Difference between revisions of "Elementary School Activities"

Revision as of 10:10, 6 August 2013

Sorted by topic / grammar point

ABC's

ABC Karuta

Time: 10-15 min?
Materials: Alphabet card (approx 6 sets) paper is ok. Be prepared to lose cards each time you play.
Notes

Students do this game in 'Lunch Groups.' Depending on the size of your school and size of the classes this can be anywhere from 4-7 groups. Ask your teachers before hand. Lunch group in Japanese (han).

Make enough sets of Alphabet cards for each group. Then write the letters of the Alphabet on the board. Call out one letter at a time and when the students hear this letter they grab for the corresponding card. The first to hit the card keeps it. As you say the letters erase or circle the letter you have just called on the board. I find circling works better, but this is up to you. This way the students can double check to see which of the letters you have called. Ex: B and V sound the same to them. With the 6th graders I like to leave similar sounding letters untill last. Ex A, B,C,D,E,G,P,T,V, and Z. Using easy to differentiate letters at the beginning builds confidence and the difficulty at the end helps to build the excitement level.

For the last letter, or the last few letters, have students put their hand on their heads, or straight in the air. In between saying letters I found that saying "the next letter is...." gets the students to quiet down and listen attentively for the next letter.

Backwards Bingo

Time: 20 min
Materials: Chalk in at least two diff colors. and premade bingo cards
Notes

This is an activity for upper level Elementary school student. I have used this game for grades 4-6 and it works well for all three. I usually precede this game with a review of the letters, singing of the ABC song and with a game of Karuta. This game is the last game of my lesson. The bingo sheets I've created have three parts. Part one A place for the students to write their names Part two tracing practice. To the right of the bingo squares itself there should be a section where letters are written with dashes that the students can trace over. Like so... A (regular) A (dashes) B (reg) B (dashes) etc. Students complete this, if time permits, before starting to fill in the bingo squares. Part three A bingo sheet with 16 squares. Tell the students to write in their favorite letters. After all the students have filled in their cards explain the idea of Backwards bingo. Basically in this game, the last student not to get Bingo wins. Explain with gestures like "Bingo is bad" thumbs down or "if you get bingo you are out!!" baseball gestures and "No Bingo means you are safe" more baseball gestures The way that the letters are chosen for the Bingo game is by going down each row and asking each students, one by one to choose a letter not on their Bingo sheet. This creates a comptetive atmosphere and really gets the kids excited. Ask periodically who has Bingo and who has no Bingo. Continue till one or two are left.

Action Words

Gestures

Time: 5 min
Materials: none
Notes

ALT makes animal gestures or does simple actions (eating, drinking, sleeping, etc.) and the students have to guess. The first student to guess correctly gets to come up and do the next one.

Variation: Students are in teams and the first team to guess correctly gets a point. ALT does all gestures.

Body Parts

Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes

Times: 5-8 min
Materials: CD with music (optional)
Notes

Practice slowly a few times, then go faster and faster. Then have students close their eyes and ALT calls out body parts out of order. If students make a mistake they're out. As students learn more body part vocabulary, add these words.

Bandages

Time: 15 min
Materials: Toilet paper
Notes

Split the students into groups and give each a roll of toilet paper. One student in each group is the "patient" and the others are "doctors". The ALT calls out a body part and the students race to get that part "bandaged" first.

Variation: Use when teaching clothing and have the students make a toilet paper version on the "model".

Face Race

Time: 10 mins
Materials: Dice, for each team or individual
Notes

A face, or body is drawn on the board, parts are labeled 1-6 (or 1-12 for 2 dice). Teams, or individuals must roll the dice, and draw the corresponding part. The first team to roll all the numbers and complete the drawing wins.

Colors

Run and Touch

Time: 10-15 mins
Materials: None
Notes

Call out a color and students must run to find something in the classroom that is that color.

Variation: The last student to find a color is out.

Directions

Blindfold Directions Game

Time: Whole class period
Materials
- Places Flashcards (Supermarket, School, Post Office, Station)
- Arrow flashcards (Straight, Back, Left, Right), Two blindfolds
Procedure

Warm-up - whatever kind of warm-up you usually do
Tell them the topic of the day is "Michi annai" and teach the word Directions
Practice place words
Learn "Where is the_______?"
Learn Directions "Go straight turn right"
Have them practice in pairs.
Split the class into two and have the students push their desks against the wall and sit on the floor.
ask for two Volunteers to demonstrate. Have them do Janken and have the winner choose if they want to give or listen to directions "Oshieru ka kiku" Blindfold the one who will listen to directions
Have the class say "where is the 'School'" and then place the school flashcard somewhere around the room.
the student who can see will guide the other student using English as best they can.
Once the students understand have one pair from each team come to the front and repeat. Give points to whichever team gets to the destination first.

