. I myself cannot draw my way out of a paper bag, but I remember Sally Davis saying, "Everyone can draw stick figures," so that it is what I do.

Below is an example of a Word Picture which I did with one of my Latin 2 classes a few weeks ago. It simply started with a picture of a rex ;

After 10 minutes of simply asking questions, below is the final picture:

Here is what they came up with in Latin: in pictura est rex. rex caput filiae Metellae consumit. Metella est laetissima, et portat corpus suae filiae. rex pecuniam portat. rex est in taberna. rex ursae cantat. ursa saltat. subito, mortuambulans intrat. mortuambulans est ebrius et vinum portat. taberna est pro Monte Vesuvio. Mons Vesuvius displodit. e Monte Vesuvio venit hippopotamus et infans. dea est in caelo. dea est Isis et volat in caelo.

And I did not have to do anything other than just ask questions and draw.

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One of my favorite CI activities is One Word Picture, because it does not require any real preparation on my part as the teacher, and the burden for this activity is actually on the students. All I have to do is simply ask questions in Latin in order to keep the activity going and to draw what students tell me.

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Pictionary - have a set of vocabulary word cards.  Student chooses a card, draws on board, class or group tries to guess the word.

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Pictionary - have a set of vocabulary word cards.  Student chooses a card, draws on board, class or group tries to guess the word.

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Heads up - stack of vocabulary cards - play in groups or whole class.  Student picks card and holds against forehead - has to ask group questions to guess the word.  

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Heads up - stack of vocabulary cards - play in groups or whole class.  Student picks card and holds against forehead - has to ask group questions to guess the word.  

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"Be my hands" from @techwithme - teacher reads a story aloud to class and student does all the gestures and acting out.  Hilarious.

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"Be my hands" from @techwithme - teacher reads a story aloud to class and student does all the gestures and acting out.  Hilarious.

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Choose 4 emojis to draw at the top of your page.  Under each emoji, write how you feel about a topic (movies, sports, food, etc.) that matches the emoji.  Teacher could have emojis on the board to choose from.  Include some challenging ones!

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Choose 4 emojis to draw at the top of your page.  Under each emoji, write how you feel about a topic (movies, sports, food, etc.) that matches the emoji.  Teacher could have emojis on the board to choose from.  Include some challenging ones!

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Read one of your journal entries from our warmups aloud to a partner.  Have them tell you a summary in English of what you wrote to check your writing comprehensibility.

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Read one of your journal entries from our warmups aloud to a partner.  Have them tell you a summary in English of what you wrote to check your writing comprehensibility.

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Have students do name art of their name and post the pics around the room or down the hall.  Have students walk around and write positive / compliments in the language around the border of each picture.

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Have students do name art of their name and post the pics around the room or down the hall.  Have students walk around and write positive / compliments in the language around the border of each picture.

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Capture the flag worksheet game from @srtagray016 

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Capture the flag worksheet game from @srtagray016 

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Create an www.edpuzzle.com video activity for students to do on their own 

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Create an www.edpuzzle.com video activity for students to do on their own 

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Graffiti gallery - post interesting pictures or prompts in the hall - give students post it notes.  Write a description, question, story about the picture and stick it to the wall next to the photo.  Divide into groups, each group take the notes from one photo and create a summary/ story, etc.

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Graffiti gallery - post interesting pictures or prompts in the hall - give students post it notes.  Write a description, question, story about the picture and stick it to the wall next to the photo.  Divide into groups, each group take the notes from one photo and create a summary/ story, etc.

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Show screenshots of tweets in the language about the topic - are they positive or negative opinions?  How do you know?

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Show screenshots of tweets in the language about the topic - are they positive or negative opinions?  How do you know?

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Journal - do a quick 5 minute timed write on paper - any topic but have some ideas on board.

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Journal - do a quick 5 minute timed write on paper - any topic but have some ideas on board.

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Quizlet live - play a quick vocabulary review game before you start - use words they will see today 

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Quizlet live - play a quick vocabulary review game before you start - use words they will see today 

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Gimkit - play a quick vocabulary review game before class starts.  Set the timer to 5 minutes.  

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Gimkit - play a quick vocabulary review game before class starts.  Set the timer to 5 minutes.  

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Word search - put up TWO similar word clouds - find which words are missing in the second one.  Create for free here:  

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Word search - put up TWO similar word clouds - find which words are missing in the second one.  Create for free here:  

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Transform data into insights with our Free Word Cloud Generator. Analyze customer and employee feedback. Identify SEO terms and keywords. Uncover trends and patterns to gain insights from your text data.

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Spot the difference - 2 photos on board very similar - find the differences.  Challenging photos here, google for more:

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Spot the difference - 2 photos on board very similar - find the differences.  Challenging photos here, google for more:

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Tricky pictures

Think that you're observant enough to spot the subtle differences between pictures? Get your eyes ready because this is tricky. These 20 spot the difference pictures will have you in for a treat, so grab a timer (or move at a leisurely pace) and see how many differences you can find! Your brain is guaranteed to be working when you make it exercise! You can exercise your mind not only by doing this, but also by looking at optical illusions or solving rebus puzzles.

The first slides display two pictures side by side. The one on the left is the original picture and the one on the right has been tweaked a little. Try your best not to cheat; it's tempting to scroll on down to find the answer but keep on working until you complete these spot the difference pictures!

RELATED: 15 Word Puzzles That Will Leave You Stumped

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Can You Spot the Difference in These 20 Pictures?

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How good are you at spotting subtle differences? Test your eyes and spot the differences in these tricky photos. Good luck!

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Memory - put a picture on board - could be painting, photograph, etc.  Stare at photo until time is called.  Take away photo, ask questions - what color was the... Was there a ... how many.... write on white boards, who gets most correct?

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Memory - put a picture on board - could be painting, photograph, etc.  Stare at photo until time is called.  Take away photo, ask questions - what color was the... Was there a ... how many.... write on white boards, who gets most correct?

