Classroom Resources

This novice low French activity provides a fun way to practice pronunciation of French sounds. As a warm up, teachers use a series of pre-printed cards as they model the pronunciation of each word and sound. Students are to repeat the words. Then, teachers lead students through reciting a variety of tongue twisters, focusing on specific pronunciation sounds. Six different tongue twister cards are provided. The teacher can lead the class through each one or have students work in pairs to practice the phrases, paying special attention to the phonetic sounds made by the French alphabet.

This French lesson is geared toward novice low and novice mid learners in grades K-5. This unit consists of 3 separate lessons. In the first, students identify locations around the world where French is spoken. In the second, students examine photos of French family life and compare visible customs to those they see at home. Finally, students are introduced to French vocabulary used to identify family members. As an optional activity, students can create a family tree to present their own (or make-believe) family.

This two-page full-color printable resource illustrates French prepositions, making it easy for students to recall each vocabulary word. This prepared handout uses an emoji face and a box to help elementary, middle school, and high school students make visual connections with this grammar topic.

This printable resource is a ready-to-use unlabeled map of Latin American countries. It is a perfect resource for novice low students to use as they label countries and capitals, a common first step toward learning to identify the locations around the world that speak Spanish. A copy of this resource that is labeled with each country's name is posted in the comment box below. Additionally, another map that includes Spain and Equitorial Guinea is posted in the comment box.

This Spanish infographic is unique in that it uses affirmative tú commands, both regular and irregular, to promote nutrition. This two-sided graphic introduces students to the MiPlato/My Plate program which is referenced in student health and nutrition programs throughout the state.  The front of the graphic identifies the key food groups and suggests ways to stay healthy. The back identifies each food group and lists a variety of foods (vocabulary words) for each group. This particular authentic resource is perfect for reinforcing food vocabulary with novice mid to intermediate low students.

This novice low to novice mid-Chinese activity reviews common radicals with students. Students start by watching a short video that shows how radicals are used to form other words. Then, students play Bingo to practice the radicals that they have learned. The teacher holds up one of the 24 pre-printed radical cards. Students each have one of 10 different pre-printed bingo boards. All necessary resources to play this game are included except for Bingo card markers. Beans, buttons, coins, or any other small item will work as a game marker. Teachers can also put the cards in sheet protectors so students can write on them with dry-erase markers. 

This useful resource provides a list of over 50 regular AR verbs along with a detailed Quizlet flashcard set that can be beneficial to helping beginning students memorize key vocabulary. Each Quizlet features a drawing to help students associate each action with an image rather than just a translation. This deck can be used for a variety of review activities such as matching and spelling. This link also provides a printable list of these common verbs.

This novice low activity is a great introduction to ASL for elementary-aged students. The original lesson plan was created for enhancing reading comprehension in regular classroom settings. However, this approach is a perfect way to connect ASL with Language Arts standards. There are eight vocabulary words that appear in the humorous book Sam's Sandwich, all of which students learn to sign in American Sign Language. The signs are first taught and then the students sign the vocabulary words each time they hear them in the text. Extension activities encourage students to learn more vocabulary words in ASL. Note: Teachers will need access to a copy of Sam's Sandwich by David Pehlam (Dutton Juvenile Publishers, 1991). 

This novice mid to novice high German activity allows students to explore an authentic German website as they learn about television programming in Germany. To start with, students compare German television with the television programs available in the US. Students then demonstrate an understanding of simple written language by searching the site to gather specific information based on programs they would like to watch. Finally, students wrap up the activity by identifying the differences between public and private broadcasters in Germany.

This elementary-aged activity shows young students how artists can use their work to inspire change for the good of individuals and their communities. In this activity, students examine three different posters designed by Puerto Rican artists to convey a positive message. After examining these pieces of art students work in groups to brainstorm a list of issues that affect their school or community. Then, they select one to focus on to share with the class. Working as a group, students create a word collage that highlights their chosen issue and then present their topic to the class. This activity is provided in both English and Spanish. Intermediate Mid and Advanced elementary students should use presentational speaking skills to complete these activities in the target language. 

This set of printable posters features the key question words taught in novice Spanish courses. Each printable highlights one single question word and includes an image so that students can make connections with the new vocabulary without relying on direct translations. Included words are: ¿Qué?, ¿Quién?, ¿Quiénes?, ¿Cuándo?, ¿Por qué?, ¿Cómo?, ¿Cuáles?, ¿Cuántos?, ¿Dónde?

Spanish students of all levels should be given multiple opportunities to investigate, analyze, and reflect on similarities and differences between the target and native cultures. In order to compare and contrast these similarities and differences teachers often use venn diagrams so that students can visually see these differences. This printable resource is a ready made venn diagram labeled with Latin American Culture and North American Culture. It can be used for all cultural comparative activities.

