Game: Adjective Hunt Race

Objective: Reinforce students’ ability to identify adjectives in Spanish sentences quickly and accurately through a friendly competition.

Time: 4 minutes

Materials:

• Adjective Hunt Worksheet
• Pencils
• Timer (visible to the class)
• Stickers or small rewards for winners

Setup:

1. Distribute one copy of the Adjective Hunt Worksheet and a pencil to each student.
2. Make sure the timer is visible to everyone (on screen or a wall clock).

Instructions:

1. Explain: “When I say ‘¡Ya!’, begin circling every adjective you can find in the sentences on your worksheet.”
2. Start the timer as you give the signal “¡Ya!”.
3. Students work silently to identify and circle all adjectives.
4. The first student to finish raises their hand. Pause the timer.
5. Check that their circles are correct.
   • If all adjectives are correctly identified, that student wins the round and earns a sticker or small reward.
   • If there are mistakes, continue timing until the next hand goes up.
6. Review answers aloud as a group and highlight any tricky adjectives.

Variation (for Extension):

• Pair students into teams of two. Teams collaborate on one worksheet and share one reward if they finish correctly first.
• To challenge advanced students, include a couple of sentences with adjective–noun agreement errors and have them correct the adjectives as part of the race.

Activity: Agreement Matching Activity

Objective: Students will practice matching nouns with adjectives that agree in gender and number to reinforce adjective–noun agreement.

Time: 4 minutes

Materials:

• Agreement Matching Cards
• Mini whiteboards and markers (optional)

Setup:

1. Shuffle the noun and adjective cards thoroughly.
2. Divide students into pairs and give each pair one complete set of cards.

Instructions:

1. Explain that each noun card must be paired with an adjective card that matches in gender and number (e.g., “casa” with “grande”).
2. On “¡Ya!”, pairs work together to find and place matching pairs side by side.
3. Once they think all pairs are matched, they write each noun–adjective phrase on their mini whiteboard and show it to you for verification.
4. Circulate to check agreements and provide feedback: ask pairs to explain one match: “¿Por qué ‘niñas’ va con ‘pequeñas’?”
5. Award each correct pair a brief positive reinforcement (e.g., thumbs-up, sticker).

Follow-Up:

• Invite one or two pairs to read a phrase aloud and underline the matching endings in the class chart.
• Ask the class: “¿Cómo cambia el adjetivo si el sustantivo es plural o femenino?”

Extension (for advanced students):

• Include one or two noun cards that can match with two adjectives (e.g., “libros” with “interesantes” and “grandes”) and have pairs justify both.

Differentiation:

• For students needing support, provide a visual Agreement Rule Chart at each table.
• For English learners, include pictures on the cards to reinforce word meaning.

Game: Adjective–Noun Bingo

Objective: Reinforce students’ mastery of adjective–noun agreement in a lively, competitive setting.

Time: 4 minutes

Materials:

• Adjective-Noun Bingo Cards
• Markers or chips
• A bag or box with noun and adjective call cards (Agreement Matching Cards may be repurposed)
• Timer (optional)

Setup:

1. Give each student a unique Bingo card from the Adjective-Noun Bingo Cards set and a handful of markers or chips.
2. Prepare a stack of call cards: mix cards that list either a noun (e.g., "flores") or an adjective (e.g., "rojas").
3. Keep the call cards face-down in a bag or box.

Instructions:

1. Explain: “I will draw one card at a time and announce the word.
   • If I say a noun, cover any phrase on your card where that noun appears with the correct agreeing adjective.
   • If I say an adjective, cover the phrase where it matches the noun on your card.”
2. Demonstrate with one example: draw a card saying gato and show that students cover gato negro on their card.
3. Begin drawing cards and calling them out clearly.
4. Students listen and cover matching phrases on their cards.
5. The first student to cover five squares in a row (horizontal, vertical, or diagonal) shouts “¡Bingo!”
6. Pause the game and check that each covered phrase shows correct agreement.
   • If all are correct, declare that student the winner.
   • If an error is found, allow the game to continue until the next “¡Bingo!”
7. Review any tricky matches aloud to reinforce why each adjective ending agrees with its noun.

Variation (for Extension):

• “Blackout Bingo”: win by covering every square on the card.
• Timed rounds: set a 1-minute timer to see how many correct covers students can make.

Differentiation:

• Provide bilingual cue cards (noun + picture) for students needing extra support.
• Challenge advanced learners by including some cards with gender or number mismatches; students must identify and correct them before covering.

Activity: Position Sorting Activity

Objective: Students will practice sorting adjective–noun pairs by placement (before vs. after the noun) and explain how placement changes meaning.

Time: 4 minutes

Materials:

• Position Sorting Cards
• Mini whiteboards and markers (optional)

Setup:

1. Prepare a mixed set of cards. Each card pair shows one adjective and one noun (e.g., hombre + pobre).
2. Place two labeled bins or areas at the front: “Antes del sustantivo” and “Después del sustantivo.”
3. Divide students into pairs and give each pair a shuffled set of cards.