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Put several images on the board.  Teacher describes one image, students guess which picture.

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Put several images on the board.  Teacher describes one image, students guess which picture.

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Alphaboxes - can you think of a word for each letter of the alphabet in the language?  More difficult - has to fit unit category. Set timer, see who can get most in time.

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Alphaboxes - can you think of a word for each letter of the alphabet in the language?  More difficult - has to fit unit category. Set timer, see who can get most in time.

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City guesser - play as a class  - can select region or worldwide.  Could have students write their guess on small whiteboard.  

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City guesser - play as a class  - can select region or worldwide.  Could have students write their guess on small whiteboard.  

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City Guesser - Can you guess what city you're in?

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City Guesser is a game that plops you into a random city and forces you to guess where you are at!

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Concept maps: with a partner draw out a map of all the unit vocabulary - how do they connect?  

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Concept maps: with a partner draw out a map of all the unit vocabulary - how do they connect?  

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Word cloud:  show a word cloud on the board of vocabulary and expressions. Write a sentence using as many words as possible. Generator below: 

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Word cloud:  show a word cloud on the board of vocabulary and expressions. Write a sentence using as many words as possible. Generator below: 

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Transform data into insights with our Free Word Cloud Generator. Analyze customer and employee feedback. Identify SEO terms and keywords. Uncover trends and patterns to gain insights from your text data.

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Interesting photo on board - write description (haunted house, food from another culture, scary scene, screenshot from childhood cartoon, etc.

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Interesting photo on board - write description (haunted house, food from another culture, scary scene, screenshot from childhood cartoon, etc.

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Strip Bingo with tear sheets from We Teach MFL:

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Strip Bingo with tear sheets from We Teach MFL:

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We all love a game of Bingo but have you tried playing strip bingo with your students? If you want to avoid the inevitable giggles you can always call it rip bingo. It's a great low prep activity to drill vocabulary. All you need is a list of vocabulary you want the students to learn and a stack of scrap paper.

How to play

1. Teacher displays a of words/phrases in the target language.

2. Students take a strip of paper. Students then fold that strip in half 3 times to create 8 boxes.

3. Students write down one word or phrase from the teacher's list in each box. You can decide whether they should write it in English or in the TL.

4. Call out one of the words from your list.

5. If the student has written that word on one end of their paper (the far right or far left), that student can tear off that word or phrase from their strip. If it is one of the words or phrases in the middle of his or her strip, the student may not tear it off.

6. The first person to have all of their words called and torn off and their last word ripped in half wins! You might have to read through the list several times in order to find a winner.

Whilst it is an enjoyable game for students it does create a bit of mess. I usually play this at the end of the lesson and as I dismiss the class row by row they place their torn off paper into the bin.

We all love a game of Bingo but have you tried playing strip bingo with your students? If you want to avoid the inevitable giggles you can always call it rip bingo. It's a great low prep activity to drill vocabulary. All you need is a list of vocabulary you want the students to learn and a stack of scrap paper.

How to play

1. Teacher displays a of words/phrases in the target language.

2. Students take a strip of paper. Students then fold that strip in half 3 times to create 8 boxes.

3. Students write down one word or phrase from the teacher's list in each box. You can decide whether they should write it in English or in the TL.

4. Call out one of the words from your list.

5. If the student has written that word on one end of their paper (the far right or far left), that student can tear off that word or phrase from their strip. If it is one of the words or phrases in the middle of his or her strip, the student may not tear it off.

6. The first person to have all of their words called and torn off and their last word ripped in half wins! You might have to read through the list several times in order to find a winner.

Whilst it is an enjoyable game for students it does create a bit of mess. I usually play this at the end of the lesson and as I dismiss the class row by row they place their torn off paper into the bin.

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We all love a game of Bingo but have you tried playing strip bingo with your students? If you want to avoid the inevitable giggles you can always call it rip bingo. It's a great low prep activity to drill vocabulary.

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Category on board - with partner, list as many words you can think of that fit that category.  Most words reads list aloud to class - class can challenge words they think don't fit.

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Category on board - with partner, list as many words you can think of that fit that category.  Most words reads list aloud to class - class can challenge words they think don't fit.

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Word /sign of the day - on board as they enter, use it authentically in sentence today and get points.

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Word /sign of the day - on board as they enter, use it authentically in sentence today and get points.

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Intruders - put a list of words on the board, figure out which word doesn't fit?  Work with a partner, write on small white board, etc.

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Intruders - put a list of words on the board, figure out which word doesn't fit?  Work with a partner, write on small white board, etc.

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Marker Wars - with a partner:  each pair gets one paper with several vocabulary words on it.  Each partner needs a different colored marker, highlighter, crayon, etc.  Teacher calls a word or question, pairs race to color the word with their color.  Most words colored at end wins.  

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Marker Wars - with a partner:  each pair gets one paper with several vocabulary words on it.  Each partner needs a different colored marker, highlighter, crayon, etc.  Teacher calls a word or question, pairs race to color the word with their color.  Most words colored at end wins.  

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SPLAT - call 2 students to board, have vocabulary or pics on board.  Give each a flyswatter.  Teacher calls out a word or question, first student to swat the word gets points for their team.  

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SPLAT - call 2 students to board, have vocabulary or pics on board.  Give each a flyswatter.  Teacher calls out a word or question, first student to swat the word gets points for their team.  

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In groups, have students design a board game to play.  They must include x amount of language question cards or tasks and instructions in the language.  Have a game day in stations - play all the games.

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In groups, have students design a board game to play.  They must include x amount of language question cards or tasks and instructions in the language.  Have a game day in stations - play all the games.

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Class jeopardy with vocabulary / questions - free templates here:

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Class jeopardy with vocabulary / questions - free templates here:

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Create your own jeopardy template online, without PowerPoint. Or browse the pre-made templates created by other people!

