2. 2
INDEX
1. Educational Games (Introduction)
2. Content related Games
3. Ice Breakers
4. Energisers
5. Closure Activities
6. Movies and Interne Resources
7. Different Ways of Testing Students
8. 21 Ways to improve students
motivation
9. How to Keep your Student´s
attention
10. References
3. 3
1. Educational Games
EDUCATIONAL GAMES (short presentation)
„Games are a regular part of students' lives, no matter what their grade level. Students
play games throughout the day on their computers, the Internet, and their cell phones.
One of the few places they don't regularly play games is in their classrooms. Although
some teachers use games as a part of their instructional repertoire, most teachers do
not, and those who do include them may not be using them to their potential.” The Art
and Science of Teaching / Using Games to Enhance Student Achievement - Robert J.
Marzano Designing Games for Classroom Use
Teachers can adapt a variety of games for academic purposes. The games used in the
studies were all adaptations of popular game shows, such as Jeopardy, Family Feud,
the $100,000 Pyramid, and the like.
To illustrate, a social studies teacher might create Jeopardy questions that involve
categories of content such as Rights and Responsibilities, Culture, Economic Systems,
Current Events, Geography, and the Judicial System. Each category would include
items of increasing difficulty.
Getting the Most Out of Games
Even though the overall effect of using games in the classroom was strong in the
studies we conducted, not all studies demonstrated uniform resultsIn classrooms
showing the greatest gains, teachers did specific things. To get similar results, teachers
should
Use inconsequential competition. In general, students like to compete as long as the
stakes are not high. However, teachers must not factor game points into students'
grades for the unit. The points and rewards are simply for fun.
Target essential academic content. If games do not focus on academic content, they will
have little or no effect on student achievement and waste valuable classroom time. The
most efficient way to maintain an academic focus is to organize games around
important terms and phrases. For example, during a unit on dance moves, a dance
teacher might identify terms and phrases such as axial movement, line of gravity,
movement phrase, and nonlocomotor movement. Questions and answers
would involve information important to these terms and phrases.
Debrief the game. The most common error teachers make when using games is to add
up team points and move on. The whole point of playing academic games in the
classroom is to provide opportunities for students to examine important content in a
4. 4
lively and enjoyable venue. To stimulate analysis of important terms and phrases, a
teacher can ask students which questions were difficult to answer and why.
For example, suppose that during a game of Pictionary in a mathematics class, students
had difficulty drawing an image to represent the Fibonacci sequence. At the conclusion
of the game, the teacher would ask students about their difficulties with this item. The
discussion would serve as a brief review of the defining characteristics of a Fibonacci
sequence.
Have students revise their notes. One generalization that applies to learning all types of
content is that students must have opportunities to revise their understanding of the
content as time goes by. When a game has ended and the class has discussed difficult
terms and concepts related to the content, the teacher should give students time to
revise their notes. A teacher might ask students to look over what they have previously
written about this content in their notes and make any necessary changes. This might
involve correcting misconceptions or adding new information that the students were
unaware of.
Classrooms can address even the most difficult content in a lighthearted, engaging
way. Games are a powerful and useful tool to this end. Teacher-conducted research
indicates that games can have a significant effect on student achievement when
teachers use them purposefully and thoughtfully.
Therefore, why should we use games to teach?
“Students who work in cooperative groups with other students are more motivated
and successful, especially with regard to reasoning and critical thinking skills than
those that do not.
Students in mixed groups (different races, genders, learning styles) have a deeper
understanding and remember more than those in homogeneous groups.” ‘Cooperative
Student Activities as Learning Devices’ - Thomas Wenzel
Games are used in education because they:
engage the learner and make learning fun
reinforce learning while focusing on a single idea, skill or process
develop non-cognitive skills which are seen as fundamental as cognitive skills. And
those non-cognitive skills – that is, not what you know but how you behave – are far
better suited to a game context than to a traditional classroom
provide formative assessments to teachers. Like an exit ticket at the end of a lesson,
badges and achievements can serve as a check for understanding.
motivate students and help them pay attention
allow students to focus well enough to learn better. (Lepper and Cordova, 1992 have
5. 5
found that rewriting a lesson with a story context combined with a challenge for the
student to overcome (in other words, making it into a game) significantly improves the
learning performance of children.)
When to use games?
Games can be used at different points during a lesson for different purposes:
At the beginning to estimate existing knowledge or to focus learners on a particular
topic.
In the middle to check the learners comprehension (understanding) and to reinforce
learning
At the end to assess the learner’s ability to apply, analyze and synthesize the
information Educational games are useful tools because they use the basic principles of
REPETTION, REINFORCEMENT, ASSOCIATION and use of SENSES. „Making
learning fun: Using learning activities to reinforce key ideas”, Debra Davis, PhD
6. 6
2. Content related Games
Games that can be adapted to different teaching subjects
These games are only examples. They were intended to be
played and understood by anybody, regardless of their
specialty.
They have to be adjusted in order to fit your learning
objectives.
You can replace the topic of each of the following games (in
bold) with one that is related to your own teaching subject.
They can be used to introduce the new topic, re-inforce
knowledge or to revise.
7. 7
1.BattleShip
Objective
Be the first to sink all your 5 partner´s ships by asking
questions
Material
Pencil and paper
Description
Each player has a sheet with two grids labelled along the sides with the content you
are interested in practising with them. On the grid above the player secretly draws
rectangles representing their fleet of ships:
1 x Aircraft carrier - 5 squares
1 x Battleship - 4 squares
1 x Cruiser - 3 squares
2 x Destroyers - 2 squares each
2 x Submarines - 1 square each
Each ship occupies a number of adjacent squares on the grid, horizontally or vertically.
During play each player should record their opponent's shots on the grid above, and their
shots on the grid below as "X" for a hit and "O" for a miss.
The first player to lose all their ships loses the game.
Possible applications
- Alphabet and numbers
- Vocabulary
- Verb tenses
- Grammar points
8. 8
Battleships!!! (Present simple and present continuous)
My ships
Mr.
Johns
They My colleagues The
CEO
The
manager
Mr.
Smith
We Your
secretary
Your
clients
Work late
often
Have lunch
now
Do
paperwork
always
Travel abroad
usually
Write emails
at the
moment
Make phone
calls
Right now
Have
meetings
sometimes
Surf the Net
now
Go to trade
fairs
often
Work at the
weekend
usually
My ships
Mr.
Johns
Sarah
And
Tom
My colleagues The
CEO
The
manager
Mr.
Smith
We Your
secretary
Your
clients
Work late
often
Have lunch
now
Do
paperwork
always
Travel abroad
usually
Write emails
at the
moment
Make phone
calls
Right now
Have
meetings
sometimes
Surf the Net
now
Go to trade
fairs
often
Work at the
weekend
usually
9. 9
2. Alibi
Objective
To discover the criminal
Material
Pencil and paper
Description
1. Inform students that a terrible crime was committed the previous night and it´s
being investigated by the police. Some of the students are considered suspects
and have to be interviewed by the rest of the group. The time of the crime has
been stablished between 17:00 and 20:00 p.m.
2. Put students into pairs and tell them that they have a little time before the
interrogations begin. They should prepare and make sure they have a solid
alibi and their stories match. For example, what time did they arrive and leave?
