How to Unlock the Power of Chat Mats to Support Conversation and Comprehension

I could see it in their eyes. Confusion, boredom, and a slight hint of ‘when does this class end’. My heart beat a too-fast rhythm as I struggled to ask questions my students would understand about Thanksgiving foods and activities.

I knew they were excited about Thanksgiving - no school, turkey and stuffing, so many desserts- what’s not to love? Finding a compelling topic for input wasn’t my issue here. The struggle bus rolled in when the vocab was all new, mostly non-cognates, and therefore way out of reach for my novice mid-high learners.

Even if they could comprehend some of what I was saying as I pointed to images of cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie, they had zero chance of producing or even parroting the language.

How Would I Get Through This?

I desperately needed a way to give them a cheat sheet that they could use, but didn’t want to just hand out a boring vocabulary list. It had to be something ACTIVE, like a conversational-style support tool.

I’d been hearing through the World Language CI grapevine how Chat Mats were becoming all the rage. What were they, and why so popular? I read a little about it (I wish I remember exactly where!), and then I made one to try out. I came up with these two key guidelines when creating my chat mat:

1) The chat mat needs to provide both the Spanish and English translations.

2) The chat mat needs to provide guiding questions and answer options.

I put Thanksgiving foods, family members, and a few activities on my chat mat and distributed it.

Fingers crossed…would it work or just end up in the recycling bin?

Woo-hoo! Off the Struggle Bus! 🚫🚌

Here’s how I integrated the Chat Mat into my classroom:

1) Use During PQA (personalized questions and answers) - Project images with the new vocab to help prompt ideas for supported discussion and increase accessibility and connection to the new content.

ejemplo: ¿Con quién celebras? ¿Qué vas a hacer / vas a comer? ¿Qué hiciste / comiste?

2) Speed Dating Game: Arrange two rows of chairs (or have students stand in two lines) facing each other. Students get a minute to talk using the various content of the chat mat. When you ring the timer, one row rotates.

3) Find Someone Who… Game- students can walk around the room and find someone who either likes a similar food or activity, has something in common with them, etc. Use a recording sheet or have them take notes. The chat mat can then be a tool for them to present their findings to the class.

4) Fruit Salad Game: Sit in one large circle or two smaller circles, with one less chair than the number of people. The person in the middle uses the chat mat to make a statement about Thanksgiving. Students in the circle refer to their chat mats to check comprehension - if they have the statement in common with the student in the center, they must get a new chair (can’t be the chair next to them). Play continues with whoever is now left in the center.

5) Hachi Pachi Game - I learned this game from La Maestra Loca (Annabelle Williamson), and it’s a student FAVE! I varied it a little bit for the chat mat. Sit in one large circle or two smaller circles, with one less chair than the number of people. The person in the middle is the Hachi Pachi. Everyone closes their eyes. The teacher taps someone to become the next Hachi Pachi. Game play begins with the Hachi Pachi tossing an object (I suggest a stuffed animal) to each person in the circle, asking questions from the chat mat. Students answer and toss the object back. When the student pre-selected to be the next Hachi Pachi is tossed the object, rather than answering the question they shout “Hachi Pachi!” and everyone has to get up and get a new seat.

Pro Tip: I always play these games with my students when possible - they love it and it builds so many relationships!

My Big Takeaways

1) I didn’t expect it to work as well as it did! Once disconnected and disillusioned, their eyes were now bright and engaged in the conversation. My students felt EMPOWERED and able to participate. Reluctant learners who often struggled in class joined in and participated.

The chat mat leveled the playing field; high flyers could soar into the clouds, while others were given the boost they needed to join in.

2) My overall goal isn’t for my students to acquire all the words on the Chat Mat. Instead, the support they receive lowers their affective filters and empowers them to have fun speaking Spanish! While yes, they are reading and parroting the language, it still builds confidence when they are successful at carrying on actual conversations with classmates. Why not keep them wanting to acquire more?

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Thanksgiving Story, Pablo Pavo Quiere Escapar, Mini-Book and Flipped Running Dictation Game Kit

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Wishing you all the very best,