Play money is a great way to practice a whole host of skills- counting, making change, buying and selling- as well as allowing you to add a cultural element to your activities. If you have a color printer you are all set to print out sets of play money.
For my first grade classes, I printed out small copies of Venezuela's Bolívar Fuerte from Google Images, cut them out and put each set in a small ziploc baggie. Each set contained 2 each of the 2, 5, 10, and 1 of the 20 bolívar denominations. I started with just these lower denominations because my first graders can count up to 30, so didn't want denominations that were too high for them to count to.
Our introduction was quite simple- "Show me 5 bolívares" , "Show me 10 bolívares", etc. Each kid had to hold up the correct amount. It becomes more difficult as you give an amount where they have to combine bills to make the correct amount ("Show me 7 bolívares"- 5 +2) Tip: make sure your students understand this concept- talk with the gen ed teachers if you are not sure. Different schools approach addition and money in math class at different times in the curriculum and in different grades. My first graders have experience with working with money, but maybe other schools don't start that skill until second grade. It makes sense to do these activities with students who understand these concepts- you can move a lot faster and in more depth.
Once my students have experience with the various bills, we set up a store with different fruits and vegetables that one could buy in Venezuela. This was a great opportunity to review old vocab and introduce a few new ones. I created prices for products and kids took turns being the vender- first I ask for fruits/ veggies, then the kiddos get a turn. You can take this in a lot of directions- from very simple to more complex depending on the level of your students. I keep the activity simple- 'Two apples, please', etc. Older students could do a lot more with the same type of activity.
Have fun!
There are many ways to reinforce new vocabulary (or old). Especially at the youngest levels, I really like activities which involve all students at the same time- no time for kiddos to let their attention wander, everyone participates and is part of the activity. One activity I really like in this vein is the use of 'pictionary' sheets- a group of pictures of vocabulary we are working on. This could be anything- colors (as seen in the photo), numbers, family members, fruits, and so on.
These are a great way to work on new vocabulary, building listening comprehension. To use: Pass out one pictionary card to each student (in the photo above, the sheet itself was an activity, coloring the hearts according to color, then used for listening activity). Also pass out manipulatives- little animals, buttons, pebbles, colored pieces of paper, or even candy such as starbursts- one for each kid. The object for the kids is to listen to you, the teacher, as you say a vocab word. They need to then put their manipulative on the picture that corresponds. I usually go through all of the vocab words on the sheet at least once, sometimes twice, mixing it up as I go. As an extension, I then have the kids take turns saying one vocab word, which the rest of us listen to and put our manipulative on the sheet accordingly.
These are also good for quick assessments- I pull kids up one at a time for a comprehension check- "Point to the ____". Then I turn it around and I point to the pictures and the kid says the vocab word.
I found this site looking for poems about food and just love it! What a resource! Check it out for yourself.
http://www.frasesycitas.com/
Want your kiddos attention? I've seen teachers count to 10, shout over the kids, clap their hands, snap their fingers, use clever sayings like '1, 2 , 3, eyes on me'- I've even used some of these myself.
However, none have worked as well as using a noisemaker to get my students attention. It could be a maraca, a bell, a chime, a squeaky toy (that's what I use :)), whatever you have. The trick is to train your students-practice by shaking the maraca (or whatever you have chosen) and have the kids give you their immediate attention. Do this several times over a few classes so they become accustomed to responding to the sound. Be firm and consistent- expect their attention immediately. If they are having difficulty, practice again. I usually take time throughout the year to practice- the more you reinforce classroom management the more successful you will be.
I love to take regular old activities and use them in my class. So many things can be easily modified for the FL classroom. Dot to dots are a great example. Easy to find (look in the kids section at most bookstores, ask a fellow gen ed teacher, go online on google images and do a search) they come in a variety of levels, from the simple 1-10 to the more difficult, and on loads of themes, from animals to outer space to just about anything! Here are two ways I use them:
*The very simple- for practicing counting, I give my kinders a simple 1-10 or 1-20 dot to dot. As a group, we connect the dots- kids are not allowed to connect the next dot until we have all said the next number. Usually I will say "What's the next number?", they will respond, then I direct them to making the connecting line and so on to the end. Then I will ask what the picture is. Obviously I choose a dot to dot that makes something they know how to say in Spanish. They can then color the picture.
*A trickier technique- I choose a dot to dot but white-out the numbers. (Make sure you have an original to look at when doing this). I rewrite the numbers, but put them out of order. Then, prepare a set of number cards, putting them in the order in which they will appear to correctly finish the dot to dot. These will be used during the lesson for those kiddos who are having a brain block on a particular number. During the lesson, inform the class that they will need to listen to you very carefully to be able to connect the dots correctly. If they simply go in numerical order, they will mess it up. Then start by having them put their pencil on the first number and telling which number to connect it to. They draw the line, then you give the next connecting number and so on until the end. Since this requires your students to know the numbers out of order, I often hold up the number cards I prepared to help them along, especially with higher or more difficult ones. Remember, even if you are showing them the answer, they are still using their listening skills as they listen to you and they are not translating as they go if you show them the cards. At the end, ask what the picture is and let them color. In a twenty minute class, there is usually only a few minutes left for them to color so often they take it home to color there.
Have fun!
I play a cute greeting game with my kiddos during the first few classes of school called 'Pum!' (Pop!), based on a game from Responsive Classroom. It is played like this:
Kids sit in a circle.
Kids count off, one at a time- the first kid in the circle says 'uno', the next kid says 'dos', the next says 'tres'. The next says '¡Hola!', jumping up like a piece of popcorn popping. The rest of the class then greets the kid who jumped up, saying '¡Hola ______!'. This kiddo stays standing and the countoff continues, always having the kids who are sitting do the counting. Keep going around until there is only one kiddo left- this kid will need to count to 'tres' before popping up so the class can greet him/her.
This greeting game is quick and fun. It is great for you and the class to learn each other's names. Remember: you should model how to 'pop up' before you do this game. Otherwise, there will always be one or two who will be overly exuberant! :) You don't want anyone to accidently hurt another by being out of control.
Have fun!
Play money is a great way to practice a whole host of skills- counting, making change, buying and selling- as well as allowing you to add a cultural element to your activities. If you have a color printer you are all set to print out sets of play money.
