Lexical

games

Introduction

By Agnieszka Uberman

'Forum' Vol. 36 No 1, January - March 1998 Page 20.

Using Games

'Many experienced textbook and methodology manuals writers have argued that games

are not just time-filling activities but have a great educational value. W. R. Lee holds that

most language games make learners use the language instead of thinking about learning

the correct forms (1979:2). He also says that games should be treated as central not

peripheral to the foreign language teaching programme. A similar opinion is expressed by

Richard-Amato, who believes games to be fun but warns against overlooking their

pedagogical value, particularly in foreign language teaching. There are many advantages

of using games. "Games can lower anxiety, thus making the acquisition of input more

likely" (Richard-Amato 1988:147). They are highly motivating and entertaining, and they

can give shy students more opportunity to express their opinions and feelings (Hansen

1994:118). They also enable learners to acquire new experiences within a foreign

language which are not always possible during a typical lesson. Furthermore, to quote

Richard-Amato, they, "add diversion to the regular classroom activities," break the ice, "[but

also] they are used to introduce new ideas" (1988:147). In the easy, relaxed atmosphere

which is created by using games, students remember things faster and better (Wierus and

Wierus 1994:218). S. M. Silvers says many teachers are enthusiastic about using games

as "a teaching device," yet they often perceive games as mere time-fillers, "a break from

the monotony of drilling" or frivolous activities. He also claims that many teachers often

overlook the fact that in a relaxed atmosphere, real learning takes place, and students use

the language they have been exposed to and have practiced earlier (1982:29). Further

support comes from Zdybiewska, who believes games to be a good way of practicing

language, for they provide a model of what learners will use the language for in real life in

the future (1994:6).'

'Games encourage, entertain, teach, and promote fluency. If not for any of these

reasons, they should be used just because they help students see beauty in a foreign

language and not just problems that at times seem overwhelming.'

When to use Games

'Games are often used as short warm-up activities or when there is some time left at the

end of a lesson. Yet, as Lee observes, a game "should not be regarded as a marginal

activity filling in odd moments when the teacher and class have nothing better to do"

(1979:3). Games ought to be at the heart of teaching foreign languages. Rixon suggests

that games can be used at all stages of the lesson, provided that they are suitable and

carefully chosen.'

From 'Games for Language Learning'

By Andrew Wright, David Betteridge and Michael Buckby

Cambridge University Press, 1984.

'Language learning is hard work ... Effort is required at every moment and must be

maintained over a long period of time. Games help and encourage many learners to

sustain their interest and work.'

'Games also help the teacher to create contexts in which the language is useful and

meaningful. The learners want to take part and in order to do so must understand what

others are saying or have written, and they must speak or write in order to express their

own point of view or give information.'

'The need for meaningfulness in language learning has been accepted for some years.

A useful interpretation of 'meaningfulness' is that the learners respond to the content in a

definite way. If they are amused, angered, intrigued or surprised the content is clearly

meaningful to them. Thus the meaning of the language they listen to, read, speak and write

will be more vividly experienced and, therefore, better remembered.

If it is accepted that games can provide intense and meaningful practice of language,

then they must be regarded as central to a teacher's repertoire. They are thus not for use

solely on wet days and at the end of term!' (from Introduction, p. 1)

http://www.teflgames.com/why.html

Teaching Tips: Using Games in the English Second or Foreign

Language classroom

Anne-Louise de Wit

May 2012

Using games

Games have a great educational value and

it can be used in the classroom to make

learners use the language instead of just thinking about learning the correct forms. Games

encourage learners to interact, cooperate, to be creative and spontaneous in using the

language in a meaningful way. Learners want to take part in activities; to play games and

are generally quite competitive. In order for them to take part they must be able to

understand and communicate in the target language. Games also encourage learners to

keep interested in the work and a teacher can use them to create contexts in which the

language is useful.

Why should I use games in the classroom?

Games are used as methods or techniques to involve

students in learning. Well-chosen and designed games are

invaluable as they give students a break and at the same time

allow learners to practice language skills. The benefits of games range from cognitive

aspect of language learning to more co-operative group dynamics and as a result games

are highly motivating since they are amusing and at the same time challenging.

