This is just a quick one – good for a filler or for telling students to do on their own at home.

It’s an entertaining version of the popular TV show – the questions are, on the whole, relevant to English teaching, although some are US-culture specific

Play Win A Million at Online Games HQ

Or download a powerpoint template of the game from here ‘Who wants to be a millionaire’ download

Tweet this!

1  Decorate

Do your learners know their furniture vocab?  Have your pre-intermedaite learners practice their listening and reading skills as they furnish Roger’s flat.  Great for 1:1 learner/ computer ratio classes or set as a fun homework activity.  Learners read the speech bubbles and listen to Roger tell them how he wants his flat furnished.  Vocabulary sets include furniture, colours and patterns.

2    Sveerz

This is a musical arcade game which is a cross between Tetris and simon says.  It’s great for drilling colours with a primary class in open class.  Simply play the game at the front of the class and have your learners sitting in front of the game shouting out the colours.  You play the game by clicking the colours they shout.  When they know how to play get a volunteer up to take your place at the keyboard.

3    Arcane season

Use the great video sequences, nice special sound effects and what the in-game characters say to stimulate a creative writing activity with an upper intermediate and beyond class.  The good thing about this?  Just click here for a more comprehensive lesson plan.

4    Hot shot business

Disney scored a bit of a hit with this game.  Listen to the two presenters and in game newsflashes as you open your own skateboard retailers, comic shop or pet shop.  Learners can read the speech bubbles as they listen for extra support.  Some nice arcade style games breaks give learners a short break from language and they keep the adrenalin level up.

5    Case of the crabs

This is a point and click game which is great to use with a walkthrough class activity.  Admittably the sound effects are more there to add atmosphere rather than provide some skills practice but it’s still a nice little game.  The opening sequence allows learners to read and listen to the storyline.  Click here for the walkthrough.  Read out the walkthrough, relay dictation from the teacher’s computer screen or tell learners where to access it.

6    Mingoville

Fun English learning games, grammar and songs all with flamingos that speak English.  A popular one with Primary English learners though the activities are very much based on drilling language items.  If this is the thing for you and your learners then set this up at the front of the class.

7    Stage 07

A very engaging point and click adventure game you can use with a walkthrough.  Choose how you interact with the in game characters to solve a mystery.  Both Listening and reading skills practice.  Great for pair work in the computer room for intermediate English learners and above.  Click here for the walkthrough.

8    voki

This website allows you to create personalized speaking avatars and use them on blogs, profiles, and in email messages.  Get students to record themselves talking about their voki avatars – likes/ dilikes, habits and daily routines are all good areas to cover.

9    Cuboy

Lots of audio for your learners to listen to and they can also read the text with the in game characters’ speech bubbles.  Nice little game with lots of puzzles to solve.  Use the walkthrough to help your learners.  Click here for the walkthrough.

10    Hewitt

Help Hewitt to find a girl for the school dance. This game takes a minute or so to load so be warned.  Use YOUR MOUSE to play the game and make sure you read the instructions to the tutorial at the beginning of game.  Click here if you want the walkthrough.

Tweet this!

Language Focus: Present Perfect simple /passive

Time: 30 – 40 minutes

Game:Droppy

Help Droppy to solve problems in 11 different situations and help him stay out of trouble.

Preparations

Download a single copy of the walkthrough for you to use in class and download a copy of the Droppy worksheet. Play the game yourself to get a feel for the game. In class have the game set up at the beginning ready to start and in a place where can be easily seen. Download the present perfect passive exercise sheet for extra language support for lower levels.

NOTE The majority of sentences in the walkthrough are in the present perfect simple but it is possible to produce a present perfect passive structure and still be correct. Be aware that learners may produce grammatically correct sentences that are part of the language focus but that are not included on the walkthrough sheet.

Playing

Hand out a copy of the Droppy worksheet to your learners. Ask them to compare the picture they have on their worksheet with the game on the screen. In pairs, ask them to find as many differences as possible between the two. While they are doing this write this on the board:

The rock on the ground has been moved.

He the top of the cactus has been cut off.

Droppy has put a hat on.

Feedback on any differences the learners have found. Get them to connect the differences to the three sentences on the board. Ask a volunteer to come up and complete this level of the screen.

When the first level has been completed and the game level menu is up tell your learners you now want them to talk about the differences but write down what has happened by comparing their picture with the game on the screen. The first pair to finish should say stop. They then read out their present perfect passive/ simple sentences and you tick them off against your walkthrough. If the pair have identified all elements of your walkthrough, one of them can come up and play the game to the next level. If they have failed to identify all elements of the walkthrough then you should give them clues on where to find them.

e.g.

In the 6th level (roasting marshmallows) Droppy has to get a magnifying glass out of his bag to use the suns rays to start a fire. This is not apparent from the learner’s picture. You can give clues like:

“What do you notice about what has happened to his bag!”