What were they wearing? What did they eat and drink?
3. Select the first pair of suspects and ask one of them to leave the room for a few
minutes.
The remaining members of the class play the role of detectives and question
the remaining suspect. Go round the class and invite each student to ask one or
two questions, for example, What time did you meet? How did you get to the
restaurant? Etc.
Students should take notes in their notebooks to help them catch
inconsistencies in the suspects’ stories.
4. When the questioning has finished, bring the second suspect back into the
room and have the class now pose the same questions to the second suspect.
Students will be looking for inconsistencies and maybe setting traps to catch
out the suspected criminal. No communication is permitted between the two
suspects!
5. Repeat the process for each pair of students and at the end of the game ask the
class to play judge and jury. They vote on which pair of suspects are guilty of
the crime (have the most inconsistencies) .
10. 10
3. Run
0bjective
To get to the finish line
Material
None. It is and outdoor activity, but also posible indoors.
Description
Draw a start line and a finish line on the floor with a piece of chalk
At the start line, put the students standing in front of you and tell them you are going
to make a statement and if the statement applies to them, they have to run to the
finish line. For example: If you are wearing blue socks, run!, If you have long, black hair,
run! etc.
If they apply to the statement and don´t run, they are eliminated from the game, but
they may also make statements.
The students who have run to the finish line mut try to avoid others to get there by
blocking them.
If you want a quieter activity you can do it in an ordinary classroom and the students
have to stand up instead of running.
11. 11
4. Pass the Ball
0bjective
To talk about different topics
Material
A ball or soft toy
Power point presentation with a list of topics: personal information, favourite food,
favourite music, last weekend, next summer, advantages or disadvantages of
something etc.
Description
The class forms a circle and you give out a ball which they pass from one person to the
next. After a few seconds you shout “Start” and the class starts to count from one to
ten. The person who has the ball when they reach number 10 has to make a statement
about the topic.
12. 12
5. Who is he/she?
0bjective
To guess who people are
Material
Power point presentation with a number of photographs of celebrities, students in the
classroom, teachers in the school etc.
Description
Students work in pairs. They have to stand up . One of the students is facing the board
to see the photograph projected and the other one is opposite the first student unable
to see the board.
The student who is not facing the board has to guess who the person in the
photograph is by asking yes/no questions to his/her partner
13. 13
6. Things in Common
0bjective
To find things in common and things different with other
people
Material
None
Description
In groups of three, they have to find out what they all have in common, what they
have in common in pairs and what makes them unique in the group.
14. 14
7. My name
0bjective
To talk and listen about people´s names
Material
None.
Description
Students have to explain why they are called their names and their feelings about it.
When everybody has finished, the teacher will ask questions to see if everybody
remembers and understood the information.
15. 15
8. Famous Couples
0bjective
To find your partner by asking and answering questions
Material
Paper and pencil.
Description
Stick tags with names of famous people ( members of famous couples) on the backs of
the students. They need to ask yes/no questions to find out who he/she is. Then they
need to continue asking questions to find his/her partner. Ex. Adam and Eve, Bonnie
and Clyde etc.
16. 16
9. Shared Reading
0bjective
To read part of a text and collaborate with others
to get the whole information.
Material
Paper
Description
Students work in groups of three/four. Give each person in the group one part of a
text. They read it separately. Then they get together and have to answer some reading
comprehension questions all together.
17. 17
10. Betting
0bjective
To earn money by betting and answering questions
Material
List of questions.
Description
Divide the students in groups. You explain they have 100 euros to bet. They have to
decide how much they want to bet without knowing the question. Then, the teacher
reads out the question and the group has 30 seconds to decide on the answer. If the
answer is correct they get the money and if the answer is wrong they lose it.
Possible Applications
- To practise gramar points.
- To practise vocabulary
- To revise cultural aspects
18. 18
11. Ask an Expert
0bjective
To answer questions about a text by asking questions
to other students
Material
List of questions.
Copies of the text for the experts
Description
Divide a text in paragraphs and there will be experts for each paragraph. Only the
experts have the text. Divide the others in groups and they have to answer a
questionnaire about the text by asking questions to the experts.
Another possibility is the experts go to the different groups and give them the
information. The other students just listen and answer the questionnaire.
19. 19
12. The line questions
0bjective
To get to know each other better and develop listening
skills
Material
A line on the floor
Description
Draw a line on the floor. Students stand in front of the line facing a partner. The
teacher asks a questions and the person who answers positively steps forward on the
line and then back again for a new question. Ex. If yo have lived anywhere else, step
forward.
Possible Applications
This can be used to get people become familiar with each other but also to revise
different kinds of content.
20. 20
13. Baloons building
0bjective
To build sentences
To categorize words
Material
Baloons an marker
Description
Divide the class in two groups. Write different parts of speech on several baloons. Give
a baloon to each of your students. They will play with the baloons so that they don´t
touch the floor. When the teacher says Stop! They will catch one baloon and they have
to make sentences with the balloons they got.
Possible Applications
You can write vocabulary and they have to put the baloons in different boxes
depending on the cattegory the words belong to.
21. 21
14. The Alphabet Race
0bjective
To write down as many words as posible belonging to
a specific family
Material
A blackboard
Description
Divide the board in two parts and write down the letters of the alphabet in a line.
Then divide the students in two groups standing on a line. Explain they have to come
to the board one by one ( in the order they are standing on line) and write a word,
related to a specific family, beginning with each of the letters, in a limited period of
time. For example animals, parts of the body, food etc. The group that has the most
words is the winner.
22. 22
15. Guess the Person
0bjective
To describe/guess people
Material
Paper and a bag
Description
Students are asked to write three names of famous people/characters on three
different pieces of paper.(any domain, dead or alive.)
The names are mixed in a bag/hat.
They are divided into two groups and one by one (in turns) have to come pick
up a name and describe him/her to the group without saying the name. Time –
1 minute per person. If the group guess they have one point and can pick up
another one, if they don’t guess, then the group has minus one point and wait
for the next turn. Unanswered questions will be introduced back into the bag.
(It can also be used with different topics/teaching subjects)
23. 23
16. Find your half
0bjective
To develop speaking abilities or gramar/vocabulary
points
Material
Paper
Description
The teacher writes different statements/formula and separates them in halves
on different sticky papers. (post –it paper could work very well.)
Each half information (any subject related) is stuck on a student’s back.
Then they are required to find out the other half in order to complete the
statement/problem/formula by asking yes/no questions to the other students.
24. 24
17. Run, Read and Solve
0bjective
To develop Reading and speaking abilities
Material
Paper
Description
Students are divided into 4 or 5 groups.
They are given the handout with tasks. (Suitable for any subject.)
The teacher places the information necessary to fulfill the tasks at an equal
distance from all groups. (It can be in a corner, on teacher’s desk or on the
wall.)
One student from each group is ready to run and read the information needed
to answer the question.
The teacher will make the information for each question/problem disappear
after a short period of time. (According to students age – 30’ or more)
Each question should be solved in turns.
25. 25
18. Tic, Tac, Toe
0bjective
To develop Reading and speaking abilities
Material
Blackboard
Description
Tic tac toe
Students are given a task to solve. If they do it correctly they can fill in a square
in the tic tac toe game.
