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ES
L
U
PEOPLE
01
------------ - ---~
AM
NZ
JERIY STElnaERG
dGE
PEOPLE
PLdY
JERRY STEinBERG
~
Dominie Press Limite d
ISBN 0-88751-017-5
Copyright " 1983 Jerry Steinberg
tirst publ ished 1983
Reprinted 1986
All righls reserved. No pari of this publica lion
may be reproduced or lransmilled in any form or
hy any means, electronic or mechanical, including
phOIOCOPY, recording, or any relrieval syslem,
without permission in writing from {he publisher.
Published by
Dominie Press Limited
1361 Huntingwood Drive,
Agincourt, Ontario, M1S 3)1
Canada
Typeset by Algatext, Inc. and
Printed in Canada by John Deyell Company
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Dedi cation
Acknowledgement
Game Essentials
linguistic Skill s
Exampl es
Level
Reference To Persons
Optimal group Size
When To Play Games
The Pedagogical Value of Games
Vi
22.
I-- 23.
24.
25.
{-; 26
-+27.
VII
+ 23.
VII
29.
30.
v
v
v,
v,
v,
IX
+3"1.
t- 32 .
ix
-1-33.
LEVEL, All
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11 .
12.
T.v. Definition
Tic-Tac-Vocab
Guide Word
Four-Square
Tic-Tac-Verb
Dictionary
Question Baseball
Triple Definitions
Hidden Sentence
Password
Segmented Sentences
Diamond Word
13. Word Scrambles
14. Do
1
4
6
7
8
10
11
15
17
19
21
22
23
24
34.
+ 35.
36.
37.
38.
+3 9 .
40.
41. Darts
42. Sit fo r Sounds
43. Ninety-Eight
LEVEL :
44.
45.
46.
47.
48.
49.
50.
51.
52.
53.
54.
55.
LEVEL: Beginners
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
21.
-+
Commands
Ti c-Tac-Number
Surprise Sack
W here Was I? -t
Guesse r
YeslNo Ping-Pong
Prepositions
Tic-Tac-Weather
Here and There
Fish!
Professions
Who Has It?
Family
Tic-Tac-Before-and-After
Odd and Even Results
Rhyme Ping-Pong
Body Stretcher
We ,d Calling
I Spy
Prepositional Pictures
Where Is ItI
Tic-Tac-Math
What Happened?
Odd or Even?
Sound Off
Description
25
25
27
27
28
29
30
"'
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
38
39
40
41
42
43
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
Flashwords
Rhyme Mime
Railroad Spelling
Slides and ladders
Name the Nouns
Alphabet Dash
Spelling Baseball
Hands Up!
Stop!
Twenty Questions
Heads and Tails
Three Words
53
53
54
55
56
57
57
58
59
61
62
63
TABLE OF CONTENTS
LEVEL: Intermediate
56.
57.
58.
59.
60.
61.
62.
63.
64.
65.
66.
67.
68.
69.
70.
71.
72.
73.
74.
75.
76.
77.
78.
79.
80.
81.
82.
83.
84.
85.
86.
87.
88.
89.
90.
91.
92.
93.
94.
95.
96.
97.
98.
99.
100.
101.
102.
103.
Super Secretary
Lettergory
Opposites
Rhyme Whirl
Tic-T ac-T ense
What's My line?
Lost and Found
Categories
Mystery Person
64
64
65
66
68
69
69
70
71
Paired letters
71
Interrogation
72
WaiterlWaitress
73
Puzzle Words
74
Questions and Answers
75
Exaggeration
76
Make a Sentence
77
Alphabetical Adjectives
78
letter Getter
79
Suitable Adjectives
80
Whars My Rhyme?
80
Tic-Tac-F requency
81
My/Mine
82
Deafman
83
Sentence Relay
84
What Am II
85
Verb and Preposition/Adverb 86
Two-Word Verbs
87
Grammar Relay
88
Newscast
Chain Stories
Words Within
Predicaments
Finish It!
Misfits
Biography
Alphabet
Out
Word Explosion
Seven Definitions
Travelog
Hink-Pink
Buffet
Hybrid
Prerootsuff
Charades
Wonder Word
Sabered Stories
89
90
91
92
93
93
94
95
96
96
98
98
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
LEVEL: Advanced
104. Encyclopedia
105. lifeboat
106. Homonyms
107. Rhyme
108. Detailed Instructions
109. What's New?
110. Relatively Speaking
Index
IV
109
109
110
111
112
113
114
118
DEDICATION
I dedicate this book of games to Bill, a former student of mine,
who once confessed, "Every time we sang a song, listened to one
of your corny jokes, or played a game (all in the target language,
of course), we thought we were just fooling around and not
working. Then, I realized that everyone was paying attention and
participating, and that as much learning was taking place during the
fun times as did during the formal lesson. We were laughing and
learning. You tricked us!"
You're right, Bill. I did trick you. And in doing so, I made learning
more fun for you, and teaching more fun for me.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to thank Sharon Ginsberg for her perceptive
comments from a fresh perspective.
GAME ESSENTIALS
Things I look for in games to play with my :t"dents.
(1)
(2)
(3)
LINGUISTIC SKILLS
Under each game title, I have indicated which linguistic skills are
involved in playing the game. They are listening, Speaking,
Reading, and Writing.
EXAMPLES
Examples given in this book are exactl y that - samples, models,
guides to be followed, modified, and expanded to suit your needs.
They are not intended to be used exactly as they appear, nor are
they meant to represent all possibilities.
LEVEL
I have attempted to indicate which level of learner (Beginner,
Intermediate, or Advanced) each game is best suited to, but please
keep in mind that the meaning of each term will vary according to
the educational situation of the individual teacher. So please
examine each game with the intention of adapting it to suit you r
students.
VI
REFERENCE TO PERSONS
TIl(' generic HE, HIS, and HIM have been employed to increase
ease of reading and economy of space. No discrimination is
intended.
