World Languages Club: Engaging Students’ Interpersonal Skills
- Apr 8
- 5 min read
Paula Rose, Maple Park Middle School, North Kansas City
Intro
The main objective of my project is to promote interest and awareness of languages that are spoken in our building with the hope that students will be inspired to continue conversing with friends or study on their own with DuoLingo— or take high school language classes. The use of fun materials and activities is intentional to create an environment of trust and sharing.
My building, where I teach seventh-grade English language arts, has an MTSS period during which students receive reading and math intervention Monday through Thursday. On Fridays, students are able to attend a fun enrichment club of their choosing. They have a chance to select quarterly. I have been hosting a ‘World Languages Club’ during Friday MTSS. I had the idea to use this time for this purpose and allowed me to purchase multilingual board games, graphic novels, and stationery to make it engaging.
The variety of activities provided through these materials allows students to practice all four language domains: reading, writing, speaking, and listening (TESOL, 2018, pp. 14-16). For example, the multilingual graphic novels have encouraged kids in the club (and outside of it) to take an interest in reading Captain Underpants in Spanish or to read manga in its original Japanese alongside the English translation. The signs and greeting cards activities (weeks 1-3) require multilingual writing. Meanwhile, the multilingual cards and board games (weeks 4-5) require speaking and listening. Although nine meetings is a short amount of time, students are receiving a variety of benefits in keeping up with their home language and/or building interest in a language that is new to them!
Research shows that interpersonal interaction is an essential component of language acquisition. In fact, Vygotsky believed that social interaction is necessary for learning any content, as mentors provide supportive talk and scaffolding along the way (Williams, et al., 2016, p. 16). World Languages Club will provide English Learners the chance to practice their home languages alongside their peers and community members. Again, the use of interactive materials like flash cards and games is fundamental to this purpose. The structure of gameplay provides shy middle schoolers opportunities for fun, low-stakes interaction, whereas making conversation might be difficult without that structure in place.
Additionally, this club will contribute to a more culturally welcoming school environment. An inclusive environment is a non-negotiable for effective language learning, due to what Stephen Krashen calls the affective filter. This is the very common experience of negative emotions creating a mental block, reducing the amount of comprehensible input getting through to the language learner’s consciousness (Williams et al. 2016, p. 86). Our club will help English learners overcome that challenge by celebrating their home languages and creating positive interest among their peers. This will occur not only within the club itself, but also through contributions to the visual school environment, such as the welcome signs activity (weeks 1-2).
Step-by-Step Plan
Step 1: Use flyers, morning announcements, etc. to get the word out about World Languages Club.
Step 2: Collaborate with ELD teacher to find out what languages are spoken in the school community. Research cultural context of language groups in school community. Use grant to gather materials (multilingual graphic novels, language flashcards, multilingual games, stationery, art supplies etc.) in collaboration with school library media specialist.
Step 3: At the first meeting give a survey or hold a circle to find out members’ interest and experience with languages.
Step 4: Implement different activities weekly (according to timeline below or based on student interests).
Step 5: Repeat for next quarter with a new group of students.
Step 6: House materials in Library Media Center for future use by all.
Timeline
Week 1: Create welcome signs:
Open with a get-to-know-you circle, survey, or icebreaker.
Show students how to use Google Translate to find out how to write “Welcome to [school name]!” in a choice language. Ideally, have a native speaker double-check.
Provide poster board, paint markers, stickers, etc. for sign-making.
If desired, laminate signs before next week’s meeting.
Week 2: Hang welcome signs:
Hang them inside the entrance of the school.
Spend some time reading multilingual graphic novels and/or using DuoLingo.
Week 3: Greeting cards-
Show students how to use Google Translate to find out how to write a certain message to a friend in a language of their choice. Ideally, have a native speaker double-check for accuracy.
Provide blank cards, envelopes, gel pens, stickers, and other art materials.
Encourage students to hand deliver cards to recipients.
Week 4: Flash cards and games-
Spend 5-10 minutes practicing key phrases with physical or digital flashcards or DuoLingo.
Provide choice of board games in various languages.
My club members enjoyed Taco Gato Cabra Queso Pizza (Spanish version of Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza). It got pretty competitive!
Week 5: Bingo!
Play bingo in a language of choice!
Use any extra time to practice greeting phrases in pairs.
Week 6: Reading day-
Allow students to pick a multilingual graphic novel or set of flashcards and take it to a comfy place (library, outside, or space with flexible seating).
Bonus: have students talk to a partner in English for the last five minutes to share what they read.
Week 7: Guest day-
Invite a visitor from the community (parent, grandparent, local business owner, fellow teacher, etc.) to teach some key phrases in their L1.
This can be in person or on Zoom.
Spend any extra time using flashcards or DuoLingo.
Week 8: Choice day-
Set out materials from past activities in stations and allow students to choose.
Week 9: Celebration-
Encourage students to bring snacks from any world culture.
Play music or show a movie that incorporates multilingual elements. (My club enjoyed the animated film Book of Life).
Materials
Sustainability
For now I am planning to hold World Languages Club every quarter. Each quarter, when students choose their new Friday MTSS I will get the pleasure of having a new group! In this way, the impact of the club will be felt by more than a few students.
The materials are being housed in the Library Media Center so that anyone can utilize them indefinitely. My hope is that another teacher will choose to continue hosting World Languages Club after I move on. The materials will also be available for individual students to utilize in the library according to their interests.
Reflections
It was harder than I anticipated to get parents and community members interested in visiting. Be sure to plan ahead and reach out early for that part of it. I found that Zoom was a great alternative for a guest speaker with a busy schedule.
Some of the students who signed up were fairly shy or quiet. Incorporating more icebreakers at the beginning could help them open up and feel more comfortable speaking to peers. Helping to get through their affective filters and create a positive, welcoming environment is so important for getting the most benefit out of the club.
We put up our welcome signs inside the front entrance right before parent-teacher conferences, which helped multilingual families feel seen and included! We received positive feedback that they were noticed and appreciated.
Feel free to tailor the activities to students’ unique interests and experiences.
References
TESOL International Association. (2018). The 6 principles for exemplary teaching of English learners: Grades K-12. TESOL Press.
Williams, M., Mercer, S., & Ryan, S. (2016). Exploring psychology in language learning and teaching. Oxford University Press.
