Grab these flash cards as soon as you can because the products from Getmetalking.com are fabulous! I have taught Spanish I, II, III and IV for the past four years and used the cards, games, and activities everyday in every class. Finally there is a way to get the students really communicating in a meaningful and fluid way without resorting to boring rote memorization.
I love these products for so many reasons. First and foremost, from day one the students are really talking, not just memorizing limited dialogue, but really communicating ideas! Many of the cards contain meaningful content that allows the students much more access to the target language than the mini-dialogues often found in textbooks. Then with the games and activities they not only own the content but quickly begin to manipulate it into lengthy conversations and even debates. Secondly, the students learn the grammar and patterns of speech via the cards, games and activities instead of worksheets that serve better to waste time than to really learn. They hear, see and produce correct grammar and patterns and as a result the grammar explanations make sense and the students can really hold on to what they have learned. And finally they are having fun! Gone are the days when learning and fun were mutually exclusive. These colorful cards and challenging games and activities really engage the students. They learn so much, the whole time having a ball! And from my standpoint that is wonderful because discipline issues become a thing of the past as the students are too busy competing and enjoying themselves to cause trouble.
I believe the products from Getmetalking.com would benefit any language teacher. They are the key to successful language learning.
Molly Ward, Spanish teacher
These flash cards are a wonderful teaching resource! I have worked with the flash cards and games for years in my Spanish classes, and my students love them at all levels. They learn faster and better because of the repetition. The students are very actively involved and motivated when playing the games with the flash cards. Kids like the color and many of the funny clip-art pictures. I particularly like the following themes: The childhood cards are wonderful to teach imperfect. The before, during, and after school reinforce the preterite. The Otto story is very creative for contrasting the imperfect and preterite.
Once you get them cut up and laminated, you have them forever! My student aides or study hall kids even cut them up and laminate them for me so it isn't much work for me. I recommend them highly, and the price is VERY reasonable for what you get.
I also hang up the classroom signs in class, and it is a great way to get their attention and teach them sayings.
The most important thing is that they are having a lot of fun while learning. I recommend these materials highly!
Amy Pardo, Spanish teacher
Yes, this is my website! I wanted to tell you how I used these flashcards in my classes. It has taken me nine years of work and development to create and produce all of these materials.
I thought the flashcards helped tremendously in helping students learning better and faster. I loved teaching with TPRS, and many of these vocabulary flash cards teach in the same way. I pre-taught lots of the vocabulary first through TPR. For example, the cards to teach the advantages and disadvantages of city vs. country were so helpful because my kids could talk about their opinions, and that was January of first year! It's amazing how much better they can learn with these cards, but it does take time to work with the games. They just don't learn them well enough in a week. Once they learn the phrases, they are ready to go on to creating with the language which is a higher level thinking skill. They combine the phrases in different ways to produce their own opinions which is synthesis.
Other units which are good for TPRS are shopping, past tense before, during, and after school, beach, camping, free time, my pet and I, childhood. My students then wrote a composition on their day at the beach, for example, and gave a speech directly to me afterwards.
The game boards are also very motivating. They are very versatile because I could use the flashcards or my own vocabulary or grammar.
Most importantly, the students learn while having fun!
Pam Fedie Chalus, retired German teacher
The cards have been the greatest tool in teaching foreign languages for me. Using the cards helps with memorization, reading and oral skills through a variety of games and activities. It makes the class more interactive, fun and interesting for the students and the teacher. It's a different teaching approach that is a tool that helps students with a variety of different learning styles. I really enjoy and appreciate the cards in my class and the students also enjoy them. One can definitely see the difference that using the cards in the classroom can make. It is a teaching tool that all teachers and students can benefit from.
Elizabeth Ruiz, German and Spanish teacher
My students love using the cards! It is remarkable to me how the students' vocabulary usage and retention has increased, as I have incorporated the cards and games into units. I would recommend Pam's materials to any language teacher.
Mary Samuelstuen, German Teacher
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