Running dictation: a 25-minute ESL and language class game, grades 3–5

1. Write a text at or just below your students' level. Example: "Our class has a small garden. In October we picked the last tomatoes. Then we pulled out the old plants. Next we planted garlic for next summer. Now we wait for the first frost."
2. Make pairs: a runner and a writer. Set two rules: runners walk, never run, and the writer may not leave the desk or look at the chart.
3. Say "Go." Runners read a few words, walk back and say them to the writer, then return for more. They repeat until the text is done.
4. Halfway (when you see most pairs at sentence three), call "Switch!" Runners and writers trade roles.
5. When a pair finishes, they walk together to the chart and check their text with the colored pen, fixing spelling, capitals and punctuation themselves.
6. Debrief: "How did you remember long parts?" Collect strategies, such as repeating it three times.

For Spanish or Portuguese classes, use a text in the target language and tell students that accents and marks count: á, é, ñ, ã, ç. Example opening in Spanish: "Nuestra clase tiene un pequeño jardín." In Portuguese: "Nossa turma tem uma pequena horta."

Differentiation: for newer learners, use three short sentences and allow the runner to return as many times as needed. For advanced learners, use a longer text and let runners visit the chart only five times. For students who speak the same home language, pair a stronger and newer speaker in the target language. For students with mobility needs, move the chart closer or let them be writer the whole time; for students with dyslexia, use a larger font, more space between lines and a word count for each sentence.

Quick check: each student underlines one word they misspelled and writes it correctly three times, or shares the strategy that helped them remember.

If you try it, tell us how long your fastest pair took and which word tripped everyone up.