VII
C+D 3
III
IV
(~\
A+B 3
2A
B+C 3
2 B
B
1
'\
D+A 3
2 0
2C
~
And here is a partial list of al ternative activities' which students at
Stations One and Two could engage in while waiting to play at
Station Th ree. (All are to be done in the target language, of
course.)
Reading comic books;
Listening to a taped song and doing a Cloze exercise;
Watc hing a video-taped program and answering written
questions;
Creating a dialogue or skit on a given theme;
Reading a story and answering written questions;
Doing written exe rcises on grammar or vocabulary;
Vll i
how much can be forgotten over the weekend, and how difficult it
is to " get their motors started ," particularly on Mondays. What
better way to review last week's (or yesterday's) learning than by
playing a game which requires students to recall and use that
information repeatedly?
Also, occasionally, I w il l interrupt a lesson to playa short, snappy
game when I find students' attention waning. I then return to the
lesson with alert and attentive students.
Saving a game for the end of the session also has its advantages.
It will encourage students to co-operate during the lesson and, by
ending on a "high note ," it may entice them to return for the next
sessIon.
THE PEDAGOGICAL
VALUE OF GAMES
Everyone knows that games are fu n, but some people think that
they are only fun - lacking any pedagogical value. Not so! Games
are a viable (and enjoyable) method of achieving many educational
objectives. For example:
I use games to reinforce newly acqui red information, immediately
after it has been tau ght.
Days, weeks, months, even years after something has been
taught, a game is a delightful way to review that material.
A game makes an excellent reward to encourage students to co-
IX
1.
T.V. DEFINITION
R
levels: all
optimal group size: 10
~ - - - - - - - -
- - - ! -
!!Q_L
Q_
They decide to pass, since they aren't realiy sure of the solution,
and they take their regular turn at GIVING AWAY and TAKING
letters.
Player D1 GIVES AWAY "X" correctly, and D2 TAKES "M." As there
are no "Ms" in the solution, Team D loses its chance to guess.
Player E1 GIVES AWAY "J" correctly, and E2 TAKES
Al l "Us" are written in (there'S only one):
B0
"u" correctly.
6 0 R E
They guess "BORED OF EDUCATION" and win the match since that
is the solution to What students are when they fall asleep in class.
Here are some other T.V. DEFI NITIONS that I have used with my
students:
A Russian ga rden .............................. .
Relusing to sleep .............................. .
Alraid to eat at Colonel Sanders' .... .
Alimony ................... ..... ................. .. .. .
Drink lor a small person .............. .... .
What sleepy drivers do .................... .
A COMMUNIST PLOT
RESISTING A REST
CHICKENING OUT
THE HIGH COST OF LEAVING
SHRIMP COCKTAil
THEY REST IN PIECES
an animal:
or
It 's a language:
To help students be more successful in the game, I suggest that
they GIVE AWAY letters which are not frequentl y used, such as X,
Q, Z, and J; and to TAKE vowels first, since every word must
contain at least 1 vowel.
They are encouraged to confer with their partners as to which
2.
TIC-TAC-VOCAB
L, S
levels: all
optimal group size: 20
[d]~[QJ
DESCRIPTION: A drawing is placed in each of the 9 positions " f
the grid. The group (of 20) is divided into 2 teams (Team X and
Team 0).
The first player chooses a position on the grid and names the
word occupying that space, for example: "Number 1. It's an apple."
If correct, he puts his team's symbol (X or 0) into that space. A
player on the other team now tries to identify a word in any
vacant position which will help his team occupy 3 positions in a
row - vertically, horizontally, or diagonally. If a mistake is made,
the position remains vacant until the word in it is correctly
identified.
III
~
"15.- - :
~
_ l
(8
3.
GUIDE WORD
R. W
levels: all
optimal group size: unlimited
C!.!1!21
23
10
19
16
Then several coded words are presented and the students are
challenged to decipher the codes. For example:
12
16
10
23
14
D
16
E
. . . . . . .
8
Z
13
The first student (or team) to decode the enti re list is the winner.
4.
FOUR-SQUARE
L. R, W
levels: all
optimal group size: unlimited
BAR
PAR
PAIR
PARE
ARE
ARK
ARIES
HELP
PERSON
BARS
RISE
RAI,SE
CHOSE
CHOSEN
HOME
HOMES
SHOE
PARK
5.
TIC-TAC-VERB
L, S
levels: all
optimal group size: 20
eat
speak
swim
watch
run
laugh
write
walk
drink
ADAPTA liON: I often use the following symbols over the verbs to
di rect students to use the interrogative
or
rn '
and negative
[K]
or
rn
I I.
affirmative
Also, I have found that students prefer games which have some
concrete materials, partly because it shows greater interest and
preparation on the part of the teacher, and because they enjoy
handling the materials. So, if you can find the time, you could
make a TIC-TAC-TOE board and use curtain hooks to support the
verb cards (and the X and 0 overlays) in their positions. If you
can't, at least allow each student to mark his X or his 0 on the
grid over his verb (whether on the blackboard or on the overhead
projector). This gives them a greater feeling of involvement and
gets them up and out of their seats for a moment.
Tic-Tac-Tne board
0 [lID ~
[:J ~
~ c:9 G;]
I wath I
Side view
Close-up
eat
curtain hook
-+
o
~
6.
DICTIONARY
L, S
levels: aU
optimal group size: unlimited
10
7.
QUESTION BASEBALL
L, S
levels: all
optimal group size: 20
2nd base
K LM N 0
PITCHERS
3rd base
1st base
P Q RS T
home
\]
ABCDEFGHIJ
BAITERS
Batters can choose from among Single Hit (very easy) questions,
Double Hit (slightly harder) questions, Triple Hit (harder still)
questions, and Home Run (the most difficult) questions. When a
batter answers the chosen <;".stion correctly, he advances that
number of bases. All batters alk~ ~ vf him advance that number of
bases.
11
H
Batter A chooses a
Double Hit and goes to
2nd Base.
