Unit activities that aren’t just typhoon?

16 comments

1. Kahoot

2. you can make power point lesson and ask questions during it to give students bonus points for the typhoon game. ie. Spot the mistake in the grammar. Guess who this is using the target grammar etc.

3. Make interactive activities where students talk to other students instead of with the teacher. Interviews, walking bingo, etc., can be used for review. Review is good because it will help the students to remember the English long term. Students will be more engaged if they can participate in making the activity as well.

4. Depends on the kids’ levels. I teach elementary school and if we have limited time we do a lot of bingo, Karuta, keyword game/eraser game, missing card game, etc.

   if we have a lot of time, we do games that are more complicated like a janken game but each kid has to tap a card on the board and they janken when they get to the middle. Each kid gets a chance to do it. Some are stronger, some are weaker but it takes a lot of explaining and planning.

   Another game I do is a group activity where they have to ask a question. For a “Do you like~” lesson, if either of the teachers answer “Yes I do,” then they get a point. I do it in groups so they can discuss questions and the weaker kids get a little help.

   I do a lot more but it really depends on the lesson. Do I want to review the sentence pattern or vocab? How much time do we have? Those define what kind of games I’d do.

5. Getting the entire class working can be very challenging.

   My go to for a 0 preparation activity is story writing where each group writes a sentence to pass on to the next group 1 > 2 > 3 > x > 1. You can rotate the writing group member but I’ve generally not seen the need. This is basically best for practicing past tense as that’s how most stories work.

   If x is the number of groups.

   You have x people writing, in my experience x*3 reading and translating, x*2-3 suggesting sentences.

   Groups write x+1 sentences and read x * (x+1) / 2 – so 6 groups is 6+5+4+3+2+1 = 21

   I then read the stories at the end of the exercise for fun. Generally between 1-3 minutes per sentence depending on the level of the students so for 7 groups can be completed in 1/2 the class.

   For something with more preparation it can be quite dependent on the grammar being taught comparatives and superlatives lend themselves to whole group activities, whose the tallest (top 3) etc.

6. The strange ALT skill of gamifying grammar points. Other countries might be years ahead in language pedagogy but they are decades behind in an ALTs ability to randomly gamify grammar points.

7. If you do group review games allow the lowest scoring group to steal a player from one of the higher scoring groups each round.

   This guarantees them some points for the feels and forces players in the other group to step up.

8. I should say, I like the typhoon game because the students often enjoy it, but you’re right in that it’s not very good individual practice.

   One of the best strategies I know is to build a base of activities that are intrinsically fun and then pull them out when some appropriate grammar can be applied. This leads to fun classes that allow opportunities to practice the grammar in natural situations, while allowing you to expose them to elements of foreign culture.

   For example, I like introducing students to the MASH fortune telling game when it’s time to practice future tense “I’m going to be…,” and I like to play Apples to Apples when it’s time to practice comparatives and superlatives. The games are fun just by themselves, but also make a perfect fit for certain target grammar.

   Introducing students to English songs is another great activity, especially if the catchy parts of the song use target grammar. It’s a great opportunity to see lots of vocabulary they know in a natural context and learn a few new words too.

   For learning English or any language, internal motivation is critical, and fun English classes are the best way I can think of to build it up in students who don’t have it. Even if the activities aren’t especially rigorous, helping them develop a positive association with English and foreign cultures is better than nothing.

9. “some teachers refuse to do anything with ALTs other than goofy ‘review games’ that aren’t really productive or educational.”

   Those teachers think your classes are meant to be fun above all else. Either that, or they don’t want you teaching them anything that’s not on the test. I mean, students here seem to have goldfish memory, after all.

10. I suggest making dialogues with target grammar,
    Padlet activities (if the school lets you), reports.

    If you are stuck with quiz type games, maybe restructure them so all students HAVE to answer individually without being able to refer to the kids who are good at English.

11. Battleship! Every kid gets to speak equally and English-skill level isn’t connected to winning.

    Edit: easily –> equally

12. There’s a textbook called Positively English that, while not great overall, has a section in it that with some of the best pair work I’ve used in a class. Students will read a sentence to their partner then ask a series of questions about it. They’re basic questions but if you’re not paying close attention you can get tripped up pretty easily. It requires a minimum level of reading ability as well as vocabulary, but if you’re students are like jr high 3rd year or older they might be able to handle it. It is 100% student generated and very involved for everyone in class.

13. How about shifting from a Jeopardy-style game (the group that knows the answer raises their hands first, and gives the answer, other groups are out of luck) to a Pub Quiz style game? Use small, portable whiteboards and markers for each group. They are all given a certain amount of time to write down the answer, working together as a group. Sure, the stronger kids will lead, but weaker kids will try to help or will learn something by watching.
    Time’s up, each group reveals their answer. You award full or partial points for their answers. I like partial points because, although the exam itself may be “all or nothing” you can teach the kids that real communication doesn’t need to be perfect to get the meaning across.
    Oh, and take turns being the “group scribe.” Even the lower proficiency kids should have a chance to write out the answer, with help from their teammates, of course.

14. I actually find this discussion here really good.

15. Everybody answers every question. Show tell using whiteboards

16. One of my fall back games is mission game. Takes a bit of time to make (one card for each student with prompts), but the game ensures full class participation. Use unit questions (maybe something like What did you do last weekend?) as the goal question and create six distinct groups.

    Have them stand up and walk around with their cards, get into pairs, greet and then ask the goal question. There should be two or three more questions that are either from the current unit of a previous unit for reinforcement.

    If the students have different cards, the answers will be different. If they have the same cards, they for a group and find their next target.

    With 5th and 6th grade students, you can probably go through two rounds in 10 minutes.