( In the provided example below, students should form correct questions
to the given answers.)
Green Prince
Charles
Boots
Summer Friends Mercury
365 Madrid To the
dentist
26. 26
19. Correct the Mistakes
0bjective
To check and correct mistakes
Material
Worksheet/ Powerpoint presentation
Description
The teacher prepares a piece of information on specific topic which is full of
mistakes. Some of them can be funny.
This is a possible example:
How to write a CV:
Create a CV which is full of mistakes: add an inappropriate, crazy photo ,
choose a childish email address, make plenty of spelling, grammar and register
wise mistakes, for references part choose a relative. Print it on a coloured
paper, if it scented, it is even more obvious.
Ask the students to identify the mistakes.
They will have a lot of fun and will easily remember it.
Bad CV.pdf
27. 27
20. Scavenger Hunt
0bjective
To find answers to some questions
Material
Worksheet/ Books/ Internet connection…
Description
Create questions, fill-in-the-blank exercises etc.
Then hide the answers (or just information from each they can extract the
answers) through the classroom.
Divide the students in small groups and ask them to search around the
classroom for them. They can also find out the answers in the textbooks,
encyclopedias, or online.
Other classrooms can be involved and have students go to visit there for clues.
(Outside route can be used, too, but it needs more preparations and attention.)
28. 28
21. Disappearing Cat
0bjective
To anwer questions in order to keep your cat safe and sound
Material
Blackboard
Description
Prepare a set of questions you intend to ask your students.
Divide the board with a vertical line and draw a simple cat in each section.
Tell the students that one cat is theirs- they can even name it – and one is
yours.
Ask the students the questions you have prepared. If their answer is wrong you
rub out a part of their cat. If their answer is correct you rub out a part of your
cat.
Finally, see whose cat disappears first. Yours or the students’.
29. 29
22. Disappearing Text
0bjective
To memorise a text
Material
Blackboard
Description
When you have written a text on the board and no longer need it, erase a small
part of it, not more than one line or two lines. Ask a student to read out the
text on the board to the rest of the class.
Then let them try to include the missing word from their memory.
Erase one or two more words.
Continues in this way until the whole text has been erased and remembered.
30. 30
23. Scanning
0bjective
To anwer questions by browsing their textbooks.
Material
Worksheet/ Powerpoint presentation
Description
Tell the students this is an exercise in quick scanning, a useful study skill.
Ask the students a question whose answer they have to find as quickly as
possible by browsing their books. When they find the answer they have to tell
the page and the place on the page.
Give the students a little time after the quickest student has finished in order to
give the others a chance, too. Then ask for the answers.
Can be repeated three or four times.
31. 31
24. A Day to Remember
0bjective
To answer questions about a listening.
Material
None
Description
Explain the students that you will read an extract and then you will ask
questions about the details mentioned. (The extract can be related to your
lesson.)
They have to listen carefully so as to recall the information. They can perform
the task individually or in groups.
Text Example:
“Saturday started well. The sun was shinning when I got up at 8 o’clock. I had
a quick shower and got dressed, then made eggs and bacon for my breakfast. I
had to meet two friends Joe and Sam at 9 o’clock outside Burger King. We were
going to look around the shops together. Joe bought a new sweatshirt and
some Nike trainers. We spent a long time looking at games and I bought a SF
game that looked really exciting. Samuel spent ages going in every clothes
shop. He was looking for a new jacket but he couldn’t find anything that he
liked. We went into McDonalds where Joe and I had cheeseburgers and chips,
but Sam had a veggie burger.”
Questions:
1. What day was it?
2. What was the weather like?
3. What time did the writer get up?
4. What did he have for breakfast?
5. Where did the three friends meet?
6. What make of trainers did Joe buy?
7. Who had a different burger at McDonalds?
32. 32
25. Making Sense
0bjective
To anwer questions by reading a text without spaces
Material
Worksheet/ Powerpoint presentation
Description
Students have to analyse a piece of text in which all the spaces between words
have been removed.
The teacher gives each student the text and ask them to answer the question
beneath the texts. It can be more entertaining if the teacher sets time for
accomplishing the task.
Examples :
Theoldmanlikedeatinggreenapplesfromhisowngardenwhiledrinkingacupofteain
theafternoon.
What colour is the food he liked to eat?
Thefilmwasanactionpackedblockbusterandthemaincharacterwasanundercoverc
op.
What was the profession of the hero?
TheplanewasabouttolandIlookedoutofthewindowandsawtheseabelowThetinyb
oatswereshininginthesuncreatinganextremelybeautifullandscape.
What was there on the water?
33. 33
26. Taboo
0bjective
To guess words.
Material
Cards
Description
Taboo is a board game from years back.
The objective of the game is for a player to have their partners guess the word
on his/her card without using the word itself or the five additional words listed
on the card. (the forbidden words.) The card should be hidden from their team
but visible to at least one of her opponents.
It could be more interesting if students help creating these cards. This will
engage their critical thinking skills about the content.
34. 34
27. Boxes
0bjective
To get points by answering questions
Material
Cards and boxes
Description
This is a team review game where groups are asked questions. If they get it
right, they may choose a “box” to open for points.
Here’s a suggestion for dividing up the points in the boxes:
three boxes with 50 points each
four boxes with 25 points each
four boxes with 20 points each
four boxes with 15 points each
four boxes with 10 points each
four boxes with 5 points each
five boxes with 0 points each
Students work in teams to answer questions. If they answer correctly, they get
to choose a box to open. The great thing about this game is anyone can win.
35. 35
28. Dice and Words
0bjective
To answer questions using a limited number of words
Material
Dice
Description
This is an activity for students to collaborate over answers to large essential
questions.
The teacher starts with a challenging question. Then each group rolls four dice
together. The groups now discuss and try to answer the question by using the
exact amount of words as the sum of their dice. This gives groups a range of
four to twenty-four words. Give students a few minutes to discuss and
formulate an answer. Then each group shares their response. Students love to
hear what each group did with their words, especially when one group only had
seven while another had nineteen, for example.
36. 36
29. Optimists and Pessimists
0bjective
To react to a given sentence
Material
Paper/ Powerpoint presentation
Description
Divide your class into 2 teams: Optimists & Pessimists.
Then students are given a sentence and each has to write a reaction to it
beginning either with “Fortunately…” (for the optimists) or “Unfortunately…”
(for the pessimists).
It is very useful to revise grammar tenses.
http://www.premieresl.com/#!new-rat-discovered-in-indonesia/cqo8 - a
lesson plan including this game
37. 37
30. The word game
0bjective
To guess the hidden word
Material
Blackboard
Description
The class is divided into two or three equal groups.
One player from the first group comes to the front of the class and sit facing
his/her team with his/her back to the board.
The teacher writes a word on the board which is related to the previous lesson.
The team can give the player hints about the word, but they must not say any
part of the word that is written on the board.
The player/team gets a point if he/she can guess the word within one minute
(longer or shorter depending on the class level).
38. 38
31. The Relay game
0bjective
To solve some questions in groups
Material
Worksheet
Description
The class is divided into groups of 4 or 5 and their desks / seats should be lined
up.