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Cups down!  Review game from @senoraCMT 

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Cups down!  Review game from @senoraCMT 

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Looking for a comprehension game to get through these dark and dreary days of winter? I think Cup-side Down is JUST what you need!

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Chutes and ladders board game - each campus has laminated boards and playing pieces. You need a stack of vocabulary cards - each turn they have to draw a card and define the word / answer the question before they move their piece.  Template here:

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Chutes and ladders board game - each campus has laminated boards and playing pieces. You need a stack of vocabulary cards - each turn they have to draw a card and define the word / answer the question before they move their piece.  Template here:

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Lucky reading game from @senorachase007 

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Lucky reading game from @senorachase007 

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I love this game because they read, and reread and reread... It's like a triple whammy of comprehensible input! This one is especially fun because of the element of luck...That's the secret to a fun game. Add an element of luck and your game will instantly be 10,000 times more fun. Guaranteed. Looking for a high-tech option? Check out The Virtual Lucky Reading Game!

How to play: Pass out a reading/story/article to all students and divide the class into small groups (4-5 students). As a group they are responsible for reading/ translating the story and making sure that everyone in their group understands every word. If groups finish early, they should predict questions the teacher may ask about the reading and quiz each other.

Meanwhile the teacher sets up chairs at the front of the room, one for each group, and puts a marker, eraser and whiteboard on each chair up front. In my example, I have 4 groups, so there are 4 chairs set up in front.

Once everyone is finished reading/translating, tell students to decide their order within their group: Who will go first, who will go second, etc. Each group sends their 1st participant to a chair at the front. (So each of these boys represents a different team).

Teacher asks a question from the reading (either in English or Spanish) and students write their answer on their board without any help from their group. The teacher counts backwards from 5 and on 1, students show their answer to the teacher and the class.

All students with correct answers get to draw a playing card to determine their points. Just to make it especially fun, we use Gigantic Playing Cards . In the picture above everyone got the right answer, but they will all earn a different scores based on the card they draw.

Project the scoring slide with the point values:
Spanish Version- Point Values English Version-Point Values
French Version- Point Values (MERCI to Megan Stevens for translating!)

Japanese Version- Point Values (Thanks to Ed Jones for translating!)

Chinese Version- Point Values (Thanks to Candice Chiang for translating!)

German Version-Point Values (Danke to Emily Lull!)

Latin Version- Point Values (Thank you to Lance Piantaggini!)

Italian Version- Point Values (Grazie to Bettina Amato!)

Portuguese Version- Point Values (Agradecimento to Sara Heist! )

Dutch Version- Point Values (Dank u to Marianna Wijbenga)

If you play with another language, make a copy of this slide and translate it into your target language. Share it back because I'd love to include it here!

As soon as a student draws (or if they are incorrect) he or she should go back to their group and the next team member should take the spot, ready for the next question. Students who earn cards take those back to their group where their points are accumulated. (And thanks to Andrea DeLima Lossing's Students I added a new card to the slide: Jokers are worth 0 points!- Great idea, Andrea!)

The beauty of this game is the cards! No one knows who is winning until the end, so no one gives up or stops trying. Additionally, since the random Red Three is worth the most points, every round students are hopeful they'll draw the Big Money card. Adds to the excitement!

Tell students that the questions will be in order and encourage them to read ahead (and re-read!) to predict what question will appear next. I've never tried this, but I had a new idea while we were playing today: give students highlighters and the students who are in their groups should highlight the answers as the teacher is asking the question, to help them predict what question will come up next. YES! More reading! More input! I'm totally doing this the next time we play!

Of course at the end of the game, teams add up their accumulated cards and the winning team gets a stamp on their stamp sheet. To keep the Little Darlings honest, I appoint an "auditor" from each team to supervise the Point Count of another team. (So Joe from the 1st team, is watching the 2nd Team count up their points and record their score on the mini whiteboard. While that is happening, Sam from the 2nd team is verifying Team 3's point count and so on...)

Pro Tip: Coach the kids to transition quickly between rounds. No time for dilly dallying!

Want to see a few rounds in action?

They have just read an article about Café Restaurante Robin Hood , a restaurant/ soup kitchen in Madrid.

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I love this game because they read, and reread and reread... It's like a triple whammy of comprehensible input! This one is especially fun because of the element of luck...That's the secret to a fun game. Add an element of luck and your game will instantly be 10,000 times more fun.

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El Toro verb conjugation review game from @srtaspanish 

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El Toro verb conjugation review game from @srtaspanish 

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How to Play El Toro Review Game for Spanish Class | Spanish Class Games

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Campus scavenger hunt - with a partner.  Give kids a list of things to find on campus in the language (something green, taller than you, starts with A in Spanish, vocabulary word, etc.)  take pictures and post to a padlet, google slides, etc.  Points for each item, etc.

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Campus scavenger hunt - with a partner.  Give kids a list of things to find on campus in the language (something green, taller than you, starts with A in Spanish, vocabulary word, etc.)  take pictures and post to a padlet, google slides, etc.  Points for each item, etc.

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Musical chairs - play as usual, but when you stop there is a worksheet / activity in each chair.  Stop and do one question on the worksheet then start music again.  All worksheets could be the same or different.

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Musical chairs - play as usual, but when you stop there is a worksheet / activity in each chair.  Stop and do one question on the worksheet then start music again.  All worksheets could be the same or different.

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Running dictation game - with a partner.  Place sentences in the hall - one partner runs to hall, memorizes a sentence, comes back and recites to partner who writes it down.  Has to be exact and no speaking English!  Keep running to hall and writing until you get all the sentences correct.

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Running dictation game - with a partner.  Place sentences in the hall - one partner runs to hall, memorizes a sentence, comes back and recites to partner who writes it down.  Has to be exact and no speaking English!  Keep running to hall and writing until you get all the sentences correct.

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Learn lyrics to songs in Spanish and French with this fun website.  Put a list of songs /links for kids to practice - there are many English songs so you need to make sure they are only in the language songs.  

