Category: Review

Categories
A1 A2 Animals Games Materials Primary Reading Review Secondary Treasure Hunt writing

Animal Treasure Hunt

Our third treasure hunt is an animal-themed one. It pretty much follows the same sort of idea as the other 2 I’ve posted, but all the clues describe animals.

You can use it to review animal vocabulary, as part of an animal unit, CLIL science lesson, etc.

What to do

Download the PDF at the end of this post.

Print and cut out the clues and stick them up around your space. It can be a classroom, playground, wherever.

Each animal has it’s corresponding clue in the text underneath, so you can easily stick them back-to-back and laminate them if you want to reuse them.

There are 2 different circular treasure hunts. The left column is one hunt, the right column is the other. So you can have two teams if you wish, or even several staggared teams. You can start with ANY animal. When you arrive back at the same animal you started with, you have finished.

How to play

Give each player/team an answer sheet. They write their name and start time at the top.

Students follow the clues, writing the names of the animals in order on their sheets.

When they finish, write the finish time and calculate their total time. Fastest wins.

There are penalty points for misspelled answers, wrong answers and if the animals aren’t in order, you know they have cheated, or made a mistake.

You can decide how much time you want to add for each penalty, but I tend to give 5 seconds for a misspelling, 20 seconds for an incerrect answer and a minute if the answers aren’t in order. I explain this at the start to discourage cheating.

Download

Download the PDF of the Treasure Hunt here : https://classroomgames.net/product/animal-treasure-hunt/

 

Categories
A2 Back to School Games Primary Review Secondary Vocabulary writing

QR Treasure hunt for teens

Another treasure hunt, but this time for older primary and teen learners that have a A2 level minimum and can read English reasonably well.

What you need

Print off the PDF at the end of this post and then cut up the QR codes. You can stick them around your class, school, playground… wherever you choose.

Each player or group will need a mobile phone that can scan QR codes. The codes are in text form, so an internet connection isn’t needed. I would do a test first though, to make sure your device works. If not, there are plenty of free QR reader apps that you can download.

How to play

Give each player, whether that be an individual student or group, one of the answer sheets and get them to put their name, or teamname on the sheet.

Write the start time on the sheet. This enables you to have staggered start times, if you wish.

Students can complete the questions in ANY order. They just scan a code and answer the question. Writing the answer on their sheet in the corresponding numbered space.

When they finish and return their sheet to you, write the finish time.

The winner completes all questions the quickest.

You can add time penalties of your choosing for spelling, wrong answers, etc. For example, I add 5 seconds for each misspelled word and if an answer is incorrect, I will add 20 seconds. This encourages players to put what they think are correct answers, rather than just filling in anything.

Download

Download a PDF of the QR Treasure hunt here : https://www.classroomgames.net/materials/treasure-hunt-2-qr.pdf

Categories
A1 A2 Games Materials Review Uncategorised Vocabulary

Treasure hunt for reviewing vocabulary

I often do treasure hunts around my classes and sometimes in the open air, either on a playground or open safe space with my younger learners.

I thought I’d share this one I made a couple of years ago that I use now and again as it’s easy to print, cut up and use.

How to use it

Simply stick all the clues around your chosen area not in any order.

You can have 2 diffent groups, or use it twice, as there are two versions.

Both versions have the same number of clues.

You could tell students to write down the answers, if you want to have multiple groups playing.

Download

The PDF can be downloaded here : https://classroomgames.net/product/treasure-hunt-fo…ewing-vocabulary/

Please support my page by checking out my TikTok videos and giving them a like, or follow… or comment telling me how you have used my resources. I love to see them being used!

Categories
A1 A2 Adult Back to School Games Materials Present Simple Primary Review Secondary Speaking

Back to school game for personal information

I have developed this game for my classes to have a fun way to review simple introduction questions.

I use a ball to review the questions with the class first. I pass the ball to a student and ask a question, they then have to answer it and then pass the ball to someone else before asking them the same question. This goes all round the class, until the ball come back to me. The last student asks me.

The questions are:

  • What’s your name?
  • How old are you?
  • Where do you live?
  • What’s your favourite food?
  • What’s your favourite sport?
  • What’s your favourite hobby?

