Meeting One
- Kyle
- Freeze Ball (Can be played for any step of drilling):
- Students must move around the classroom continuously while repeating after the teacher. When the teacher says “Freeze”, students must stop moving and pretend to be frozen. If they move, laugh, blink, fall, etc., the teacher must try to hit that student with a ball. Then they must respond with the desired answer. When the teacher says “Go”, students can move around freely while repeating.
- For Step 1:
- “I say, you say”. If a student is hit with the ball, they must repeat the last thing the teacher said. Then everyone says as a class. Then they can continue moving.
- If they are younger students, the teacher can say the word or phrase to remind the student what they are supposed to repeat.
- For Step 2:
- Mistakes.
- Option 1: Instead of the teacher saying “Freeze”, students freeze when the teacher makes a mistake.
- Option 2: When the teacher says “Freeze”, the teacher hits a student with a ball, then says a phrase with a mistake, then the student must say it correctly.
- For Step 3:
- Knowing:
- If it is a question, when a student is hit with the ball they must say the answer. Or the teacher may answer, and the student says the question.
- If it is a word, the student can say it in Chinese.
- If it is used for a rhyme, students can say the next line of the rhyme when they are hit.
- If the students are older, the students can spell the word, or say the whole phrase in Chinese.
- Finger points:
- For any of these steps, each team starts with 5 finger points. Each student can be given 5 seconds to say the correct response. If they cannot say it correctly, their team loses a finger point, “I say, you say” with the correct response. When a team reaches 0 finger points, they are the loser.
- **** A student must be asked to sit down if:
- They are not repeating after the teacher
- They are running into other students
- Word Ball (Warm-up)
- Students stand in a circle
- A ball is passed around from student to student at random, but before a student can pass a ball, they must say a word within the current category.
- ex. If the category is animals, the teacher has the ball and says “tiger”, and passes it to a student. That student then says dog, and passes it on.
- Each person has 5 seconds to say a word.
- Words cannot be repeated, and must be said correctly.
- Winning and losing:
- Option 1: each team has 5 finger points. When a student is wrong or takes too long to answer, that team loses a finger point, but everyone stays in the game.
- Option 2: When a student is wrong or takes too long to answer, they must sit. Last person / team standing is the winner.
- Red Rover (Can be played as a warm-up, or during drilling)
- The teacher stands at one wall with a ball. They must face the wall. Students must line up behind the teacher on the same side of the room, facing the opposite wall. When the teacher calls a color, those students wearing that color must run to touch the far wall. If the teacher hits a student with a ball before they touch the wall, they are out.
- If played as a warm-up:
- Colors: students run when they are wearing colors that are said.
- Girls run/ boys run
- Long hair / short hair, tall / short, fat / skinny, etc.
- Other categories (ex. animals): everyone runs
- Opposites if class can understand
- If played for drilling:
- Step 2:
- I say, you say. When the teacher makes a mistake, students run to the opposite wall before the teacher can hit them.
- Student who gets hit must correct the mistake or they must sit.
- Step 3:
- When the teacher says a question, students run to the wall. If a student is hit, they must answer the question or sit down.
- When the teacher says a word, students must run to the wall. If a student is hit, they must say the opposite word / say that word in Chinese.
Frank:
Flip Cup Challenge (Say and Repeat)
Place a plastic cup on the edge of a table. Have students repeat vocab / grammar / rhymes / Q n A... after the teacher. Whoever repeats after the teacher the best has 10 seconds to run to the table and flip the cup, flip cup style (From right side up to upside down). If the student can flip the cup then their team wins points. This can be used to teach any material that has students repeating after the teacher, and played many times without losing children's focus.
Race Around the Teacher (Young level) (Say and Repeat)
A reward game for two students to play after reading after the teacher, doing rhymes or singing. After having the class repeat together after the teacher, the best 2 children will be chosen to play tag. The teacher sits in a chair in the center of the classroom, with a student on either side of him/her facing opposite directions. When the teacher says go, the 2 students race in a circle around the teacher trying to tag the other one.
*This can be made more difficult by telling the 2 students that if you say an "animal" while they are running they must switch directions and continue trying to tag each other. (Or any other kind of ques to switch directions...)