The first person in each row receives a handout with 10 sentences/exercises.
Each first student must solve one exercise and then pass the paper back to the
next person.
The second person must do the second sentence/exercise, but he / she can also
check the first person’s work for errors before passing the paper back to the
third person.
The first team to finish is the winner (if the answers are correct.)
39. 39
32. Picture Description
0bjective
To complete a picture by listening to a description
Material
Worksheet
Description
Divide the class into pairs.
Give each person a picture. The pictures in the pair should be nearly the same
with two or three elements missing from each picture. Without showing each
other the pictures they should describe the missing objects. They will practice
colour, prepositions of place, and adjectives such as big, small etc. Then they
can compare their pictures.
The first team to finish is the winner (if the answers are correct.)
40. 40
33. Questions and Answers
0bjective
To find/ give answers to questions
Material
Worksheet
Description
Divide the classroom into two equal groups.
Give one group only questions related to the topic and the other groups the
answers to the questions.
Students must go around the room and find out who their partner is.
The questions/answers sets shouldn’t be too easy, ohterwise the activity will end very
soon
41. 41
34. Debating Pairs
0bjective
To debate about different topis
Material
Worksheet
Description
Tables are not needed. Students sit on chairs facing each other in one long row
down the length of the classroom. Two articles that offer opposing views on
the topic to be reinforced are given to each pair. The students are given 5
minutes to read the article and prepare for their ‘case’.
Then they have 2 minutes to debate ‘furiously’ with the person sitting opposite
them. Once done, one row of students moves clock-wise and start the debate
again.
Each repetition will strenghten their understanding of the topic and develop
their point of view.
(Suitable for older students)
42. 42
35. Drawing
0bjective
To follow instructions to draw a picture
Material
Worksheet / Powerpoint presentation
Description
This game can be done in pairs.
One student is facing the blackboard and is not allowed to see the picture.
The other student gives instructions to him/her but without actually telling the
names of the shapes.
They are not allowed to discuss with each other.
Another variant is to have only one student at the front who gives instructions
to the entire class.
At the end all students show their drawings. The level of similarity to the
original shape shows how accurate the instructions were.
It promotes collaboration, trust, practicing instructions.
43. 43
4. ICE BREAKERS
These games help to 'break the ice' when a course starts and clears the way for
learning to occur by making the learners more comfortable and form as a group
in a non-threatening and fun way.
Ice breaker games are an effective way of starting a new school year when
students do not know each other. But they can also be used if a group of
people know each other well but feel embarrassed because they have to tackle
a difficult or new subject together.
They are fun and bring laughter to the process, get the attention and involve
people quickly, break down barriers that exist between people and help them
to get to know one another quickly
They mainly used to promote: Communication skills, Interpersonal
Skills, Problem Solving, Teamwork
44. 44
HOT BALL
Everybody stays in a circle and who catches the ‘hot’ ball has to quickly
introduce him/herself:name, country, preferences and then throw the ball
to somebody else so as to avoid ‘burning’.
NAME AND GESTURE
Everybody tells his/her name accompanied by a gesture.
The rest of the group repeats the name and copies the body gesture
Then people have to remember the name behind the gesture.
FIND YOUR PLACE
People stay in a circle and move to the right or left after a person has been
blindfolded.
This person has to find his/her place in the circle with the help of the
others.
He/she has to explain how they felt. (Trust building game.)
TWO CIRCLES FACING EACH OTHER
Ten cards are given to write on them:
Name, race, ocupation, family, trait (the most important), favourite
activity, health, socio-economic, home town, religion.
They discuss each aspect by moving one person to the right, facing a
different person each time. After discussing they have to rip up one of the
cards. Imagining living without that value. In the end they remain with what
is most important for them.
FIND THE PERSON WHO….
o Who has got the same birth month as you
o Who has got the same passion with you
o Who has the same favorite color as yours
o Who is the same height as you
o Who has the same favorite writer as yours
o Who likes eating the same food
o Who plays the same games
45. 45
BALOON GAME
Blow a ballon and write your name on it.
Throw them in the air and play with them for a few minutes. (Music on the
background.)
No ballon should touch the ground.When the music stops everybody should
catch a ballon and give it to the owner.
NAMES GAMES
o Every person has to say the story of his/her name
o Every person has to find an adjective that starts with the same
letter as their name
o They have to arrange in alphabetical order without speaking
SOMETHING UNUSUAL ABOUT YOURSELF
Each person has to write something less probable about him/herself and
hand it in to the facilitator.
Then a list will be made with all the information.
People have 5 minutes to interview the others in order to find out who is
who. They are not allowed to ask the question directly.
BRAIN TEASERS
These are brain teasers and are to be used to stretch the minds of our
students. It is very much like a 20 questions game. This activity helps to
make connections between things that have not been connected in their
brains before. This is a great logical thinking activity, while the children get
to be creative in their answers. They can be used during classes, when you
feel the students need a ‘break’ from their regular tasks. (See PPT)
46. 46
5. ENERGISERS
Energisers - (should be applied when energy levels are very low and
student’s attention is fading)
They:
raise energy and enthusiasm by gaining back student’s attention and interest.
stimulate the participants either physically or mentally or at best both together.
involve everyone
encourage trust and cooperation within the group
encourage students to reveal themselves
make them feel a little bit challenged, but not uncomfortable
start conversations and interactions
increase respect and liking of other group members
fight boredom and tiredness
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WALK AND STOP
o Do what I say: walk/stop
o Do the opposite of what I say: walk/stop
o 2+ do what I say: clap/dance
o Do the opposite of all of them
ALLIGATORS
As many members as possible stand on a bench, board, or in a marked area
(small and narrow).
They are told they are in a lifeboat and there are alligators in the water. If
any of them fall in, the alligators will know they are there and they will all
die. Their job: line themselves up in order of height, by birth dates, etc. To
make the game more difficult, use blindfolds.
LIFE RAFT
Get your entire team standing on a single piece of A4 paper. No team
member may touch the ground.
THE CENTIPEDE
Have the team stand in a line, one behind the other. Connect the feet
(using ropes or whatever other method) of the entire team, so that all
the team's right feet are connected, and all the left feet are connected.
Present a performance about a centipede who has to go through an
obstacle course.
STABILITY
Introduce your team while balancing on one leg. You must further show
how good and stable all of you are by showing how well your team can
balance in a complicated situation.
BLIND PERFORMER
Blindfold one team member and have the other team members verbally
direct him to complete some tasks: building something, walking on a
route in the class, designed with chairs, recognise the people around by
their voices etc.
ALL WRAPPED UP
Get two people to wrap a present. Each of them should have one arm
behind their back.
48. 48
ICE- CREAM CONES
Pretend you and your teammates are ice cream cones at a football
game stand. It is very cold and customers aren't interested in buying
you. Creatively market yourself to customers. You have 1 minute to plan
and 1 minute to make your sales pitch.
THE PHONE
Give the team a phone book and say "You have 5 minutes, your time
begins now". See what the team does with the phonebook. Don't say
anything else to the team throughout the entire challenge!
THE BRIDGE
Build a bridge that is at least 12" long, touches ground at beginning and
end only, made of straws and paperclips only.
