Spanish Back to School Ice Breaker Activity - Comecocos (Fortune Tellers)

 How to Use Comecocos (Fortune Tellers) as an Ice Breaker Activity for Spanish Class


One of my students’ favorite activities we’ve done at the start of a new school year is making Comecocos!

It’s a great community building activity that gets students out of their seats, and talking to one another.


Comecocos are the fortune teller origami crafts you may remember making in elementary school. Sometimes they’re referred to as “Cootie Catchers” too!

Comecocos are the fortune teller origami crafts you may remember making in elementary school.

I use a template that has “Question Ideas” for students to create their own 8 questions.

I typically do this activity with my Spanish 2, 3 and 4 classes, because they have prior knowledge of Spanish, yet the questions can be quite basic - a perfect way to start the year!

template that has “Question Ideas” for students to create their own 8 questions.


My basic lesson plan is as follows:


  1. Each student will need a Comecocos template. They will write in 8 questions, either using the list for inspiration, or creating their own.

  2. Once they’re done writing their questions, they can choose 4 different colors to color in the outer squares.

  3. I model each of the following steps, to ensure nobody cuts or folds the wrong thing! 

    1. First, they will cut out the entire square template.

    2. Then we will watch the “How-To” video, pausing and making sure everyone is at the same step, before moving on.

Partially folded Comecocos origami craft

  1. Then I model with a student and my own comecocos, what the rest of the activity will look like. I point to and emphasize the projected student instructions as well. 

    1. Start by asking “¿Cómo te llamas?” if you don’t already know the classmate’s name.

    2. Then ask, “¿Qué color?”.

      1. If they say “amarillo” open and close the cootie catcher for each syllable, saying each syllable of “amarillo” as you do that. “A-ma-ri-llo” (so you will have opened and closed the cootie catcher 4 times)

    3. Then ask, “¿Cuál número?”

      1. If they say “siete”, you will open and close the cootie catcher 7 times, counting up to 7. “Uno, dos, tres, cuatro, cinco, seis, siete”

    4. Then ask again, “¿Cuál número?”

      1. Whatever number they say this time, you open up the flap, and ask them the question. 

        1. The classmate should answer the question, in Spanish of course!

      2. If it makes sense, follow up with another question for more details.

    5. Then, the classmate who answered your questions will repeat the whole process, asking you the questions. 

Completed origami comecocos craft, opened slightly to reveal 2 of the 8 questions.

  1. Then students should find a new classmate to converse with using their Comecocos!


TIPS:

  1. You can do this activity for however long you wish! Generally, students are excited to get out of their seats, and ask each other their questions using their cute creations.

  2. Do your students’ schedules change at trimester or semester like mine? This activity is a fun ice-breaker activity to do mid-year, when it’s a new trimester/semester, and the students are in a different period of Spanish. It can help the students warm up to each other, and build classroom community!

  3. This next tip actually came from some of my students! 

    1. They had so much fun, that they wanted me to save their Comecocos in a box. 

    2. Every now and then, we’d pull out the box of Comecocos, everyone would grab a random one, and use the Comecocos to converse with one another! 


If you want to save yourself time from creating this activity, you can check out a Preview by clicking here.

It includes:

✅ 2 Editable Templates with “Question Ideas” for students to create their own Fortune Teller; Template 1 has numbers 1-8 and Template 2 has numbers 0-100

✅ Detailed Teacher Instructions explaining the times of the year, and ways to use this activity

✅Projectable Student Instructions with a How-To video linked on Youtube


I’d love to see your students’ Comecocos! Tag me on instagram @espanolconemily if you try this activity out with your students!


Popular posts from this blog

No-Prep Emergency Spanish Sub Plans

Image
  2 Minute Read No-Prep Spanish Sub Plans that work for Middle and High School Spanish are super important when you have to call in sick the night or morning before school! What’s tricky about being a Spanish teacher, is that it’s pretty rare that fellow coworkers or substitutes can teach Spanish while we’re gone. Therefore, over the years, I’ve needed to have a few sets of emergency sub plans ready to go at a moment’s notice → and that means something digital! Whether you call them webquests or virtual field trips, the idea is the same –students will discover information in an interactive way with embedded links that take them to websites with reliable information. Have you ever spent a bunch of time leaving detailed sub plans with copies to print, and the sub doesn’t actually read your directions? 🤦‍♀️ I’ve been there! It’s super frustrating, and ends up feeling like your time was wasted, especially when you should’ve been resting up or taking care of your kids, instead of writing
Continue Reading

Spanish Classroom Speaking, Listening & Writing Activities - Find Someone Who!

Image
Spanish Classroom Speaking, Listening & Writing Activities - Find Someone Who! One of my favorite activities to do in Spanish class that gets students out of their seats and conversing with their classmates, is a good ol’ Find Someone Who activity. After talking with fellow colleagues about what this looks like in their classes, (even math teachers have done this activity!) I realized there’s many different variations of what this can look like depending on the subject, time of year, and grade level. The most common time of year my colleagues were saying they use these activities is at the start of the school year , as an ice breaker activity. That’s definitely a great time to do an activity like this!  However, I’ve used this activity not just as a simple icebreaker activity, but with proper scaffolding & extension activities, it’s a great way to incorporate all 4 modes of communication!  Here’s my general multi-day lesson plan when it comes to using a Find Someone Who activ
Continue Reading

What does my Alebrije Look Like? - Alebrijes Project for Spanish Class

Image
  What does my Alebrije Look Like? - Alebrijes Project for Spanish Class This alebrijes project is such a fun way to wrap up Día de los Muertos lessons, or after watching the movie Coco in Spanish class. My students love being creative, and getting to hang their projects in the classroom or hallways - something they don’t get to do often being in high school! This project works for all levels: Spanish 1, 2, 3 and beyond! How this project works: Students will take the 10 question “ questionnaire ” which is similar to old-school magazine quizzes, or like those modern day Buzzfeed-type quizzes. It asks them about their personality characteristics, when their birthday month is, and some of their “favorites” relating to vocab often covered by November 1st, in Spanish 1.  Once they answer all 10 questions, they will use the “answer key” to find out what their alebrije consists of (colors, design, and which body parts are made up of which kind of animals). The list of animals consists of anim
Continue Reading