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Learn lyrics to songs in Spanish and French with this fun website.  Put a list of songs /links for kids to practice - there are many English songs so you need to make sure they are only in the language songs.  

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LyricsTraining is the new way to learn English and other languages through music and the lyrics of your favourite songs

Improve and practise your listening skills with the best music videos. Fill in the gaps to the lyrics as you listen and sing Karaoke to your favourites

Thousands of teachers, all over the world, are already using LyricsTraining to teach languages and motivate their students through this unique immersion process

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Learn Languages with Music Videos, Lyrics and Karaoke!

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Enjoy learning languages for free playing with the music videos and filling in the lyrics of your favorite songs: English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Dutch, Turkish and more.

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Battleship - simplify this fun game by putting questions on each square in a grid.  Place your "ships" on squares and your partner asks you a question to guess the square.  Who can find all their partner's ships first?  Sample grid from @armyMFL - could make larger for more challenging game.  

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Battleship - simplify this fun game by putting questions on each square in a grid.  Place your "ships" on squares and your partner asks you a question to guess the square.  Who can find all their partner's ships first?  Sample grid from @armyMFL - could make larger for more challenging game.  

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Connect 4 - put stickers on the circle game pieces with vocabulary or questions - as you drop a piece into a row you have to define the word or answer the question.  Have the kids make the stickers and put them on the pieces!

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Connect 4 - put stickers on the circle game pieces with vocabulary or questions - as you drop a piece into a row you have to define the word or answer the question.  Have the kids make the stickers and put them on the pieces!

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Blooket - great game for review and free!  

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Blooket - great game for review and free!  

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Scrabble - each campus has a board game.  Could play as pairs, or without the board - how many words can you connect with the tiles.  Divide the tiles in two and play against another pair of students - who can make the most words with their tiles?  Lower levels could try to just make words without connecting them.  Race another pair - who has the most?

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Scrabble - each campus has a board game.  Could play as pairs, or without the board - how many words can you connect with the tiles.  Divide the tiles in two and play against another pair of students - who can make the most words with their tiles?  Lower levels could try to just make words without connecting them.  Race another pair - who has the most?

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Jenga - we have colored block games.  On the board or a piece of paper, list questions for each color block.  As students play Jenga and pick a block they have to answer the question / task for that color.  

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Jenga - we have colored block games.  On the board or a piece of paper, list questions for each color block.  As students play Jenga and pick a block they have to answer the question / task for that color.  

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Grudge Ball is a no-prep game that can be used in any class. This game gets kids moving and encourages friendly competition between teams.

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Dice Bingo - students write vocabulary words or questions on a bingo card. Roll the dice with a partner to cover that square - have to define the word or answer the question. First person to get bingo wins - entire class starts game over.  Could pass cards each time for new game, or change partners.

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Dice Bingo - students write vocabulary words or questions on a bingo card. Roll the dice with a partner to cover that square - have to define the word or answer the question. First person to get bingo wins - entire class starts game over.  Could pass cards each time for new game, or change partners.

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Taboo - give each group of kids vocabulary words on individual index cards and they have to write under the word 3-5 words that you can't say to describe that word.  Use the cards to play Taboo in groups.  Pass the cards to another group for a different game.

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Taboo - give each group of kids vocabulary words on individual index cards and they have to write under the word 3-5 words that you can't say to describe that word.  Use the cards to play Taboo in groups.  Pass the cards to another group for a different game.

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Salad bowl - large group vocabulary card game from @senoraCMT 

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Salad bowl - large group vocabulary card game from @senoraCMT 

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We had the BEST time today and I actually have no idea how to officially play salad bowl! It's the story of my life! I'm a visual learner and need to play once to "get it"... but I have heard so many brags about salad bowl I just did what I thought sounded right and it was FUN!

I made cards that review some new vocab from chapters 1-6 of Robo en la noche by Kristy Placido available on fluencymatters.com! They could also be used for a Rainforest unit!!

The cards are available as a free download on my TPT page! I also gave the detailed instructions of how we used them in class (which may or may not exactly be salad bowl).

I have my own little laminator (which I highly recommend) so I made a nice set of cards with cardstock and laminate!

With the cards in a deck (rather than bowl) in the middle, students sat in a circle on the floor and numbered off 1,2,1,2...

The first student on team 1 drew a card and had 20 seconds to describe the word without saying it! Teams got a point for each word the team could guess. And several teams got 2 words in a 20 second period!

We played all the way around and then did a second round in which they couldn't talk, only gesture! This round was cut short in all classes by the bell... but it was FUN!

It took a while to prep the game but it was worth it! We had a great time, used a lot of Spanish, and I can reuse it next year!!

Published by senoracmt

I began teaching Spanish in Illinois in 1994. I have taught levels 1-4 in a small rural high school, 8th grade introductory Spanish, Biology 1, and 101 and 102 at the community college level. My Spanish classes are partnered with the community college to offer students 8 semester hours of dual credit on completion of Spanish 4. In 2011 I met Carol Gaab and Kristy Placido and have since co-authored the book "La hija del sastre" with Carol Gaab and authored the novels "La Calaca Alegre", "Bianca Nieves" "Vector," "48 horas", "Bananas", "Sostenible", "Tucán", and "Papálotl" through Fluency Matters and Wayside Publishing. In 2006 I became National Board certified and renewed in 2016. I completed my Masters degree in Spanish education in 2011 and did my research on the use of Understanding by Design to create meaningful cultural units for the language classroom. I am a frequent presenter on this topic, please consider me if you are interested in a workshop on backward design. In 2013 I was named the ICTFL Foreign Language teacher of the year and in 2014 I was selected as CSCTFL's teacher of the year. In November of 2014 I was lucky enough to be one of the five finalists for the ACTFL National Teacher of the Year in San Antonio, TX. Please contact our info@somewheretoshare.com account with any questions you have about the curriculum or PD@somewheretoshare.com with questions about professional development opportunities. View all posts by senoracmt

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We had the BEST time today and I actually have no idea how to officially play salad bowl! It's the story of my life! I'm a visual learner and need to play once to "get it"... but I have heard so many brags about salad bowl I just did what I thought sounded right and...