ONE MINUTE
People sit on their chairs in circle. In silence they stand up and wait with
their eyes closed for 60 seconds (or more- depends on the facilitator)
and when they think the time is up they have to sit down.
Is time relative?
THE RACE
People form pairs and stay with their back at each other and a balloon
betwen them. They have to run from one side of the room to the other
without loosing the balloon.
BALLOONS AND PENS
Give each person one balloon and one pen then ask participants to blow
their balloons. Once all balloons are inflated and everyone is ready say
the following " You have 1 minute after I say go. After the minute is over
the person who still has his/her balloon intact above his/her head is the
winner of this game . - Go!"
For this activity to work , the trainer must not tell the group to actually
use the pens and pinch each others´ balloons.
THE HUMAN KNOT
Everyone will stand in a circle, reach into the middle of the circle with
both hands, and join hands with two other people. Their job will be to
untangle the resulting ‘rope’ without letting go, and form a circle again.
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GEOMETRICAL SHAPE
Up to nine participants can play the game. A good-sized room with all
floor obstacles removed is needed. Participants are first asked to be
blindfolded; if someone refuses, he or she can assume an “observer”
role in the game. Then a long nylon rope is tied end-to-end to make a
continuous circle. Blindfolded participants are led to the rope and asked
to grab it. The trainer then instructs the group to form a triangle with
the nylon rope, or some other simple geometric figure. It’s important
that the trainer provide no other instructions. The group must then
move together.
TRUE CONFESSION TOOTHPICKS
Start by giving each participant 10 toothpicks or other counters. Then
ask the first participant to talk about something they have never done,
for example, “I’ve never jaywalked.” After the statement, anyone in the
group who has jaywalked has to forfeit a toothpick to the kitty. Then the
next person shares one thing he or she has never done, and again
anyone who has done it loses a toothpick. The disclosures continue
around the room until someone has lost all 10 toothpicks.
BODY PARTS
Materials Required:
Cards with the name of a body part written on them, prepared in
advance by the trainer.
Give each individual a card indicating what part of the body they
represent: right leg, left leg, right arm, eyes, nose etc. Then without
speaking, they have to find enough people to form a complete body.
KILLER WINK
Before the game starts, ask someone to be the ‘the killer’ and ask them
to keep their identity a secret. Explain that one person among the group
is the killer and they can kill people by winking at them. Everyone then
walks around the room in different directions, keeping eye contact with
everyone they pass. If the killer winks at you, you have to play dead.
Everyone has to try and guess who the killer is.
50. 50
PAPER AND STRAWS
Participants split into teams. Each team forms a line and places a piece of card
at the beginning of their line. Each member of the team has a drinking straw or
reed. When the game starts, the first person has to pick up the piece of card by
sucking on the straw. The card then has to be passed to the next team member
using the same method. If the card drops, it goes back to the first person and
the whole sequence has to start again.
LINE OF PREFERENCES
Choose a subject (any subject) with a couple of alternative options. Draw an
imaginary line down the middle of the room and state that all the people who
prefer, say fish and chips, move to the left of the line and those that prefer, say
curry, move to the right of the line. The more they like it, the further to the end
of respective half of the room they should go. If they have no preference, or
like them both equally they should hover around the middle line. You can
repeat this exercise as many times as you like either using flippant topics
(beer/wine, reading a book/watching TV, dogs/cats) or perhaps by starting to
test the water with some of the issues under discussion (email/phone,
travelling to work by bus/car etc). Once arranged in order of preference again
the group can be subdivided as required ready for the next exercise.
HAGOO
Divide into 2 teams and form 2 lines. Have people stand shoulder to
shoulder, facing a person on the other team. Stand a yard apart. One
person from each team will volunteer to walk past each person in the
row of the opposite team. The people on the team try to make the
volunteer from the other team smile as she or he walks by. No touching
is allowed. If the volunteer cracks up, she or he must join the opposite
team. If she or he makes it to the end straight-faced, she or he goes
back to the original team
APPRECIATION PAPERS
Give everyone a piece of paper, piece of tape, and a pen or marker. Have them
tape the piece of paper to their back. Tell everyone to walk around the room
and find 5 (or more/less depending on size of your group) people’s backs to
write on. They should write something they appreciate about the person whose
paper they are writing on. After everyone is finished, tell participants to
take the paper off their back and read!
51. 51
BALOON GAMES
o A balloon is held between the feet and passed to the next player
without the balloon touching the floor.
o A relay race is made with a balloon being passed between players legs.
o A balloon is passed through the row using 2 forks.
o A balloon is brought to the opponents goal using a cooking spoon or
spoons.
o A player must keep the balloon in the air by tapping it with his fingers
(holding the balloon not allowed) while taking off his pullover. When
done, the next player gets the balloon and does the same.
o Which team can make a balloon float in the air the longest by only
blowing air with their mouths to keep the balloon floating?
o Tie a thread about 30cm long around a balloon and then tie it around
the players ankle. All players must try to stomp on and break the other
players balloons. A player whose balloon breaks is out. Teams can also
be made using the same color balloon for each team.
o Two players run holding a towel on which a balloon is placed. The towel
must be held taught so that the balloon stays on top and is not caught in
the towel like a net. Variation: the balloon must be tossed from one
towel and caught by the next towel, etc.
o 2 players make up one team. A balloon is held between their foreheads.
Either potatoes, painted stones or other items are strewn on the ground
over the playing field or racing track. Each team must collect the items
as fast as possible, of course without letting the balloon fall on the
ground
o People must rush to the center of the circle when the music stops and
grab a balloon. Because there is one balloon less than the amount of
players, the player who doesn’t get a balloon is out.
o Each member on the team gets a balloon which is placed back to belly
between the teams players. At the signal the entire team must run
together so that no balloons fall onto the floor. Using hands to hold the
balloons is not allowed. For each balloon that passes the goal, 1 point is
given.
o This game is played with 2 players who have the balloon between them
either back to belly, back to back or belly to belly. They must run
through a specified relay course.
o Balloons are blown up from each member of the team and tied with a
knot. All of the balloons are rubbed on the clothing or hair and is stuck
to the wall/piece of cloth. How many balloons can each team hang up?
52. 52
o Different pieces of paper with tasks on them are stuck inside different
balloons. The balloons are blown up and spread out throughout the
room. Each member of the group catches a balloon, sits on it and
performs the task inside it.
o The task is for 3-4 players to try and encourage their own balloon (with
the help of a spoon) into a basket (tub or bucket) for the other players.
During the game, all players are allowed to hinder their opponents by
using their spoon to hit the balloon away from the basket.
SPIDER WEB
Have everyone make a circle. One person starts with the end of a ball of yarn
and says something he or she learned from the training (or whatever you are
doing), learned about themselves, etc.
They then pass the ball to someone else (other than the person next to them),
while holding their end: Proceed until everyone has had a chance to speak and
a spider web is formed! The web symbolizes unity and how everyone is
connected.
NEWSPAPER TENTS
Supply newspaper and masking tape. Have teams build tent cut of
newspaper- large enough so that one person could sleep inside (10-15
minutes per group often).
