Ideas to help bring energy to your classroom

Maria Herman, OFLA Membership Chair
German Teacher, Maumee City Schools

SAD? The seasonal affective disorder is very real and can zap the energy from your classroom, you and your students alike!  At this time of year, motivating students can be very hard.  Try a few of these activities with your students to wake up your students, increase engagement, and add a bit of fun to your lessons!

1. MATH/NUMBER REVIEW:

5-minute math-paper-scissors: During a transition time, or when students just need a mental break, have them stand up and find a part.  Instead of holding out rock, paper, or scissors, students hold up 1-5 fingers.  They must look at their hand and their partner’s hand add the two digits together, and say the sum of the numbers in the target language.  Alternatively, students could state the entire math problem in the target language and the answer.  The first person to state the correct answer “wins.”

2. BODY PART REVIEW:
   a. Choose your fidgety student to be “Simon” in a short game of Simon Says, using commands like, “Put your hand on your shoulder.  Put your finger on your nose.”
   b. Sing “head, shoulders, knees and toes” with your classes.

3. TRUE/FALSE:

Have students stand up.  Place tape on the floor or use another visible line on the floor and have students stand on that line.  Make a statement about the classroom, yourself, a teacher/the principal or another student.  Students who think the answer is true move to one side of a line and those who think the answer is false move to the other.  Examples: This teacher teaches math.  The principal is called ____(name)____.  I am a girl.  (Student name) plays basketball.  NOTE: Be sure to only use student names that would be comfortable being named in front of the class, and use obviously true/false statements so the answer isn’t debatable.  TIP: If you’re reading a story, use characters or events from the story.  OR use this activity to recycle old vocabulary.  You could even state math facts at this time. EX: 2+2 = 4

4. SIX SPOTS: (taken from Comprehensible Classroom/Martina Bex)

Have students go to 6 locations in the room (maybe number them in advance) and roll a die.  Call out that number and the students in that location are “out” and must return to their seats.  The rest of the students move to different corners.  Continue this activity until one student remains.  That student is the winner.

5. COMBO GAME: 

Have all the students stand up and cross the room. They must go to a different side of the room from where they usually sit. Have all the students on that wall blurt out a color word. Those that match make a group and play the “math paper scissors” from above.  Winners head to the center to face the other winners.  Losers move to the other wall and face the other losing students.  Repeat a few times.

6. ANIMAL GAME: 

Call out an animal in German, and students must make movements and/or sounds like that animal would. Alternatively, students can take turns drawing the animal you call on the board, and the class can vote on the best animal.

Remember, brain breaks are ALWAYS a good idea in the world language classroom, regardless of the season. They provide movement to re-energize and refocus students’ attention. When students move their bodies, blood flow to the brain increases, helping them retain the new language material, especially if you can combine the moving activities with the target language. So, get students out of their seats to move around!