Drilling Games and Random Card

Now that the book is available on amazon you can check out the free look inside to find 6 drilling games and one FC activity 'Random Card.' Click on the link here and select 'look inside' to view.

Loser Stays On

A set of flashcards are put in a line along the floor. One student from each team stands either side of the first FC of the line. The game must begin with the two #1 students playing first.

WHITEBOARD

                                TA                                                           TB

                                FC                          

#2s                           FC                           #2s

#3s                           FC                           #3s

#4s                           FC                           #4s

#5s                           FC                           #5s

#6s                           FC                           #6s

                                                        #1s   FC   #1s

Saying each flashcard in turn, the two #1 students progress to the end of the line. I.e. they slowly say the FCs together (each time saying aloud the FC they are standing next to) as they move to the final FC nearest the whiteboard.

Once they reach the final FC they do a paper scissors stone. The winning student can sit down while the losing #1s must go back and play again against the other team’s #2s. Again a paper scissors stone once they reach the end of the line and the winner returns to their seat while the loser has to go back and do it again, competing against the next student from the opposing team. The first team to have all its members play and win is the winner. The game can then be played again with the #6s playing first.

This is a good review game, and a great way to get the students to say all of the target FCs individually. They have a little help from the student they are competing with (often the two students will say the FCs in unison). If a student mispronounces one of the FCs you can make them say it again, helping them with pronunciation.

Ball and Basket

This is a drilling game. I.e. a game in which the students are repeating the new vocabulary as a class, now and then taking a break between drills to do an exciting activity. Ball and Basket is an example of what that ‘exciting activity’ can be.

Two balls (preferably basketballs) are placed in the basket/box, which is put about a metre in front of the whiteboard, as shown in the diagram. One ball belongs to team A, the other belongs to team B. A line is drawn on the floor at the other end of the classroom (again shown in the diagram).

WHITEBOARD

                                                        basket/box

                                TA                                                           TB

#1s                                                           #1s

#2s                                                           #2s

#3s                                                           #3s

#4s                                                           #4s

#5s           __________________                 #5s

#6s                                                           #6s

The teacher calls on “[#1]” students (i.e. the student from each team who has been allocated the number [1]) to compete in taking their ball, bouncing it along the classroom floor, then when they get to the line they can take a shot at getting their ball into the basket/box (with a well guided throw). If their ball misses the basket/box, they must try again; bouncing the ball along the classroom floor, turning around when they get to the line and throwing once more. If the ball lands in the basket/box, they return to their seat – the first student to do this is the winner and is awarded points for their team.

After this you go back to drilling the flashcards and after another half minute or so you repeat the game, this time calling on a different pair of students, e.g. [#3] students.

New Introduction

Now that TEFL Flashcard Games for Young Learners is to be published, I have found that, for copyright reasons, I am no longer able to post those FC games (included in the book) on my blog.

So there is only one thing for it – write a whole new set of games and post those!

The challenge is: can I come up with enough new games to continue posting on a regular basis? We will see. 

The activities in my TEFL Flashcard Games book are ordered to be progressively more challenging. Primary drills are used for the first time the students come into contact with the vocabulary (look, listen and repeat); then things became more student-centred: following games test how well students can remember the FCs (matching games); work on individual pronunciation, and finally there are games for using the new vocabulary in a language context.

In this blog I have decided to be less strict with the ordering of the games. I am, after all, simply posting up a new game when I think of one.

I hope that these posts can be of help to all TEFL teachers - and for more games you can of course click on the 'Buy the Book' page for the Amazon link (and a free look inside).