Recommended Level: Junior high grade 2

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.

Pictionary

Description

The students make groups. Each group gets one set of small vocabulary cards, one whiteboard and one pen. The first player takes a random small vocabulary card without showing anyone else. They then draw a picture of that vocabulary on the board within a short time limit.

When the time limit is up, the students asks try to guess the vocabulary, using the target English. The first student to guess correctly wins one point. The whiteboard is erased, and next student then picks their card and draws their picture.

Notes

  • The time limit should be very short, even around 20 seconds. The idea is there is not enough time to draw a perfect picture.
  • For younger students, it’s better to have every group ask and answer their questions at the same time to keep the rhythm for the game going smoothly.

Perfect Set

Description

Students make groups and get a deck of cards. They shuffle the deck and get 5 cards each. The rest of the cards are placed face down in the middle of the group.

The group asks the active player the question, and they answer by putting down one of their cards into a discard pile. They then take one of the face down cards.

The students get one point for each unique card they have when time is up. A timer is set for about 5 minutes, but it is hidden from the students (so they can’t ‘run down the clock’ if they have an advantageous hand and want to stall).

Mystery Friend

Description

The students fill out questionnaires to give their answers relating to the target English. The teacher collects all their papers and picks a random one. The students ask questions and the teacher answers as the ‘mystery friend’ (the student whose paper they picked). Students can volunteer to guess who the mystery friend is, and when they guess correctly the teacher picks a new questionnaire.

Notes

  • It is worth spreading this activity into multiple lessons – one for the students to write their own answers and interview each other, and one to play mystery friend. If the students write their interview answers on a separate worksheet, they can use this in the mystery friend game to help them guess the answer.

Maze Game

Description

Each student gets a worksheet. The worksheet is a 9×9 grid with a vocabulary word in each square. The students make pairs. Starting in the bottom left, they ask each other question based on the vocabulary of the current square.

Their partner can pick either yes or no for their answer. If their partner answers ‘yes…’, the student moves to the space above the one they were on. If they answer ‘no…’, they move to the space to the right.

When they reach the top or right side of the grid, they will win a certain number of points. They then return to the bottom left space and continue.

Notes

  • There are multiple versions of the worksheet that have different points in different spaces. This way their partner can’t predict what that answer will mean for their partner’s score.

Mini Mega Janken

Description

The students make pairs, and each pair gets set of flashcards. They place the flashcards in a line and each student starts at opposite ends. They say the target English that matches the card and move to the next card in the line until they meet in the middle.

They janken, and the loser restarts at the start of the line and the winner continues from where they were. When one player reaches the end of the line, they win one point.

Notes

  • It may be helpful to rotate pairs every few minutes.
  • It is more manageable to make sure the students say their vocabulary at the same rhythm – i.e. they cannot say the next vocabulary until their partner is ready to move on. This prevents one student from going too fast and not speaking clearly, or another getting stuck and losing out.

Similar Games

Order Memory

Description

The students make groups. Each group gets a set of cards for the target English, which they shuffle and place face down. The teacher picks three cards, and assigns them as number 1, 2 or 3. For example, if the target English is animals, they could pick 1 as dog, 2 as cat and 3 as monkey.

The first student turns over one card. All students say the matching target English for the card. If the pick the first order card (for example, ‘dog’), the student can continue and turn over a new card. If the second matches (for example, ‘cat’), they can turn over the next, and so on. If they flip over a card and it isn’t the next card in the sequence, they flip the cards back and the next student tries.

The first student to successfully get all 3 cards in the correct order wins one point. The cards are then all turned face down once again and shuffled for the next round.

Notes

  • The students shouldn’t shuffle cards if they pick the wrong one, only turn it back to being face down. This way the students can try to remember the position of each card.

Lucky Card

Description

Students each get 3 random small cards. They make pairs, ask questions and answer using the target English and one of the cards they have in their hand. They then janken, and the winner can choose which of their cards they will exchange with one of their partner’s cards (also of their choice).

When time is up, the teacher picks a lucky card. Students get one point for each card they have that matches the lucky card.

Notes

The teacher can pick multiple cards to be lucky, certain cards can be worth more points than others, or there can simply be one lucky card.