Playing classroom games and challenges.
To play or not to play, that is the question. 15 Games for the EFL classroom.
During my travels, visiting schools, presenting workshops, I have witnessed a disturbing trend in many schools where authorities not only discourage, but in many cases, prohibit teachers from using games as a standard part of their methodology. They feel that a quiet school reaps more fruitful results and that noise indicates disruptive and uncontrollable behavior. A school principle once told me “A quiet school is a successful school”. This attitude is of course so far devoid of reality, and an attitude that presents a negative impact on teaching results. Controlling students and teachers to the degree that their creativity and enthusiasm is restricted can only have a negative effect on their overall educational results.
Games are one of the most effective ways to develop enthusiasm in our students, an essential element when it comes to achieving success in the classroom. English teachers know that when it comes to learning new vocabulary, that it takes more than just one activity in class, especially if the words that they are covering are those that are seldom used in normal life. For example, it may take only 24 to 48 hours for students to forget up to 80 percent of what they have learned (Thornbury 2002). Reviewing, reusing, and recycling newly encountered vocabulary is imperative if students are to fully grasp what they have learnt in class.
Students, no matter their age, or level of English, may need to encounter a new word eight to ten or even more times to acquire it effectively. Variables such as context and the level of difficulty play an important role in the acquisition of vocabulary. To maximize students vocabulary development, teachers should intentionally exposure their students to any new words that they cover at least 12 times over a two weeks period in different contexts such as reading, listening, crosswords, gap fills, class presentations, video reviews, projects, homework, group work, spelling bees and games. No matter what activity teachers choose to teach vocabulary, it is important to understand the relevance of repetition.
Games create a fun, productive and relaxed environment where the students feel less pressured to produce the language that they have learnt. Students feel both mentally and physically energized due to the dynamic nature of games. They also assist the students to recognize words in a manner that is far different to the stereotypical format that is utilized in the majority of books today. Games encourage the creative and spontaneous use of language, they build student confidence, classroom cohesion and allows for the development of successful group dynamics.
Despite the attitude, and policies of some administrators, the concept of students playing games, and having fun whilst learning has been proven not to be counter-productive when it comes to successful learning, but rather an essential concept that is guaranteed to heighten classroom enthusiasm, and the consequential academic results that students achieve. Students, as with adults, are always more successful when undertaking activities that are creative, stimulating and motivating.
Below are 10 classroom games that I have utilized many times in my classes. I hope that you find at least some of them to be a positive, helpful addition to your methodological repertoire.
1. Quick shot vocabulary
This game is short and simple. Write the alphabet on the board. Throw a soft ball to someone and say a word beginning with the letter A. This person must catch the ball, say a word beginning with the letter B and then throw it to another person this third person says a word beginning with the letter C and so on.
Obviously, the game is designed to be played fast. If played with higher level students, you may not want to write the alphabet on the board. There are many ways to change the game to make it adaptable to your level of students.
2.Code breaker.
I like to give instructions to my students that are written in a code that they have to interpret before completing tasks. I have used this activity at various levels:
Here is an example to revise the alphabet and simple present verbs.
• Tell students the code e.g. each code letter represents the letter that comes before it in the alphabet a is b, m is n, o is p, x is y, 'dbu' is cat etc.
• Then they decode their message and do the task:
o xbml up uif cpbse - walk to the board
o kvnq ufo ujnft - jump ten times
To make it more difficult, I’ve...
• used more complex codes,
• let them work the code out for themselves,
• have not defined where words end,
• have given more complicated tasks or vocabulary
• Or given them half an instruction which they must decode and then find the classmate with the other half of their task information.
This activity can be used to review or practice vocabulary or structure or simply be a different way to introduce the topic for the day's class -- each student gets one or two words to decode and then the class work to put all the words together.
Ad hoc Story
This is an activity that is designed to make your students speak in class and to be creative.
Ask students to write a word on a piece of paper and tell them not to show anyone. This word should be a verb (or whatever you would like to review).
