Games Language People Play, 3rd Edition

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GamesLanguagePeoplePlayJERRY STEINBERG

Pippin Publishing


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Copyright 2009 by Pippin Publishing CorporationP.O. Box 242Don Mills

Ontario, CanadaM3C 2S2www.pippinpub.com

All rights reserved. Reproducible pages are identified by and may be photocopied for classroom use only.Otherwise, no part of this publication may be reproducedor transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,mechanical, or otherwise, including photocopying andrecording, or stored in a retrieval system without permissionin writing from the publisher.

Every effort has been made to identify and credit sources of copyright material. Please inform Pippin Publishing of anyomissions, and they will be gladly rectified.

Designed by John ZehethoferTypeset by Gwen PeroniPrinted and bound in Canada by Transcontinental Inc.

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication

Steinberg, JerryGames language people play / Jerry Steinberg.

Includes index.ISBN 978-0-88751-129-5

1. Literary recreations. 2. Language andlanguages Study and teaching. I. Title.

GV1507.W8S84 2009 418.0071 C2009-900129-2

ISBN 978-0-88751-129-5 Third edition

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1


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Games Language People Play iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Dedication vAcknowledgement vGame Essentials viLinguistic Skills viExamples viiLevel viiOptimal Group Size viiWhen To Play Games ix

Scope of Games ix The Pedagogical Value Of Games x

LEVEL: All

1. T.V. Definitions2. Tic-Tac-Vocab3. Guide Word4. Four-Square

5. Tic-Tac-Verb6. Dictionary7. Question Baseball8. Triple Definitions9. Hidden Sentence

10. Password11. Segmented Sentences12. Diamond Word13. Word Scrambles14. Do15. Heads And Tails16. Telephone17. The Name Game

LEVEL: Beginners

18. Commands19. Tic-Tac-Number20. Surprise Sack 21. Where Was I?

22. Guesser23. Yes/No Ping-Pong24. Prepositions25. Tic-Tac-Weather26. Here And There27. Fish!28. Professions29. Who Has It?

30. Family31. Tic-Tac-Before-And-After32. Odd And Even Results33. Rhyme Ping-Pong34. Body Stretcher35. Word Calling36. I Spy37. Prepositional Pictures38. Where Is It?

39. Tic-Tac-Math40. What Happened?41. Odd Or Even?42. Sound Off 43. Description44. Darts45. Sit for Sounds46. Ninety-Eight47. Where?48. What Are They Doing?49. The Game Of War50. What Did They Do?

LEVEL: Beginners &Intermediate

51. Flashwords52. Rhyme Mime

53. Railroad Spelling54. Slides And Ladders


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iv Games Language People Play

55. Name The Nouns56. Alphabet Dash57. Spelling Baseball58. Hands Up!

59. Stop!60. Twenty Questions61. Three Words62. Whats Different?63. Question Tag Four By

Four

LEVEL: Intermediate

64. Super Secretary65. Lettergory66. Opposites67. Rhyme Whirl68. Tic-Tac-Tense69. Whats My Line?70. Lost And Found71. Categories72. Mystery Person

73. Paired Letters74. Interrogation75. Waiter/Waitress76. Puzzle Words77. Questions And Answers78. Exaggeration79. Make A Sentence80. Alphabetical Adjectives81. Letter Getter

82. Suitable Adjectives83. Whats My Rhyme?84. Tic-Tac-Frequency85. My/Mine86. Deafman87. Sentence Relay88. What Am I?89. Verb And Particle

90. Two-Word Verbs91. Grammar Relay

LEVEL: Intermediate &

Advanced92. Newscast93. Chain Stories94. Words Within95. Predicaments96. Finish It!97. How Many Words?98. Misfits99. Biography

100. Alphabet101. Out102. Word Explosion103. Ten Definitions104. Travelog105. Hink-Pink 106. Buffet107. Hybrid

108. Prerootsuff 109. Charades110. Wonder Word111. Sabered Stories112. Homonyms113. Compliments

LEVEL: Advanced

114. Encyclopedia

115. Lifeboat116. Rhyme117. Detailed Instructions118. Whats New?119. Relatively Speaking120. Figure This!121. Adages122. To Tell The Truth


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Games Language People Play v

DEDICATION

I dedicate this book of games to Bill, a former student of mine,who once confessed, Every time we sang a song, listened toone of your corny jokes, or played a game (all in the target

language, of course), we thought we were just fooling aroundand not working. Then, I realized that everyone was payingattention and participating, and that as much learning wastaking place during the fun times as did during the formallesson. We were laughing and learning. You tricked us!

Youre right, Bill. I did trick you. And in doing so, I madelearning more fun for you, and teaching more fun for me.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to thank Sharon Ginsberg for her perceptivecomments from a fresh perspective.


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vi Games Language People Play

ABOUT GAMES

GAME ESSENTIALS

Things I look for in games to play with my students.

(1) Ease of Explanation: The rules of a game should be few andsimple. If you are fortunate enough to be able to speak the back-ground (native) language of all of your students, I would suggesttaking a few minutes to explain the game in that language and usethe remaining time to play the game. (I would rather spend a fewminutes explaining the game and have lots of time left over to playit, than use up all the time explaining it in the target language andhave no time left to play.)

If you cannot communicate with students in their ownlanguage, use the simplest vocabulary possible, utilizing lots of visual aids and giving lots of concrete examples, to ensurecomprehension.

(2) Absence of expensive or complicated materials.(3) Versatility: I like games that can easily be adapted to suit the

number, age, and linguistic level of my students.

LINGUISTIC SKILLS

Under each game title, I have indicated which linguistic skills areinvolved in playing the game. They are Listening, Speaking, Readingand Writing. Letters in parentheses indicate the linguistic skills whichcan be practiced if the game is adapted.

Feel free to modify the games to emphasize or de-emphasize anyparticular linguistic skills I often do!


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Games Language People Play vii

EXAMPLES

Examples given in this book are exactly that samples, models,guides to be followed, modified, and expanded to suit your needs.They are not intended to be used exactly as they appear, nor are theymeant to represent all possibilities. I often make modifications to agame to suit the specific situation and meet the needs of the particularstudents I am teaching at that time.

LEVEL

I have attempted to indicate which level of learner (Beginner,Intermediate, or Advanced) each game is best suited to, but pleasekeep in mind that the meaning of each term will vary according to theeducational situation of the individual teacher. So please examineeach game with the intention of adapting it to suit your students.

OPTIMAL GROUP SIZE

During my demonstrations of linguistic games for the languageclassroom, teachers have often expressed the concern that it is next to

impossible to play games with classes of 30 to 40 (or more) students.Although some games are well-suited to large groups ( YES/NOPING-PONG , LETTERGORY and WHATS NEW ?, to name a few), to ensuretotal involvement and participation of all students, teams of no morethan 10 students are recommended. This enables each and everystudent to take an active part in the game and to contribute to histeams effort, in addition to permitting the teacher to monitor eachindividuals performance.

So, what should you do if you have upwards of 30 students in yourclass? Send half of them home? No! I suggest Activity Stations.

Divide your class into equal teams (as nearly as possible) andassign each group to an Activity Station. By way of illustration, aclass of 40 could have 4 teams of 10 students each. Team A could goto Station One, where they could, for example, listen to a taped storyand answer written questions about the story. Team B, at Station Two,could do crossword puzzles. Team C would play T.V. DEFINITIONS (oranother suitable game) against Team D under the direction of theteacher at Station Three.


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viii Games Language People Play

After a given length of time (for example, 15 minutes), the groupswould move on to the next station in a clockwise direction: Team Awould advance to Station Two, B to Three, and D to One, leavingTeam C at Station Three to compete against Team B. This rotation

could take place the next day, depending on your schedule. This takesa bit of organization, but once the system is learned, it functions quitesmoothly, and students move from one station to the next with aminimum of noise and confusion.

