CLASSROOM GAMES MADE EASY

engaging learners through collaborative

gaming

Community Language Teachers Conference

Saturday 23rd April 2022

 A LITTLE ABOUT ME
I’ve been teaching for 11 years. As a high school
language teacher
I’ve taught in a range of schools, public, selective
(CAPA and Academic), Catholic (independent All-
Boys), Community sector
I am currently the Language Coordinator at St
Dominic’s College for the past 4 years teaching
Italian and Japanese
I have taught Spanish and Italian at the
Secondary College of Languages for the past 7
years.
I have presented at conferences both here in
Australia and overseas on varying topics
including; games in the classroom, engagement in
the language classroom, summative and
formative assessment tasks and anxiety and
motivation in students for distance learning
language students.
 Go to this link
www.menti.com
Enter the following code
HOW OFTEN DO
YOU PLAY Or you can scan the QR below
GAMES WITH
YOUR STUDENTS
GAMING IN THE CLASSROOM
❖More Motivation
❖By playing games, students become more motivated to learn, pay attention and
participate in set tasks.

❖Controlled Competitiveness
❖By using games in the classroom, students can compete against each other whilst
playing a game, then support each other during other learning activities.

❖Strategy Simulator
❖applying a range of strategies in a game, students can use their working memory to
solve problems, increasing their mental cognition.

❖Peer Positivity
❖Using games in a lesson as part of teaching and learning helps to create positivity
around the lesson, motivating students with their participation and creating a positive
attitude towards learning.

❖Formative Assessment
❖Teachers can use games to assess students in a stress free, supportive environment.
Not only can content be assessed but also how students resolve challenges and work
with others.
 SO HOW CAN I
ENGAGE AND
ENTERTAIN MY
STUDENTS WHILE
TEACHING?
QUICK AND EASY
GAME SET UP
-SPEAKING
QUICK AND EASY GAME SET UP -SPEAKING

Mastermind The Rich List

• Can be done in pairs or with the • Done a class in teams
teacher • Teacher gives topic/theme
• 2 rounds of 2 minutes each • Students in their teams decide how
• Round 1 many vocabulary items they know
• Asked questions on and then bet against other teams till
student’s chosen theme one team wins the list.
• Round 2 • The winning team then need to
• Asked questions on an complete the list to win the points.
unknown theme • If they fail all other teams win the
points instead.
QUICK AND EASY GAME SET UP -SPEAKING

Tongue Twisters He said and then she said

• Can be done in teams or with the • Done as a class (or in teams) to beat
whole class the teacher.
• Teacher presents a series of tongue • Teacher tells a sentence(s) to one
twisters in the target language. student while other students are
• Student either work in teams or as seated separately.
individuals to present the tongue • Students then try and pass the
twisters as perfectly as possible sentence to each member of the class.
• Teacher or students to judge and • Last student to say the sentence(s) to
award points. the teacher to check accuracy
QUICK AND EASY
GAME SET UP
-TRANSLATING
QUICK AND EASY GAME SET UP -TRANSLATING

Autocorrect Fails You be the interpreter

• Can be done in teams or with the • Done in teams of 3.
whole class • Teacher hands out a script to 2
• Teacher hands out passage that has students in the group they are the
autocorrect fails throughout it. speakers.
• Students work to identify the • The 3rd student is the interpreter who
autocorrect fails interprets the conversation back to
• Make it harder – student to fix the the teacher.
autocorrect fails and provide
justification for their decisions.
QUICK AND EASY
GAME SET UP
-VOCABULARY
QUICK AND EASY GAME SET UP -VOCABULARY

Build-a-word Remember the list or story

• Done in teams • Done in or as a class (more difficulty)
• Teacher to determine number of • Scenario is decided and a starting
words required (letter length, theme, phrase is given; Yesterday…, In my
part of speech, etc) school bag I have…
• Student start off with 10 titles. • Students say the starting phrase and
• To get more tiles a student has to then add an item or phrase.
give the teacher something in return • The following student repeats the
(a cultural fact, a list of words, opening phrase, the previous students
answer to a question response and then adds their own
• Team wins when the aim is achieved • Continue till everyone has added.
 WHAT GAME OR
TOPIC CAN YOU USE
THESE GAMES WITH
WHAT GAME CAN YOU DO?
Topics:
• Colours
• Direction
• Body parts

Make it harder
• If you fall you must sing head,
shoulders, knees and toes
• Time limit to make movement

• Can buy a $5 version at K-mart

WHAT GAME CAN YOU DO?
Topics:
• Physical appearances
• Nationalities (change cards)
• Animals (change cards)

