KILLING THE CLASSIC “WARM UP” IN THE WL CLASS

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For many years I started class with the classic “warm up”.  I would spend many hours trying to come up with the best worksheets that I thought would motivate and help my students.  Sometimes I would start my class with a listening activity or getting into a grammar powerpoint right away. Specially when I had classes of only 40 minutes long.

It wasn´t until I started working with Comprehensible Input, that I realized that no matter the level of the class, it is a good practice to start each one trying to connect with the students in a more relaxed way.  Instead of trying to find ways to review the pre taught topics or to reinforce them, I realized that students will get into the “Spanish zone” if I asked simple questions about their daily lives. About what was important right at that moment when we started class.

I realize that this might not be possible with students new to the language, but we can still connect with them in their native language at the same time that we choose 5 to seven words to translate in the TL while they are sharing.  At these initial levels we can also recast (repeat in the TL) what they are saying in their native language, just to expose them to some listening input.

I was able to see a big difference in my students SL acquisition once I stopped doing the traditional and boring warm ups.  By talking to them, and showing honest interest in their answers we can take their language skills further.

Listen HERE an example on how I always start my levels 3, 4 and 5 classes. As my dear friend Viviana Orozco made me realize, you do not need to be as annimated or extroverted as I am, we can all start class the right way if we have the honest intetion to connect with them, not with the subject.

Please let me know if you have any questions.  Your kind comments are appreciated.

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9 Comments

  1. I start with a 5 minute focused breathing, lights out, wave music on, in Spanish and the students take turns leading with the directions.3 years now, will never go back to traditional warmups. Kids need a chance to transition from one class to another. They need time to reset and relax.

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    3. I love that idea! What do you mean in Spanish? Is it a mediation? I’m intrigued! Please share if you get it from somewhere, etc. Thanks in advance!

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  2. I love this way to start a class! Can you please mention some of the ‘relajacion’ you use

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  3. I believe that even with new students we can engage them by connecting with them at a personal level. I am thinking of an activity where I would tell them about what I had for breakfast where the vocabulary involved is represented with projected slides (picture and word). Once I have talked “enough” about “my breakfast”, I will turn the attention to them, at this point students can make use of one single structure, e.g. “me gusta /no me gusta” while I ask them what do they like for breakfast. Even for those students that takes longer to start verbally producing the language a simple si or no is tool to connect and interact where the center of attention is about them. I know this example is a simple one, but even with beginner students there are ways to bring them into the class with activities that have a low level of pressure on them while feeding their listening, reading, and verbal production, without making it evident that that is what we are aiming for.

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