This novice low to novice high grammar game helps Spanish learners 'see' how the target language is formed so that they can make connections between the Spanish language and their own. This game will work for any tense but the instructions are specifically geared toward indicative present tense conjugations. Students work in groups to create sentences. A die is rolled to determine the subject of each sentence. Then, students match the verb stem to the correct verb ending based on the subject determined by the die. Finally, students use this newly constructed verb to write a sentence using the verb and current vocabulary.

This novice mid to novice high ASL activity provides students an opportunity to practice vocabulary related to holidays and celebrations as well as asking questions. Students start with a quick warm-up in which they review how to use American Sign Language to stay each holiday. Then, students use the provided cards to play a game similar to Go Fish in which students ask for holidays rather than numbers.  After the Go Fish game, students will use a series of prepared question cards to practice using question words while conversing with peers. The holiday and question activities can be used together or separately depending on the goals for each classroom.

This novice-low Spanish activity is specifically aimed at elementary students who are beginning their Spanish journey. In this activity, students will learn about families in various Spanish cultures and gain a preliminary knowledge of the Spanish language, learning the Spanish names for various family members. Students will start by identifying some of the locations where Spanish is spoken. They will then examine differences between Hispanic families and their own. Finally, they will learn some vocabulary words associated with describing their family. Detailed activities and guided questions are included along with possible extension activities that focus on Spanish exploration and immigration. 

This novice low Spanish activity is geared toward introducing middle school-aged students to a variety of holidays celebrated in Mexico. Students will identify ethnic and religious influences on Mexican culture, understand the meaning and history of Día de Los Muertos, Día de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, Grito de Dolores, and Cinco de Mayo. Students will explore these holidays through a variety of activities that include analyzing photos, building memorial altars, and exploring websites. The provided assessment asks students to compare and contrast one of the holidays with one from the United States.

This free online site offers a variety of online French grammar games that can be used to review grammar concepts at all levels of instruction. An organized guide provides a well-organized list of grammar topics. Topics include Nouns, Adjectives, Adverbs, Pronouns, Possessives, Demonstratives, Indefinites, Prepositions, Verb Conjugations (Present, Past, Future, Conditional, Subjunctive, Imperatives, Participles & Gerunds), Questions, Negations, Comparisons, Conjunctions, Passive Voice, Expressing Time, and more. As an added bonus, most topics include a printable resource or study guide explaining each specific grammar topic. This PDF file is available in both French and English.

This novice low French activity guides students through a series of greetings and introductions. Students start with a warm up that asks them to create a conversation using a series of pre-printed cards. Once students decide the correct order of the cards they are to act out the conversation presented on the cards. Students are then asked to each select a card that identifies the role they will play in the activity. Pretending to be the person on the card, students will move around the room introducing themselves and greeting others. Students are also given the opportunity to select a 'time of day' card to indicate whether the conversation should take place in the morning, noon, or evening. This allows students to vary their conversations as they move around the room. As an extension activity, teachers can demonstrate proper gestures used in greetings and have students include these in their conversations.

This printable resource is a spin off the popular board game Guess Who? This interactive activity encourages interpersonal communication among Spanish students at the novice low to novice mid level. Students should each be given a copy of this resource. In pairs or small groups, one student describes a person from the board until the other students in the group are able to guess who is being described. This allows students to practice vocabulary related to descriptions and to reinforce their use of masculine and feminine adjective endings. 

This novice high to intermediate low Spanish activity provides several examples of native speakers discussing their favorite foods. Students are asked to gather information from authentic resources, focusing specifically on the names of dishes, ingredients, the origin of the dishes, and other pertinent information. As an extension students can use the information to create a written or oral presentation comparing the foods from the video with their own favorite foods. Students can also discuss their favorite foods with classmates in an effort to enhance interpersonal communication skills.

In this novice high to intermediate low Chinese activity, students will plan a menu for a Chinese New Year's Eve dinner. They will randomly select from a set of provided food cards and use their selected cards to prepare a menu that aligns with traditional Chinese New Year's traditions. Students will have to be careful though because some foods are considered lucky while others are considered unlucky so understanding the cultural importance of each dish will be important. 

In this novice-mid Spanish activity, students rely on family vocabulary to read a short passage in Spanish. After each section, they are asked to check their reading comprehension skills by answering multiple-choice questions in English. Students follow up this activity by using presentational writing skills to write about their own families. Finally, a short reflection activity or exit slip is included to wrap up the lesson.

This novice low to novice mid activity introduces German students to children's counting rhymes. Students listen to four different audio files. As they do, they fill in the missing words in the accompanying cloze activity. Once finished students are able to check their work automatically. Teachers can also choose to download the file so that the activity can be completed offline or in class as a whole. To achieve presentational speaking standards students can recite their favorite rhyme.

