Бесплатный фрагмент - English Class: Play With Us
Quick Fun Activities
Introduction
English Class: Play With Us contains a collection of games and activities for teaching and revising English. It includes vocabulary, pronunciation, speaking, writing and grammar activities ranging from beginner to advanced level. Teachers may find them helpful when doing certain themes of the academic curriculum, as well as use them as a short break before proceeding to the next «serious» exercise in the textbook. Another good idea is to employ some of those activities for warming up. Besides, if you organize such a quick fun at the end of the class, the students will definitely leave the classroom in a great mood which, undoubtedly, will exert positive influence on their English studies.
The games and activities have been grouped into five categories in accordance with the aspect they belong to and the skill they develop:
• Vocabulary
• Pronunciation
• Grammar
• Speaking
• Writing
Some of the activities described below are meant to be carried out as whole class activities. Others are designed for pair work or group work. Working with classmates makes the lesson more lively and enjoyable. Dealing with cards, a blackboard, crayons and other stuff involves more senses in the learning process making it, therefore, more effective.
All the activities introduced in the book have simple and clear rules and do not require much time to do. Time-limit is suggested for each activity though it depends on the group and may vary. The assumed class size is about 15 students. It is important not to spin out the activity, stop it when the time is over and sum up the results, preferably with the whole class.
Finally, there are games in this book based on popular pastimes, such as playing crocodile. Both adults and children love these games, they inalterably produce a cheerful atmosphere in the class. Alongside with this, you will find some new ideas that might be of interest to your students and help them learn English with fun and pleasure.
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Vocabulary fun
Word Auction
Core language: Any parts of speech, word groups referring to a definite topic etc.
Level: Beginners-advanced
Number of students: Any
Stuff needed: A toy wooden hammer for operating the process. Another good idea is to use a toy rubber hammer producing a funny squeaking noise. But if you do not have a hammer, simply use a pencil or a pen.
Time: 7 minutes
People/characters involved:
— “An auctioneer” — the person conducting the “auction”. The job is usually done by the teacher. It may also be performed by a student if the game has already been played in the class before.
— “Bidders” or “participants” of the “auction” — all the students.
Procedure: The auctioneer announces the topic of the auction. The participants call out words on the topic given. Every word is followed by a number (one, two, three) and certain «fillers» uttered by the auctioneer in that special rhythmic- repetition- auction -chant manner and a blow of his/her hammer. The bidder who says the last item wins the game.
Example:
The auctioneer: Ladies and gentlemen! The topic of today’s auction is «Jobs». You are to call out as many names of jobs, professions and occupations as possible while I am counting from one to three. The auction ends the moment I say «Three!» The participant who says the final word is the winner. So, the subject is «Jobs». Right, here we go!
Student A: Doctor!
The auctioneer: Doctor one!…
Student B: Pilot!
The auctioneer: Pilot one!…
Student C: Teacher!
The auctioneer: Teacher one! … Teacher two!…
Student D: Builder!
….
Student N: Conductor!
The auctioneer: Conductor one! … Conductor two! … Conductor three! … Done! The winner of the auction is Student N!
Variations: The range of topics for Word Auction game is immense. Here are just a few suggestions below:
• Goods and services: “Clothes”, “Food and drinks”, “Hotels”, “Restaurants and cafes”, “Real estate”
• Art: “Literature”, “Music”, “Fine arts”
• Education: “Classroom activities”, “School subjects”
• Health and Medicine
• Climate and weather
• Sports
• Leisure activities
• Hobbies and interests
• The mass media
• Language issues: “Adjectives beginning with “s”, “Irregular verbs” etc.
Some helpful ideas: It seems to be a nice idea to present the winners with little prizes such as sweets, candies or chocolates.
Word Categories
Core language: Word groups referring to definite topics
Level: Beginners-advanced
Number of students: Any
Stuff needed: A white/blackboard
Time: 7 minutes
People/characters involved:
— A presenter — the teacher or one of the students.
— Participants — all the students.
Procedure: The presenter writes/types a list of category headings on the board. The participants choose a letter of the English alphabet. Now they should name at least two words for each category beginning with this letter.