BLANKET GAME
Once you have played one of the name games above, you could also
play this competitive name game. Divide the group into two groups of
roughly equal size. Have them sit on either side of the room and then,
along with your a co-facilitator or a helpful participant if you are solo-
facilitating, hold up a blanket across the middle of the room. Ask
participants whether they can see each other. If they can, get the
groups to clump together more closely. Now, explain that the groups
will need to silently agree on a person to represent their team, who will
then position themselves at the front of their group. On the count of
three, the facilitators will drop the blanket and the selected
representatives will call out the others name. Whoever is fastest, and
gets the name correct, gets a point for their team. Repeat, with
different people representing their team each time. Each of the
facilitators/blanket holders will keep score for one team. This exercise
can be done with people standing behind the blanket or with chairs on
each side.
53. 53
PAPER TEARING
o Ask the students pick up an A4 sheet of paper and hold it in front of
them. They can keep they eyes close and listen carefully or simply listen
with attention. They are not supposed to pay attention to the others.
They have to follow the instructions but they cannot ask questions.
o “Fold your paper in half.
o Tear off the upper left hand corner.
o Rotate it and fold it in half again.
o Tear off the lower right hand corner....”
o The instructions may continue as long as the teacher wants. In the end
all the sutdents compare the shapes of their sheets of paper.
o (It is a good way to start talking about communication and different
perception of the same thing.)
o SPELLING IS NOT IMPORTANT
Olny srmat poelpe can raed tihs. I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty
uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid,
aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy,
it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt
tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl
mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm.
Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey
lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? yaeh and I awlyas
tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! if you can raed tihs psas it on !!
HOW OTHERS SEE ME – good to boost confidence, build teams and
identify strengths
Everyone gets a blank piece of paper taped on their back.
Ask students to move around and write on other’s paper the first impression or
qualities they value most about that person. (They have to be only POSITIVE
features.)
Allow up to 10 minutes, depending on the number of students.
Afterwards everybody reviews their on paper and finds out what they learnt
about themselves. (People can reflect on what they think is missing from the
list, or if there are any surprises for them.)
(It can also be used to revise some specific knowledge during a class. The paper
may not be taped on their back, in this case, but kept on their desks.)
54. 54
UNUSUAL FACT
o Ask everybody to write down (preferably in capital letters) something
unusual or that no one would guess about them. (E.g. – being a
mushrooms expert, collecting napkins etc.)
o Then read out and ask the group to discuss and guess who the fact
belongs to.
o The ‘owner’ of the unusual fact has to make people believe he is not
that person.
o Finally everybody has to decide and give the paper to the appropriate
person.
o The group ‘wins’ for every fact that they correctly assigned while the
individuals ‘win’ if they avoided being given the correct fact.
o (There could be a good discussion on the contradictory behaviour:
working with the group to find out the truth about the other people and
working against the group to hide the truth about themselves.)
TOILET PAPER
Pass around a roll of toilet paper and tell the students to take as much
as they think they’d need for a day trip in the wilderness.
For every square of the paper they took, they need to tell something
about themselves to the group.
55. 55
6. CLOSURE ACTIVITIES
Teachers use these activities to:
Check for understanding and inform subsequent instruction
Emphasize key information
Tie up loose ends
Correct misunderstandings
56. 56
REFLECTING ON THE DAY
To help people to reflect on the activities of the day, make a ball out of paper and ask
the group to throw the ball to each other in turn. When they have the ball, each
student has to think of one thing they have learnt during the lesson. It could be a piece
of vocabulary, some factual information or even an attitude. This activity should be
kept relatively easy without too much pressure on getting it right. The important thing
is that they are thinking about the lesson.
QUEUE TO GO OUT
People line up to go out at the end of the activity. Each of them is given a short and
easy question. If they know the answer they can leave, if not they go at the back of the
queue and wait for another turn.
Examples:
1. What is the biggest planet in our solar system?
2. What is the chemical symbol for the element - oxygen?
3. What famous scientist was awarded the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics for his
work on theoretical physics?
4. True or false? Dogs are herbivores.
5. How many bones do sharks have in their bodies?
6. What is the name of the long appendage that hangs from an elephants face?
7. True or false? DNA is the shortened form of the term ‘Deoxyribonucleic
acid’?
8. The highest mountain on earth is?
9. What is the name of the closest star to the earth?
10. True or false? Frogs are cold blooded animals.
11. What is the name of the element with the chemical symbol ‘He’?
12. The fear of what animal is known as ‘arachnophobia’?
13. Pure water has a pH level of around?
14. The molten rock that comes from a volcano after it has erupted is known as
what?
15. True or false? Yogurt is produced by bacterial fermentation of milk.
57. 57
16. What is the name of the part of the human skeleton which protects our
brain?
17. Is the compound ‘HCl’ an acid or base?
18. True or false? The fastest land animal in the world is the zebra.
YES/NO LIST
Write a list of 20 facts that you have already taught them and quickly ask them to
answer yes or no. Check their answers at the end.
SNOWSTORM
Students write down what they learned on a piece of scratch paper and form a ball.
Given a signal, they throw their paper snowballs in the air. Then each learner picks up
a nearby response and reads it aloud.
LOW STAKES QUIZZES
Give a short quiz using technologies like Hahoot, Socrative, BubbleSheet. Alternatively,
have students write down three quiz questions (to ask at the beginning of the next
class).
SO WHAT?
Kids answer the following prompts:
What takeaways from the lesson will be important to know
three years from now?
Why?
58. 58
7.MOVIES AND INTERNET RESOURCES
Movies which are connected to school:
Dead Poets Society
The Emperor’s Club
Dangerous Minds
Good Will Hunting
Scent of a Woman
Freedom Writers
The Wave
The Breakfast Club
Like Stars on Earth
To Sir with Love
Stand and Deliver
The Class – 2008, French
The story of Ron Clark
Pay it forward
Movies that can be used for different themes:
The Terminal
Lost in Translation
Super Size Me
Le Prenom
The Imitation Game
Disconnect – life in the Internet Era
Happy Feet – wind scene
Short Video clips:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uqZiIO0YI7Y – did you
know
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7pYHN9iC9I – safe
internet
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yR0lWICH3rY – English
59. 59
importance
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1TnzCiUSI0- the Italian
man who went to Malta
http://www.englishexercises.org/makeagame/viewgame.asp?i
d=2444) – environment
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cNfX3tJonw&list=PL
vzOwE5lWqhQWsPsW5PQQ5gj5OBewwgUw&index=8 –
generous store
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ydeyl0vXdP0 – about
failures
Documentaries:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xrhiza_bbc-the-human-
body-1of7-lifestory_creation - BBC documentary on life
(unfortunately cannot be found on BBc site any longer.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_S_4Ji7DdT0 – seven
wonders of the ancient world
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftw4xBgv9gI – seven
wonders of the world
http://www.dailymotion.com/ - a site with all kinds of movies –
documentaries included – but you have to search the title of
the movie you want to watch
Sites which deal with educational Films:
http://busyteacher.org/9784-how-to-incorporate-movies-
classroomengage.html - a list of movies
http://www.imdb.com/list/ls051542065/ - education movies
http://www.imdb.com/games/guess/list:ls051542065?ref_=li –
quiz on education movies
http://bestonlineuniversities.com/2011/25-best-movies-about-
educationever-made/
http://www.math.harvard.edu/~knill/mathmovies/ -movies in
Mathematics
60. 60
http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/ - documentaries
Youtube – Muffin Stories:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRKPNyZsSW0 – Marie
Curie –
example with reading comprehension
http://www.watchknowlearn.org/ - free educational videos
http://www.edudemic.com/best-video-sites-for-teachers/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vr3x_RRJdd4 – the power
of human gesture – free hugs campaign
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3vDWWy4CMhE –
Historical speeches: ‘I have a Dream’ – 1963 – Martin Luther
King
Online Gamification:
Classcraft - is a free, online educational role-playing game
that teachers can personalize for their lessons. It includes
progress monitoring and reporting for teachers, making
the gamification process much simpler tan going out on
your own.