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Crossword pairs - work a crossword together but partner A has all the down clues and partner B has all the across clues.

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Crossword pairs - work a crossword together but partner A has all the down clues and partner B has all the across clues.

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Guess who - put a list of celebrities on the board (get the kids to make the list!) partner A chooses a celebrity and partner B has to guess who they are thinking of.  Ask questions - who can get it right first?

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Guess who - put a list of celebrities on the board (get the kids to make the list!) partner A chooses a celebrity and partner B has to guess who they are thinking of.  Ask questions - who can get it right first?

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As you are doing a practice partner conversation, give the students a role to play - wealthy person, difficult person, introvert, parent with 5 little kids, athlete, video gamer, etc.  They have to answer questions and participate in the conversation as that person.

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As you are doing a practice partner conversation, give the students a role to play - wealthy person, difficult person, introvert, parent with 5 little kids, athlete, video gamer, etc.  They have to answer questions and participate in the conversation as that person.

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Give half the class a photo that their partner can't see.  Describe the photo to your partner and they have to draw it.  This is great for people, places, houses, food plates, etc.

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Give half the class a photo that their partner can't see.  Describe the photo to your partner and they have to draw it.  This is great for people, places, houses, food plates, etc.

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With a partner, make a list of favorite things according to the unit topic.  Rank them in order together.  Get with another pair and discuss your lists - combine to make one big list - you have to all agree.

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With a partner, make a list of favorite things according to the unit topic.  Rank them in order together.  Get with another pair and discuss your lists - combine to make one big list - you have to all agree.

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Partner survey - we are doing a group project and you need to find out which students would be good partners for you.  Write questions about what you are looking for in a partner, then interview each person in the class (rotate around a circle,etc.) Tally your results - which 5 people are the best match for you?  Which students were the most chosen?  Why?

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Partner survey - we are doing a group project and you need to find out which students would be good partners for you.  Write questions about what you are looking for in a partner, then interview each person in the class (rotate around a circle,etc.) Tally your results - which 5 people are the best match for you?  Which students were the most chosen?  Why?

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Class survey - come up with questions to survey the class about their likes/ preferences.  Each pair takes half the class and asks each student the questions, then comes back together to add their results.  Could make an infographic/chart about what they found.

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Class survey - come up with questions to survey the class about their likes/ preferences.  Each pair takes half the class and asks each student the questions, then comes back together to add their results.  Could make an infographic/chart about what they found.

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Look at an event calendar from a Spanish/French speaking city for this weekend. With a partner, make a plan for what you would do for the day / weekend together.  You have to agree!

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Look at an event calendar from a Spanish/French speaking city for this weekend. With a partner, make a plan for what you would do for the day / weekend together.  You have to agree!

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Put a list on the board - restaurants, food, games, sports, musicians, actors, etc.  With a partner, rank them best to worst.  You have to agree!

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Put a list on the board - restaurants, food, games, sports, musicians, actors, etc.  With a partner, rank them best to worst.  You have to agree!

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Timed 2 minute conversation with a partner.  When timer goes off, switch partners.  Change the prompt on the board periodically.  Encourage students to talk the ENTIRE two minutes.  No notes or help!  Could use pictures as a prompt.

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Timed 2 minute conversation with a partner.  When timer goes off, switch partners.  Change the prompt on the board periodically.  Encourage students to talk the ENTIRE two minutes.  No notes or help!  Could use pictures as a prompt.

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Spanish example for writing challenge from @tjeag

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Spanish example for writing challenge from @tjeag

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Use a jamboard for a writing challenge - or just post the sentence parts on the board and have them write on paper/ white boards, or make cards for kids to arrange - how long of a sentence can you write using only these words? from @mmeblouwolff

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Use a jamboard for a writing challenge - or just post the sentence parts on the board and have them write on paper/ white boards, or make cards for kids to arrange - how long of a sentence can you write using only these words? from @mmeblouwolff

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Teacher hands out pre-made dialogue on topic.  Act out the dialogue but class chooses an emotion for each character - angry, super sad, funny, shy, etc.

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Teacher hands out pre-made dialogue on topic.  Act out the dialogue but class chooses an emotion for each character - angry, super sad, funny, shy, etc.

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Interview - record an interview with your partner.  Role play, be a celebrity, be creative.

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Interview - record an interview with your partner.  Role play, be a celebrity, be creative.

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Gallery walk - teacher posts interesting / weird pics in hall, with a partner discuss the photo, rotate to next when time called.  Could write, but want focus to be on speaking.

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Gallery walk - teacher posts interesting / weird pics in hall, with a partner discuss the photo, rotate to next when time called.  Could write, but want focus to be on speaking.

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Battle of the Brackets as a class or with partner - must decide best.  Google for ideas.  

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Battle of the Brackets as a class or with partner - must decide best.  Google for ideas.  

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Talk about your favorite..... for x amount of minutes.  Have to keep talking until time is called!  Teacher - switch partners and topics periodically, up the time amount too to make it more challenging. Start with 30 seconds, how long can they increase it to each time?

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Talk about your favorite..... for x amount of minutes.  Have to keep talking until time is called!  Teacher - switch partners and topics periodically, up the time amount too to make it more challenging. Start with 30 seconds, how long can they increase it to each time?

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Compare the venn chart you made with your partner's, add  their info to your chart, talk about what you wrote and why.

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Compare the venn chart you made with your partner's, add  their info to your chart, talk about what you wrote and why.

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Spinners - teacher puts color coded or numbered questions on pieces of paper - need several different versions.  With a partner, spin the spinner and answer the question that matches your spin.  Keep going, when time is called switch questions with another group or switch partners.

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Spinners - teacher puts color coded or numbered questions on pieces of paper - need several different versions.  With a partner, spin the spinner and answer the question that matches your spin.  Keep going, when time is called switch questions with another group or switch partners.