Example:
Categories
Animals
Clothes
Food & Drinks
Geography
Weather & Climate
Classroom
Hobbies and Interests
Art
The letter chosen: T
Students:
Animals: tiger, tapir
Clothes: trousers, T-shirt
…
Variation: The presenter writes/types a list of category headings on the board. The participants should think of five words fitting into each category.
Example:
Categories
Animals
Clothes
Food & Drinks
Classroom
Hobbies and interests
Geography
Climate and weather
Art
…
Students:
Animals: cat, dog, elephant, wolf, mouse
Clothes: dress, shirt, jeans, trousers, T-shirt
…
Some helpful ideas: The list of categories can certainly be extended. You could find the following tips useful: «Sports», «Health and Medicine», «Music», «Literature», «Fine arts», «Film industry», «Transport».
You may also introduce or add your own items to the category list.
An adverb poem contest
Core language: Formation of adverbs with -ly
Level: Pre-intermediate — advanced
Number of students: Any
Stuff needed: A white/blackboard
Time: 10 minutes
People/characters involved:
— The teacher acts as a presenter and possibly as a participant
— All the students are the contestants
Procedure: The teacher writes/types adverbs ending in -ly and a sample poem on the board and explains the rules of the contest to the students. The students have seven minutes to write a poem (one or two verses) using adverbs from the list and any others. Then they read their poems out. Finally, the class decides whose poem is the best.
Example:
Adverbs
Slowly, quietly, tragically, angrily, carefully, carelessly, nervously, urgently, lovingly, suddenly, lazily, peacefully, heavily, really, immediately, nearly, finally, incredibly, loudly, eventually, hysterically, desperately, fortunately, unfortunately, warmly, happily, fondly, luckily etc.
Sample poem
At a lesson (a joke)
She was watching them carefully —
They were yawning lazily,
She asked them a question angrily —
They looked away nervously…
They were talking to each other loudly,
She tried to stop them desperately…
They were sitting quietly,
She laughed hysterically…
Some of them were sleeping peacefully,
Others were using their phones carelessly…
She sighed and gazed at them lovingly,
She started again patiently…
In the end, they smiled at her warmly,
So, the lesson ended happily.
Some helpful ideas: It seems to be a nice idea to award a little prize to the best poet of the group.
Definitions
Core language: The class vocabulary
Level: Intermediate — advanced
Number of students: Any
Stuff needed: A white/blackboard
Time: 10 minutes
People/characters involved:
— The teacher acts as a presenter and possibly as a participant
— All the students are participants
Procedure: The teacher writes/types a list of words and phrases that need revising on the board. One of the students thinks of an item from the list and, without saying it, gives a definition of that item. The rest of the group guesses which word/ phrase has been chosen. The participants take it in turns to define the vocabulary items. At the end, the students may vote for the best definition justifying their decision with reasons and comments.
Example: (from a text about roller coasters, intermediate level)
An amusement park
exhilarating
anticipation
a pendulum ride
suspended
weightlessness
motion
a roller coaster
gravity
glimpse
Student A: A railway track at a fairground with lots of steep slopes and sharp bends where people ride in fast trains.
Student B: A roller coaster!
Student A: That’s right. It’s a roller coaster.
Student C: It is an adjective which means making someone feel very excited or elated.
Student D: Exhilarating!
Student C: Yes, that’s correct. The word I mean is «exhilarating».
…
Variations: Apart from definitions, the students can also explain the chosen item in some other way. For instance, they may use phrases like «It is something that…”, «It is a place where…» or «It is a person who…»
Forfeits
Core language: Depends on the specific task as the game covers a wide range of language material
Level: Beginners — advanced
Number of students: Any
Stuff needed: A white/blackboard, the task cards from Appendix 1: Forfeits
Time: 20 minutes
People/characters involved:
— The teacher acts as the presenter/game host
— All the others are participants
Procedure: The game can be played as kind of «punishment» for mistakes made by the students in a particular exercise or can just be held for fun and pleasure. The teacher lays out the task cards face down on the teacher’s table. Then he/she walks around the classroom with a bag. Each student puts into the bag one of their personal belongings. Next, the teacher pulls the students’ things out of the bag one at a time. The owner of the item approaches the teacher’s desk, picks one of the cards, reads the task aloud and performs the task to get his/her thing back.
