Hello, all! How do you seasoned teachers feel about playing vocabulary bingo every Friday? Most of my students like the idea of us playing bingo every Friday, but I am worried that they'll get bored. Do you think this is a good idea? Am I right about them getting bored? I always award candy to those who win. I teach HS Spanish levels I and II. Thanks very much!
That's what I was afraid of- bingo is just matching words. Not applying them to more abstract concepts.
If you play bingo by you reading the definition or description and students choosing the appropriate term, that would increase its value. We used to sometimes use Fruit Loops as markers, or even Skittles. The winners got to eat their markers and get another handful.
I play BINGO for vocab review. I do think that doing it every Friday would take a lot of the fun out of it for the kids though.
Can you make Jeopardy games so they can practice vocabulary and asking/ answering questions? Are they fluent enough to sit and converse with each other in a structured way given a conversation prompt? Can they design their dream home or make a grocery list using vocabulary?
This is what I do. Not every Friday though, usually before finals. I would mix in two or three other games and make it review game Friday, rather than just bingo.
Spanish I? Maybe. Vocab is so important. Though I tend to mix up my stuff, without a set "If this is Friday, it must be Bing" sort of routine. That way, if I need to vary it for some reason, I don't have to explain myself. But Spanish III? Based of the conversation we had at lunch today, Spanish III is way beyond simple vocab. It seems to be that they would be beyond Bingo at that point.
I do bingo most weeks as a vocabulary review for about 15 minutes. We do synonyms, antonyms, root words, and definitions. It's similar to my quizzes. I do mix in some other games.
They will get bored with ANY game if you play it too often. I've noticed that you post a lot about playing games in your classroom. How often would you say you do that? I worry if some of your behavior/classroom management problems are coming from the fact that students see your class as "playtime" rather than "learning time".
Caesar, I actually use games once or twice a week. In my school system, we have the same class every day. Once of my worries is that my lesson planning is too 'boring' for the students, so I try to spice it up for them with (weekly) games. I try to make them want to learn Spanish, but it is hard when they are forced to take it. In my state, students have to take Spanish to get an advanced diploma. In my county, only Spanish is offered. Do you think this might be part of my problem? I am trying my best to make them want to be in my class even though they don't want to take Spanish.
Students have to take Math, English, and Science, too, don't they? Are teachers in those subjects playing games all the time and allowing students to get away with bad behaviors just because they feel bad that the students are forced into their classes? I think that you shouldn't be bribing them with games if their behavior is bad. They earn games through good choices, and if they can't make good choices then they don't get to play games.
Thanks, Caesar. I will take that into account. I guess I got too wrapped up in worrying other things.
When it comes to games, I find it depends on the age. The older the students, the more I suggest changing games that you use. I am guessing you teach high school. At this age, I wouldn't do the same game each week. I do think it is better to mix it up in middle school or high school. I also agree with Caesar to make sure they earn it with good choices.
Have the students work together to create games. Tell them the skills that the games need to reinforce and let them be creative. Depending on their skill level with the language, they could write the instructions (or at least some of them) in Spanish.
OK, speaking as a teacher of the all-too-frequently-detested math courses: Many, many kids come into my class already hating math. Some simply don't enjoy it. Others have had it beaten into their heads over the years that either math is hard, or that they're simply not bright enough to understand it. So I'm frequently fighting an uphill battle from day 1. One of the easiest ways to combat all that is to teach well. Once they start to find success in my class, they tend to enjoy it more. Another is to establish a classroom atmosphere that they enjoy. We joke around a lot in my class, but I'm almost always the one leading that joking. There's a definite line that is NOT crossed. But we laugh a lot as we do problems. My kids know that I enjoy my job, and that I enjoy being there with them. I do what I can to make it more enjoyable for them. It's little things-- like greeting them, mostly by name, as they enter the room. It's sharing little tidbits of my life with them. It's being willing to bump a quiz from Thursday to Friday so they can study for Thursday's Euro. test. There's so much culture you can bring into a Spanish lesson. Off the top of my head, before 7 am: So many pop culture references, from current music to Dora the Explorer to World Cup soccer. Play a current song in Spanish (that has appropriate lyrics, of course) and give them the lyrics, have them translate it. Play virtual tourist in Rio, the site of the 2014 World Cup. With Halloween coming, teach them about the Night of the Dead (I've probably misnamed that, but you know what I mean-- the night after(??) Halloween. Teach them about Quincierra (another mis-spelling, the big 15th birthday celebration in some Hispanic cultures). Find a kid's version of Don Quixote and familiarize them with the story-- then play the soundtrack to Man of LaMancha with Richard Harris. Find a "Dear Abby" type of column in a Spanish newspaper, and read the letters with your kids each week-- after screening them, of course. Or have your kids write and answer their own Dear Abby letters. Find a PG rated Spanish soap opera and have your kids follow along with the story line. Teach them about Spanish food and Portuguese food and Peruvian food, and about how it's not all tacos. Explain to them about Argentinian beef and about Paella. There's so much you can bring in that your kids will find interesting!!! Sure, conjugating verbs can be dull-- it's part of your job to ensure that your kids enjoy your class even if the material isn't always stimulating.
