Games that can be adapted to different teaching subjects

1. Games that can be adapted to different teaching subjects • These games are only examples. They were intended to be played and understood by anybody, regardless of their specialty. • They have to be adjusted in order to fit your learning objectives. • You can replace the topic of each of the following games (in bold) with one that is related to your own teaching subject. • They can be used to introduce the new topic, re-inforce knowledge or to revise.

2. Amnesia - very active and sometimes noisy • How to playThere are many variants of this game, but the principle remains the same. Everyone has the name of a famous person (fictional or real) stuck onto their back (or forehead) in a way that everyone can read all the names except theirs. By asking questions with yes/no answers, everyone has to work out who they are. (Instead of famous people, subject related topics can be used.)

3. Hedge a bet (good to revise any kind of knowledge – it triggers high involvement from students ) • Students are divided into two groups and they are ‘offered’ a sum of money: 100 Euros • The teacher has a list of questions related to the topic he/she would like to revise. • Students have to bet a part of their money before knowing the question. • If they are right the money adds up to what they already have. If they are wrong the amount of money will decrease with the money they bet. • Bets are done without knowing how much money the other team will bet.

4. Guess the person (sometimes , according to the group dynamics, more than 3 choices are needed) • Students are asked to write three names of famous people/characters on three different pieces of paper.(any domain, dead or alive.) • The names are mixed in a bag/hat. • They are divided into two groups and one by one (in turns) have to come pick up a name and describe him/her to the group without saying the name. Time – 1 minute per person. If the group guess they have one point and can pick up another one, if they don’t guess, then the group has minus one point and wait for the next turn. Unanswered questions will be introduced back into the bag. • (It can also be used with different topics/teaching subjects.)

5. Find your half • The teacher writes different statements/formula and separates them in halves on different sticky papers. (post –it paper could work very well.) • Each half information (any subject related) is stuck on a student’s back. • Then they ar required to find out the other half in order to complete the statement/problem/formula by asking yes/no questions to the other students.

6. Third part information • The teacher prepares the information he would like his students to know/revise. • Then he/she separates the information in three equal parts. • Students are divided in groups of three and each student of the group is sent to read one piece of information (a third). Time is given. e.g. - 2 minutes. • When the two minute period is over they have to come back to the original group of three. • Now the teacher gives them a handout with questions/problems/etc. In order to complete the tasks the three students have to collaborate, because only together they can cover the entire information. • (A particular example on Fire of London is available on the additional word documents. )

7. Run, read and solve – you have to be careful with the class arrangement. They can bump into desks or hit each other when they run. • Students are divided into 4 or 5 groups. • They are given the handout with tasks. (Suitable for any subject.) • The teacher places the information necessary to fulfill the tasks at an equal distance from all groups. (It can be in a corner, on teacher’s desk or on the wall.) • One student from each group is ready to run and read the information needed to answer the question. • The teacher will make the information for each question/problem disappear after a short period of time. (According to students age – 30’ or more) • Each question should be solved in turns.

8. Revising • Tic tac toe • Students are given a task to solve. If they do it correctly they can fill in a square in the tic tac toe game. ( In the provided example below, students should form correct questions to the given answers.)

10. The Puzzle – the number of groups can vary • Five topics related to the lesson are prepared • Teacher chooses five students who are able to introduce these topics to their colleagues. Even if they are confident with the topic, they should be given written information, so that they can answer any question from their colleagues. • The rest of the students are divided into five groups. • Then the five students go to one group and introduce the topic and answer their questions. • After 5 minutes they move to the next group. • When they finish the groups/class answer questions/solve a quiz on the topics they previously discussed.

11. Learn from mistakes • The teacher prepares a piece of information on specific topic which is full of mistakes. Some of them can be funny. • This is a possible example: • How to write a CV: • Create a CV which is full of mistakes: add an inappropriate, crazy photo , choose a childish email address, make plenty of spelling, grammar and register wise mistakes, for references part choose a relative. Print it on a coloured paper, if it scented, it is even more obvious. • Ask the students to identify the mistakes. • They will have a lot of fun and will easily remember it.

12. Scavenger Hunts • Create questions, fill-in-the-blank exercises etc. • Then hide the answers (or just information from each they can extract the answers) through the classroom. • Divide the students in small groups and ask them to search around the classroom for them. They can also find out the answers in the textbooks, encyclopedias, or online. • Other classrooms can be involved and have students go to visit there for clues.  (Outside route can be used, too, but it needs more preparations and attention.)