Forfeit tasks (see also Appendix 1):
•Describe the photo in your passport.
•Choose one of your classmates and tell us when and where you met.
•Draw a new road sign and explain what it is for.
•Read the poem (the story…) as if it was an episode from a horror film.
•Make an origami from a piece of paper. Explain what it is.
•Tell us about one of your classmates without giving his/her name. The other students guess who it is. Start your sentences with the words This person…
•Tell your desk mate why he/ she should fly to Mars.
•Tell us what you would do if you were a talking biscuit…
•Answer the questions with complete sentences:
— What’s your name?
— How old are you?
— Where do you live?
— Which school do you go to?
— What’s the date today?
•Arrange the following words in alphabetical order:
tea, teacher, tree, talk, tiger
•What are the opposites of the following adjectives: big, dry, hot, rich, old, happy, low, wrong, fat, clean?
•Form compound nouns from the following words:
— alarm, cross, life, ear, time
— table, guard, ring, word, clock
•Put the words next to the correct heading (five words for each heading):
potato, plum, apple, carrot, onion, lemon, garlic, orange, banana, peas
Fruit ________________________________________
Vegetables ____________________________________
•Answer the questions:
— Which of these people work in a café?
a librarian, a customer, a waiter
— Do you know what a loo is?
— Which animal makes a nest?
•Name three things you normally find in
— a kitchen
— a bathroom
— a bedroom
•Think of two words that begin with: ex-; st-; cat-; sp-; tr-; in-
•Answer the questions:
— Where would you find a clutch?
— Do you know what a birch is?
— What colour is a dandelion?
•Think of three words beginning with: re-; com-; str-
•Think of two words rhyming with: crown, how, soon, glove, book
•Can you name?
— three things that you can drink
— three school subjects
— three domestic animals
•Can you name?
— three buildings in a town
— three items of clothing
— three flowers
•Match the British English words and their American English equivalents:
British English: autumn, trousers, bill, chips, sweets, pavement
American English: sidewalk, fall, French fries, candy, check, pants
•Mime one of your classmates using face and gestures only. The rest of the class will have to guess who it is.
•Read the tongue twister from left to right three times and then from right to left three times: She sells seashells on the seashore
•Choose any object in the classroom and use it as a musical instrument.
•Mime (show with face and gestures only) what you are:
— afraid of;
— hate;
— like
The others guess what you are miming.
•Draw a cartoon (harmless, friendly caricature) of one of your classmates. Don’t say who it is. The others guess who you have drawn.
•Imagine you are a telepath. Tell us what your classmate is thinking about.
•Put your left boot on your right foot and your right boot on your left foot. Dance around the classroom.
•Recite the English alphabet.
•Name five adjectives that are used to describe people.
•Look at the lists of words below. Which person is the «odd-one-out» and why?
mother-in-law, uncle, widow, aunt, nephew
teacher, son, waiter, builder, pilot
Some helpful ideas: If the students forfeit their belongings for giving incorrect answers at the lesson, the number of things they put into the teacher’s bag may correspond to the number of mistakes they have made. In this case, the students who are not involved in the game could help the teacher conduct the game.
If necessary, give students time to prepare an answer.
You should prepare a poem/a story in advance for the task «Read the poem (the story…) as if it was an episode from a horror film» It might be a poem/a story you read or learnt at one of the previous classes.
You can play Forfeits with learners of any level. The question is that you need to choose the right tasks, to change them to suit this or that particular group. You may have to exclude some cards, adapt others and add your own ideas.
The game is also well suited for doing kind of revision and refreshing the memory of the educational material.
