La Patata Caliente - an Interpersonal Game

La Patata Caliente is a class and teacher favorite, because 1) music 2) movement 3) interaction 4) minimal prep ← that’s a win for you! Plus, almost every one remembers it from preschool.

Think Hot Potato, but standing up, and in the TL.  In our units, we provide the questions, which can be printed so the kids take one, but our favorite is to use a Google Slide deck and project them to the whole group.  No cutting, no saving in a box of games, and everyone gets the same question for more impactful review Another win!

1.      Before class prep:  create questions, or use questions provided in your MesaMima unit. Post or explain rules (Below).  Before breaking students into groups, you may consider playing one round as the whole class, especially the first time. Even in a large group, this is a great way to display exactly what students need to do, giving a “hands-on” approach to the rules of the game.
2.      Create groups of students (4-5) and provide each student with one ball, like these.
3.      Play music as students pass the ball.  A Spotify playlist, or new, fun pop songs are great.  Just be sure to keep them upbeat!
4.      Stop the music: The last student to touch the ball answers the question on the board / projector/ on printed cards.
5.      Input and review: For every question, teacher asks one student what their group member said to provide additional input.  Consider asking “¿Qué dijo Miguel?” or “Dime de Miguel: ¿Abre regalos el día de la Navidad o los abre la Noche Vieja?” keep in mind: the goal to provide comprehensible yet accurate input. So, asking about other people (form change) or in other tenses (past tense vs. present, etc) is just another way we are able to expose kids to language, improving their long term acquisition, rather than editing our language, thus compartmentalizing their linguistic understanding.  

Las Reglas - La Patata Caliente

1. Formen un círculo con el grupo de 4-5 estudiantes y UN balón.
2. Al escuchar la música, empiecen a pasar la pelota ← PASAR...¡no tirar!
3. Cuando la música apague, la persona que tiene la pelota (o la última persona en tocarla) va a contestar la pregunta.