SECTION 1: PAIR
ACTIVITIES
1.1 Twenty Questions
Activity
Level: From Primary
Grade 4 to High School
Materials: None
Content: Any
vocabulary words from any/all previous lesson(s).
Method:
1. After teaching
(showing) the students how to play (by demonstrating the
activity to the whole class), divide the class into homogeneous-ability
pairs.
2. One person thinks
of something (but they must know the English word for that something!!!)
After choosing something in his/her mind, he/she must give a hint to
his/her partner. The hint MUST be one of the following:
a. "It is an
animal."
b. "It is a
vegetable." (vegetable = plant).
c. "It is a
mineral." (mineral = inanimate object).
3. All things in this
world fit into one of those three categories, except perhaps a limited
few things, such as:
spirit/soul (영혼/혼령),
ghost (유령/귀신),
fire (불), light (불),
etc.
If the chosen thing
is something that doesn't fit into the one of the three categories
above, the hint should be:
d. "It is not an
animal, nor vegetable, nor mineral."
4. The guessing
partner then, asks YES/NO questions ONLY to try and guess what the
thinking partner is thinking of.
5. If the guessing
partner cannot guess the chosen thing within twenty questions, one point
goes to the thinking partner. If the guessing partner successfully
guesses the chosen thing within twenty questions, one point goes to the
guesser. Then, roles are reversed. The person with the most points at
the end of the period wins.
NOTE to teacher: to
prevent cheating, the teacher may require the thinker to write the
chosen thing on a piece of paper and turn it over on the desk until
twenty questions are completed.
1.2 The Verbal Chain
Activity
Level: Students who
can read English
Materials: Clock with
second hand
Content: words from
any/all previous lesson(s)
Method:
1. Teacher puts the
students in homogeneous-ability pairs.
2. The pairs do
"Rock, Scissors, Paper" in order to decide who goes first.
3. The first student
chooses an English word, and says the word aloud.
4. The second student
must say an English word that begins with the last letter of the
partner's spoken word. But, there is a time limit (that's why you need a
clock with a second hand). The teacher chooses an appropriate time limit
for the level of the students. The person whose turn it is NOT, keeps
the time (for example twenty seconds.) If the person whose turn it IS
cannot say an appropriate word within the time limit, one point goes to
the person whose turn it is NOT.
5. No word may be
repeated. Therefore, it is expedient that students write each word after
they say it, in order to keep track.
Variation:
For higher level
students, (like middle school and high school), categories can be chosen
by the teacher, and the students must choose words within the chosen
category, (for example: "Food" is a good category)
1.3 The "Who am
I?" Activity
Level: From Primary
Grade 4 to High School
Materials: None
Content: persons (in
English)
Sample content:
farmer, teacher, mail deliverer/post person, fire fighter, police
officer, etc.
Method:
1. After the teacher
demonstrates how to play the game, the teacher puts the students into
homogeneous-ability pairs.
2. One student thinks
of a person (and secretly writes it; or if unable to write, secretly
draws a picture, but does not show it to his/her partner).
3. Then, the thinker
gives one hint (in a sentence). For example: "I have a lot of
rice." and then the student asks, "Who am I?"
4. The partner of the
thinker guesses, like this: "You are a cook."
5. If the guess is
wrong, the thinker says, "No, I'm not a cook."
6. Then the thinker
gives another clue, like this: "I grow the rice."
7. Then, the guesser
guesses again, like this: "Oh, you are a rice farmer."
8. If the guess is
right, the thinker says, "Yes, I am."
9. The guesser gets
one point for each guess.
10. Then the thinker
and guesser switch roles.
11. Continue until
time is out.
12. The person with
the fewest points wins.
Variation:
For more advanced
students, play "What am I" Activity.
1.4
Letter/Number-->Sentence Puzzle Activity
Level: Any
Materials: board/ chalk or marker (for
teacher); pencil & paper (for each student)
Content: content should match the
level of the students
Rules:
(a) Upper
case letters signify the NAME of the letter
Examples:
I C U = /ai si: ju/ = I see you.
