Games For Single Student Lessons - What I hear/listen to

In this game, the goal is to make as many sentences as possible using "hear" (or "listen to"). Depending on the teacher's options for lesson preparation, she may work from a list or make cards that the student chooses from in order to make sentences about what he hears or listens to in the given situation or place.

The situations and places for the game are as follows:

• your bedroom
• your office
• your living room
• your bathroom
• your kitchen
• beside an open window in your home
• a train
• a park
• a department store
• a restaurant
  

Give the student one point for each sound he says he hears in the given area or situation.

The student's goal should be a set number of points which the teacher may decide upon based on the student's level. For the higher level students, a loftier goal of 100 points may help motivate him to think hard about each area. For a harder challenge, the teacher may want to set a certain number of points per area given (such as 20 sounds you hear on the train). For a lower level student, the teacher can set the bar much lower either in terms of total points or the number of sounds per area.

Explaining the game to the student:

The teacher should begin by reviewing the difference between "hear" and "listen to". First ask the student if he already knows the difference. If he does not, explain that:

• "hear" is used for sounds we are not trying to catch or pay attention to (incidental noises)
• "listen" is used for sounds which we are paying close attention to or trying to catch carefully

Give some these examples:

• I heard my mother talking to my father in the kitchen. (I didn't pay attention to their words but I could hear the sounds of their voices.)
• I listened to my mother talking to my father about his job in the kitchen. (I was listening to their conversation and following what they said.)

Make sure the student understands that the type of sound is not related to which word you use. One can "hear" or "listen to" almost any sound. The choice of word is based on whether or not one is thinking about the sound or just experiencing it in the background.

Have the student make several practice sentences with both "hear" and "listen to" before playing the game.

Once the student clearly understands the difference between "listen" and "hear", explain that he will be given a place and he must tell you as many sounds as he can which are usually heard in that place. Explain that he will get one point for each sound and mention the total point goal he should reach. He must make a full sentence each time and say, "I hear ..."

If necessary, give an example by talking about all the sounds you can hear from inside the classroom:

• I hear the air conditioner blowing.
• I hear a car driving down the street.
• I hear a clock ticking.
  

Purpose of the game:

The purpose of this game is to help the student learn and remember when to use "hear" as opposed to "listen" since making this distinction is hard for many students.

Classroom use:

This game is a good way to reinforce a full lesson on the use of sense verbs or as a way of simply teaching "hear" and "listen".

Variation:

This game can be played to practice "listen to" instead of "hear" by having students make statements about what they listen to in each of the given places or situations. This variation can be done after doing "hear" or at a different time as further review. It's best not to do them both concurrently because it may prove too confusing and undermine attempts to solidify the meaning of one or the other with the student. It is advisable to set the total point goal lower when the goal is to use "listen to" since it is less common to "listen to" a variety of things in each area.

Games for Single Student Lessons - What am I doing?

This game requires both the student and teacher to make guesses about each other's schedules. The main idea is to take turns guessing what a party is doing at any given time of the day. It requires both parties to imagine the time and day are different than they presently are.

The first person makes a statement about a day of the week and a time of day such as, "it's Saturday at 8:00 a.m." and then follows up with the questions, "what am I doing?" The person who is guessing speculates about what the other party is doing at 8:00 a.m. on a Saturday. If the guess is correct on the first attempt, that person gets 3 points. If it is wrong, he makes another guess. If the second guess is correct, he gets 2 points. If it is wrong, a final guess is made and 1 point is given if it is correct. If it is wrong, the correct activity is revealed.

For example:

Teacher: It's 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday. What am I doing?
Student: You are eating lunch.
Teacher: No, I'm not. Please try again.
Student: You are teaching.
Teacher: Yes, I am. You get 2 points! Very good!

Explaining the game to the student:

The teacher should tell the student they will play a game where they talk about their usual schedules. As an example, the teacher can say the current time and ask the student what she's doing (e.g., "It's 5:00 p.m. What am I doing?"). The student should be able to easily answer, "you are teaching me." Sometimes students have problems with self-referential questions so the teacher may have to correct some problems with "I/you" usage.

After this example, the teacher should tell the student to imagine it is a different day of the week and it is noon (or another time). Assert the time and day you have chosen then ask "what am I doing?" If the student is confused, impress that he should imagine it is not today and to think about your schedule. It is usually better to use the word "imagine" rather than "pretend" with students as they are more familiar with it.

For the first few guesses, it is best to use times with easily predictable scheduled activities so the student is successful and gets the hang of the game quickly. Here are some times which are good to start off with:

• meal times (noon, 7:00 a.m. for breakfast, 7:00-8:00 p.m. for dinner)
• late at night when most people are asleep (4:00 a.m.)
• usual working hours (10:00 am, 3:00 p.m.)
  

The teacher does need to explain the game's scoring. Writing each person's name on a piece of paper or the white board and writing the score with hash marks as correct guesses are made will make it clear. Only the teacher should keep score. The student need not be bothered.

