Reading is one of the best things we can do for our students! Reading out loud, reading silently, in pairs, in small groups, re-reading – all of these are great ways to get students to re-engage with a text that we’ve used in class. Sometimes reading practice in Spanish can feel a bit dry or dull, so I wanted to share with you 17 of my favorite reading activities you can do with your Spanish classes!
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Reading Practice in Spanish Class
Here are 17 ways to do reading practice in Spanish with your students:
- Mi Lápiz
- Running Dictation
- Tabata Timeline
- Read and Screenshot
- Choral Translation
- Volleyball Reading
- Speed Date Translate
- Word Cloud Read Aloud
- Partner Matamoscas
- Read and Draw
- Reverse Running Dictation
- Listen, Write, Draw
- Classic Dictation
- Sound Effect Reading
- The Most Important Sentence
- True/False
- Writing Between the Lines
Mi Lápiz
Mi Lápiz is a great review game that can also be used for re-reading! Use short sentences or simple yes/no, true/false, fill in the blank questions to play with any text.
Running Dictation
Running Dictation gets students up and moving while they work with a partner or small group. Use it for reading practice by having students play with chunks from a story, or words from a reading you have been working with in class.
Tabata Timeline
Tabata Timeline is a speedy way to do sequencing of events with any story! Students write events on pieces of paper, then rotate according to the timer as they put each others’ events in order. Learn more here!
Read and Screenshot
This one is as simple as it sounds – students read sentences and screenshot the frames that are being described. This is great for a unit based around a Movie Talk, but could also be done by simply inserting images found online to illustrate the sentences!
Choral Translation
Basic as basic can be! In Choral Translation, you read out loud and the students translate as a group.
Volleyball Reading
This partner activity is a simple twist on Choral Translation. Students work to read and translate the text in pairs!
Speed Date Translate
If Volleyball Reading is a twist on Choral Translation, Speed Date Translate is a twist on Volleyball Reading! I actually like to do these three all in one class period – first Choral Translation, then Volleyball Reading, then Speed Date Translate! They work really well as a progression like that.
Word Cloud Read Aloud
Create a word cloud from a reading and make copies for your students. Then, you read the text out loud and students highlight the words in the word cloud as they hear them.
Partner Matamoscas
This is actually really similar to Word Cloud Read Aloud, only instead of having their own word cloud, they’ll play with a partner and race to mark the word or phrase first! Learn more here.
Read and Draw
This one is exactly what it sounds like – students read, then they draw. Boom, done! It’s also the perfect set up for the next activity on the list.
Reverse Running Dictation
This works best if you’re using a movie, clip, or song with a music video as the basis of your story, but you can do it with a story your students have illustrated as an extension during Read and Draw! As you might guess, it’s a twist on Running Dictation. Learn how to play here!
Listen, Write, Draw
Just like what it sounds like – students listen to words or phrases from the story, write what they hear, then draw it. See some examples in this post.
Classic Dictation
This one removes the drawing component – students simply listen and write. This is a go to for a sub plan for me, and the fill in for any class that just can’t handle Running Dictation.
Sound Effect Reading
Students are given jobs with particular sounds to make whenever they hear a certain word or phrase.
The Most Important Sentence
This is great for getting students to focus on the main idea of a reading! Students pick and choose from the sentences until they choose THE MOST important one in the text.
True/False
Students write statements that are true or false, then swap with a buddy. Plus, an extension activity for a little bit more! Check it out.
Writing Between the Lines
This is a bit trickier. Students are going to work with a text or story and fill in the missing pieces. This could be a story they’re familiar with and they are filling in events that you’ve deleted, almost like a fill in the blank, or it could be students getting creative with their language and adding details to the story that weren’t there in the first place. Learn more here!
Reading Practice in Spanish Class
There are so many great ways to get your students reading! I hope these options give you some ideas for ways you can mix things up in your lesson plans if you’re feeling a bit stuck. Which one is your favorite? Or, if there’s something I’ve missed, I’d love to hear about it! Comment down below with your favorite reading activity for your classes!
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