Here is a smashing little idea from a teacher which I read about in the Spring 2014 edition of Languages Today from the ALL (Association for Language Learning).
It's a version of the TV quiz game Pointless.
In case this show has passed you by, in a nutshell contestants have to give answers to questions which were posed to members of the public. The aim is to provide an answer no member of the public gave.
In this case you give pupils 5-10 minutes to write down as many words they've been taught. The object of the game is for pupils to write down at least one word which no-one else has thought of. Pupils get one point for every correct word and five points for a word which no-one else has thought of - a "pointless" answer.
This could work for near beginners up to advanced level students. It could also be played with pairs against pairs. At advanced level, if a general theme was given for the vocabulary, say, health, then the lists would be long and useful oral and listening practice could be had as students try to justify controversial choices.
A more challenging extension of this idea for near beginners or intermediates would be to use key phrases or short statements rather than individual words. e.g. "Write down any statements/phrases you might use in a café, restaurant, tourist office, classroom etc".
The sting in the tail of this game would be the "marking" part in the lesson, when there would be potential for mayhem! For the single word game, if the emphasis is on spelling accuracy, the lists could simple be collected in for quick tick marking, though finding the pointless answers would be a pain! A time-saving and more useful approach would be to provide a printed list of correct words, swap written lists and have another pupil mark. Pointless answers would have to be identified as quickly as possible by the teacher walking around.
An easier to manage solution would be to have small groups who could simple self mark after their time is up.
It's a version of the TV quiz game Pointless.
In case this show has passed you by, in a nutshell contestants have to give answers to questions which were posed to members of the public. The aim is to provide an answer no member of the public gave.
In this case you give pupils 5-10 minutes to write down as many words they've been taught. The object of the game is for pupils to write down at least one word which no-one else has thought of. Pupils get one point for every correct word and five points for a word which no-one else has thought of - a "pointless" answer.
This could work for near beginners up to advanced level students. It could also be played with pairs against pairs. At advanced level, if a general theme was given for the vocabulary, say, health, then the lists would be long and useful oral and listening practice could be had as students try to justify controversial choices.
A more challenging extension of this idea for near beginners or intermediates would be to use key phrases or short statements rather than individual words. e.g. "Write down any statements/phrases you might use in a café, restaurant, tourist office, classroom etc".
The sting in the tail of this game would be the "marking" part in the lesson, when there would be potential for mayhem! For the single word game, if the emphasis is on spelling accuracy, the lists could simple be collected in for quick tick marking, though finding the pointless answers would be a pain! A time-saving and more useful approach would be to provide a printed list of correct words, swap written lists and have another pupil mark. Pointless answers would have to be identified as quickly as possible by the teacher walking around.
An easier to manage solution would be to have small groups who could simple self mark after their time is up.
Comments
Post a Comment