Angela Gardner
Spanish Teacher, Ross High School

There are abundant resources in the world language education universe –professional publications: blogs, tutorial videos, websites, and so many more. The Cardinal, our OFLA newsletter publication, has a long-standing career among them, including print and electronic iterations with many archives to consider. Like the bird it is named for, The Cardinal should stand out from its surroundings, easily captivating and holding our attention and curiosity. 

Now that we have entered a time of the school year that was aptly coined “DEVOLSON,” the “Dark, Evil Vortex of Late September, October, and November” by Kelly Treleaven, many of us could use a bright, captivating lesson to help our students’ learning soar.  I’d like to invite our readership to consider sharing these little feathers you keep in your cap with us all in an article this year. I’ll start. 

Far too late, I discovered an activity called “Running dictation.” Have you heard of it? You can find the Comprehensible Classroom blog iteration by Martina Bex, here: https://comprehensibleclassroom.com/2011/06/29/running-dictation. 

My adaptation/iteration goes as follows. 1) Type a few descriptive sentences in the target language on a document and print it out so that each sentence is on its own section of the paper. 2) Tape each sentence to a different door at the end of the hallways on the ground floor of the school building (if needed, these papers could be “hidden” in the classroom). 3) Build student teams, aiming for 3 students per team.

The task: Student number #1 is the runner. I will let student #1 from each group know where to find the first description/clue at the same time (¡La puerta del gimnasio!--The gymnasium door!). 

Student #1 takes off to find the paper. They must not take any recording device or paper with them, and they memorize the description on the paper. They then report it to student #2 (waiting at the table patiently).    

Student #2 writes down what they hear. They may ask for clarification. If Student #1 realizes that something is missing, they can return to the paper-clue for clarification. 

Student #2 passes the sentence to student #3, who illustrates the phrase. Once the phrase has been recorded and illustrated, the group rotates jobs. We usually aim for 5-6 phrases total. 
So, friends, what’s the wind beneath your teaching wings? Share an activity, resource, or idea here with us in The Cardinal!