You can also do another round where you throw the ball to one person and ask about a classmate…

  • What’s his name?… etc.

The game is played like happy families. Students ask each other closed questions to find a ‘family’ i.e. the name, age, location, favourite food, sport and hobby of one person. The first one to complete a person wins.

You can play in groups up to 8 people.

I deal 5 or 6 cards to start with and when a student gets a ‘no’ answer, they take a card from the pile of leftover cards and then the turn passes to the next student. This carries on until the cards run out in the pile.

If a student gets a ‘yes’ answer, they can ask again.

They can only ask for a card from a family they already have in their hand.

I design a lot of card games in this way, because the students know the rules instinctively and they are fun!

Download the PDF of the game here: https://classroomgames.net/product/introductions-card-game/

Print, laminate and cut out, then play! Let me know in the comments on my Tiktok account how you have used the game.

Categories
A1 A2 Games Infant Primary Review Speaking Vocabulary

Sum Swamp

Sum Swamp

Sum Swamp is an exciting and educational game designed by Learning Resources to help children learn basic addition and subtraction. This game can be used in the EFL (English as a Foreign Language) classroom to engage students and help them improve their language skills relating to numbers and maths vocabulary.

Game objective

The game is played with two to four players and requires players to navigate their way through a swamp filled by throwing 3 dice; 2 with numbers and one with ‘+’ and ‘-‘ signs on them. The first player to reach the other side of the swam wins.

How to play

To play Sum Swamp, each player starts on one side of the swamp and takes turns rolling a dice. The player then either adds or subtracts the dice together and moves their game piece the number of spaces in the resolution. If the player lands on a number square, they rethrow the +/- dice and either move forward, or backward that number of spaces. There are also ‘odds’ and ‘evens’ squares, which require them to throw a number dice again and they can move if they get a corresponding number.

The game is suitable for children aged 5 and up, making it an excellent choice for younger students learning English as a second language as it provides them with a fun and interactive way to learn.

Sum Swamp is a fantastic game that can be used as a fun and interactive way to reinforce vocabulary related to maths and numbers with younger students and if you would like to buy a copy, please use my affiliate link below if you can, as it helps fund this website.

Buy Sum Swamp on Amazon : https://amzn.to/3Dxgh9k

Categories
A1 A2 Adult B1 B2 C1 C2 Games Past Continuous Past Perfect Past Simple Primary Review Secondary Speaking

Rory’s Story Cubes

Story Cubes

As an English language teacher, it can sometimes be difficult to come up with engaging activities that will encourage your students to practice speaking. This is where story cubes come in! They are a fantastic tool for practicing speaking skills in the English as a Foreign Language (EFL) classroom. In this blog post, we’ll explore what story cubes are, how to use them in your classroom, and why they are such a great resource for students.

What are Story Cubes?

Story cubes are small, cube-shaped dice with different images printed on each side. They come in a set of nine cubes, with a total of 54 unique images. The images on the cubes range from simple objects like a tree or a sun, to more abstract symbols like a lightbulb or a heart.

How to use Story Cubes in the EFL Classroom

Story cubes are incredibly versatile and can be used in a variety of ways in the EFL classroom. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Speaking Practice:

One of the best ways to use story cubes is for speaking practice. Have your students roll the cubes and use the images they see to create a story. They can work in pairs or small groups to create a story together, taking turns to add new elements to the story. This is a great way to encourage your students to use English in a creative and relaxed environment.

Vocabulary Practice:

Another way to use story cubes is for vocabulary practice. Give your students a specific vocabulary set, such as action verbs or adjectives, and have them use the cubes to create sentences that incorporate these words. This is a fun way to reinforce vocabulary and help students to use new words in context.

Grammar Practice:

You can also use story cubes to practice grammar structures. For example, you could ask your students to create sentences using the present simple or present continuous tense, depending on the images they see on the cubes. This is a great way to practice grammar in a fun and engaging way.

Why are Story Cubes a Great Resource for EFL Students?

There are many reasons why story cubes are a great resource for students. Here are a few:

They Encourage Creativity:

Story cubes encourage students to be creative and to use their imagination. This is a great way to encourage students to think outside the box and to use English in a fun and engaging way.

