We’re back in full swing: I’ve met my Little Darlings, learned most of their names, reprogramed by bladder schedule and have been in bed by 8:00 every night…sounds like Back to School!

Here’s a new game I’m using with my Spanish4s and APs. It would also be great with Heritage Learners and Level 3s. It’s got an output focus, so this is NOT one for your lower levels at the start of the year! Remember, those language babies need loads and loads of input!! The credit for this game goes to my sister because she told me that my original idea was lame. She totally reworked the game and I was dubious that there could be TWO Game Creators in ONE family, but she was right and this is WAY better than my original, lame idea.

AND IT’S NO PREP, SO HALLELUJIAH!

Here’s how to play:

1. Give each student 3 small pieces of paper and instruct them to write their name on all three papers.

2. Students need to think of 3 facts about themselves. They do NOT write these down, they just think of them. To help out my Spanish 4s (and to help keep their output cleanish) I gave them sentence starters:

• Tengo… (I have…) It could be “I have 3 brothers” or “I have a ferret named Mrs. Pigglewiggle” or “I have a 1982 Ford Mustang” or… whatever. But the goal is to get to know each other, so it has to be true!
• Soy…(I am…) “I am a soccer player” or “I am the oldest in my family” or “I am Mexican American” or “I am the tallest person in this class” or “I am from Michigan” or…
• Nací en…(I was born in…) / Fui a… (I went to…) For this one students picked one of the two options. “I went to the gas station this morning” OR “When I was 7, I went to Disneyland” OR “I was born in Kansas City or…

(But of course, you could make it anything you want: I love…. I hate… My favorite class is…)

For AP and Heritage Classes, you might make the sentence starters optional, to help them think of a fact if they’re stuck, but not to limit them. We played this as a department in English at our first meeting and I learned some fascinating things about my colleagues! (I work with a Karate Black Belt!)

3. Then divide the students into groups of 4-5 . (If you want the game to go quicker, do fewer students, if you want to make it longer or harder, go with more students.) My favorite way to divide students is Flippity’s Name Picker which has a new template that allows you to drop all your classes into one template and gives you a unique link for each class.

4. Once students are in their groups, they introduce themselves and share their three facts. I had this on the board to assist:

5. All students put their name papers face down on the table or floor, mix them up and spread them out.

6. Now explain the rules:

The youngest (or tallest or bravest or the one that lives closest to the school or…) student picks one paper and…

• If she picks her own name, she returns it to the table, face down, and loses her turn. 😣
• If she picks another student’s paper and can say one of that student’s facts, in Spanish, she keeps the name paper and earns a point. 🎉
• If she picks another student’s paper and can’t remember a fact or can’t say it in Spanish, she returns the paper and her turn is over😵

Now…facts can’t be repeated, so let’s say Max’s paper is drawn the first time and the other student announces, “Max, you are the captain of the Academic Team” and keeps the paper. The next time Max’s paper is drawn, whoever drew his paper must say a different fact about Max, “You have 6 horses”. The third time Max’s paper is drawn, the student must state Max’s final fact: “This morning you went to the wrong class”. Facts do not have to be said in order, they just can’t be restated.

When students draw a paper, they look at that person and announce the fact in the “you” form. To remind my Little Darlings about those pesky endings, this is projected on board:

Students play until there are no name papers left to draw, and the winner is the student with the most papers. In the case of a tie, we settle everything with Rock, Paper, Scissors. If you’ve got time left, shuffle the teams and play again!

And of course, since our goal is to load the Little Darlings up with lots of comprehensible language, you’ll want to explain the game in your target language:

• Spanish Slideshow
• English Slideshow
• French Slideshow, Merci to Wendy Farabaugh and Caron Parnell
• German Slideshow, Danke Suzanne Greenwalk
• Japanese Slideshow ありがとう Kathryn Tominaga
• Italian Slideshow Grazie to Tanya Ferretto

(I’d love to add the instructions in other languages, so if you’re so inclined, grab a copy and share it back with me: senora chase at gmail dot com!)

If you’re heading back to school soon and are looking for some super practical suggestions for setting up some procedures to address the most annoying of student behaviors before they become annoying, be sure to check out this recorded training: Set for Success, Starting the School Year Right.

Happy Back to School, dear friends!

❤️️🍎, AnneMarie