Huyen (2003) identifies the advantages of using games to learn vocabulary in the

classroom: a) Games add relaxation and fun, so the learners retain words more easily. b)

Games involve friendly competition, so it keeps learners interested and motivated. c)

Vocabulary games bring real world context to the classroom. Mei (2000) emphasizes

similar points by saying that it encourages active learning, as well as collaboration and

interactivity. Interactive learning techniques also hold memory, performance and social

benefits. According to I-Jung (2005) the benefits of using games in language-learning

include that games are learner centered, encourages creative and spontaneous use of

language and foster participatory attitudes of the learners.

Kim (1995) states more general advantages of using games in the classroom and they

include:

1. Games are a welcome break from the usual routine of the language class.

2. They are motivating and challenging.

3. Learning a language requires a great deal of effort. Games help students to make

and sustain the effort of learning.

4. Games provide language practice in the various skills- speaking, writing, listening

and reading.

5. They encourage students to interact and communicate.

6. They create a meaningful context for language use.

Students learn through experimenting, discovering and interacting with their

environment. Students need variation to increase their motivation. By using games

students already have a context in which the use of the target language is immediately

useful. This learning situation is similar to how mother tongue speakers would learn without

being aware they are studying.

A game must be more than just fun.

A game should involve "friendly" competition.

A game should keep all of the students involved and interested.

A game should encourage students to focus on the use of language rather than on

the language itself.

A game should give students a chance to learn, practice, or review specific

language material.

What kind of games can I use?

According to Gaudart (1999) there are four types of games that can be

used and they are: card games, board games, simulation games, and

party-type games. When choosing games, a teacher does not have to

have a multitude of games up his/her sleeve, but rather creativity at taking

existing, familiar or popular games and adapting it to the classroom to

aim for maximum student involvement. Traditional games like

hangman, Pictionary, charades, Chinese Whisper, Bingo, Snakes and

Ladders, Battleships, who wants to be a millionaire? etc. can be modified and tailor-made

for your learners and teaching content. Many games require modification in use when the

students' needs are taken into consideration. It is also important to note that a game

doesn’t need to involve a lot of movement or excitement or cheering, but it does need to be

intellectually challenging.

Teachers can use a variety of extra incentives to keep the energy in

the classroom going during games with: group or team competition, using small prizes

depending on age (stickers, stamps, reward points etc.), using dice to determine amount of

points or using fake money or playing cards as point system (every time a student answers

correctly he/she receives a card or note). Students could be given a sticky ball to throw at

vocabulary words, grammar structures etc. that are written on the board and then asked to

use them in sentences. Or alternatively they could answer a question and throw at a target

on the board to win points. A paper airplane or bean bag could also be used in a similar

way. Small whiteboards can be used in spelling competitions and be sent around in the

team. Students love to play rock-paper-scissor and it can be adapted for various functions

within games.

Games could also be based on real-life sport such as baseball or basketball. The

teacher can draw a playing field/court on the board and each time a student/team answers

a question they can move to the next base or score a goal. Interactive games such as hot

seating or role play can also be used. Teams can, for example, do “shopping”, where they

have to buy a certain amount of things with their money, while at the same time practicing

dialogues and vocabulary. Another popular game is Taboo;

where a student from each team sits with their back to the

board, the teacher writes a word on the board and the rest of

the team must explain the word without using/saying it. The

first team to guess the word correctly wins. A similar game that

can be adapted for the classroom is 30 Seconds. An ABC

game can also be used where students have to give a word beginning with the next letter

of the alphabet. Or a similar game is Chain spelling, where a student is asked to spell a

word and then the next student must say and spell a word beginning with the last letter of

the previous word. With newly arrived students, teachers can use a school or campus

treasure hunt.

Teachers can use Directed Activities Related to Texts (DARTs) such as jigsaws,

prediction, sequencing etc. in a competitive way to create a game. For example, the first

team to assemble their jigsaw wins; the team to make the closest prediction wins; the team

who correctly sequences events/storyline wins. The teacher can then use DARTs to

present or practice the target language, yet at the same time it can develop into a game.

