Let me take you back to an activity I tried about a year ago — and my students loved it.
It was super low prep.
We used a ton of Spanish.
And it gave me the opportunity to provide personalized input that actually mattered to them.
I did this with my Spanish 3 students, but honestly, you can use it at any level. And if you’re approaching the end of the school year, this might just be the kind of meaningful, engaging activity that your students (and you) need right now.
It’s a twist on a classic — Card Talk — and in this post I’ll walk you through exactly how I used it, what made it work, and how you can adapt it for your students.
Quick Review: What’s Card Talk?
If you’re new to it, Card Talk is a simple but powerful way to get personalized, comprehensible input in your classroom. Here’s the basic flow:
- You ask a question or give a prompt.
- Students draw their response on a card.
- You, the teacher, use their responses to narrate, describe, and ask follow-up questions — all in Spanish.
The key?
You’re using their ideas as the foundation for your input — not a textbook, not a random slideshow, their experiences.
If you want a deep dive into the classic version of Card Talk, I recommend checking out Episode 82 of the podcast, where I talked with Ben Fisher about how he uses it. Ben also wrote an incredible blog post about this activity you can read here.
The Twist I Added (and Why)
When I returned to the classroom last May after a year away, I stepped into a situation that wasn’t ideal.
- I had just a few weeks left in the year.
- I didn’t know the students.
- They didn’t know me.
- I had no clue where they were in their proficiency journey.
What I did know is that I needed to give them a lot of input, fast — and in a way that felt relevant.
So I gave them this prompt:
✏️ Draw one of the best moments of your school year on the front of the card
✏️ Draw one of the worst moments on the back
It was low-pressure. Everyone could draw. Everyone had something to say.
And that’s when I decided to do something different with the cards.
What I Did Step-by-Step
1. Collected and Chose 10 Cards
After they finished drawing, I collected all the cards and chose 10 that had rich detail — ones I knew I could write about meaningfully.
2. Wrote 10 Descriptions in Spanish
For each card, I wrote a short paragraph using:
- High-frequency past tense verbs (fue, tuvo, quería, podía, etc.)
- Connectors to give the paragraph a more natural flow
- Structures I wanted them to see again and again
I printed these on a handout in a table format, one description per row, with space for students to match a number.
3. Posted the Drawings in the Hallway
I numbered each of the 10 selected drawings and taped them around the hallway. So now, students had a gallery walk ahead of them.
4. Students Matched Descriptions to Drawings
Working in pairs, students:
- Read each description carefully
- Walked around the hallway
- Found the drawing they thought matched that description
- Wrote the number in the correct box
This step was GOLD. They were:
- Moving
- Collaborating
- Re-reading
- Making meaning
5. Translated the Descriptions
Back in the classroom, I asked students to translate each paragraph into English. Not to “test” them — but to make sure they truly understood what they had read. This helped reinforce all those high-frequency structures I had intentionally included.
6. Ranked the Moments from Worst to Best
Then came the fun part: each pair ranked the 10 moments from worst to best — based on the stories.
The results? It sparked a great conversation.
- One student broke their arm.
- Another had a tough breakup.
- One had to take the AP Lang exam.
Guess which one the class decided was the worst? Yep. The AP Lang exam.
(“Too long,” “too hard,” “the gym was freezing,” “we started late and ended four and a half hours later…” it was a whole thing 😅)
Why This Activity Worked
This wasn’t just “fun.” It hit several key goals:
✔️ Provided tons of input — written and oral
✔️ Personalized the experience — we were reading about them
✔️ Involved movement and collaboration — essential at the end of the year
✔️ Lowered the affective filter — no performance, no pressure
✔️ Strengthened classroom community — even though I was a new face
And the best part? You can adapt it to so many themes.
Ideas to Try It in Your Class
Here are just a few variations:
- Weekend Chat: Draw something great and not-so-great from your weekend
- Food Unit: Draw your favorite food and one you’d never eat
- Clothing Unit: Draw your go-to outfit and one you’d never wear
- Travel Unit: Dream trip on one side, nightmare trip on the back
Then, just like I did, you write short descriptions using your target structures, and students match, translate, or discuss. You control the input, but the content still belongs to them.
Final Thoughts
We talk so much about engagement. And yes, that matters. But relevant input — based on students’ lives — is where the real growth happens.
This activity reminded me that we don’t always need to start from scratch or find the “perfect” resource. Sometimes, the best input is already in the room — we just need to listen, write, and create space for students to see themselves in the language.
And if you try this, let me know how it goes. Send me a DM, email, or tag me in your photos — I love seeing what you do in your classrooms.
Claudia
