Contents

1. ESL MAGIC GAMES
2. MEET THE AUTHOR
   1. HOW CAN THIS BOOK HELP YOU?
   2. 5 MAGIC FEATURES OF OUR GAMES
3. FLASHCARD GAMES
   1. Four Bags
   2. What is Missing? (New Variant)
   3. Two Chairs
   4. Say «Hello» to…
   5. Touch the Card
   6. Circle Snatch
   7. Penguins and Dolls, Switch!
   8. Magic Box
   9. Musical Chairs (New Variant)
   10. Touch Two Cards
   11. Snatch the Card
   12. What’s in My Envelope?
4. BALL GAMES
   1. I Know 5 Words
   2. I Know 5 Words (Balloon Volleyball)
   3. Stop the Ball
   4. Count from 1 to 10
5. OTHER GAMES AND ACTIVITIES
   1. Flying Cards
   2. Be Quiet Chant
   3. How Many Fingers?
   4. Games Lottery

MEET THE AUTHOR

JENNY WHITE

«I never teach my pupils. I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn.»

Albert Einstein

TKT: CLIL Certificate (Cambridge University)

Certificate in Teaching IELTS (London TTC)

EMI Certificate (Cambridge University)

Award from American Council «For Outstanding Contributions to the Teaching of English and American Country Studies»

Winner of the contest for teachers of English «Fresh Vigor»

Jenny White has been teaching English since 1995. She worked in many countries with different age groups and came to the conclusion that games are the most powerful tool for teaching kindergarten kids.

In 2017 she moved into teacher training and started sharing her experience on YouTube. For more ESL games and teaching tips visit her channel ESL GAMES AND TEACHING TIPS WITH JENNY WHITE

HOW CAN THIS BOOK HELP YOU?

Dear Reader,

This book will help you master «classroom magic» — ESL games that engage ALL your students into learning English and turn ANY class into a perfect one, with all the goals achieved. There are twenty games and for every game information is presented in three sections.

In «PREPARATION» section you will find information about what you have to consider before playing the game: teaching goal, the number of students in your group, their level of English, type of the game, material and time needed.

In «INSTRUCTIONS» stage you will get detailed advice on what to say and what to do to help your students understand the rules and to create a warm, friendly atmosphere.

In «PROCEDURE» stage you are given a description of what the game looks like. There are also pictures to help you. You can read about ways of adapting the games for smaller or larger classes.

So, don’t waste a single moment! Turn the page, choose a game and enjoy it!

Yours,

Jenny White

5 MAGIC FEATURES OF OUR GAMES

MOTIVATING — The spirit of competition and excitement will make your students stay focused until the last minute!

AMUSING — Your students will never get tired and because playing game is a natural way for them to learn.

GOAL-ORIENTED — You will not play just for fun. By the end of any game your students will have made a great progress!

INTERACTIVE — No matter how large your group is, every students will get a chance to physically take part in the game! It will keep them «awake»!

COOL — Students will get a chance to win! What can make you feel happier than this sweet taste of victory?

FLASHCARD GAMES

Four Bags

AIM: revision of groups of vocabulary

LEVEL OF ENGLISH: students should know 3—5 words in every vocabulary group

TYPE OF EXERCISE: classifying flashcards into groups in teams

NUMBER OF STUDENTS: suitable for a group of 8—16 students

MATERIALS: 4 bags and 20 flashcards from different vocabulary groups

TIME: 5—10 min. (depending on the number of students)

PREPARATION

Choose 20 flashcards you would like to revise with your students. They should relate to different vocabulary groups, (FOOD, TOYS, SPORTS, JOBS etc.) Put the flashcards on the floor face down.

Ask four students to stand in the four corners of the classroom and to hold the bags. Give every student, who is holding a bag, a flashcard representing vocabulary category. For example, for the category DRINKS it can be a flashcard with milk. For the category WEATHER a flashcard with RAINBOW etc. Students should hold the card and the bag so that all the students could see the picture.

INSTRUCTIONS

Explain to the other students what group of words every bag is for (food, drinks, clothes, colours, toys etc.) Pick up one card from the floor, for example, a teddy bear, show it to the students and ask «What bag? Clothes? Food? Toys?» Quickly run to the bag with toys and put the flashcard into in. Explain to the students that they should sort out all the cards on the floor into the four bags very quickly.

If there are more than 12 students in the group, choose 7—8 to play the game and explain to the others that they will play next time.

PROCEDURE

Set time limits, for example 20 seconds. Count from 1 to 20 together with the students who are holding the bags while the other students are sorting out the flashcards.

When there are no more cards on the floor, ask all the students to sit down and check the words in the bags. Take out the cards one by one and make students pronounce the words on them. Check if the word is in the right bag by asking them «Is it clothes/food/toys..?»

In the end count how many cards they managed to classify in 20 seconds and write the number on the board. Don’t forget to praise your students! After that, choose other students to hold the bags and other players to play the game again.