Here is another great
game for review at the end of the unit. I like it because it involves
reading, speaking, listening AND writing and activates lots of students at the same time. Beware, though, it gets noisy and for best results requires
upwards of 15 minutes to play.
This game is much more complicated to explain than it is to play. Bear with me, please
Objective:
Be the first team to get a correctly spelled and punctuated sentence onto a paper and returned to the teacher.
Materials and Preparation:
-Scrap paper and pencils
-Pre-written words or sentences on cue cards
(preferably with increasing level of difficulty)
-Space for at least 2 teams of 3 students to form separate line ups.
How To Play: -Divide the class into 2 or more teams of equal number of players.
-Line up the students into neat rows. Good luck with that.
-Provide a table and chair for the FIRST student of each row (one per team). These students will be the WRITERS.
-Put a pencil and paper on their desks.
-Other students may stand or be seated (lined up chairs work well for managing chaos)
-Go to the end of the lines and put a comfy chair there for you to sit.
-Call one student from the end of each row to you. These students will be the READERS.
-Let those students (one reader per team) read your card with the pre-written review sentence.
-Count down. 3-2-1 GO!
-Students return to their team and whisper the sentence to the next kid on their team.
-They pass the sentence along by whispering until the student at the table writes it down.
-When the writer is finished she/he runs to the teacher with the paper.
-If the sentence is perfect they get a point.
-If the sentence is not perfect, they return to the table.
-Recall the READER, point out the error, let them whisper the sentence all over again.
-The first team to reproduce your sentence perfectly gets the point. Tips
-Start with a really easy sentence so they get the idea. I like to start with a single word for one point. Then two words for two points, etc.
-Deduct points for teams who step out of line, stand up, shout, cheat or otherwise try to give you a headache.
-The first time you play with the class it's much easier to get the students to hover in the corner while you set up the desks and chairs. The next time you can simply say "Relay Game" and make them arrange the class themselves.
-If you have an odd group with one less student, let the group(s) with more team members start first.
-Let the readers of each time return to read your card as often as necessary.
-Make sure to mix weak and strong students into each team.
Enjoy! Once you have this game set up, the kids take over and it really produces a lot of language. I love it.