Cartoon Olympics is a fun way to practice vocabulary in the language classroom. I learned about this activity accidentally by stumbling on a blog called Toad-ally Comprehensible Latin. Although I may set this up a bit differently, the main idea came from this post.
When to use
I use this activity after I have taught some vocabulary or with a story I have told. I always use this activity after the information has been given, not before. However, Toad-ally Comprehensible Latin uses it as a pre-reading activity.
How it works
After teaching the vocabulary or telling a story you would show a slide deck that has each of your picture sentences on one slide. Show the students the picture sentences and let them decode the meaning. Then students will tell you the sentence in the target language.
How to create the sentences
To create the sentences you will need a bit of imagination. Think of how Bitmojis, emojis, and other images can create a sentence. Search for those images on the web and line them up to create a picture sentence. Place one sentence on each slide. Anywhere between 8 – 12 sentences is a good number.
As you can see from the example below, any image can work. In my class, the students all know that my celebrity crush is Shemar Moore so I always add a picture of him to my classroom slides.
How to play
As always, I like to make the work into a game and I love a little competition in the classroom. Place students in groups of 3 – 4 students. Show the first sentence to the entire class. Allow students time to decode the meaning. Once a group has figured it out, they come to the desk to tell you the sentences. The first group with the accurate meaning, signs, and structure wins the point. The team with the most points at the end wins.
To keep the competition alive, you can award the first-place team 3 points, the second-place team 2 points, and all other teams 1 point once they get it correct.
When all teams have got the answer correct or there has been enough time passed that you need to move on, go to the next sentences. Continue to play until all sentences have been decoded.
Tips
- Give each team a whitebaord,pen and eraser so they can take notes
- Number weach student in the group off 1, 2, 3, 4
- A different student must come up each time to give the sentence so all students are involved in the practice.
- Give a specific processing time before students can come to the desk. Say “I will show you the image and you will ahve 1:00 to discuss before anyone can come to the desk.”
- Deduct points for teams that come up with the wrong answer to discourage groups from hurrying through and not really consentraitng.
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