When the magnifying glass comes out you can ask:

“Has anyone seen this object before? What have you used it for?”

Notice how the questions use the present perfect. You can then tell them what the object is “It’s a magnifying glass”.

Repeat for all 11 stages of the game.

Post Playing

Learners use the present perfect to write their version of the Droppy walkthrough (either in class or for homework but you will need extra copies of the droppy worksheet, one for each learner, if you do this). When they have finished they compare their walkthroughs with others and discuss the differences.

NOTE

This activity can be easily adapted to Present Perfect passive by changing the object in the present perfect sentences to the subject.

e.g.

‘He has made a fire’ to ‘A fire has been made’.

Tweet this!

Skills Focus:   Listening

Language Focus:   First Aid

Game:   Casualty Challenge

Help your learners practise their listening skills in the computer room with this BBC Skillswise words game based on the UK TV Programme “Casualty”.

Preparation

Make sure that there are enough computers and headphones for your learners and that the game is either ready for them to start or that you can successfully guide them to the website.

Pre- Playing

Dictate the following questions in chunks ‘/’ and as naturally as possible:

1) What kind of things/ does a paramedic/ have to do/ at the scene of an accident?

2) On arrival at the hospital/ how does a doctor/ take over?

3) How might the nurses/ help get the patient/ back into shape?

Learners discuss the questions and feedback before playing the games.

Play

Learners listen to the descriptions of first aid proceedure for a paramedic,  a doctor and a nurse and then move pictures of the proceedures they have just listened to into the correct order.  They have three chances.  If your learners are extra keen then get them to note down any difficult language.

Post Play

In class ask them how they did, if they have any questions about the language, what they remember and what they have learnt from playing the game.

Tweet this!

An EVOKE is defined as an urgent call to innovative solutions to real life problems.  In the same way that EVOKE is calling for gamers to solve in-game problems which could then be applied to real world strategies.   Think of the gamers as parts of a huge organic computer brain being set the task of solving problems facing Africa within the context of an online ARG.

The game targets Africa and aims to look into using playfulness and gaming as a tool for solving the bigger issues facing the world today, such as “hunger, poverty, disease, war and oppression, water access, education, climate change”.

Could this game as a languguage learning tool?  Such a game could not only have great potential within the TEFL context for motivating language learners but ARGs have had a fair share of success stories already.  The European Union ran an Education Project called ‘Babel Tower’ aimed at Secondary school language learners from around the world.  This was part of their ARGuing for Multilingual Multivation Project and was rated as a huge success.

ARGs run prior to Evoke have included Superstruct and World without oil and Superstruct which reached ‘Game Over’ status in 2008 and 2009 respectively.

To learn more about the EVOKE Alternate Reality Game project then visit the official website, Watch the trailer, or read up on the game story so far by checking out the graphic novel storyline.

So why not Make Life a Game and Change The World?

Tweet this!

Topic: Border Country

Speaking  Focus: Expressing opinions

Time: 30 – 45 minutes

Game: Against all odds

Preparation

You also need to go through a few steps after entering the site before you can get to play the game.  The steps are:

1) Click on Open in full screen.

2) Click on Play against all odds.

3) Choose your game characters identity.  i.e one of the characters (use the left right arrow to move between the characters) and write in a name before clicking on No! Play without registering.

4) Click on the number 1 in the Border Country box.

Playing

Tell your learners to write a list of what they think each building is.  Hover mouse over each building that gets highlighted.  Allow 30 seconds for each one.  Encourage learners to discuss what each place represents for the refugee.  Go back and click on each building left to right.  Let learners read and discuss options.  Follow learners instructions.  Play again if the game ends.  The correct option is the church on the far right.

Follow the learner’s guidelines and play as they instruct you to do so.  Try and keep the pace quite fast.

Learners work in pairs and have to decide on whether an individual is an immigrant or a refugee.  They make a note of their name and reasons for their decision.  Learners then find others who disagree with them and discuss their reasons.

Allow time for learners to read the options and in pairs discuss which option they would choose.  Then discuss the which option to choose in open class.  Vote and choose the winning option.

Post Play

Write a composition on some of the topics or issues raised in class from playing the game.

Discuss the game in open class.

Role play one of the sequences from the game.

Write a short story based on the experience of the character in the game.

Write some advice using ’should’ to the character in the game.

Tweet this!

Topic: War & Conflict

Speaking  Focus: Expressing opinions

Time: 30 – 45 minutes

Game: Against all odds

Against All Odds is an online video game developed by UNHCR designed to teach players about the plight of refugees.  This first episode entitled ‘War and conflict’ looks at the problems faced by dissidents within a country where the military has just taken power.