Purpose of the game:

The purpose of this game is to practice a variety of phrases and concepts. It allows the student to practice using "a.m./p.m." as well as prepositions used with days ("it's 12:00 a.m. on Monday"). It is also a good way to practice the present progressive verb tense and everyday vocabulary. It also functions as a way for the teacher and student to either get to know each other or to gauge how well they know each other.

Classroom use:

This game is a good way to review or reinforce the present progressive verb tense, talking about schedules and days, and simply a nice way to talk about daily life outside of the usual question and answer format.

Games for Single Student Lessons - Hangman

The classic hangman game involves two people attempting to guess a word from a number of blank spaces (one for each letter) and guessing different letters. For each incorrect guess, part of a stick figure hangman is drawn. For each correct guess, a letter is written into one of the blanks.

The main problem with using this game in ESL lessons is that the potential for this game to advance a student's English skills is quite low. Quite often, this game is used by teachers to fill time and convince themselves that it is a vocabulary builder. The problem is that this game does not build vocabulary since the words used in the game must already be known by the student.

There is one way in which the game is useful and that is with practicing "is there a ~" or "are there any ~" when teaching low level students. Be sure to use words that the student has already studied and use the game as way to reinforce new vocabulary the student may have trouble retaining.

Explaining the game to the student:

There is a very good chance that most students will have already played this game before and the act of drawing the blanks for the letters and the guillotine in preparation will clue them in on what is to come. Whether the student knows the game or not, it is helpful to write the alphabet on the board or a piece of paper to cross off "used" letters during the game.

However, if the student has not played before, write the number of blanks on a piece of paper or the white board and tell the student he must guess what letters are in the word. If the student doesn't understand, put in one letter to start with to give him the idea. Draw a complete hangman to show what the final picture looks like and count as you draw each part of the figure and tell him the final stroke is the last guess he will have.

When the student has guessed your word, have him choose a word while you guess letters. Tell him that he must answer your questions with a full sentence and not simply with "yes" or "no". That is, he should say, "no, there aren't," or "yes, there are."

Purpose of the game:

The purpose of this game is to practice asking and answering simple questions as well as reinforce previously-studied vocabulary related to the chosen subject.

Classroom use:

This game is a good way to expand the generally uninteresting lessons in beginner textbooks which are for very low level students and focus on "there is/are" and "isn't there/aren't there."

Games for Single Student Lessons - "20 Questions" Modified

In the classic version of "20 Questions", one person chooses a subject then tells the other person a broad category (animal, vegetable, mineral or other) into which the subjects falls. The "guesser" can ask up to 20 'yes' or 'no' questions in order to guess the subject the "chooser" has chosen.

For ESL students, particularly those of low to low-intermediate level, playing the game in this fashion is too difficult so it is necessary to modify it to narrow the scope of subject and to allow an unlimited number of questions to be asked. It's best to choose a topic in a very specific category of item such as:

• food (or specific food such as fruit, sweets, drinks, etc.)
  
• animals
• furniture
• clothes
• jobs
  

The first time you play the game, it's good to use "animals" as the category since it's easy for even the lowest level student to think of common animals (dogs, cats, birds, etc.). In future games, you can use other categories. Animals work well for the initial game to help the student learn how it is played.

The student should always choose an animal first and the teacher should ask questions so that the student may use the teacher's questions as a model for how to play the game. Once the teacher guesses the student's animal, the teacher chooses an animal and the student asks questions to help him guess the target animal.

By taking turns in this fashion, the student gets to practice both asking and answering questions. With higher level students, the teacher can have the student question her first as it is a greater challenge to ask questions when the vocabulary hasn't first been introduced by the teacher.

Explaining the game to the student:

The teacher should ask the student to think of an animal but not to tell her the name of the animal. Tell the student that the players can only ask questions which need a 'yes' or 'no" answer in this game. Ask the student simple questions requiring a 'yes' or 'no' answer to guess the animal he has chosen to demonstrate how the questioning is done.

If the student is a low level student, the teacher may want to write some basic questions on the white board or a piece of paper so the student may reference them when it is his turn to ask questions.

Here are some examples that work with an animal as the subject:

• Does this animal sometimes live inside our homes?
• Is it big/small?
• Is it dangerous?
• Is it always the same color?
• Does it have feathers/fur/scales?
• Is it noisy/quiet?
• Does it usually eat meat/plants?
• Is it fast/slow?
  

Purpose of the game:

The purpose of this game is to practice asking and answering simple questions as well as practice vocabulary related to the chosen subject.

Classroom use:

This game is good as a good way to review or reinforce a lesson on vocabulary related to a certain theme or simple question structure as well as a good warm-up or wrap-up.

Games for Single Student Lessons - The Location Game

In this game, the teacher and student take turns choosing an object in the room and asking questions to guess what the chosen object is. The "guesser" will ask the "chooser" of the object about the position of the chosen object relative to other objects in the room.

