Cootie Catchers in the Language Classroom

I know it doesn’t seem like a typical activity for the language classroom, but the cootie catcher is a fun activity to use with students while learning a second language. They make learning fun and they are educational if used correctly.

I recently posted the question in the Creative ASL Teaching Facebook Group, if you call these a cootie catcher or a fortune teller. It doesn’t matter what name you call it, this activity can bring a bit of excitement to your language classroom.

Cootie catchers are sometimes called fortune tellers, and they are easy to make. You can learn how to make one using this video (that you can also play for your students), or you can download a premade template from TpT.

So how do you use them?

You can use cootie catchers in the language classroom to practice vocabulary, a grammar concept, or to practice asking questions. I recently used them in the Deaf President Now lecture. We talked about the protest in the target language, of course, and then I tasked students to write down questions using information they understood using the cootie catcher. Students circulated and asked each other question about the protest.

Here are some other ideas on how to use cootie catchers in your language classroom.

Vocabualry

Have students make a cootie catcher or copy off the template for them. On the paper, have students select vocabulary words to put on the cootie catcher. Then partner students up and play with the cootie catcher and practice vocabulary.

Grammar

If you are working on a grammar concept like classifiers or verb tenses, have students write the grammar on the cootie catcher and quiz their partner with the information.

Questions

My favorite way to use cootie catchers in the language classroom is to have students write questions on the catcher. Pair students up and have the partners ask and answer the questions on the cootie catcher. These can be questions using new vocabulary or questions from a culture lecture.

Alternative Uses

Alternatively, you can use any of the versions above and play with the cootie catchers in a speed dating format. In this version, students will circulate and work with many different partners, rotating at specific time intervals set up by the teacher.

I hope you try to use cootie catchers in your classroom to engage students and have some fun!

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