Buckland Weekly #18- Warm Up Activities : Word Race Games

Kids in a Chinese classroom can be very competitive. OK, that should be “most kids” - there are always some who don't want to join in and will be competitive only to the extent of competing with similar-minded kids in their efforts to do absolutely nothing in class. But, as I said, most kids are competitive and devising games where they can express that usually results in a noisy – but effective – lesson.

I often use variations on games where the class is divided into groups, they do a little brainstorming, and then one student from each group comes to the board (all at the same time) and writes the results. You can devise your own games that are similar but let me run through a couple of typical activities that make regular appearances as warm-ups in my lessons. The purpose of these activities is to ensure that the students have the vocabulary for more communicative activities later in the lesson. The first one is described in detail, the others are variations on a theme.

1.

Let's say the lesson is about jobs. I will break the class into about ten groups. This number works in my classroom because there is a big board across the whole front wall and while it is crowded for ten people to work there simultaneously – it is doable and it makes thengs a bit more hectic and a bit more fun.

Then I tell the groups that they have two minutes to list as many jobs as they can think of ON PAPER. As they are working I walk around and give each group a piece of chalk, at the same time checking that they are on task and helping if they aren't. We have done this activity so often they know what is coming and start arguing over the chalk – sometimes because they all want to come to the board , but ore often because none of them do.

By the time I am back at the front the two minutes is almost up and I quickly divide the board into numbered columns, one for each group. AT my signalo ne member from each group runs to the board with the paper and starts writing. It can get a bit chaotic and sometimes two people come. If no one comes from one of the groups I go to them, put the chalk in someone's hand and send him or her to the board.

I give them only one minute to write (getting the whole class to countdown when we reach ten seconds.)

Then I score it. One suggestion that I have seen for scoring is that you give one point for any answer that no other team has. To me this has two disadvantages – first of all it isn't rewarding the work of a group who tried hard and came up with ten answers which other groups aslo came up with. It's demoralising to work hard and still score zero. On a more practical level it becomes very difficult to mark when you have more than three or four groups. My way is quick and easy. I give two points for a correct word correctly spelled and one for a correct word incorrectly spelled. If they have come up with a more obscure job and got a word that could mean it but isn't right (say meat-seller instead of butcher) they also get one point. A word that is wrong gets no points.

As I mark I pause to explain any unusual words they have come up with, give corrected spellings or correct words and discuss any points that are interesting. For example, with “jobs” someone always puts “student” and I explain that this is no points because student isn't a job because no one pays you to be a student.

I write the scores at the top of e column and we have rounds of applause for the winners (and everybody else).

2.

Not all groups need necessarily be writing the same list. In my seasons lesson I allocate group one “words about summer”, group two “words about spring” and so on.

3.

A quicker variation that I use starts off the same way, with groups brainstorming but then, instead of having them come to the board I ask each group in turn to give me one word, which I write on the board. If the group fails to give me a word in five seconds or if they give me a word that's already on the board, they are out. Last group standing is the winner. When we have a winner I then let the whole class shout out more words to add to the list. (Remember the objective here is to make sure they have the vocabulary for whatever task comes next.)

4.

If you have a smaller class and enough space for it another variation (that can become to hectic to manage if you aren't careful) is to get one person from each group to write one word on the board then run back to the desk and give the chalk to someone else in the group to come and write one word... and so on.

5.

A slightly different variant is to make it into an alphabet race.

Write the letters A-Z on the board leaving space to write a word after each one.

Give the groups two minutes to think of a job (or whatever the topic is) beginning with each letter. Then go group to group asking for a job. You can either ask in alphabetical order (“Group one, do you know a job that starts with the letter 'A'?”) or just allow any job for a letter not yet done. Write them on the board as you go.

Note: - If you are going to use this variant make sure before you start that you have a complete list on your lesson plan. It can be hard to think of a job beginning with X on the spur of the moment.

Essentially all these are the same activity but with slight variations in the procedure but they all have the same advantages. They involve the whole class. They are quick to organise. They set up the necessary vocabulary for what you have planned next.