There are innumerable ideas for games available, but the success of the games depends

on the teacher. The teacher must ensure that the games are appropriate for their students

and that it is relevant to their work or real-life.

Can I use games with all age groups?

Games can definitely be used for all age groups, but some caution is needed when used

for adult learners. Teachers have to ensure that their games are age appropriate and not

too easy or challenging for their students. Kopecky (2009) states that adult students look

for structure in lessons and by keeping a game clearly tied to the work it helps maintain

their confidence in the teacher. He advises that you should know your adult students (their

interest, how they interact etc) and prepare games that are intellectually challenging and

have some “substance”. Ensure that clear instructions are given and that students clearly

understand the goal of the game. To motivate adult students, you have to be motivated and

enthusiastic yourself, yet professional when executing the game. Ensure that you monitor

as the students play the game to help them keep the goal of the activity in mind and also

monitor your time.

Hong (2002) suggests a few questions to keep in mind when considering which game to

choose for the different age groups: Which language does the game target? Which skills

does it practice? What type of game is it? What's the purpose for using it? Does it fit the

students? How could I simplify or make it more complex if necessary? How much

interaction and participation is there? Do I like the game myself?

Important things to consider when using games in the classroom

Choose suitable games (depending on the number of students, proficiency level,

cultural context, timing, learning topic, and the classroom settings).

The way students perceive a game depends on the actual design and

implementation of the game.

Give clear instructions, give clear rules and give clear time limits.

Rather demonstrate than explain.

There must be a clear purpose and achievable goals.

Clear objectives and goals must match the difficulty level of the game and ability

level of the students.

Ensure that shy or quiet students are not alienated and have an opportunity to take

part.

Debriefing, or the evaluation of results/ events in the game, is crucial to the game’s

success.

It must still be fun, but still help the students to learn.

Games lower anxiety levels, are entertaining, educational and give students reason to

use the target language. It is a natural way of learning and exposes students to real

learning opportunities. “Games encourage, entertain, teach, and promote fluency. If not for

any of these reasons, they should be used just because they help students see beauty in a

foreign language and not just problems that at times seem overwhelming.' (Uberman,

1998)

http://www.witslanguageschool.com/NewsRoom/ArticleView/tabid/180/ArticleId/85/Teac

hing-Tips-Using-Games-in-the-English-Second-or-Foreign-Language-classroom.aspx

Teaching Grammar with Fun Learning Games

Four sound reasons to teach grammar with games

1. Arif Saricoban and Esen Metin, authors of “Songs, Verse and Games for Teaching

Grammar” explain how and why games work for teaching grammar in an ESL classroom.

They say, “Games and problem-solving activities, which are task-based and have a

purpose beyond the production of correct speech, are the examples of the most preferable

communicative activities.” They go on to explain that grammar games help children not

only gain knowledge but be able to apply and use that learning.

2. Additionally, games have the advantage of allowing the students to “practice and

internalize vocabulary, grammar and structures extensively.” They can do this because

students are often more motivated to play games than they are to do desk work. Plus,

during the game, the students are focused on the activity and end up absorbing the

language subconsciously. One can also add that fun learning games usually contain

repetition, which allows the language to stick.

3. While games are motivating for the students, probably the best reason, according to

Saricoban and Metin, to use games is that “the use of such activities both increases the

cooperation and competition in the classroom.” One can use games to add excitement

through competition or games which create bonding among students and teacher.

4. Aydan Ersoz, author of “Six Games for the ESL/EFL Classroom” also explains more

reasons why games do work for teaching grammar. Learning a language requires constant

effort and that can be tiring.

Children are more motivated to learn grammar with games

The theory of intrinsic motivation also gives some insight as to why teaching grammar

through games actually works. Intrinsic motivation refers to the internal factors that

encourage us to do something. Most young learners will not internally decide that they

want to learn grammar. They don’t yet understand the concepts of why it’s important to

know proper grammar, so these external factors won’t affect them much either. Instead,

intrinsic motivation can lead encourage them to play games. If these games are good, then

they will be learning while they are playing.

