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Spanish Worksheets for Interactive Learning

12/04/2016
Spanish Worksheets for Interactive Learning

The word worksheet has negative connotations for many educators, as it conjures up images of long, repetitive exercises without context or creativity. However, some of these written activities can be helpful learning tools. Students do need practice, and often teachers can use Spanish worksheets to create interactive activities.

Many students enjoy a certain amount of structured written practice. Spanish worksheets can be a useful tool for those learners. In addition, teachers need a variety of materials to reinforce language, and these written activities can have a place as part of a larger plan.

Comprehensible Input First

To make Spanish worksheets effective, students must first be exposed to the theme vocabulary with comprehensible input.

Songs with visual support are an excellent way of making new language comprehensible. All of these Spanish learning songs, for example, have free illustrated lyric sheets. Once students have been introduced to the vocabulary, the worksheets reinforce meaning and provide necessary repetition.

Learning songs provide comprehensible input for vocabulary practiced in Spanish worksheets.

Carefully designed video also creates comprehensible input. For example, this video on colors and numbers is an excellent way to introduce new language. After watching the music video and singing the song, students use the colors and numbers worksheet for more practice.

Tips for Using Spanish Worksheets

Doing Spanish Worksheets

If you have not covered all of the vocabulary on a worksheet, or if the exercises are long, students do not have to do the whole worksheet:

  • Fill in some of the answers before you make copies. These can serve as models for students and provide scaffolding.
  • Assign part of the exercise to half the class and part to the other half. Have students share their answers in pairs with someone who did the other set.

After students do the activities, use Spanish worksheets to encourage students to reflect on the language and learning process.
Ask:

  • What is one of the questions you had to think about most?
  • Mention one word that you want to use someday.
  • What is one question that was easy for you?

Have students share their answers in pairs or groups. Then, have them share with the class what they had in common and what answers surprised them.

Interactive Learning Using Spanish Worksheets

You can also do interactive activities with Spanish worksheets. Some worksheets include pair work and other communicative activities, and you can adapt standard exercises to make them interactive.

Matching word to picture
Students can do these exercises as pair work by alternating saying or spelling the word as their partner points to the picture. Provide a sentence frame for the student saying the word.

Try it with the first exercise on this means of transportation worksheet. The sentence frame Me gusta viajar en… works well. Remember to sing this transportation song first!

Spanish worksheets provide structured practice with vocabulary.

Questions
For worksheets that include questions, after students have answered the questions, have them ask a number of classmates. For example, in Activity 7 on this worksheet to practice number 1-50 students practice asking and answering the questions by talking to 5 classmates. To introduce the vocabulary, sing this numbers song or sing along with this music video.

Students practice numbers and questions with Spanish worksheets.

Presentational Language
Spanish worksheets can also provide material for practicing presentational language.
Activity 6 on this worksheet to practice daily routines is a good example. Students complete the personal information, and then practice and present it to the class. Introduce the vocabulary with this song about daily routines.

Spanish worksheets can provide structure for presenting information to the class.

Pictures
Most Spanish worksheets have pictures that correspond to the vocabulary. By cutting up the worksheets, you can use the pictures in interactive and creative ways. Students can make cards to play memory, order pictures to illustrate a sentence or tell a story, or use them to make a collage or poster related to the theme.

Try having students make a memory game by gluing the pictures from this worksheet to practice house vocabulary to index cards. First, sing the song Mi casa to introduce students to the vocabulary in context.

Elementary students can use Spanish worksheets for interactive games like memory.