They Foster Collaboration:

When students work together to create a story using the cubes, they have to collaborate and communicate with each other. This is a great way to build teamwork skills and to help students to work together effectively.

They Are Easy to Use:

Story cubes are incredibly easy to use. They require no preparation or advanced technology, making them a great resource for both teachers and students.

They Are Portable:

Because story cubes are small and lightweight, they are incredibly portable. You can take them with you wherever you go, making them a great resource for EFL teachers on the go.

Story cubes are a fantastic tool for practicing speaking skills in the classroom. They are versatile, easy to use, and encourage creativity and collaboration. Whether you use them for speaking practice, vocabulary practice, or grammar practice, story cubes are a great resource for students and teachers alike. So why not give them a try in your next class and see how they can enhance your students’ speaking skills!

Rory’s Story Cubes on Amazon (affiliate link) : https://amzn.to/3HmsfUb

 

Categories
A1 A2 Adult B1 B2 C1 C2 Games Past Simple Present Simple Primary Review Secondary Speaking

One Night Werewolf

One Night Werewolf

This is a review of a game which I use in class and I find particularly good for students to encourage speaking. It’s a type of game called a ‘hidden role’ game called One Night Werewolf. At the end of this post are 2 free themed downloadable adaptations of this game that I have made too.

It is by Bezier Games and you can buy a copy of it from here : https://amzn.to/3DqGjuC (this is an affiliate link that will support this site if you use it) or alternatively, if all your students have mobiles, you can play it online for free here : https://netgames.io/games/onu-werewolf/

How to play

The object of the game is to find out who is the Werewolf. There are two phases in the game, the night phase and the day phase. The night phase is first, followed by the day phase.

All students take a character card and there are 3 cards in the middle of the table. Each character has a different action during the night phase of the game and they do it in a set order as follows:

  • Werewolf – First checks if there are other werewolves. If there are not, they may look at 1 card from the centre.
  • Seer – Can look at one other player’s card, or 2 of the centre cards.
  • Robber – Changes their own card with another player’s card, then looks at their new card.
  • Troublemaker – swaps the cards of two other players. Doesn’t look at anything.
  • Drunk – Swaps their own card with one from the centre, but cannot look at the new card.
  • Insomniac – After all other actions have been done, they are allowed to look at their own card again to see if it has been changed.
  • Villager – Has no action.

There are other characters, but these are the main ones. Once you have played the game a few times, you might want to start adding more, but to start with, these are complcated enough!

Night phase

At the beginning of the night phase, all students close their eyes. There is a recording that plays on the accompanying app that you can play on a mobile phone, which tells each character when they should open their eyes, what they should do, and when to close their eyes again. It’s important that nobody cheats!

If you are using the mobile app, it does everything for you on the screen.

Day phase

Once the night phase is over, the day phase is a timed period – usually about 3 minutes, but you can set it as short or long as you like – where students can discuss who they are and what they did during the night.

At the end of the designated time period all players vote on who is the werewolf.

During the discussion, students might say thigs like… “I am the robber and I changed my card with…. and my new card was…” or “I was the Seer and I looked at 2 cards from the middle. They were the Robber and Villager.”

The werewolf must try not to be discovered, and the other players must try to discover who is the werewolf. The werewolf must therefore listen to other players and try and make up a plausible lie, whereas all the other players must listen to try and figure out who is lying.

It’s important that noone looks at their cards at all until after the discussion has finished and voting has been done.

It’s a great game for students from about 10 years old upwards. I’ve used it with 8 year-olds with some success, but it’s not usual for children of this age to have developed the mental skills to understand these types of games.

Free adaptations

I have made 2 adaptations of this game called ‘One Christmas Night’ and ‘One Dinosaur Night’ which are obviously Christmas and Dinosaur themed. You can download the PDFs and the accompanying audio recordings for both of these games on the links below.

If you want to see a video explaining the game, please check out my TikTok account… and maybe support me by commenting, liking or following me on social media (I post on Instagram a little less regularly too). I post videos about all the new materials as and when I upload them.

Enjoy! 🙂

Downloadable files

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Rory's Story Cubes

As an English language teacher, it can sometimes be difficult to come up with engaging activities that will encourage your…
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One Night Werewolf

This is a review of a game which I use in class and I find particularly good for students to…