13. Silly answer quizzes • Create a quiz on a topic you intend to revise. • Add silly answers (1 multiple choice answer that is obviously not correct) or even a joke to make it a little funnier . Then go over the quiz together to reinforce the correct answers.

14. Disappearing Cat – works better with younger students • Prepare a set of questions you intend to ask your students. • Divide the board with a vertical line and draw a simple cat in each section. • Tell the students that one cat is theirs- they can even name it – and one is yours. • Ask the students the questions you have prepared. If their answer is wrong you rub out a part of their cat. If their answer is correct you rub out a part of your cat. • Finally, see whose cat disappears first. Yours or the students’.

15. Search through the Book – Quick reading; Scanning • Tell the students this is an exercise in quick scanning, a useful study skill. • Ask the students a question whose answer they have to find as quickly as possible by browsing their books. When they find the answer they have to tell the page and the place on the page. • Give the students a little time after the quickest student has finished in order to give the others a chance, too. Then ask for the answers. • Can be repeated three or four times.

16. The disappearing information • When you have written a text on the board and no longer need it, erase a small part of it, not more than one line or two lines. Ask a student to read out the text on the board to the rest of the class. • Then let them try to include the missing word from their memory. • Erase one or two more words. • Continues in this way until the whole text has been erased and remembered.

17. A Day to Remember • Explain the students that you will read an extract and then you will ask questions about the details mentioned. (The extract can be related to your lesson.) • They have to listen carefully so as to recall the information. • They can perform the task individually or in groups.

18. A Day to remember 2 • “Saturday started well. The sun was shinning when I got up at 8 o’clock. I had a quick shower and got dressed, then made eggs and bacon for my breakfast. I had to meet two friends Joe and Sam at 9 o’clock outside Burger King. We were going to look around the shops together. Joe bought a new sweatshirt and some Nike trainers. We spent a long time looking at games and I bought a SF game that looked really exciting. Samuel spent ages going in every clothes shop. He was looking for a new jacket but he couldn’t find anything that he liked. We went into McDonalds where Joe and I had cheeseburgers and chips, but Sam had a veggie burger.” • Questions: • 1. What day was it? • 2. What was the weather like? • 3. What time did the writer get up? • 4. What did he have for breakfast? • 5. Where did the three friends meet? • 6. What make of trainers did Joe buy? • 7. Who had a different burger at McDonalds?

19. Making Sense • Students have to analyse a piece of text in which all the spaces between words have been removed. • The teacher gives each student the text and ask them to answer the question beneath the texts. It can be more entertaining if the teacher sets time for accomplishing the task.

20. Making Sense – 2 • Theoldmanlikedeatinggreenapplesfromhisowngardenwhiledrinkingacupofteaintheafternoon. • What colour is the food he liked to eat?

21. Thefilmwasanactionpackedblockbusterandthemaincharacterwasanundercovercop.Thefilmwasanactionpackedblockbusterandthemaincharacterwasanundercovercop. • What was the profession of the hero?

22. Iorderedfourburgersthreeportionsofchipstwocolaswithiceandacoffee.Iorderedfourburgersthreeportionsofchipstwocolaswithiceandacoffee. • How many drinks are mentioned all together?

23. TheplanewasabouttolandIlookedoutofthewindowandsawtheseabelowThetinyboatswereshininginthesuncreatinganextremelybeautifullandscape.TheplanewasabouttolandIlookedoutofthewindowandsawtheseabelowThetinyboatswereshininginthesuncreatinganextremelybeautifullandscape. • What was there on the water?

24. Who is the leader?(This game allows the teacher to get to know the students better. It promotes collaboration within the group.) • The teacher cuts a string in equal pieces. They have to be half the number of students. The teacher holds the middle of the strings and mingle the ends of the rope. • Then the students are asked to choose one. • They have to find their pair – the person who is at the other end of the rope. • (More than 10 students at a time may not be manageable.)

25. Taboo game • Taboo is a board game from years back. • The objective of the game is for a player to have their partners guess the word on his/her card without using the word itself or the five additional words listed on the card. (the forbidden words.) The card should be hidden from their team but visible to at least one of her opponents. • It could be more interesting if students helpcreating these cards. This will engage their critical thinking skills about the content.

