Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Comparative and Superlative

Just a quick post today about an activity to practice the comparative and superlative (I have some longer posts planned but no time as of yet to write them out!).  I have students bring in pictures or magazines as a homework assignment.  In class we discuss various current movies, books, tv shows, celebrities, etc. using the comparative.  I then have them create their own image pages to express their opinions.

The rules: they need 6 pictures, 3 examples of the comparative and 2 of the superlative.



It's a really simple activity - though finding pictures and cutting them up will take up some time - that's a practical use of a skill they're learning.  It's also pretty easy to check and give feedback on.  As an extension, I think I'll divy them up and have them write ways they disagree with the statements there.

This is leading us into our upcoming Class Superlatives Activity, which we'll be doing this Friday.  If you're interested in more Comparative and Superlative activites for German, check out my bundle on TPT by clicking here.

- Frau Leonard

Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Animal Cracker Review Box

This is a cute review activity I learned a few years ago from another World Language Teacher.  It's a great tool for review stations, especially before a large test that involves multiple choice questions.

Here's what you'll need:

  • Animal Cracker Box(es)
  • Golf Tee(s)
  • Flashcards
  • One-hole punch


Set-Up: 
1. Cut up an animal cracker box.  You might be thinking, "Why an animal cracker box?"  Well, it turns out they're the perfect size for flashcards to fit in!  You'll need to cut the front off as shown below.  

2. Create question cards.  You'll need one flashcard per question.  Questions go on the top of the card, answers right below.  Each question needs to be multiple choice and you'll need three possible answers.  Make sure everything on the card is visible when it's been placed inside the box.

3. Punch holes.  Punch 3 holes on the bottom of the box (as you may have noticed in the pictures above) and on the bottom of each card.  For the cards, you'll need one hole below each answer.  Make sure the holes on the cards line up with the holes in the box.

4. Mark correct answers.  Cut out the bottom of the holes below the correct answers on each card, as below.

5. Put it all together!  Put the finished cards int he box.  To practice, students put their golf tee in the hole under whatever they think the right answer is.  Once they've put the golf tee in, they try to (gently!) pull up that card.  If it comes up, they got it right!  If it doesn't, they got it wrong and need to try again.


This is a good review activity since it requires minimal effort from you when students are doing it.  Once they know the process, they can go through cards at their own speed and get instant feedback about how they're doing.  Students love using it, too!  The only downside is how time intensive it is to make the cards - I usually get my student aides to go through the process of actually getting the cards ready, and then I can put the questions and answers on.  

- Frau Leonard