Here is how the rotation would work. Each diagram represents onesession.

And here is a partial list of alternative activities which students atStations One and Two could engage in while waiting to play at StationThree. (All are to be done in the target language, of course.)

Reading comic books;Listening to a taped song and doing a cloze exercise;Watching a video-taped program and answering written questions;Creating a dialogue or skit on a given theme;

Reading a story and answering written questions;Doing written exercises on grammar or vocabulary;


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Games Language People Play ix

Listening to a taped dialogue and answering questions;Creating a story on a given theme;Reading a newspaper article in preparation for discussion;Listening to a taped newscast and answering questions;

Doing word searches or crossword puzzles;Reading a dialogue and answering questions;Playing quiet games which dont require the teachers presence orsupervision.

WHEN TO PLAY GAMES

Games can be played at any time. I frequently play a short game withmy students at the beginning of the lesson, especially on Mondays, towelcome them back, refresh their memories, and warm them up forlearning new material. You know only too well how much can beforgotten over the weekend, and how difficult it is to get their motorsstarted, particularly on Mondays. What better way to review lastweeks (or yesterdays) learning than by playing a game whichrequires students to recall and use that information repeatedly?

Also, occasionally, I will interrupt a lesson to play a short, snappygame when I find students attention waning. I then return to the

lesson with alert and attentive students.Saving a game for the end of the session also has its advantages. Itwill encourage students to co-operate during the lesson and, by endingon a high note, it may entice them to return for the next session.

In summary, the best time to play a game is any time that a gamewill benefit your students.

SCOPE OF GAMES

I have used every one of these games in my teaching of both Englishand French as second languages to children and adults. Teachers of other languages have told me at my workshops that almost everygame in this book works equally well in Spanish, Japanese, Arabic,Korean, German, Cantonese, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Russian,Mandarin, ... so feel free to adapt them to whatever language(s) youare teaching.


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x Games Language People Play

THE PEDAGOGICAL VALUE OF GAMES

Everyone knows that games are fun, but some people think that theyare only fun lacking any pedagogical value. Not so! Games are aviable (and enjoyable) method of achieving many educational andbehavioral objectives. For example:

I use games to reinforce newly acquired information, immediatelyafter it has been taught.

Days, weeks, months, even years after something has been taught,a game is a delightful way to review that material.

A game makes an excellent reward to encourage students to co-operate (or to thank them for co-operating) during less enjoyableactivities.

After a gruelling oral drill, or other energy-draining exercise, aquiet game is a fun way to relax.

Games tend to reduce inhibition, especially if the competitiveelement is diminished or eliminated. The shy or linguistically weak student will feel more at ease and will participate more freely, if theobject is just to have fun, and not to score points and win. Althoughcompetition often adds excitement and increases participation, it alsointensifies the pressure to perform well, thereby excluding the timidstudent and the one who is less sure of his facility with the language.

No matter how dynamic a teacher you are, there are bound to beoccasional general lapses in attention. A short, snappy game will raiseattentiveness, revive the class, and make them more receptive tofurther learning.

A game provides the teacher with a method of rapid rectificationof students errors. Correcting errors immediately prevents them frombecoming deeply rooted in students memories.

Students tend to remember best the things they enjoyed doing.

Hence, games aid retention.

Playing games takes the drudgery out of learning and, thus,provides motivation.

Students are very co-operative during games, since no one wantsto risk being responsible for bringing a pleasurable activity to apremature end. Consequently, games help to restrain rebellion.


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Games Language People Play 1

1. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

T.V. DEFINITIONSL, S, R

levels: alloptimal group size: 10(For larger groups, see ADAPTATION .)

OBJECTIV E For Advanced classes, to introduce or review idiomatic expressions.For Beginners and intermediate classes, to review vocabulary andspelling.

MATERIALS NEEDED

Board or overhead projector, and several T.V. DEFINITIONS .

DESCRI PT ION

The group is divided into 5 teams of 2 players each. In turn, oneplayer from each team will GIVE AWAY a letter of the alphabet shehopes isnt in the solution. If that letter indeed isnt in the solution, herpartner will TAKE a letter he hopes is in the solution. If it is, thecorrectly TAKEN letter is written into its place(s) in the solution, andthat team can guess at the solution. If a letter is GIVEN AWAY and is inthe solution, that team loses its turn, and the next team has a freeguess at the solution in addition to their regular turn to GIVE AWAY andTAKE letters.

If the TAKEN letter isnt in the solution, that team loses its chanceto guess at the solution. For example:

DEFINITION : What students are when they fall asleep in class.

SOLUTION : _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _(Each dash represents a letter of the solution.)


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They guess BORED OF EDUCATION and win the match since that isthe solution to What students are when they fall asleep in class.

Here are some other T.V. DEFINITIONS that I have used with mystudents:

Refusing to sleep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . RESISTING A RESTAfraid to eat at KFC . . . . . . . . . . . . . CHICKENING OUTDrink for a small person . . . . . . . . . . SHRIMP COCKTAILWhat sleepy drivers do . . . . . . . . . . . THEY REST IN PIECESHow the harpist got her job . . . . . . . BY PULLING STRINGSWhat horse lovers are . . . . . . . . . . . . STABLE PEOPLEForced to use a ruler . . . . . . . . . . . . . MADE TO MEASURERetired salesperson . . . . . . . . . . . . . OUT OF COMMISSIONWhat a person who remarries has . . A NEW LEASH ON LIFEWilliam is late . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . OVERDUE BILLSign on a bird house . . . . . . . . . . . . . TALK IS CHEEPSign on diet clubs door . . . . . . . . . . WELCOME ALL YE THINNERSRetiring paratroopers . . . . . . . . . . . . JUMPING TO CONCLUSIONSUnable to sleep in a suit of armor . . A RESTLESS KNIGHTWhat the garbage collector is . . . . . . AT YOUR DISPOSALShe got a run in her stocking . . . . . . SHEER MISERY

Tombstone for the Jolly Green Giant REST IN PEASStatus seeker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A HIGH WAGE YEARNERWhere to find chess pieces . . . . . . . . IN A PAWN SHOPLetters to the President . . . . . . . . . . . MAIL TO THE CHIEFWhat a plumber is . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A DRAIN SURGEONHangover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . THE WRATH OF GRAPESIncome Tax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CAPITAL PUNISHMENTArcheologist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . SOMEONE WHOSE CAREER

LIES IN RUINS

A Dear John letter . . . . . . . . . . . . . FORGET ME NOTEOne who has paid off the mortgage . A LOAN SURVIVORFear of a relative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . KIN DREADHow the tailors new business went . IT WAS SEW SEWPolice officers barbecue . . . . . . . . . A STEAK OUTVacation with the kids . . . . . . . . . . . HOLLER DAYSYour child at Halloween . . . . . . . . . A BLESSING IN DISGUISEWhat nurses are . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . PATIENT PEOPLEWhy the doctor went broke . . . . . . . SHE LOST PATIENCEExcellent chesterfield . . . . . . . . . . . . SOFA SO GOOD


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4 Games Language People Play

Expensive barber shop . . . . . . . . . . . A CLIP JOINTSign in maternity clothes shop . . . . . WE ARE OPEN ON LABOR

DAY

Sign on a maternity room door . . . . PUSH! PUSH! PUSH!

Sign on scientists door . . . . . . . . . . GONE FISSIONSign in podiatrists window . . . . . . . TIME WOUNDS ALL HEELSWhat the butcher says to customers . PLEASED TO MEET YOUSign on computer store door . . . . . . OUT FOR A QUICK BYTESign on music library door . . . . . . . . BACK IN A MINUET

Create your own by thinking of some common expressions andidioms, modifying them slightly, then constructing silly definitions forthem.

