Crazy Story
Level: Any Level
This is an activity that will make your students speak in class and be creative.
Ask students to write a word on a piece of paper and tell them not to show
anyone. This word should be a verb (or whatever you'd like to review).
The teacher starts telling a story, then stops and chooses a student.
That student will continue the story and must use his/her word. This student
then chooses the next student to continue the story.
The last student must end the story.
After the story is over, the students then try to guess what words each
student has written on his/her paper. The student who guesses the most
words wins the game.
Digital Camera Scavenger Hunt
Level: Easy to Difficult
This game may require students to leave the classroom depending on how you set it
up.
Make a list of things students must take photos of. Then put your students into
teams, each with their own camera and have them go out and take the photos. The
team that comes back first with all the photos is the winner.
Some ideas for lists are:
bus, taxi, car, bicycle, etc.
restaurant, post office, mail box, traffic light, etc.
In the classroom: pencil, pen, eraser, blackboard, etc.
Around the school: principal's office, copy machine, cafeteria, etc.
For further review of vocabulary, have the students look at all the photos and
identify other things that appear in each photo.
Beep Game
Level: Easy to Medium
Choose around 10 volunteers to come and stand in a line at the front of the
classroom. The first student in line must begin counting from 1, and each student in
turn calls out the next number. However, every 4th number must be replaced by the
word "beep" (or buzz etc.). Following a "beep" the next student in line must call out
the next number, and not the number that has been replaced. For example, 1, 2, 3,
beep, 5, 6, 7, beep, 9 etc.
If a student hesitates too much or makes a mistake he/she must sit down, so
eventually only one student remains. Whenever a student sits down, begin from 1
again. See how far you can get!
Words Beginning with a Given Letter
Level: Medium to Difficult
The teacher chooses a letter from the alphabet. Then each student must say a word
that begins with that letter. If a student repeats a word that has already been said,
then he/she is out of the game. The game ends when only one student remains.
That student is the winner. In high level classes students lose if they say a past form
of the verb. Example:see-saw. You can increase the difficulty by adding a timer. Only
allow each student 5 seconds to think of a word.
Fold-over Stories
Level: Any Level
This is an old favorite. Give each student a sheet of blank paper. Write the following
words on the board in a vertical line: WHO, WHAT, HOW, WHERE, WHEN, WHY.
Explain that everyone will be writing a sentence story. Write an example on the
board, explain, asking for suggestions.
1. Tell them to write someone's name at the top of their paper, i.e., their own, a
classmate's, the teacher's, a famous person that everyone knows; fold the
paper over once so no one can see it, then pass the paper to the person on
their right.
2. Write on the received paper what the subject did (suggest funny or
outrageous actions), fold it over and pass it on to the right.
3. Continue to write one line, how they did it (adverbs), fold and pass; where-
pass; when-pass; and last of all, why (because...) and pass it one more time.
4. Have the students unfold their stories, and read them silently. Help anyone
who cannot read what the others wrote, or doesn't understand.
5. Ask one student at a time to read "their" story aloud, or turn the stories in for
the teacher to read. Funny!
Guessing the Word from a Drawing
Level: Any Level
Ask one student to be in front of the class. Give him/her a word that can not
be seen by other students.
He/she will draw (on the blackboard) a picture expressing the concept of the
word.
The rest of the class have to guess the word.
If you are keeping score, the one who drew the picture gets the point if the
class can guess the word.
Make a list of vocabulary covered in previous lessons. Have students stand. Call out
a vocabulary word. The first student begins by saying the word and giving the first
letter, the second student the second letter of the word, the third student the third
letter, and so on until the word is spelled correctly. If somebody makes a mistake
they must sit down and we start from the beginning again until the word is spelled
correctly. The last student must then pronounce the word correctly and give a
definition in order to stay standing. The student who is left standing is the "survivor"
and wins the game. I usually give them some type of prize. If all the students
remain standing we have a pizza party at the end of the week.
The students love it and it is a great way to practise vocabulary!!!