II
0
H
H
Batter B chooses a
Single Hit and goes to
1st Base. A goes to 3rd .
12
111
4}
Batter C chooses a
Triple Hit and goes to
3rd Base. A & B come home,
for 2 points.
IV
<)
Batter 0 chooses a
Single Hit and goes to
1st Base, while C comes home (1 point) .
0
H
H
Batter E chooses a Home Run,
13
VI
Single Hit:
Triple Hit:
Spell: Dictionary.
Home Run: Name four teams of the CFl, city and name.
Who w as the prime minister of Ca nada in 1962?
Change to past continuous: Shirley looked out the
window.
How much is nine tirn"? s ~eve n, minus twenty-fou r?
8.
TRIPLE DEFINITIONS
L, R
levels: all
optimal group size: unlimited
eat
~I
carrot
musIc
socks
I~
ki(e
sleep
h~ry
The teacher now chooses words randomly from the master list
and, instead of naming the words, gives a definition of each. For
example:
It's the opposite of "big."
What you do when someone tells a funny joke.
What you use to cut meat.
How you feel when you haven't eaten in a long time.
When a word on his grid matches the definition given by the
teacher, the student crosses it out. The fi rst person to have 3
words crossed out in a row (verti cally, horizontally, or diagonally)
is the winner. New grids are made and filled in with new words
and a new round is begun.
15
25
24
20
29
42
43
47
twenty-six
seventeen
nineteen
eleven
twenty-one
thirty-eight
16
9.
HIDDEN SENTENCE
R, W
levels: all
optimal group size: unlimited
spelling.
MATERIALS NEEDED: Overhead projector, blackboard, or copies of
9 letters total.
Arrows are to aid you .
SUE TOOK IT.
<- I-
,I
T
:
U
f
I
I
!
- f->
K
-
17
f->
6) etc. Each
.'
r ~
W -0 I E~ 11' ~I
IH
.,..5_ f>
lP A, E
5 x 5 grid.
25 letters total.
Arrows are to aid you.
! ..
WE ATE POPCORN
DURING THE SHOW.
T'
d'
IU" _D
ilN
- I r-R N - R'"
,
... G
'.
PASSWORD
10.
L, S
levels: all
optimal group size: 10
Bl
82
B3
B4
85
Cl
C2
C3
C4
C5
01
02
03
04
05
El
E2
E3
E4
E5
i;
Fl
F2
F3
F4
F5
F6
Gl
G2
G3
G4
G5
G6
The first person on each team is shown the PASSWORD and when
his turn comes up, he says one word to the next person (#2) on
his team who tries to guess the PASSWORD. The next time his
turn comes up, he would give his clue to the next in line (B).
When the PASSWORD is discovered, the ill person on each team
is shown the next PASSWORD and takes his turn giving clues to his
team members in turn.
Alternatively, one person could come up to the front of the room
and be shown the PASSWORD. He would then give one clue to
the class and choose a person to respond to that clue. The value
of the respon ses diminishes with successive clu es. For example, if
the PASSWORD is guessed on the first clue, the person at the front
wins 10 points. If the second clue is the one that claims the
PASSWORD, nine points would be won, and so on, until no points
are left. That means that a person has a maximum of 10 cl ues to
give for each PASSWORD.
20
11.
SEGMENTED SENTENCES
R, W
levels: all
optimal group size: unlimited
Henry
I I
store
I I
went
21
5 tor e
K-S
sentence
letter
12.
~"'--
tctal number of
cards in sentence
DIAMOND WORD
R, W
levels: all
tL _ ),
00
12-I1?..E
PHEL _ _ _ _
SEY _ _ _
..Y4>-1
<>__
..YL1.0o w
WOLYEL _ _ _
M~..1!L!:i
HOTUM _ _ _ _ _
13.
WORD SCRAMBLES
R, W
levels: all
optimal group size: unlimited
HYPAP
POSA
SIFH
OAPIN
MECARA
The length of the list depends on the time available and the
interest level of the students.
23
DO
14.
L, S
levels: all
optimal group size: unlimited
AM I DOING?
AM I GOING TO DO?
DID I DO?
HAVE I DONE?
24
15.
COMMANDS
L, 5
level: beginners
optimal group size: 20
A 1:
A2:
B2:
B2:
A2:
16.
TIC-TAC-NUMBER
L, S
level: beginners
optimal group size: unlimited
25
vertical and 2 horizontal lines (3 for a longer game). They then fill
the 9 (or 1h) spaces with numbers (within a prescribed range) in
any order. Examples:
Short Game
Long Game
Irange 1 - 25)
(range 1 -50)
34
14
25
13
18
-6-
JJ 45
10
)J-
50
26
14"
J-t)
The teacher now calls out random numbers and students cross out
and tell my students that they must print clearly and legibly. Any
number that has been chan ged or tampered with will be rejected.
26
17.
SURPRISE SACK
L, S
level: beginners
optimal group size: 20
DESCRIPTION:
they have brought to class, while the others try to guess the
identity of each one. For example:
"My object is about 4 inches (10 cm) long. It weighs about 6
ounces (150 g). It is oblong in shape. It is made of nylon. It is
flexible, and is dull black. What is it?'
18.
WHERE WAS I?
L, S
level: beginners
optimal group size: unlimited
27
For example:
"Where was I at noon yesterday?"
"Were you at the dentist,'
"No, I wasn't at the dentist."
ADAPTATION: To review other Persons, the challenger could ask:
"Where was Gary last Tuesday,'
or
"Where were Joan and I last Sunday?"
or
"Where were you and I last night?"
SUGGESTION: I limit the number of questions to one-half the
number of students in the group (or 20). If the location has not
been guessed by that time, it is revealed, and the challenger is
replaced by another.
19.
GUESSER
L, S
level: beginners
optimal group size: 20
The clues start by being general and then narrowing down to the
specific. When the pers on's identity is guessed, a new round is
begun.
