To introduce “la policía” I would first teach my students a song: “Vamos a cantar.” (We are going to sing.) After teaching the song, I would hold up “la policía” signs and ask students: ¿Quién quiere ser la policía? (Who wants to be the police?). Usually many students wanted to participate
because it gave them some control. (You
may also want to rotate through students.
I drew from a pile of popsicle sticks with students names on them, but I
did give students the option of choosing an alternative student to take their
place.) I would then explain: “Pueden cantar con la clase o solo. La
policía busca estudiantes que no canten.” (You can sing with the class o
alone. The police are looking for
students who are not singing.) Hand
gestures increased student comprehension.
(You can also be “la policía”
for the first round or pretend that you are not singing and show students what
happens.)
Two students would wear signs
that said “la policía” during a
song. If they both agreed that a student was not singing I would ask that
specific student, “¿Quieres cantar conmigo o solo/a?” (Do you want to sing with me or alone?) Then students would either repeat after me or
sing a section of the song alone. (When “la policía” would begin to gang up on
certain students I would change the rules to somehow keep “la policía” in check.)
