Be Teachable - POV of a game master

Sentence structure

Color hopping game

Let's get that body moving!

How does it work?

The teacher had prepared a presentation for the students where there would be a picture or a word in each tile. The students have to jump to the same color tile that's presented on the screen. They have to say the name of the picture or read the word. The slow player and the one who jumps on the wrong color tile would lose.

The Cup Chant

Roll the dice

The Squid Game

Keeping up with the trend! Let's have a trip to Jerusalem!

How does it work?

The teacher had prepared a presentation for the students where the theme song of the series "Squid Game" is being played. Students have to walk in circles, and when the song stops, a letter will be flashed on the screen. The students have to tap the bell and say the letter name and sound of the letter on the screen. The first one who taps the bell will be the winner.

Letter cups

This is an "I SPY" game with a twist.

How does it work?

Rather than doing the usual listen and say, this fun board game catches the alertness and attentiveness of the learners. The teacher has to say the letter and/or sound of the letter, then the students have to find the letter, cover it with the cup, tap the bell, and say the letter name and sound. See how simple instructions can make an activity interesting. This game can be used for letter name and sound retention.

Sticks and clips

Hot potato

Sing along and pass the ball

How does it work?

Race your cups

Run for your phonics

How does it work?

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Head, shoulders, knees ...

Who would've thought nursery rhymes are fun?

How does it work?

This game is for a warm-up or wrap-up activity when teaching the alphabet.

How does it work?

Shoot your shot

got a perfect shot? now read.

How does it work?

After learning the word families, students' reading skills would be assessed. The simple ping-pong ball game was incorporated into this activity to achieve 100% student participation. The class will be divided into two groups. Each group has to line up. The first player (of each group) has to shoot the ping-pong ball into the cup. Then that's the time they can choose a word, encircle it, and read it. Each member has to take turns. The group that reads more words within the given time limit will be the winner.

A note from the game master

Maybe a lot would wonder what the essence of these games is? What are they for? Are the students even learning? What's the point? To answer such questions, let me share with you this. We're living in a generation where online games are a bit out of hand, affecting the attention span of students. In order to catch their attention, game-based instruction is one of the teaching strategies we could use inside the class. What's the logic of it as the game master? Well, they are ESL learners. Conventional learning of English would bore them. Furthermore, students are innately competitive when it comes to playing games. These game-based activities motivate them to participate, be active, and focus on the content. How does it work? Let's say a student doesn't really like learning English, but likes to play. Can the student play these classroom games if he/she doesn't know the content being taught? His/her thought would be learning the vocabulary words (if that's the content) to participate in the said games. Otherwise, he/she cannot play the game. It's like wanting to get a response from students, but they think they're just playing. Instead of them raising their hands, having worksheets, and the like, why not assess their skills with a twist? In crafting a game-based activity, make sure to know what your target skills are. It will help your playful mind to think of a game that suits the level of your students. You have to make sure that these games are applicable to the set of students you have, depending on their age and capabilities.

We cannot always play games out of all the topics they have to learn, but if we can, why not? Let me leave you with this quote and no more questions asked.

"Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn."

-Benjamin Franklin

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