Here are some pictures of what I have on my walls.  Underneath the pictures you’ll find descriptions of how I use it to stay in the target language.

los meses del año

I keep a list of the months of the year posted on the side of my whiteboard.  I refer to them everytime my students have to fill out the heading (in the target language) on the top of their papers.  I like highlighting the current month (notice ‘septiembre’ in pink) to help students easily identify the answer to questions like, “What month are we in?” during routines like this one. (video post of a product I use for my calendar routine).

¿Qué hora es?

lista de los números en español

los colores en español

I like to have commonly used L2 questions and answers on my walls.  It helps reduce the amount of times students have that clueless look on their face when I ask them a question.  If they don’t know how to respond, I can quickly point to the wall that has the appropriate reference tool for them.

A card like this one is on the corner of every student desk.  Students are given a number on a flash card when they arrive at class.  They must take their flash card and match it to the corresponding written number on the corner of the desk.  This becomes their assigned seat for the day.  (Other routines for upper elementary L2 learners)

una alfombra de colores

I chose this rug for my room because it had distinct and bold color spaces.  I can ask students to walk to (or sit on) whatever L2 color I say.  It’s great for giving and responding to directions in the target language. (Click here, here and here for some video clips on learning the colors in Spanish)

días de la semana

The days of the week are posted on the whiteboard so students can easily answer calendar routine questions like, “What day is it?” and, “What day was yesterday?”

What do you have up in your foreign language classroom?  How does it help you and your students stay in the target language?

Señor Howard – www.SenorHoward.com – @HolaSrHoward