Using some movement is crucial because movement helps activate the students’ mental

capacities and stimulate neural networks, thus promoting learning and retention. If you

have a large class with no space you still have options. Children can stand up, sit down,

move various body parts and pass things around to each other. Movement does not only

mean children tearing around the playground.

http://www.eslbase.com/teaching/teaching-grammar-fun-learning-games

Different games

To play in the

classroom

EFL/ESL VOCABULARY GAMES

Team Spelling

Instructions

Put the class into teams.

The teacher shows a team a photograph or drawing and the team must each write down

one letter of that word (without showing their teammates), depending on their position. The

leftmost student writes down the first letter, the next student the second letter, etc.

e.g. the teacher shows a group of five students a picture of an apple.

The leftmost student writes down "a", the next student "p", the next student "p", the next "l"

and the rightmost student "e".

Give them a short time limit (ten to twenty seconds depending on their English level) and

then have them all reveal the letters they wrote. Award one point if the word is correctly

spelled, then move on to the next group.

Variations

As preparing a lot of words all the same length (e.g. you have teams of 5 students each:

it can be hard to think of lots of 5-letter words without going outside the students'

knowledge of vocabulary) you can have words `wrap around`:

If you give a six letter word to a team of five students then the first student has to write

down both the first and last letters.

Sitting the students in a ring can help them get the idea.

Notes

Making the vocabulary relevant to a current event is of course best (Halloween,

Christmas, New Year, Valentines', etc).

The Hot Seat

Instructions

1. Break class into 4 or less teams

2. Place a 'hot seat' in front of the class and facing away from the board

3. Each team selects a leader

4. One team is up at a time and their leader sits in the hot seat

5. Write ten words on the board so the leader can't see them

6. Number the words 1-10

7. Each team member is assigned a word or words on the board

8. Some team members may have more than one word

9. Team members take turns communicating their word to the leader without

saying the word with no spelling, writing, or drawing allowed

10. Team members can say 'pass' if their word is too difficult

11. Each team has 1 minute to get as many words as possible

12. The team with the most points at the end wins

Variations

Use simple words like animals or days of the week for weaker students

Use the word 'pass' as one of the words on the board to challenge strong

students

Notes

This game can be challenging to explain so preparing directions in the student's native

language can be helpful.

Stand and Spell

Instructions

1. Make list of words for students to spell

2. Write students' names on the board

3. Give each student one letter to be and write it next to their names

4. Call out a word to be spelled

5. Students stand next to each other to spell the word

Variations

Give each student a large alphabet card to hold above their head

Have one student be the leader who places students in the right position

Make teams for bigger classes

Give groups a time limit to spell the word

Notes

If one student's letter comes up more than once in a word, they can move and this makes

the game more fun. Use the variation and make the 'quiet' student the leader to help

include them in class.

Spin the Coin

Instructions

1. Lay out an arbitrary number of flashcards in a circle

formation, making sure the edges of the flashcards are touching (i.e.

no “holes” in the circle: taping the cards down helps)

2. Give each player some marker pieces (colored chips work well)

3. Prepare a 'coin' from cardboard, etc. with a line on each side, from the center of

the coin to the edge

4. Spin the coin in the middle of the circle and have the first student slam their

hand down on the coin

5. The line on the coin serves as a pointer and the student says the

vocabulary word or grammar structure on the card the line points to

6. If they are right, they place one of their markers on the card

7. The first student to get rid of all of their markers wins

Variations

Use pictures for less advanced students

Have special flashcards such as 'place your marker on any available card' or

'remove 1 marker from a card'

Only allow one marker on each card

Notes

If you are using only a few flashcards, make the number of markers be equal to the number

of flashcards.

