Time: 10 minutes

Protect the Cheese

Description

Follow the instructions on the 2nd slide to choose the target word for the game. Zooming the slide out makes it easier to adjust.

Students guess one of the letters for the hidden word. If the guess is correct, click the corresponding circle to reveal the letter. If the guess is incorrect, note it on the blackboard and then click on a piece of cheese to play the animation. If all letters are correctly guessed and the class can read out the word, click the ‘W’ button to play the winner screen. If they lose all their pieces of cheese before figuring out the word, reveal the answer and click the ‘L’ button to play the losing screen. 

The game can be run any way the teacher sees fit. However, to avoid students not engaging, or having only a handful of students volunteering, here is a potential way to run the activity.

1. Arrange class into groups. Give each group a mini card of the target vocab for the unit. Place large flashcards of the same target words on the blackboard.

2. Start a timer and have students repeat each of the vocab. When the timer ends, the group with the mini card for the last called vocab can peer check and choose a letter to guess.

3. Repeat until the class figure out the hidden word or lose all their cheese. 

Students can’t call out the answer until all letters have been revealed. The team that guesses the final hidden letter can then attempt to read out the answer.

Notes

  • You can use any length word you want. Just copy/paste the circles to add more letters.
  • If students guess a letter that appears more than once in the word (eg. dOctOr), I usually only reveal one of them each turn.

Lava Game

Description

You can make whatever rules you need. 

I was thinking of a target English repeat activity where everyone is looking at the relevant English on the board, then as a class they can answer a related question. If they get it right they go to round two, before which they have to do more repeating. Same for round three and beyond. 

Notes

When I made this game, I made it with JHS in mind. There is often very little chance to introduce the new English or review previously studied material before an activity. I imagined this would be a good way to encourage repeat of target English while simultaneously having an English activity – something to balance the ALT’s goals and the JTE’s goals.

I thought we could put the flashcards – whatever target English – on the board. Set a timer and have the students repeat: sentences, words. Whatever you need. 

When the timer beeps, they can play the first round of the Lava Game and work together as a class to answer the question. They can do another round of repeat, then they can try round two of the Lava Game. Another round of repeat, then try round three of the Lava Game – as many rounds as you need.  

It’s easy enough to edit but not suitable for group play, really. There is a right/wrong answer only. If you get it wrong, you explode and the game is over. 

Monster Game

Description

Divide the class into groups and assign each group a flashcard on the blackboard. You can either draw or prepare the monsters (I found pictures on Irasutoya and printed + laminated them because you need multiple monsters). 

Place or draw the first monster on the board. Assign the monster health points (I recommend keeping it under or just above 10 so more groups have a chance to win points) and secret points (I used number flashcards and put it face down on the blackboard. The teacher sets a timer and calls the target English. Students repeat the teacher.

When the timer sounds, the last called flashcard indicates the group that gets to attack the monster. Either the teacher or a student volunteer from the group rolls a die. Subtract the number from the monster’s health points. If the monster’s health reaches 0, the monster is defeated. The secret points are revealed and awarded to the group that defeated the monster. The next monster is brought out.

The game continues as such until either all monsters have been defeated or time has run out. Group with the most points at the end of the game is the winning group!

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Bad Day Game

Description

Each student starts with five lives. They get a worksheet and choose a vocab. The teacher says the word and students repeat until the lighting strikes. If the lighting strikes on the same card that they have chosen they lose one life. Repeat until all vocabs are finished and check who survived the day. 

Notes

  • This game is a great match for daily routine. 
  • It could be used as a warm up or review game.  

Bomb Sweeper

Description

Put all cards on the board, and hide the star and bomb card under any two cards. Repeat with the students until the timer goes off. Remove the last card called. If there is nothing under it, the class gets one point. If there is a star, the classes’ points are doubled. If there is a bomb, the round ends and the class keeps whatever points they gathered. Reset and try to get more points the next round. 

Notes

  • You can introduce more special cards as you go to make it longer. Please comment if you discover any good variations!
  • This could be used as a warmup or input game depending on your variations and delivery.
  • The could also be turned into a group game, although I’m not sure how they would hide the special cards. Please comment if you find a good method.

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Hit and Blow

Description

Students play in pairs. Each student gets a matching set of vocabulary cards (i.e. dog, cat, chicken, lion, panda, koala and kangaroo), and each pair gets one set of 5 set of X cards.

Ss do RPS. The winner is the 1st Master. Master chooses 5 cards and an order, and places them face down on the desk in a line.

One by one, Master points to a card and asks the target dialogue, for example, “What’s this?”. The other student picks one of their own cards and places it next to the indicated card, saying, for example, “It’s a ____.”

After Master has asked all 5 cards, they will then indicate if the answers are correct.

If the card is one the Master has chosen and in the same position as the Master, the Master will turn that card over. If the card is one the Master chose, but in a different position, the Master will do nothing. If the card is not one the Master chose, they will put down an X card next to the other student’s card.

The other student can then change their card position or which cards they had selected from the initial set of cards to try and guess the correct cards and order. The student has 3 chances (including the first round) to guess the correct cards and their correct order.

After 3 chances, the other student gets 1 point for every upside-down card, and 2 points for every card face-up. No points for any cards with an X.

Then students switch roles.

Depending on students grade level and difficulty of vocabulary, adjust the number of cards in the original set, but, in general I’ve been using 7 cards in the initial set.

Notes

The demo is very important for the students to understand this game. When working on it, even ESG3 could understand quickly when they saw a good demo.

– The X cards, for ease of understanding, should be placed next to the cards chosen by the other student, not the master to indicate that the card chosen by the other student is incorrect.

– Can be used for only vocab, question or answer. 

– Definitely demo this game in your meeting with your TT beforehand. 

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Lucky Dice

Description

Students are in groups of 4. Each student is assigned a number 1-4.

ALT/HRT sets a timer and calls the target English. When the timer sounds, the ALT/HRT rolls a die. If a 1 is rolled, then all students numbered 1 get 1 point. If a 2 is rolled, then all students numbered 2 get 1 point. If a 3 is rolled, then all students numbered 3 get 1 point. If a 4 is rolled, then all students numbered 4 get 1 point.

If a 5 is rolled, all students get 1 point. If a 6 is rolled, all students lose 1 point.

Notes

The first time I played this we used a spinning wheel instead of a die which also worked well.

Timer Dice

Description

STS make groups and get a set of cards. Each group picks 3 cards. At the start, all cards are worth 3 points. The STS repeat the HRT/ALT as they call out the vocabulary until the timer goes off. The HRT/ALT then rolls a dice. The number from the dice becomes how many points the last card that was called is worth. After 6 rounds, the game is finished and the groups see how many points their 3 cards are worth in total.

Notes

  • The number of cards each group picks will depend on how many total cards there are in the set. The more cards in total, the more cards the students should pick at the start of the round (a good amount is roughly 50%).
  • The amount of cards picked can change each round to add a sense of development in the game.

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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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Territory Game

Description

Students make pairs. They get one set of cards and a territory game board. They shuffle and place 6 of the cards on the middle two rows of the board. The teacher sets a timer and the students janken. The loser asks the winner the question, and the winner answers by choosing a certain card. They can then move the card to an adjacent space, as long as there is no other card on that space already. A card can’t be moved more than one space at a time, or past any other card that’s blocking the path. When time is up, each student gets one point for each card that is on their half of the board.

Notes

  • 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 in the spaces.
  • This game can be used to practice vocabulary, grammar, or questions and answers.
  • To practice vocabulary or grammar without using a question, the students janken and the winner simply says the target English that matches the card they choose to move.

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