Teamwork at its finest!
How does it work?
Working in groups would help struggling students be able to participate and get help from their peers. This activity aims to expose them to practice the sentence structures. The words, phrases, and punctuation are given. The students have to come up with their sentence. The teacher will either ask a question or say the answer and students have to construct the question.
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.
Cup song out. cup chant in!
How does it work?
To check whether the students have learned the lines in the book, this game would give them ample time to read the lines in a fun way. There will be two teams. Each team member has a number. The teacher will call a random number to go in front and read each word by tapping it using the cup. The first to ring the bell will win.
BOARD game not bored game
How does it work?
Who would've thought that the game of Snakes and Ladders could be used as a Q&A practice? Students get to ask and answer the sentence patterns they have learned through this board game. The first one to reach the end will get extra points.
are you fast enough?
How does it work?
This game is for a warm-up or wrap-up activity when teaching the alphabet.
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.
Standing long jump and read?
How does it work?
Eager to take a long jump to the finish line? Well, read the CVCs first. Students have to line up at the starting line. The teacher will show a flashcard, and the first student to raise his/her hand will have a turn to read and jump. The first to get to the finish line will be the winner.
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.
Sing along and pass the ball
How does it work?
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.
run for your phonics.
How does it work?
There are words written on the cups and on the paper. Students have to read and pair them by placing the cups on the paper using the rubber band and yarn. They have to run from one end to another. After successfully placing the cups, they have to read each word.
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 this with you. 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 EFL learners. Conventional English learning 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 or would lose in 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. In addition, when using these game-based activities, make sure that the students have fully understood the topic before assesing them through games.
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.
-Benjamin Franklin