Spell from a Bag Instructions

1. Divide the class into groups of 2-4 students

2. Assign everyone a vocabulary word

3. Have each student write their word out with each letter on a separate small

sheet of paper

4. Place all the letters in a bag

5. Students take turns taking one letter out of the bag at a time

6. If the letter is one found in their word, they keep it and give the bag to the next

student

7. If the letter they select is not one of the letters in their word, they put it back in

the bag and give it to the next student

8. For example, say S1 has CAT as their word, S2 has DOG, and S3 has COW. If

S1 draws C from the bag (even if it is not the C that they wrote), they

keep it and give the bag to S2. S2 draws a W, puts it back in the bag,

and gives it to S3, etc.

9. The first student to spell their word wins

Variations

Use letter blocks instead of having students write their letters on paper

Use sentences with some similar words for more advanced students

Notes

This is a good way to review vocabulary as each student will most likely learn the words

they have to spell.

Nim

Instructions

1. Prepare sets of at least 12 flashcards for each group

2. Lay out a number of flashcards in several rows

3. Any number of rows is possible

4. Players take turns saying and removing any number of cards from a single row

5. The player who has to take the last card loses

Variations

Play with the alphabet where the student who says “Z” loses

Play with numbers where a number is set ahead of time to be the last number

Have the loser perform a silly task?

Notes

Minesweep Instructions

1. Place a number of flashcards face down

2. Set one of the flashcards to be a whammy card

3. Students take turns flipping over and one card at a time and say the

word/sentence

4. Whoever turns over the whammy card must perform a silly task

5. After someone pulls the whammy card, shuffle the cards and start again

Variations

Make the whammy card be a “safe” card, where everyone but the student who

turned over the card has to perform the silly task

Have players get one point for each card the say/answer correctly

Play this game with regular playing cards to practice numbers, with one face

card as the whammy

Combine

playing cards with a list, using numbers 1-6 or so and having a

numbered list on the side with six vocabulary words/grammar structures

If a student turns over a 3, they say the item that is third on the list

Use grammar structures and/or questions for more advanced students

Notes

If you use flashcards, make sure that you can’t see through the back!

Fly Swatter Instructions

1. Write vocabulary words scattered across the board

2. Place two chairs in front of the board with a fly swatter on each chair

3. Divide class into two equal teams

4. Have one student from each team sit in the chairs with their backs to the board

5. Say one of the vocabulary words on the board

6. Students stand and find the word on the board

7. Students get one swat and the first student to hit the word with their fly swatter

gets one point for their team

8. If neither student hits the right word, the next students are up and no points are

awarded.

9. Repeat until everyone has had at least one turn

Variations

Use pictures for young students who haven't learned the alphabet

Notes

This game can be used with any level student who needs to practice vocabulary and is an

exciting way to warm up the class. Students will often get loud so don't let teammates

shout the answer or location of the word.

Crazy Face Instructions

1. Give each student a piece of paper with the outline of a head on it

2. Have each student pick their favorite color marker

3. Give students one thing to draw, such as 'nose'

4. Have students pass their paper to the person next to them when finished

5. Give students another part of the face to draw, such as 'hair'.

6. When done, have students give a name to their face and show them to the class

Variations

Have students draw a whole body

Have students draw a house to learn house words

Have students draw a zoo to learn animal words

Use different themes for different vocabulary

Notes

Make sure there is plenty of room on the paper for kids to draw. They often find it helpful if

there is one thing already done, such as the outline of a head, to help them get started.

Encourage creativity and let them draw any style they want, like and elephant’s nose

instead of a person's nose. The kids will crack up at drawings they get and you can be

really creative by having them draw things like sideburns, jewelry, etc.

