Dictations
More than thirty five years ago I remember my teachers announcing the activity for a particular day and whenever it was a dictation I would be as happy as a little kid would be by receiving a bag of candy! I used to enjoy the challenges of the more complicated sentences and I loved getting feedback from my teachers.  I do realize that kids nowadays are different in a few ways such as living in a world where instant gratification is key.

I use dictations in the language classes I teach by giving them tasks that go beyond just copying the words they hear. I leave key words blank for them to fill in after finishing the dictation itself.  Sometimes I give them alternatives to fill in with and I encourage creativity and imaginative activities.