Something that has really helped with plans as I transition to CI this year is having a set routine in class. On Mondays we have Weekend Chat, Tuesdays we do FVR, Wednesdays we use Música Miércoles, Thursdays we do Persona Especial, and on Fridays we do a Picture Talk or a Movie Talk. This means that as I’m staring at a blank plan book, it’s never actually blank! There’s always a solid start to class, and students know what to expect.
I’m really enjoying Picture Talk as a routine! It’s super flexible, easy to implement into any curriculum, and it works well for any classroom!
Here is how I use Picture Talk in my Classroom:
- Find a picture. The picture should show something you want to talk about. So, if you’ve been talking about family, you could find an awkward family photo to share. I usually find it extra fun if it’s a goofy picture, but you can certainly do this with more serious topics too!
- If you’ve never taught the vocab or structures you want to use, add visual supports. I like to put them in my Slides, because it helps me remember what my plan was. You can also write them out on your white board as you go!
- Project the image, making statements while pointing and pausing, using your vocabulary supports. Ask questions about the picture and about the statements you’ve made about the picture. Students answer as a class, or you can ask individuals. Essentially, circle the statements. Here’s a post about How to Circle!
Added Fun For Picture Talks:
I like to “reveal” the picture piece by piece. We talk about what’s visible, then reveal the next piece. I find it keeps students hooked, wanting to find out what the picture is!
Check out the post above for a video example!
Ready to try your own Picture Talk?
Now that you have the basic idea, it’s time to try it out! I’ve put together a sample set of Google Slides that have a Picture Talk you can use in novice Spanish classes. They are set up to practice colors and clothing, but as I mentioned before, you can talk about whatever you want from the pictures!
Our district covers clothing and colors in the beginning of Spanish I, right around the end of September and October each year so the main feature is animals wearing goofy costumes. I hope your students love it!
If you use these, I’d love to see them in action! Tag me on Instagram @srta_spanish, or on Twitter!
Looking for more?
Jump in the conversation!
Do you have any questions for me? What are your thoughts on this strategy?
So cute! Thank you for sharing! ???
I’m glad you like them! Let me know how they go!
I love how you display only a portion of the picture and do a slow reveal to build suspense!
It really helps build the interest!
I love the idea of the slow reveal. Question: How do you do that!?
Second question: WHere do you find funny pics? Do you have a preferred source or do you just google “funny images” and such?
Thanks for taking time to blog and respond!
Thanks for reaching out! The slow reveal is WAY lower tech than it looks – I just have a bunch of boxes (Insert>shape in Slides or Powerpoint) and then slowly delete the boxes. So one reveal usually happens over 5-10 different slides. As you tap through your slides, more of the image is available!
I don’t have a source I go to most! Google is great, but also I find lots of pics just scrolling the web and in different teacher Facebook groups!
Hello,
I’m knee deep into learning more about CI and have purchased SOMOS 1. I plan to incorporate this into my lessons with some of my classes this year. My question is that I teach an exploratory class in a small Catholic school and I teach grades PK-Gr. 8. I meet with each class once per week, most for only 30 minutes and 40 minutes for Gr. 5-8. While I love the ideas of “Mondays – What did you do this weekend”, “Tuesdays – story day”, “Music Wednesdays…” etc. I don’t see my students every day – just once a week. I would really appreciate some guidance on how I could incorporate many of the ideas I’m seeing here into a once-a-week curriculum. Thank you!
Hi Cheryl! I’ve never taught in a once-a-week setting like you are describing. I think what I would do in your shoes would be to pick a routine per level and do it when I see them – so my 5th graders might do the music routine, my 6th graders might do Persona Especial, and so on. This way each level would eventually use the routine. I hope that helps!