Introduction to Card Talk 

Card Talk is my favorite way to start out the year. Originally developed by Ben Slavic and called "Circling with Balls," this activity works wonderfully to develop a sense of community in your classroom, establishes crucial norms, and all while allows you to stay in your target language. In this video you will see me establish the rules, norming the class, and together we create a little mini story about a student playing the guitar with Barney on the streets of the French Quarter. 

Card Stories. Check out the texts we create after co-creating the story. Notice the language complexity grow naturally as the class progresses. 

An easy and fun homework assignment! Once every one of your learners has their own story, turn it in to a fun homework assignment where they re-read the text and try to draw out every detail. See example below:

You can use the template below to create your cards. Most copy machines can run construction paper through if you adjust the settings. 

Record audio from the Card Talk stories. A great and easy way to provide your level one learners with good input is to record yourself reading a Card Talk story. I love to assign these to my learners who are absent so they have the opportunty to hear some easy input. Check out the audio file below. 

Classroom Rules Poster: 

Questions asked:

Mi duda es si haces una historia con cada "card" de cada estudiante?  Sí, hago un cuento con cada estudiante. Toma mucho tiempo, pero vale la pena. 

Should I do a story with each student? Yes. It takes time, but it's worth it.