SUGGESTIONS: In order to ensure that the clues go from the
general to the specific, I have my students tell about the mystery
person's sex, hair colour, height, eye colour, weight, and other
20.
YES!NO PING-PONG
L, S
level: beginners
optimal group size: unlimited
29
21.
PREPOSITIONS
L
level: beginn ers
optimal group size: unlimited
I
6
A
J
2
G
10
30
22.
TIC-TAC-WEATHER
L, S
level: beginners
optimal group size: 20
2// / /~ 3
, ./ / , J
/ ,
"
31
23.
32
24.
FISH!
L, S
level: beginners
optimal group size: unlimited
(s)."
C: "May 1 have it/them, please?"
0: "Here you are." (Hands C the card/s.)
33
the other half, then they exchange roles. This is repeated several
times.
With some classes, I give them the dialogue on paper and,
togeth er, we read it several times. I tell them to use the sheets
during the game, and when th ey feel confident they can turn them
face-down on their desks. I then walk among them as they play,
monitor their fa,:;lity with the dialogue, and collect papers which
have been placed face-down.
Students of all backgrounds have difficulty distinguishing between
"ace" and "eight," singular and plural. I make sure to give them lots
of practice during the drill.
To make the game a bit more exciting, I give each student 5 paper
dips. At the beginning of each round, each player "antes up" (puts
one clip in a pile in the centre of the group) and the winner
collects all of them.
25.
PROFESSIONS
L, S
level: beginners
optimal group size : 10
1:
2:
3:
4:
" He
" He
"He
"He
34
26.
27.
FAMILY
W, L, S
level: beginners
optimal group size: unlimited
36
28. TIC-TAC-BEFORE-AND-AFTER
L, S
level: beginners
optimal group size: 20
alb
6/7
4/5
2/3
die
c/d
p/q
8/9
9/10
29.
Player B
(EVEN)
45
+
+
+
+
SO
22
43
71
93
58
64
(ODD
(ODD
(EVEN
(EVEN
player
player
player
player
wins
wins
wins
wins
1
1
1
1
point.)
point.)
point.)
point.)
30.
RHYME PING-PONG
L. S
level: beginners
optimal group size: unlimited
38
DESCRIPTION: Students pair off and the first of each pair says a
word to his opponent who must respond with a rhyming word.
They volley back and forth until one cannot think of an ORIGINAL
rhyming word. His opponent then wins a paint, and the loser
begins the next round with a new word. For example:
Student 1:
Student 2:
man,,, f pan \,
)' ran \,
YOU WIN!
l
tan
fan
can
Student 1:
Student 2:
sick
Student 2:
Student 1:
wood
lick
" thick J
i' quick
" trick
good
YOU WIN!
"'could?'
\, should!
SUGGESTION: Have the students spell each word after saying it.
This expands the opponenfs vocabulary and ensures that there is
no confusi on with homonyms (for example, "wood" and "would").
Furthermore, it is a good exercise in spelling for all.
31.
BODY STRETCHER
L
level: beginners
optimal group size: unlimited
39
example:
(1) nose (2) knee (3) elbow
(1) ear (2) toes (3) shoulder (4) wrist
(1) chin (2) back (3) thumb (4) ankle (5) eye
(1 ) finger (2) arm (3) leg (4) shoulder (5) foot (6) mouth
32.
WORD CALLING
R,S
level: beginners
optimal group size: unlimited
40
teacher
, /
A I ~' , ,
/
, ,
, ,
A
A
A
AB
A
AB
A
AB
A
AB
A
A A A A A A AB B B B B B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
B
33.
I Spy
l, S
level: beginners
42
WHERE IS IT?
35.
L, S
level: beginners
optimal group size: unlimited
DESCRIPTION: A student leaves the room while the class hides the
small object. When he returns, he tries to find where it is hidden
by asking a few students questions like:
"Is it under th e desk, Robr'
"No, it isn't under the desk."
"Is it in you r shoe, Jackier'
"No, it isn't in my shoe."
"Is it behind the door, Gary?"
"Yes, it is behind the door."
If the object has not been found by the time a limited number of
questions have been posed, the guesser is told its location and a
new guesser is chosen for a new round.
36.
TIC TACMA TH
L, S
level: beginners
opti mal group sjze: 20
43
C.
8.
6+13=
D.
9x2=
E.
186 -
C.
f.
12-9-
H.
19+9 -
14 - 9=
10 + 6~
I.
20 - 4 -
6x7=
37.
WHAT HAPPENED?
L, S
level: beginners
optimal group size: unlimited
38.
ODD OR EVEN?
L, S
level: beginners
optimal group size: unlimited
45
Number
Odd/Even
Point
nine
odd
M ike
fifteen
odd
Susan
twelve
even
Susan
nineteen
odd
Mike
sixteen
even
Susan
SOUND OFF
39.
L, R
level: beginners
optimal group size: unlimited
ISET I ISAT I
Teacher:
I BET I
Teacher:
Teacher:
Teacher:
Teacher:
The team with more correct responses each round earns 1 point.
SUGGESTIONS: I have my students make their sound cards, but I
advise them to use one colour for one sound and another colour
for the other (red for BET and blue for BAT, for example). The
colou r contrast facilitates counting similar responses. Any two
sounds, which students have difficulty distinguishing between, can
be contrasted. Here are a few of the ones that I have used:
BET/BIT; TH OSE/DOZE: THREE/TREE: CUT/COT and LEAD/READ.
40.
DESCRIPTION
L, S
level: beginners
OR
47
(2) The guessing team starts out with 10 points and loses 1 for
each detail it needs before it can guess the identity of the mystery
person. Once they have been reduced to zero, the identity is
revealed, and the ro les are reversed .
41.
DARTS
l, S
level: beginners
optimal group size: unlimited
\.-+-
dartboard
dartsheet
DESCRIPTION: Students pair off and one takes his turn touching a
dartboard with his pencil (eyes closed) 10 times. His score is
totalied aloud. Then his opponent takes his turn. The higher score
wins each match.
