Download 10 Energizers for an Active Language Classroom

10 Energizers for an Active
Language Classroom
Ken Stewart
Chapel Hill High School
Chapel Hill, NC
Carolina Vita-Shepard
Durham School of the Arts
Durham, NC
To teach and review
2 Truths & Warm-up, bell
a lie
ringer
Pop-Up
Vocabulary, culture,
grammar
Bluff
Any
Skills used
Level
Interpretive and
Any
interpersonal
Interpretive listening Any
Taboo
Vocabulary, culture
Pyramid 21
Any
Catch
Phrase
Vocabulary, culture
Avalancha
Trivial
Pursuit
Circle of
Knowledge
Outburst
Grammar (verbs)
Any, culture
Interpersonal
speaking,
interpretive listening
Interpersonal
speaking & listening
Interpretive
listening, reading
Interpersonal
speaking &
listening,
circumlocution
Drill, writing
Interpretive listening
Vocabulary
building, synonyms
Vocabulary, culture
Recall, cooperative
learning
Quick Recall
1. 2 Truths & a lie
Low
Any
mid, high
Any
High
Low, mid
Any
Any
 This quick warm-up activity is great for the first day of class or
as a bell-ringer activity.
 A student (or the teacher) writes things that are true about
themselves and one lie. (see power point example: I like sushi, I
have visited Iceland, I am an only child)
 Students take guessing trying to identify the “lie” using the
target language.
 This is a good way to start a more extended conversation
engaging the students in elaboration, reasons, and questions
beyond the basic comprehension level. (tell me about the time
you ate sushi /visited Iceland / what are the advantages of being
an only child? Is anyone else here an only child? Is an only
child more spoiled as a kid? Why or why not?)
2. Pop-up:
 This game is great for vocabulary review and quick recall. It
can be adapted to any level depending on the task. Lower levels
will likely rely on English translations, but intermediate and
advance classes are better suited to definitions and synonyms as
clues.
 Prepare 2 envelopes with the same word list in each. Divide the
class into two teams. The words are on small, individual slips of
paper. If you use Quia.com, these lists are already made.
 Distribute the words to team A; distribute the exact same words
(cut into separate slips of paper) to team B.
 Each student should have 3-6 words on their desk.
 The teacher describes the word, gives a definition or synonym.
The first student to “pop-up” (stand up) and say the word earns
the point for that team. The object is to actively listen and “beat
out” the person on the opposing team holding the word that was
described.
 The teacher needs a complete list of the words. Eliminate and
mark out the words as they are used.
3. Bluff
 This game requires little preparation on the part of the teacher.
 Divide the class into 2 teams.
 A question is posed orally to one team. (ie. Who is the Prime
Minister of Germany?)
 All students who know the answer should stand.
 And, students who wish to “Bluff” should also stand at the
same time.
 The point value of each question is the number of students
standing. (ie. 7 students standing = 7 point-question.)
 A student on the opposing team calls on one of the students
standing. A correct answer earns the “standing” team the points.
A wrong answer results in the same number of points for the
other team.
 N. B. I do not allow a student to be called on more than one
time (to avoid picking on the weaker student).
 Once a student is called on, he/she should stand, since they
can’t be called on again. The game is fun and competitive since
drastic point swings are frequent.
4. Taboo
 Played like the board game “Taboo,” this activity is ideal for
teaching circumlocution and interpersonal speaking.
 The class works in pairs or trios. Half the students are facing
the screen, the other half faces the back of the room.
 A visual, word or phrase is shown using powerpoint or the
overhead. Some keywords are also given. These words are
“taboo” and cannot be used in the description. (ie. “Kangaroo”
Taboo words: Jump, pouch, animal, Australia). The students
could use higher-level descriptors such as “a creature with long
hind legs, the carries its young in front. It also likes to box and
lives in the ‘land down under.”
 With everyone talking at the same time, students who can see
the screen begin to describe the visual, word or phrase.
 Students are somewhat on their honor to use the target language
and avoid the taboo words. Teacher should circulate to monitor.
 I award 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place points (3pts, 2pts and 1 pt.
respectively), so that the game can continue on. The students
who guess the word first, raise their hands.
 I use 3 different-colored poker chips to award the points.
(Blue=3, Red=2, white =1)
 The game is suited to teaching vocabulary, culture (art, famous
people/places), geography (maps), sayings/proverbs.
5. Pyramid 21
 This activity involves as much luck as it does skill. Therefore,
weaker students can be involved without intimidation.
 Using the triangle set of numbers, 1-21, on the overhead (see
handout), the teacher sets an arbitrary point value for each
number that is unknown to the students. I use 21 index cards
with the point value on the back.
 The class is divided into 2 teams. Team A chooses a number
from the overhead. Using a vis-à-vis pen the teacher marks that
number off and asks the corresponding question to team A.
 If the team answers correctly, they then decide (randomly)
whether or not they wish to keep the points on the back of the
card. This is because some of the cards are worth negative
points! Even though they answer correctly, they could still lose
points. They hate that part 
 So, they should gamble as to when to keep the points or give
them to the opposing team. I have point values from +50 to –
50. I also usually throw in a “+10 and a free turn,” or a “-10 and
lose a turn” just to add interest.
