Ideas for using flashcards

In this video, Carol Read explain different techniques to use flashcards in class: 

1. TECHNIC "FLASH"

First of all we need to get their attention. Then, we show the flashcard very quickly and children have to say what is in the card. 

2. TECHNIC "SLOWLY, SLOWLY”

Cover the flashcard with other flashcard (which is turned around) and gradually show the picture. Children have to guess what is in the picture. 

3. TECHNIC “WHAT IS MISSING?”

The teacher have to stick the flashcards on the board. Children have to close their eyes and cover them with their hands. After that, the teacher removes one flashcard from the blackboard and then the students open their eyes. They have to say what is missing. 

4. TECHNIC “MAGIC EYES”

We are going to use just six flashcards that is the number of names that children can more or less remember.  Flashcards should be stick at the blackboard in a line. Then, we repeat the name of the pictures in a rhythmic way few times. After this, we remove the first flashcard and we continue saying the names of the pictures in the same way (also the first). Then we remove the second one, the third… 

The aim of this activity is to train children’s memory, visual representation and associate the picture with the word. 

5. TECHNIC “LIP READING” 

We stick some flashcards in the board and then we say one of them just with the lips. Children need to guess which flashcard it is saying the name. We are giving the children an strategy to help them to understand what are people saying.  

6. TECHNIC “FLASHCARDS RIDDLES”

We stick the flashcards in the blackboard and then we make a riddle that relate one of the pictures in the flashcards. Children have to guess which is the word that we are talking about. This is a way to use the word in a context.

7. TECHNIC “FLASHCARDS GROUPS”

This is an action game. We divide the class in groups of 3-5 children. We assign a flashcard to each group. The teacher will give instructions for just one group each time, for example, “move your hands, ostriches” and the group who has the flashcard of the ostrich has to move their hands. Is important to say the instructions fist and then the flashcard; this is how we are going to keep children’s attention to the end of the phrase. These activity provides children the opportunity to move. 

8. TECHNIC “HANDS ON HEADS”

We divide children in two groups. For each group, we give three or more flashcards (they have to be different from the ones in the other group). The teacher will say the name of some flashcards in a short period of time. The group who has the flashcard that has been named has to put their hand in their heads. These activity also provides children the opportunity to move.

9. TECHNIC “FLASHCARD CHAIN”

First of all, we need to sit in a circle with all the children. The teacher will pass the first flashcard to the student that is in his left while she ask a question. The child take the flashcard and answer the question, then, he pass it to the student in his left and make the same question. When the first flatcar has arrived to the third student, the teacher introduced another flashcard and other question. We have to do the same with every flashcard and complete the cicle. These activity provides multiple opportunities to practice the language they are learning. 

10. TECHNIC: “THE KING’S NAME”

In this activity we have to use our memory. The teacher use between 12 and 15 flashcards and he have to stick them in the blackboard for one minute. Children will look to the flashcards and they have to remember as much as they can. Is important to be in silence with the pencils down. When the minute is out, children have to write down as much words as they can remember. They can also categorise them, for example, animal and clothes.