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Dice speaking - teacher puts 6 questions on board numbered, roll dice with a partner, answer the question matching the number you rolled.  Switch partners when time is called.  Teacher could change the questions periodically.

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Dice speaking - teacher puts 6 questions on board numbered, roll dice with a partner, answer the question matching the number you rolled.  Switch partners when time is called.  Teacher could change the questions periodically.

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Speed dating - talk with a partner about their likes / dislikes on a topic (hobbies, tv, movies, music, food, etc.)  switch partners when time is called - keep going until teacher stops. Which person was most like you?  The most different from you?  Another version - ask questions to determine who would be a good partner for a group project.  What questions / things do you need to know about them?  After, make a list of who you think would be good partners for you on the next group project.

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Speed dating - talk with a partner about their likes / dislikes on a topic (hobbies, tv, movies, music, food, etc.)  switch partners when time is called - keep going until teacher stops. Which person was most like you?  The most different from you?  Another version - ask questions to determine who would be a good partner for a group project.  What questions / things do you need to know about them?  After, make a list of who you think would be good partners for you on the next group project.

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Pass the story - write the first sentence of a story then pass your paper.  Next student has to add a sentence that makes sense.  Keep going!

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Pass the story - write the first sentence of a story then pass your paper.  Next student has to add a sentence that makes sense.  Keep going!

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Class journals - use as a station - 4 spiral journals with topic posted.   Write a journal entry on the topic, then respond to another student's entry.

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Class journals - use as a station - 4 spiral journals with topic posted.   Write a journal entry on the topic, then respond to another student's entry.

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Write a tweet with exactly 240 characters about the topic - online counter here:  

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Write a tweet with exactly 240 characters about the topic - online counter here:  

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UPDATE: Twitter users subscribed to X Premium (formaly Twitter Blue) are allowed 4,000 characters per tweet. Users with a free account are still limited to 280 characters.

It's hard to imagine the internet without the constant buzz of Twitter (now known as X), the popular social media platform on which hundreds of millions of short soundbites from politicians, celebrities, and other online users are shared out each day.

As a platform known for brevity and concision, Twitter's 280 character limit is arguably as much a defining feature of its brand as the little blue bird for which is the website's iconic logo.

Why does Twitter have a 280 character limit?

But why does Twitter have its 280 character limit and how does it shape the online activity of the social media platform?

At the time of its inception in July 2006, Twitter, originally called Twttr, was an SMS text-based service designed for groups of friends to keep tabs on each other through periodic status updates. Because SMS was limited by a 160 character limit, the first tweets were limited to a maximum length of 140 characters, with the remaining 20 reserved for the username.

As Twitter became more popular and moved to a more versatile online website, the company decided to keep its 140 character limit, which soon became an essential feature of the worldwide social media platform.

Different languages, different character limits

In November 2017, Twitter made the unprecedented decision to expand its character limit from 140 to 280 characters, citing a disparity in tweet length between different languages as the primary motivation for its move. A tweet in English could be twice as long as the same tweet in Japanese.

For example, the phrase "Good morning" has 12 characters in English including the space in the middle. In Chinese, "Good morning" represented by the Chinese characters 早上好, are only 3 characters.

As you can see it would be unnecessary to expand the tweet character limit in languages like Chinese, Japanese and Korean to 280 characters because they are already able to say a lot with less characters.

Twitter found that approximately 9 percent of English tweets reached the 140 character limit, compared to only 0.4 percent of Japanese tweets. In order to create greater parity, Twitter extended the character limit for English tweets by double, while Asian language tweets remained capped at 140 characters.

Other reasons for a character limit change

While language parity was one important reason for the character limit change, Twitter also acknowledged that the small 140 character limit was restricting the ability of its users to express themselves on the platform.

So how did the change from 140 to 280 characters affect the social activity and communication on Twitter? When character limit change was first announced, some users were enthusiastic about having more characters with which to express their thoughts, while others found it contrary to Twitter's brief and concise nature.

Despite the mixed feelings of Twitter users about the new character limit, the change did in fact succeed in bringing more conversation and more engagement to the online social media platform.

One big concern was that if Twitter users have a hard time fitting all their words into such a small 140 character limit, they may be less likely to actually tweet.

Results from the extra characters allowed

Interestingly enough, when given the opportunity to use more characters to express their thoughts, most Twitter users don't use the extra space. After the character limit change in November 2017, Twitter observed that 12 percent of English tweets reached the past limit of 140 characters, while only one percent of tweets hit the new 280 character limit and only 5% of tweets surpassed 190 characters.

The shift implies two key trends related to Twitter's character limit change. Firstly, far fewer tweets are reaching the upper character range with the 280 character limit than did with the 140 character limit, suggesting that the additional 140 characters have significantly improved the ability of users to express themselves in tweets.

Secondly, the overwhelming majority of tweets have stayed below 190 characters, meaning that Twitter users fundamentally recognize and appreciate the short, concise nature of communication on the social media platform.

Ideal length of a tweet

Finding the sweet spot between self-expression and brevity can be difficult, but according to TrackSocial, tweets within the ideal range of 71 to 100 characters get the most retweets on average.

As a platform, Twitter has succeeded largely in part to its 280 character word count, which sets it apart from other social media platforms and allows for the rapid dissemination of information in response to breaking current events.

For example, a 280 character tweet is more quotable than a long news article and the publishing time is drastically reduced.

Despite how you may feel about the character limit, whether it be too long or short, it is highly unlikely that it will go anywhere. It could change, grow shorter, or longer, but it will still be around to encourage the microblogging aspect of the social network.

Condensing your tweet can be difficult

Whether you are a first-time twitter user or a frequent tweeter, the fact remains the same for everyone; it's not always easy to condense your point to such few characters.

