How to keep input flowing when your students (and you) are tired

December is my favorite month — my birthday, the holidays, the food, the music, the spirit. I love it all. What I don’t love? Being at school in December and mid-terms. 😅

You know how it goes. Students are distracted, restless, unfocused… and honestly, many days, we feel the same way. For years I planned my December lessons like it was September — full energy, long tasks, big goals. But that approach ignored the reality in front of me.

December requires a different kind of planning.
Not less planning;  actually, more intentional planning.
But lessons that match the energy of this time of year:
✔️ More collaboration
✔️ More retrieval
✔️ Less teacher-fronted talk
✔️ Still full of comprehensible input

Over the last few years I’ve developed three go-to activities that save me every December. They keep my students engaged, keep input flowing, and—bonus—prepare them beautifully for semester exams.

Let’s dive in. ☕️✨

Why December Requires a Shift in Our Teaching

By the time we reach December, our students have:

• heard dozens of stories
• discussed daily routines, weather, feelings, after-school activities
• acquired some language

But they’re also tired. We’re tired.
Leading whole-class discussions every day becomes draining, especially in a CI classroom where the teacher is the main source of input.

So in December, I lean into:

1. Retrieval

Students pull from everything they’ve seen, heard, read, or created this semester. Retrieval strengthens memory and reinforces language in a powerful way.

2. Collaboration

Group work gives them ownership and gives me a little break from always being front and center.

3. Celebration

December is the perfect time to look back and realize:
¡Wow! Look at everything we’ve learned.
That sense of accomplishment matters.

Activity 1: Review With Recall + More Input (Illustrated Texts)

This one takes the most setup but gives you the biggest payoff.

Step 1: Brain Dump Recall

Write the question on the board:
What have we learned this year?  Students call out stories, units, characters, or themes from the semester — El Coco, Billy Bob, La Tomatina, etc.

Assign each group one story or theme.

Give them 2–3 minutes to do a retrieval brain dump:
Anything they remember — sentences, phrases, single words.
They write fast and freely.

Students then share within their groups and add missing details.

Step 2: Reread the Text

Give groups the text of their assigned story/unit.
They read together, ask for help with unknown words, and clarify meaning.

Step 3: Create the Illustrated Version

Each group:

• divides a sheet of paper into panels
• assigns one section of the text per student
• each student illustrates their section and writes 1–2 accurate, legible sentences from the text

You’ll be impressed by how much comprehension shows up in these drawings.

Step 4: Gallery Walk

Once all the groups finish their illustrated versions, students walk around, read each illustrated version, and capture key information on a simple graphic organizer (who, where, when, wants, likes, goes, has…).

Why it works

• retrieval → strengthens memory
• rereading → boosts comprehension
• illustrating → forces deep processing
• group collaboration → keeps everyone engaged
• low teacher energy required → yes, please
  
  

I use a slightly different version with Spanish 3: instead of illustrated texts, they create concept maps from 15 guiding sentences per theme (activism, gender roles, education, reading, etc.).

Activity 2: Dictation + Comprehension Check

This one is short, focused, and gives you so much input bang for your buck.

Step 1: Quick Recall

Show a picture or topic (weather report, extracurricular activities, feelings, etc.). The picture or topic is related to a story or unit of the class.  Students write everything they can say about it in 2 minutes.  Share with a partner and add more.

Step 2: Dictation

Hide the images and play a recorded audio of 5 or 6 sentences related to the image or topic.
(Yes — recorded. Students listen better to recordings than to us live. Magic.)

They write all five or six sentences. Then, groups compare and fix missing words.

Step 3: Comprehension

Bring back the images.

Options:

• decide if each sentence is true or false based on the image
• match sentences to images
• classify sentences by category (legend vs. movie version of La Llorona)

All in 10–12 minutes.  High focus. High input. Low stress.

Activity 3: “Guess Who?” with Your Semester Content

This one is always a hit. It feels like a game, but the input is powerful.

How it works

Students brainstorm topics or characters from the semester.  Each group gets a whiteboard and assigns numbers (1–4).

You read a description of a character, story, topic, or person from class.
No writing allowed until you finish reading.

Groups discuss for 90 seconds.
Then you call:
“Student 3, write the answer!”

The surprise keeps everyone alert.
On your signal, they show their boards.

Points Options

• roll a dice → number = points (6 = zero 🌚)
• Trashketball
• Lucky Game (AnneMarie Chase): Joker = 0, Queen/King/Jack = 10 points, Red Ace = 30, numbered cards = number
  
  

Your students listen with intention, retrieve information, negotiate meaning, and stay engaged — even in December.

Bonus: Kahoot or Blooket With High-Comprehension Questions

If you need something even easier, a classic game works — if you design the questions well.

Use prompts that force reading and deeper processing:

• Which statement is false?
  
  
• Who said this?
  
  
• What happened first?
  
  
• What happened last?
  
  
• Which sentence describes ____?
  
  

Students read all four answer choices, not just scan for one key word.
More reading = more input.

Need More Ideas for December?

Here are podcast episodes that dive deeper into these strategies:

• Episode 31 – Stations: 10 ideas you can use tomorrow and if you want to get the templates for free, click here now!
• Episode 125 – How to keep students engaged and learning as the year ends. 
• Episode 171 – Clip Chat with Amy Marshall (perfect for holiday videos!)
• Episode 173 – My takeaways + why dopamine matters for classroom design
  
  

And if you’re a member of the Academy, don’t miss the December Panorama Cultural and our unit La Niña y el Dragón — perfect for this season. If you are not a member, you can get these resources here and here in my TPT store. 

Final Thoughts: Celebrate Yourself, Profe

As we wrap up December, take a moment to honor everything you’ve done this semester — the stories you told, the connections you built, the growing proficiency in your students.

We’ve done a lot.
And you deserve to celebrate that.

Disfruta, descansa un poquito, y nos vemos pronto.