*Fairly match students that are about the same speed and size
Student Teacher (Reading)
For the last lesson of each unit, let one student at a time read the book and take the place of the teacher. The student teacher reads then has the class repeat after them. After the student teacher reads a portion of the reading, they can choose who will be the next student teacher.
*Student Teachers that read flawlessly may be awarded points
*With this drill, reading may take a few more extra minutes.
*Children seem to like having the teacher's power while reading.
Flip Cup Challenge (Say and Repeat)
Place a plastic cup on the edge of a table. Have students repeat vocab / grammar / rhymes / Q n A... after the teacher. Whoever repeats after the teacher the best has 10 seconds to run to the table and flip the cup, flip cup style (From right side up to upside down). If the student can flip the cup then their team wins points. This can be used to teach any material that has students repeating after the teacher, and played many times without losing children's focus.
Race Around the Teacher (Young level) (Say and Repeat)
A reward game for two students to play after reading after the teacher, doing rhymes or singing. After having the class repeat together after the teacher, the best 2 children will be chosen to play tag. The teacher sits in a chair in the center of the classroom, with a student on either side of him/her facing opposite directions. When the teacher says go, the 2 students race in a circle around the teacher trying to tag the other one.
*This can be made more difficult by telling the 2 students that if you say an "animal" while they are running they must switch directions and continue trying to tag each other. (Or any other kind of ques to switch directions...)
*Fairly match students that are about the same speed and size
Student Teacher (Reading)
For the last lesson of each unit, let one student at a time read the book and take the place of the teacher. The student teacher reads then has the class repeat after them. After the student teacher reads a portion of the reading, they can choose who will be the next student teacher.
*Student Teachers that read flawlessly may be awarded points
*With this drill, reading may take a few more extra minutes.
*Children seem to like having the teacher's power while reading.
JJ:
Beat back (Rhymes / Grammar)
Students make a line at one end of the classroom. The teacher stands at the other end of the classroom and begins walking slowly towards one of the teams.
Young classes: The team must complete one of the rhymes before the teacher reaches them. Once they finish the rhyme the teacher is pulled back to the teacher's starting line and begins walking towards the other team who must then complete another rhyme. If the team is too slow or if they don't say the rhyme properly the teacher will reach them and eat them.
Older Classes: The teacher walks towards each student individually and that student must give a grammar sentence (ex. It is 8 o'clock in the morning. JJ is
eating breakfast.). If the student makes a good sentence then the teacher is pulled back to the starting line and walks towards the next student. If the student
is too slow then that team fails and the other team gets a chance. First team to have all students make a good sentence wins. Can also work for reading / new words / questions etc.
War (Say and Repeat)
Simple game to keep students speaking. Have playing cards lying face down on the floor. If the students are being good have 2 children pick one card each and turn them over at the same time. The student with the higher card gains the difference of the cards, in points.(Example Queen, 7 = 5 points) The students then keep their cards and at the end of the drill, if they can make 10 with their cards they get extra points.
Balloon bash (Vocab / Grammar)
Younger Students: Each student gets a flashcard and stands in a circle. The teacher says the word of a flashcard and starts walking towards the student with that flashcard. The student must say the flashcard of another student before you hit them on the head with a balloon. The flashcard the student said is then the new target of the teacher and continues in this way. The round ends when a student gets hit. The student who gets hit must say all of the words or be penalized.
Older Students: Give students a specific grammar style to practice as in the past tense. The teacher starts by saying "Mark ate my homework" and starts walking towards Mark. Mark must then make a new sentence targeting a different student before the teacher can hit him on the head with a balloon. (Sarah stole my shoes) The game continues until a student makes a mistake or the teacher gets to a student and hits them on the head with a balloon.
Beat back (Rhymes / Grammar)
Students make a line at one end of the classroom. The teacher stands at the other end of the classroom and begins walking slowly towards one of the teams.
Young classes: The team must complete one of the rhymes before the teacher reaches them. Once they finish the rhyme the teacher is pulled back to the teacher's starting line and begins walking towards the other team who must then complete another rhyme. If the team is too slow or if they don't say the rhyme properly the teacher will reach them and eat them.
Older Classes: The teacher walks towards each student individually and that student must give a grammar sentence (ex. It is 8 o'clock in the morning. JJ is
eating breakfast.). If the student makes a good sentence then the teacher is pulled back to the starting line and walks towards the next student. If the student
is too slow then that team fails and the other team gets a chance. First team to have all students make a good sentence wins. Can also work for reading / new words / questions etc.