ADAPTATION

When an entire class is involved, teams could consist of 5 to 7 playerseach, instead of 2 as outlined in the example.

Note: This game is an adaptation of the television game Definition .Hence the name T.V. DEFINITIONS .

SUGGESTIONS

I write the alphabet beneath the solution dashes and erase each letteras it is GIVEN AWAY and TAKEN . That way, it is GIVEN AWAY andTAKEN only once.

For Beginners and Intermediate groups, instead of using puns of idiomatic expressions, I simply challenge them with:

Its an animal: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _orYou can find this in your kitchen: _ _ _ _ _

To help students be more successful in the game, I suggest that theyGIVE AWAY letters which are not frequently used, such as X, Q, Z, andJ; and to TAKE vowels first, since every word must contain at least onevowel.

They are encouraged to confer with their partners as to which

letter to GIVE AWAY or TAKE , and, of course, when they guess at thesolution.


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2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

TIC-TAC-VOCABL, S

levels: alloptimal group size: 20

OBJECTIV E

To review and reinforce the use of vocabulary items (for Beginningclasses) or to strengthen the ability to define words (for Intermediateand Advanced groups).

MATERIALS NEEDED

Overhead projector, one acetate with a large TIC-TAC-TOE grid on it.

1 2 3

4 5 6

7 8 9

Many (20 plus) pictures of known vocabulary items (nouns and verbs)drawn on pieces of clear acetate (small enough to fit into the 9 posi-tions on the grid, about 2" by 3" or 5 cm by 8 cm) and 9 each of X and0 on acetate pieces of the same size.

DESCRI PT ION

A drawing is placed in each of the 9 positions of the grid. The group(of 20) is divided into 2 teams (Team X and Team O).


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The first player chooses a position on the grid and names the wordoccupying that space, for example: Number 1. Its an apple. If correct, he puts his teams symbol (X or O) into that space. A playeron the other team now tries to identify a word in any vacant position

which will help his team occupy 3 positions in a row vertically,horizontally, or diagonally. If a mistake is made, the position remainsvacant until the word in it is correctly identified.

The first team to occupy 3 positions in a row wins.

Sample grid:

ADAPTATION

For Intermediate and Advanced classes, simply identifying the wordisnt enough. You have to name it and define it (size, color, shape,material, where it is found, how it is used, where it is done, etc). Forexample:

A toothbrush is an instrument, usually made of plastic, with ahandle about five inches long (13 cm), with bristles on one end,

used with toothpaste to clean the teeth.Swim is an action performed in water to propel oneself.


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3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

GUIDE WORDL, S, R, W

levels: alloptimal group size: unlimited

OBJECTIV E

To reinforce students appreciation of the composition and spelling of words.

MATERIALS NEEDED

Pencils, dictionaries, and copies of the GUIDE WORD challenge.

DESCRI PT ION

The teacher assigns a random number to each letter of the alphabet.The GUIDE WORD is given with the corresponding numbers below theletters. For example:

G U I D E23 10 19 16 8

Then several coded words are presented and the students arechallenged to decipher the codes. For example:

9 12 5 3 8 14

16 8 5 7 6 9 10 23 1


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SUGGESTIONS

Students could work in teams (of 2 or 3) to facilitate and expedite thedecoding. Assigning numbers to letters is easiest when the letters areprinted in order and numbers are assigned randomly (from 1 to 26).For example:

A B C D E . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Z9 20 4 16 8 13

After each letter has been assigned a number, present 15 to 20 codedwords (showing numbers only) to the students for decoding. The firststudent (or team) to decode the entire list is the winner.

4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

FOUR-SQUAREL, R, W


OBJECTIV E

To develop vocabulary and improve spelling ability.

MATERIALS NEEDED

Dictionary, pen and paper for each student.

DESCRI PT ION

Students draw grids 4 spaces by 4 spaces on their papers. The teachercalls out 16 random letters and the students place those letters in the

spaces on their grids, in any arrangement. Students are thenchallenged to make words from adjoining letters.


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RULES

Only adjoining letters may be used to make a word and each letter canbe used only once per word.

Time limit: 3 minutes.Example:

C E I K

H S R A

O E P B

M N L O

BARPARPAIRPAREARE

ARKARIESHELPPERSON

BARSRISERAISECHOECHOSEN

HOMEHOMESSHOEPARK

S A L E

T O M U

O N I Y

P E A R

MULEMINELOOT

LOONIELEMONLOONLASTSAMELAMETAME

SALESTOPSTONE

TONTONETOTOPMATMYAT

SATPENLONE

LOAMMOLERAYRANNEARPEARPEAYULE

SUGGESTIONS

When I introduce this game to my students, I allow them to play inteams of 2 or 3 players, so they can help each other find combinationsof letters that make words. Once they are familiar with the concept,they compete as individuals. I always make sure that there are at least5 vowels called out; since every word must contain at least one vowel,students would be severely restricted if fewer than 5 of the 16 letterswere vowels.

If your students enjoy this game, youll find another set up readyfor you on the following Copiable Handout :


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Copiable Handout


FOUR-SQUARE

Form words by combining adjoining letters one point perletter per word. The person or team with the most pointswins.


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SCORING

One point per letter per word; i.e., a three-letter word is worth 3points, a five-letter word earns 5 points, and so on.

Note: If you are familiar with the commercial game Boggle, FOUR-SQUARE is quite similar. You could call it Frugal Boggle, since it costsnothing to play.

5. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

TIC-TAC-VERBL, S, R

levels: alloptimal group size: 20

OBJECTIVE

To review a particular verb tense.

MATERIALS NEEDED

Overhead projector, board, or self-made board (see SUGGESTIONS ).

DESCRIPTION

A verb is placed into each of the 9 positions on the grid. For example:

eat speak swim

watch run laugh

write walk drink


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The verb tense to be reviewed is demonstrated, for example, PresentContinuous/Progressive The baby is sleeping now. The group isdivided into 2 teams (namely, Team X, and Team O). A volunteerfrom Team X chooses a position on the grid and names the verb in

that position. For example: I choose eat. He then uses that verb ina suitable sentence, using the chosen tense, for example, John iseating breakfast. If he is correct, an X is placed in that position,indicating that Team X now occupies that position. If he makes anerror, one that could lead to misunderstanding, the position is leftvacant, and Team O can now try for any vacant position which willhelp them occupy 3 positions in a row (vertically, horizontally, ordiagonally).

When one team wins, verbs which have been used are replaced bynew ones, and a new round is begun by the losing team.

ADAPTATION

I often use the following symbols over the verbs to direct students to

use the interrogative , affirmative or , and nega-? +

tive or .x

SUGGESTIONS

I dont accept terse statements (such as, John is eating.) since theydont indicate that the meaning of the verb is clear to the student, andthey show little creativity. I ask the student to expand such shortsentences.

Also, I have found that students prefer games which have someconcrete materials, partly because it shows greater interest and prepa-ration on the part of the teacher, and because they enjoy handling thematerials. So, if you can find the time, you could make a TIC-TAC-TOEboard and use curtain hooks to support the verb cards (and the X andO overlays) in their positions. If you cant, at least allow each studentto mark his X or his O on the grid over his verb (whether on the boardor on the overhead projector). This gives them a greater feeling of involvement and gets them up and out of their seats for a moment.


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6. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

DICTIONARYL, S


OBJECTIVE

To develop critical listening skills and comprehension of definitions.

MATERIALS NEEDED

Provide a dictionary geared to the linguistic capabilities of yourstudents; preferably one which, in addition to defining words, showsthe word in context. One that I have found quite suitable for most ESLclasses is the New Horizon Ladder Dictionary of the English Lan-guage, New American Library, New York, 1970. Almost any dic-tionary will do, and, in a pinch, the teacher can make up definitionsfor each word.


