Usefun games

1. Usefun games

2. 1. Swords and Sandals • a gladiator game • Tooltips will guide your way through the specific games, • Create/build up your character • Buy weapons and armour • Defeat gladiators to win experience and gold… and then do it all again. • Your ultimate aim is to defeat all seven arena champions and reign as champion yourself. If you find yourself struggling, try a different strategy. • Good luck, gladiator. • Aim of the game is to play the demo and learn vocabulary about armours and weapons by pushing the enter and leave buttons. • http://www.fizzy.com/games/swords_and_sandals1/play

3. 1. Swords and Sandals • When can you use this in class: in the integration stage after having introduced vocabulary about ancient Roman customs with gladiators, or even about medieval weapons. • Age: as young as possible: in England, this game is played by 6 year olds. I believe our 2nd graders will enjoy this way of starting to learn English. It could be more a boy’s thing.

4. 2. The Tracy sites 2.1 The Ballad Dare • Tracy Beaker is an orphan, living in an orphanage. She says: “Justine has dared me to finish her ballads. I’ll do it easy – peasy – if you help me. If I win the dare, she’s going to have to eat a worm!” • Aim of the game is to finish the 5 verses that rhyme by clicking on the correct word.  e.g. Some people say that I’m no good They reckon I’m just too wild. But when prospective parents come round I pretend I’m meek and _ ____________ • Quiet mild loud Greek http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/games/#game=tracytheballaddare

5. 2.1 The Ballad Dare • When can you use this in class: in the integration stage of a lesson about rhyming words, or even to introduce creative writing, e.g. create your own poem. • Age: again, this game is played by young children in England, so I would use this by the end of the first year, with 14 year olds.

6. 2.2 The Secret Code • Tracy says: “The Dumping Ground is like a prison sometimes. No one gets out without the secret password! Help me solve the riddles to get me out of this place.” • Click on the clues left around Tracy’s cell. Each piece of paper has a riddle to be solved. • Each riddle will give you one letter in the secret password. Click on “Guess the password” when you know what it is. Good luck! e.g. Un-jumble RAPTOR to make a bird With colourful feathers And a voice to be heard! What am I? ------------------- Aim of the game is to solve the clues on the notes and help Tracy escape of her prison by rearranging letters and finding rhyming words.

7. 2.2 The Secret Code • When can you use this in class: in the introduction stage of a vocabulary lesson, to get the pupils eager to participate in learning new words. • Age: this game is played by young children in England, so I would use this in our beginners classes of 2nd grade. http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/games/#game=tracysecretcode

8. 3. Walkie Talkie • “It seems that everybody needs your help today. Your youth club is full of people needing your advice. Navigate your way around to help everyone before making your way out.” • Press space bar, tab or enter for access options. • Aim of the game is to find your way around a dungeon, to answer questions in several rooms, and find the exit again. Depending on the answers you’ve given, you get a personal remark.

9. 3. Walkie Talkie • When can you use this in class: in the introduction stage of a topic as “Hobbies”, “How I spend my free time”, or in the evaluation stage. • Age: 2nd – 3rd grade http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/games/#game=walkietalkie

10. 4. Wild Little Monsters • Welcome to the Little Monsters Pairs game. See if you can match the baby animals with their parents. Click on the baby on the left, then on the parent on the right. Good luck! • Aim of the game is to link the babies to the parents and read the given explanation when you’ve answered correctly. • e.g. Male swans are called cobs and females are known a pens. Swans pair for life, and their babies are called cygnets.

11. 4. Wild Little Monsters • When can you use this in class: in the integration stage after word fields have been introduced concerning the topic • Age: 2nd – 3rd grade http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/games/#game=wildlittlemonsters

12. 5. Roman Mysteries • Can you unlock the final Roman Mystery? • This is a crime investigation game in ancient Rome. It has real people starring instead of drawn pictures. • It takes a while to read through all the clues. More for advanced English understanding.

13. 5. Roman Mysteries • When can you use this in class: this game takes up time, if you use it, I would put it in corner work, extra corner, or as an extra for advanced learners. It requires some knowledge of English. • Age: 4th graders http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/romanmysteries/

14. Car number plates • collect various number plates • the pupils invent a short sentence using words that start with the letters, • e.g.B D D  Bill Dug Deep • Sentences can be written on a paper and shared at the end of the activity. • Variation: do the same with their names • e.g. Petra : Please end this right away!

15. Car number plates • When can you use this in class: in the introduction stage, to start a topic of pronunciation of the alphabet, or in an integration stage of forming words or using words you already know, maybe even in an evaluation stage to use words the pupils have just learned • Age: 2nd grade • 1. Jumpstarting words(visual and cognitive ) p 29

16. Finishing sentences • The pupils have to try to complete sentences  e.g.The old king… The children arrived at the…  e.g. … into the sack. … it was empty!  e.g. … jumped over … … changed into …

17. Finishing sentences • When can you use this in class: in the presentation stage of a topic about prepositions to indicate before, in the middle and behind, or a topic about the structure of a text, with a beginning, a middle and an end. • Age: 3rd – 4th grade • 2. Jumpstarting sentences Finishing sentences (visual and cognitive) p 41

18. Alphabet games • Place alphabets are really a great way to bring the alphabet alive. • The children start off by choosing a place; e.g. the beach, town centre, playground, park, zoo, etc. They then make a list of what each letter did e.g. At the zoo  A asked directions - B built an aquarium - C climbed with the monkeys Additional advantage: practice of the past simple

19. Alphabet games • An alphabet of treats can be quite a fun way of playing with words and having to think hard: e.g. A was abseiling at the local sports centre B was buying an ice cream C was camping out under the stars D was driving a go-cart • additional: practice of the past continuous

20. Alphabet games • When can you use this in class: in the introduction stage, to start a topic of pronunciation of the alphabet, or in an integration stage of forming words or using words you already know, maybe even in an evaluation stage to use words the pupils have just learned • Age: 2nd grade • 3. Jumpstarting writing Alphabet games (auditory and cognitive) p 87

21. Gossip

22. Gossip • In pairs, the pupils stand and imagine there is a fence between them and their partner. • Pretending to lean on the fence, they gossip about what they have learnt in the last unit of work. • They could talk about knowledge gained, skills developed, or their thoughts about how they set about learning.

23. Gossip • a quick and easy verbal activity that can be used at the end of a unit of teaching to reinforce learning. Good for all ages • 4. Jumpstarting learning Gossip (auditory and cognitive) p 151

24. Postcards • You build up acollection of postcards. • The pupils each select a card… and then there are all sorts of ways that these can be used to trigger the imagination at the beginning of a lesson:

25. Postcards • Book cover • Pretend that the card is the cover of a book. Get the pupils to write down the book’s title on their paper. • They should then write down three possible titles and underline the best. • In pairs, the pupils take it in turns to tell their partner what the book is about. • Next ask them to imagine that this card is an illustration from inside a storybook. Can they explain to their partner what is happening? • They should then try to write the first line of the story, followed by the rest of the opening paragraph.

26. Postcards • Wish you were here • Pretend that someone is about to write the postcard. Who is sending it and to whom? • What has just happened to the sender of the card? • Ask the children to imagine they are the sender. On their paper, see if they can write the message they are going to put on the back of the card.

27. Postcards • Similar activities to these can be played using objects: • Who does the object belong to? • Why does it matter to them? • Where did they get it? • Who wants it and why? • What is hidden inside it? • The object witnessed an amazing event – what was it?