Preparation

You need to go through a few steps after entering the site before you can get to play the game.  The steps are:

1) Click on Open in full screen.

2) Click on Play against all odds.

3) Choose your game characters identity.  i.e one of the characters (use the left right arrow to move between the characters) and write in a name before clicking on No! Play without registering.

4) Click on the number 1 in the War and Conflict box.

Playing

In pair learners look at the statements and discuss reasons why they should/ shouldn’t tick  yes/ no.  When you judge that the activity has finished take a class vote on where to put the tick.  There is a short text on the next screen and if you see fit to discuss the facts here or language feel free.  Try to keep the pace of the activity up while allowing enough time for learners to discuss the statements.

In open class ask what problems citizens might have in an oppressive regime.

In pairs learners look at the objects in the room and try to remember them.  When the 2 minutes are up they write a list of objects they remember and then discuss what items they would take and why.  Move pairs into groups of 4.  Compare lists and discuss which items they should take.  Continue pyramid discussion until class decides on which objects they would take.  The class tells a learner who plays the game what to pack.  Is there enough room?

This is an hand-eye co-ordination game so just ask a volunteer to come to the front of the class and play the game.  The class can help by giving directions.  If they fail at any point in the game then ask for a different volunteer to step up and play the game.  Before they come up ask them how they will play the game differently.

Any text that appears that requires a decision to be made should be discussed in open class.

Learners look at the different options and discuss the pros and cons of each different method of fleeing the country.  Take a class vote and then click on the option they decided on.  If they choose an option that’s not open to them tell them there is in fact only one correct answer.  In groups they discuss which one and why.  Allow time for learners to read text and ask them if they know why that route may not have been good.  In fact, the truck is the only option they can take.  Go through the ‘truck’ dilemmas allowing groups to discuss and vote on each option.

Post Play

Write a composition based on topics and issued raised while playing the game.

Discuss the game in open class.

Role play one of the sequences from the game.

Write a short story based on the experience of the character in the game.

Tweet this!

Suggestions on how to use it

• Ask your learners to think about games they know and their stories – Are the stories important? Could they be better?
• Get the learners to tell each other a story from a game to see how easy it is
• Play the video and ask the learners to write down any comments that people say they think are interesting
• You do the same and then write these comments on the board and continue the discussion
• Finally, ask them if they think things will change in the future (i.e stories will become more important to games)

Tweet this!

Level: Intermediate+

Topic: Kitchen vocabulary

Speaking Focus: Describing things in a kitchen

Time: 30 minutes

Game: The Great Kitchen Escape

The Great kitchen escape game is a great ‘ecape the room’ game which comes with a video walkthrough on youtube.

Key Language:kettle, cupboard, mixer, beater, radio, dial, batteries, fridge,  freezer, power cord, bowl, parrot, feather, tickle, dog collar, sink, fill up, switch on, plug it in, pour, knife, hammer, drill

Preparation

In the computer room decide which computers will have the video and which the game.  This can either be side by side or one side of the room the game and the other side the video walkthrough.

There is also some key vocabulary that will either have to be pre-taught or dealt with reactively when the playing activity is in progress.

Playing

Tell  learners that they will do this activity in pairs.  One  watches the video (they can use pause when they want and rewind) and relays how to complete the game to their partner . The learner playing the game can ask their partner, who is watching the video, any questions they like about the instructions he is giving (in English of course) This may be to clarify, repeat or make sure they have understood. After a few minutes the learner watching the video swaps places with their partner playing the game.

Post playing

For homework learners watch the video and write the walkthrough using the key language items.

Tweet this!

Topic: Describing pictures

Language Focus: Prepositions of place

Time: 20 – 30 minutes

Game: Cold window

Opening screenshot to Cold Window

Preparation

Cut up some pieces of recycled paper into strips.  These will be used by your learners to write sentences on.

Playing

In a connected classroom, learners play in pairs or in small teams.  Put the game on the board and tell the learners that they have to look at the two different pictures.  If they can see a difference they have to write what it is down on the pieces of paper and come and give it to you.  You will only accept the sentence if it is grammatically correct and the game accepts it too.  Use code correction on any mistakes and hand the sentence back for the learners to try again.  If the sentence is grammatically correct and it’s a difference in the game (click on the difference) then sign the piece of paper.  When you declare the game over the winners are the ones with the most pieces of paper with your signature on.

e.g.

In the picture on the right there is a clock on the building and on the right there isn’t.

There are two windows on the side of the first building and only one on the building in the other picture.

Play plus

In between the spot the difference pictures you get short pieces of text that tell a story of the character in the pictures.  Give learners the chance to correct any of the mistakes for extra bonus points

e.g.

I had just moved into an old house.

where the rent was cheap.

a bit remote.

Post play

Learners tell the story of the character in the spot the difference pictures.

Tweet this!