Sometimes we just want to put a pencil in our students’ hands and let them write! However, earlier on in my teaching I would often find my students’ writing samples to be..well, frustrating. They would try to say things they weren’t able to say, use translators, or generally try to produce language that their skill wasn’t capable of. It’s a process, but by trying to talk about proficiency levels and changing more of the writing tasks to be sneaky re-reading task, I started to see some positive changes in my students’ work! Check out these writing activities for Spanish class!
Pencil or Keyboard?
First things first, let’s talk about our medium. If I’m asking students to write, I almost always try to do pencil and paper based activities. I talk about this a little bit here in my post on Online Assessment Tools, but I really think that paper & pencil allows students to work with less distraction and just let the language flow more freely. (No hunting and pecking on their keyboards, and less translator temptation!).
I know it’s not always an option (hello, 2020/2021), so if you’re in a setting where you must be using computers, make sure to swing by this post and scroll down to the writing section for more!
Writing Activities for Spanish Class
Okay, let’s get into our options here! Most of these writing activities are really just sneakily disguised re-reading activities. That is, students are reading and interacting with a text or story, and use it heavily for support as they write. While it may seem like a writing activity, and they are getting their pencils moving, it’s a good way to get more input and allow them to become more comfortable with producing language in a very scaffolded way.
The Most Important Sentence
Mi Lápiz
Story Activity Combo: Most Important Sentence + Mi Lápiz
Writing Between the Lines
True/False
Classic Dictation
Running Dictation
Listen, Write, Draw
Scrambled Sentences
Timed Writing
Want more ideas for Writing Activities for Spanish Class?
I learned about the Most Important Sentence activity from Eric Richards at the TPRS Books training I attended! He has a book called Grafted Writing that is full of activity ideas for how to support your students as they write. Click here to check it out!
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