War (Say and Repeat)
Simple game to keep students speaking. Have playing cards lying face down on the floor. If the students are being good have 2 children pick one card each and turn them over at the same time. The student with the higher card gains the difference of the cards, in points.(Example Queen, 7 = 5 points) The students then keep their cards and at the end of the drill, if they can make 10 with their cards they get extra points.
Balloon bash (Vocab / Grammar)
Younger Students: Each student gets a flashcard and stands in a circle. The teacher says the word of a flashcard and starts walking towards the student with that flashcard. The student must say the flashcard of another student before you hit them on the head with a balloon. The flashcard the student said is then the new target of the teacher and continues in this way. The round ends when a student gets hit. The student who gets hit must say all of the words or be penalized.
Older Students: Give students a specific grammar style to practice as in the past tense. The teacher starts by saying "Mark ate my homework" and starts walking towards Mark. Mark must then make a new sentence targeting a different student before the teacher can hit him on the head with a balloon. (Sarah stole my shoes) The game continues until a student makes a mistake or the teacher gets to a student and hits them on the head with a balloon.
Chris:
Vocabulary Stepping Stones (Vocab)
Make a few lines of flash cards with 2-3 cards in each line. The teacher then says a sequence of vocabulary words that a student must follow as they jump from line to line. For instance the teacher says "cat, rice, breakfast, elephant". The student must listen, then jump from the "cat" flashcard to the "rice" flashcard and so on, while repeating the words themselves. If they make a mistake, jump to the wrong card, or mispronounce a word, they sit down. If a student is successful they are awarded points. Between every other round go over all the words with students repeating after the teacher.
*When students make mistakes have all students repeat correctly after the teacher, then choose a new student to play
Grammar Volleyball (Grammar)
Have students sit or stand in a circle. The teacher starts with the grammar point of the day. For instance, present continuous tense. Teacher says "I am running to the bathroom... She is kicking Henry", then points to a female student (She). That student then says "I am kicking Henry... You are reading a book" and points to another student. The student must say what the previous person said about them, then say what the next person is doing. (Each student says two sentences) If a student makes a mistake they are out and sit down. The sentences get increasingly more difficult as students try to stump each other.
*When a student makes a mistake have all students repeat the sentence correctly after the teacher then move onto the next round
*The game can continue until one team is all "Out", or until there is one last student
Ring-around-the-Rosie (Y-level) (Say and Repeat)
This can be used for vocabulary, questions, or anything. Students stand up and walk in a circle. I say, they say. If I make a mistake, they all fall down. Last one standing is dead. I use this for vocab often by laying the cards down in a circle and saying the flashcards as I pass them.
*With young children, it is best to have the last student standing (Dead student) lose, and award the other team a point or so, but NOT have them sit out of the game as this would have the students that need the most help, leaving the game first.
Vocabulary Stepping Stones (Vocab)
Make a few lines of flash cards with 2-3 cards in each line. The teacher then says a sequence of vocabulary words that a student must follow as they jump from line to line. For instance the teacher says "cat, rice, breakfast, elephant". The student must listen, then jump from the "cat" flashcard to the "rice" flashcard and so on, while repeating the words themselves. If they make a mistake, jump to the wrong card, or mispronounce a word, they sit down. If a student is successful they are awarded points. Between every other round go over all the words with students repeating after the teacher.
*When students make mistakes have all students repeat correctly after the teacher, then choose a new student to play
Grammar Volleyball (Grammar)
Have students sit or stand in a circle. The teacher starts with the grammar point of the day. For instance, present continuous tense. Teacher says "I am running to the bathroom... She is kicking Henry", then points to a female student (She). That student then says "I am kicking Henry... You are reading a book" and points to another student. The student must say what the previous person said about them, then say what the next person is doing. (Each student says two sentences) If a student makes a mistake they are out and sit down. The sentences get increasingly more difficult as students try to stump each other.
*When a student makes a mistake have all students repeat the sentence correctly after the teacher then move onto the next round
*The game can continue until one team is all "Out", or until there is one last student
Ring-around-the-Rosie (Y-level) (Say and Repeat)
This can be used for vocabulary, questions, or anything. Students stand up and walk in a circle. I say, they say. If I make a mistake, they all fall down. Last one standing is dead. I use this for vocab often by laying the cards down in a circle and saying the flashcards as I pass them.
