Materials: None

50/50 Move

Description

Split the classroom (not STS but actual room) into two sections: A and B. You can place signs on each side of the class if you want to for clarity or you can just say it. Split the flashcards on the board into groups A and B. 

STS have a short amount of time to decide what section they want to be in. STS stand up and move to the side they decided on. Once STS have decided, ALT/JTE sets a timer and calls the target English. STS repeat. When the timer sounds, STS standing in the section of the last called flashcard get 1 point! Give STS a chance to change groups if they want to between each round. 

Notes

I played this with my JHS class and found they didn’t change groups between rounds. So to make it more interesting I kept secret what group of flashcards was A and what one was B. I also did round 1 as plus 1 point and round 2 as -1 point. The final round I made a ridiculous number like -100 points and +100 points, and found this got a good reaction out of the STS

Card Battle

Description

  • Students get pairs and a set of cards. Split the cards evenly between them, leaving one out (kept secret!). Students can see their own cards, but are secret from their pair.
  • The teacher gives values 1-9 to each card on the board. Higher cards win, except a 1 will beat a 9.
  • Janken. The winner asks the question, and loser answer with any of their cards. Loser then asks the question, and the winner answers with a card.
  • The card with the higher value wins, and that student gets 1 point.
  • Check points and switch pairs every few minutes.

Notes

  • With multiple sets of cards this could be done with a group, although I haven’t tried it.
  • You could do this with just the answer as well.
  • 1 beats 9 so the 9 card isn’t too strong. Feel free to experiment with different values and rules to make it more difficult/strategic. 
  • Inspired by the board game Stratego.

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Not 21!

Description

Students make groups. The first student starts at 1 and can say between 1 and 3 consecutive numbers. The next student continues from the next number. For example, student A says “1, 2, 3”, student B says “4”, student C says “5, 6”, and so on. Whichever student says “21” sits down. The last student standing is the winner.

Notes

  • Rather than skipping any student that sits down, the rule can be that they continue to play and stand back up if they say “21” again.

Evolution

Description

5 different animals are placed on the board in an ascending line. For example, at the bottom you could use ‘rabbit’ followed by ‘cat’, then ‘dog’, ‘monkey’ and finally ‘lion’.

The students all start as the bottom animal – for example, ‘rabbit’. They make pairs and ask each other the question, and answer using either their original ideas or a small card. Once they have both answered, they janken. The winner ‘evolves’ to be the next animal. The students then find new partners to talk to.

Once they ‘evolve’ to become a lion (or whatever top animal is being used), they win 1 point. They then go back to being the bottom animal (e.g. a rabbit) and continue to try and win more points.

Notes

In some versions of this game, the students need to gesture or act like their current animal. This usually isn’t necessary!

Timer Bingo

Description

Students get a bingo sheet, and write the target English randomly in each square (or use small cards). The teacher calls out the target English and the students repeat, until a timer goes off. Students mark the square that matches the last word that was called. When they get a complete line, they get one point.

Notes

Using small cards instead of drawing on a worksheet can help the game run for multiple rounds. The students turn over the matching card rather than check a box.

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Go Janken

Description

Students make pairs. The teacher calls out random vocabulary words and the students repeat. When the teacher calls ‘go’, the students play janken with their partner. The student that wins janken gets one point.

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Dinosaur Hamburger

Description

Students make pairs. Each student has one open hand (the ‘dinosaur’) and one closed hand (the ‘hamburger’). A vocabulary word is picked to be the keyword. The teacher or ALT calls random vocabulary words and the students repeat them. When the students hear the keyword they use their ‘dinosaur’ hand to try to ‘eat’ (i.e. catch) their partner’s ‘hamburger’ hand. The student that does this first wins one point.

Notes

  • It may be worth changing the pairs every few rounds, so a slower student is not always paired with a faster student.
  • This game can also be played in groups, where the students stand in a circle. For example, in a group of 3, Student A’s open hand matches with student B’s closed hand, student B’s open hand matches with student C’s closed hand and student C’s open hand matches with student A’s closed hand.

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