a good group game you can use to review:
- grammar structures
- phonics rules or sight words

Zap: let's say we're reviewing past tense

- Get a hold of 30-40 disposable chopsticks or popsicle sticks
- write verbs in their infinitive form, each on one chopstick
- on a few chopsticks draw a lightning bolt (a Zap stick)

Put all the sticks in a container or cup. Ss take turns drawing a stick from the cup. They read the words on the stick, 'go'. Then they make a sentence using the correct past tense form.
'I went home after school yesterday.'

If the student makes a correct sentence they keep the stick. Or even easier, if they make a mistake, the teacher or other students help them until they get it correct.

If the student draws a 'lightning' stick, they have to put all their sticks back.


** You can use slips of paper instead of sticks but the presentation really fails. Students respond better to the sticks. **


You can play the same game with MES-English game cards. Just put a couple sets of small flashcards face down and include a few Jokers or Wild cards. The Joker and Wild cards would function as Zap cards.

- Write sight words or words with the present phonics rules on them to practice phonics

Mark that sounds cool, am totally gonna give that a try. By the ways, where do you get all these ideas from? do you just think em up before you nod off at night??? you are a total inspiration.

ideas come from everywhere. I generally just think about teaching all of the time.

I was out playing golf with a friend and in Japan they draw straws at the beginning to see who'll tee off first. The straws have markings on the end and I was thinking that would be a pretty easy and fun game if I just made some language straws.

I like this idea! So simple, yet ingenious!!
Have you, or anyone tried this with older kids? I'm just wondering if it might work well with Senior High kids, as a warm up activity, or might they think it a bit 'babyish'??

can you use this on younger students? or esl students?

I like this idea Mark. It's similar to my Grab bag game. But it's nice to use different formats.

I'd dread the day that students groaned when I pulled out the Grab Bag.

May that day never come.

I think it would work with younger students.

If students can't read you could lamanite small images of the vocabulary and velcro them to the sticks.

After playing this game for a bit, I've found that it's great to have some sticks/cards that are 2 points, 3 points, and 5 points.

That allows for a points swing without having to solely wish the current points leader gets zapped.

With older kids who don't outwardly enjoy the games , I just change the prize to punishment. They don't seem to care much if they win, but they don't want to lose. Sadly, it works.

So, the loser of the game has to perform some English task. Definitely nothing too difficult or embarrassing. It's just a token that the winner 'win' the opportunity to do nothing.

I generally have the top 2/3 declared the winners and the bottom 1/3 the losers, who have to do whatever. That way you aren't singling out one individual.

I've played a similar game (the chopsticks are a really good idea, though - I was printing off cards and it was a bit labor intensive)

Here's my twist...

You have a pile of chopsticks with review items written on them (as before)
You have some 'zap sticks' also as before.
You have some sticks with 'STOP' written on them.


The aim is to get as many sticks as possible.

- Players nominate how many sticks they'll draw before play (from one to five) and then draw their allotted sticks one-by-one making sentences as they go...
- Players make a sentence according to the rules for each stick
- If a player gets a 'ZAP', they lose all their sticks for that turn only (they keep the sticks from previous rounds) and play passes to the next player.
- If a player gets a 'STOP', their turn is over (but they keep their sticks)
- Play until all the sticks are gone and then count up

I usually take the ZAPS and STOPS out of play as they come up...

yes, sounds like a good game

I like it

Hi again

I've posted a video mock-up of my version of this (with the 'stop sticks' and the 'how many sticks?' rule) here http://www.besteikaiwa.com/forum/index.php?topic=53.0

I hope that makes it easier for someone to understand...

some Monopoly rules can also be adapted:

1. Miss a turn
2. Draw again ==> take another stick
3. Take 2 ==> take 2 sticks from another group
4. Give 2 ==> give 2 sticks to another group
5. Give 1 to all ==> give 1 stick to all groups

... and so on

i tried the zap game today for the first time and thought i outta report back. today was a one to one lesson so it worked out great, i just made chopsticks with some points stickers on em, some zaps and some pick a card, instead of an actaul verb, that way i can use them over and over again, with the flashcards. my 6th student liked it. thanks