*With young children, it is best to have the last student standing (Dead student) lose, and award the other team a point or so, but NOT have them sit out of the game as this would have the students that need the most help, leaving the game first.
Pascal:
Double Action Drilling (Vocab / Grammar)
The teacher assigns two actions that he/she will do at anytime while drilling flashcards or grammar which the children must pay attention for. The main action is to indicate that the children must be silent. I usually do this by raising my leg. While the students are repeating I will at some point raise my leg. If the students repeat after me while my leg is raised, they are either deducted points or the other team is rewarded points. The second action, (touch your ear, nose, etc.) is to indicate the teams to perform some sort of task. (make a line, circle, sit down etc.) The first team to complete the action, gets points. I usually do finger points with this. The first team to earn five finger points wins the drill.
*This is a great game for keeping the attention of the children and keeping the energy of the class high while monotonously drilling any words or sentences which may take time.
Chickens and the Wolf (Younger students) (Reward Game)
If you are losing the attention of students, remind them if they behave and pay attention, there might be some super fun game which only the good students will be allowed to play. The game should be different from whatever it is you have been doing to change the pace and inspire children to try harder. One game my kids love I call, Chickens and the Wolf. Pick the best four students who have been behaving well, they are the chickens. The teacher is the wolf. Assign a space on the floor, (maybe with a hoop or taped box on the floor) which is their "house". They are safe in their house until the teacher calls a student's name from the "house". That student must race to their seat before the teacher catches them. I personally never catch them, but instead stop immediately in front of their chair as if there is some invisible force repelling me. It's very fun and the less well behaved students will immediately want to participate in order to play.
Cowboy Show Down (Vocab)
Write the new vocabulary on the board with a number next to each word. (Can push higher numbers if you want to teach numbers as well as words) The two teams of students make two lines facing the board so that the two first students from each line are in front of the board. The teacher then calls out a number that corresponds to the new vocabulary. The first student to say the word, then "BOOM" is the winner and earns a finger point for their team. The "winner" of the show down then goes to the end of their line, and the "loser" continues at the front to play again. The first team to 10-15 finger points is the winner.
*If a student loses 2 times in a row have them go to the end of the line so they are not too discouraged, but still get more chances to play than others.
Double Action Drilling (Vocab / Grammar)
The teacher assigns two actions that he/she will do at anytime while drilling flashcards or grammar which the children must pay attention for. The main action is to indicate that the children must be silent. I usually do this by raising my leg. While the students are repeating I will at some point raise my leg. If the students repeat after me while my leg is raised, they are either deducted points or the other team is rewarded points. The second action, (touch your ear, nose, etc.) is to indicate the teams to perform some sort of task. (make a line, circle, sit down etc.) The first team to complete the action, gets points. I usually do finger points with this. The first team to earn five finger points wins the drill.
*This is a great game for keeping the attention of the children and keeping the energy of the class high while monotonously drilling any words or sentences which may take time.
Chickens and the Wolf (Younger students) (Reward Game)
If you are losing the attention of students, remind them if they behave and pay attention, there might be some super fun game which only the good students will be allowed to play. The game should be different from whatever it is you have been doing to change the pace and inspire children to try harder. One game my kids love I call, Chickens and the Wolf. Pick the best four students who have been behaving well, they are the chickens. The teacher is the wolf. Assign a space on the floor, (maybe with a hoop or taped box on the floor) which is their "house". They are safe in their house until the teacher calls a student's name from the "house". That student must race to their seat before the teacher catches them. I personally never catch them, but instead stop immediately in front of their chair as if there is some invisible force repelling me. It's very fun and the less well behaved students will immediately want to participate in order to play.
Cowboy Show Down (Vocab)
Write the new vocabulary on the board with a number next to each word. (Can push higher numbers if you want to teach numbers as well as words) The two teams of students make two lines facing the board so that the two first students from each line are in front of the board. The teacher then calls out a number that corresponds to the new vocabulary. The first student to say the word, then "BOOM" is the winner and earns a finger point for their team. The "winner" of the show down then goes to the end of their line, and the "loser" continues at the front to play again. The first team to 10-15 finger points is the winner.
*If a student loses 2 times in a row have them go to the end of the line so they are not too discouraged, but still get more chances to play than others.