The teacher starts telling a story, then stops and chooses a student.
That student will continue the story using their word. This student then chooses the next student to continue the story.
The last student must end the story.
After the story is over, the students then try to guess what words each student has written on their paper. The student who guesses the most words wins the game.
4. Classroom Rules: Must and Mustn't
• Prepare small pieces of paper, each with either one thing students must do or one thing that students must not do.
• Tell the students that they are supposed to form sentences that explain classroom rules.
• Divide the class into groups of 4 if possible, so that everyone gets a chance to speak.
• Give each group the pieces of paper.
The winning group, the group that finishes first, reads their sentences aloud. (Each student of the group reads one or two sentences depends on size of group.)
It's an easy game and the preparation does not take too much time. You can make as many rules as you wish.
5. Cell phone Camera Scavenger Hunt
This game may require students to leave the classroom depending on how you set it up.
First, make a list of things students must take photos of. Next, put your students into teams, each with their own camera and have them go out and take the photos. The team that comes back first with all of the photos is the winner.
Some ideas for lists are:
• Bus, taxi, car, bicycle, etc.
• Restaurant, blue car, traditional casona, traffic light, etc.
• In the classroom: pencil, pen, eraser, blackboard, etc.
• Around the institute: principal's office, copy machine, cafeteria, etc.
For further review of vocabulary, have the students look at all the photos and identify other things that appear in each photo.
6. Taboo
This game is a simplified version of the board game "Taboo".
Before class, create several index cards. On each card write one word in a large font with a circle around it, and underneath write 2-4 related words in a smaller font. The goal is for students to get their teammates to guess the circled word. They can say anything they like to try to make them guess, except for the words written on the card.
Divide the class into groups of two, and write each group on the board to keep track of points. Place a desk in the front of the room facing the class so that someone sitting at it has their back to the board and can't read it. Place another desk in front of it, so the teammates are facing each other.
Pick a team to go first, and have them choose a card. Have the teammates decide who will guess and who will talk. The guesser sits with their back to the board. On the board, making sure the guesser can't see, write the circled word as well as the other taboo words. The talker then has to try to make their partner guess the circled word without saying it, or any of the other words. After they guess it, have another group come up. When all the groups have had their turn, do it again and have the teammates switch roles.
My students really enjoy this game, so much so that they often give the guesser clues even when it is not their team! It is a great way for students to practice forming sentences, and it forces them to use words and structures they might otherwise not use.
7. Words that begin with…….
The teacher chooses a letter from the alphabet. Then each student must say a word that begins with that letter.
If a student repeats a word that has already been said, then they are out of the game. The game ends when only one student remains. That student is the winner. In high-level classes, students lose if they say a past form of the verb.
Example: See-saw. You can increase the difficulty by adding a timer. Only allow each student 5 seconds to think of a word.
8.Acting out.
This is a game-like activity to teach continuous tense.
One student simply acts out some activity (e.g. cooking) and the other students guess what that student is doing.
The student who guesses correctly acts out the next activity.
http://9.My theme Cards
For this activity, you will need a deck of cards, and an imaginative theme that could be crafted into some sort of story.
For example, I choose "send the teacher on a vacation". On the whiteboard or on a powerpoint, make a list like the following.
(You could ask your student for input.)
• A-exciting
• 2-depressing
• 3-expensive
• 4-heroic
• 5-romantic
• 6-fantastic
• 7-sad
• 8-almost fatal
• 9-cheap
• 10-dramatic
• J-happy
• Q-weird
• K-change one option
Prompt the students a little to get them started; perhaps offer a beginning to the story. They then must continue making an oral story by drawing one card and continuing the story along those lines. For example, if they get 4, then the teacher/protagonist must do something heroic or some kind of heroic event must occur. If the students draw a K (or whatever card you stipulate), then they can change one option. This seems to help keep the momentum in the game. Continue through all cards, with the stipulation that the story must be concluded by the end of the deck. Obviously there is a lot of room for variation here.