Duolingo - the language learning game
Goalbook - which helps students with IEPs track their
progress toward goals
Kahoot - a game-based questions and answer platform.
Socrative – a free student response system which allows you
to collect answers from your students using the web.
Zaption - is a web app for teachers, trainers, and content
publishers to use video as an interactive experience.
ChatterPix and ChatterPixKids - are simple and useful apps.
Both allow students to take a picture or use an image saved to
the camera. With a swipe of their finger, students can draw a
mouth on any image. There is one button to press to record,
61. 61
and the mouth then animates with the recording.
YakIt and YakItKids - have a few more features than the
previous apps which make them slightly more complicated to
use but add more to the final product.
OER – Open Educational Resources
http://www.edudemic.com/guide-open-educational-resources/
http://www.ck12.org/ - mainly for science teachers
National Geographic documentaries – extremely useful and
professionally done – found on YouTube
http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/do-or-die/ -
www.freerice.com – quizzes on different subjects. It is used to
combat hunger. For each correct answer, the sponsors donate
10 grains of rice to the United Nations World Food Program
www.learners.org – the site contains over 2000 videos about
learning and teaching organised by subject
www.bbc.co.uk/learning -
https://educatorpages.com/ - this website allows teachers
build their own free website with unlimited number of pages
http://edibleschoolyard.org/ - offers lessons on different
subjects
http://www.sitesforteachers.com/index.html - a site with
sites for teachers
Internet resources for different subjects:
http://world-geography-games.com/
http://gamestolearnenglish.com/concentration/
http://www.eslkidsworld.com/Interactive%20games/count
ries%20and%20n
ationalities%20quiz.html – elementary level
http://www.eslgamesplus.com/countries-capitals-english-
62. 62
vocabulary-quizshow-jeopardy-game/ - geography
http://www.eslgamesplus.com/esl-countries-vocabulary-game-
2-wheel-offortune-countries-game/
http://www.rif.org/kids/readingplanet/gamestation/6931.htm
- energizer
http://www.eslgamesplus.com/jobs-places-vocabulary-esl-
interactiveboard-game/
http://www.teachhub.com/online-learning-games-students-
love
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQrlgH97v94 –
geography – song
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHAqT4hXnMw – solar
system – song
http://www.aplusmath.com/Games/HiddenPicture/HiddenPict
ure.php -
mathematics - elementary
http://www.mathplayground.com/ - maths elementary
http://busyteacher.org/18234-how-to-reinforce-vocabulary-7-
greatamerican.html
http://www.bozemanscience.com/ - for teachers of science
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pD68uxRLkM – biology
http://www.learninggamesforkids.com/science_experiments.h
tml
http://www.science4us.com/demo
http://www.science4us.com/elementary-physical-
science/energy/energysources/
http://www.learninggamesforkids.com/science_songs.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8GeA3anPdo
http://mrnussbaum.com/
http://mrnussbaum.com/shapes/ - math – shape game
http://www.thekidzpage.com/learninggames/online_games/m
usicmatch/Mu
sicMatch-Game.html
63. 63
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ki8UXSJmrJE – Geography
- maps
http://www.bbc.co.uk/education/subjects/zxyb4wx - for
Physics
Online Tools for teachers:
www.wordle.net – to create word clouds
https://animoto.com/education/classroom - to create short
videos with
photos that you upload (for teachers there is the possibility to
get a free
account)
https://www.mangahigh.com/en/ - complex math games
https://ro.pinterest.com/ - for visual resources
www.ning.com – social platform that allow people to create
networks
https://prezi.com/ - online presentations
http://www.voki.com/ - to create speaking avatars
https://www.glogster.com – to create multi-media posters
http://www.slideshare.net/ - PowerPoint Presentations
http://www.worldofteaching.com/ - contains a variety of
presentations (Biology, Chemistry, Math, English, History,
Physics, Geography, Spanish.)
https://www.tikatok.com/ - for children to write online books
(there is a small fee per year)
http://www.tuxpaint.org/ - free drawing programme for
children (3 to 12 years old)
http://www.cellsalive.com/ - microbiology information, with
images and videos.
http://www.aplusmath.com/Flashcards/FlashcardCreator.html
- easy to create online Math cards https://quizlet.com/ - online
learning tool. You can make your own
64. 64
cards/quizzes/questionnaires, or choose from millions of flash
cards sets created by others
http://www.schooltube.com/ - videos from teachers and
students.
Educational content only.
https://www.teachertube.com/ - videos by and for teachers
https://www.surveymonkey.com – to create online surveys
https://filminaction.net/film-links/ - sites reccomended by the
author of the book ‚Film in Action’ – Kieran Donaghy (lesson
plans, movies, short videos, viral videos etc.)
65. 65
8. DIFFERENT WAYS OF TESTING
STUDENTS
Instead of tests, why not let our students show what they learned
creatively?
Whether they are reading independent books or we have just
finished a unit, an alternative project can really cement their
learning. Here are some creative ideas to use with our students to
have them show what they know:
Create a poster
Make a PowerPoint presentation
Use a 3-panel display board
Make a timeline
Create a board game incorporating key elements.
Write a poem
Write and perform a skit
Make a TV or radio commercial
Make a collage
Make a word search
Make a crossword puzzle
Write a report
Write an interview of a relevant person
Create questions and an answer key
Write journal/diary entries
Write a postcard or letter exchange
Create a scrapbook
Create a photo album
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Make an instructional video
Give a presentation
Create an interactive notebook
Create a set of task cards
Make a pamphlet or brochure
Write a newspaper article
Hold a debate
Hold a mock court case
Create an episode of a reality show
Create a game show
Have a panel discussion of “experts”
Interactive Teaching – Oslo, July, 2016
Compose a rap or other song
Use a Venn diagram to compare two aspects of the topic
Design a comic strip about the topic
Create a children’s story about the topic
Create a map
Write a fable or myth about the topic
Create a help wanted add and a letter/resume to answer it
Write a text message dialogue relevant to the topic
Write a series of tweets relevant to the topic
Create a Facebook wall relative to the topic
Create a Pinterest board relative to the topic
Start a blog
Decorate a box and fill it with relevant objects
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Create a foldable
Create a flip book
Assemble a time capsule
Create several bookmarks about different aspects of the topic
Write a recipe relevant to the topic
Do a newscast
Write an acrostic poem
Create an Internet scavenger hunt
Write an advice column with several problems related to the
topic
Create flash cards or trivia cards
Make a short documentary film
Create a museum exhibit
Create a top 10 list relevant to the topic
Create a video game
Create a mini book with one fact/idea per page
Create a glossary of relevant terms
Make a paper chain with a different fact for each link
Make a flower with a different fact for each petal
Write a handbook or instruction book
Create a newsletter
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9. 21 WAYS TO IMPROVE STUDENTS
MOTIVATION
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1. Define the objectives.
