teacher to teacher

Dans ma poche

One way to learn new vocabulary of items such as classroom things, home things, animals, food, etc. is to have students name something and then name the items that were mentioned before. For example, if you are learning about classroom items, one student is assigned to begin the game. He or she says "Dans ma poche j'ai un ordinateur." (In my pocket I have a computer.) The next person says "Dans ma poche j'ai un bureau, et un ordinateur." (In my pocket, I have a desk and a computer.) You continue the game so that each person has added an item but also repeats all of the items previously mentioned. The student who can go the longest without forgetting an item is the winner. from Shannon McKenna

Row Games

Row games are particularly effective for reviewing pairs of items that are often confused such as ser/estar and el/la in Spanish and un/une and le passé compose/l’imparfait in French. Choose the pair of items you want to review and prepare enough sets of cards for one for each row Cards can also be color-coded by rows. You will also need to prepare some questions –words, phrases or sentences in the target language, or, if appropriate, in English – that the students will identify with one of the cards. (For example, if in French class you are reviewing masculine and feminine nouns and want to practice the use of le vs. la, you would prepare a list of flashcards with French nouns that students would identify as taking le or la.) Arrange students so that there is an equal number in each row and that they move up towards the front to fill in empty seats in their row. Distribute the sets of cards to the first student in each row. Call out a word, phrase or sentence in the target language (or English) and each student who has a set of cards will select the appropriate card and hold it up upon hearing your cue. Points are awarded to each row with a correct response. The cards are then passed back to the next person in the row and play continues in this manner. The row with the most points wins and can be rewarded with extra points, classroom currency, etc. Second and third places can be given.
from Jacki Cinotti-Dirmann

Classroom jobs

Assigning student to assist with some classroom jobs is something that many teachers already do. However, the practice can be expanded to become an even greater timesaver for teachers. Generally in each class you can find students who are eager to be helpers. Instead of choosing a volunteer each day to pass out papers, pick up trash, etc. assign these jobs to students who will do them every day for the quarter, semester, or year. Each teacher will have certain jobs that pertain to their particular classroom. Some examples are: Secretary, Messenger, Board Eraser, Cleaner(s), Mentor(s), Paper person, Gamer person, Warm-up Card person, number card person, Banker. Students who are selected as helpers should be those who are rarely absent and who exhibit good classroom behavior. It’s also a good idea to have a “substitute” helper who can take over for anyone who is absent.