Games



Playing games in the classroom are important to not only release tension or take a break from everyday classroom routines, but to introduce or reinforce skills and concepts. With classroom games students are engaged while reviewing information from science and social studies or my favorite vocabulary. Just about any game can be revised to suit a classroom needs. My favorites have been Jeopardy to review social studies and science or concentration to review vocabulary. The two games below are great for ESL and ELL students to review vocabulary words from different subject and to expand English vocabulary. The following games are from [|Fun English Games] a website with resources dedicated to the ESL classroom.

Materials
 * Activity 1: Pictionary **
 * Index cards
 * Whiteboard and dry erase markers or chalk board and chalk

1. Before play, teacher makes up cards. There should be 4 sets of 10 cards which will be base in difficulty level. For example, one set for easy words, one set for medium words, etc. Words can be base on vocabulary words or to review parts of speech, nouns, verbs, etc depending on grade level. 2. Split the class into groups base on number of children, language proficiency, and/or academic level. 3. Groups can guess a number, roll dice, or do Paper, Rock, Scissors, to decide to go first. A student from a group comes up and picks a category from a set of cards (easy, medium, hard, and difficult). He/she sees the card then begins drawing. Students will have one minute to draw. Students from that team guess the word while the others are silent. 4. Continue the process until a team gets a total of 10 points or a point system of choice.


 * Activity 2: Linking Letters with Words **

This game can be best played when students are in a circle or some type of formation. The teacher will begin by saying a word, then the first student will think of a new words that begins with the last letter of your word. This process will keep going with the next student thinking of a word that begins with the ending letter of the previous word said.

Example:

Teacher: Ca**t**

Student: __T__o**p**

Student: __P__ape**r**

Student: __R__ead

The catch is for students to think quickly and not repeat any word that was already said.

<span style="font-family: 'Bookman Old Style',serif; font-size: 12pt;">Game can be adapted to categories/topics such as words about sports, or foods, or nouns, etc.