Teacher Says
After a class has grown bored of the simple Teacher Says game where they follow the teacher learning simple words you should change it into a step two mistake type game, or a game where the students that are repeating the best and doing actions are allowed to sit down until the entire class is sitting. (as with all drills that involve children finishing a drill, if they don't continue to talk, then they should be brought back into the drill) Here are some ideas of easy teacher says type styles that can warm up the class with reviewing things they know, being loud and being active:
Teacher Says for Lower Level Students
1. Grammar Review: Use the grammar review from the lesson plan. Make sentences using the review grammar and make it a mistake game. As an Ex. When the teacher makes a mistake with the grammar the students must sit on the floor. The fastest student can sit down. (but continue to repeat after the teacher)
2. Crazy Story: Say a crazy story that uses vocabulary that the class understands already. As an Ex. Going to the zoo, waking up and having breakfast with mom and dad, teacher fighting animals... After each sentence of the story the student that acted it out the best may sit down.
3. Crazy Conversation: Using 2 voices create a conversation between two people or different animals. As an example Students talking with their mother or father, Buying food at KFC, having a birthday party... After each dialogue have the student that was the best sit down.
4. THIS/THAT/ THESE/ THOSE: Kids must run from near to far from the objects in the classroom. EX. This is a door = children run to the door and repeat. That is a TV= run away from the tv and repeat. These are girls= run away from girls and repeat. Those are books= children run away from books and repeat. You can have the student that is the slowest is the loser, and the opposite team wins points. This works well to learn the meanings of this grammar easily and its always a fun race. * As its a race, if students are too excited running to repeat together, then just repeat it again after they have found their destinations of near or far to the objects.
5. True/False: True statements that the teacher makes students should repeat and act out. Ex. I like to eat ice-cream, I can jump, I am a boy...
False statements students should not repeat and should run to sit in their chairs or on the floor. Ex. I like to kiss elephants, I can fly, I am a dolphin...
If students are too slow or make a mistake, the other team can win points.
6. Question: Students should only repeat questions. If an answer or statement is said then students should do an action, clap, sit down, fart, say you're crazy...
Ex. Are you...? Are we...? Is she...? Is Matt...? Am I...? Is this...? Is that..? Do you...? Can it...? Does she...?
This is good to make sure students understand the difference in questions and statements such as Are you a boy? and You are a boy.
7. Describing Someone: Have students repeat 3 sentences that accurately portray or mockingly portray someone in the classroom. After that see who can guess which student was being portrayed. The guesser is out and can sit down. (but continues to repeat after the teacher until the drill is over) Ex. Accurate. I am a boy... I am wearing blue... I have short hair... Who am I? Students guess until someone guesses the correct boy. Mocking Ex. I am a monkey... I like to throw doodoo at my mother... I want to live in a toilet... Who am I? students guess until they figure out which student you were joking about. This drill has all students repeating 3 sentences together before one student even gets "Out" so depending on the class you can say the drill ends when 3 children from one team are "Out" so it doesn't take too long.
8. Classroom Objects: The teacher will say sentences that review previously taught grammar. Every couple sentences the teacher will shout out an object, color, person... in the room. The student that touches it first is the winner and can be "Out" or wins points for his/her team.
Teacher Says Examples for Higher Level Students
1.) Story
Past Tense Example
Three years ago / I went to the zoo. I was walking around the monkeys. Then I saw (Jerry) climbing a tree. He looked very happy. Then I bought some popcorn and soda. After I finished eating the popcorn / I threw the soda at (Jerry). (Jerry) drank the soda / and said Thank you. Then I drove my car to (Annie’s) house. She was playing in the trash can. Her mother shouted / Don’t eat trash!!!. Then she gave me a dirty banana. I took the banana to (Bob’s) house. He gave the banana to his grandmother. His grandmother said / I love brown bananas / They are my favorite. Then I walked home. I heard loud noises in my house. I opened the door. (Kevin) was breaking my TV! I picked up (Kevin) / and put him in the toilet. Then (Kevin) swam to America / from my toilet / to Obama’s Toilet. The End
*/ emphasizes a pause for students to repeat the sentence
**If the sentence is too long students will lose grasp of the meaning, or forget the correct grammar and pronunciation
*This story promotes using the past tense in using past tense verbs (went, bought, saw) and past continuous (was eating, were going, was breaking)
***Great way for students to learn to tell stories about the past, with correct grammar
****In this drill if a student is talking loudly and doing actions they may sit down. After each sentence or two I choose one student to sit down. If a student is not repeating after the teacher the sentence is said again. If a student is sitting and not repeating, that student must stand up again. When all students are sitting and the story is finished, students may play the board game.
