Ever ask students to have a conversation in Spanish and get nothing but awkward silence?
Find yourself wanting to practice a grammar tense but aren’t sure where to start?
Got an extra 10 minutes to fill at the end of a lesson?
Conversation cards are the solution you have been looking for! Get students to *ACTUALLY* speak Spanish.
Conversation cards are a small card with questions in Spanish for students to ask and respond to. Many students struggle with speaking activities because they do not know what to say. Even students who understand vocabulary and grammar often freeze when asked to have a conversation on their own.
Conversation cards provide the structure and support students need, but still promote real communication.
Instead of spending time thinking of a word, topic, or phrase, students can focus on expressing their ideas in Spanish. The prompts guide the conversation while giving students enough freedom to personalize their responses.
Conversation cards also help increase participation. In a traditional whole class discussion, only a handful of students may have an opportunity to speak. With partner conversations, every student is engaged at the same time, increasing speaking opportunities.
As students become more comfortable, their confidence grows. Over time, many students begin speaking more naturally and relying less on memorized responses.
Click here to buy the conditional convo cards.
Four Ideas for Using Conversation Cards
1. Habla, Habla, Cambia: All students begin with one card. Walk around the room and find a partner. Ask each other the question on the cards. Swap cards and find a new partner. Repeat for 10-15 minutes.
2. Enter/Exit Ticket: Cut and display cards randomly. Students must respond correctly to enter or leave the classroom.
3. Conversation Circle: All students begin with one card. Form and inner and outer circle of students facing each other. Ask and answer the question in Spanish. Outer circle rotates at every time interval (1-2 minutes).
4. Writing Extension: Display the cards as slides (4 questions). Set a timer for 2-4 minutes. Have students write their response. Share in partners after.
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Can beginners use conversation cards?
Yes, absolutely!! Beginning Spanish students can use conversation cards that focus on familiar topics like present tense verbs and city/places vocabulary. Providing sentence stems can help students feel more confident.
How often should students practice speaking in Spanish?
Students should have opportunities to speak Spanish during every class period. Even a 2-3 minute warm up conversation can help build confidence and improve communication skills over time!
Are conversation cards only for high school students?
No. Conversation cards can be adapted for middle school, high school, and even college language classes. The key is choosing questions that match students’ proficiency levels!
How can I reinforce grammar with conversation cards?
My students practice the preterite, present perfect, future and other grammar tenses with conversation cards regularly!
Can conversation cards be used for sub plans?
Yes! Conversation cards make excellent emergency sub plans because students can work independently in pairs or small groups while practicing meaningful communication.
No matter which way you slice it, conversation cards can encourage speaking and be used over and over again. Grab a set today and get your students speaking tomorrow!
Ready for the fun but not the prep work? Click here to check out tons of conversation cards sets, already done for you.
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