Time: More than 20 minutes

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.

What’s This? Quiz

Description

The students make groups. Taking turns, each group picks a space on a grid shown on the TV (for example, red 3, green 2 etc). The matching space is then removed and part of a picture underneath is revealed.

The class asks: ‘What’s this?’. The group either replies with ‘It’s a ___’ or ‘I don’t know’. If they get it wrong or don’t know, the next group has a turn. When a group guesses the right answer, the whole picture is revealed and they start on the next hidden picture.

Christmas Cards

Description

Using coloured card, cut enough shapes for each student. They should be roughly Christmas card-sized.

Half the students are ‘shopkeepers’, and half are ‘customers’. The shopkeepers sit down at a desk with the shapes on it. The customers come and the shopkeepers (in groups) ask them what they want. When a student has their card, they can decorate it to make a Christmas card. After a few minutes, shopkeepers and customers switch roles, until all students have a shape.

Next, the cards are shuffled and given to random students. The students make pairs and ask what shape they want. Their partner answers using their partner’s Christmas card as the shape they want. They then swap cards and make a new pair.

When time is up, the students can keep the last card they were holding as a present.

Notes

  • It’s best to split the ‘shopping’ activity/card designing and the card exchange into two lessons.