Communicative games for presentation and practice
of
new language
Rosemary Bevis, Independant Consultant
Activities to present and reinforce language should
be fun but challenging and should follow a deliberate progression.
Children listen to the new language, in association with music,
touch, gesture, action or visual aids. They show understanding of
the language through their response. They learn the language
through repetition, practising it in chorus, songs and games. They
progress to group or pair activities. When ready, they progress to
speaking as a volunteer in front of the class.
Once children are thoroughly familiar with the language in its
spoken form, teachers can present it in written form using large
text cards or the interactive whiteboard. Children can then
progress through familiarisation games and activities. Many of the
activities suggested here are suitable for practising reading and
writing.
Many daily classroom activities can also be used to reinforce
the foreign language, including favourite counting games, e.g.
‘Fizz-buzz’, and other mental Maths; PE warm-ups; playing board
games; making craft items such as a Victorian toy, greeting cards,
masks or ‘Fortune teller’.
The games
Build-up
Introduce a few new items – repeat the first flashcard or real item
with the children, add one more, repeat from the beginning,
continue in this way. Next ask the children to repeat the items out
of order, in a whisper, a shout or silly voice, or building up to a
crescendo; be happy, sad, angry, etc; ‘mouth’ or provide half
phrases. When introducing sentences, start at the end of a sentence
and build up backwards.
Indicate
When you name an item, the
children point to it. Children then progress to saying the item as
you point to it.
Mexican wave
Children perform the wave around the room or group, each child
saying one part of a short sequence of vocabulary, such as three or
four numbers, or a question and answer, e.g. 13/14/13/14;
janvier/février/mars; Qu’est ce/que/c’est?/C’est/un
stylo (last child in this sequence chooses any item to hold up
and say).
Fruit Salad (and other circle games)
Children
are seated in a circle on chairs, with one chair missing; each
child is named after an item of vocabulary, e.g. numbers, colours
or classroom items (use six to eight items). When the teacher or a
child in the middle of the circle calls an item, all those named
change places. When ‘Fruit salad’ is called, all change places.
Progress to saying a sentence containing the relevant item.
Hide it
Hide an item while a pupil is out of the room, the class then gives
audio clues to help retrieval, e.g. sing a song or count softer or
louder; chant chaud, froid.
Kim’s game
Identify the one item removed
from the room – facing away from the class, or stuck up a child’s
jumper. Variation: all flashcards face away (they can be labelled
A–F if on the board), the class can have only one chance to guess
each card.
Guess
Show a small corner of a flashcard, show it upside down, in an
envelope or through a peephole or give only a quick flash. Children
guess the item. Guess the card on top of a pile or held behind the
teacher’s back.
Simon says
You give an instruction, the children mime it; you could eventually
progress through the following route:
- you hold up a picture or demonstrate a mime – the class must say
it;
- you show a text card, children perform instructions or hold up a
matching picture;
- you give instructions, children hold up matching text
cards;
- a child gives an instruction;
- children prepare and then conduct a sequence of actions.
By numbers
Number off the children and
have them respond to actions by their numbers, e.g. Les numéros
six – levez la main!.
Aerobics
Build up a routine of different actions numbered 1–10 (or 20).
Progress to:
- showing the number out of order, the class performs the correct
action and vice versa;
- volunteers perform the above;
- children test each other in teams;
- children test each other in pairs.
Guess the mime
Show a card or whisper
something secretly to a child, who mimes it for the class to guess
– they must say it or point to the correct item or text card.
- Variation 1: half the class mimes an action or item for the other
half to guess.
- Variation 2: working in groups of three, A chooses an item or
phrase and whispers it to B who mimes it to C, who repeats the
phrase to A. If C is successful it is then C’s turn to begin (this
can be adapted to more players, e.g. D writes it for A)
- Variation 3: working in pairs, one chooses a card to mime, using
hands only.
Show me
Groups have sets of items, first
group to show the item specified by the teacher gets the point;
progress to individuals using number fans or digit cards or sets of
small cards – first they select and keep the item concealed, then
all show them to the teacher on the command, at the same moment
(good for informal assessment).
Bring me
Volunteers from each group compete to bring the items specified by
you.
Go and get
A volunteer goes to get some
items suggested by the teacher, but the class must guess how many
the volunteer then conceals behind his or her back, e.g. ‘Go and
get some pencils’ (Va chercher des crayons) – the child
holds some pencils behind his or her back – whoever successfully
guesses the number of pencils takes the next turn.
Thumbs up
Four children hold items, the
rest shut their eyes with thumbs sticking up in the air, while
these four circulate and each one quietly touches another pupil on
the thumb before returning to the front. The class must then open
their eyes and the four who have been touched stand up and, in
turn, try to guess who touched them. If they guess successfully
they change places with the person who touched them.
Catching
If possible, arrange the class in
a circle; the teacher may throw the beanbag from the middle to a
child in the circle, or it may be passed around the circle.
- Variation 1, Catch my name: throw up a ball and call a child’s
name, e.g. Je
m’appelle Luc – Luc responds by catching the ball before it
bounces; progress to children taking over.
