Get active in the classroom!

Isabelle Jones sent this wonderful link on Twitter the other day about getting physical in the classroom by using movement and language.

Marc Helgesen from Miyagi Gakuin Women's College has listed numerous activities which can be used to introduce or reinforce a topic.I have already tried one of the activities listed called FonFs (Focus on forms). The good thing is that there is no preparation required and you can practice different structures and new vocabulary.

I used it in French with grade 4 students (8-9 years old). They have been learning items of clothing, so I explained to them I went on holidays and I wrote on the board:
Dans ma valise, j'ai emporté.... (in my suitcase, I had.......)
Students worked in pairs. They faced each other. One partner held his hands in front of him, palms up.The other partner said the target sentence (Dans ma valise, j'ai emporté un pull) and slapped the first partner’s hands. The first partner said the next sentence. That sentence included the first item from the previous sentence (un pull) and a new item (Dans ma valise, j'ai emporté un pull, un pantalon) and slapped the partners hands.
Students loved slapping each other's hand! and it was a good way to memorise the different items of clothes, plus they learnt a sentence in the past tense.

I used it in Spanish with grade 7 (12-13 years old). This time they practiced a mi me gusta bailar, navegar por internet....(I like....).They enjoyed it so much (there are all boys!) that we did it a second round with a mi no me gusta.....(I don't like...)

The version from Marc Helgesen includes saying a word starting with every letter of the alphabet, so that students play the game from A to Z. But I thought it would get too complicated for my students so we just did the activity randomly.

There are many more activities I want to try on this web page so I will be posting more to tell you how I adapted them and how they went.

What about you? what are your warm-up activities?

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Oct 21, 2009

De Mille said...

Hi, great ideas. I know of one of my classes with bright, cheeky boys who will love the slapping game.
Activities that have involved movement this term have been "simon says" type game for classroom instructions. Pupils learn different actions for simple instructions and are then made out if they are the slowest to act. E.G levantaos, trabajad en parejas (pupils have to link with a partner) levantad la mano etc.
A similar game with school items where myself or one of the children will ask for various bits from their school bag and the first to hold it up gets a point for their team. Colours can be added to description and ask 4 more than one item to get the point.as the game goes on.

Andrew J said...

Merci! I too have boys who will enjoy games like this and there are so many ways you can vary it to include different vocab or grammar structures.
Thanks as always!

Oct 24, 2009

Alice Ayel said...

De Mille, thank you for your comment. "Simon says" is also a good game. Do you know the equivalent is Spanish? Is it "Simon dice.."?

You're welcome Andrew :)

Thanks Alice,

Well, yes. Simon says is Simon dice but I always like to use a typical name from the country.

I usually use Jose dice, it get's them used to the "J" sound and the spanish "c" when they take over from me they get to practice.

They love it :-)

Diannah, thanks for the tip. Jose or even Jaime (they never know how to pronounce it!) is a great idea :)

Oct 26, 2009

ptlls said...

In Europe lifelong learning takes now has a different approach, we hope to see more development as a result of new legislation, good luck all teachers!

alice’s posterous