Class Vocab Crocodile
Core language: The vocabulary learnt in the class
Level: Beginners-advanced
Number of students: Any
Stuff needed: Paper cards with the class vocabulary items
Time: 10 minutes
Class organization: the whole class or teams
People/characters involved:
— The teacher is a presenter
— The students are participants
Procedure: This is a simplified version of the popular Crocodile game based on the new lexis taught and learnt in the class. Organize this game in the second half of the lesson, when you have already practiced the new linguistic stuff with the class. On the blank pieces of paper prepared in advance, write the words and expressions that you would like to focus on. You can do it before the class or during the class — it will not take long. I would also recommend you to put down the equivalent of the vocabulary item in the students’ mother tongue in case the performer does not remember its meaning. Place the cards face down on the teacher’s table. A student comes up to the table, picks up a card, reads the information to himself/herself and mimes the word or phrase from the card. The player cannot use any verbal means, only gestures and facial expressions. The other students guess the words.
Some helpful ideas: Before you start the Crocodile game, tell the students that you are going to revise the new vocabulary covered in the lesson. Point to the textbook page where they can find these lexical items. For example: You can see all these words on page 42 in the Student’s Book.
Pronunciation Fun
Phonetic Posters
Core language: Sounds and phonetic scripts
Level: Beginners-advanced
Number of students: Any
Stuff needed: Sound pictures (copied and enlarged from Appendix 2: Phonetic symbols, or drawn by the teacher /students)
Time: 5 minutes
Procedure: The teacher sticks the sound pictures for all the phonetic symbols (or only for the ones which are particularly difficult for the students) at the top of a big piece of white paper and puts those up on the walls round the classroom. Whenever a new word comes up with one of these sounds, put it down on the poster under the appropriate picture. You may also want to concentrate on the sounds at the end of the lesson. This way, new words will be grouped under common ’sound headings’ so that you can occasionally revise their meaning and pronunciation with the class.
Pronunciation Password
Core language: Sounds and phonetic scripts
Level: Beginners-advanced
Number of students: Any
Stuff needed: Sound pictures from Appendix 2: Phonetic symbols
Time: 5 minutes
Procedure: The teacher chooses a word from the sound pictures (which is probably difficult for the students) and says that it is today’s «password’ to get out of the classroom. At the end of the class, the students leave one by one saying the «password» correctly.
Some helpful ideas: The activity can be repeated at other lessons to remember the most difficult sounds.
Grammar Fun
Signs
Core language: Modal verbs
Level: Beginners-advanced
Number of students: Any
Stuff needed: A black/whiteboard, paper, crayons/chalk/markers/felt-tip pens, cards with signs (see Appendix 3: Signs)
Class organization: individual or pair work
Time: 10 minutes
People/characters involved:
— The teacher acts as a presenter
— All the students are participants
Procedure: The teacher writes on the board the modals have to/don’t have to, must/mustn’t, can/can’t, (not) be allowed to. Then he/she shows the class a few signs from Appendix 3 and asks the students to explain what these signs mean using the modal verbs. The students make sentences like:
You can’t smoke here. Or: You aren’t allowed to smoke.
You have to wear a seat-belt.
You mustn’t feed the animals etc.
After this brief revision activity, the teacher asks the class to draw their own signs. After a while, the students present their drawings. The others guess what the sign means. The teacher may also ask where we can see these signs.
Students usually come up with both serious and humorous pictures taking it all in good fun, which boosts everyone’s spirits.
True/False
Core language: Verb tenses
Level: Beginners-advanced
Number of students: Any
Stuff needed: A blackboard
Time: 10 minutes
Class organization: Individual work
People/characters involved:
— The teacher acts as a presenter
— All the students are participants
Procedure: The teacher sets a verb tense (past simple, present simple, present perfect, etc.) and puts it down on the blackboard. Then he/she asks the students to write three sentences about themselves. Any two of them should quadrate to facts (true) but one statement does not square with reality (false). Then each student takes turns reading out their sentences loud, and the others spot the false one.
Example:
Teacher: Write down three sentences about yourself in the past simple tense, please. Two of them should be factually true and one statement should be false. In about three minutes you will read your sentences aloud for us to guess which of the sentences is false.
Student 1 (in a while):
I went to the cinema yesterday.
I flew to the moon last month.
I visited my grandparents last Saturday.
Students: You didn’t fly to the moon! This sentence is false!
Student 2:
I could play the piano when I was eight.
I went to the seaside last summer.
I saw a famous singer yesterday.
Students: You didn’t see a famous singer! It can’t be true!