U R OK = /ju ar okei/ = You
are okay!
R U BZ? = /ar ju bi:zi:/ = Are you
busy?
I M DZ = /ai em di:zi:/ = I am dizzy.
(b) Lower
case letters signify the SOUND of the letter
Examples with upper & lower case:
U R Qt = You are cute.
2B or not 2B = to be or not to be
U R Gr8 = You are great.
1 4 me & 1 4 U 2 = One for me and one for you, too.
I M the 1 4 U = I am the one for you.
Method:
1. Teacher does a few puzzles on
the board to demonstrate the rules of the game to the students.
Teacher should explicitly state the rules (otherwise some students,
maybe most students will be confused).
2. Then, the teacher puts the
students into pairs.
3. Each person in each pair
secretly makes there own sentence (or phrase) according to the
rules. Then, they switch sentences (or phrases) and try to guess
each others' sentences (can be orally or by writing).
Note: There is no competition
involved. It is just a fun
activity.
SECTION 2:
COOPERATIVE-LEARNING / TASK-BASED-GROUP ACTIVITIES
2.1 Whisper
Information Gap Activity
Level: From Primary
Grade 3 to High School
Materials Needed:
None
Content: English
sentences from the lesson
Note: The number of
words in each sentence must match the number of students in each group.
Sample content:
Four Sentences: 1.
It's cold in winter.
2. It's warm in
spring.
3. It's hot in
summer.
4. It's cool in fall.
Method:
1. Put the students
into groups of four members.
What do you do if
there are extra students?
If there is one extra student, the teacher has several options.
The one student can be the teacher's whispering assistant. Or the
teacher can pair the extra student up with another student. They will
act as one "unit"(student).
If there is more
than one extra student, the teacher
can pair the extra students up with partners in various groups to act as
one "unit"(student). This activity will not work unless there
are exactly four "units" (students) in each group.
2. The students
number themselves from 1 to 4 by doing "Rock, Scissors, Paper"
(in English, of course). The teacher chooses a spokesperson for each
group. [It is preferable that the teacher form homogeneous-gender, heterogeneous-ability
groups and makes the lowest-level student in each
group the spokesperson].
3. The teacher
summons all the "#1" students to the front of the class and
the teacher whispers one word of the chosen sentence (randomly, i.e.,
not in proper order). Then, the students one-by-one whisper it back to
the teacher to make sure they know the word. Then, the "#1"
students return to their seats, but do not reveal the word to their
group-mates.
4. Repeat with #2
students, and #3 students, and #4 students.
5. Then, when the
teacher says, "Begin!", the students share the information in
the same order that it was received from the teacher.
6. Then, the students
in each group must put the words in order to make a proper sentence.
Then, the spokesperson raises his/her hand.
7. The teacher writes
down the order in which each spokesperson raises his/her hand.
8. Then, when
all spokespersons have raised their hands,
the teacher calls them up one-by-one to whisper the answer in the
teacher's ear. The first correct spokesperson receives 3 points for
his/her group. The second correct spokesperson receives 2 points for
his/her group. The third correct spokesperson receives 1 point for
his/her group.
9. The same process
is repeated until all sentences are done. The group with the most points
wins.
NOTE to teacher: more
advanced classes should have more complex sentences, and more than one
word can be given to each student.
2.2 Picture
Information Transfer Activity
Level: From Primary
Grade 3 to Grade 6
Content: The words
from the day's (or previous day's) lesson
Method:
1. The teacher
divides the class into teams of 2-5 students.
2. One person from
each team comes up to the front of class.
3. The teacher
whispers the word or phrase.
4. Each student
whispers the word or phrase back to the teacher in order to make sure
they know the proper word or phrase.
5. The students walk
back to their groups slowly and silently, and wait.
6. When the teacher
says "Go," The students draw what was heard. The drawing
person may not speak at all nor write any words. The drawing person may
only draw pictures.
