Proficiency Through Play: 4 Low-Prep Language Class Games from AnneMarie Chase and Andrea Caulfield

I LOVE games.

But I don’t want to play a game in my class just because it is fun.

Of course I want my students laughing, moving, competing, and enjoying Spanish. But if I’m going to give 15 or 20 precious minutes of class time to a game, I also want something else happening:

I want language. A lot of it.

That is exactly what I loved about my conversation with AnneMarie Chase and Andrea Caulfield, authors of Proficiency Through Play.

We talked about games, yes. But really, our conversation was about a much bigger question:

How can we play AND continue supporting language acquisition?

Because fun and rigor are not opposites.

And sometimes we don’t even need a completely new game. We just need to make a few small changes to a game we already play.

In this episode, AnneMarie and Andrea shared four games you can use in any world language class—and so many little ideas that made me immediately think, Ohhh, I can do that.

So let’s get into them.

First: What makes a GOOD game for language class?

We have all played those games.

The students are having a blast…but only three kids are actually doing anything with the language.

Or the fastest processor answers every question before everyone else has even had time to think.

Or one team is losing 17–2 and has mentally left the building. 😂

That is why I loved hearing AnneMarie and Andrea talk about what they look for in a game.

A good language-class game:

• gives students lots of comprehensible language
• keeps everyone involved, not only the fastest students
• creates opportunities for repetition without making the repetition feel repetitive
• doesn’t require hours of prep from us
• can be adapted to different levels, units, and languages

And one idea REALLY stayed with me:

Don’t let students know who is winning too early.

Think about it.

If my team has 2 points and your team has 25, am I still trying?

Probably not. 😂

But if the score is hidden—or the game is designed so students don’t really know who is ahead—everyone has a reason to keep participating.

That is such a small change, but it can completely change the energy of a game.

And then Andrea brought up another important point: the fastest processor should not always win.

YES.

We want to give students time to process the language. Slow it down. Repeat. Let everyone have a real chance.

These are the kinds of little changes that turn a fun activity into something that actually supports what we are trying to do in our classes.

Now, let’s talk about the games.

4 games for language class (from 5 to 35 minutes)

Before we start, I have to tell you how AnneMarie and Andrea organized the book, because I love it.

The games are organized by how long they take. You have 5 minutes before the bell? There’s a game for that. 20 minutes? There’s a game for that too.

Every game also has little icons for real classroom moments. Half your class is on a field trip. It’s Friday, it’s sunny, and every single kid wants to go outside. Or you walk in so tired that you need your students to do the heavy lifting today.

And there is a “mellow to mayhem” scale. Some days I’m ready for mayhem. Some days… no. 😂

These are the 4 games they shared with us in this conversation.  Keep reading for all the details. 

1. Google Detective (5 minutes)

Andrea gave a shout-out to Sabrina Janczak, a teacher who plays this game masterfully.

And don’t let the name fool you. Students are not on their screens for most of this game.

1. Think of a person, place, or thing from a culture where the target language is spoken.
2. Prepare three clues. (Or make them up on the spot at the end of class. Andrea said both are okay, and I love that.)
3. Say the clues slowly. Repeat them. Students take notes in Spanish or in English, because what matters is what they understood.
4. Count down in the target language. On three, students open their devices and search with their notes.
5. They run to a “guess zone” or write down their answer.

Andrea was very intentional about one thing: give lots of processing time. She doesn’t want a game won by the student who processes the fastest.

YES.

Want to stretch it? Make it a series. Famous landmarks in October. Famous dishes in November. Famous people in December. Then compare: how many seconds did first period need? And third period? Oh, they will care. 😂

For level 1, use high-frequency verbs and lots of cognates. For AP, make the clues more sophisticated. You know your students.

What I love the most: the computer stays closed until the very end. The technology is working for the language, not the other way around.

2. Art Memory (15–20 minutes)

Project a painting, a photograph, or a drawing from the target culture. Pick one with LOTS of details.

AnneMarie used Tamalada by Carmen Lomas Garza, a family making tamales together in the kitchen. Such a great choice.

1. Students look at the image in silence for about 2 minutes. (AnneMarie takes attendance during this time. Genius.)
2. Take the image away. Students get a piece of paper and number it.
3. Ask 10 to 12 questions in slow, comprehensible language. ¿Cuántos niños hay en la pintura? If students don’t know, they guess. They might be right!
4. Students trade papers.
5. Show the image again and correct together. Vamos a contar. Uno, dos, tres…

And here is where the input really is. Not in the questions. In the correcting. While you check each answer, you are talking about what is happening, who is doing what, what is on the table, where everyone is in the house.

If you want to keep going, AnneMarie likes to move right into a Picture Talk. What is this family celebrating? Whose house is this? Let’s make up the story.

My twist: use a picture from your own school. The football game. Homecoming. A club event. ¿Estaba Johnny en la foto? ¿Con quién estaba hablando? Oh my gosh, my students would go crazy for this.

3. Sentence Stealer Rock Paper Scissors (15–20 minutes)

You only need 8 to 12 sentences on the board. A story, a legend, anything.

One of Andrea’s favorite times playing it? She asked her principal to tell her a funny story about the weekend. She wrote it in sentences, didn’t say who it was about, and students had to guess at the end. I mean… come on. 😂

1. Each student copies two sentences, one on each slip of paper, and hides them in one hand.
2. Students get up and play rock, paper, scissors with a classmate.
3. The winner looks at the board and asks, “Did you write this sentence?” If the answer is yes, they steal it!
4. Find a new partner. Play again. Collect as many sentences as you can.