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DESCRI PT ION

The teacher finds a suitable word in the dictionary, names the part of speech (noun, verb, etc.) and the first letter, and reads the definitions(and the sentences using the word in context, if necessary). Thestudents try to guess the word being defined. The first studentcorrectly to identify the word chooses the next word and reads itsdefinitions. For example:

My word is a verb and it begins with the letter t. It means:1. produce thoughts; form in the mind. / often of home. 2. reason; consider. He is about the problem .3. believe; have faith in something. He he can do it.

SUGGESTION

For classes that tend to get over-excited, I divide them into 2 teams,subtract 2 points for each wrong guess and add 5 for a correct guess.This encourages students to listen carefully and to think, instead of calling out every word they know that begins with the named letter.

7. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

QUESTION BASEBALLL, S, R

levels: all

optimal group size: 20

OBJECTIV E

To assess and increase students knowledge of grammar, mathematics,and general information.

MATERIALS NEEDED

Four lists of questions of varying difficulty are presented, each listbeing more advanced than the last. Questions can deal with grammar,


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mathematics, and general information. There should be at least 10questions per list.

DESCRI PT ION

Three bases and home plate are indicated in the room. They may bemarked on the floor or be represented by specially designated desks.

The group is divided into 2 teams of 10 players each. One teampitches (asks the questions) while the other is at bat (answers thequestions).

Batters can choose from among Single Hit (very easy) questions,Double Hit (slightly harder) questions, Triple Hit (harder still)questions, and Home Run (the most difficult) questions. When a batteranswers the chosen question correctly, he advances that number of

bases. All batters ahead of him advance that number of bases.Each time a batter crosses home plate, a point is scored. If a batterdoesnt know the answer, or answers incorrectly, hes out (no 3 strikesin this version). When three batters are out, the teams exchange roles.

Note: The beauty of this game is that, due to the range of difficultyand complexity of the questions, students of all abilities can be activecontributors to their teams progress.

Here is a sample progression:


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In example IV above, Batter D causes C to come home and score apoint by correctly answering a simple question.

Here are some possible sample questions. You would tailor themto suit the knowledge and abilities of your students.

Single Hit: What is your name?Name the city where you live now.How old are you?What is the plural of he?How much is six plus four?

Double Hit: Have you ever lived in another city?What was its population when you lived there?

How many eggs make a dozen?Change to She: I watch television.How much is ninety minus sixty-two?

Triple Hit: Name the current Secretary-General of the UnitedNations.Name the capital cities of India and China.Change to past: I see the bird.How much is six times eight?

Spell dictionary.Home Run: How many Olympic rings are there?

What do the Olympic rings represent?Change to past continuous: Shirley looked out thewindow.How much is nine times seven, minus twenty-four?

SUGGESTION

You might want to limit the time allowed to formulate and deliver aresponse to each question.


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8. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

TRIPLE DEFINITIONSL, R, W


OBJECTIV E

To refine listening skills and improve students ability to recognizevocabulary items.

MATERIALS NEEDED

Paper and pencil for each student. A list of 30 or more suitable wordson the board or overhead.

DESCRI PT ION

Each student draws an X and O grid ona piece of paper, and chooses 9words from the master list of 30 or more words which are on theboard (or overhead). He writes his 9 words into the 9 squares on hisgrid. For example, one student might choose the following 9 wordsand place them in this arrangement.

eat small carrotV

music socks laughV

knife sleep hungryV V

The teacher now chooses words randomly from the master list and,instead of naming the words, gives a definition of each. For example:


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V

V

V

V V

Its the opposite of big.What you do when someone tells a funny joke.What you use to cut meat.How you feel when you havent eaten in a long time.

When a word on his grid matches the definition given by the teacher,the student crosses it out. The first person to have 3 words crossed outin a row (vertically, horizontally, or diagonally) is the winner. Newgrids are made and filled in with new words and a new round is begun.

ADAPTATIONS

This game could also be played mathematically.For example:

25 37 24

20 29 47

42 43 35

(Numbers arefrom 20 to 50.)

The teacher says: The answer is 20 plus 17.The answer is 5 times 7.

Another idea is to have the numbers spelled out in the spaces insteadof using the numerals.

fourteen twenty-six seventeen

twenty-one twelve thirty-three

thirty-eight nineteen eleven


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SUGGESTIONS

I tell my students that the definitions will be given only once. Thismakes them listen more attentively.

Also, to ensure that the winner has indeed won, I ask him to readthe words (or numbers) that gave him the win.

9. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

HIDDEN SENTENCER, W

levels: all

optimal group size: unlimited

OBJECTIV E

To improve students appreciation of syntax and spelling.

MATERIALS NEEDED

Overhead projector, board, or paper copies of the grids on page 22.

DESCRI PT ION

Depending on the abilities of the students, choose a square 3 3spaces, 4 4, 5 5, etc, and fill the spaces with the letters of apredetermined sentence. You can go in any direction, except diagonally. The sentence should have exactly the same number of letters as there are spaces in the square; that is, 9 (for a 3 3), 16 (for

a 4 4), 25 (for a 5 5), 36 (for a 6 6) etc. Each letter can be usedonly once. Examples:


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3 3 grid.

9 letters total.

Arrows are to aid you.

SUE TOOK IT.

5 5 grid.

25 letters total.

Arrows are to aid you.

WE ATE POPCORN

DURING THE SHOW.

Challenge the entire class to discover the HIDDEN SENTENCE .After half the class has discovered the solution, show, or have a

student show, the solution to the others. Give them another challenge,this time a little more difficult. Once most of the group have solvedthe problem, have one student show it to the rest of the group. Now,

they are ready to create their own HIDDEN SENTENCES and challengeone another.

SUGGESTIONS

I find it best to start with a simple game, like having a sentence withno spaces between the words. The class is challenged to break up thesentence into words. For example: HEWILLNEVERFORGETHER . Then, asentence in which the words are jumbled and must be re-arranged toform a correct sentence: WILL HER HE FORGET NEVER .


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Next, scrambled words in jumbled order: VENRE ERH EH LIWLFOTGER.

Now, they are ready (or should be) to work with HIDDENSENTENCES in squares. I usually use a 3 3 to introduce the game for

the first time. Then a 4 4 to challenge them.It is recommended to have the first letter of the sentence circled to

facilitate solution. For more difficult challenges, perhaps the letters of the first word should be circled.

The easiest way to create a HIDDEN SENTENCE is to write down asentence within the students ability, such as: HE WILL NEVER FORGETHER , and add or subtract letters to make it 9, 16, 25, 36, 49, 64, 81 or100 letters long. So, in the example which is 20 letters long, one couldsubtract 4 letters, or add 5. Hence, we could start with the sentence HENEVER FORGOT HER which has 16 letters (4 4), or the sentence HEWILL NEVER FORGET HER SMILE which has 25 letters (5 5). If yourehard pressed to make a sentence fit precisely into a particular grid, youcould leave one or two blocks blank.

10. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .PASSWORDL, S, R

levels: alloptimal group size: 10(For larger groups, see ADAPTATIONS .)

OBJECTIV E

To develop vocabulary.

MATERIALS NEEDED

Small slips of paper with one word on each. These can be nouns,

verbs, adjectives, adverbs, or prepositions that are familiar to thestudents.


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DESCRI PT ION

Students are divided into 5 teams of 2. For groups larger than 10, seeADAPTATIONS . One partner (A1, B1, C1, D1 and E1) of each team isshown the PASSWORD (for example, CUP ), and in turn says one word which will, he hopes, prompt his partner to say the PASSWORD . A1might say glass which might prompt his partner, A2, to guesswindow B1 could give drink as his clue, and B2 might respondwith milk. C1 could try coffee, while his partner, C2, might betempted to answer tea. D1 could use saucer as his clue, and thatmight encourage D2 to reply cup. That being the PASSWORD , team Dwins one point. Now, the other partner of each team (#2) would beshown the next PASSWORD , and D2, the last winner, would begin the

next round. The starting position is the most difficult, thus winninghas its drawbacks since the winner has to start the next round.

