What Are You Doing? ¿Que Pasa?

Learning a second language? Crayola® Markers add a FLASH (of color) to your bilingual cards.

• 1.

  People all over the world do the same things that you do every day. They use different words to describe these activities. If you’re learning another language, here is a colorful way to build your vocabulary with word games.

• 2.

  Cut rectangular cards from file folders with Crayola Scissors. On each card, draw objects that you use or see every day with Crayola Markers. Glue two cards back-to-back with a Crayola Glue Stick to make a two-sided picture card.

• 3.

  Cut out smaller cards. Write the word for each picture in your language on one side of each card. Look up how to spell the same word in your second language and write it on the other side of the smaller card. Decorate the edges of your cards with lively borders.

• 4.

  Invent your own ways to use these vocabulary study tools. To make a game, you could punch two holes in each two-sided card. Punch one hole in a corner of each of the word cards. Thread string through matching word and picture cards. Tie them together.

• 5.

  Check your vocabulary! Add new cards as you learn new words.

Benefits

• Students better appreciate the variety and utility of languages spoken around the world.
• Students study everyday words in two languages.
• Students construct a system of flashcards to learn and test their new vocabulary knowledge.

Adaptations

• Decorate a box in which to store your ever-growing pack of cards.
• Exchange your cards with those made by your classmates. Combine several sets for a challenging game. Quickly move on to verbs, adjectives, phrases, and other parts of speech.
• For concrete ideas, review the English/Spanish books by Rebecca Emberley including <EM>Let’s Go/Vamos, My House/Mi Casa, Taking a Walk/Caminado. </EM>
• Assessment: Ask children to check each other’s vocabulary words for spelling and accurate matches.