ESL Games and Activities

for Large Classes

After completing this subject the students are expected to be able to:
- Mention the definition of game;

- Mention some conditions where large classroom can be managed easier;

- State and give example of some games for large classes;

Part A. Introduction

According to Hadfield (1990:5) game is an activity with rules, a goal and an element of fun. While
Wright (22006:1) mentions that game is an activity which is entertaining and engaging, often challenging,
and an activity in which the learners play and usually interact with others. Next, according to El-Shamy
(2001:15) game is a competitive activity played according to rules within a given context, where players
meet a challenge in their attempt to accomplish a goal and win.
ESL games are necessary for teaching English as they create opportunities for authentic language
use but may be difficult to organize with large classes. (http://suite101.com/article/esl-games-and-
activities-for-large-classes-a303280) ESL games and activities are fun for both children and adults and
create real speaking opportunities for using language in authentic situations. They also help students drill
language and vocabulary while avoiding the inevitable boredom that comes with any repetitive task but
they can be challenging for teachers to organize and control when classes are large.
A lot of teachers may even feel that games and activities cannot be used with large classes.
Luckily, most games can be adapted to different group sizes. There are literally hundreds of ESL games
and activities for large classes.

Part B. Class Management for Large Classes

Using games in the ESL class does not mean letting students run wild. Teachers must be able to
keep control of their class during games so that the time used is well-spent. If game-time rapidly turns into
party-time then playing language games should be put aside until classroom management and discipline
becomes easier.

It may be easier to manage large classes during game-time if:

a. students and the teacher define the rules together at the beginning of the course;

b. the teacher is consistent in applying the rules and doesn't show favouritism to some students;
 c. the teacher rewards good behavior by a simple praise or smiley face sticker;

d. the pace of the game keeps moving even if some students are misbehaving so that they miss out
but not the rest of the class;

e. noisy games are followed by quiet games.

Part C. ESL Games for Large Classes

If a classroom is small but teachers have the option of using a games room or gym, then why not
take game-time elsewhere? If not, then remember that many language games can be used for both small
and large classes. The following is a list of games that can be used for groups as small as two players
and as large as forty or more players:
Monster Munch: This game can be used for drilling vocabulary or for practicing language
structure. Students stay at their desk and one child, who is the monster, stands at the front of the class. If
students are learning numbers, for example, each student must choose a number and write it down on a
piece of paper. Students stand up and wait for the monster to call out a number. All students who have
that number are eaten by the monster and must sit down. This can go on until there are no students left.
Sitting Relay Race: The concept of a typical relay race is the same in this game except that
students are sitting down instead of running or walking. The game can be used for both drilling vocabulary
and for using more complicated structures. The following example is for students who are learning
adjectives and adjective order.
Students stay in their seats, as the game is played in rows. The first student writes a sentence at
the top of a piece of paper, such as "I like cars". He then passes it back to the next student in the row who
will add an adjective to the sentence by writing out the sentence again, to read "I like red cars". The paper
is then passed back to the third student who will add an adjective to form another sentence like "I like
small, red cars" and so on, until everyone in the row has had a turn. The first row to complete the relay
race of adding an adjective correctly and passing the paper back is the winning row.
Broken Telephone: Everyone has played this game at least once before. It's a good game for
speaking and listening practice. Students stay in their seats as the game is played in rows. If students are
learning how to talk about hobbies, for example, the first student must think of a sentence like, "I play
tennis" or "I like playing tennis" and whisper it in the ear of the next student. The next student will then
whisper it in the ear of the following student and so on until the sentence reaches the last student in the
row who will shout out the sentence to the first student. If the sentence was repeated successfully, all the
way to the end, then the row scores a point.
Hangman: Hangman is a great game for large classes and can be used for practicing the alphabet
as well as other language forms. One child must stand at the board and the class must be divided into
groups, with each child taking a turn at guessing, within their group. Adapting hangman to different
language structures is easy. For example, if students are learning the present progressive, the student
standing at the board must think of a person in the school building that everyone is sure to have seen at
least once during the day.
It could be the woman working in the school canteen or the principal. If it is the principal, he can
say "It's a man who is working in the school." The class must then ask questions in the present
progressive like, "Is he wearing jeans?" or "Is he sitting at his desk?" until one student guesses who the
person is. For each wrong guess, the student standing at the board must draw the hangman's scaffold
and the victim until either the class guess who the person is or the victim dies, as in the classical
hangman version.
There are many other ESL games that can be adapted to large classes. Games that everyone
knows and has played, while growing up, and a little imagination is enough to adapt them to large groups.
Signing up for a TEYL course in teaching English to young learners can also be helpful for building up a
resource file of games for ESL purposes and for learning how to adapt activities and games to the ESL
classroom.

Assignment:
The students can be asked to practice the following activity.

Introducing Yourself
Skills : Speaking
Topic : Introducing Yourself

Divide the class into groups of five or six students. Then, give an example of a way to introduce
yourself to one of the students. For example: I am Herman. I am a teacher and live at Jalan Sudirman No.
10 Palembang. I like to listen to music, especially “dangdut” music.
Then the students do the same thing to a friend next to them from the group. Similarly, a friend next
to them doing the same thing to a friend next to him again. This is done until the end of the group
members. Topics are introduced to a variety, such as favorite foods, hobbies, favorite place, etc. To make
this activity to be more interesting, students can introduce themselves as strangers or as famous
politicians, singers, movie stars, etc. It is more effective, especially when the students knew each other.
When all the students had to introduce themselves, ask them to write down the identity of at least three
people as possible.

References

http://suite101.com/article/tips-for-successful-speaking-activities-in-the-esl-class-a262535
Porter, Patricia and Grant, Margaret, Communicating Effectively in English: Oral
Communication for Non-Native Speakers, Heinle ELT 1992.