ADAPTATIONS

If you cannot break your class up into groups of 10 students, there areat least two ways in which this game can be adapted to suit largegroups.

First, you could divide the group into any number of equal (asnearly as possible) teams. For example, a class of 37 students could bebroken up into 5 teams of 5 students each and 2 teams of 6. Hence:

Team A Team B Team C Team D Team E Team F Team G

A1 B1 C1 D1 E1 F1 G1A2 B2 C2 D2 E2 F2 G2A3 B3 C3 D3 E3 F3 G3A4 B4 C4 D4 E4 F4 G4A5 B5 C5 D5 E5 F5 G5

F6 B6

The first person on each team is shown the PASSWORD and when herturn comes up, she says one word to the next person (#2) on her teamwho tries to guess the PASSWORD . The next time her turn comes up,she would give her clue to the next in line (#3). When the PASSWORDis discovered, the #2 person on each team is shown the nextPASSWORD and takes her turn giving clues to her team members inturn.


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Alternatively, one person could come up to the front of the roomand be shown the PASSWORD . He would then give one clue to the classand choose a person to respond to that clue. The value of theresponses diminishes with successive clues. For example, if thePASSWORD is guessed on the first clue, the person at the front wins 10points. If the second clue is the one that claims the PASSWORD , ninepoints would be won, and so on, until no points are left. That meansthat a person has a maximum of 10 clues to give for each PASSWORD .

SUGGESTIONS

I encourage my students to build upon previous clues by using hintssuch as opposite or longer or similar as their clue. Also, givingthe part of speech (noun, for example) as a clue helps others to zero inon the PASSWORD .

I allow my students to use dictionaries and thesauruses, but notwhile it is their turn to speak. This eliminates long waits while thespeaker searches for an appropriate clue.

Clues and guesses may be repeated by others as their clues. Tomake the game more challenging, I stipulate that clues cannot containor be contained within the PASSWORD . For example, if the PASSWORD

is board, students may not use black or board as a clue to elicitthe PASSWORD from their partners. Pencil cant be used as a clue forpen since it contains the PASSWORD .

I also disallow the use of proper nouns as clues. This preventsstudents from insulting one another if the PASSWORD is a word such asugly or stupid.

I print out the photocopiable handout on page 26 and distribute itto students before I introduce the game:


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Copiable Handout


PA S S W O R D

RULES

Each person gives his/her partner a clue (helping word) tomake his/her partner say the password.

Your clue must:

(1) be ONE word(2) not contain or be contained by the PASSWORD(3) not be a proper noun (such as the name of a person, place,

or company, which begins with a capital letter).

Your clue may be a word such as verb, noun, same,opposite, longer; you may also repeat any other word saidby anyone else as your clue.


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SEGMENTED SENTENCESR, W


OBJECTIV E

To assess and strengthen students appreciation of syntax.

MATERIALS NEEDED

Index cards (200 to 400) and felt-tip markers. The smaller (3" by 5",or 7.5 cm by 13 cm) index cards are fine.

DESCRI PT ION

The teacher composes a number of sentences that are within thelinguistic ability of the students. Each sentence is written on a separatepile of cards, one word per card, and the shuffled pile is given to astudent who is challenged to place the word-cards in correct order. Forexample:

the to Henry store went

When a student feels confident that his sentence is correct, he checksit with the teacher. When the sentence is correct, he shuffles his cardsand exchanges piles.

ADAPTATION

Instead of the teacher making the SEGMENTED SENTENCES , studentscould create them and write the words on the index cards.


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SUGGESTIONS

Students could work in teams of 3 to 5. This enables them to learnfrom one another and reduces the number of sentences required.

To ensure that students dont have to wait between sentences thereshould be more sentences than the number of students (teams) in theclass.

Faster students could help check the sentences of the otherstudents.

To prevent the cards of various sentences from getting mixed andstudents from becoming frustrated by missing cards, the cards couldbe coded to show groups and the number of cards in a group. Forexample:


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LH

E

L

O

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DIAMOND WORDR, W


OBJECTIV E

To reinforce students appreciation of the composition and spelling of words.

MATERIALS NEEDED

Board or overhead projector, paper and pencil.

DESCRI PT ION

The teacher chooses the DIAMOND WORD which comprises 4 to 8letters, for example, HELLO . Then, words containing at least one of theletters of the DIAMOND WORD are given, in scrambled fashion (forexample, PHEL ). Beside each scrambled word, dashes are used torepresent letters of the word (for example, PHEL _ _ _ _ ), and adiamond is placed on an appropriate dash to indicate that the letter inthat space is in the DIAMOND WORD (for example, PHEL ).

Supply enough scrambled words to use all the letters of theDIAMOND WORD . For example:

PHEL " " " E " PSEY " Y " SWOLYEL " Y E L " O W HOTUM " M " U T H


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13. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

WORD SCRAMBLESR, W


OBJECTIV E

To develop vocabulary and improve spelling ability.

MATERIALS NEEDED

A list of scrambled words, paper and pencils, overhead or boardoptional.

DESCRI PT ION

The students are presented a list of scrambled words on the board,overhead, or paper, and are challenged to unscramble them. The firstperson, or team, to unscramble the entire list wins. The words, of course, are from known active and passive vocabulary. For example:

HYPAP OAPINPOSA MECARASIFH

The length of the list depends on the time available and the interestlevel of the students.

ADAPTATION

The list can occasionally be restricted to a category such as occupa-tions, world capitals, political leaders, or furniture.


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SUGGESTION

To introduce the game to students for the first time, I usually start byhaving teams of 3 to 5 players each compete against each other.Working in teams enables individuals to learn from one another andhelps to build self-confidence.

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DOL, S


OBJECTIV E

To practise asking questions with DO and identifying actions in theappropriate tense (Present Continuous/Progressive, Future, SimplePast and Present Perfect.)

MATERIALS NEEDED

None.

DESCRI PT ION

This game can be called:

WHAT AM I DOING,?

WHAT AM I GOING TO DO?

WHAT DID I DO?

WHAT HAVE I DONE?

The choice of the title depends on the tense being reviewed.

THE PRESENT CONTINUOUS : While the action is being performed, the


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actor asks, What am I doing? The person who answers correctly (forexample, You are walking.) can either replace the actor, or win apoint (for his team, if teams have been formed).

THE FUTURE TENSE : (going to) The actor prepares to perform an actionand asks, What am I going to do? A correct response might beYoure going to sit down.

THE SIMPLE PAST TENSE : The actor, when finished performing anaction, asks, What did I do? An appropriate answer could be Youdrank some water.

THE PRESENT PERFECT TENSE : The actor, after having performed anaction, asks, What have I done? Someone could win a point with the

answer You have written on the board.

15. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

HEADS AND TAILS

L, S, (R, W)


OBJECTIV E

To expand vocabulary.

MATERIALS NEEDED

None, but board or overhead is optional.

DESCRI PT ION

The class is divided into any number of equal teams. The first player

calls out a word, any word , and the first player on the next team mustcall out a word which begins with the last letter of the previous word.


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This continues from team to team until someone cannot think of anoriginal, suitable word. She, then, loses a point for his team, and theplayer of the next team gains two points for her team if she comes upwith an acceptable word.

ADAPTATION

Usually, when I play HEADS AND TAILS with an Intermediate or anAdvanced class, I require students to give a definition of their word oruse it meaningfully in a sentence. To make the game more chal-lenging, especially with Intermediate classes, I often restrict the wordsused to specific categories such as countries, verbs, or singers.