Recommendations: Sitting on the floor means that students will get into pairs with their friends and are likely to have more fun with it.

Vary up where the cards are being put and where the students start from. The most fun versions I've found is holding the card in my hands and as soon as the students get close I move - hilarity ensues. Also putting the card on the floor or on top of a students head gets a pretty hilarious response.

Numbers

Number Groups/Molecules

Time: 5-10 min
Materials: Number flashcards (optional)
Notes

ALT calls out a number and students must form groups with that many people. ALTs and JTEs can play to get group numbers right.

Body Shapes

Time: 10-15 min
Materials: number/alphabet flashcards
Notes

Students get into groups of 4 or 5. ALT calls out a number or letter and students must use their bodies to make the shape of the letter. The first team to do so gets a point.

Days of the Week

Weekday Card Collector

Time: 10-20 min
Materials: Small Days of the Week Cards
Notes

All students start with 3 different cards (each with a different day of the week on it). Students play rock/paper/scissors in pairs. The winner gets to request a day of the week that they don't yet have from the loser. The first student to collect all 7 days of the week wins. For an in depth rundown of the game click Weekday Card Collector.

Self Introduction

Stopwatch Game

Time: 3-5 mins
Materials: Stopwatch
Notes

Students greet 3 others, then sit down. When all are seated, stop the clock.

What's Your Name

Time: 5-7 min
Materials: Genki CD
Notes

Students do self-intro with 4 others in the song.

Janken with ALT

Time: 5 min
Materials: Stickers, flashcards (optional)
Notes

Students line up on the opposite side of the room from the ALT. All janken with ALT; winners take a step forward, ties and losers don't move. When students reach the ALT, they have to name a flashcard or greet the ALT or just get a sticker.

Time

What Time is it Mr. Wolf?

Time: 10-15 min
Materials: Genki CD (optional)
Notes

Students line up along one side of the room with the ALT on the other side. Students ask, "What time is it?" and the students take the same number of steps as the time the ALT says. Once the students get closer, the ALT answers "It's dinner time!" and tries to tag one of the students. The tagged student then becomes the wolf.

Vocab

Karuta

Time: 10 min
Materials: Flashcards, flyswatters (optional)
Notes

Play after teaching/reviewing vocabulary (colors, animals, etc.). Variations: Flyswatter, run and touch.

Boat Race

Time: 10-15 min
Materials: Two sets of identical flashcards
Notes

Get students into two lines and lay out the flashcards in front of the first person. After a card is called, the students pass it back while saying what it is. The last student has to run to the ALT and say what the card is. First team to finish gets a point.

Walls and Corners

Time: 10-15 min
Materials: Flashcards
Notes

Place flashcards around the room. ALT closes eyes and counts to 10 and the students run to whichever card they like. ALT calls a card and all students standing by that card are out. This can be modified for older students, using whole sentences, instead of just the vocab, can put the word in a sentence. e.g. "I'm going to the park"

Variation: Make two teams. Place 'place name' flashcards around the room. Place 'vehicle' flash cards on the floor, one set for each team. ALT says "I take the bus to school" One member from each team then races to find the correct vehicle card, and take it to the correct place card location. The fastest team gets a point.

I Like Pink Fish

Time: 15 min
Materials: Color flashcards and another set of flashcards
Notes

Lay out two sets of flashcards, leaving the two sets apart so the students can tell the difference. Students form two lines and when the ALT says "Go!", the first ones have to run and grab two cards, one from each pile. The first to correctly identify both gets a point.

Variations: Students must say "I like [color] [animal/fruit/etc.]."

Red Rover

Time: 10-15 min
Materials: Flashcards
Notes

Students line up along one side the room and are assigned a color/fruit/animal/etc. The ALT stands in the middle of the room and calls out one of the words. The assigned students have to run to the other side of the room without getting tagged by the ALT.

Fruit Basket

Time: 15-20 min
Materials: Flashcards, color necklaces (optional)
Notes

Students form a circle with chairs and are assigned a color/fruit/animal/etc, at least two students per word. ALT stands in the middle of the circle and calls out a word and the assigned students have to jump up and change seats. Whoever is left without a seat has to call out the next word.