Your word list and theme could be related to your unit of study.
10.Spot the differences
Choose five students to stand at the front of the class. Next, ask one volunteer to go out of the classroom. While the student is out of the room, get the five students at the front of the class to change their sweaters, shoes, coats and so on. Bring the student who went out of the classroom back inside. They have to guess the differences (speaking in English, of course.)
Change groups and volunteers and repeat the activity as many times as you want.
11.What’s the letter?
This game is specifically for practicing the alphabet. Divide students into groups and ask them to stand in line and give the students in the front of the line a marker to write on the whiteboard. Then, with your finger, write a letter of the alphabet on the back of the students at the end of the line. They must do the same with the student in front of them and so on down the line. The students with the marker try to guess the letter and write any word that begins with that letter on the board.
12.Folded up Stories
Give each student a sheet of blank paper. Write the following words on the board in a vertical line: WHO, WHAT, HOW, WHERE, WHEN, WHY. Explain that everyone will be writing a sentence story. Write an example on the board, explain, asking for suggestions.
1. Tell them to write someone's name at the top of their paper, i.e., their own, a classmate's, the teacher's, a famous person that everyone knows; fold the paper over once so no one can see it, then pass the paper to the person on their right.
2. Write on the received paper what the subject did (suggest funny or outrageous actions), fold it over and pass it on to the right.
3. Continue to write one line, how they did it (adverbs), fold and pass; where-pass; when-pass; and last of all, why (because...) and pass it one more time.
4. Have the students unfold their stories, and read them silently. Help anyone who cannot read what the others wrote, or does not understand.
5. Ask one student at a time to read "their" story aloud, or turn the stories in for the teacher to read. Funny!
13.Guess the word.
• Ask one student to be in front of the class. Give them a word that can’t be seen by the other students. Next, they must draw (on the whiteboard) a picture expressing the concept of the word.
• The rest of the class has to guess the word.
• If you are keeping score, the one who drew the picture gets the point if the class can guess the word.
14.Let’s review our tenses.
Level: Any Level
Preparation:
• Print out three sentences (negative, positive, and question) of the tense you want to review.
• Cut each sentence into individual words.
The Activity:
• Students work in groups.
• Give each group of student’s the words of the sentence that you cut up and ask them to put the sentence back into its original order.
• On the board, ask the students to write their sentences once they have put them back into the correct order and to say if they are positive, negative, or a question.
• Ask students to make rules of the tense.
Example:
• Three Sentences:
o I am a student.
o I am not a student.
o Are you a student?
• The Rules:
o TO BE at the present simple
I am a student.
o Positive: S + am/is/are + O.
I am not a student.
o Negative: S + am/is/are + not + O.
Are you a student?
o Question: (Questions words) + am/ is /are + S + O?
15.Thinking on your feet
Level: Any Level
A revision game. It also works well for the last 5 minutes of class
The teacher prepares a list of items for revision e.g. word fields, grammar, facts. In class they explain the procedure.
Three to five volunteers leave the classroom and wait until their turn has come. The teacher appoints a student to take the exact time and another to take down a tick for every correct answer. No repetitions! Then the first player is called in.
• Teacher: You have 20 second to name as many things as you can about:
• Your topic: Parts of the body / Famous cities / Your family / Your city / Technology / The internet / etc.
• Ready, steady, go
Once all volunteers have had their turn, award a small prize (e.g. a sticker or candy) to the winner of the round.
Allow 30 or 40 seconds for answers to longer questions: What have you done so far today? / What did you do last weekend? / School rules: What do students have to do? What are they not allowed to do? / etc.
If this game is played in groups, they should be evenly balanced.
If you would like to receive regular games to play in your classroom, please visit my Facebook page called "Games and Challenges for the EFL classroom".
Well, good luck in class, I hope that at least one of these activities will help you in your endeavors to be the best English teacher that you can be.