SUGGESTION

I try to enforce the rule that each word can be used only once. This isfacilitated if the words are written, as they are called out, on the boardor overhead projector by the teacher or a student.


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16. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

TELEPHONEL, S

levels: alloptimal group size: 10(For larger groups, see ADAPTATION )

OBJECTIV E To improve listening skills and memory.

MATERIALS NEEDED

A number of sentences written on strips of paper. Vocabulary,complexity of grammar and length of sentences will vary according tostudents abilities. For example, Beginners: The boy ran away from

the dog; Intermediate: The boy wearing the brown shoes ran awayfrom the barking dog; Advanced: The boy wearing the brown shoesand carrying a pile of books was terrified and ran away screamingfrom the vicious, barking dog.

DESCRI PT ION

Students sit in a circle. The first student is given the sentence andreads it quietly to the second student, so that no one else is able tohear it. The second student whispers what she heard to the third, andso on around the circle. When the last student is told the sentence, hesays it aloud to the group and it is compared with the original on thepaper. Students are often amazed at how much a sentence can changewhen passed through several players.

ADAPTATION

For larger groups, I have 2, 3 or 4 groups of students in circles.


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17. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

THE NAME GAMEL, S


OBJECTIV E

To enable students (and the teacher) to learn students names andsomething about each person.

Note: This game is best played at the beginning of the semester, oryear, as a means of breaking the ice and familiarizing students withone another.

MATERIALS NEEDED

None.

DESCRI PT ION

Students and the teacher stand in a circle. The first person usuallythe teacher says his name and something about himself (e.g. Myname is Jerry and I have three dogs and a cat.) The second personsays, His name is Jerry and he has three dogs and a cat. My name isYoshiko and I like to eat sushi. The third person says, His nameis Jerry and he has three dogs and a cat. Her name is Yoshiko and shelikes to eat sushi. My name is Cheng-Chou and I just learned to in-line skate. Each successive player repeats the name and charac-teristic of all preceding players and introduces himself until everyonehas repeated everyones name and characteristics.


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SUGGESTION

For Beginners, students could use one word to associate withthemselves, instead of a whole sentence. In the examples above, Jerrywould say dogs, Yoshiko would say sushi, and Cheng-Chouwould say skating.

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COMMANDSL, S

level: beginnersoptimal group size: 20

OBJECTIV E

To review the use of the imperative.

MATERIALS NEEDED

None.

DESCRI PT ION

The group is divided into 2 teams (A and B). Students take turnsgiving a command to their opponents on the other team. One point fora correct command and one for the correct action. The difficulty andcomplexity of commands will depend on the ability of your students.Examples:

A1: Touch your toes!B1: Performs the action.

B1: Point to the window!

A1: Performs the action.


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A1: Laugh quietly!B1: Performs the action.

B1: Untie your shoe!A1: Performs the action.

SUGGESTIONS

Commands should, of course, be reasonable and physically possible toperform. To encourage students to be creative and original, 2 pointscould be awarded for novel commands, while ordinary or repeatedcommands are worth only one point.

19. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

TIC-TAC-NUMBERL, S, R, W

level: beginnersoptimal group size: unlimited

OBJECTIV E

To review cardinal numbers.

MATERIALS NEEDED

Pen and paper for each student.

DESCRI PT ION

Students are instructed to draw a grid with 2 vertical and 2 horizontallines (3 for a longer game). They then fill the 9 (or 16) spaces withnumbers (within a prescribed range) in any order. Examples:


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The teacher now calls out random numbers and students cross outcalled numbers that appear on their grids. The first person to eliminate3 (or 4) numbers in a row (vertically, horizontally, or diagonally)wins. To prove the validity of the claim, the winner must call out the 3(or 4) numbers that gave her the win. The winner can call the numbersfor the next round.

ADAPTATION

TIC-TAC-LETTER Letters, instead of numbers, are placed in the

spaces.

K B M

P W L

O R S

SUGGESTION

To make the game more challenging for students, instead of callingout numbers, I often call out arithmetic operations that result in thatnumber. For example, for 20, I would say, Eight plus twelve, orFifteen plus five, or Five times four, depending on the abilities of my students. Likewise, in TIC-TAC-LETTER , I will often say, Theletter after Q, and The letter between K and M. To avoid contro-versy, I encourage the use of pens and tell my students that they must

print clearly and legibly. Any number that has been changed ortampered with will be rejected.

Short Game Long Game(range 125) (range 150)

1 12 8 6 34 9 5014 20 13 18 31 26 14

21 25 6 27 45 2 40

10 38 49 42


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20. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

SURPRISE SACKL, S, R, W


OBJECTIV E

To give students practice in description.

MATERIALS NEEDED

Each student brings a common object, such as a comb, cup, penny, ora sock. A paper bag is optional.

DESCRI PT ION

Students take turns describing, in detail, the objects they have broughtto class, while the others try to guess the identity of each one. Forexample:

My object is about 4 inches (10 cm) long. It weighs about 6ounces (150 g). It is oblong in shape. It is made of nylon. It isflexible, and is dull black. What is it?

SUGGESTIONS

Terms to describe aspects such as size, weight, shape, color, texture,or material, should be familiar to students before this game is played.Students could write out their descriptions beforehand to facilitateplaying the game.

I have found that students interest is aroused when the object inquestion is contained in a paper bag. It seems to pique their curiosity

more by almost being able to see the object as it is being described,than when the object is totally concealed in a desk.


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WHERE WAS I?L, S, R, W


O B J E C T I V E

To practice using the verb TO BE in the Simple Past (interrogative,affirmative, and negative).

M AT E R I A L S N E E D E D

Pen and paper.

D E S C R I P T I O N

A student writes down where he was at a certain time in the past andchallenges the class to guess where he was.

For example:

Where was I at noon yesterday?Were you at the dentist?No, I wasnt at the dentist.

A D A P TAT I O N

To review other persons, the challenger could ask:

Where was Gary last Tuesday?orWhere were Joan and I last Sunday?orWhere were you and I last night?


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S U G G E S T I O N

I limit the number of questions to one-half the number of students inthe group (or 20). If the location has not been guessed by that time, itis revealed, and the challenger is replaced by another.

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GUESSERL, S, R, W


O B J E C T I V E

To give students practice describing people.


Board and chalk.


The GUESSER has his back to the board as the teacher writes the nameof another student on it for the class to see, and then quickly erases the

name. The GUESSER chooses some students to describe the personwhose name was written. The clues start by being general and thennarrowing down to the specific. When the persons identity is guessed,a new round is begun.

S U G G E S T I O N S

In order to ensure that the clues go from the general to the specific, Ihave my students tell about the mystery persons sex, hair color, height,eye color, weight, and other general characteristics first. It helps if those features are written on the board for the students to follow.


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To make the game even more challenging, we frequently blindfoldthe GUESSER .

I usually set a limit on the number of clues given for each round(10, in most cases).

23. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

YES/NO PING-PONGL, S


O B J E C T I V E

To give students practice asking and answering questions that require

YES/NO answers.


None.


The class is divided into 2 teams (A and B). Students, in turn, ask theiropponents questions to which only YES or NO is the answer.

A point is won for each correct question and for every appropriateanswer. Once a student answers a question, he poses one to hisquestioner. For example:

A1: Do you speak English?B1: Yes, I do.

B1: Can you ride a bike?A1: Yes, I can.


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A2: Is your sister here?B2: No, she isnt.

B2: Do you know my name?A2: Yes, I do.

24. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

PREPOSITIONSL, S


O B J E C T I V E

To assess and strengthen students knowledge and use of prepositions.


Paper and pencil.