7. The first team to
guess the correct word or phrase wins a point.
8. Continue until
time is out, changing drawing persons each time. The team with the most
points wins.
NOTE: This can be a
noisy activity. So, you might want to encourage the students to whisper.
Also, whispering is very strategic for the students, because if the
other team hears, they might get the teacher's attention first and say
the guess first (to the teacher). When this happens, fights may result.
In order to
maintain control in the classroom, the teacher may chose spokespersons for each group and only the spokesperson may give
guesses to the teacher. OR, the teacher may require guesser to raise
his/her hand and wait until the teacher calls upon him/her. To call out
the answer prematurely is minus one point for the team.
2.3 Mime Information
Transfer Activity
Level: From Primary
Grade 3 to High School
Content: The words or
phrases or clauses from the day's lesson (or previous day's lesson)
Method:
1. The teacher
divides the class into teams of 2-5 students.
2. One or two
students from each group come up to the front of the class.
3. The teacher
whispers the word or phrase.
4. The students
whisper the word or phrase back to the teacher to make sure they
understand correctly.
5. Then the students
go back to their groups slowly and wait.
6. When the teacher
says, "Go!", the students mime the word or phrase.
7. If a member of a
group guesses the word or phrase correctly, the miming person(s) raises
his/her hand. When the first mime raises his/her hand, the teacher
yells, "Stop."
8. All activity must
stop at that point. The teacher tells the mime to point to the person
who guessed correctly. Then, the guesser must speak audibly for the
whole class to hear. If the answer is correct, one point goes to that
team(group).
9. If the answer is
incorrect, the teacher asks, "Who knows the correct answer?"
At that point anybody may raise their hand. The teacher tries to
recognize the first hand to go up. etc. etc. etc.
10. If no hands go up
at that point, the teacher yells, "Begin again!" and the
activity resumes, until a correct answer is given.
2.4 Football (Soccer)
English Activity
NOTE: This is a
variation FOR ANY other cooperative/group activities.
Materials:
1. score board
2. soft ball
(size of football [영], soccer ball [미])
Content: sentences or
words from that day's lesson
Method:
1. Do the
cooperative/group activity.
2. The winning group
gets a chance for an extra point via "free kick". One student
is chosen by the group to kick a soft ball from the back of the
classroom, and try to place the ball between the goal posts (which can
be two students' desks). If the ball goes between the goal posts, it's a
goal! And the group gets an extra point.
3. Repeat activity
until all the content is reviewed. The team with the most points wins.
Variation:
NBA English Activity
...instead of a
soccer ball, use any ball (or ball-like thing) for a mock Basketball and
any receptacle for a basket. The winning team can go for two
"Free Throws" for two possible extra points.
SECTION 3: WHOLE
CLASS ACTIVITIES
3.1 Simon Says
Activity (TPR)
Level: From Primary
Grade 3 to Grade 6
Materials: None
Content: English
imperatives
Method:
1. One person
is "it" (술래). The
"it" person is "Simon". Perhaps teacher should be
"Simon" first.
2. If the
"it" person says, "Simon says ((do something)),"
then the participants must do it For example: "Simon says put your
hand on your head."
3. If the
"it" person just commands to do something, without saying,
"Simon says," the participants must not do it. For example:
"Put your hand on your hips."
4. Anyone caught
disobeying the rules by the "it" person is out of the game
(dead) until the next round. The winner is the last remaining
participant. He or she becomes the "it" person in the next
round.
3.2 Red light, Green
light Activity (TPR)
Level: Primary Grade
3
Materials: None
Content: "Red
light", "Green light"; or "Stop",
"Go";
Method:
1. This activity is
probably best done outside.
2. The
"it" person (술래) stands at
the front of the goal and gives the orders. The rest of the students
stand at the other end of the field.
3. The students at
the other end of the field must follow the commands of the
"it" person. There are only two commands in this game:
"Red light" (stop) and "Green light" (go).
