ESL Games are like recipes. Teachers use the basic frame work but more often than not use little tweaks to add flavor and specifically cater a game to suit their student’s specific needs and abilities.
This ESL game submitted by Gosia from Lesson Plans Digger is one of her personal creations based on a couple
of classics: Scattegories (aka Stop the Bus) and Family Feud.
The Details:
- This ESL Game is best suited for high school students and adults.
- A game should take between 10 and 15 minutes depending on the size of your class and the ability of your students.
- This game challenges students to use their English vocabularies to think of as many words or phrases as possible that fall into each category heading within the given 4 minute time limit.
Material Required:
- One piece of paper and one pencil for each group of students.
- A white board and a marker (but you can make do without).
- A timer.
How to:
Think of 4 Categories, e.g 1. Something you do on a plane 2. Something you eat with your fingers 3. Something you wear in the summer 4. Something you can find in the living room.- Divide your class into pairs or small groups.
- Tell your class that they have 4 minutes to think of AT LEAST 4 items for each category.
- Set the timer for 4 minutes and press start.
- Once the timer sounds, teams get 10 points for each original item that no other group has, 5 points for a repeated item, and 2 points for each extra one (5th, 6th etc.) as long as no other group has it.
- Tally the points. Change the categories and repeat step 4 & % as many times as desired.
- The team with the highest combined score wins the game.
This game is a perfect way to revise vocabulary by topic. For more advanced students simply have fun inventing new items for quirkier categories (acronyms / bad habits / things you can sit on etc.).
This ESL Game is a really entertaining way to either start or finish the class.
Enjoy!
If you like this game and are interested more great resources designed by Gosia from Lesson Plans Digger please click here.