For some, it's no trouble to figure out exactly what and how they want to word their tweet. However, even those individuals have had moments where they were sitting there, twitter app or website open, trying desperately to not go over the character count. It's a particular issue every user will face, eventually.

A short character limit may seem strange since it's not on every social media site out there, but for Twitter it makes sense and is really one thing they are known for now.

The character limit on Twitter is not a bad thing. In fact, it's one of the best things about Twitter. Attempting to express yourself in the least number of words takes practice and a bit of talent. Anyone can learn to do it.

The limit on tweets is something that is here to stay and it's important that it does too. From a business standpoint, you want to capture the audience's attention as quickly as possible.

Short text captures attention

People have a short attention span in our modern society. They are always on the go with never enough time to stop and catch their breath. If you are trying to advertize something, you want to get it across immediately; hence taking advantage of how short tweets are expected to be. Outside a marketing and business perspective, the limit is still a valuable tool for your readers.

Keeping in mind how quick people scroll through twitter, your words need to be concise with no fluff or beating around the bush. If you cannot do that, then guess what, you are going to lose the reader's interest instantaneously. They'll just scroll onto the next post and on, and on...

Even with the extra characters added in 2017, you still need to make it short and sweet. This is why the character limit is so important and needs to be kept. The same goes for any more increases because another character limit increase could potentially defeat the purpose of a tweet.

Remember, anyone can hook their audience with a catchy tweet. It just may take some practice on your part. Mastering the short character limit will make you a better writer because of the skill involved and hopefully you will see your follower count on Twitter grow as well.

Tips for Writing Better Tweets

Being able to write great Tweets doesn't just happen overnight. It takes a lot of trial and error in order to create content that generates satisfying results, whether you're a budding social media influencer or a well-established company. If you want to learn to write content that will keep your Twitter audience engaged, here are some quick tips and tricks to incorporate into your writing that will apply to both professional and personal brands.

Keep your Tweets short and sweet

Concise writing is key since Twitter only allows 280 characters per Tweet. Stay on one topic rather than try to discuss multiple trains of thought because you will surely run out of character space.

Include a call-to-action

When you write your Tweet, you want to leave your audience with a clear message of what you want them to do or not do after they're finished reading.

This could be telling them to follow you, to click on the link in your bio, or to sign a petition today. Or maybe you just want to create a conversation, express your thoughts or banter back and forth.

Establish a voice

Establishing a voice is a bit more tricky because you need to figure out what the audience will respond to most positively, while also keeping a personal tone that is fitting with your brand. No matter what though, Tweets should be conversational without being too informal.

Use no more than two hashtags per Tweet

Hashtags should be related to your message. They can help add more to the conversation, but using too many can actually deter engagement with your Tweets.

Additionally, using hashtags that are trending will help boost viewership. Trends are constantly changing each day, so in order to keep up with what's current, it's best to utilize the Explore tab on Twitter. With this in mind, make sure you choose your hashtags carefully.

If you're working on building your own personal brand as a social media influencer, some of the most popular hashtags to use are: #influencer #influencermarketing #fitness #explore #vegan

For businesses and other organizations, one way to include hashtags is to use them to promote an upcoming event at your company. For example, if your company is located in New York City, use the hashtag #NYC.

You can also use hashtags for whatever industry your company is a part of, such as #tech, #healthcare, or #finance.

Writing a Twitter bio

Aside from writing great Tweets, you'll want a strong profile to establish credibility and grow your following. Part of a strong profile consists of having a compelling bio that represents who you are.

Follow these tips to write original and creative Twitter bios to make you and your brand stand out.

Introduce yourself

Describe what you do and take the time to brag about your brand a little.

Twitter bios are essentially like elevator pitches, so make sure to paint your brand in the best possible light. It may feel uncomfortable at first, but promoting yourself or your company is important here.

Use an emoji or two

With limited character space, emojis can help convey what you don't have room to say. They also spice up a plain block of text and add more personality to your bio.

How to Send an Effective Twitter DM

Twitter is a social platform that allows you to make connections and engage in conversation with anyone, so long as you're able to grab their attention first.

It's easy for your voice to get lost among the constantly changing world of the big, wide web. Some ways you can stand out are to have a unique Twitter handle and know how to use direct messaging (DM) to your advantage.

If you want to learn how to send effective DM's and to create the perfect username, you're in the right place!

Get to the point

Twitter has a daily limit of 1,000 messages on the amount of DMs you can send per day, so use your DMs wisely.

You'll want to make sure that you're being straightforward and stating your business clearly.Nobody is entitled to respond to a DM, so the more truthful you are with your request, the more likely you are to engage a response.

Respond right away

Make an effort to answer a message as soon as you see it. DMing can be a time-consuming process and responding right away shows you are interested and that you care about the other person's time. As a result, the relationship will be stronger.

Know when to take it to the DMs

It's common for people to interact through public Tweets, but when the conversation takes a more personal turn, it might be time to move to a more private form of communication.

For example, if you wanted to share a contact number or email address, you could respond with a DM so the whole timeline doesn't have to see it. This shows tact, social grace, and a respect for privacy.

Use photos, GIFs, or videos

Sharing photos, GIFs, or videos doesn't make the conversation any less serious or professional. In fact, visual stimuli can actually help emphasize your point and make it easier to understand. They also can help add a spark to the conversation and elicit enjoyment.

How to Create a Unique Twitter Username

Use your name. Fusing your first and last name together is the easiest and most classic method. Another option is to use a nickname or to play around with the letters in your first and last name.

For instance, if your name is Sally Smith, your Twitter handle could be @ssmith. If you have a really common name, this option may not work since your username idea has likely already been taken, but don't worry! There are plenty of other ideas available to create a username you'll love.

Add in numbers

Numbers are a great way of adding a unique twist to a username that's already been taken. The numbers you choose can be a random combination; it could even be your favorite number or your birthday.

However, you don't want your username to end up looking like a phone number.

A username that consists of mostly numbers isn't as attractive to the eye and it doesn't show anything personal about who you are. Try to keep the number usage down to just two or three numbers.