2016
To play or not to play, that is the question. 15 Games for the EFL classroom.
During my travels, visiting schools, presenting workshops, I have witnessed a disturbing trend in many schools where authorities not only discourage, but in many cases, prohibit teachers from using games as a standard part of their methodology. They feel that a quiet school reaps more fruitful results and that noise indicates disruptive and uncontrollable behavior. A school principle once told me “A quiet school is a successful school”. This attitude is of course so far devoid of reality, and an attitude that presents a negative impact on teaching results. Controlling students and teachers to the degree that their creativity and enthusiasm is restricted can only have a negative effect on their overall educational results.
Games are one of the most effective ways to develop enthusiasm in our students, an essential element when it comes to achieving success in the classroom. English teachers know that when it comes to learning new vocabulary, that it takes more than just one activity in class, especially if the words that they are covering are those that are seldom used in normal life. For example, it may take only 24 to 48 hours for students to forget up to 80 percent of what they have learned (Thornbury 2002). Reviewing, reusing, and recycling newly encountered vocabulary is imperative if students are to fully grasp what they have learnt in class.
Students, no matter their age, or level of English, may need to encounter a new word eight to ten or even more times to acquire it effectively. Variables such as context and the level of difficulty play an important role in the acquisition of vocabulary. To maximize students vocabulary development, teachers should intentionally exposure their students to any new words that they cover at least 12 times over a two weeks period in different contexts such as reading, listening, crosswords, gap fills, class presentations, video reviews, projects, homework, group work, spelling bees and games. No matter what activity teachers choose to teach vocabulary, it is important to understand the relevance of repetition.
Games create a fun, productive and relaxed environment where the students feel less pressured to produce the language that they have learnt. Students feel both mentally and physically energized due to the dynamic nature of games. They also assist the students to recognize words in a manner that is far different to the stereotypical format that is utilized in the majority of books today. Games encourage the creative and spontaneous use of language, they build student confidence, classroom cohesion and allows for the development of successful group dynamics.
Despite the attitude, and policies of some administrators, the concept of students playing games, and having fun whilst learning has been proven not to be counter-productive when it comes to successful learning, but rather an essential concept that is guaranteed to heighten classroom enthusiasm, and the consequential academic results that students achieve. Students, as with adults, are always more successful when undertaking activities that are creative, stimulating and motivating.
Below are 10 classroom games that I have utilized many times in my classes. I hope that you find at least some of them to be a positive, helpful addition to your methodological repertoire.
1. Quick shot vocabulary
This game is short and simple. Write the alphabet on the board. Throw a soft ball to someone and say a word beginning with the letter A. This person must catch the ball, say a word beginning with the letter B and then throw it to another person this third person says a word beginning with the letter C and so on.
Obviously, the game is designed to be played fast. If played with higher level students, you may not want to write the alphabet on the board. There are many ways to change the game to make it adaptable to your level of students.
2.Code breaker.
I like to give instructions to my students that are written in a code that they have to interpret before completing tasks. I have used this activity at various levels:
Here is an example to revise the alphabet and simple present verbs.
• Tell students the code e.g. each code letter represents the letter that comes before it in the alphabet a is b, m is n, o is p, x is y, 'dbu' is cat etc.
• Then they decode their message and do the task:
o xbml up uif cpbse - walk to the board
o kvnq ufo ujnft - jump ten times
To make it more difficult, I’ve...
• used more complex codes,
• let them work the code out for themselves,
• have not defined where words end,
• have given more complicated tasks or vocabulary
• Or given them half an instruction which they must decode and then find the classmate with the other half of their task information.
This activity can be used to review or practice vocabulary or structure or simply be a different way to introduce the topic for the day's class -- each student gets one or two words to decode and then the class work to put all the words together.
Ad hoc Story
This is an activity that is designed to make your students speak in class and to be creative.
Ask students to write a word on a piece of paper and tell them not to show anyone. This word should be a verb (or whatever you would like to review).