Student 2: Yes, it can. I saw a famous singer yesterday. It’s true. I saw him on the Internet. But I didn’t go to the seaside last summer.
…
Some helpful ideas: You can give a more detailed task. For example, ask students to write down what they did last week or what they have already done today, etc.
Speaking Fun
My Favourite Letter
Core language: Questions and answers
Level: Beginners-advanced
Number of students: Any
Stuff needed: No
Time: 10 minutes
People/characters involved:
— The teacher acts as a presenter
— All the students are participants
Procedure: The teacher suggests that the students pick any letter of the English alphabet and explains that he/she will ask each of them a question and the student will have to give a response beginning with that letter. If a student cannot think of an appropriate answer the others propose their own ideas. The questionnaire can cover a wide range of subjects and problems: from simple everyday questions to «philosophical» ones. But no one should take the activity too seriously; it is just kind of entertainment.
A possible list of questions that the presenter can ask:
• What’s your name?
• Where do you live?
• Have you got any brothers or sisters?
• Can you drive a car?
• What did you do on the winter holiday?
• Who is your favorite writer?
• What is your favorite music style?
• Do you like dancing?
• Have you got a girlfriend/ boyfriend?
• How much money do you have on you?
• What did you eat for breakfast today?
• What is your favorite color?
• Do you usually work hard?
• Do you talk a lot?
• Do you find it difficult to meet new people?
• How often do you have a holiday?
• What things are important to you?
• What are you afraid of?
• Who or what makes you feel stressed or nervous?
• What do you like about yourself?
• What don’t you like about yourself?
• What things make you feel annoyed?
• What are you doing tonight?
• Do you like my shoes?
• What’s the weather like today?
• What will the weather be like tomorrow?
• What is your favorite food?
• Where would you like to be right now?
• Do you like learning English?
• Which other languages would you like to learn?
• What countries have you already visited?
• What are you good at?
• What are you interested in?
• Where were you born?
• Who pays for your education?
• Who wrote “War and Peace”?
• Do you like your classmates?
• Who do you look like?
• Which country would you like to live or work in?
• Which grammar terms do you remember?
• What sport do you do?
• What successful people do you know?
• What is the ideal family for you?
• Make a list of house rules for the ideal family.
• Which computer game is your favorite one?
• Which websites do you visit most often?
• What housework do you usually do?
• What are you going to do this weekend?
• What will you give … (one of the classmates) on
his/her birthday?
• What would you do if you had a million dollars?
• Are you happy?
• What do you think is more important: love or money?
• What do you need to do if you want to be happier?
• How many children would you like to have?
• What is the perfect family for you?
• How was your weekend?
• How does your family influence your life?
• How do your friends influence your life?
• Are you going to be rich and famous one day?
• Is your school/college/university the best in town?
• Is Nicole Kidman American?
• What do you like best about living in your country?
• What would you miss if you were living abroad?
• What would you like to change in your life?
• Would you like to have twins?
• What size is the perfect family?
• Would you like to have a break right now?
• What sort of holiday do you prefer?
• Are you having a holiday soon?
• Did you have a good holiday last year?
• Have you ever been to Amsterdam?
• Do you often travel abroad?
• What did you do last weekend?
• What sport are you good at?
• Do you ever eat out?
• What’s your favorite restaurant?
• What makes you lose your temper?
• What do you know about your neighbors?
• What can make you feel happy?
• What is the most expensive thing you have ever bought?
• What do you write with if you do not have a pen?
• What is your favourite smell/scent?
• What do you usually use to cut bread?
• In your opinion, what is the most dangerous thing
in the world?
• What do you wear above the waist when it is cold?
• What do you wear on your head in winter?
• What would it be difficult for you to live without?
• What should not people eat when they are on a diet?
• What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
• What do you usually only use once?
• What do you always see when you enter the kitchen?
• What do you always have in your pocket?
• What do you always take with you when you go on
holiday?
• What do you use to stop a nosebleed?
• What do you never touch because it is very fragile?
• What makes you feel tired?
• What do you use to stop a baby crying?
• What kind of people are you usually frightened of?
• What do you think men/boys find attractive about
women/girls?
• What do you think women/girls find attractive about
men/boys?