48
42.
49
43.
NINETY-EIGHT
L. S
level: beginners
optimal group size: unlimited
-..
/ , - - -" -- ----, \
inverted pile
I~++.,I~ ~
(dealer)
C4-- - - '
50
Play con tinu es until the val ue of the disca rd pile reaches 98,
Ninety-eight is the MAXIMUM PERMISSIBLE VALUE of the pile of
discards, Now is when the special cards are needed , If it is your
turn, and the value is 98, and you don't have any special cards (K,
10, 9 or 5), you are stuck and lose the round since any other card
will raise th e value over 98,
Suppose, for example, player C discards a card that brings the
value of the pile to 96, It is now player D's turn, He has to discard
a card which will not raise the value of the pil e over 98, He could
use a special card (King ~ automatic 98, 10 ~ minus 10, 9 ~ no
change, or 5 ~ reverse di rection), or he could use an Ace (~ 1) or
a 2 (~2), but nothing more than a 2 since anything more would
raise the value over 98, Suppose he has a 2 and plays it. That
brings the value up to 98, and it is now A's turn, Player A must
now have a special card to survive, since any other ca rd would
raise the value over 98, Suppose he plays a 9 (no change), The
val ue remains 98 arid th e turn advances to player B, If B plays a 5
(reverse direction), this would reverse the turn back to A (value still
98), and the turn would continue in that di rection (to the right)
until someone reverses it again (using a 5). If A deposits a 10
(~ minus 10), that would reduce the value by 10 to 88 fo r D.
D could now play any ca rd since nothing would raise the value
more than 10 points to over 98, D could now dump his biggest
card (suppose it was a 7), and raise the value to 95 (88 + 7 ~ 95)
for C. Suppose Chad th .. following cards in his hand: 4, 6, 6, 8, Q,
He would be stuck, since even his smallest card, the 4, would raise
the value over 98, He would, therefore, lose that round, and
would pay 1 of the 3 paper cl ips that he started with. The cards
are shuffled and re-dealt, this time by A, and B would begin the
next round by discarding his biggest card,
When a player has lost all 3 of his paper clips, he is out. The last
player left with 1 paper cl ip (that is, all the others have lost all 3) is
the winner.
for example:
44.
FLASHWORDS
R, W
levels: beginners & intermediate
optimal group size: unlimited
45.
RHYME MIME
L, S
level: beginners & intermediate
optim al group size: 20
For example:
SHIP + TRIP
HOT + POT
SEW + THROW
SIGN + SHINE
SNOB + SLOB
SUGGESTION: If one team cannot guess one or both words before
the time expires, the other team can make 1 guess earning 1 point
fo r each correct word. This encourages the inactive team to pay
attention to the other team's activities.
46.
RAILROAD SPELLING
L, S
levels: beginners & intermediate
optimal group size: unlimited
47.
60
59
58
57
56
55
52
51
11 12 1
1
10
9 +-3
41
42
44
45
46
49
37
24
..
17
4
31
Number
Spinner
30
12
11
10
destination andlor (3) orally add the spun number to their present
position (5 + 7 = 12, for example). If you land at the base of a
ladder as in the example (5 + 7 = 12), you climb up to the top of
the ladder (in this case, 50) and continue from there on you r next
turn. If, however, you land at the top of a slide (28, for instance),
you slide down to the bottom of the slide (7) and continue from
there on your next turn. The first person past 100 wins.
Snakes and Ladders or Chutes and LadJers. I feel that SUDES AND
LADDERS is a more meaningful name.
48.
DESCRIPTION: Students are paired off. They take turns reading one
of their original sentences to their opponent a ~d challenging him
to name all the nouns in the sentence. The opponent gains 1 point
for each noun correctly identified. Then the opponent reads one of
his sentences and challenges the other to name all the nouns in
his sentence.
SUGGESTION: If your students are able, you could have them state
the type of noun each one is. For example, common (dog), proper
(France), abstract (fear), and collective (crowd).
56
49.
ALPHABET DASH
s
levels: beginners & intermediate
optimal group size: 20
syllables.
50.
SPELLING BASEBALL
L, S
levels: beginners & intermediate
optimal group size: unlimited
57
Second
Base
} 1
1 t
~
PITCHERS
1-
t I
Third
1 ~
1 1
l ~
1 1
Base
51.
HANDS UP!
L, S
levels : beginners & intermediate
optimal group size: 10
58
(2 points)
(2 points)
(TOTAL: 4 points)
(2
(2
(2
(TOTAL: 6
points)
points)
points)
points)
52.
(4 points)
STOP!
R, W
levels: beginners & intermediate
optimal group size: unlimited
59
of the page to show that it has already been guessed . The guesser
can make 10 mistakes before STOP! is formed and the game ends.
>\
N
a.
~
SI
c
P Q
"\
t<;.
'r\ '5. T
H
~
').
\
X
M
Y
60
53.
TWENTY QUESTIONS
L, S
levels: beginners & intermediate
optimal group si2e: unlimited
SUGGESTION:
For example, the question can be: "Is it bigger than this desk?" It
cannot be general in nature, such as, "How big is itl" Nor are OR
questions permitted, for example, "Is it big or small?" I make this
clear to my students by stating that the only acceptable answers
are "Yes" and "No." The challenger can't give any more information
than a simple "Yes" or "No." MAYBE questions (that is, questions to
which "Yes" and "No" are equally correct responses) could be
disregarded when counting the 20 questions. This allows for more
direct questioning and gives question ers a better chance of
discovering the identity of the noun.
61
54.
then, loses a point for his team, and the player of the next team
gains 2 points for his team if he comes up with an 'acceptable
word.
Example: ELEPHAN[i1
l!lRE IEl
[JAfiI
b:JONGUfEl
WACfHl
It!JAPP
~ ES ...
SUGGESTION: I try to enforce the rule that each word can be used
only once. This is facilitated if the words are written, as they are
called out, on the blackboard or overhead projector by the teacher
o r a student.
