I want to give full credit for this brilliant idea to my colleague, Denise Gridley. A seasoned educator, Denise created this simple yet genius strategy to gamify class participation.

The best part? It effectively helps manage behavior and blurting out!

I’m especially grateful for this strategy because it has helped me improve a weakness in my classroom management—particularly when using Comprehensible Input (CI) strategies.

Where do I struggle with management, you ask?

Here’s how things usually go for me:

I kick off a lesson with Picture Talk or another CI input strategy, and the conversation takes off. Students excitedly chime in with Spanish words and responses, creating an organic, lively flow. The atmosphere feels vibrant and engaging. In a part of my brain though, a red flag warning rises - I should be making them raise their hands….I’ll pay for it later…..

But I’m so caught up in the energy, I run with it.

Here’s the thing though: I do pay for it later.

Hand-raising prevents chaos, curbs blurting, and fosters active listening. When this routine slips away, it impacts the classroom dynamic, leaving me feeling frustrated and wondering why things have gotten so loud.

I start getting angry and giving consequences for the blurting…and then feel bad when the kids look confused about why the rules seem to have suddenly changed.

Enter the Cartas de Participación!

This strategy is simple: each student gets an index card with holes punched to keep it in their binder. I set a goal—typically 30-40 points—to be reached by a due date every three weeks or so.

Each day students write the date on their cards. Throughout the class, if anyone RAISES THEIR HAND to speak or answer in Spanish, I award them points. They tally the points on their index cards. Depending on their contribution, the point distribution is random—sometimes 1, or 3 points, sometimes 5.

For example, if a student says “Puedo ir al baño” without being prompted, it’s 1 point. But - if they up their game and say “Puedo ir al baño después de Billy”, 3 points! I LOVE it when they organically add in phrases and want to reward it. Soon, other kids imitate and it’s magical.

Do these cards impact their grade?

Yes! I count them toward their participation grade, though they could easily be incorporated into an interpersonal communication grade since they encourage organic language production.

It’s designed to be an easy ‘A’—rewarding effort and encouraging engagement.

What if they lose the card?

Ideally, it’s a zero. However, in today’s educational climate where reassessment is emphasized, I offer a solution: they must double their points on the next card (which is nearly impossible but looks fair on paper 😉).

What about shy or reluctant students?

A few parents have expressed concerns over their children’s grades being negatively impacted. For these kids, I don’t want to raise their affective filter.

One strategy is to walk around the room during group work and ask them questions in Spanish - a perfect way to give them puntos while not making them speak in front of the whole class if they aren’t ready.

Do some kids cheat?

Yeah, a few try to - they’re kids. I’ve had one-on-one conversations with students whose point totals don’t jive with what I’ve seen in class. Usually, they retract fake points. Requiring them to write the date each day helps reduce cheating.

4 Takeaways about the Cartas de Participación Strategy:

1. Keeps me accountable for reinforcing hand-raising, and improving consistency in my classroom management.

2. Fosters a positive environment by rewarding meaningful participation in the target language.

3. Slows down input! Each time I pause to let them raise their hands and call on someone, I’m pausing the delivery of input. This helps comprehension and reminds me to circle and give comprehension checks.

4. Builds community as they earn points - helps them listen to each other and celebrate wins!

I hope you find this helpful! Wishing you all the best!

Much love,

Catherine

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