TITLE

Stop the Bus

DESCRIPTION
This is a game with many uses; it can be for practicing new vocabulary, nouns, adjectives, verbs, etc
depending upon the interests of the students or the material the teacher wants to cover that day. Students could work
in teams or individually and the game can be made into a competition to keep everyone engaged and wanting to
participate. This game is easily differentiated in many ways throughout the process (listed and explained below), and
is a fun way for students to learn different words within the English language.
MATERIALS
Paper
Pencils
RULES/PROCEDURES
The students draw a table on their pieces of paper (or paper with tables already printed on them are passed
out by the teacher). This game is very flexible when it comes to topics you can go over; it can be on basically any
topic the teacher or students pick, based on interests or whatever material the teacher wants to focus on that day.
The number of topics is also differentiable, with the original game using five different categories. The teacher will
set a certain number of rounds to the game, and at the beginning of each round the teacher picks a letter that the
game is focused around. The students then need to think of one word for each category that begins with that letter
(or ends with it, or includes it, or has multiple of it within one word, etc this part is also very differentiable).
An example round would be choosing the categories: Name, Animal, Country, Food, Movie, and at the
beginning of the round the teacher picks the letter D. Now students are expected to find one word for each category
that starts with D, such as David, Dog, Denmark, Doughnut, Despicable Me, and write them in the table on their
papers.
This game can also be turned into a competition where students earn 5 points for every answer they have
written, or 10 points for every answer they have that no one else has written. Again, this game can be differentiated
by giving points for other reasons as well, such as the first person done with their table.
REFERENCE
http://www.fluentu.com/english/educator/blog/esl-games-for-beginners/

TITLE
Shiritori
DESCRIPTION
This game is originally intended to be between students and the teacher, where the student and teacher go
to the front board and take turns in the game until one of them can no longer continue. I think that this game would
also work between students during a pairing or group activity to allow more people to play at one time rather than
having students observe as others play until their turn arrives. This game is also easily differentiated because the
types of words used by the players can be structured depending on the primary goal of the teacher that day. This
game can also be made into a competition by adding in aspects such as speed rounds or point systems.
MATERIALS
White/Chalk/Smart board or pencils and paper
RULES/PROCEDURES
The first person writes a word on the board. The next person then has to write a second word on the board
that begins with the letter that the first word ends with. This chain of words continues until one of the players is
unable to come up with a word.
Ex. Elephant - Tree - Eat
REFERENCE
http://www.fluentu.com/english/educator/blog/esl-games-for-beginners/

TITLE
Pronunciation Whispers
DESCRIPTION
This game follows the same guidelines as the game telephone. I like how this game splits the class into two
groups because that cuts down on the time it takes for the word to travel from person to person and it cuts in half the
probability of the wrong word being whispered to group members, but the game could also be played as a whole
class or even smaller groups, depending upon the needs of the students and/or the want of the teacher. This game
focuses on the pronunciation of known words, but could also be modified to teach students new vocabulary or other
aspects of the English language.
MATERIALS
N/A
RULES/PROCEDURES
The class is split into two groups and one person from each group is given a word by the teacher. The
student with the word will whisper it into another group members ear and the whispering will go down the line until
the last person in the group has heard the word. The last person then says the word out loud to the teacher,
attempting to pronounce it correctly. Again, this lesson could be made into a competition by pitting the two groups
of students against each other with a point system or race.
REFERENCE
http://www.fluentu.com/english/educator/blog/esl-games-for-beginners/

TITLE
Ring of Fire
DESCRIPTION
This game can be used as either an educational review/study game, or as a get to know you game, depending on
the use the teacher decides. Any questions can be written on the slips of paper by students, whether those questions
be on a topic chosen by the teacher or chosen by the students based on interests or curiosities. The questions could
also be pre-written by the teacher. The number of questions can, of course, be adjusted depending on time limits or
the levels of the students.
MATERIALS
A deck of cards
A list of the rules assigned to each card number either given to each student by the teacher or posted where all
students can reference it:
King: Ask anyone. The student who gets a King picks a question out of the pile and asks it to anyone of
their choosing.
Queen: Ask a girl. Same as above but the student must ask a girl.
Jack: Ask a boy.
10: Ask the teacher a question! The student who picks out a 10 has to grab a question from the pile and ask
the teacher.
9: Bunny ears! All of the students have to put their hands to their heads in the shape of bunny ears. The last
to do so answers a question.
8: Words. The students choose a topic. For example, fruit. The students go around in turns saying names
of fruit. The first one to repeat a word or not be able to think of a fruit within 5 seconds answers a question.
7: Pick again.
6: Touch your nose! This is exactly the same as bunny ears, except students must touch their noses as
quickly as possible.
5: Answer one question.
 4: Ask the person on your left a question.
3: Ask the person on your right a question.
2: Pick again.
Ace: Ask anyone anything. The student can ask anyone in the classroom anything they want.
RULES/PROCEDURES
Students each write five questions on five slips of paper. All of the questions are scrunched up into balls and then
put in the middle of the ring of cards. Students take turns coming up to the ring and choosing both a card and a
scrunched up slip of paper. After seeing which rule applies to their card, they ask the question on the slip of paper to
the designated player and the designated player answers the question. The game continues until all of the slips of
paper have been used.
REFERENCE
http://www.fluentu.com/english/educator/blog/esl-games-for-beginners/