*****For each past tense verb the teacher should do an obvious action (Thumb pointed behind the teacher to show it happened in the past) Went, ate, was, were…. This will remind students that those words are the focus of the drill.
2.) Correct the Verb Tense
State a Time, and then a sentence with the verb spoken in the incorrect tense. Students as a class must then say the sentence together correctly. After each sentence, choose a student that has repeated the sentence properly to sit down. After all students are sitting down the drill is complete and the students may play the board game. If at any time, students are not all confidently repeating the sentence correctly, then repeat the sentence again in it’s correct form. If a student that has made it to their seat, is not repeating, that student must stand up again to continue the drill. All students are always repeating after the teacher.
*Simplest times (Yesterday, Now, Tomorrow)
Last year / I go to my friends house. (Went)
Now / My mother is cook dinner. (Cooking)
Next Saturday / We play football at the park. (Will)
5 minutes ago / Bob ride an elephant to school. (Rode)
Now / We are speak loudly. (Speaking)
In 3 Months / She buy a new yellow car. (Will)
Yesterday / They shoot a tiger at West lake. (Shot)
Now / My Teacher is cut my dogs hair. (Cutting)
Tomorrow / The weather is beautiful (Will be)
3.) Mistake
Simply make random sentences, using different tenses, and making mistakes every few sentences. The student that realizes the mistake first may sit down, Or get a finger point for their team. In this format, the teacher can make it into an active game where students must sit on the floor if there is a mistake, do a jumping jack, spin around and so on… If students are not enthusiastic, the rule can be the last person to do the action is the loser and the opposite team gets a finger point. When all students are seated, or a team gets 5 finger points the drill is over.
Last year, I went to Japan.
Now, I am going to Japan.
Tomorrow, I will go to Japan.
*Give a simple example to start. Then begin.
Last year, I saw a hippo.
Now, my mother is drinking juice.
Tomorrow, We play football. (Mistake, We Will Play football)
3 days ago, I took a test.
Now, Sam is make a cake. (Mistake, Same is making a cake)
Next week, I will go camping.
Yesterday, the tiger eating a Chinese boy. (Mistake The tiger ate a Chinese boy)
4.) Question and Answer with Mistakes
For any level students
Simply doing questions and answers to review proper English and tenses. After each Q n A have a student sit down. Add mistakes to make it an active drill.
Do you like jumping? Yes, I like jumping.
Do you like to jump? Yes, I like to jump.
Can you fly? No, I can’t fly
Are you a monkey? Yes, I am a monkey.
Will you go to the cinema today? Yes I will.
Did you play basketball last week? No I didn't.
Have you ever been to Japan? Yes I have.
Would you eat a brown banana? No I wouldn't.
*Mark half the room as the "Yes" side and the other Half as the "No" side. After the questions students can run to side they feel is the correct answer for them. This will make the game a bit more fun and confusing for those that just follow the crowd. EX. Do you like wearing dresses? Hopefully girls go to the yes I do side and the boys go to the no i don't side.
*Mistakes- add an action for students to do if a mistake occurs. The fastest student to catch the mistake, wins.
Do you a monkey? ***Are you a monkey
Do you like playing football? Yes I like play football… *** Yes I like playing football.
Can you speak Japanese? Yes I am. ***Yes I can
5.) Embarrassing Grammar
Teacher makes an embarrassing or funny sentence to review grammar.
Students repeat that sentence in English.
The student that translates the sentence into Chinese perfectly may sit down. Each student must translate one goofy sentence for the drill to end.
I like to kiss hippos.
My father is a mouse.
Now I am dancing like a chicken.
Yesterday I fell in a toilet.
Tomorrow I will wear a purple dress to school.
I like trash because it tastes delicious.
My socks smell like an elephant bottom.
10 years ago I was a boy.
When I grow up I will have 100 babies.
Yesterday I danced with Xi Jin Ping at KFC.
*Any sentence that makes a student admit something funny about themselves in their native language.
