Punch Cards in the WL Classroom

If you've been a World Language teacher for a while you're probably like me and tried using Euros as an incentive for classroom participation, winning games in class, or going above and beyond what was expected. You've probably even spent more than a few hours perforating the really colorful set from Teacher's Discovery, laminating them, and then cutting them out to provide to students. And, you've probably found several a few of them in the washing machine soaking wet when you forgot to remove them from your pockets. There is a new strategy to promote target language use and classroom participation and it's called PUNCH CARDS. Now, this doesn't mean you have an opportunity to knock a kid out when s/he isn't speaking the language you teach! All joking aside, punch cards are definitely rocking my classroom this school year.

What are punch cards?
Punch cards are cards that you create for your students.  They are usually rectangular or square shaped and they have holes or other images that can be removed with a hole puncher along the outer edges.

How to implement them in class?
This school year I created a version that has J'ai parlé en français.  Trois points de plus in the center of the card.  Along the outside I added 24 hexagons.  I specifically chose hexagons because this symbol refers to France and often times one can hear it being used in listening activities to refer to the country.  Once I liked the visual look of the card, I copied it and pasted as many as I could fit on one page and then printed several off on card stock.  The next thing I did was to go to Michael's to purchase a hole puncher that would create a specific design.  I chose one that cuts out heart shapes and it was a minimal expense at $5.99 (If you go online to their website they often have 40% off coupons).  PlEASE NOTE:  If you plan to use a regular hole puncher that creates circles, there's no way to gauge whether the student punched the hole or you did.  I was certain to choose something that would be almost impossible to replicate for this reason.

On the first day of class I included a punch card with each student's packet.  I then explained that as they are caught speaking French they would receive a punch on the card.  After a student receives 24 punches and all of the hexagons are gone they can then turn in the card to receive 3 extra points on an assignment.  The students were very excited and immediately wrote their names on the back of the card.  During partner and group activities I pull out my hole puncher and randomly create little hearts on students' cards.  Consequently, I'm finding myself saying "pas d'anglais" less and less and I'm hearing my students speaking the language more and more.

When to punch cards?
I have punched cards for the following reasons:
1.  Using the target language with a partner and with small group work exclusively
2.  Volunteering
3.  Rewarding the winners in a class game
I've also taken away current punch cards and replaced them with a brand new card if a student consistently uses English.

So far I really enjoy this method so much more than the Euros I spent so many hours preparing.  The plus side, too, is that I doubt I will find my heart hole puncher in the washing machine anytime soon!  Ha!

Have you used punch cards in your classroom?  Please feel free to share your experience in the comment section below.

This was a guest post by Madame H.  You can visit her Teacher's Pay Teacher's Store by clicking here to view other creative ways to share the French language with students.

Decorating your Spanish Classroom

Looking for ways to spice up the look of your classroom? Don't have the budget to order $20+ posters? Check out these affordable ways to make your classroom a bit more special!

Flags:
-Flags of Spanish speaking Countries
-Spanish Speaking Countries Flags and Coloring Pages
-Flags of Spanish Speaking Countries Classroom Decor
-Aqui sehabla espanol 21 circle posters of countries/capitals

Bulletin Board Set:
-Autumn Fast Finishers Bulletin Board Set
-Spanish Speaking Countries Photos Facts Classroom Decorations
-Spanish Phrase of the Week Posters (36 pages)
-Verb Word Wall Bulletin
-Top 120 Common Spanish Verbs

Calendar:
-Superheroes Calendar Set
-Classroom Calendar Newsletter Templates 
-Calendar Set in Spanish
-Calendar Bulletin Board Kit Printable
-Posters/Cards of the Months and seasons
-Decorative Posters of the Days

Signs:
-Letreros para centros con superheroes
-Spanish Pennant Banners Bundle
-Class Helpers Monitors Ayudantes (editable)
-Quien Soy Pennants

Posters:
-Superheroes Teach Classroom Rules and Passwords
-Foreign Language Learning Goal Posters Level 1
-Spanish Snappy Sayings or Chants For the Spanish Classroom
-Spanish bulletin board circumlocution
-Spanish Question Words Visuals
-Spanish Interrogativos Question Words Interrogatives Classroom Signs Posters
-Motivational Posters SPANISH
-Subject Pronoun Posters 1
-Subject Pronoun Posters 2
-Subject Pronoun Strips
-20 Chistes/Jokes in Spanish
-Present Tense Verb Posters

Signs:
-Two Bienvenidos Pennants
-Flower Clock Kit in Spanish 
-Spanish Speaking Countries Flags Letters
-Illustrated Instruction Cards Printable
-Top 50 Survival Expressions


Labels:
-Spanish Classroom Labels (55 Rainbow labels)
-Hispanic Countries Info Labels

Classroom Themes:
-Superheroes
-Circus
-Jungle

Back to School Stock Up

Well, with back to school looming and the TeachersPayTeachers Back to School Sale scheduled for August 3rd and 4th, we thought we would highlight some items that you are going to want to put in your wishlist and check out on Monday or Tuesday.

Here they are:

Wishlist Wednesday

Now is the time to finally make the purchase of that item you added to your wishlist. We have taken our most wishlisted item from our TpT stores and put it on sale for 25-30% off! But this special offer only lasts 3 days, so don't miss your opportunity to get our most wanted items!

