This year I hit the gates running with a class read of the Fluency Matters novel “Brandon Brown Quiere un Perro”, a super easy and fun reader.

I usually like to act the chapter out before having the students read it. I narrate as I tell the student actors what to do and what they say. The class can see what is happening and it makes it easier when they read it by themselves, or when we follow along as we listen to the audiobook.

But I do like mixing it up and doing different activities. So for chapter 6, before students read the chapter, I handed them out 2 sheets of paper with 11 pictures from the chapter and a stack of 12 captions. They then had to read the strips and match the caption to the picture. The directions for the students were easy too:
1) Leer las frases
2) Buscar la foto
3) Poner la frase encima de la foto

This was a great way to review vocabulary since these phrases contained the same structures introduced in previous chapters. It also allowed the students to understand the main points of the chapter they were going to read. Then when everyone was done, I read the statements in English as students checked their work.

I like to get as much mileage out of a resource as I can, so here are some additional activities you can do the next day.

1) Before students read the chapter, have them try to put the captions in order of how THEY THINK it happens in the book. You can then discuss in the target language “Who thinks the phrase “_____” is first? Do you have it first or second? What number do you have it? Do you think”_____” is BEFORE or AFTER?

You can have students cut out the pictures and try to put the pictures in order, or you have have them just use the captions.

2) Have the students write their own captions on their images sheet. They’ve seen the captions you’ve provided, maybe they can add some additional details.

If you’ve got other ideas on how to use this type of resource, add it to the comments below!

By the way, I used the website STORYBOARDTHAT to create the images. I took a screen shot and inserted the images into a powerpoint to print off 6 per page.