For example:

Guesser: Is it on the floor?
Chooser: No, it isn't.
Guesser: Is in on the table?
Chooser: Yes, it is.
Guesser: Is it in front of me?
Chooser: No, it isn't.
Guesser: Is it beside me?
Chooser: Yes, it is.
Guesser: Is it the white board?
Chooser: Yes, it is.

Explaining the game to the student:

Depending on the student's level, you may want to write a list of common prepositions of location on the white board or a piece of scratch paper so the student can reference them. Possibilities:

• in
• on
• at
• under
• behind
• in front of
• beneath
• between
• next to
• beside
• below
• at the back of
• at the front of
  

Ask the student to look around the room and to choose an object in the room but tell him he must not tell you what the object is (or stare at it in a way that reveals which object he has chosen). Tell him that you will ask him questions about where the object is to help you guess the object he chose.

The teacher going first will demonstrate how to question your way to the solution. If the item is easy to guess, the teacher may want to ask more questions than necessary to demonstrate more effectively. After the student's object has been guessed, the teacher chooses and object and the student asks the questions.

Purpose of the game:

The purpose of this game is to practice prepositions of location as well as asking and answering simple questions.

Classroom use:

This game is good as a good way to review or reinforce a lesson on prepositions.

Variation:

If the classroom has a limited number of objects, a picture can be used and the student and teacher may choose an object in the picture then ask questions based on location.

Games For Single Student Lessons - Sentence Tag

In this game, the last word of a sentence is used to form the beginning of the next sentence. Each person takes turns making a sentence. For example:

Teacher: I saw a cat.
Student: The cat had a ball.
Teacher: The ball was blue.
Student: Blue is my favorite color.
Teacher: Color photographs are very nice.
Student: Nice people work in my office.

This game is easy to play and very flexible. The teacher can set the difficulty level by making simpler or more complex sentences for the student to work from.

Explaining the game to the student:

Write a simple sentence on the white board or a piece of scratch paper. Underline the last word.

Example: I have a pet dog.

Tell the student that you will make a sentence like the one on the board and that he must make a sentence using the last word of your sentence at the beginning of his sentence. Write the linking sentence and underline the first word to demonstrate this.

Example: The dog is very friendly.

Write a third linking sentence and underline the last word in the second sentence and the first work in the third one.

Example: Friendly dogs are fun to pet.

At this point, the student should understand the concept and be ready to begin to play.

Purpose of the game:

The purpose of this game is practice sentence structure and learn to flexibly use adjectives and nouns in particular to make sentences.

Classroom use:

This game is good as a warm-up or as an extension of a lesson on sentence structure or adjectives. The teacher can help the student make sentences or explain how to make sentences as part of the game.

Games For Single Student Lessons - I Spy

About the game:

"I Spy" is a game commonly played by children in the United States. One person looks around at everything in his line of sight and silently chooses something he can see. He then says, "I spy with my little eye, something ..." The remainder of the sentence can be completed in a variety of ways in order to expand the possibilities in an ESL class:

• I spy with my little eye something (color - red, green, blue, etc.).
• I spy with my little eye something that begins with (letter of the alphabet).
• I spy with my little eye something (adjective - big, small, soft, hard, etc).

For example, one person says "I spy with my little eye, something that begins with 'C'."

The second person can ask the first person a variety of questions depending on the parameters the teacher wishes to set based on the student's level. For low level students, the teacher may want to ask the student to only ask the question, "is it (name of item)?" For higher level students, any question which requires a 'yes' or 'no' answer may be asked such as, "can I hold it in my hand?"

While the game is rather simple, it can be quite difficult depending on the choice of item made and the initial statement. For instance, if the teacher says, "I spy something which starts with 'C'," and there are cushions, curtains, a cabinet, carpet, clock, chair, and compact discs in the room, making a guess of which one of these is the correct item can take quite a bit of guessing.

Explaining the game to the student:

When using this game for ESL lessons, the first thing the teacher should do is explain what "spy" means in this context. The simplest thing to say is that "spy" means the same as "see" in this case. With higher level students, you might want to discuss the verb and noun definitions of "spy". Most students will know about James Bond ("007" in Japan) as a spy but very few will know about the verb usage as displayed in this game.

After the student understands what "spy" means, the teacher should choose an item in view of both she and the student. Explain that the item can be in the room or seen through a window. Make sure the student knows you're talking about an item that can be seen. After a choice is silently made, the teacher will say "I spy something..." and that the student will ask questions to guess what the teacher has chosen. If the teacher goes first, the student will understand how to play the game when it is his turn to choose an item for the teacher to guess.

Purpose of the game:

The purpose of this game is both to practice questions, learn vocabulary, and to encourage thinking in English.

Classroom use:

This game is good as either a warming up or winding down activity with students. If the teacher has finished a lesson and there is still 10-20 minutes of class time left, this game can be a good way of finishing up.