62
55.
THREE WORDS
L, S, R, W
levels: beginners & intermediate
optimal group size: unlimited
63
56.
SUPER SECRETARY
L, W
level: intermediate
optimal group size: unlimited
57.
LETTERGORY
L, S
level: intermediate
optimal group size: unlimited
64
callout a word that begins with that letter and is that part of
speech wins 1 point for his team. For example:
Teacher:
Teacher:
Teacher:
Teacher:
Verb. K.
Noun . W.
Preposition. N.
Adjective. E.
Student:
Student:
Student
Student:
Kiss.
Wagon.
Near.
Exciting.
58.
OPPOSITES
L. S
level: intermediate
optimal group size: 10
65
59.
RHYME WHIRL
R, W
level: intermediate
66
r~
<-
<-
"-
>
;:;
"
".''0 "
',>
'",.
..."
"
,~
,1'
lilY'"
",
"
,.
"
" 5"
,i
"
"""
"
""-
1;
t ~J.
<
t.
,,-
C)
/~'1
.-
l;
'"
"
""
60.
TIC-TAC-TENSE
L, S
level: intermediate
optimal group size : 20
today
two
weeks
ago
this
evening
last
next
night
year
next
th is
morning
month
yesterday
tomorrow
afternoon
68
WHAT'S MY LINE?
61.
L. S
level: intermediate
optimal group size: unlimited
62.
69
63.
CATEGORIES
R, W
level: intermediate
optimal group size: unlimited
Colours
llama
Foods
Furniture
Cflm son
Animals
Countries
kohlrabi
Burma
armchair
64.
MYSTERY PERSON
L
level: intermediate
optimal group size: unlimited
65.
PAIRED LETTERS
R, W
level: intermediate
optimal group size: unlimited
71
Ii
bi
ea
so
ye
at
y'
ow
II
ki
ti
kn
ng
fe
bl
op
ck
st
ro
me
ca
In
51
ar
10
stop
star
yell
sill
feat
fear
66.
INTERROGATION
L. S. R. W
level: intermediate
optimal group size: unlim ited
72
67.
WAITER/WAITRESS
L, W
level: intermediate
optimal group size: 10
73
68.
PUZZLE WORDS
.'"" W
level: intermediate
optimal group size: unlimited
N - f., T - I> 5
,.
l'
f- p
"
f->
.0
'f
- f.,
I,
f
f-
f--
R
1 ..-
F - f>
(fumiture)
(elephants)
74
,u
,
R
E
(churches)
SUGGESTIONS: I have my students circle the first letter for the first
challenge, to ease their opponents into the game.
The solution isn't written beneath the challenge, nor are the arrows
drawn in when students play the game. I've done it in the
examples merel y to show you some arrangements.
When I introduce this game to a class for the first tim e, I display
several PUZZLE WORDS on the overhead or blackboard and
chal lenge th e entire class to solve them. I then invite an individual
to show the class his solution to one of the PUZZLE WORDS.
Then, stud ents are ready to create their own and challenge one
another.
For example:
(1 point)
(1 point)
(1 point)
(1 point)
(1 point)
(no paint)
(no point)
(1 point)
70.
EXAGGERATION
R, W
level: intermediate
.
ADJECTIVE
OBJECTIVE: To reinforce the use of SO +
+ THAT, and
ADVERB
and SUCH + (Al AN) + ADJ ECTIVE + NOUN + THAT.
MATERIALS NEEDED: Rough paper and pencil for each student,
plus two sheets of good paper (or cardboard salvaged from boxes
of copy paper),
DESCRIPTION: The teacher provides several humorous examples
and gives th e students a freF' rein (or almost free) to create several
of their own. For example:
My brother is so stupid that he studied for his blood test.
He talks so slowly that people are finished listening before
he's finished speaking,
She has such a loud voice that she never pays for longdistance phone calls.
76
He has such big ears that on windy days he has to tuck them
under his belt to keep from flying away.
The teacher helps where needed and chooses each student's best
2 sentences to be re-copied on the good paper and fastened to
the walls or ceiling for display.
Note: Every time I do this with my students, they inevitably invite
other students into our room to read their hilarious
creati ons. I usually leave them up for about 2 weeks and I
find that students have committed all of them to memory
because they enjoyed them so much.
71.
MAKE A SENTENCE
R, L, S
level: intermediate
optimal group size: 10
each.
DESCRIPTION: The pile of cards is inverted. Students sit around the
inverted pile of cards and each, in turn, takes one and uses th e
word(s) on it in a sentence or two to show the meaning. For
example:
UNLESS
DIFFERENT FROM
NEVER
FEWER
77
I USED TO
ago.
(You would, of course, choose words and expressions which
require review and reinforcing for your students.)
Scoring: 2 points for a perfect sentence.
1 point for a good sentence with few errors.
Zero for nonsense.
Student 1:
Student 2:
78
StuOC;1t 3:
creepy
73.
LETTER GETTER
L, 5
level: intermediate
optimal group size: 20
79
74.
SUITABLE ADJECTIVES
R, L, S
level: intermediate
optimal grou p size: 20
75.
WHAT'S MY RHYME?
L, S
level: intermediate
optimal group size: unlimited
80
76 .
TIC-TAC-FREQUENCY
L, 5
level: intermediate
optimal group size: 20
sometimes
often
always
generally
never
seldom
occasionally
rarely
usually
81
MY/MINE
77.
L, S
level: intermediate
optimal group size: unlimited
78.
DEAFMAN
L, S
level: intermediate
optimal group size: unlim ited
79.
SENTENCE RELAY
R, W
level: intermediate
optimal group size: unlimited
Player #
3 4
Team C: (5 players)
Player #
Player #
1234
84
567
80.
WHAT AM I?
L, 5
level: intermediate
optimal group size: unlimited
Student 2:
Student 3:
The person who guesses correctl y can take his turn at challenging
the group.