Ball and Music

Time: 10-15 min
Materials: Flashcards, ball or stuffed animal, music CD
Notes

Students get into a circle and pass (not throw!) a ball around while the music plays. When the music stops, whoever is holding the ball has to name the flashcard the ALT shows and repeat it 5 times. Then all students say it.

Circle Race

Time: 10-15 min
Materials: Flashcards, stopwatch
Notes

Students get into a circle. One student has a stack of flashcards. When the ALT says "Go!", the student picks up the first card, says the word, and passes it to the next student, who has to say the word and pass it. Repeat until all the cards have been used. When finished, stop the clock. Variation: Students get into two smaller circles and race against each other.

Bingo

Time: 15-20 min
Materials: Bingo sheets, pencils/markers, flashcards
Notes

Students fill in their bingo sheets with relevant vocabulary and the ALT calls out words. Play until everybody has bingo. Give out stickers.

Super Mega Janken

Time: 10 min
Materials: Flashcards
Notes

Get students into two lines facing each other and lay the flashcards face down in a line between the them. The first student in each line starts at their end of the flashcards and turns over the card and says the word. When the two meet, they janken. Winner goes forward, loser has to go back and the next person in line starts over at the first card. First team to get to the end of the line of cards gets a point.

Duck, Duck, Goose

Time: 5-10 min
Materials: None
Notes

Students form a circle. One student is "it" and goes around the circle tapping each student as a duck (or color/animal/fruit/etc.). Whoever is tagged as the goose has to chase the tapper around. If the tapper is tagged, he goes in the middle.

Pictionary

Time: 10 min
Materials: Chalk, blackboard
Notes

ALT draws a picture based on the relevant vocabulary and the first student to guess correctly gets to come up and draw the next one. Variation: Students are in teams and the first team to guess correctly gets a point. ALT draws all pictures.

Musical Chairs

Time: 5-10 min
Materials: Music CD, flashcards (optional)
Notes

Students form a circle with chairs, but have one fewer chairs than students. Play music and students walk around chairs. When music stops, students sit, and whoever doesn't have a seat is out and also has to say a vocabulary word.

Variation: Put flashcards in a circle (same number as students) and have students walk around them while music plays. When music stops, call out a word and the student by that card is out.

Categorize Me

Time: 10 min
Materials: Flashcards
Notes

Give students cards that fall into various categories like animals, fruits, sports, etc. Then have them find other people in their category. Try to have an equal number in each category to avoid confusion.

Hide and Find

Time: 10 min
Materials: Flashcards
Notes

Have the students close their eyes, then hide pre-taught flashcards around the room. Once all are hidden, tell the students to open their eyes. Call out a flashcard and the students have to run around the room to find it.

Slap

Time: 10 min
Materials: Flashcards
Notes

Split the students into two teams. Have them line up one behind the other. The ALT sits at the front of the line. The ALT announces a keyword, then turns the flashcards face up one by one. When the correct card is flipped, the first student in each line tries to slap the card first.

What's Missing?

Time: 5 min
Materials: Flashcards
Notes

Put all the flashcards up on the black board, or lay them out on the floor. Have students close their eyes. Take one or two cards away. Students must identify the missing cards

Secret Word

Time: 10 min
Materials: Erasers, one for each pair
Notes

Make pairs of students. Students place an eraser between them. ALT announces the 'secret word'. Have the students repeat the secret word. The ALT then says random vocabulary, when the ALT says the 'secret word' students try to grab the eraser before their partner does.

Pointing Games

Time: 10 min
Materials: Sheet with pictures corresponding to vocab for the day, best for 9-16 vocab
Notes

Make the students sit in pairs or groups of 3, each group needs one sheet. Have students ask a question, in relation to vocab, for example, sports; Students ask "what sport do you like/play?", the teacher or ALT answers "I like/play volleyball". Students point to the corresponding picture. The fastest student in each group gets a point.

Variation: For students who aren't so great, a nice variation is to make the fastest person keep their finger on the squares/pictures they've 'won'. They can only use one hand, it gives slower kids a chance to catch up, since it gets harder the more they get right. It ends up looking like a mini game of twister, and the kids seem to enjoy it.

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@@ Line 2: / Line 2: @@
 ==ABC's==
-===Body Shapes===
+[[Body Shapes]]
-*'''Time''': 10-15 min
-*'''Materials''': number/alphabet flashcards
-*'''Notes'''
-Students get into groups of 4 or 5. ALT calls out a number or letter and students must use their bodies to make the shape of the letter. The first team to do so gets a point.
 ===ABC Karuta===