Structure/Word Cards

I got this idea from a fellow TPRS teacher and added my own ideas and adaptations to it.  I'd love to hear what you would do with something like this!  For me, it makes me more intentional about what I'm teaching without a lot of effort on my part as well as helps students become more engaged and focused.  Plus, we keep track of the things we've already learned and are able to continually review them as we progress!

• What they are:
• Large flash cards with the words and structures you want to work into the story and not forget about.  These need to be large and clear enough to be read from across the room.  I recommend color-coding the flash cards. For instance, they could be color-coded by chapter or unit.  Put only one word or structure on each card depending on what you want students to focus on and the translation on the back.  For instance, I put my high-frequency small words that don't necessarily appear in the structures on white cards, and entire structures on colored cards that correspond with the chapter.  I also write which story that particular structure came from.  That way, I can quickly identify where the structure came from, when we did it, and the other structures it went with.
• Laminate them!  Not only will it make them last longer, but you can personalize the structures.  For instance, the permanent card could say "quería  __________ para" (wanted _______ for).  Then, as you create your story, you can write in with a dry-erase maker whatever your class chooses in the blank with marker.
• How I use them:
• During PQA and stories: I put the new structure cards on the board for everyone to see and write the translation below it.  My structures for the day are ready to go and help me manage my white-board space.
• During the story: I hand out older structures and any high-frequency words I'd like to get worked in to students before we begin our stories.  Then, as we're telling the story, they're responsible for finding a way to work their own phrase into the story.  When they work their phrase into the story, I take it and put it on the board.
• I can even write around or on (see above about laminating) the structure to make complete sentences based on what my students want to say.  The examples below have what would be on the card bracketed, with the permanent structures in bold:
• "El chico [se llamaba] Bob."
• "[Quería un collar para] su mamá."
• If I need a quick review or want to provide cues for students in their writing or speaking, I can quickly pull all the structures and words we've done and we're ready to go!