Which sport does this class like most? Show of hands for football (soccer), basketball, swimming, or something else. Keep your answer ready: by the end of today you will be able to name your favourite in Spanish.
By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:
- Name eight sports in Spanish with el or la
- Say which sport you like best in a short Spanish sentence
- Talk about a sport a country is known for
Take a quick show of hands for three or four sports and note the winner on the board in English only. Do not teach any Spanish yet; the word-table in the next step carries the new words. The vote gives the class a reason to care which words come up.
Clarify early: when you say football in the vote, mean soccer. In Irish classrooms “football” often means Gaelic football; Spanish el fútbol is soccer. If pupils call out hurling or Gaelic football, smile and park them for the discussion later: “Great Irish sports — we’ll come back to those.”
Here are today’s eight sports. We will learn them in two short rounds. Tap each one, listen, then say it back together. Watch which ones take el and which take la.
Remember: el fútbol means football as in soccer, not Gaelic football.
After both rounds, a short way to say your favourite is Me gusta el fútbol (I like football/soccer).
Round 1 (first four): Tap el fútbol, el baloncesto, el tenis, la natación. Class repeats each twice (all together, then by table). Point at the article every time. Quick thumbs-up check: “Who can still hear la natación in their head?” Cheer the first clean el/la pair with ¡Qué bien! so the class hears praise in Spanish.
Round 2 (second four): Same routine for el ciclismo, el voleibol, el béisbol, el hockey. Linger on the trickier ones: baloncesto, natación, ciclismo. For ciclismo, the c before i is a soft “th” sound in most of Spain (thee-KLEES-moh) — try it like that once as a class.
Pronunciation guides: el fútbol (el FOOT-bol), el baloncesto (el bah-lon-SEHS-toh), el tenis (el TEH-nees), la natación (lah nah-tah-SYON), el ciclismo (el thee-KLEES-moh), el voleibol (el boh-lay-BOL), el béisbol (el BEH-ees-bol), el hockey (el OH-kee).
Me gusta model (after both rounds): Write on the board Me gusta el fútbol (meh GOOS-tah el FOOT-bol). Say it once, then swap in one other sport so pupils hear the pattern: Me gusta la natación. Leave the frame on the board for the copybook.
Listen for each sport and mark it on your card. First full line calls out. Say the Spanish quietly to yourself as you mark it.
How to Play Bingo:
Option 1: Students on Devices (Digital Version)
- Use the digital version where your teacher view of the lesson displays the cards that are being called out.
- Play the pronunciation sound of each word and the children mark it off their unique digital bingo card.
- Each student has a randomised bingo card so winners will vary!
Option 2: Print Out the Bingo Cards
- Print out the Bingo Cards from the attachment above, cut out the cards, and give one to each student.
- You call out the vocabulary words and students mark off their sheets.
- First student to complete a line (horizontal, vertical, or diagonal) calls "Bingo!" and wins.
Open your copy. Write any three sports from today’s list, each with el or la. Then write one sentence: Me gusta… plus your favourite from the list.
Pause the board and keep the word-table on screen while they write. Everyone’s pen should be moving. The task is three sports from today’s eight plus one Me gusta… sentence — not “sports you play outside school”. GAA fans (hurling, Gaelic football) still pick three from the Spanish list for practice; their Irish sports get airtime in the discussion.
Check that the article is going in front of every noun and that accents are copied carefully, especially the accent on natación and béisbol. Model the sentence frame once more if needed: Me gusta el béisbol (meh GOOS-tah el BEH-ees-bol). Do not collect the copies.
We are at a school sports day in Valencia. Spin the wheel. When it lands on a sport, mime that sport, then say its Spanish name with el or la. The class echoes you. After a few spins, some of you will say your favourite with Me gusta…
How this uses the wheel (no hiding needed): the spun sport stays visible on the IWB. The volunteer does not make the class guess the word — everyone can see it. The job is to mime the sport (meaning) and then produce the full Spanish phrase with the article (language). Class echoes. This matches what the wheel actually shows.
1-minute whisper rehearsal first: everyone turns to the person beside them. Point to 2–3 sports on the board; pairs whisper the full phrase (el/la + sport) once each. Then open the wheel.
Board routine: before each spin say “En el patio…” Invite a volunteer. Spin. Volunteer mimes the sport on screen, then says e.g. el voleibol. Class repeats once. Insist on the article: fútbol alone is not enough. Big reaction for a brave mime even if the word is shaky; then polish the article together. If a pupil freezes, allow “phone a table” — their table says it with them. If pronunciation slips, replay the audio from the word-table and have the class repeat once before the next spin.
Spoken Me gusta pass (final 2 minutes): stop the wheel. Ask 4–5 pupils ¿Qué deporte te gusta? Each answers from their copy sentence: Me gusta el/la… This is the spoken production the summary claims — do not skip it.
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