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 - 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.

Warm-up With Low Level Students

Low level students present a particular challenge when it comes to having any type of free conversation. They lack the ability to easily discuss their lives both in terms of grammar and vocabulary.

It's important to give all students a chance to talk freely about themselves even for a short time. For low level students, one of the best ways to do this is to ask relatively simple questions. However, be sure not to ask questions that are so simple as to only require a "yes" or "no" reply as they don't give the students a chance to talk much.

Good basic questions are:

What did you do before the lesson?
What did you do last weekend/on your last day off?
Did you have a good week? Why was it good/not good?

One path to building a low level student's free conversation ability is to ask the same questions about the student's life at the beginning of each lesson. By asking the same questions, the teacher will be able to teach the basic grammatical structure for correct replies and the student will learn them rapidly. In each successive lesson, the teacher will not have to disrupt the friendly atmosphere of the warm-up free conversation by offering corrections.

Additionally, the student will anticipate being asked the question and be ready for it. Low level students feel more comfortable if they have a sense of what is to come.

As time goes by and a student seems to answer your questions more easily, the teacher can add more questions and extend the free conversation. Through time, a longer period of time can be spent talking about the student.