 Highest number of points wins.
6. Catch Phrase
 Based on the board game Catch Phrase, this game requires a
timer and two safe objects (rubber objects, small stuffed animal,
sponge) that can be passed around as a “hot potato.”
 In large classes, I have two games in progress simultaneously.
 Teams sit in a circle. N.B. Every-other person is on a team.
 Vocabulary words, phrases, cultural information is distributed
to each student on strips of paper. Each student should 3-4 slips
of paper at the start of the game. The students are trying to
discard their words once their team has them guessed correctly.
 The student with the “hot potato” describes the word on the
paper in the target language so that his/her teammates can guess
it quickly. They may use synonyms, antonyms, or fill-in-theblank-type descriptions.
 An egg timer is needed. Allow 60-90 seconds each time.
 Like the game “hot potato,” the object is passed around as the
timer is running. The student who is caught holding the
“potato” when the timer sounds, loses that point.
7. Avalancha
 This game is a relay in which two teams are competing against
each other for accuracy in verb conjugations. This is ideal for
lower levels learning verb forms where students need lots of
repetition.
 Using the overhead graphic on a whiteboard, each team is given
the same graphic to complete. (see handout)
 One student from each team goes to the board at the same time
to fill in any of the answers (verb forms) that he/she knows.
This is done until one of the graphics is complete and accurate.
 The teacher is standing by with the eraser. Once a student
leaves an incorrect answer on the board, the teacher moves in,
erases the entire list of answers for that team and says
“Avalancha!”
 The key part of this game is the repetition since all answers
have to be re-written correctly on the graphic.
8. Trivial Pursuit
 Based on the board game, this game is best used for review
when you have a lot of material that has been taught.
 Using paper plates, cut out construction paper wedges and a
large die, teams of 4 answer one question in each of the six
categories. (Daily life, History, Geography, Famous people,
food & drink, sports/arts). A grammar category could be
substituted as well.
 One team rolls the die. The number that is lands on corresponds
to one of the categories. These can be written on the board for
everyone to see (ie. 1=geography, 2= History, etc).
 If the team answers the question correctly, they earn the colorcoded paper wedge. If they miss it, I allow the next team to
steal the question.
 If a teams rolls a 1, and they answer a geography question
correctly, the next time they roll a 1, they must still answer
another geography question in order to keep going.
 Teams can roll the die until they miss a question.
 The culture questions can be purchased from Teacher’s
Discovery, or make your own based on what the students have
learned over the course of the semester.
9. Circle of Knowledge
 The class is divided into groups of 4-5. Each is given a rather large
piece of butcher paper.
 The teacher announces a category. At the same time, all teams
begin to write responses (words related to that category) on their
paper. Each student writes one word at a time. The paper must be
passed to the next person and cannot be passed until every student
has written down something every time the paper comes across
their desk.
o Sample categories: Sports that don’t use a ball, things on a
beach, things in a bathroom cabinet, winter clothing, parts of
a car.
 No talking while answers are being written and the paper is being
passed, unless a student gets stuck. At that point, the team
members can help by using the target language to try and help the
person come up with an answer. Obviously, they cannot just yell
out a possible answer or write the answer for that student.
 After 2 mins of writing and passing the paper around the circle,
time is called.
 Place the paper in front of a designated team captain. That person
will give one answer orally from the words listed on the group
paper.
 The teacher should write the answers being given on the board
(quickly!). The groups cannot call out an answer that has been
given (including synonyms). If a group catches an answer that has
been given (and written on the board), they yell “challenge!” If the
word has indeed been said, the group challenging gets the point
and the group that repeated the word loses that turn. This keeps
everyone actively engaged & listening as the answers are being
given quickly.
 The group with the longest list wins.
10.Outburst!
 This is a rowdy bell-ringer activity that is used for a quick
vocabulary review at the end of class.
 Cards are prepared (have the students make the cards) with 10
thematic vocabulary words relating to a category. Laminate the
index cards and use a vis-à-vis pen to quickly erase marks on
the cards at the end of the game.
 Divide the class in half. One side of the room is told the
category on the card. Give them 60 seconds to yell out as many




words as possible related to the category. The teacher (or
student helper) marks off the words as they are being said. It
helps to have the teacher and the helper working together since
half the class is yelling simultaneously.
After 60 seconds, the answers that they “matched” on the card
are revealed orally. If they guessed 6 of the 10 words, they
earned 6 points. Do not reveal the remaining 4 words!
The other team, meanwhile, should have been thinking or
jotting down words that also related to that category. The
second team can now “steal” the 4 remaining points if they can
guess the 4 remaining.
Reverse the rolls for the 2nd round. Team A is now
writing/thinking while Team B is yelling out their responses to
another category.
Suggest categories:
•Level I
clothing / family
•Level II
extended family / zoo animals / -er verbs
•Level III environment / technology
•Level IV art terms / famous people / geography
•Level V
quotes / characters /writers/ idioms