85
"" \, iai,,
. '"
'"
<I"
~
vf_a
'"'"
.~ O
~f
, '\
""
""
OR
86
~,o~
AWAY
~I-"'I-
" 3 '(, ~
<
<J"
'"d '
";. ..
, "/,">
""
example:
Student 1: TURN + DOWN ... Yes. (1 point)
Please turn down your stereo.
I~s too loud. (2nd point)
Student 2: FIND + AWAY...
No. (1 point)
Student 3: LIFT + AT ..
No. (1 point)
Yes. (1 point)
Be sure to tear off the price
lag before you give the gift.
(?nd point)
Yes. (1 point)
I gave dway myoid coat to a
poor fami : ,'. (2nd point)
82.
TWO-WORD VERBS
R, L, S
level: intermediate
optimal.Qroup size: 10
Example:
[ TAKE OFF
87
83.
GRAMMAR RELAY
L, W
level: intermediate
88
Team
Team
Team
Team
Team
Cs sentence:
D's sentence:
E's sentence:
F's sentence:
C's sentence:
84.
NEWSCAST
L, S
levels: intermediate and advanced
89
85.
CHAIN STORIES
L, S
levnls: intermediate and advanced
optimal group size: 10
90
Jack - "As I spoke and patted it, it calmed down and began
to lick my hand. When the traffic became lighter, I led it
across the street .. ."
86.
WORDS WITHIN
R, W
levels: intermediate and advanced
optimal group size: unlimited
I UNFORGETIABLE: I
87.
PREDICAMENTS
L, S
levels: intermediate and advanced
optimal group size: unlimited
I
I
I
I
would
would
would
would
92
FINISH IT!
88.
L, S, R, W
levels: intermediate and advanced
optimal group size: unlimited
light as ...
juicy as . . .
funny as .. .
happy as .. .
tall as .. .
fast as .. .
bright as ... .
crazy as . . .
he laughs like .. .
she runs like .. .
we cri ed like .. .
he bled like .. .
it flew like .. .
he yelled like .. .
she kisses like . . .
he swims like . . .
as lovely as . . .
as ugly as .. .
it rained like .. .
89.
93
90.
MISFITS
L, W
levels: intermediate and advanced
optimal group size: unlimited
apple,
tiger,
chair,
elephant,
football
fork,
adjective
screwdriver,
wrench,
noun,
piano
94
hammer
overhead projector.
91.
BIOGRAPHY
R, L,S
levels: intermediate and advanced
optimal group size: unlimited
A4:
AS:
B5:
B6:
A6:
92.
.ALPHABET
w
levels: intermediate and advanced
optimal group size: unlimited
93.
OUT
R, W
levels: intermediate and advanced
optimal group size: 10
96
suspect th~t the player before you doesn't have a legitimate word ,
in mind, you can challenge him by asking, "Whars your wordr' If
he was bluffing and doesn't have a word in mind, he gains a letter
of OUT. If he does have a legitimate word, the challenger gains a
letter of OUT. When an individual has all 3 letters of OUT, he is,
indeed, out.
The next round is begun by the player who gained a letter of OUT
in the last round.
Note: Only words of more than 3 letters count as words;
otherwise, words of 1, 2, or 3 letters would drastically shorten the
game.
For more advanced classes, I raise the quota to 4 or more letters
in order to get more interesting words.
Here are a few sample rounds:
1st player thinks of POOL and says P.
2nd player thinks of PLACE and says L.
3rd player thinks of PLANE and says A.
4th player thinks of PLANT and says N. But PLAN is a word of
more than 3 letters, so the 4th player gets the 0 of OUT,
since he completed a word, and is one third of his way out.
Next Round: (Begun by the player who got a letter of OUT in
the last round.)
4th player thinks of THREE and says T.
5th player thinks of TREE and says R.
6th player thinks of TRIM and says I.
7th player thinks of TRICK and says 'c.
8th player thinks of TRICK, but knows that if says K, he will have
completed a word, so he tries to think of any other letter that will
continue but not complete a word. Failing that, he decides to bluff
and adds L.
9th player can't think of a word that starts off with TRICL, so he
challenges the 8th player who admits that he has no word in
mind . The 8th player gets the 0 of OUT, and starts the next
round .
97
94.
WORD EXPLOSION
R, W
levels: intermediate and advanced
optimal group size: unlimited
dictionaries. I have them draw a line after the last word they think
of so they will be able to reco gni ze and concentrate on the new
ones.
95.
SEVEN DEFINITIONS
L, S
levels: intermediate and advanced
etc.)
98
lunch
laugh
funny
egg
candle
dictionary
happy
fork
under
far
between
shoe
fast
heavy
wash
cry
desk
typewriter
long
eat
slowly
Student A2:
"SUPPER?"
" LUNCH?"
"CEREAL?"
"EGGS?"
"EGG."
A2
A3
A4
AS
A6
A1
B2
B3
B4
BS
86
B1
I
99
For less fluent stud ents, the definitions could be written out before
the game is played.
SUGGESTION: I have my students sit back-to-back to avoid the use
of gestures and increase language dependency.
96.
TRAVELOG
L, S
levels: intermediate and advanced
optimal group size: unlim ited
iOO
97.
HINKPINK
L, S
levels: intermediate and advanced
optimal group size: unlimited
98.
BUFFET
R, W
levels: intermediate and advanced
optimal group size: unlimited
aanababsanteanticogcolcom-
concorcoextrainteralteranimchroma-
inImeoncom properdeprereex-
transpolyortho-
circumhypoamphiauto-
bi-
Desserts
Main courses
-die-dict-
-ive
-voe'
-atar
-duc-duct-
-able
-ible
-er
-or
-vert-
-verso
-trac-tract-
-Junc-junet-cep-cept-spec-spect-cred-jec-ject-
-ion
-ation
-ment
-by
-aceous
-cide
-ness
-rupt
-script
-ject
-fort
-ic
-acy
-ance
-ant
-ate
-cy
-ee
-ette
-hood
-IQU5
-ise
-ize
-ity
-tude
-aid
-ship
-ory
-ment
chromo-
102
-dict + -ator =
anim-
+ -vers- + -ible
99.