This novice mid to novice high German activity introduces students to a variety of online German shopping sites. Students are provided links to a variety of German grocery stores and asked to demonstrate an understanding of written language by gathering information in the target language to create a shopping list. Students are then asked to explore another set of shopping links to look for deals. As they look through these sites they are asked to respond to a specific list of questions to keep them on task. 

This unique coloring book provides one page for each letter of the alphabet. On each page, students are introduced to an item of importance to Central America such as animals, artifacts, or art. This resource is bilingual so there is a set in both English and Spanish, along with activities that introduce students to various aspects of Central America and its history. In the elementary classroom, consider providing each student a different letter of the alphabet to color and share with the class. Then, hang all letters up around the room as a constant reminder of the key products from this area of the word.

This two person Spanish game encourages students to use conjugation skills as they attempt to locate and sink their partner's fleet before their partner achieves the same. Three versions of the game's printouts are included: one with preset verbs, one that allows teachers to add their own verbs and another that allows teachers to adjust all aspects of the game. Complete instructions for game play are included. This game could easily be adapted to any language by customizing the provided blank game board.

Novice level Spanish students are learning to describe events using present tense. As they learn to conjugate in the present they face challenging stem-changing verbs. These 11 posters each feature a common classroom question that uses the stem-changing verb poder in context. By hanging these printable posters around the classroom, students are constantly reminded of how to use this difficult verb. As much as possible, students should be encouraged to ask common questions in Spanish when they need to visit the office, locker, library, nurse, or restroom.

This full-color printable resource illustrates Spanish prepositions, making it easy for students to recall each vocabulary word. This prepared handout uses a red ball and a blue box to help elementary, middle school, and high school students make visual connections with this grammar topic. This resources can be printed for each student or enlarged to hang on the classroom wall allowing students to make connections between the target language and their own. This resource is most useful for novice low and novice mid language students.

This novice low to novice mid-Chinese activity introduces students to the vocabulary needed to describe nationalities and where someone is from. At the start of the activity, students will be introduced to the correct way of asking someone their nationality by being introduced to some public figures from Chinese and English-speaking countries. Students will then ask each other where they are from and their nationalities. Finally, students are asked to draw a card from those provided in the resource. Students will repeat the introduction process but use the information on their cards to determine how they should respond to each question. There is a Google slide presentation that outlines the "can do" statements. The last slide introduces students to basic facts about where Chinese is spoken.

This resource provides a list of  20 IR verbs along with a  Quizlet flashcard set that can be beneficial to helping beginning students memorize key vocabulary words. This deck can be used for a variety of review activities such as matching and spelling. This link also provides a printable list of these common verbs as well as a fill-in-the-blank practice activity.

This novice-high to intermediate-high German activity provides resources necessary for completing a series of communicative and interpretive tasks as students explore the world of fast food using a variety of authentic resources. Interpretive reading skills are used as students explore a target language menu. Audio files and video files are included for interpretive listening tasks. Other printable resources (including a menu) are included to assist in interpersonal communicative tasks as students practice ordering food. The resources are carefully chosen to introduce students to a wide variety of authentic foods, introducing them to culturally appropriate products. The included activities can be adapted for a variety of levels in middle school and high school German classes.

This novice low to novice mid French activity includes 2 interactive games that review  vocabulary related to school supplies. First a Kahoot game is prepared allowing students to use their phones, ipads, chromebooks or other devices to play against each other in the classroom to see who can identify each classroom item the fastest. In the second game, the teacher uses a prepared slide presentation to show pictures of individual items. Students look through their own personal belongings to see if they can locate the item. The first person to locate and correctly provide the French name for the item gets the point.

This English language lesson is geared toward Middle School students and is a great way to connect novice language skills to topics covered in social studies classes. Students are introduced to the world of the Aztecs through a series of activities that include videos, map reading, class discussions, and images. There are several worksheets included in which students write-in answers to comprehension questions. For novice learners, they should identify 2-3 target language vocabulary words that can be used to answer each question. (Food, weather, activities, descriptions) and then write a sentence in Spanish (novice mid-high) or English (novice low). 

This full-color printable resource illustrates Spanish greetings, making it easy for students to recall advanced vocabulary words rather then relying on the most common phrases when greeting others. This prepared handout uses a series of emojis to help elementary, middle school, and high school students make visual connections with this vocabulary topic. The vocabulary words are separated into three groups: postive, neutral, and negative. This resource can be printed for each student or enlarged to hang on the classroom wall allowing students to make connections between the target language and their own. This resource is most useful for novice low and novice mid language students.

This novice mid to novice high Spanish activity introduces students to transportation-related vocabulary using authentic resources. The activity is geared toward younger learners and is separated into three tasks: interpersonal, interpretive, and presentational.  Students start by examining a photo of public transportation in Chile. They then identify key vocabulary words while watching a short video clip. Once the words are collected, they conduct a brief poll among classmates regarding transportation preferences. Finally, students illustrate their preferred mode of transportation along with a written caption describing this chosen vocabulary word.