Hola!
On my Instagram (@maestraehlert), I have received many questions about how I use/implement stations into my Spanish classroom. So, I thought I would pop on here and give some insight into what my classroom looks like on any given day. If you ever have any questions while you are reading, PLEASE use the chat feature! I would love to have a real time conversation with you while you are reading. Here we go! :)
Repetition and structure are very important while teaching middle school students! But this structure could be easily changed for any level of Spanish classroom. I do have to say, the nice thing about creating this routine is all students know what to expect each Spanish class and often come prepared! Our routine is:
1. 10-15 minute mini lesson - I do a quick preview of what the students will be reinforcing throughout class OR I do a quick review of a previous concept learned that the students will be reviewing throughout class. I love this because students don't have to sit for a long period of time hearing me talk, and I can use the class time assisting groups that need extra reinforcement.
2. Break students into their groups for the day. (Based off of a exit slip from the previous class, we will get into those later)
3. Begin Stations! My school runs on a block schedule. I have the students for 80 minutes which makes these stations very doable. If you have normal periods, my suggestion would be to make the stations shorter or just do half the stations for one one class period and finish up the rest the next class period! Maybe you get rid of some stations all together depending on your topic. I always have one listening, reading, writing, speaking, and FVR (free voluntary reading) stations. I set a timer for each station. Typically, I set a timer for 10 minutes. Depending on what stations I have set up, the time might change.
So, what do these stations actually look like?
When students arrive at each station. The I Can statement is posted. For example: "I can read Spanish text and answer comprehension questions." This way, students know what goal they are working towards at each station and they are able to self-reflect as they continue on with class.
To give you guys some better insight, I am going to give you an example of a topic my 7th graders had in class, and show activities that they had to complete at each station.
Topic: Professions
Listening Station:
At my listening stations I often use QR codes. (If you need more specific instructions on how to use QR codes, check out my blog on my top 15 technology resources to use in the classroom) For this lesson, students scanned a QR code that took them to my youtube channel. They watched the video of me speaking about a few different professions. Their job was to write down what three professions I was talking about in Spanish. Students also had to pick two different Spanish sentences to annotate in Spanish. Students spend their time in the station re-listening to the video to maximize their comprehension of what was said.
Reading Station: Students read a short fictional text and answered comprehension questions in Spanish. Sometimes I create the texts. Sometimes I beg, borrow, and steal. :)
Writing Station: Students had to write 4 Spanish sentences about a job they want to be when they grow up using the prompt "Yo quiero ser..." The last three sentences are explaining what they would do in that specific job. For example. "Yo quiero ser una medica. Yo escribo recetas. Yo ayudo personas. Yo examino personas."
Speaking Station: Flip Grid (explained in my technology blog post) is my best friend during speaking stations! For this lesson students had 3 different questions to record themselves answering. They also needed to watch 3 other videos of their peers to compare/contrast their answers.
FVR Station: Students visit my reading nook corner, choose whatever book looks appealing to them from the book drawer of their level (they already know what level they are at - that is shared with each individual student as their level changes), and enjoy 10 minutes of silent reading.
Exit slip time! After all students have visited each station, I have a very short exit slip I give them to complete on a sticky note based off of the activities they completed in class. Once they hand me their exit slip, they are free to go. I quick sort these exit slips into 4, 3, 2, and 1. These become my groups for next Spanish class. Sometimes students stay in the same group, but it can often change! Sorting the exit slips takes me a maximum of 5 minutes! Perks: it doesn't take long, and you have data to back up why you are doing what you are doing.
I know this might look very different/challenging if it is completely different than what your Spanish classroom looks like now. I promise if you put in the leg work to create this classroom atmosphere, you will see great results!
Please let me know if you have any questions, or share with me something new/exciting you are going to try in your Spanish classroom! :)
Always,
Maestra Ehlert