The teacher instructs the class to draw various geometric shapes incertain places on their pages and to place numbers and letters IN , ON ,UNDER , TO THE LEFT OF , IN THE BOTTOM RIGHT HAND CORNER OF , etc.,the shapes. Results are compared with the teachers copy, and theperson with the fewest errors takes her turn at instructing the class.

There are some examples for you on page 44:


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The teacher says, In the lower left corner of the page, draw asquare. Put a C in the center of the square. Put a 2 in the upper rightcorner of the square, a 3 in the lower left corner of the square and a Gto the left of the square ...

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TIC-TAC-WEATHERL, S


O B J E C T I V E

To review weather conditions.


The grid on page 45 on the overhead and in photocopiable form.


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Copiable Handout


NOT


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The group is divided into 2 teams (Team X and Team O). The firstplayer of Team X chooses a position, identifies it by number, anddescribes the weather condition in that space. If she is correct, herteam marker is placed there and her team occupies that position. If anerror is made, the position remains vacant until it is correctlyidentified. The first team to occupy 3 positions in a row (vertically,horizontally, or diagonally) wins.

The central position can be gained, at any time, by stating thenegative form of any other position; for example, It isnt raining.

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HERE AND THEREL, S


O B J E C T I V E

To reinforce the meaning and use of HERE and THERE .


Each student supplies several (2 to 5) objects, such as a notebook,ruler, comb, shoe, etc.


The objects are divided into 2 piles which are placed at opposite endsof the room. One-half of the group searches one pile for theirbelongings, while the other half explores the other pile for theirs.(Articles not found in one pile are assumed to be in the other pile).

Students take turns indicating the location of their possessions bypointing and saying, for example:


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My pen is HERE . (She indicates the pile he is looking through.)My shoe is THERE . (He points to the pile at the far end of theroom.)

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FISH!L, S, (R)


O B J E C T I V E

To review the verb TO HAVE in the Present Indicative, using theinterrogative, affirmative, and negative forms. In addition, the namesof the playing cards are learned.


One deck of playing cards for every 4 or 5 students in the class.(Cards can be provided by students.)


Students are grouped in 4s or 5s and each one is dealt 5 cards. Theremaining cards are turned face-down in a pile in the center of thegroup. The first person to the left of the dealer asks anyone in thegroup for cards already in his hand - the object being to get four of akind (that is, 4 Queens, or four 3s). A player continues to ask as longas he receives the card(s) asked for, whether from another student, orwhen told to fish from the inverted pile. The turn to ask continuesaround the group in the same direction until somebody gets 4 of akind. Then the cards are re-shuffled and re-dealt for a new round. For

example:


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Student A: Do you have any _________s?Student B: No, I dont have any ________s. Fish!

(Whereupon, Student A takes the top card from the inverted pile inthe center of the group. If it is the card he had asked for, hecontinues to ask for any card already in his hand. If not, the turngoes to the player on his left.)

Student C: Do you have any ________s?Student D: Yes I do.Student C: How many ________s do you have?Student D: I have 1/2/3 ________(s).Student C: May I have it/them, please?Student D: Here you are. (Hands C the card/s.)Student C: Thank you.Student D: Youre welcome.

(Student C, having received the card(s) asked for, continues to ask for more cards.)


When I teach the dialogue to my students, I have the entire class

repeat it after me (showing them the card being asked for so they learnthe cards as they learn the dialogue). After several repetitions, usingvarious cards, I have one-half the class ask the other half, then theyexchange roles. This is repeated several times.

With some classes, I give them the dialogue on paper and,together, we read it several times. I tell them to use the sheets duringthe game, and when they feel confident they can turn them face-downon their desks. I then walk among them as they play, monitor theirfacility with the dialogue, and collect papers which have been placedface-down.

Students of all backgrounds have difficulty distinguishing betweenace and eight, singular and plural. I make sure to give them lots of practice during the drill as follows:

Do you have any eights (8s)?Do you have any Aces (As)?

How many eights do you have?How many Aces do you have?


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I have one eight. I have two eights. I have three eights.I have one Ace. I have two Aces. I have three Aces.

To make the game a bit more exciting, I give each student 5 paper

clips. At the beginning of each round, each player antes up (puts oneclip in a pile in the center of the group) and the winner collects all of them.

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PROFESSIONSL, S


O B J E C T I V E

To review various professions.

MATERIALS NEEDED

None.


One student leaves the room while the rest of the group decides on aPROFESSION . When he returns, the other students say one sentencewhich describes the PROFESSION , while he tries to guess it. Examples:

Student 1: He works with many people.Student 2: He talks a lot.Student 3: He writes a lot.Student 4: He gets angry a lot.

Student 5: He laughs a lot.Student 6: He uses a lot of chalk.


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(The answer is teacher.)

Student 1: He fixes things.Student 2: He charges a lot.Student 3: You call him for emergencies.Student 4: He comes to your house.Student 5: He works with water.Student 6: He uses wrenches.Student 7: He fixes sinks and toilets.

(The answer is plumber.)

S C O R I N G

If the guesser is able to guess correctly after the first clue, he gets tenpoints. The value of the answer diminishes by one point with eachsuccessive clue. After eleven clues, the answer is revealed for nopoints.

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WHO HAS IT?L, S


O B J E C T I V E

To reinforce the use of the verb TO HAVE in the Simple Present tense(interrogative, affirmative, and negative).


A small object (such as a button, coin, or paper clip).


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The class is divided into 2 teams (A and B). Team A leaves the roomwhile the small object is given to one member of Team B. WhenTeam A returns, members of Team A take turns asking members of Team B WHO HAS IT ? For example:

A1: Do you have it, Paul?Paul: No, I dont have it.

A2: Does Marie have it, Robert?Robert: No, Marie doesnt have it.

A3: Does Carl have it, Linda?

Linda: No, Carl doesnt have it.A4: Do you have it, Sharon?Sharon: Yes, I have it.

The number of questions posed is limited to one-half the number of players on each team.

A point is awarded to Team A if the possessor is guessed, whereasTeam B wins a point if the possessor is not guessed within the limited

number of questions. The teams change roles when the possessor isguessed, or when all questions are used up.

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FAMILY

W, L, S


O B J E C T I V E

To review familial relationships.


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Pen and paper for each student.


Students pair off and challenge their opponents to state the familialrelationship. For example:

Student 1: John is Louises uncle. Who is Louise?Student 2: Louise is Johns niece.

Student 2: Carol is Susans mother. Who is Susan?Student 1: Susan is Carols daughter.

S C O R I N G

One point for each correct response.

S U G G E S T I O N

I have found that this works more smoothly if the challenges arewritten down before they are presented. This avoids confusion andlapses of memory,

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TIC-TAC-BEFORE-AND-AFTER

L, S, R


O B J E C T I V E

To review and reinforce the concepts of BEFORE and AFTER .


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The following grid on the overhead or the board.

a/b 6/7 4/5

2/3 d/e c/d

p/q 8/9 9/10


The group is divided into 2 teams (Team X and Team O). The firstplayer chooses a position on the grid and tells the relation of one letteror number to the other. For example:

A is before B.Seven is after six.

If she is correct, her team symbol (X or 0) is placed in that position. If she is incorrect, the position remains vacant until it is correctlyidentified. To win, a team has to place three of its symbols in a row vertically, horizontally, or diagonally.


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ODD AND EVEN RESULTSL, S, R, W


O B J E C T I V E



Pencil and paper for each student.


Students are paired off; one of them takes ODD and the other takesEVEN . They both write down any number (within a prescribed range, if you prefer) without seeing each others number. The 2 numbers areadded together and if the result is EVEN , the player who chose EVENwins a point; if the result is ODD , the player who chose ODD receivesthe point. The first person to earn 10 points wins.

For example, the range is 20 to 50:

Player A(ODD )26433621

++++

Player B(EVEN )45502243

====

71 ( ODD player wins 1 point.)93 (ODD player wins 1 point.)58 (EVEN player wins 1 point.)64 (EVEN player wins 1 point.)