4. When the
"it" person says, "Green light," he/she must turn
around and face the opposite direction of the other classmates. At that
time the classmates may run toward the "it" person.
5. At the whim of the
"it" person, the "it" person yells, "RED
LIGHT!" and THEN immediately turns around (to face the classmates).
The classmates must "freeze" (stop) before the "it"
person turns around.
6. If the
"it" person sees someone still running, the running person
must go back to the beginning. The classmates have no choice but to obey
the "it" person's commands.
7. The winner is the
first person to touch the "it" person.
8. Then, the winner
becomes the "it" person.
Variation:
The teacher may
substitute other words in place of "red light" and "green
light" in order to reinforce memory of other vocabulary words.
3.3 The
Cat & Mouse Activity
Level: Primary Grades
4 - 6
Materials: None
Content:
"Boiling", "Hot", "Warm",
"Cool", "Cold", "Freezing"
Method:
1. One student
is chosen to be "it" or "Cat" (술래).
2. The
"cat" leaves the room.
3. One person in the
room is chosen to be the "mouse".
4. The
"cat" comes back in the room.
5. The
"cat" touches a classmate's shoulder.
6. If the
touchee is the "mouse". The
activity is over.
7. If the
touchee is NOT the "mouse",
he/she must say:
a. "You are
freezing" [if the mouse is at the other end of the classroom]
b. "You are
cold" [if the mouse is 3/4 across the classroom]
c. "You are
cool" [if the mouse is 1/2 across the classroom]
d. "You are
warm" [if the mouse is 1/4 across the classroom]
e. "You are
hot" [if the mouse is two or three students away]
f. "You are
boiling" [if the mouse is one student away]
8. Then, the
"cat" touches another student on the shoulder. etc. etc. etc.
9. After the
"cat" catches the "mouse", the "mouse"
becomes the new "cat".
10. The winner of the
activity is the person who catches the mouse in the least number of
touches.
3.4 Thumbs-Up
Activity (TPR)
Level: Primary Grades
4-6
Materials: None
Content: "Put
your heads down," "Put your thumbs up," "Put your
heads up," "I think _____ touched my thumb."
Method:
1. Minimum TWO
persons are chosen to be "it" (술래).
2. The "it"
people go to the front of the class and say (simultaneously), "One,
two, three: Put your heads down, and Put your thumbs up."
3. At that point all
seated students must put their heads down and cover their faces with
their arms, and put only ONE thumb up. Also, students should close their
eyes. It is difficult to enforce this rule, but there is a way
(explanation below).
4. Then, the two
"it" students walk around the classroom. Each "it"
student touches (presses down) half the students' thumbs. (This means
they should count how many students are in the class, divide the number
in half and press that many thumbs).
5. HOWEVER, the
"it" students should check to see if the eyes are closed
before touching the thumb. If the eyes are open, the "it"
student should NOT touch the thumb. But, it is important that all thumbs
get pressed down. So, the it students keep walking around until all
thumbs are down.
6. Then, when the
"it" students are done pressing thumbs, they go back to the
front of the class and say (together), "One, two, three: Put your
heads up."
7. At this point,
each sitting student, one-by-one, must say:
"I think ______
[name of one "it" person] touched my thumb."
8. If the student is
correct, the named person says, "Yes, that's right." and the
student may remain seated (sitting).
9. If the student is
incorrect, the named person says, "No, that's wrong." and the
student must stand and go to the front of the class.
10. After all the
students have guessed, the activity starts again. But this time there
are many more "it" people standing at the front of the class.
They say (in unison), "One, two, three: Put your heads down and put
your thumbs up."
11. At this point,
there is no need to count. The "it" students walk around the
classroom touching thumbs at random until all thumbs are down.
12. And the guessing
begins again.
13. The winner is the
last sitting person.
14. NOTE: At some point in the game
there will be more people at the font of the class than sitting down.
That's okay. It will be harder to guess which person touched one's
thumb, and the activity will be over very quickly.