Using Scrambled Sentences Puzzles to Increase Student Engagement, Fun and Learning in Spanish Class

¡Hola profes!  How was your Thanksgiving?  I hope you got the rest and relaxation that you needed to come back strong and make it until winter break!

The time between Thanksgiving and winter break can be challenging – students may be more excited, off-task or more difficult to engage than usual, and there might be disruptions to your schedule for winter- or holiday-related assemblies, concerts, field trips and more.  If these extra challenges are making you feel as though you’re not getting much done in class or that you’re not providing your students with enough practice, I have a hands-on, interactive, cooperative activity that will catch and keep your students’ attention in these upcoming weeks until our next break: Scrambled sentences puzzles!

Scrambled sentences puzzles are always a hit in my classroom.  In fact, my students and I love them so much that I incorporate them into every single unit that I teach for Spanish 1-3!  (Full disclosure: there is some prep work required at the beginning, but once you have your puzzles made, you’ll have them for years to come!)

Making scrambled sentences puzzles is simple enough – all you have to do is write some (6-9) sentences in Spanish pertaining to the topic you’re studying.  The sentences can be as simple or complex as you like to be appropriate for your students!  Then, you type them up in large font, print as many sets as you’ll need for your class, laminate them, and cut out each individual word.  Pro tip: Print each set on different color card stock.  This will help keep you organized!  Place each set of mixed-up sentences into a plastic baggie or an envelope for safe-keeping.

In my classroom, this is a group activity – I think groups of 3 are ideal, but you can make this work with groups of 2 or 4 as well.  When you are ready to have your students do the activity, have groups put their desks together (if they do not already sit in groups) so that they have a large surface area to work with, or have them sit on the floor so they can spread out.  Students should open the plastic baggies or envelopes and get out all of the words they’ll use to form their sentences.  Then, it is their job to unscramble the sentences you wrote and put them back together!

Here’s why I LOVE scrambled sentences puzzles:

• They are great for reinforcing lesson/unit content.  As they work to form logical sentences, students have to recognize individual vocabulary words from the unit and also understand unit grammatical/structural concepts in order to create grammatically correct sentences. Since scrambled sentences puzzles are so versatile, you can tailor any puzzle to align with the specific vocabulary and grammatical concepts of your unit, which provides targeted and meaningful practice to students!
• The hands-on nature of scrambled sentences puzzles increases student engagement.  Scrambled sentences puzzles can transform a dry or difficult topic into a fun, interactive, and enjoyable experience for students.  The challenge of combining the word cards to create coherent sentences adds an element of excitement to the learning process, making it more engaging.  When students are engaged, more learning is taking place!  Another advantage of sentence scrambles is that they incorporate movement.  As students work to unscramble the sentences, they are naturally engaging in physical activity.  This not only enhances student participation, but also caters to different learning styles, ensuring a more inclusive and meaningful educational experience.  
• They foster cooperative learning.  As students work together with their groups, you’ll see them reason together why sentences are right or wrong.  For example, if you’re studying family and adjectives, one student in a group could put this together: “Mi hija es alto.”  However, another group member will likely point out that “alto” will not work because “mi hija” es a girl, and so another adjective needs to be used.  This reinforces the concept of adjective agreement and you’ll be able to see your students’ ability to apply what they’re learning!  Not only that, but students also get to know each other and build their relationships, strengthening a sense of community within the classroom.  I love to see it!

Here are some variation and extension activities that work well with scrambled sentences puzzles: 

• Gamify them!  Add an element of friendly competition to scrambled sentences puzzles by having students complete different challenges, such as unscrambling the sentences the fastest, coming up with the longest (but still grammatically correct) sentence, or writing the silliest sentence.  This adds an element of excitement and encourages students to stay on-task and work efficiently while maintaining accuracy.
• If students find it too challenging to use every word included in the puzzle, don’t make them unscramble all the sentences.  Have them come up with 3-4 awesome sentences using whatever they find in the baggie.  This is a nice confidence booster for novice-level students as they see that they can create with the language!  Students also like this variation because they like to see who can come up with the funniest or most original sentences.
• If students finish quickly or just need an additional challenge, have them write their own original, corresponding follow-up sentences or questions.  For example, if you’re doing family and adjectives and the sentence is, “Mis hermanos menores son graciosos y simpáticos,” students could write back with something like, “¡Qué guay!  Nuestros hermanos son simpáticos también, pero son tímidos” or, “¡Qué interesante! ¿Y cómo son tus padres?”  

• When all groups are finished, have groups circulate throughout the room and read the sentences that the other groups created with the cards.  Have them evaluate what they saw with Post-It notes: what is one really good sentence and why, and what is one mistake that the group made?
•  For a bit of fun, have students illustrate their sentences, especially sillier ones – my students have a lot of fun with this!  This is a great way for novice-level students to show understanding of what they read, too!  

Want to try a scrambled sentences puzzle in your classroom?  Here are some of my favorites – AND they have digital options for Google Slides included too!

I hope this was helpful and that you found some ideas you can utilize in your classrooms!  Please feel free to leave me a comment or send me an email if you have any questions!  Have a wonderful week, profes!