Spanish Teacher Clipart

Are you tired of trying to find clipart for your Spanish materials and are flooded with images of tacos and chile peppers? Unfortunately, these images are common practice, and by using them we are denying our students a change to see the richness of the culture beyond the typical images.

Luckily, we've found a few items on teacherspayteachers that really show culture in a meaningful way:

Miss Jodi's Learning Garden has posted a 65 image set of Clip Art Cultura. This creative and colorful set includes Papel Picado, Calaveras, Serape, Fruit Cart, mate cups, cholo hats, sculptures from Botero, jars of aguas frescas as well as Mayan symbols. You're powerpoints or worksheets will come alive with culture by adding some of these awesome clipart for Spanish class.

Spanish Speaking Countries Passport Stamp Set Clipart
Set of images to represent passport stamps of all 21 Spanish Speaking Countries. Plus additional images such as Estados Unidos, Barcelona, and more!
Includes both jpeg and png files. Images are black/white and represent the culture of the country in an authentic way.










52 Backgrounds for Spanish Teachers 

Add some zing to your material with this collection of 52 colorful backgrounds specifically made with Spanish teachers in mind. They are for use with Power Point (or Keynote) presentations and they will brighten your classroom and help capture the attention of your students.

Some of the themes used are: Flags, Textiles, Fiestas, Talavera Tiles, Dancers, and Maps.


.
Looking for famous Hispanics? Check out Teacher's Cliparts's Hispanic Heritage Characters - Peronsajes Hispanos Famosos. Includes clipart versions of Shakira, Picasso, García Marquéz, Che,
Roberto Clemente, Celia Cruz, Sotomayor, Ellen Ochoa, and Frida!

HaHaHaArt has this pack of Colombia clipart which features 114 images highlighting the culture and beauty of Colombia with sombreros, musical instruments and more.

Show off the beautiful landmarks of the Spanish Speaking World with Spanish Landmarks  Clipart by Poppydreamz.

This set includes 3 versions of these sites:
Mitad Del Mundo - Ecuador
Piramide del Sol - Mexico
Galapagos Islands - Ecuador
Easter Island - Chile
Angel Falls - Venezuela
Sagrada Familia - Barcelona, Spain

Hispanic Countries Powerpoint Backgrounds
Represent the Spanish Speaking countries of Central America and South America with this cultural showcase! 20 Images to use as Powerpoint Backgrounds (Powerpoint is also included!) feature the name, capital, flag, site of interest, and "stamp" for each country.

MiraDibujos is a new store that posts clipart art specifically for Spanish teachers. From Peruvian Food, to Frida Kahlo and many more, be sure to check out their full store.

Papel Picado with the letters of the alphabet, in both uppercase and lowercase.










Know of any others?  Link it in the comments!

The Stubborn Spanish Subjuntive

The Stubborn Spanish Subjunctive

By Lonnie Dai Zovi

Advanced Spanish teachers have been struggling to effectively teach the Spanish subjunctive to confused students for years.  Some teachers teach it a bit too early.  Some students are not ready to expand their mind that far.  They will quickly erase the progress that they made with the many indicative verb forms.

When I started teaching the subjunctive in my Spanish 3 second semester class (because I thought I had to. My book told me to.) I had students ready to pull their hair out but even worse than that, was that some started to use the subjunctive form for everything. “Ella tenga dos lápices.” and other abominations.

So when should you teach it?

Language Teacher of the Week Island Teacher

This week's featured seller is Emilie Del Risco aka the Island Teacher. Her blog is the Island Teacher and her products are available at her TeachersPayTeachers store.

Teaching History:  
I have been teaching for 13 years. I have taught a wide range of Spanish classes from Kindergarten-High School. I currently teach at a small private school in the Cayman Islands where I teach Spanish from grades 2-10. :) Additionally, I have taught ESL classes in an Intensive English Language university program. 

Favorite Thing about Teaching Languages:
I, like many teachers, love the lightbulb moment when I student "gets" a concept. I also love to see my students enjoying an activity and practicing their language skills outside of the classroom.
 

Favorite Lesson:
I love teaching about Cinco de Mayo. I enjoy "schooling" students on what this day is really about. I find that it's very eye opening for them to learn that the day is not really much of a holiday in Mexico after all AND reminding them that it is NOT Mexico's Independence Day.
The phrase “Ay, ay, ay, ay, canta, no llores” (from "Cielito Lindo") helped my Spanish students remember that the affirmative “tú” command drops the “s” but the negative command retains the “s” and changes the ending from “–as” to“-es” on “–ar ending verbs”.


One Tip to WL Teachers:
Find out what works for your students and don't be afraid to step outside of the textbook! Include as many authentic resources as possible. :)
 
Free Product:
Spanish Big Numbers Task Cards Speaking and Writing-Activity
One thing that my students and I really enjoy using are task cards. There are so many diverse ways to incorporate these into your lessons. You can read more about how to use these in this blog post.




Featured Product: 
Cinco de Mayo Task Cards Questions and Writing Prompts
Looking for a resource to use with your Cinco de Mayo lesson? Check out these Cinco de Mayo writing prompts and question task cards. This resource also includes a link to an online article that you can print or have students access to answer the task card questions.