**If there are no takers to translate, because its too silly, move on to another sentence…
***Make the difficulty of the sentence appropriate for the class… Can be very simple, or difficult.
6.) Conversation
Create a conversation for the class… Team A repeats one half of the conversation, while Team B repeats the other half of the conversation. Use the appropriate level of conversation. This is a great way to make silly conversations that teach children how to converse back and forth easily, with questions and answers. Simply have students sit down if they are speaking loudly and doing actions that show they understand. Or give the better team finger points for good behavior throughout the conversation. The first team to 5 points wins. As always with finger points be sure to quickly give and then take away finger points for behavior that is not suitable…
Teacher Says for Lower Level Students
1. Grammar Review: Use the grammar review from the lesson plan. Make sentences using the review grammar and make it a mistake game. As an Ex. When the teacher makes a mistake with the grammar the students must sit on the floor. The fastest student can sit down. (but continue to repeat after the teacher)
2. Crazy Story: Say a crazy story that uses vocabulary that the class understands already. As an Ex. Going to the zoo, waking up and having breakfast with mom and dad, teacher fighting animals... After each sentence of the story the student that acted it out the best may sit down.
3. Crazy Conversation: Using 2 voices create a conversation between two people or different animals. As an example Students talking with their mother or father, Buying food at KFC, having a birthday party... After each dialogue have the student that was the best sit down.
4. THIS/THAT/ THESE/ THOSE: Kids must run from near to far from the objects in the classroom. EX. This is a door = children run to the door and repeat. That is a TV= run away from the tv and repeat. These are girls= run away from girls and repeat. Those are books= children run away from books and repeat. You can have the student that is the slowest is the loser, and the opposite team wins points. This works well to learn the meanings of this grammar easily and its always a fun race. * As its a race, if students are too excited running to repeat together, then just repeat it again after they have found their destinations of near or far to the objects.
5. True/False: True statements that the teacher makes students should repeat and act out. Ex. I like to eat ice-cream, I can jump, I am a boy...
False statements students should not repeat and should run to sit in their chairs or on the floor. Ex. I like to kiss elephants, I can fly, I am a dolphin...
If students are too slow or make a mistake, the other team can win points.
6. Question: Students should only repeat questions. If an answer or statement is said then students should do an action, clap, sit down, fart, say you're crazy...
Ex. Are you...? Are we...? Is she...? Is Matt...? Am I...? Is this...? Is that..? Do you...? Can it...? Does she...?
This is good to make sure students understand the difference in questions and statements such as Are you a boy? and You are a boy.
7. Describing Someone: Have students repeat 3 sentences that accurately portray or mockingly portray someone in the classroom. After that see who can guess which student was being portrayed. The guesser is out and can sit down. (but continues to repeat after the teacher until the drill is over) Ex. Accurate. I am a boy... I am wearing blue... I have short hair... Who am I? Students guess until someone guesses the correct boy. Mocking Ex. I am a monkey... I like to throw doodoo at my mother... I want to live in a toilet... Who am I? students guess until they figure out which student you were joking about. This drill has all students repeating 3 sentences together before one student even gets "Out" so depending on the class you can say the drill ends when 3 children from one team are "Out" so it doesn't take too long.
8. Classroom Objects: The teacher will say sentences that review previously taught grammar. Every couple sentences the teacher will shout out an object, color, person... in the room. The student that touches it first is the winner and can be "Out" or wins points for his/her team.
Teacher Says Examples for Higher Level Students
1.) Story
Past Tense Example
Three years ago / I went to the zoo. I was walking around the monkeys. Then I saw (Jerry) climbing a tree. He looked very happy. Then I bought some popcorn and soda. After I finished eating the popcorn / I threw the soda at (Jerry). (Jerry) drank the soda / and said Thank you. Then I drove my car to (Annie’s) house. She was playing in the trash can. Her mother shouted / Don’t eat trash!!!. Then she gave me a dirty banana. I took the banana to (Bob’s) house. He gave the banana to his grandmother. His grandmother said / I love brown bananas / They are my favorite. Then I walked home. I heard loud noises in my house. I opened the door. (Kevin) was breaking my TV! I picked up (Kevin) / and put him in the toilet. Then (Kevin) swam to America / from my toilet / to Obama’s Toilet. The End
*/ emphasizes a pause for students to repeat the sentence
**If the sentence is too long students will lose grasp of the meaning, or forget the correct grammar and pronunciation
*This story promotes using the past tense in using past tense verbs (went, bought, saw) and past continuous (was eating, were going, was breaking)
***Great way for students to learn to tell stories about the past, with correct grammar
****In this drill if a student is talking loudly and doing actions they may sit down. After each sentence or two I choose one student to sit down. If a student is not repeating after the teacher the sentence is said again. If a student is sitting and not repeating, that student must stand up again. When all students are sitting and the story is finished, students may play the board game.