At the beginning of the year, lay out clear objectives, rules, and expectations
of students
2. Create a threat-free environment.
Help students understand that there are consequences to their actions
without threatening them. Use positive reinforcements. Create a safe,
supportive environment. Focus on can, not can’t.
3. Change your scenery.
Take field trips. Bring in speakers. Redecorate the classroom. Go to the
school library for some research
4. Offer varied experiences
Mix up your lessons to keep all the students focused.
Use hands-on experiences, workshops, moments for individual study.
5. Use positive competition, through group games (content-related games,
energizers).
6. Offer rewards …but only when correct or desired responses occurred.
Consider the personalities and needs of your students to determine
appropriate rewards for your class (watching movies, stickers on a paper…)
7. Give students responsibility.
8. Allow students to work together. Students can motivate each other to
reach a goal. Make sure that all groups are balanced and fair.
9. Give praise when earned.
Encouragement is a great form of motivation. Reward success publicly, give
praise for a job well done, share exemplary work.
10. Encourage self-reflection.
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Get your students to take a hard look at themselves and determine their
strengths and weaknesses. It is more motivating to have moments of self-
reflection than having someone to criticize you.
11. Be excited
Share your enthusiasm. Show the students that you love what you’re doing
12. Know your students
Show a genuine interest in your students. Make the students feel that you
care about them and their success.
13. Give students a sense of control,
without affecting the guidance from a teacher. E.g.: allowing students
to choose the type of assignment they do.
14. Harness students interests
Knowing your students can help you use their interests to make things more
interesting and relatable to students.
15. Help students find intrinsic motivation …whether they find material
interesting, want to go to college, love to learn
16. Manage student anxiety
Offer support no matter what the end result is.
Ensure that students don’t feel so overwhelmed by expectation that they
give up.
17. Make goals high, but attainable
Don’t be afraid to push students to get more out of them.
Students like to be challenged to achieve high expectations as long as they
believe the goals are within their reach.
18. Give feedback and offer chances to improve
Help students to learn exactly where they went wrong and how they can
improve next time
19. Track progress
Find a way to allow students to see visually how much they are learning and
improving as the year goes on.
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20. Make things fun
Add fun activities into your school day.
21. Provide opportunities for success.
Make sure that all students get the recognition of their work and that they feel
included and valued.
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10- HOW TO KEEP YOUR STUDENT´S ATTENTION
Pinterest, Rachel Lynette, “No bored students; 20 Ways to keep your
students attention”
Interactive Teaching – Oslo, July, 2016
As the end of the year approaches, it can be more and more
challenging to keep you students‟ attention. „Brain Breaks’ are
important, but there are plenty of things you can do within a lesson to
keep kids from day dreaming…or worse yet, nodding off. Here are some
ideas:
1. Desk Switch: Students have ten seconds (count down from ten) to
find another desk to sit in that is in a different part of the room than
his or her normal desk. Students stay in that desk for the rest of the
lesson. Why? Two reasons: First, switching desks gets them up and
moving. Second, sitting in a different place in the classroom will
give them a different perspective and wake up their brains a bit.
2. Position Switch: Have students turn their chairs around and sit
straddling the chair with their hands resting on the back (girls in
dresses can sit side-saddle). While good sitting is important, a few
minutes of sitting differently can keep kids alert. Another idea is to
let kids sit on their desks with their feet on their chairs (which they
will love!)
3. Wander as you teach. If you don‟t need to be glued to the board,
then wander throughout the classroom. Most kids will track you,
which will keep them alert, and if you see someone having trouble
focusing, you can stand right next to him or her for a quick perk-up.
4. Give each child a small ball of play dough to fidget with if you are
doing a lecture-type lesson.
5. Throw students a foam ball when calling on them to answer a
question.
6. Randomly and frequently ask students to repeat what you just said.
7. Choose a fun word, such as, “Shazam!” or “Bazinga!” Every time
you say the word, students must use both hands to hit the tops of
their desks two times and then clap two times. Say the word several
times throughout the lesson. It will wake everyone up!
8. If you have experience in theatre or just like to have a little fun,
teach a small portion of the lesson with an accent or imitating
someone famous.
9. With younger students, teach with a puppet or give a voice to a
stuffed animal.
10. Throw in a joke every now and then.
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Pinterest, Rachel Lynette, “No bored students; 20 Ways to keep your
students attention”
11. Use student volunteers. Any time you can call a few kids up to
the front to be part of a demonstration, do it. It can be as simple as
having them hold up signs (rather than displaying the same
information on the document camera) or writing an answer on the
board. Better yet, just call on students to help rather than asking for
volunteers.
12. If a lot of kids look sleepy, stop talking and write a simple
command on the board such as: “Put both hands on your head.”
The silence should alert day dreamers that something is going on.
Follow up with two more written commands. Make the last one
something with sound just in case a few kids haven‟t caught on, such
as, “Clap three times.” Continue with your lesson.
13. Wear bright coloured clothing. If you want to keep their
attention, you should be the most interesting thing in the room.
14. Have students explain something they just learned with partners.
15. Require a response from everyone, rather than calling on one
student, by using individual white boards or by having students
signal yes or no with sign-language.
16. Teach outside. This, of course, could have the opposite effect with
students being even more distracted, but on a beautiful day it could
be a nice break for everyone to sit under a tree with a clipboard
rather than inside at a desk.
17. Animate those Power Points! If you don‟t have time or know how
to do it yourself, you could probably find a helpful upper-grade
student who could add some animation to a PowerPoint that already
has the content.
18. Require students to take notes. Every so often, have them do a
quick, related sketch in the margins. For example, if you are learning
about Abraham Lincoln, give them 30 seconds to draw log cabin in
the corner of the paper.
19. Throw in a higher level thinking question that is related to the
lesson (but not part of your objective) and have a quick discussion.
For example, if you are learning proper ways to use a comma, ask
the students which punctuation mark they think is the most important
and why. Questions like these are also fun to put at the bottom of a
worksheet and have students answer on the back.
20. Let students know at the start of the lesson that they will need to
write down three things they learned as their “ticket out the door.”
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REFERENCES
Teaching Teenagers, Warren Kidd &Gerry Czerniawski
Five –Minute Activities, Penny Ur & Andrew Wright
Activities to Develop Learning Skills, Helen Sonnet & Cassabdra Sonnet
Grammar Games, Mario Rinvolucri
Essential Teaching Skills, Chris Kyriacou,
You Can Have a Creative Classroom, Sue Cowley
Drama Games, Jessica Swale
Activities that Teach, Tom Jackson
Explore lika a Pirate, Michael Matera
Games and Learning, MacArthur Foundation
Ten Ways to Turn Lessons into Games, Tamara Jones, Howard Community
College
Working in Pairs and Groups, Jo, Bertrand, BBC
Internet Resources