• Describe your best friend in a few words.
• What do you need to be the happiest person in
the world?
• What do you need to be a better student?
• What job would you like to do in the future?
• What do you usually keep in your schoolbag?
• What is the first thing you do when you come home
from school/work/university?
Example:
Presenter: Choose any letter of the English alphabet, please.
Student 1: B!
Presenter: OK, that’s B then. I will ask each of you a question and your response should start with letter B. Ann, have you got any brothers or sisters?
Student 2 (Ann): Brother. His name is Mike.
Presenter: Alex, Who is your favorite writer?
Student 3 (Alex): Bradbury is my one of my favorite writers. I like reading fantasy and science fiction.
Presenter: Kate, what do you think is more important: love or money?
Student 4 (Kate): Both. But money cannot buy love or other things which are important to us.
Presenter: OK, let’s pick another letter. What do you suggest?
Student 5: Shall we try C?
Presenter: Good idea! Vlad, what housework do you usually do?
Student 6 (Vlad): Cleaning the kitchen and washing the dishes are the chores I usually do.
Presenter: Thanks. Now, Nick, would you like to have a break right now?
Student 7 (Nick): Certainly, I would. I’m a bit tired.
…
Variations: The student’s answer can also start with the first letter of their name, surname, or the month they were born in. Another good idea is to have a pack of cards with the English letters and pull out a card at random. Or the teacher might give out some cards to the students so that they can start their reply with a certain letter.
Some helpful ideas: The moderator is not limited in types of questions: he/she can use yes/no questions, wh-questions etc. The participants do not have to answer the questions truthfully, they may give fictional answers. It usually turns out to be lots of amusement.
With an advanced class, you can also ask how and why the students do this. Their answers will definitely add to everyone’s good mood.
Let’s go to…
Core language: Description of places
Level: Beginners-advanced
Number of students: Any
Stuff needed: A blackboard, cards with some places (see Appendix 4: Let’s go to…)
Time: 15 minutes
Class organization: Two teams
People/characters involved:
— The teacher acts as a presenter/moderator
— All the students are participants
Procedure: The class is divided into two teams. The students come up with a name for their team. The teacher draws a table with the names of the teams on the blackboard, leaving a field for the points received. Then the teacher lays out the place cards face down on a table at the front of the classroom. A representative of one of the teams approaches the table. The moderator/the teacher tells the rules: the student has two minutes to explain the meaning of as many words/places as possible to his/her team, without saying the words or using single-root words. This student cannot use gestures, either. So, the student takes one card after another, defining each place and making other necessary comments, and the players of his team guess those places. The team gets one point for each correct answer. The teacher times the game and writes down the points on the blackboard. The used cards get out of the game. After that, the other team plays in the same way. If time allows, you can play several rounds. In the end, the score is calculated and the winning team is announced.
Example:
Presenter: Think up a name for your team, please. (Gives them a minute)
Students (in a while): The Enigma Team!
Students: We are the Green Potatoes!
Presenter: Great! Now listen to the rules… (See the procedure)
Student 1 (from the Enigma Team, picks a card): It’s a place where people watch films. I like going there at weekends with my friends.
Students of the Enigma Team: Cinema!
Student 1 (from the Enigma Team, picks another card): Students usually have lessons here with a teacher.
Students of the Enigma Team: Classroom!
…
Variations: You can increase/decrease the time of a round (1—3 minutes)
Some helpful ideas: If the playing team fails, the host passes the move to the opponents. They get a point if they give the correct answer. Then the first team continues to play within their time frame.
You may find it useful to refresh the students’ memory on the topic vocabulary before starting the game.
Also, it is a good idea to revise the ways of giving definitions. Write the following phrases on the board so that the students can have them for reference during the game:
• It is … (indoors/outdoors)
• You can go there … (alone/with other people, etc.)
• It’s a place where you … (watch a film/ relax/ eat delicious food/ meet with your friends/swim, etc.)
• In this place you use … (a tent/a camera/a swimming costume/ a pencil case, etc.)
• You need … (to look smart/ to wear warm clothes/ to be quiet, etc.)