*****For each past tense verb the teacher should do an obvious action (Thumb pointed behind the teacher to show it happened in the past) Went, ate, was, were…. This will remind students that those words are the focus of the drill.
2.) Correct the Verb Tense
State a Time, and then a sentence with the verb spoken in the incorrect tense. Students as a class must then say the sentence together correctly. After each sentence, choose a student that has repeated the sentence properly to sit down. After all students are sitting down the drill is complete and the students may play the board game. If at any time, students are not all confidently repeating the sentence correctly, then repeat the sentence again in it’s correct form. If a student that has made it to their seat, is not repeating, that student must stand up again to continue the drill. All students are always repeating after the teacher.
*Simplest times (Yesterday, Now, Tomorrow)
Last year / I go to my friends house. (Went)
Now / My mother is cook dinner. (Cooking)
Next Saturday / We play football at the park. (Will)
5 minutes ago / Bob ride an elephant to school. (Rode)
Now / We are speak loudly. (Speaking)
In 3 Months / She buy a new yellow car. (Will)
Yesterday / They shoot a tiger at West lake. (Shot)
Now / My Teacher is cut my dogs hair. (Cutting)
Tomorrow / The weather is beautiful (Will be)
3.) Mistake
Simply make random sentences, using different tenses, and making mistakes every few sentences. The student that realizes the mistake first may sit down, Or get a finger point for their team. In this format, the teacher can make it into an active game where students must sit on the floor if there is a mistake, do a jumping jack, spin around and so on… If students are not enthusiastic, the rule can be the last person to do the action is the loser and the opposite team gets a finger point. When all students are seated, or a team gets 5 finger points the drill is over.
Last year, I went to Japan.
Now, I am going to Japan.
Tomorrow, I will go to Japan.
*Give a simple example to start. Then begin.
Last year, I saw a hippo.
Now, my mother is drinking juice.
Tomorrow, We play football. (Mistake, We Will Play football)
3 days ago, I took a test.
Now, Sam is make a cake. (Mistake, Same is making a cake)
Next week, I will go camping.
Yesterday, the tiger eating a Chinese boy. (Mistake The tiger ate a Chinese boy)
4.) Question and Answer with Mistakes
For any level students
Simply doing questions and answers to review proper English and tenses. After each Q n A have a student sit down. Add mistakes to make it an active drill.
Do you like jumping? Yes, I like jumping.
Do you like to jump? Yes, I like to jump.
Can you fly? No, I can’t fly
Are you a monkey? Yes, I am a monkey.
Will you go to the cinema today? Yes I will.
Did you play basketball last week? No I didn't.
Have you ever been to Japan? Yes I have.
Would you eat a brown banana? No I wouldn't.
*Mark half the room as the "Yes" side and the other Half as the "No" side. After the questions students can run to side they feel is the correct answer for them. This will make the game a bit more fun and confusing for those that just follow the crowd. EX. Do you like wearing dresses? Hopefully girls go to the yes I do side and the boys go to the no i don't side.
*Mistakes- add an action for students to do if a mistake occurs. The fastest student to catch the mistake, wins.
Do you a monkey? ***Are you a monkey
Do you like playing football? Yes I like play football… *** Yes I like playing football.
Can you speak Japanese? Yes I am. ***Yes I can
5.) Embarrassing Grammar
Teacher makes an embarrassing or funny sentence to review grammar.
Students repeat that sentence in English.
The student that translates the sentence into Chinese perfectly may sit down. Each student must translate one goofy sentence for the drill to end.
I like to kiss hippos.
My father is a mouse.
Now I am dancing like a chicken.
Yesterday I fell in a toilet.
Tomorrow I will wear a purple dress to school.
I like trash because it tastes delicious.
My socks smell like an elephant bottom.
10 years ago I was a boy.
When I grow up I will have 100 babies.
Yesterday I danced with Xi Jin Ping at KFC.
*Any sentence that makes a student admit something funny about themselves in their native language.
**If there are no takers to translate, because its too silly, move on to another sentence…
***Make the difficulty of the sentence appropriate for the class… Can be very simple, or difficult.
6.) Conversation
Create a conversation for the class… Team A repeats one half of the conversation, while Team B repeats the other half of the conversation. Use the appropriate level of conversation. This is a great way to make silly conversations that teach children how to converse back and forth easily, with questions and answers. Simply have students sit down if they are speaking loudly and doing actions that show they understand. Or give the better team finger points for good behavior throughout the conversation. The first team to 5 points wins. As always with finger points be sure to quickly give and then take away finger points for behavior that is not suitable…