The teacher starts telling a story, then stops and chooses a student.
That student will continue the story using their word. This student then chooses the next student to continue the story.
The last student must end the story.
After the story is over, the students then try to guess what words each student has written on their paper. The student who guesses the most words wins the game.
4. Classroom Rules: Must and Mustn't
• Prepare small pieces of paper, each with either one thing students must do or one thing that students must not do.
• Tell the students that they are supposed to form sentences that explain classroom rules.
• Divide the class into groups of 4 if possible, so that everyone gets a chance to speak.
• Give each group the pieces of paper.
The winning group, the group that finishes first, reads their sentences aloud. (Each student of the group reads one or two sentences depends on size of group.)
It's an easy game and the preparation does not take too much time. You can make as many rules as you wish.
5. Cell phone Camera Scavenger Hunt
This game may require students to leave the classroom depending on how you set it up.
First, make a list of things students must take photos of. Next, put your students into teams, each with their own camera and have them go out and take the photos. The team that comes back first with all of the photos is the winner.
Some ideas for lists are:
• Bus, taxi, car, bicycle, etc.
• Restaurant, blue car, traditional casona, traffic light, etc.
• In the classroom: pencil, pen, eraser, blackboard, etc.
• Around the institute: principal's office, copy machine, cafeteria, etc.
For further review of vocabulary, have the students look at all the photos and identify other things that appear in each photo.
6. Taboo
This game is a simplified version of the board game "Taboo".
Before class, create several index cards. On each card write one word in a large font with a circle around it, and underneath write 2-4 related words in a smaller font. The goal is for students to get their teammates to guess the circled word. They can say anything they like to try to make them guess, except for the words written on the card.
Divide the class into groups of two, and write each group on the board to keep track of points. Place a desk in the front of the room facing the class so that someone sitting at it has their back to the board and can't read it. Place another desk in front of it, so the teammates are facing each other.
Pick a team to go first, and have them choose a card. Have the teammates decide who will guess and who will talk. The guesser sits with their back to the board. On the board, making sure the guesser can't see, write the circled word as well as the other taboo words. The talker then has to try to make their partner guess the circled word without saying it, or any of the other words. After they guess it, have another group come up. When all the groups have had their turn, do it again and have the teammates switch roles.
My students really enjoy this game, so much so that they often give the guesser clues even when it is not their team! It is a great way for students to practice forming sentences, and it forces them to use words and structures they might otherwise not use.
7. Words that begin with…….
The teacher chooses a letter from the alphabet. Then each student must say a word that begins with that letter.
If a student repeats a word that has already been said, then they are out of the game. The game ends when only one student remains. That student is the winner. In high-level classes, students lose if they say a past form of the verb.
Example: See-saw. You can increase the difficulty by adding a timer. Only allow each student 5 seconds to think of a word.
8.Acting out.
This is a game-like activity to teach continuous tense.
One student simply acts out some activity (e.g. cooking) and the other students guess what that student is doing.
The student who guesses correctly acts out the next activity.
http://9.My theme Cards
For this activity, you will need a deck of cards, and an imaginative theme that could be crafted into some sort of story.
For example, I choose "send the teacher on a vacation". On the whiteboard or on a powerpoint, make a list like the following.
(You could ask your student for input.)
• A-exciting
• 2-depressing
• 3-expensive
• 4-heroic
• 5-romantic
• 6-fantastic
• 7-sad
• 8-almost fatal
• 9-cheap
• 10-dramatic
• J-happy
• Q-weird
• K-change one option
Prompt the students a little to get them started; perhaps offer a beginning to the story. They then must continue making an oral story by drawing one card and continuing the story along those lines. For example, if they get 4, then the teacher/protagonist must do something heroic or some kind of heroic event must occur. If the students draw a K (or whatever card you stipulate), then they can change one option. This seems to help keep the momentum in the game. Continue through all cards, with the stipulation that the story must be concluded by the end of the deck. Obviously there is a lot of room for variation here.
