Color Uno
In my next post, I will create a video that shows how I taught the colors. I used motions to teach the color names. Usually the motion corresponded with a picture of something that color. For instance, to teach the color 'morado' I made the motion of eating grapes while showing a picture of eating grapes. The reason I mention this now instead of later is because I used those same pictures (for the most part) in creating a game of Uno for my students.
The UNO game I created is very similar to the regular UNO game. The main difference is that there are not reverse or pick 2 cards and there are many more colors used. I used the following template to create 5 different playing decks:
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| (If you need full print out version of this game, please check my TPT store here) |
Setup: The game is for 2-6 players. Every player starts with seven cards, and they are dealt face down. The rest of the cards are placed in a pile face down. Next to the pile a space should be designated for a discard pile. The top card should be placed in the discard pile, and the game begins.
Game Play: The first player views his/her cards and tries to match the card in the discard pile. You have to match either the number/type or the color, for instance if the discard pile has a rojo card that is a 4 you have to place either a rojo card or a card with an 4 on it. If the player has no matches they must draw a card. After a card is drawn the player can discard it if it is a match, or if not, play passes on to the next player. The game continues until a player has one card left. The moment a player has just one card they must yell UNO (which is great because it is in Spanish.) If they are caught by another player, the player must draw two new cards. There is only one special card: "Wild." This card represents all the colors, and can be placed on any card. The player has to state which color it will represent for the next player. It can be played regardless of whether another card is available.
Coloring
I got the idea to color by numbers from the website Language Study Suite 101. They have a bunch of ideas listed for teaching colors but this was by far one my favorites. I took simple coloring worksheets and put numbers that corresponded with colors on a regular coloring page. This task is especially useful for Pre-K students who can find the task difficult. I noticed that by the end of my unit, almost all students were able to correspond the colors to the number. This was less about learning Spanish and more about their ability to follow multi-step instructions. However, all the while, students were singing their colors and calling out the names of the crayons they were using. Here is an example of a worksheet (though in black and white)
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Dominoes
For older students who are able to read, a game of dominoes can be a great option. I made a template for the colors, color printed them on cardstock, cut them along the dotted line and laminated them. This can also be a great center after students have learned the colors as review.
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This I got while browsing the Teach Preschool website. They gave me the idea to do a sorting activity with my youngest (Pre K -K) students. I gave each student a small cup with a random assortment of objects (buttons, beads, snapcubes, cut up straws, crayons, etc.) Students then sorted the objects into their own egg crates that were painted the colors that they were sorting. The students really enjoyed this and were able to follow multi-step directions as well. After students were done sorting they had to confirm with a partners, then clean up their materials.
I found the egg crates on craigslist and painted them myself. It is a super easy activity and center for students. It was also a great way for me to get to talk to students one on one to assess which colors they knew and which they did not.