Colored Ballons Instructions

1. Blow up balloons of different colors

2. Send 4 or 5 balloons into class

3. Balloons cannot touch the ground

4. Students call out color of balloon every they hit one

Variations

Have balloon colors represent different vocabulary words

Have balloon colors represent sentences for more advanced classes

Notes

This game can be used with any size class but works better with larger classes. Just make

sure the door is closed because the young kids go crazy. Also, be careful of them jumping

out of their chairs to hit balloons.

http://www.teachenglishinasia.net/efl-esl-games/efl-esl-vocabulary-games

Category list

In this lexical game, the teacher write groups of words on the board (approximately 8 or

10 word for each group), which are related between them for some reason. According to

the numbers of the students, the teacher will form “Teams” (maybe team A and B). The

task is students must guess the tittle of each group of words, they will have 10 chances to

divine, if the member of a team give a wrong answer, his team will lose one chance; the

team which will divine the exactly tittle of groups of words will be the winner. For example:

Apple, oranges, peach, cherry, watermelon, pineapple, grapefruit, figs, banana, pear

Possible tittle: fruits

Led zepellin, kiss, Motorhead, Sex pistol, The clash, Nirvana, Sum 41, Rolling

Stones, Blur, Radiohead

Possible tittle: Rock bands

“Fictionary”

This lexical game helps to students to remember some definitions of many words, why?

Let me show you: Teacher must form groups (maximum 4); then, teacher give to the

members of each group some words whose exactly definition will be searched on a

dictionary. The task is the following: the members of one team or group will show the

words to the member from the other team or group but with 3 or 4 options: only one option

has the correct definition, the rests are incorrect. The team or group which get to divine the

correct definition of more words will be the winner. For example:

What's the correct definition of "justify”?

a) To show that somebody or something is right or reasonable

b) A person who is an expert in law

c) A military government that has taken power by force

The correct answer is letter "a"

Word seeds

The teacher write on the board or show in a powerpoint presentation a group of words,

which maybe aren’t related between them, and students must create a story using these

words in the proposed order. Word seeds are lexical games where students need to use a

lot their imagination because they don’t have clues except the words the teachers gave

them. However, is a game which have good results because every student create their

own story using these words and help them to create elaborate statements. For example:

Man, jungle, bear, house, river, t-shirt....

Possible answer: A man was in the jungle and suddenly a bear appeared near to his

house, the man run to the river and let his t-shirt at home while the bear was

messing him.

Word dominoes

For this game, teachers can use flashcards about many topics (i.e. fruits, animals,

clothes, etc.). The point is students must find the relation between them; they need to be

careful because maybe some pictures don’t have relation with the others apparently.

Students must use their imagination and “exploit” it to find the relation between the

pictures of flashcards; they can say sentences or tell a story with the proposed material.

I went into town

This lexical game is used specially to remember specific lexis. “How do you?”, let me

show you: the teacher proposes the topic; for example, the topic is clothes. For example:

The first student must create a sentences where is included some kind of clothes.

For example, the first sentence could be: “I went to the clothes store and bought a

pant”, the next students could say “I went to the store and bought a pant and a t-

shirt”; the next students must continue until they get to use the majority of words

related with clothes.

Word jumbles

This activity you can do at the beginning of your class, It’s a good way for students get

to remember the previous class. The teacher could use a target language of the previous

class and mix the letters. The task is students must divine or order the letters and say the

correct sentence or target language. For example:

Possible answer: the man drinks a beer, beer and bear have the same letter "b", and

bear live in the jungle...

Biting your tail

The teacher proposes any topic for example “animals” and write on the board the name

of an animal (i.e. Horse), the students must notice the last letter of the name of the animal

and they must propose other animal with letter “e” (Elephant); and then, other animal which

name begin with letter “t” (tiger), they must continue doing this until students get to use

a good amount of words about animals. The point is students need to propose only names

of animals not about other topic. For example:

HORSE

ELEPHANT

TIGER

RAT

http://masteriblip.blogspot.com.ar/2013/10/lexical-games.html

Hangman

This classic game is a favorite for all students but it can get boring quite quickly. This

game is best used for 5 minutes at the start to warm the class up or 5 minutes at the end if

you've got some time left over. It works no matter how many students are in the class.

Why use it? Warming up / winding down class

Who it's best for: Young learners

How to play:

In case you've never played, here's a quick

rundown.

Think of a word and write the number of

letters on the board using dashes to

show many letters there are.

Ask students to suggest a letter. If it

appears in the word, write it in all of the

correct spaces. If the letter does not

appear in the word, write it off to the

side and begin drawing the image of a

hanging man.

