¡Saludos profesores! It seems Back to School season is upon us once more. To celebrate, we here at Buncee are bringing you ideas and inspiration on ways you can enhance your language lessons with Buncee!
In this day and age, a second language is an invaluable asset to students, especially as they go on to college and eventually the workforce. Additionally, even if you are not necessarily a foreign language teacher, you might find some of these ideas helpful in your own classroom, as there are an increasing number of ESL students in classrooms around the United States. Whether it be English, Spanish, French, or another language, a lot of students struggle with learning a second language. Buncee is an excellent tool for learning and practicing languages. Here are 10 ideas that will help to get your school year started off on the right foot with Buncee!
Idea #1: Translation Journals with Buncee
One idea is to have your second language learners create translation journals with Buncee. Students can create multi-slide Buncees with words that they’ve translated from their native language into the language they’re learning. With the audio recording tool they can record the correct pronunciation, or with the video recording tool, they can record a video of themselves speaking the word. They can also add a picture of what the word means, and they can include mnemonic devices to help them remember the translation!
Idea #2: Virtual Debates on a Buncee
A great way to fully master a language is to practice debating in that language! Rather than having students practice writing for their argumentative text, having them engage in a debate will help them practice reciting and enunciating words. Buncee’s video and audio recording tools are powerful features that can help them achieve this.
So, give it a try! You can just assign them a topic to explore and research on a debate, then have them use those features. It will help you get a fuller understanding of their ability to write and converse in the language.
Idea #3: Vocabulary Journals
Similarly, your students could create a vocabulary journal. Whenever you cover a new word or word-set, students can add a slide with the new word or words, the translation, and the pronunciation. Having students create Buncees with all of this information is much more effective than simply writing it down.
Idea #4: Shopping List Buncee
Everyday language always includes a trip to the market! Make sure your students have the words they need to make a successful trip and practice the words they’re learning in real life! Choose a set of food words and key phrases for going grocery or clothes shopping and then have them role-play scenarios where they record themselves saying what they need to buy.
Idea #5: Share and Create your Cookbook
Cook a dish and learn a new language while you’re at it! With this activity, have your students learn a new culture and practice relevant food terminologies by making their own cookbook in a Buncee! Once again, audio and video recording will prove invaluable to language learning. As students research cultural dishes, have them upload images and resources, as well as use Buncee’s text, audio, and video recording functionalities to describe the dish and how it’s made! Not only will students learn new words, their applications, and practice pronouncing them; but they’ll also learn a bit more of a country’s culture as a result, too!
Idea #6: Career Day Buncees
Career Day is never left out of the school year and that’s no truer for language classes — whether they be ESL or World Languages! Have your students create example Buncees showcasing the career of someone they know.
To get started, create a Buncee filled with rich career vocabulary terms, representative visuals, and your recorded audio enunciating each term in the language. Then have your students use Buncee’s range of multimedia assets to create a Buncee that describes the career and lifestyle of someone they know! This activity will not only have your students practice the language: “This is my ….” “He/She is a…..”, but will help students better understand the application of these terms!
Idea #7: Show & Tell Buncees
Show and Tell is a classic activity that teachers implement throughout all levels of schooling and is perfect for language learning. With Buncee, you can add a creative touch to the way students do Show and Tell by having them create and share their work on their Buncee.
For this activity, create a slide filled with vocabulary terms that they can use, such as ‘size’ words (i.e. ‘big,’ ‘small,’ etc.), color words, and texture words (such as ‘hard’ and ‘soft’). Then have students create Buncees where they upload photos of items they’d like to describe and use Buncee’s audio or video recording features to practice sharing about them! This will be a quick and easy interactive activity that will enable you to assess how students enunciate words in the language they are learning.
Idea #8: Share your Summer Plans
Have students practice the future or past tenses in their target language by having them talk about their plans. Choose key phrases and verbs to introduce to them, then have them create their own Buncees where they record themselves as they share about their plans. Not only is it educational, it’s extremely practical, even for their parents and especially if they plan on going somewhere exotic for the summer!
Idea #9: Current Events in Different Languages
Here’s a slightly more advanced activity for Late Elementary, Middle, or High School in which you introduce vocabulary for talking about and introducing events (such as ‘recently,’ ‘currently,’ etc.). In this activity, have your students talk about different subjects such as Politics, Science, Entertainment, Business, or even the Classifieds. Have your students make their own “radio/tv news show” where they create a Buncee with Audio or Video using the vocabulary, key phrases, and grammar for their selected subject.
Idea #10: Same Song, Different Place!
Here’s a great activity for any level: choose a song, teach your students how to sing it, and then have them create their own Buncee showcasing themselves singing it by themselves. Not only will students be able to learn a new song, but they’ll also learn more about other cultures and practice pronouncing their words at the same time. To take this idea a step further, make a Buncee Board and have your students add their Buncee creations to it. Then, share their work with their parents and your school admin to give their work a true audience!
These are just some of the ways in which you can use Buncee to enhance your language lessons. Did we miss any? If you have an idea for a language lesson using Buncee, be sure to tweet it at us @Buncee, and share it on our FB educator’s group page. Also, be sure to check out our Ways to Enhance Literacy Lessons With Buncee blog, as many of the ideas listed there can also be applied to language lessons. And as you prepare for the start of the school year, all of us at Buncee wish you and your students, ¡buena suerte!
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