Another useful piece of advice is to practice with a couple of places using the patterns above before the game begins.
Let’s do what we like/our favourite activity
Core language: Description of hobbies, sports and pastimes
Level: Beginners-advanced
Number of students: Any
Stuff needed: A blackboard, cards with some words on the topics «Sport», «Hobbies», «Pastime» (see Appendix 5: Let’s do what we like/our favourite activity)
Time: 15 minutes
Class organization: Two teams
People/characters involved:
— The teacher acts as a presenter/moderator
— All the students are participants
Procedure: The class is divided into two teams. The students come up with a name for their team. The teacher draws a table with the names of the teams on the blackboard, leaving a field for the points received. Then the teacher lays out the place cards face down on a table at the front of the classroom. A representative of one of the teams approaches the table. The moderator/the teacher tells the rules: the student has two minutes to explain the meaning of as many words/activities as possible to his/her team, without saying the words or using single-root words. This student cannot use gestures, either. So, the student takes one card after another, defining each activity and making other necessary comments, and the players of his team guess those activities. The team gets one point for each guessed word. The teacher times the game and writes down the points on the blackboard. The used cards get out of the game. After that, the other team plays in the same way. If time allows, you can play several rounds. In the end, the score is calculated and the winning team is announced.
Example:
Presenter: Think up a name for your team, please. (Gives them a minute)
Students (in a while): The Stars!
Students: We are the Dinosaurs!
Presenter: Great! Now listen to the rules… (See the procedure)
Student 1 (from the Stars Team, picks a card): It’s a very creative hobby or pastime. It can be done indoors or outdoors. Salvador Dali was good at it.
Students of the Stars Team: Painting!
Student 1 (from the Stars Team, picks another card): It’s a sport. It is done indoors. You do it with other people. The players need to be tall. They throw the ball into a net.
Students from the Stars Team: Basketball!
…
Variations: You can increase/decrease the time of a round (1—3 minutes)
Some helpful ideas:
If the playing team fails, the host passes the move to the opponents. They get a point if they give the correct answer. Then the first team continues to play within their time frame.
You may find it useful to refresh the students’ memory on the topic vocabulary before starting the game.
Also, it is a good idea to revise the ways of giving definitions. Write the following phrases on the board so that the students can have them for reference during the game:
• It’s a … (activity/hobby/sport/pastime)
• You do it … (alone/with other people/outdoors/indoors, etc.)
• You use … (a brush/paints/a tent/a camera/a racket, etc.)
• It’s very … (easy/difficult/creative/exciting/violent, etc.)
• You need … (to have to be tall/to have a good ear for music/to sit still/to run fast, etc.)
• … (Name of a famous person) was/is very good at it.
Another useful piece of advice is to practice with a couple of places using the patterns above before the game begins.
Let’s do it!
Core language: Useful verbs
Level: Beginners-advanced
Number of students: Any
Stuff needed: A blackboard, cards with some verbs (see Appendix 6: Let’s do it!)
Class organization: Two teams
Time: 15 minutes
People/characters involved:
— The teacher acts as a presenter/moderator
— All the students are participants
Procedure: The class is divided into two teams. The students come up with a name for their team. The teacher draws a table with the names of the teams on the blackboard, leaving a field for the points received. Then the teacher lays out the place cards face down on a table at the front of the classroom. A representative of one of the teams approaches the table. The moderator/the teacher tells the rules: the student has two minutes to explain the meaning of as many verbs as possible to his/her team, without saying the words or using single-root words. This student cannot use gestures, either. So, the student takes one card after another, defining each verb and making other necessary comments, and the players of his team guess those words. The team gets one point for each guessed word. The teacher times the game and writes down the points on the blackboard. The used cards get out of the game. After that, the other team plays in the same way. If time allows, you can play several rounds. In the end, the score is calculated and the winning team is announced.
Example:
Presenter: Think up a name for your team, please. (Gives them a minute)
Students (in a while): The Red Bananas!
Students: And we are the Purple Apples!
Presenter: Great! Now listen to the rules… (See the procedure)
Student 1 (from the Red Bananas Team, picks a card): You usually do this at night but if you are too tired, you can do it in the day.
Students of the Red Bananas Team: Sleep!
