How to Create an Engaging Project for Any Spanish Topic (instead of a quiz)

 

Sometimes it's easy to make and give students a quiz on the vocab and/or grammar they've been learning.

Don't get me wrong - I'm not hating on quizzes.

But sometimes you want to give students more creative freedom to put together a skit or project to show off their Spanish language skills.

Here are my 3 suggestions to make sure your project is successful!

1. What is your ultimate goal?

Is there a conversation you want students to be able to navigate through? If so, you might want students to put on a skit in groups.

Examples:

👩‍⚕️ skit at the doctor's office when someone gets injured (body parts & injuries vocab, preterite tense)

🛒 buying items in a market (bargaining and shopping vocab)

Do you want them to show off their variety of knowledge of a particular grammar concept? If so, you might want to have your students put together a booklet or slideshow with sentences and images.

Examples:

🏃‍♂️ preterite project - students write sentences in the preterite tense with all subject pronouns and images illustrating the sentences

👩‍🚀 future perfect project - students write sentences stating what they and others will have done in the future with images illustrating the sentences

2. Create a scenario that sets students up for success to achieve whatever your ultimate goal is. 

This goal might also guide how you plan the unit if you're still planning what you'll teach. If you've already taught it, then this will just guide how you frame the project.

If students will put on a skit in groups, then give them a scenario that explains who all the roles are and what their tasks are (what they will need to communicate). 

Example: You will work in pairs to put on a skit. One person has been injured and the other is the doctor. The doctor will ask X questions, including XYZ vocabulary, and the injured person will answer those questions with ABC vocabulary. Have fun and be creative!

If students will create a paper or slideshow project, create a scenario for students to write all the sentences they will write.

Example: Write what you and others did (in the preterite tense) last summer. Be creative! Include an image for each sentence.

3. Create a rubric that will require students to achieve whatever your ultimate goal is.

Set a required number of vocabulary words students have to use or verbs in X tense... or whatever makes sense for your project. 

Example: Include at least 10 preterite tense verbs and all 5 subject pronouns in your slideshow.

Grade students on correct grammar and vocabulary.

Grade students on creativity, neatness, or pronunciation - if any of those apply to your project.

Oh and one last thing.

You'll also need to set a time limit for students. When is the project due?

And voila! Your project is created and students are set up for success. What tips do you have for creating projects? Share in the comments!