For dynamic instruction, I design my language classes to be active. I ask students to participate frequently, engaging in conversation with their peers for multiple repetitions of the target phrases.

When planning lessons, I prepare visual support on slides for the limited amount of language that I am going to introduce. I also try different ways to get students away from their desks and facing other students. You might remember that I made a video on language instruction circles with many ideas for students to make a circle and interact with their peers.

Learn to leverage a language instruction circle in 20 minutes

With the ideas presented in the video you are armed with a toolbox of strategies to use, many of them playful. The lessons in this slide deck on Greetings and Origins include activities and games where students make the sounds of a rainstorm, jump in unison with their peers and play a theater warm up game where they count to ten as a group. Students also watch short videos of native speakers.

With these slides, you can teach your lessons in a circle each day with:

• A call to the circle
• Short segment of stretching
• Pass around a greeting
• Pair work to ask and answer a question
• Play a game
• Teach a new phrase or sentence starter with a chat mat handout
• Practice the new term by calling on students
• Do a short reading or show a video with the new term and check for understanding

Return to desks for some additional practice, i.e. a reading, pair work or an interactive activity on the computer

Language learning is active and fun and I hope you can use these ideas to keep students engaged. PLEASE NOTE: there are suggestions and links in the speaker notes.