Impromptu Spanish Speaking Practice

I don’t know about you but some of my students dread speaking in Spanish. Hello?! It’s a language. Most often, you speak it! One way I’m pushing my kids to practice speaking Spanish without freaking out is what I’m calling “Impromptus”.

This idea was born out of a spur of the moment idea and I’m happy with how it’s progressing. Some key points:

• This is my third year teaching these students so we have an established relationship of trust.
• It is a 5 point formative grade so it is very low risk.
• I stress that the goal is not perfection, it’s communication.

The Process

One day each week, 2-3 students (depending on the size of the class) will do an impromptu to practice speaking Spanish informally. Each week the theme is different but it always centers around known, familiar vocab. The goal is for each student to do an impromptu each month.

I model first with whatever prompt they’ll use. I draw pictures to help understanding and use circumlocution to model the skill.

Next, I’ll clarify the speaking prompt, and the first student (volunteer or random draw) will come up, speak & draw. I may ask questions to encourage more language use or because I’m genuinely curious. I allow the class to comment or ask questions in the TL as well.

This is not meant to be a long, nor a formal speech. There is no set time limit but they range anywhere from 3-7 minutes depending on how much students have to say and how many pauses they have.

Prompt Ideas

I’m setting the prompts to guide them to use certain skills (ir a + infinitive, subjunctive, comparisons, etc).

• Describe your best friend.
• What did you do this weekend?
• What’s your favorite meal?
• What are you going to do this weekend?
• Describe your favorite place. Why do you like it?
• What was your favorite TV show or book as a kid? Describe the characters and premise.
• What do you want to be when you grow up?
• If you could change something about our school, what would it be and why?
• What was the best gift you ever received?
• What Christmas traditions do you have (I teach at a private Christian school)?
• What’s the best restaurant/school meal/sports team/app/etc & why?

Grading

This is a 5 point formative grade. Currently I grade on the following criteria:
-Is it comprehensible: 2 points
–Effort (Stays in TL, uses circumlocution): 2 points
-Speaks in sentences: 1 point

Students have blown me away with how creative and (intentionally) funny they are in this impromptu Spanish speaking practice. Next semester the point value may increase but for now, it will remain a relatively low-risk speaking practice activity as students gain confidence and model language for each other.

How do you encourage students to practice speaking Spanish? Leave a comment or link to a post below. I’d love to hear and learn from you!