Students are reading and rereading and REREADING the board. And they don’t even notice.

Remember the “don’t let them know who is winning” idea? This is the game AnneMarie used to explain it. The sentences are hidden in students’ hands, so you have no idea if your partner has 10 sentences or zero. Even the student with nothing keeps playing, because one win can change everything.

To stretch the input, ask about the results. ¿Quién tiene cinco oraciones? ¿Y seis? ¿Quién piensa que perdió más? Which sentence was the most popular? Then put the sentences in order.

I love using a game like this before students read a story or a novel chapter, or before a ClipChat. Reading at the sentence level feels so much less stressful for students than a full paragraph. By the time they get to the real text, they already know the important sentences.

4. Details, Details, Details (30–35 minutes)

Use this one after a story, a ClipChat, or a chapter of a novel.

1. Partner students up. One paper. One pencil.
2. They rewrite the story together, helping each other.
3. At random moments, the teacher says, “Switch!” The pencil changes hands, even in the middle of a word.
4. After about 10 minutes, pairs trade papers. Everyone gets a marker and one minute to read.
5. The teacher says the important details. If students find that idea in the paper (spelling doesn’t matter), they underline it and add a point.
6. Call on a few students: “Can you find another detail in this paper?”
7. Return the papers. Repeat the details so everyone can check their own score.

AnneMarie said it herself: at first, this doesn’t feel like an input game.

But wait.

Students read the story again and again, and every time it feels a little different. First they write it. Then they read someone else’s version. Then they want to make sure their own paper was graded correctly, so they listen and read again.

Now imagine telling the same story three times in a row yourself. How would that go? 😂

If you like this one, you will probably like teacher-led collaborative writing too.

The input we forget about: playing the game

While I was listening to AnneMarie and Andrea, I noticed something.

They weren’t only talking about the input in the game. They were talking about the input of playing the game.

Who won? Who lost? Whose turn is it? That’s not fair! You’re cheating! 😂

And honestly… this is the language I hear my students using in the hallway. Not always the story we spent hours crafting. (Sadly.) It’s the day-to-day language. And it’s the language that makes them feel like they can actually USE Spanish outside of our class.

Andrea, who spent years as a district coordinator watching teachers do this really well, was so honest about it: it is HARD to remember in the moment. You have 35 kids. Everyone is asking questions. You are keeping track of who got a point and who didn’t. Who is thinking about narrating?

That’s why every game in their book has a “stretch the input” section with easy entry points. Start with one. Just one question about the results. ¿Quién tiene tres? ¿Quién tiene cuatro?

The more we play, and the more intentional we are, the easier it gets.

And what if the game goes off the rails?

Because it will. Let’s be honest.

AnneMarie said something I really needed to hear: if students are not participating the way they need to, stop the game. If you try to fight through it, you are teaching them that the behavior is okay. And if they are not really playing, they are not getting the input either.

Their book even has a section about what to do when a game goes wrong: when to pull the plug, what to do instead, and how to reset the next class. Something like, “I really wanted to play this today. Here’s why it didn’t work. Here’s what I need from you so we can try again.”

I recently talked on the podcast about what to do when a student says “I hate this class,” and so many of you wrote to me saying, “I didn’t know you had those issues too!”

Oh, I do. Plenty. 😂

No matter how many years we’ve been teaching, there will be one class, one week, one year where a game just doesn’t work. Knowing that from the beginning gives us permission to try anyway. If you’re nervous, start with a 5-minute game. If it goes badly… it was 5 minutes.

If this is something you’re working through right now, I also wrote about classroom management through a nervous system lens.

And one last thing Andrea said that I LOVE: you should not be spending your own money on prizes. If you love doing it, fine! But you don’t have to. The book has lots of free prize ideas that students actually get excited about.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good 5-minute game for Spanish class?

Google Detective. Give three slow, repeated clues about a person, place, or thing from a Spanish-speaking culture. Students take notes, then search online on your countdown to find the answer. It needs almost no prep and works at any level.

How do I make classroom games more comprehensible-input-based?

Build the input into the correcting and the results, not only the game content. Correct answers together while describing what students see, and ask simple questions about the results (who has three, who has four). Slow down so the fastest student doesn’t always win.

How do I keep all students engaged during a game?

Choose games where nobody knows who is winning until the end, like Sentence Stealer Rock Paper Scissors, where sentences are hidden in students’ hands. Avoid public scoreboards that show some teams have no chance.

What should I do when a game doesn’t work?

Stop the game instead of pushing through, switch to a calmer activity, and explain what you need from students before you try again next class.

Do I need prizes for classroom games?

No. Students get excited about free rewards, and you should not have to spend your own money.

Try one game this week

You don’t need to change everything tomorrow.

Pick one game. Maybe the 5-minute one. Try it with one class, and then tell me which one your students loved.

Listen to the full episode with AnneMarie and Andrea on Growing With Proficiency, the Podcast. (And find out which one of them sleeps with her eyes open. 😂)

Get the book: Proficiency Through Play by AnneMarie Chase and Andrea Caulfield has 50 low-tech games, tested by real teachers in real classrooms. 

Want more games and low-prep ideas?

• Let’s Talk About Games and Speaking in the World Language Classroom
• 4 Easy End-of-Year Games to Boost Joy and Comprehension (with Dahiana Castro)
• Card Talk with a Twist: An Activity That Builds Community and Boosts Comprehension

And if you are a member of the Spanish Teacher Academy, stay tuned… AnneMarie and Andrea are coming to the Academy so we can play even more games together.

¡A jugar!