Incorporate a quality about yourself

Whether it's a hobby, skill, or your career, incorporating something specific about yourself into your Twitter name attracts more people with similar interests or backgrounds to your account.

For example, if your name is Bob and you work in sales your username could be @bobthesalesguy

If you follow these tips, you'll be sure to stand out from the crowd.

Final thoughts on writing a good tweet

Overall, writing a good, solid Tweet takes time and practice. Hopefully, these quick tips will help you grow your brand in no time.

How to use our Twitter Counter

To use our Twitter counter, simply type your text in the textbox at the top of the page. You will see the tweet length displayed as Characters Typed above along with the Characters Remaining. The tweet length limit is 280 characters.

Note that Twitter does not count words, it counts characters. If you need a Twitter word counter you can use the counter on our homepage to get the word count. But again, the character count is what Twitter uses, not the Twitter word count.

After you type your text in the textbox, you can see an additional 4 metrics. They are the Twitter bio character limit, the Twitter DM character limit, the Twitter profile name character limit and the Twitter username character limit. All these limits will show up in red once the limit has been exceeded.

Below the textbox there are two buttons. There is the Copy Text button which will copy all text inside the textbox and the Post Tweet button. The Post Tweet button will post whatever is inside the textbox onto Twitter provided you are already signed in to your Twitter account.

A special character will count as 2 characters

Each Chinese, Japanese or Korean character will now count as 2 characters.

So for example, a tweet that contains 100 Chinese characters and 80 English characters would have reached the tweet length limit because the 100 Chinese characters would count as 200 characters and then plus the 80 English characters.

In addition to all these counting as 2 characters each, emojis also count as 2 characters each. For example, a smiley emoji will count as 2 characters on Twitter.

Metrics Explained

The first metric is the Twitter DM character limit. The DM limit is 10,000 characters which is fairly long considering that it uses 10 times as many characters as Instagram does for their DMs.

Using our Characters To Words conversion tool, that would factor out to be an estimated 1538 to 2000 words. To contact someone through a DM simply click on their profile and click the envelope button.

The next metric is the Twitter bio length limit. For this we are limited to 160 characters. 160 characters is the equivalent of about 25 to 32 words. This is where you can put a few details about who you are.

After that the next metric is your Twitter username character limit. The username character limit is 15 characters. This is also what Twitter uses as your URL. For example once you choose your username you can go to twitter.com/yourUsername.

The last metric on our Twitter counter is the profile name and it is limited to 50 characters. This is typically your first and last name or can be a nickname or really just any name that identifies you.

One difference between the profile name and username besides the length difference is that the username cannot be changed but the profile name can be changed anytime you like.

Twitter max character limit cheatsheet

Tweet max length: 280 characters

Twitter bio character limit: 160 characters

Twitter DM max length: 10,000 characters

Twitter handle max length: 15 characters

Twitter profile name max length: 50 characters

There is no hashtag limit

Tweet formatting FAQ

How many characters in a tweet?

There are 280 characters in a tweet. Paste your text above to see if it fits the 280 character limit.

Do spaces count as characters on Twitter?

Yes, Twitter includes spaces and enter keys (also known as a carriage return).

Does Twitter's tweet character limit include URLs?

Yes, Twitter does include URLs in the character count.

Does Twitter's tweet character limit include hashtags?

Yes, Twitter does include hashtags in the character count.

Does Twitter's tweet character limit include usernames?

Yes it does, however tweet replies do not.

Do images count as characters on twitter?

No, images, videos, GIFs, polls, and Quote Tweets do not count as characters.

What is the character limit on Twitter?

The character limit on twitter is 280 characters.

Do emojis count as characters on Twitter?

Yes, each emoji counts as 2 characters on Twitter.

Thanks for using our Twitter character count tool!

Anyway, we hope you enjoy our Twitter character counter tool. It is very helpful to write a tweet using our tool because it counts exactly how many characters are typed, how many characters are remaining, how many characters in a tweet, the tweet character limit along with all the additional metrics such as Twitter bio limit, Twitter username limit, Twitter hashtag limit, Twitter direct message limit, Twitter profile name limit and Twitter hashtag limit.

Doesn't Twitter have a character counter?

Interestingly enough, Twitter does have a character counter tool built into their website but the character counter only shows up when 260 characters have been typed.

Once it gets to 260, it will countdown the last 20 remaining characters. If you typed less than 260 characters there is no character counter. There is however a circle which gets more full with each character typed.

As you can tell our Twitter character count tool is much more helpful to people composing a tweet, and will help you find any Twitter character limit that you need.

If you need a character counter with more features (word count, number of spaces etc.) please use the character counter on our our homepage.

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Our Twitter character counter is a free tool that counts the length of your tweet, DM, bio length and more

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How many words can you write in x minutes?  Teacher suggested topic or any topic.  

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How many words can you write in x minutes?  Teacher suggested topic or any topic.  

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8 parts of speech writing PPT template:  

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8 parts of speech writing PPT template:  

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Fill out an 8 parts of speech template about the reading / listening / what you learned today:  

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Fill out an 8 parts of speech template about the reading / listening / what you learned today:  

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Free writing exercise - write about anything you want to for x amount of minutes.  No worries about being perfect!

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Free writing exercise - write about anything you want to for x amount of minutes.  No worries about being perfect!

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Plan a movie of a story - which famous actor would play each character?  Where would you film it?  What songs would you use for background /theme music?  What would they wear?

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Plan a movie of a story - which famous actor would play each character?  Where would you film it?  What songs would you use for background /theme music?  What would they wear?

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Write a summary of a video/ story / article with false information.  Switch with partner/ pair and they try to figure out what's false.

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Write a summary of a video/ story / article with false information.  Switch with partner/ pair and they try to figure out what's false.

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Write something you think a character in a video/story would say - class guesses who you are thinking of.

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Write something you think a character in a video/story would say - class guesses who you are thinking of.