Recommended Level: Elementary grade 3

Five Guesses

Description

Students pick an item out of a set list (i.e. from vocabulary that they have been studying). They make pairs and try to guess what item their partner picked. If they guess correctly the first time, they win 5 points. If they guess correctly the second time they get 4, and so on. If they can’t guess in 5 turns, their partner can tell them the answer.

Notes

  • The number of guesses can be reduced, particularly if there aren’t many options to choose between.
  • A variation of this game is to have the students pick more than one item, and their partner gets one point for each item that they guess correctly.

Concentration

Also known as:

  • 神経衰弱
  • Shinkeisuijaku

Description

The students make groups, and each group gets two sets of the vocabulary cards. All cards are shuffled and placed face down.

Once they have decided an order, the first student turns over a card and says the matching vocabulary or grammar. They do the same with a second card. If the two cards match, they can take the pair and try again. If they don’t, they must turn both cards back over to the face down position and the next player’s turn starts.

Once all the cards are taken, they can be shuffled and played again. The winner is the player with the most cards.

Notes

  • This game can be used to practice either just vocabulary or grammar. It can also be used to practice asking and answering questions – the group can ask the player a question who then answers it based on the card they receive.
  • Some students try to shuffle the cards on every turn. While this won’t make the game unplayable, it does defeat the purpose of trying to memorise which card is which, so it’s best to discourage it!

Similar Games

Bomb Game

Also known as:

  • Up/Down Game
  • Timer Game

Description

Students each get a small flashcard with one of the target English vocabulary words on it. A timer is set for around 1-2 minutes. The teacher calls out vocabulary randomly and the students repeat them. If the vocabulary that the teacher calls matches the student’s card, they stand up.

If the student is already standing up, and the teacher calls their vocabulary again, they sit back down. Once the timer goes off, students who are sitting down win one point. Students then change their cards, and start the next round.

Notes

In later rounds, half the class could start standing up while the other half starts sitting down to make the results more unpredictable.

Similar Games

Race Game

Description

The students put small cards randomly onto the spaces on the board. The teacher picks random vocabulary and the students move an ohajiki onto the matching small card. If they don’t have that card on their board, they can’t move for that turn. For every lap of the board they complete, they get 1 point.

Notes

  • Students can shuffle their cards after a certain period of time.
  • The game can be played solo, or in pairs to reduce the number of boards and cards needed. If the students are in pairs, they work together and share points.
  • If the target English is the question, the students first ask the question to the teacher, who gives their answer using one of the possible vocabulary words.

Donut Game

Also known as:

  • Circle game

Description

Students get a deck of cards and place them face down in a circle. They play janken to decide who goes first.

The player turns over one card in the circle and uses that card to say the target English. Then, he/she puts that card face up in the center of the circle. If the card they turned over matches the card turned over on the previous turn, they take all the discarded cards from the center.  Once there are no cards left in the circle, the students count the cards they took. They get one point for each card they have. Then, they shuffle and play again.

Notes

  • This game can be done to practice just vocabulary or grammar. It can also be used to practice asking and answering questions – the group can ask the player a question who then answers it based on the card they receive.

Janken Soccer

Description

Students make pairs and each get game board with a soccer pitch on it, and a ‘soccer ball’ card. They also get a set of cards with the vocabulary on them. They shuffle these and put five on to the game board. First they janken. The loser asks the question. The winner answers. The winner moves their ‘ball’ one space towards their goal.

If one student wins enough times in a row and moves all the way to their partner’s goal, they score one goal (get one point) and the ‘ball’ goes back to the centre, while shuffling a new set of cards onto the board.

After a few minutes, pairs can change.

Notes

  • This game can be used to practice vocabulary, grammar and questions and answers.
  • If using the template version, print it at A3 size and the spaces will be the right size for small (roughly 9.2 x 6.5cm) cards to go on top. You can print and use the small ‘soccer ball’ cards, or the students can use an ohajiki or an eraser (or something similar) from their pencil cases.
  • If using the worksheet version, change the images in each section as needed to fit the current lesson’s target English.

Similar Games

Matching Game

Description

Students get one card each. They make pairs, and use them to say the target English. They then switch cards.

If both students have the same card, they win one point each and both get new cards from the teacher.

Notes

  • This game can be used to practice vocabulary, grammar and questions and answers.
  • If many students get a match at the same time, a large queue can develop in front of the teacher and slow the game down. It’s also possible to have a few decks of cards at the front of the class where students can take a new card themself as they need.

Typhoon (PowerPoint version)

Description

The students make groups. Each groups take turns to pick a number, which leads to a question. There’s then a certain amount of talking time where the groups can discuss the answer with each other.

After the thinking time is over, the students can volunteer. The class asks the question to the volunteer. Once they get the right answer, they win or lose points, or cause another group to lose points.

Notes

  • In the PowerPoint file, click the numbers in the grid to go to each question. Click the icon in the bottom right hand side of the question slide to show the reward. Then, click on the bottom right icon again to return to the question selection slide.
  • When adding your own questions, you can copy the content of the first question slide to keep a consistent format, but please note not to copy the bottom right icon – otherwise every question will link to the same reward!
  • Asking for a single volunteer creates quite a high pressure environment. It may help to have the students make groups. Then, the group can be picked to volunteer together.
  • Alternatively, again in groups, each student can assign themselves a number. Then, after the thinking time, the teacher calls one number and every student who matches that number from each group can volunteer. For example, if the teacher calls ‘2’, every student who is number 2 can volunteer. This means students can’t know who will be picked beforehand, and encourages peer support.

Point Quiz

Description

Students break into lunch groups. Each group receives a mini whiteboard to write answers on. Each group nominates a writer for the first question.

Display the first question and give all teams time to write and hold up their answer. Once everyone’s finished, reveal the answer and check for correct teams. Teams that answered correctly can then choose a prize for a chance to win/lose points. I tend to let teams chose in order of who answered first.

Rotate the whiteboard after each question so everyone writes at least once.

Notes

There’re enough slides for 12 questions. I’ve never gotten to the end in a lesson.

Zombie Game

Description

The whole class is divided into groups (usually based on the line they are sitting in) and each group is assigned a word. 

For example, if the sentence structure is, “I like + food” then group 1 will be assigned the word ‘pizza’, group 2 will be assigned the word ‘pasta’ and so on. Students will talk with each other (depends on the lesson goal – I like pizza, how about you? / What food do you like? I like pizza) and then play janken.

The winner ‘infects’ the loser: so if the winner likes pizza, the loser now likes pizza, too. They say goodbye and talk with other students and the ‘infection’ spreads. At the end of the game, students can see which group ‘infected’ the most students and are therefore the winners. 

Notes

In the demonstration, make sure to show that when you have been ‘infected’ once, you continue to talk with friends. The game does not end when you have been ‘infected’!

Also demonstrate what happens if you meet someone who likes the same food as you to avoid confusion (and unnecessary janken bouts) in game.

Remember to do a good/bad demonstration. Students must produce the English before playing janken (as with most janken games, students can bypass the English entirely) and encourage peer support. Remind them it’s not a race because sometimes students can forget which word they must use in that moment as it changes often throughout the game.

Before the game, you can write how many students are in each group under the relevant flashcard. At the end of the game, you can count and write the new number underneath. This provides students a visual aid to see what team won/lost and by what margin.

You can play this game in rounds very easily.