Student 1 (from the Red Bananas Team, picks another card): People usually do it on stage. They can also do it in the bathroom when nobody hears them. You need a good ear for music and a nice voice to sound good and pleasant.
Students from the Red Bananas Team: Sing!
…
Variations: You can increase/decrease the time of a round (1—3 minutes)
Some helpful ideas:
If the playing team fails, the teacher passes the move to the opponents. They get a point if they give the correct answer. Then the first team continues playing within their time frame.
You may find it useful to refresh the students’ memory on the topic vocabulary before starting the game.
Also, it is a good idea to revise the ways of giving definitions. Write the following phrases on the board so that the students can have them for reference during the game:
• It’s a way of … (moving/ speaking/cleaning, etc.)
• It’s another word for … (sleep/talk/look/hit, etc.)
• You do it … (alone/with other people/outdoors/indoors, etc.)
• You do this … (at night/ in the morning/ in the day/ when you are in the classroom/ when you eat/when you are in a bad mood/when you are happy, etc.)
• It means to … (speak loudly/have fun/move very fast, etc.)
• To do it you use … (a camera/a spoon or a fork, a bed, etc.)
• It’s the opposite of … (start/arrive/buy/win, etc.)
Another useful piece of advice is to practice with a couple of verbs using the patterns above before the game starts.
Let’s talk about people and jobs
Core language: Description of people and jobs
Level: Beginners-advanced
Number of students: Any
Stuff needed: A blackboard, cards with words on the topic (see Appendix 7: Let’s talk about people and jobs)
Time: 15 minutes
Class organization: Two teams
People/characters involved:
— The teacher acts as a presenter/moderator
— All the students are participants
Procedure: The class is divided into two teams. The students come up with a name for their team. The teacher draws a table with the names of the teams on the blackboard, leaving a field for the points received. Then the teacher lays out the cards face down on a table at the front of the classroom. A representative of one of the teams approaches the table. The moderator/the teacher tells the rules: the student has two minutes to explain the meaning of as many words from the cards as possible to his/her team, without saying the words or using single-root words. This student cannot use gestures, either. So, the student takes one card after another, defining each word and making other necessary comments, and the players of his/her team guess those words. The team gets one point for each guessed word. The teacher times the game and writes down the points on the board. The used cards get out of the game. After that, the other team plays in the same way. If time allows, you can play several rounds. In the end, the score is calculated and the winning team is announced.
Example:
Presenter: Think up a name for your team, please. (Gives them a minute)
Students (in a while): The Smart Cats!
Students: And we are the Clever Dogs!
Presenter: Great! Now listen to the rules… (See the procedure)
Student 1 (from the Smart Cats Team, picks a card): He is your mother’s brother. He can also be your father’s brother.
Students of the Smart Cats Team: Uncle!
Student 1 (from the Smart Cats Team, picks another card): He wears a uniform. It is someone who fights in a war.
Students from the Smart Cats Team: Soldier!
…
Variations: You can increase/decrease the time of a round (1—3 minutes)
Some helpful ideas:
If the playing team fails, the teacher passes the move to the opponents. They get a point if they give the correct answer. Then the first team continues playing within their time frame.
You may find it useful to refresh the students’ memory on the topic vocabulary before starting the game.
Also, it is a good idea to revise the ways of giving definitions. Write the following phrases on the board so that the students can have them for reference during the game:
• It’s a person who … (teaches children/looks after patients/lives next door, etc.)
• It’s someone who…
• It’s a woman/a man who…
• This person works … (in shifts/ outdoors/indoors, etc.)
• This person wears/doesn’t wear … (a uniform, etc.)
• She/he is your … (brother’s son/sister’s daughter/father’s mother, etc.)
Another useful piece of advice is to practice with a couple of words using the patterns above before the game starts.
Let’s look around/Things around us
Core language: Description of things
Level: Beginners-advanced
Number of students: Any
Stuff needed: A blackboard, cards with words on the topic (see Appendix 8: Let’s look around/ Things around us)
Time: 15 minutes
Class organization: Two teams
People/characters involved:
— The teacher acts as a presenter/moderator
— All the students are participants
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