26. Mystery Box • This is a team review game where groups are asked questions. If they get it right, they may choose a “box” to open for points. • Here’s a suggestion for dividing up the points in the boxes: • three boxes with 50 points each • four boxes with 25 points each • four boxes with 20 points each • four boxes with 15 points each • four boxes with 10 points each • four boxes with 5 points each • five boxes with 0 points each • Students work in teams to answer questions. If they answer correctly, they get to choose a box to open. The great thing about this game is anyone can win.

27. Dice and words game • This is an activity for students to collaborate over answers to large essential questions. • Equipment needed: dice (four per group) • The teacher starts with a challenging question. Then each group rolls the four dice together. The groups now discuss andtry to answer the question by using the exact amount of words as the sum of their dice. This gives groups a range of four to twenty-four words. Give students a few minutes to discuss and formulate an answer. Then each group shares their response. Students love to hear what each group did with their words, especially when one group only had seven while another had nineteen, for example.

28. The optimist and the pessimist • Divide your class into 2 teams: Optimists & Pessimists. • Then students are given a sentence and each has to write a reaction to it beginning either with “Fortunately…” (for the optimists) or “Unfortunately…” (for the pessimists). • It is very useful to revise grammar tenses. • http://www.premieresl.com/#!new-rat-discovered-in-indonesia/cqo8 - a lesson plan including this game

29. Young Sherlock • Create 10 cards with words that are related to the new topic and hide them in the classroom. • Get your students to line up quietly outside the classroom and tell them there are 10 visible clues placed around the room. Their job is to write down the clues and guess what the topic of the lesson is going to be. (Alternatively, the teacher can use music or videos to have students find out the topic of the new lesson.)

30. The Word Game • The class is divided into two or three equal groups. • One player from the first group comes to the front of the class and sit facing his/her team with his/her back to the board. • The teacher writes a word on the board which is related to the previous lesson. • The team can give the player hints about the word, but they must not say any part of the word that is written on the board. • The player/teamgets a point if he/she can guess the word within one minute (longer or shorter depending on the class level).

31. The Relay Game • The class is divided into groups of 4 or 5 and their desks / seats should be lined up. • The first person in each row receives a handout with 10 sentences/exercises. • Each first student must solve one exercise and then pass the paper back to the next person. • The second person must do the second sentence/exercise, but he / she can also check the first person’s work for errors before passing the paper back to the third person. • The first team to finish is the winner (if the answers are correct.)

32. The Dice Game • The class is divided into 2–3 groups. • Each person from each group is asked a question. • When the question is correctly answered, that student rolls the dice. • The team gets the number of points that is written on the dice.

33. Information gap • Divide the class into pairs. • Give each person a picture. The pictures in the pair should be nearly the same with two or three elements missing from each picture. Without showing each other the pictures they should describe the missing objects. They will practice colour, prepositions of place, and adjectives such as big, small etc. Then they can compare their pictures.

34. Questions and answers • Divide the classroom into two equal groups. • Give one group only questions related to the topic and the other groups the answers to the questions. • Students must go around the room and find out who their partner is. • The questions/answers sets shouldn’t be too easy, ohterwise the activity will end very soon.

35. Debating Pairs • Tables are not needed. Students sit on chairs facing each other in one long row down the length of the classroom. Two articles that offer opposing views on the topic to be reinforced are given to each pair. The students are given 5 minutes to read the article and prepare for their ‘case’. • Then they have 2 minutes to debate ‘furiously’ with the person sitting opposite them. Once done, one row of students moves clock-wise and start the debate again. • Each repetition will strenghten their understanding of the topic and develop their point of view. • (Suitable for older students)

36. References • Teaching Teenagers, Warren Kidd &Gerry Czerniawski • Five –Minute Activities, Penny Ur & Andrew Wright • Activities to Develop Learning Skills, Helen Sonnet & Cassabdra Sonnet • Grammar Games, Mario Rinvolucri • Essential Teaching Skills, Chris Kyriacou, • You Can Have a Creative Classroom, Sue Cowley • Drama Games, Jessica Swale • Activities that Teach, Tom Jackson • Explore lika a Pirate, Michael Matera • Games and Learning, MacArthur Foundation • Ten Ways to Turn Lessons into Games, Tamara Jones, Howard Community College • Working in Pairs and Groups, Jo, Bertrand, BBC • Internet Resources