It’s one of those school thing that we all did (and almost all hated), but the good old dictation is back! Put a new twist on this timeless classic with the following ideas. And yes, it’s good for Primary, Middle and High school alike! All good!

Add to it

This one is good for the younger kids or to work on a vocabulary list. Say the words out loud and then ask your students to add words to it, like an article or an adjective, and to translate it. For example:

TEACHER: Frère.

STUDENT WRITES: Le frère – brother.

At the end, you can correct with your class, and ask your students to give themselves points if they have the correct spelling, correct article and correct translation.

Make a story out of it

Call ten words, one after the other, giving your students time to write them down. After their finished, correct the spelling. When that is done, ask them to write a short paragraphe using the ten words. The words can all be linked to a common theme. Or not.

Answer questions on it

This time, read out loud a full paragraphe, and ask your students to write it down. When they are finished, let them see the full text (on the board, the screen or in paper form) and ask them to correct themselves. You can also do peer correcting, but if you do, ask your student to underline the mistakes, and not to correct them. When that is done, put questions related to the text on the board. It has to be something that relates to the story of the text, and not the grammar of it.

Complete the story

Once again, read out loud a full paragraphe. Make sure that there is an incomplete story in it, like the beginning of a tale, an action, and so on. Correct the spelling and ask your class to complete the story in a short text.

Have fun!