HYBRID
L, S, R, W
levels: intermediate and advanced
optimal group size: unlimited
kanga:.C>sterr
Here are some other possibilities: (Keep them to yourself until the
students have fin ished.)
103
mooSErpent
cowl
goriliama
fiSH rew
hippopotaMUSkrat
pelicanary
elephantelope
clAMprey
buffaLOon
turtleopard
zebrattlesnake
fiSHrimp
perCHicken
birgonkey
SUGGESTION: I find that students grasp the idea better if they see
the examples written, and the common element emphasized by
capital letters or underlini ng.
PREROOTSUFF
100.
R, W
levels : intermediate and advanced
s~"ixes:
10 each of ed and
101.
CHARADES
S,R
levels: intermediate and advanced
optimal group size: unlimited
what is written on
the slips of paper they draw, at random, from ti'L box. A time
limit may be imposed to increase the competitive spirit of the
game. For example:
OUl
105
WONDER WORD
102.
R. W
levels: intermediate and advanced
optimal group size: unlimited
2.
1.
garden
drop
bush
fall
red
coat
bud
storm
mary
shower
water
acid
106
4.
3.
butter _ _ __ _
_ _ _ _ _ swatter
_ _ _ __ _ COrTI
_ _ _ __ _ paper
_ __ _ _ _ moon
_ _ _ _ _ wheel
_ _ _ _ _ suckle
_ _ __
fishing
_ _ _ _ _ bee
103.
SABERED STORIES
R, L,S
levels: intermediate and advanced
optimal group size: unlimited
107
108
104.
ENCYCLOPEDIA
L, S
level: advanced
while the students try to guess the identity of the person or place
being described . Students are allowed to interrupt th e reading to
guess.
Scoring: Minus 2 points fo r each wrong guess.
Plus 5 for a correct guess.
Team members are permitted to confer with one another during
the game.
105.
LIFEBOAT
L, S
level: advanced
optim al group size: 10
of them jumps overboard and sacrifices his life fOI the sake of the
others. Then, each one in turn must try to convince the others of
ADAPTATION: This game has also been known as Balloon (of the
hot-air variety) and Bomb Shelter, but it is played exactly the same
way.
HOMONYMS
106.
R, L, 5
level: advanced
opt imal group size: 10
!HEARl
~
THERE
THEIR
THEY'RE
110
107.
RHYME
R. W
level: advanced
optimal group size: unlimited
othe(s words. For example, the words might be: sleep, clock, deep
and dock.
Someone might come up with the following poem:
When I go to sleep,
I hear the clock.
But when I sleep deep,
I hope I'm not on a dock.
111
tie a shoelace
eat spaghetti
put on and button a shirt
change a flat tire
sharpen a pencil
112
109.
WHAT'S NEW?
l, S, R, W
level: advanced
113
110.
RELATIVELY SPEAKING
R, W
level: advanced
optimal group size: unlimited
b/sickled
(sick in bed)
s
(rising costs)
o
r
ads
(crossroads)
d
s
area
(overpopulated area)
populated
When the class has found the solutions to the above examples,
students can work in pairs to create their own graphic depictions
of known idiomatic expressions.
11 4
(uphill fight)
fed
(underfed child)
child
S t
loved
fed
(overfed, underloved)
c k
(long stick)
(short stick)
(falling barometer)
cover
agent
(undercover agent)
taking
(difficult undertaking)
difficult
GAINS
(capital gains)
sur/fire/ance
(fire insurance)
his iiii
00
ar/up/ms
(up in arms)
I'm
(I'm on time)
time
working
(working overtime)
time
p - a - n - t-s
/)
IT):'
<P
(stretcr pants)
.....
116
(spiralling inflation)
(I overindulged)
indulged
estimate me
ye u
she's
weight
you're
your mind
wear
clean
(she's overweight)
(clean underwear)
117
INDEX
A.
%,107
cri tical listening - 6,1 7,20, 34 , 51,
B.
D.
defining words - 6, 8, 10, 13, 95, 97
description - 2, 6. 8, 17, 19, 22, 25,
34, 40, 62. 64
discrimination, auditory - 39, 42
DO - 5, 14, 20, 24, 25. 26, 37, 53,
E.
expansion, memory - 10, 30
F.
fa mil y members - 7, 13, 27
freq uency adverbs - 7, 25, 76
G.
general knowledge - 7, 47, 91 , 104,
109
ge<-graphy - 7. 47, 109
gram ma r - 6, 7. 47, 79, 83
C.
cardinal numbers - 16, 20, 2', 24,
controversy - 105
H.
HAVE - 24, 25, 26, 34
"here" - 23
history - 7, 47, 109
homonyms - 106
I.
idioma ti c ex press ions - 1, 7, 71, 110
impe rative - 15, 30
indirect speec h - 78
instruction -15, 108
K.
knowledge. general - 7. 47. 91, 104.
109
L.
R.
M.
N.
s.
O.
occupations - 6, 7, 8, 10, 13, 20,
25, 61
opposites - 6. 7, 8, 10
oral creativity - 6, 20, 25, 34, 85,
96, 107
o rd er, word - 9, 11 , 56, 79
speech, indirect/reported - 78
P.
parts of speech - 6, 7, 8, 10, 54,
57, 83
parts of the body - 6, 7, 8, 10, 13,
18, 20, 25, 30, 40
past, simple - 18, 21, 37
physical ai lments - 8, 10, 21, 25
two-word verbs - 81 , 82
T.
V.
Q.
question words - 6, 7, 13, 24, 27,
34. 37, 51, 66, 69, 84, 91
119
W.
Y.
yes/no questions - 7, 14" 17, 18, 19,
,
l
'120
GAMES LANGUAGE
PEOPLE PLAY
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DICTIONARy'
BtW
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PRESS
LImITED
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