[erinjk]

I have the book "101 Word Games" and have not had much use for it. I've went through the book a few times for different ideas or have tried to think of variations for larger classes, but usually there is not enough time to play the games in the class since they are quite large.

[srcnsnmz]

Quote erinjk

I have the book "101 Word Games" and have not had much use for it. I've went through the book a few times for different ideas or have tried to think of variations for larger classes, but usually there is not enough time to play the games in the class since they are quite large.

it is a very good book I used before
you can adapt the games according to your objective
the games include very enjoyable ideas which they can be improved.
love from TuRkEy

[MichiganKc]

Eric,
I used your Back to the Board activity in my Japanese elementary schools. They were learning classroom vocabulary (pencil, eraser, blackboard, etc..) and "Whats this?" The students had a lot of fun with it. They used a lot of gestures rather than English though which gave me the idea of making word webs for the target language. Hopefully it will help build up their vocabulary. Thanks again for the idea.

[Eric]

Quote MichiganKc

Eric,
I used your Back to the Board activity in my Japanese elementary schools. They were learning classroom vocabulary (pencil, eraser, blackboard, etc..) and "Whats this?" The students had a lot of fun with it. They used a lot of gestures rather than English though which gave me the idea of making word webs for the target language. Hopefully it will help build up their vocabulary. Thanks again for the idea.

That's Great! Thanks for posting your experience.

[jacquelyn]

I like to play Las Vegas Grammar. I divide the kids into teams and give each team the same amount of "fake" money. I bought some for really cheap at Target and laminated it but any kind will work. Then I type out a bunch of sentences with errors and give each group a few minutes to correct them. Finally each group takes turns "betting" on whether or not they got it all right. For example, if the group is confident, they'll place a big bet. Also , I always pass out at least five singles and take away money if the group is talking out of turn. THe kids LOVE this game. Of course, you could have them spell words on the board, play concentration with antonymns...whatever!

[Pix]

There are a lot of games out there that can be adapted for large groups. If you find a great game, you can do many different things to adapt it. First of all you can enlarge the game board and play with teams (just make a rule that everyone in each group needs a turn before going again). You could also use 5-7 games that work well with smaller groups and set them up as stations in the room. Break down the class into the smaller groups and have each small group go to a different game. If there is time, they might be able to play two or three games in one day or else keep the stations the same for one week or throughout the entire unit so all students get a chance to participate in each game.

Having said that I think that board games only really work with small groups of up to 6 people, otherwise there is just too much hanging around waiting for your turn. And don't forget the logistics of all those games and pieces which you can and surely will lose. So I don't really use board games in my teaching unless I have a small group.

Instead I use games made specifically for large groups which can be played even in a class where you have no room to move. Indeed I did write a special edition of games specifically for that purpose. The Blanket Game and others are available free at the site below if you would like an example. Each game, and examples of how you can apply it are described over several pages so I won't include them here.

You can also use strategies such as having the class whispering while playing rather than talking to keep the overall noise down.

[livinginkorea]

I haven't read all of the thread but did anybody mention any pair work activities?

[Cary Dillen]

one of the activities I usually use for spelling warm ups, past tense verbs, or anything to do with words is to have a pile of the alphabet letters cut outs. I add several more vowels and the other letters that can be double used in a word. Each group gets a pile of these letters.
You can divide the class into how many groups you want, even by ones. the first group to finish spelling the word shouts "stop".,if its not correctly spelled, they continue until a group gets it. The students really learn and enjoy it.
you can add several "rules " to this activity . for ex: if the children are loud, you can tell them to whisper, if not, they loose 1 point, and so on.

[Cary Dillen]

One of the activities I usually use for spelling warm ups, past tense verbs, or anything to do with words is to have a pile of the alphabet letters cut outs. I add several more vowels and the other letters that are double used in a word. Each group gets a pile of these letters.
You can divide the class into how many groups you want, even by ones. You say the word you want them to spell and the first group to finish spelling the word shouts "stop".,if its not correctly spelled, they continue until a group gets it. The students really learn and enjoy it.I´ve used it from 3rd graders on to highschool.
you can add several "rules " to this activity . for ex: if the children are loud, you can tell them to whisper, if not, they loose 1 point, and so on.
I Hope it helps!
Cary

[Motivated]

'How did your parents meet?' is always an interesting activity for 5th-11th grades. Simple as asking each student in turn this question then asking different follow up questions - 3 or 4 questions for each student. Then just correct their verbal answers. The nice lil bonus for me is that students are usually quite interested in hearing stories about their classmates and will usually pay attention!

Another lil ripper is Strange Facts: True or False. Write up a list of say 15 statements (just on your own paper). Get each student to write True/False for each statement on a piece of paper as you read them aloud.

some examples:
US president George Washington had a dog named Drunkard. TRUE

On average, there are 333 sheets on a roll of toilet paper. TRUE

The kids always get a great laugh, and the teaching lies in the explanation of vocabulary. Going through each question for marking is the best part, with all the kids yelling TRUE! FALSE!There are numerous websites where you can find all sorts of bizarre facts, just make sure you make roughly half true and half false. I usually give a prize for the winner, snickers bars work well

[DaveESL]

I'm currently teaching large groups (50 or so) of college students, and I've had a lot of luck with roleplays. I pre-teach some of the grammar patterns they will need (making requests, etc.) and we brainstorm some content ideas (a list of requests one might make in a hotel, etc.) and then I give them about 10 minutes to do a roleplay with their partner.

Afterwards, I ask for volunteers to show the roleplay to the class and I write down grammar / vocabulary points that I think are relevant. For me so far, it's worked better than group discussions. I'm interested in trying some of the games mentioned here, though, especially the one Eric suggested about groups writing the questions for answers given by the teacher.

Take care,
Dave

ESL etc. - Bringing global issues and activism into language teaching.

[bread_baker]

I teach adults ESL, and I like to divide the class into groups of 4. Then they can play board games or card games. 4 is a great size for groups. If the groups are larger, people don't stay focused and they start talking in native languages. ESL Lounge has some board games.

[cabst90]

I don't think that anyone mentioned this, but it is great for large groups of children. The game is called zoo keeper (as far as I know); it is a tag game. Split the class into two halfs (not teams though). Each team lines up shoulder to shoulder facing the other team. "It" is in the middle. Tell all of the students to think of an animal but not to tell anyone. "It" will then ask questions about animals, for example "Does your animal have fur? Can your animal fly?" Anyone who answers "yes" to the question must run to the other side while "it" chases them. The people who are caught must stay where they were caught. They can now tag others, but only by moving their arms.

I have adapted this to practice can, various uses of have, animals, food, clothes (if your students don't wear uniforms), past tense (did you do homework last night), etc.

[EngliPatrick]

uummm...I hate to bounce people off to another site, but there was an article on this at Dave'sESL. And No, I'm not Dave and I don't advertise for him.

Teacher Discussion Forums :: View topic - Some Advice on Large Classes

[Eric18]

Thank you for sharing so many good ideas. Personally, I just found the huge classes a nightmare. Breaking students into smaller groups, and assigning the more advanced students as group leader helped. Sometimes I also held vocabulary contests between "teams". Write down 25 pairs of opposites. Find 10 words starting with the prefix "dis". Then have students write the answers on the board. You can give points for quality or speed. The basic point is to make the students work together, share their knowledge, and teach each other. You circle around, share tips, and monitor progress.

You can also, as previously mentioned, have them complete surveys.

[shauna_brooke77]

I dont sorry look for some one else.