Your word list and theme could be related to your unit of study.
10.Spot the differences
Choose five students to stand at the front of the class. Next, ask one volunteer to go out of the classroom. While the student is out of the room, get the five students at the front of the class to change their sweaters, shoes, coats and so on. Bring the student who went out of the classroom back inside. They have to guess the differences (speaking in English, of course.)
Change groups and volunteers and repeat the activity as many times as you want.
11.What’s the letter?
This game is specifically for practicing the alphabet. Divide students into groups and ask them to stand in line and give the students in the front of the line a marker to write on the whiteboard. Then, with your finger, write a letter of the alphabet on the back of the students at the end of the line. They must do the same with the student in front of them and so on down the line. The students with the marker try to guess the letter and write any word that begins with that letter on the board.
12.Folded up Stories
Give each student a sheet of blank paper. Write the following words on the board in a vertical line: WHO, WHAT, HOW, WHERE, WHEN, WHY. Explain that everyone will be writing a sentence story. Write an example on the board, explain, asking for suggestions.
1. Tell them to write someone's name at the top of their paper, i.e., their own, a classmate's, the teacher's, a famous person that everyone knows; fold the paper over once so no one can see it, then pass the paper to the person on their right.
2. Write on the received paper what the subject did (suggest funny or outrageous actions), fold it over and pass it on to the right.
3. Continue to write one line, how they did it (adverbs), fold and pass; where-pass; when-pass; and last of all, why (because...) and pass it one more time.
4. Have the students unfold their stories, and read them silently. Help anyone who cannot read what the others wrote, or does not understand.
5. Ask one student at a time to read "their" story aloud, or turn the stories in for the teacher to read. Funny!
13.Guess the word.
• Ask one student to be in front of the class. Give them a word that can’t be seen by the other students. Next, they must draw (on the whiteboard) a picture expressing the concept of the word.
• The rest of the class has to guess the word.
• If you are keeping score, the one who drew the picture gets the point if the class can guess the word.
14.Let’s review our tenses.
Level: Any Level
Preparation:
• Print out three sentences (negative, positive, and question) of the tense you want to review.
• Cut each sentence into individual words.
The Activity:
• Students work in groups.
• Give each group of student’s the words of the sentence that you cut up and ask them to put the sentence back into its original order.
• On the board, ask the students to write their sentences once they have put them back into the correct order and to say if they are positive, negative, or a question.
• Ask students to make rules of the tense.
Example:
• Three Sentences:
o I am a student.
o I am not a student.
o Are you a student?
• The Rules:
o TO BE at the present simple
I am a student.
o Positive: S + am/is/are + O.
I am not a student.
o Negative: S + am/is/are + not + O.
Are you a student?
o Question: (Questions words) + am/ is /are + S + O?
15.Thinking on your feet
Level: Any Level
A revision game. It also works well for the last 5 minutes of class
The teacher prepares a list of items for revision e.g. word fields, grammar, facts. In class they explain the procedure.
Three to five volunteers leave the classroom and wait until their turn has come. The teacher appoints a student to take the exact time and another to take down a tick for every correct answer. No repetitions! Then the first player is called in.
• Teacher: You have 20 second to name as many things as you can about:
• Your topic: Parts of the body / Famous cities / Your family / Your city / Technology / The internet / etc.
• Ready, steady, go
Once all volunteers have had their turn, award a small prize (e.g. a sticker or candy) to the winner of the round.
Allow 30 or 40 seconds for answers to longer questions: What have you done so far today? / What did you do last weekend? / School rules: What do students have to do? What are they not allowed to do? / etc.
If this game is played in groups, they should be evenly balanced.
If you would like to receive regular games to play in your classroom, please visit my Facebook page called "Games and Challenges for the EFL classroom".
Well, good luck in class, I hope that at least one of these activities will help you in your endeavors to be the best English teacher that you can be.
2016
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