July - September 2005

Fun Activities to Start or End Your Lesson
Netti Susman

Flashcards
What can I do with flashcards?

1. Find your partner. Hand out matching flashcards to different pupils. (English / Hebrew or English/pictures) Ask them to find their partner as quickly as possible. The first to succeed is the winner.
   
   
2. Tic Tac Toe. Draw 2 # on the blackboard and stick a flashcard or wordcard into each square of one of them. Divide the class into two groups - (O) (X). Call a pupil from each group alternatively. Before they can put their O or X they read or say they name of the card in the corresponding square. If they are right they can draw their symbol in the second #.
   
   
3. Memory game. Write numbers and letters on corresponding flashcards in pencil (so that you can erase and change). Stick the cards on the blackboard - facedown. Pupils call out numbers and letters and try to find the matching pairs.
   

Word Games

1. Mastermind (+) (-) (?) Choose a three lettered word. The pupils have to guess your word by playing Mastermind. How? Pupils shout out words and accordingly you "correct" them by using the symbols above - + shows that they have a correct letter in the correct place. - shows that it is completely wrong and ? shows that you have a correct letter but in the wrong place.
   
   
2. Words form Words. Write a word on the blackboard that is connected to the topic they are learning. Let them find as many words as possible using the letters available.
   
   
3. Tic Tac Toe with a difference. Draw a tic tac toe board on the blackboard. Give each square a heading - Things / Food / Jobs / Names / The House / Clothes etc. Divide the class into two teams (O and X). Before a pupil can place his / her symbol - he / she has to give a word that belongs to that category.
   
   
4. Pyramid of words. Let the pupils complete the pyramid, one word on each line. They continue until all levels are filled. Can they do it in 5 minutes?
   
   
5. General Knowledge. Tell the pupils to divide the page into 6 columns or you can have the sheets ready. Give each column a heading:- things / names / places / food / animals / total. Call out a letter or use the sheet provided. Pupils write words - time them! Check the answers and award points. Anyone with the same answer as someone else gets 5 points, an original answer gets 10 points, no answer no points!
   
   

Songs

1. Make a Song Book - Pupils decorate it.
   
   
2. If a song has different verses and the class has learnt it then let different groups sing different verses.
   
   
3. Ask pupils to sing the song in different ways - in a whisper / shouting / showing anger / etc.
   
   
4. Make a cloze exercise - Pupils fill in the missing words - Give them a word bank.
   
   
5. Jumble the verses of the song and let the pupils cut out the verses, listen and paste them in the correct order
   
   
6. Jumble the sentences in the chorus - Let pupils listen and number the words in the correct order and then write the words on the line provided.
   

Stories

1. Read stories, either a short story or an ongoing story.
   
   
2. Tell a story and let the pupils act it out.
   
   
3. Start your own story. Begin --- On the way to school I ……… and tell the pupils something that happened. Then let them tell you a story.
   
   
4. Create a story - hand out a piece of paper with an opening sentence
   - the first pupil in the row gets the page and continues the story -adding one line and writing the last word underneath the sentence. He / She then folds over the page and passes it on the next student - who in turn write s a sentence and folds over the page. When all the students in the group have written - each group reads out his story to the class.
   
   
5. Magic box stories. - Put items / pictures in a box. Each pupil in turn takes out a picture and adds a line to the story.

Netti Sussman is the author of Mr A.