Pégalo: High-energy Versatile Game for WL Language Class- Steps, Template & Video Included!

Earlier this week in my FB Group: Teaching From the Trenches , as well as on Instagram, I shared a video of my class playing “Pégalo” with prominent figures for Black History Month. This is my go-to game because it’s super easy to implement and assemble, not to mention, I can virtually combine it with any of the content I’m teaching. It’s high energy, and fast; the students really enjoy it.

Now, as far as the origin story, I did not make up this game. It has probably migrated to the World Language sphere from other subject areas. The first time I played was at my current high school. In fact, I believe my awesome Colleen introduced me to the game.

If you saw the video below last week and subsequently reached out to me on social media, I created this blog post for you! Hopefully, I can answer all of your lingering questions about my approach, however, here is a spoiler alert; it was super simple! Nada complicado:)

In the past, I have played this game with book/movie characters (El Internado, Alta Mar, Clase de confesiones, El escape) vocabulary, verbs, you name it!

How do we play?

Here is my step-by-step play. I have even compiled a slide deck with the video and templates to cut down your prep time even more!

I opened a Google slide deck and used the first horizontal slide. The game is literally a one-pager.

2. Gameboard on Google Slide: I divide the space on that slide into six squares; 3 upper and 2 lower. If you are doing vocabulary words, you can do Google docs/Slides in portrait mode. Personally, it’s easier for me to format pictures on slides, so I change the page orientation if I need more space or need to use more pictures.

3. Place the content in the respective boxes.

Below, I used the descriptions in Carla’s book “En qué estoy pensando.” I found pictures, read descriptions, and students’ job was to listen carefully, and then X out the corresponding picture. However, to keep things civil, honor processing time, they could only X out the correct person upon hearing the palabra clave or keyword (Pégalo).

Note: I added Serena (the book mentions her sister, Venus. I thought my students would be more familiar with Serena) and I also added Simone Biles because that week we discussed the fact that her now husband didn’t know she was an Olympic Gold Medalist prior to meeting her!