ESL Basketball is a game your students will absolutely love. It’s a great way to add excitement to almost any language target or topic in your ESL classroom.
The Details:
- To play Basketball you’ll need a timer, 2 buckets, some coloured plastic balls (available at almost any toy store or on Amazon), and lesson related flashcards.
- This game works best with students between the ages of 5 and 10. My high school students often ask to play as well.
- ESL Basketball works better with a small class due to the amount of resources required.
- A game of Basketball should take between 10 and 15 minutes.
- ESL Basketball works with almost lower level target language. In this example we’re using Q -> “Do you like ________?”. A-> “Yes, I do”/”No, I don’t”.
How to:
- Pre-teach the lesson related vocabulary using the 2 – 1 – 0 method.
- Set up an empty bucket close to a wall.
- Place the second bucket (filled with balls) 1 or 2 meters away from the empty bucket.
- Give one student the stack of pre-taught vocabulary cards and have them stand beside the empty bucket against the wall. This student will be the questioner.
- Have a second student stand beside the full bucket of balls. This student will be answering questions and shooting baskets.
- Set a timer for one minute. Count down from 3 seconds and press the start button.
- The questioner has to ask “Do you like whatever picture is on the flashcard?”
- The shooter has to either answer “Yes, I do” or “No, I don’t”. If the shooter correctly answers the question they get to try and shoot one ball into the empty bucket.
- The questioner then switches flashcards and repeats the question, answer and shoot process.
- When the timer goes off, count how many baskets were made.
- Switch roles and repeat steps 4 -10.
- The student or team that makes the most baskets is the winner.
