¡Hola profes! How are you doing? Do you have a February break this week, or at least a day off? We usually get a 4-day weekend in February and I think it really helps both teachers and students recharge their batteries at a tough time of year. I hope you get some kind of break too!
I know I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again: the third marking period can be TOUGH. We’re tired, our students are tired, it’s still dark out all the time, and some days, it feels like spring break will never get here.
At this time of year, I like to incorporate activities that allow my students to be creative and to produce with the language. These activities allow us to engage our students in meaningful language learning experiences that develop their linguistic skills and foster creativity and fluency. Open-ended, creative activities provide diverse opportunities for students to actively produce and create with the Spanish language. This week, I wanted to talk about my three favorite open-ended activities for secondary Spanish classrooms that foster creativity and increase student engagement!
#1: Preguntas Personales
Open-ended Preguntas Personales invite students to reflect on their experiences, opinions, and emotions in Spanish. Whether it’s discussing their hobbies, aspirations, routines, or any other aspect of their lives, these prompts encourage self-expression and meaningful communication. By posing open-ended questions, we can stimulate critical thinking and encourage deeper engagement with the language all while honing students’ productive language skills! Not only that, but Preguntas Personales add a personalized aspect to our units that make students feel more connected to the content, as they can see how it relates to their lives.
Here’s how I use Preguntas Personales: I’ll usually post 2-3 questions pertaining to our unit on the board, or I’ll give each student a slip of paper with the questions. I try to vary the subjects of the questions – one is usually “tú,” one is usually a friend or family member, and one is usually “ustedes.” This gets students in the habit of understanding that they sometimes need to change the subject in the answer. I collect students’ responses and give them feedback. Since there are only a few questions, they are quick to grade, and students can see what they are doing well and where they can improve.
Sometimes, I add a speaking component to Preguntas Personales by having students ask the questions to a partner. Students record their partners’ responses. For upper-level students, I may have students first answer the Preguntas Personales themselves, then interview a partner, and write a compare/contrast paragraph. Not only is this a great way to practice writing, it allows students to get to know their classmates and helps build a strong classroom community.
Want to grab some ready-to-use Preguntas Personales to use in your classroom? Check out some of these resources:
#2: Creative Projects
Creative projects empower students to express themselves authentically in Spanish while tapping into their individual interests and talents. Whether it’s designing a comic strip, crafting a short story, creating a multimedia presentation, or producing a skit, the possibilities are endless. By allowing students to choose their topics and mediums, we can encourage ownership of learning, foster intrinsic motivation, and provide students with the opportunity to be creative while using the language.
My students LOVE to be creative, and incorporating projects can be a great way to provide these opportunities for them. I have found that students like being in control of how they want to use the language, and some of their best work has been while completing a project!
Note: I do not assign projects outside of class time. This is because I want my students to turn to me with questions, not Google, their older sibling who took my class three years ago, or their neighbor who takes college-level Spanish. I have found that making projects in-class-only assignments has produced the best, most authentic, and most original results.
So, what do you need for a good project? The good news is that it’s not a lot: just a set of instructions outlining what you want your students to do, and a rubric or checklist that tells students how you are going to assess them. Once you have these in place, the students will do the heavy lifting!
If you’re interested, here is a FREE project on family that would be great for Spanish 1 students!
You can find my favorite projects (with rubrics!) here – save time and energy while still providing your students with the opportunity to be creative and show what they have learned so far this year!
#3: Simulated Conversations
Simulated conversations immerse students in authentic language contexts, allowing them to practice interpersonal communication skills in a controlled setting. Whether it’s role-playing everyday scenarios, conducting interviews, or engaging in debates, simulated conversations provide valuable opportunities for students to create with the language by applying structures and vocabulary in context. Not only are simulated conversations excellent preparation for students who will go on to take the AP Spanish Language and Culture exam, it will also help all students successfully use Spanish outside of our classrooms in real-world settings. I can’t think of a Spanish teacher who wouldn’t want that!
So, how can we help increase our students’ abilities to hold a conversation in Spanish? The simulated conversation is a great activity to incorporate into your units! At first, it may seem daunting, maybe even impossible, for novice learners, but I promise that it’s doable! You can include a simulated conversation in your very first unit of Spanish 1! Have your students pretend they are introducing themselves to a classmate. They can exchange names, ages, how they are doing, where they are from, and so on! This sets the tone with your students that, from the very beginning, they will be producing spoken Spanish and creating meaningful exchanges using the material that they’ve learned in class.
The first thing you’ll need for a simulated conversation is a script. What questions/prompts are your students going to listen and respond to? Once you have your script, I recommend making a recording of you or a colleague reading it. Make sure to leave time between each question/prompt for your students to answer! (I usually leave 20-30 seconds.) A recording will be necessary if you plan to use technology to have students complete the simulated conversation!
The next thing you’ll need to create is a conversation outline to guide students through the activity. At the top, I briefly describe the scenario so that students have some context for the conversation. Then, I provide prompts (but not a transcript) to help students complete the task. Here’s an example of what one of my conversation outlines looks like:
There are lots of different ways you could go about completing a simulated conversation in your classroom. I prefer to use technology to record the conversations so I can listen to students’ responses multiple times, and to allow students to listen to their own recordings and reflect. These are some great options:
- Play your recording of the conversation through your classroom speaker and have students record their responses via the Voice Memos app (iPads/iPhones) or Camera app (Chromebooks). Other recording programs, apps, or extensions may be available for your students to use, depending on their specific devices. Have students share their recordings with you in some way (email, upload to your LMS, etc.).
- Create an assignment on your LMS (Canvas, Google Classroom, etc.), and have your students create a screen recording, giving their responses as you play the recording of the conversation. This will make it easy for you to collect students’ answers!
- Use a website such as Charlala or Extempore. Both sites can be used for free, with upgraded features available for purchase if you like.
Lastly, you will need a rubric to assess your students. Luckily, the AP rubric for interpersonal speaking works great for simulated conversations at any level! If you feel that any criteria on the AP rubric are not applicable for your students at any given time, you can ignore them – that’s what I’ve always done in those cases!
I’ve put together my favorite simulated conversations that I use in Spanish 1-4 below!
I hope this was helpful! Please feel free to leave me a comment or send me an email if you have any questions! Have a wonderful week, profe!
Señora Q 