Continue until the students guess the

word correctly (they win) or you complete the diagram (you win).

Pictionary

This is another game that works well with any age group; children love it because they

can get creative in the classroom, teenagers love it because it doesn't feel like they're

learning, and adults love it because it's a break from the monotony of learning a new

language - even though they'll be learning as they play.

Pictionary can help students practice their vocabulary and it tests to see if they're

remembering the words you've been teaching.

Why use it? Vocabulary

Who it's best for: All ages; best with young learners

How to play:

Before the class starts, prepare a bunch of words and put them in a bag.

Split the class into teams of 2 and draw a line down the middle of the board.

Give one team member from each team a pen and ask them to choose a word from

the bag.

Tell the students to draw the word as a picture on the board and encourage their

team to guess the word.

The first team to shout the correct answer gets a point.

The student who has completed drawing should then nominate someone else to

draw for their team.

Repeat this until all the words are gone - make sure you have enough words that

each student gets to draw at least once!

The Mime

Miming is an excellent way for students to practice their tenses and their verbs. It's also

great for teachers with minimal resources or planning time, or teachers who want to break

up a longer lesson with something more interactive. It's adaptable to almost any language

point that you might be focusing on.

This game works with any age group, although you will find that adults tire of this far

quicker than children. To keep them engaged, relate what they will be miming to your

groups' personal interests as best as possible.

Why use it? Vocabulary; Speaking

Who it's best for: All ages; best with young learners

How to play:

Before the class, write out some actions - like washing the dishes - and put them in

a bag.

Split the class into two teams.

Bring one student from each team to the front of the class and one of them choose

an action from the bag.

Have both students mime the action to their team.

The first team to shout the correct answer wins a point.

Repeat this until all students have mimed at least one action.

Where Shall I Go?

This game is used to test prepositions of movement and should be played after this

subject has been taught in the classroom. This game is so much fun but it can be a little bit

dangerous since you'll be having one student in each pair be blindfolded while the other

directs them. So make sure to keep your eyes open!

It is also excellent for the adult EFL classroom, or if you're teaching teenagers.

Why use it? Prepositions; Speaking and Listening

Who it's best for: All ages and levels

How to play:

Before the students arrive, turn your classroom into a maze by rearranging it. It's

great if you can do this outside, but otherwise push tables and chairs together and move

furniture to make your maze.

When your students arrive, put them in pairs outside the classroom. Blindfold one

student from each pair.

Allow pairs to enter the classroom one at a time; the blindfolded student should be led

through the maze by their partner. The students must use directions such as step over, go

under, go up, and go down to lead their partner to the end of the maze.

What's My Problem?

This is a brilliant EFL game to practice giving advice. It should be played after the 'giving

advice' vocabulary lesson has taken place. It is a great way for students to see what they

have remembered and what needs reviewing. This game works well with any age group,

just adapt it to fit the age you're working with.

Why use it? Speaking and Listening; Giving Advice

Who it's best for: All ages and levels

How to play:

Write ailments or problems related to your most recent lesson on post-it notes and stick

one post-it note on each student's back.

The students must mingle and ask for advice from other students to solve their

problem.

Students should be able to guess their problem based on the advice they get from their

peers.

Use more complicated or obscure problems to make the game more interesting for

older students. For lower levels and younger students, announce a category or reference a

recent lesson, like "Health", to help them along.

http://www.gooverseas.com/blog/10-best-games-esl-teachers

Adverb Action:

The teacher writes on the board an activity like "brush your teeth”. Then he picks one

student who comes to the front of the class. The Teacher then shows the student a card

with an adverb written on it, such as "slowly". The chosen student then does the activity in

the way of the adverb. The other students have to guess the adverb. The one who guesses

right gets a point and mimes the next action which the teacher writes on the board. To help

them you can give them a list of options, if you think they need some help.

Airplane competition:

First, have your students make some paper airplanes. Stand them in a line and let them

test fly their planes. For the competition, assign different classroom objects points (e.g.

table 5 points, door 10 points, and trash can 20 points). Ask a student a question and if

she/he answers correctly then she/he can throw and try to hit one of the target objects to

win points. This works well as a team game.