Make it harder
• Time limit to make movement
• Teacher descriptions of cards

• Can buy a $5 version at K-mart

WHAT GAME CAN YOU DO?
Different colours can be
• Vocabulary
• Grammar
• Structures
• Cultural facts

Make it harder
• Time limit to make movement
• Level of information required

• Can buy a $5 version at K-mart

WHAT GAME CAN YOU DO?
• Questioning techniques
• New vocabulary
• Rooms of the house
• Items
• people
OTHER GAMES WHICH CAN BE USED (BOARD GAMES)
 What game can you
create from the following;
• Coloured blocks
• Numbered blocks
• Flashcards
• Items
• Counters
• Mini-whiteboards

You need to state the topic

and how you could
DESIGN A GAME differentiate for learners.
 • Have students get into even
groups
•Number students
•Give students the items
required
•State in the target language
“student number 2 bring
me…. (name item)
•First student to bring it to
you gets a point for their
group

GAME #1 – BRING ME
GAME #1 – BRING ME
Topics: Make it harder:
•School items • Add items
•Food • describe the item don’t
•Colours say it
•Numbers •Students can’t talk
•Take the game outside
 •Split students in groups
• Students play the same way
that jenga does however
game changes depending on
topic and version played

GAME #2 –JENGA
GAME #2 –JENGA
Conversational Jenga Coloured Jenga
• Number the blocks 1-48 •Colour the blocks
• Prepare questions on a variety of topics •Each colour represents a topic or
or the one topic. grammar aspect
•when students pull out a block the •when students pull out a block the
student must answer the question student must answer a word or sentence
associated associated with the colour.
•If it’s correct move the block if wrong, •If it’s correct move the block if wrong,
then the block goes back then the block goes back
 • Teacher needs to create
flashcards
• Games options are endless

GAME #3 - FLASHCARDS
GAME #3 - FLASHCARDS
Snap Tournament What’s Similar?
• Students are in pairs • Teacher splits students into groups
• Students stand opposite each other with the •Hand cards out
cards in front of them
•Students need to figure out what the cards
•Students stand straight with hand behind have in common and split them into groups
their backs
• For example; boys and girls, physical
• The teacher say the card (colour, item, etc) appearance (hair), age, etc
• First student to hit the correct card wins the Make it harder
card.
• Needs to be what the teacher was thinking
• Student with the most cards wins’
• You can have a tournament with the class
 • Think of the topic you want
to use
• Find items which relate to
the topic
• Place students in groups
• students can either name the
item or association with the
item

GAME #4 – WHAT’S IN THE BOX

 • Students are split into groups
• Teacher hand out box and answer sheet
• Students to provide answers for the
items in the box depending on the
description of the game

GAME #4 – WHAT’S IN Version 1 – What is the item?

THE BOX • Students name the items in the box

Version 2 – Associations
• Students write what the item represents
or is related to depending on the topic
•Make it harder;
•Students need to write what the
teacher was thinking.
 COMBINING
ACTIVITIES TO MAKE
THE ULTIMATE GAME
 ❖There were 6 activities that were determined by the roll of
the dice.
❖Students were in teams (chosen by students pulling
coloured blocks from a jar)
❖The following equipment was placed on their desks
❖A dice
❖A mini-whiteboard
❖A whiteboard marker
❖The empty puzzle

THE ULTIMATE ❖Things they had to collect at different points in the games
❖Letter titles

GAME ❖The riddle

❖The tongue twisters
❖The puzzle pieces
❖The region cards
❖Verb flashcards
❖Students rolled the dice and then completed the activity
listed next to that number
❖When completed they would show the teacher who would
give them a bag of puzzle pieces.
❖Students roll again and complete the next activity. They
can only do the activities once they roll that number.
❖Aim is to finish the puzzle.
 Activities were
❖Solve the riddle (written in the target language) (reading and
logic, problem solving)
❖Say the tongue twister 3 times to your teacher’s expectation
(speaking and pronunciation)
❖Order the region cards from smallest to largest in area (culture)

THE ULTIMATE ❖Find the verbs that match your numbers and write a sentence with
each one. (writing)
GAME ❖Find the word (in target language) based on the letter tiles given
(vocabulary)
❖Match the verb endings to the tenses and write a definition of each
tense given. (grammar)

For listening Students were given audio clues to where to find 2

bags of puzzle pieces which they had to go and find.
THE ULTIMATE GAME
 Twitter hash tags to follow
RESOURCES #MFLTwitterati
#languagegames
Books to read #langchat
CONTACT DETAILS
Simone Baluch
[email protected] / [email protected]

@SimoneBaluch