A D A P TAT I O N

Subtraction could be used to provide a little variety.


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RHYME PING-PONGL, S


O B J E C T I V E

To expand vocabulary.


None.


Students pair off and the first of each pair says a word to her opponentwho must respond with a rhyming word. They volley back and forthuntil one of the students cannot think of an ORIGINAL rhyming word.Her opponent then wins a point, and the loser begins the next roundwith a new word. For example:

Student 1: man pan ran YOU WIN ! ` _ ` _ ` _

Student 2: tan fan can

Student 1: sick lick quick ` _ ` _ `

Student 2: thick trick YOU WIN !

Student 2: wood good YOU WIN ! ` _ ` _

Student 1: should could


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S U G G E S T I O N

Have the students spell each word after saying it. This expands theopponents vocabulary and ensures that there is no confusion withhomonyms (for example, wood and would). Furthermore, it is agood exercise in spelling for all.

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BODY STRETCHERL


O B J E C T I V E

To review parts of the body.


None.


Students are paired off. One names 3 parts of the body. When he hasfinished, the other must touch them in the order named. Then the rolesare reversed. One point for each correct response. For example:

Touch your nose, knee and elbow.

When both participants have done 3 parts, 4 are named and touched;then 5, and 6 ...

Only parts which are touched in the order called are worth a pointeach.


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S U G G E S T I O N

Students could write the body parts before the game is played in orderto avoid confusion and arguments. For example:

(1) nose (2) knee (3) elbow(1) ear (2) toes (3) shoulder (4) wrist(1) chin (2) back (3) thumb (4) ankle (5) eye(1) finger (2) arm (3) leg (4) shoulder (5) foot (6) mouth

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WORD CALLINGR, S


O B J E C T I V E

To increase speed of word recognition.


Flashcards of familiar words; as many cards as there are students. Oneword per card.


The class is divided into 2 teams (A and B). A flashcard is shown veryquickly and briefly to one member of each team simultaneously. Thefirst person to call out the word wins a point for his team. Thiscontinues down the ranks until each has had 2 turns.


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This works more smoothly if each competitor is equidistant from theteacher as the flashcard is briskly displayed. The easiest method is tohave each team line up on opposite sides of the room, curving into thecenter and up towards the teacher.

Example:

The teacher is the judge whose decision is final. Questioning the judges decision will cost your team 5 points.

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I SPYL, S


O B J E C T I V E

To review vocabulary (and spelling).


None.


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One student challenges the group to guess what he sees in the room.

I spy (with my little eye) something that is green. What is it?

Is it the chalkboard?No, it isnt the chalkboard.

Is it the wastebasket?No, it isnt the wastebasket.

Once one-half the number of students in the group have guessed, theobject is revealed and a new challenger is chosen.

A D A P TAT I O N

If spelling practice is needed, students could spell the names of objects instead of saying them. For example:

I spy something that begins with a B. What is it?

Is it a B-O-O-K?

No, it isnt a B-O-O-K.Is it a B-O-Y?No, it isnt a B-O-Y.

Is it a B-A-G?Yes, it is a B-A-G.


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PREPOSITIONAL PICTURESL, S


O B J E C T I V E

To reinforce the use of prepositions of place.


Paper and pencil for each student.


The teacher describes a scene to the class who draw what is beingdescribed. For example:

In the center of the page, there is a house. There is a chimney onthe left side of the roof, and a window on the right side of the house.In the upper right hand corner of the page, there is a cloud. There is atall tree to the left of the house, and a sidewalk in front. A small dog isstanding on the grass, to the right of the sidewalk. He has a big bonein his mouth ...

S U G G E S T I O N

After I have dictated 10 to 15 details, I divide the class into groups of 5 to 7 players, and each player takes a turn dictating 2 additionaldetails which the others in his group draw. Then, each in turn asks 2questions about the picture. For example:

Where is the dog? What is in the tree?

This gives each student a chance to speak during the game.


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WHERE IS IT?L, S


O B J E C T I V E

To reinforce the use of IT IS in the interrogative, negative, andaffirmative; and to reinforce the use of prepositions.


A small object, such as a coin, a button or a paper clip.


A student leaves the room while the class hides the small object.When he returns, he tries to find where it is hidden by asking a fewstudents questions like:

Is it under the desk, Rob?No, it isnt under the desk.

Is it in your shoe, Jackie?No, it isnt in my shoe.

Is it behind the door, Gary?Yes, it is behind the door.

If the object has not been found by the time a limited number of questions have been posed, the guesser is told its location and a newguesser is chosen for a new round.


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S U G G E S T I O N

I usually limit the number of questions to one-half the number of students in the class, or 20 maximum.

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TIC-TAC-MATHL, S


O B J E C T I V E

To review and reinforce the use of cardinal numbers with the aid of mathematical operations.


The following grid on the overhead projector or the board.

A.

6 + 8 =

B.

9 x 2 =

C.

14 9 =

D.

18 6 =

E.

12 9 =

F.

10 + 6 =

G.

19 + 9 =

H.

20 4 =

I.

6 x 7 =


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The group is divided into 2 teams (Team X and Team O). The firstplayer chooses a position on the grid and describes the arithmeticoperation occupying that position. For example:

Space A: Six plus eight equals fourteen.

If correct, his team symbol (X or O) is placed in that space. If wrong,the position remains vacant until someone correctly describes thearithmetic operation there. The first team to gain 3 positions in a row(vertically, horizontally, or diagonally) wins.

A D A P TAT I O N

Sometimes, when we play this game, students are required to spell thenumber words in each operation described. For example, Space A:S-i-x plus e-i-g-h-t equals f-o-u-r-t-e-e-n.

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WHAT HAPPENED?L, S

level: beginners

optimal group size: unlimited

O B J E C T I V E

To review the Simple Past in the interrogative, affirmative, andnegative.


Cards with a simple sentence in the past tense on each. Examples:


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Last night I had a terrible accident.Yesterday, I screamed at my children.My brother sold his new car last week.We went to a Japanese restaurant for dinner.


A student takes a card and reads the sentence to the class. The otherstake turns asking him questions to which he fabricates answers. Forexample:

Where were you?Who was with you?What time did it happen?What did you do?Why did you do that?How did you do it?Did you get hurt?Was anyone else hurt?Was there a lot of damage to your car?Whose fault was it?

S U G G E S T I O N

I usually limit the number of questions to one-half the number of students in the group (or 20). When the limit has been reached, a newstudent reads a new card to the group.


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ODD OR EVEN?L, S, (R, W)


O B J E C T I V E



At least 20 small objects (such as paper clips or hole reinforcements)for each student.


Students are paired off. One holds a handful of objects and asks hisopponent, ODD OR EVEN ? His opponent makes a choice and,together, they count the objects. If the result is odd, the player whochose ODD wins a point. If the result is even, the player who choseEVEN wins a point. The other player holds the objects for the nextround.

A D A P TAT I O N

This game can also be played with no materials whatsoever. Studentscan get into groups of any number from 2 to 10. Two students com-pete in each round by one choosing odd and the other even. Allplayers clench their fists and bring them down while counting aloud,One, two, three. On three, they each display a number of fingers(from one to ten) and add up the fingers in the group. If the totalnumber of fingers is odd, the student who had chosen odd wins a

point; the point goes to the other student if the total is even.


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S U G G E S T I O N

To provide practice in spelling out the numbers, students could keepscore as follows:

Number Odd/Even Point

nine odd Mikefifteen odd Susantwelve even Susan

nineteen odd Mikesixteen even Susan

The first player to reach 10 points wins.

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SOUND OFFL, R

level: begin

Documents

Games Language People Play, 3rd Edition