Apple Pass:

Have all students sit in a circle. Use a fake apple and toss it to one student. But you

must say one English word as you pass. The student then throws to another student and

says a different English word. If the student you threw it to drops it, he/she is out. And the

game keeps going until you have one winner. It can be played with different categories,

such as Food, Animals, Etc.

http://www.eslkidstuff.com/Gamescontents.htm#.Vgb0z99_Oko

Bingo! (with irregular verbs)

The teacher prepares a 5x5 grid with 25 irregular verbs in the past tense in each square.

Make enough variations of these grids so each student has one that is slightly (or very)

different.

The teacher then calls out the verbs in their present tense form until a student gets five in a

diagonal or horizontal row. Bingo!

While it may seem time-consuming to make the grids, they can be used over and over.

This game is received very enthusiastically because often, students are already familiar

with it. It is great as a warmup activity and can have many variations (past-participle, time

of day, vocabulary)

Adverbial Charades

Each student is given a card with a familiar adverb on it--i.e. quickly, angrily, loudly,

happily. Then the class tells the student to do something so they can guess what adverb is

on the card. They can tell the student to do things in pantomime, like drink a bowl of soup,

or really do it in class, like open a door or take a book from the teacher. (Can't recall where

I read this idea, but it is fun and can be played in teams.).

Who am I?

You can use this with any subject. Write the names of famous people (mixed

nationalities) on small pieces of paper. Tape a name on the forehead of each student. The

individual student should not see his or her paper, but the others should. Then, like with 20

questions, only yes or no questions should be asked. Perhaps start with yourself and ask

"Am I am man?" If the answer is yes, I can ask again, but if the answer is no, it's the next

person's turn. Play until everyone has guessed who he or she is! This can be played with

nationalities, countries, household objects, anything and it's a gas, especially for adult

students!

What's the Word?

On an index card, write a word (example: school) and write 4 or 5 key words that cannot

be used to describe that particular word. (Example: teachers, blackboards, students,

desks, tests) Any other words can be used except for the words written on the index card.

A sample card would look like this:

SCHOOL

teachers

blackboards

students

desks

tests

Mystery Box.

Place items that match key vocabulary in a mystery box. The student reads the

vocabulary from a card, for example I am a …, then pulls an item out of the mystery box

without looking. Items may be selected to bring humor and fun to reading. For example, a

toothbrush might be one of the items. The student reads the vocabulary adding the name

of the item, as in I am a toothbrush! Instead of objects, pictures may be placed in the

mystery box. For the vocabulary I am and I like, pictures of famous people may be used.

For example, I am Queen Elizabeth, I like football, and so forth.

Lexis involves more than only words; it changes all the time, so we should teach

vocabulary that involves function, different meanings in real context, and so on. In this way

students will learn a lot of new words.

http://teachingenglishlanguage.blogspot.com.ar/2012/10/how-to-use-lexical-games-for.html

http://www.onestopenglish.com/community/lesson-share/extras/team/

Links from YouTube where we can find more lexical games:

https://youtu.be/cLKBx1UEYbk

https://youtu.be/o9l2uzjGnOQ

https://youtu.be/Ie4_jU_p4KA

https://youtu.be/Zt9hTapT1u0

https://youtu.be/OeHmRBCDLk0

https://youtu.be/OOzJnDoc6Qc

https://youtu.be/p7j-2xteKB4

https://youtu.be/U26ts0bRTzE

https://youtu.be/HcjOVJTSmdI

https://youtu.be/My74R1y5Y10

https://youtu.be/AVUydKlLNEA

https://youtu.be/ufn6bbbIOM8

https://youtu.be/XLGO_9MTkyU

Instituto Privado Carlos Linneo

Didáctica

Teacher: Meili, Corina

Students:

Benitez, Nadia

Espinoza, Florencia Tamara

Garcia, Gabriela Leonor

Marchiotti, Romina Gisella