- Variation 2, Catch and say: throw a ball, beanbag or soft toy to
initiate language – the child who catches it speaks (if wrong they
might sit out or go down on one knee until they can give a correct
response). The beanbag could be passed to a clapping rhythm. The
following language can be used:
�� continue a sequence of numbers or the alphabet;
�� say items in random order;
�� children pass on their names or other personal information, e.g.
J’ai dix ans, et toi?
�� progress to answering a question as the ball is in the air, then
pass the question on.
Popping the question
Ways to ensure that
children practise asking questions.
- Variation 1, Yes or no: conceal an item and say what it is – the
class must decide if you are telling the truth. If they guess
correctly the class gains a point. When played with volunteers, if
they guess successfully they can change places with the
cardholders. Progress to the class first asking questions,
e.g.
�� Class: Qu’est-ce que c’est? Teacher: C’est une
gomme.
�� Class: Oui/Vrai! Teacher: Non/C’est faux! C’est un
stylo.
- Variation 2, Who is it?: Child A stands with his or her back to
the class, eyes closed; another child stands and says a greeting,
or other phrase, in a disguised voice, the class call the question
altogether Qui est-ce? and child A tries to guess the
identity of the caller, e.g. ‘C’est Claire’. If the guess is
uccessful, the two children could change places.
- Variation 3: Progression to use of the third person. Six
volunteers stand at the back of the room. Choose one child to say a
greeting or other item (you may wish to have the class close their
eyes). The class can call out Qui est-ce?, as before. Tell
the class the true or false name of the child, e.g. Elle
s’appelle Claire. The class decide if you have told the truth:
you could choose a volunteer to answer. If they agree with you they
repeat your sentence; if they disagree they must provide the
correct name, using the same structure, e.g. Non, elle
s’appelle Perrine. The child that guesses correctly may take
the speaker’s place.
Spycatcher
Each child is given a card with
a name or item; they must find their partner or form groups, using
the new language to ask names and find their matching
pair item, e.g. Tom and Jerry.
Beat the teacher
To be played with familiar vocabulary. The teacher says an item and
shows a card – to win a point the class must repeat the item, if
the teacher has said it correctly; they must remain silent if it is
said incorrectly. The teacher wins the points when the class is
outwitted.
Variation: ‘Jump if it’s true’ (Sautez si c’est
vrai)
Progression
Perform or say an action and
show a text card, the children repeat the action if the two
match.
In my bag
Children feel and say, or guess,
an item in the bag to win a point, or replace items in the same
order that the teacher has said them.
Memory game
‘I went to market’. Each child says what has been said by the
previous child and adds his or her own item e.g. Dans mon sac
j’ai un crayon, un stylo et … une gomme! You could limit this
to six to eight items, then re-start the sequence.
What next?
Children ask for a set of cards
or items in the same order that the teacher has said them.
Throw the dice
Throw a large foam dice,
the child who catches it must say the number on the top face,
children take turns to throw to each other, answering correctly as
they receive the dice; progress to mental Maths – the teacher
specifies the function, the child rolls the dice twice, saying the
numbers, e.g. 6 x 4 = ... [24]. The child who gives the correct
answer to the sum created takes the next turn.
Stations
Pupils circulate, on tiptoe, to
music (a tape or singing of a favourite song), when the music stops
they go to a corner containing a flashcard. A blindfolded pupil
chooses one of the corners and all the children who have gone to
that corner are out. Progress to using text cards – this is
excellent for introducing reading.
Secret signal
The ‘guesser’ leaves the
room while you choose the ‘secret signaller’. The children chant a
phrase, from a short list of phrases on the board, e.g. dates,
changing to the next phrase down the list as the secret signal is
given. The guesser must guess the identity of the ‘secret
signaller’ by watching the class.
Mix up
Pictures and matching text cards are displayed; a child mixes them
up while the class shut their eyes; other children can then
volunteer to put them right.
I-spy
Spy coloured objects, people,
numbers, initial sounds then letters, e.g. Je pense à un objet
(quelquechose de) bleu/une personne habillée en rouge/un nombre
entre 16 et 18/quelquechose qui commence par A
Sorting and matching
Grammar rules. To
sort language, use colour-coded boxes or hoops, or divide the board
or interactive white board into two large boxes; children
win points by placing words, phrases or real objects, or writing
language, in the correct half, e.g. feminine and masculine nouns,
questions and answers; new language and English; first
and second person.
Big board games
Play large wall or class
versions of board games e.g. ‘Blockbusters’, ‘Snakes and ladders’,
etc. Also ‘Noughts and crosses’, ‘Class loto’, ‘Battleships’ and
‘Dominos’. These can be used to revise familiar language; children
can progress to playing the games in pairs or groups. Pelmanism
(matching pairs) can be used to match pictures to text; new
language to English; questions to answers; two halves of
words; two halves of sentences; progress to children playing
individual matching pairs games, using small cards.
Role play
Progress to using small cards
from matching pairs games as cues for roleplays, progressing to
more complex tasks such as a framework for a mini-play; telephone
conversations can be made up, using real telephones; pupils can
pretend to be a wacky character in a group dialogue, e.g. a robot;
they can perform in a chosen mood, e.g. happy, naughty (practises
adjectives), for the class to guess their mood.