Instructions:

1. Explain: “You will decide whether the adjective should go before or after the noun to convey the correct meaning.”
2. On “¡Ya!”, pairs work together to place each card pair in the appropriate area:
   • Antes del sustantivo (e.g., pobre hombre “unfortunate man”)
   • Después del sustantivo (e.g., hombre pobre “man who lacks money”)
3. As they sort, pairs write each full phrase on their mini whiteboards and note its meaning in Spanish (e.g., pobre hombre = “hombre desafortunado”).
4. Circulate to check placements and prompt reflection: “¿Por qué pusieron gran ciudad antes del sustantivo?”
5. After sorting, invite one pair to share a phrase from each column, writing it on the board and explaining how placement changes the meaning.

Follow-Up Questions:

• ¿Qué matiz aporta el adjetivo cuando va antes del sustantivo?
• ¿Cómo cambia el significado si el adjetivo se coloca después?

Differentiation:

• Provide the Position Rule Poster at tables for reference.
• For learners needing support, include example phrases with pictures on some cards.
• Challenge advanced students: give them a sentence and ask them to rewrite it by moving the adjective and explaining the new nuance.
  
  
  
  
  
  

Activity: Interactive Story Filling

Objective: Students will apply adjective placement rules in context by choosing correct adjective positions to match each nuance.

Time: 4 minutes

Materials:

• Position Rule Poster
• Copies of this Interactive Story
• Mini whiteboards and markers (optional)

Setup:

1. Divide students into pairs and give each pair a copy of the story below.
2. Remind them of the rule: adjectives placed before or after the noun can change the meaning.

Instructions:

1. En parejas, lean la historia. En cada espacio en blanco, escriban el adjetivo en la posición correcta (antes o después del sustantivo) para lograr el matiz indicado en paréntesis.
2. Escriban la frase completa con el adjetivo colocado correctamente.
3. Cuando terminen, comparen sus respuestas con otra pareja y preparen una para leer en voz alta.

Historia para completar:

“Había una vez un ______ hombre (adj. 'pobre' antes del sustantivo → 'desafortunado').
Llegó a una ______ ciudad (adj. 'gran' antes del sustantivo → 'importante').
Allí vivía un amigo que siempre conversaba con un ______ amigo (adj. 'viejo' después del sustantivo → 'anciano').
Su casa era una casa ______ (adj. 'grande' después del sustantivo → 'de gran tamaño').”

Activity: Comparative Sentence Building

Objective: Students will construct grammatically correct comparative and superlative sentences in Spanish using provided word cards.

Time: 4 minutes

Materials:

• Comparative Sentence Building Cards (each card shows a noun, an adjective, and an indicator: “más … que”, “menos … que”, or “el/la más …”)
• Mini whiteboards and markers

Setup:

1. Shuffle the sentence building cards and place them face-down in a stack at the center of each pair’s workspace.
2. Distribute a mini whiteboard and marker to each pair.

Instructions:

1. On the signal “¡Ya!”, each pair draws one card from the stack.
2. Partners discuss which comparative or superlative structure to use based on the card’s indicator:
   • If the card shows “más … que” or “menos … que”, write a comparative sentence: e.g., Mi hermano es más alto que yo.
   • If the card shows “el/la más …”, write a superlative sentence: e.g., María es la más inteligente de la clase.
3. Write your sentence on the mini whiteboard, underlining the comparative or superlative phrase.
4. When both partners agree on the sentence, raise your hand. The teacher checks for correct structure, agreement, and spelling.
   • If correct, the pair draws another card and repeats.
   • If there’s an error, partners revise their sentence before raising their hand again.
5. Continue until time is up or all pairs have completed three cards.

Follow-Up:

• Invite two or three pairs to read one of their sentences aloud.
• Ask the class to identify the structure used and to suggest any synonyms for the adjective.

Differentiation:

• Support: Provide a checklist of comparative and superlative formulas at each table.
• Challenge: Include some cards with irregular comparatives/superlatives (mejor, peor, mayor, menor) and have advanced learners explain the irregular form.

Game: Comparative Relay Race

Objective: Combine movement with grammar practice by having teams race to form correct comparative or superlative sentences.

Time: 4 minutes

Materials:

• Comparative Relay Game Cards (cards prompt a noun, adjective, and structure indicator)
• Mini whiteboards and markers (one per team)
• Cones or tape to mark start and finish lines
• Timer (optional)

Setup:

1. Divide students into teams of 4–5 and have them line up behind a start line.
2. Place a stack of Comparative Relay Game Cards face-down at the finish line for each team.
3. Give each team a mini whiteboard and marker at the start line.

Instructions:

1. On your signal “¡Ya!”, the first student from each team runs to their finish line, draws the top card, and reads it.
2. That student returns to their team and writes a correct comparative or superlative sentence on the whiteboard, following the card’s indicator (e.g., más … que, menos … que, el/la más …).
3. Once the team agrees on the sentence, the student shows it to you for verification:
   • If correct, the student erases the board, returns the card to the bottom of the stack, and tags the next teammate to go.
   • If there’s an error, the student revises the sentence before tagging the next teammate.
4. Teams continue relaying until one team completes all their cards correctly.
5. Declare the winning team and review any challenging sentences aloud.

Variation (Challenge):

• Include irregular forms (mejor, peor, mayor, menor) on some cards; teams must identify when to use the irregular form.
• For advanced learners, require teams to add an extra detail (e.g., “Mi coche es más rápido que tu bicicleta porque tiene turbo.”).

Differentiation:

• Provide a one-page cheat sheet of comparative/superlative formulas for support.
• Allow teams with language learners to discuss sentences in their first language before writing in Spanish.