A Fun Way to Reinforce Vocabulary—That Gets Students Moving
Hi everyone,
I wanted to share a fantastic activity that could bring a burst of energy (and serious language practice) to your classroom—especially for those teaching EAL or world languages.
It’s called Running Dictation, and it’s been a game-changer for Jamie Midyette, a Spanish teacher at Albert Hill Middle School. What makes this activity so powerful is how it transforms vocabulary review into an active, collaborative, and multi-skill experience. Students run, speak, listen, read, and write—all in the target language. And they love it.
Here’s how it works:
Students work in pairs with a handout of sentences from a story—out of order.
Images from the story are scattered across a hallway or outdoor area.
One partner runs to an image, memorizes or describes what they see in the target language, and runs back to share with their partner.
The other partner identifies and labels the correct sentence based on the description.
Then they switch roles—and race to complete the full sequence.
It’s fast-paced, student-led, and packed with meaningful practice. Most importantly, students are deeply engaged—not just with vocabulary, but with each other. They’re motivated to communicate clearly, listen actively, and recall what they’ve learned in a way that sticks.
This kind of activity reminds us that learning a language isn’t just about memorizing—it’s about using, moving, laughing, and connecting.
If you’d like to try it, Jamie has generously shared editable Running Dictation printables available here (Google sign-in required).
I’d love to hear if any of you have used something like this—or if you give it a try with your students. Let’s keep sharing these energizing, practical tools across our InTA community
https://www.edutopia.org/video/transforming-vocabulary-review-into-an-active-game