50 Fun Classroom Learning Games

By T. Michael Traser

“John Dewey, a great American educator said ‘Give the pupils something to do, not something to learn; and the doing is of such a nature as to demand thinking; learning naturally results.

“Tim Traser’s activity books embrace this philosophy by asking kids to engage in constructive play. Powerful language learning is the result.”

—Harry Chaucer, Education Professor, School Founder, White House Distinguished Teacher

Mr. Traser's innovative approach to getting, and importantly, keeping, young minds engaged is a model to be emulated in the teaching world. Just like hands-on experience is the only way many adults learn, active participation by kids is sometimes the only way as well. His methodology ensures maximum retention of the concepts being taught across the broad spectrum of students.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Buttonwillow
• Release date: Apr 25, 2020
• ISBN: 9780463464229

T. Michael Traser

T. Michael Traser is an internationally recognized educator who’s taught and developed language and other teaching programs in Japan, China and the U.S.A. In addition to this series he’s the author of the ESL books: FUNBOOK, ABCBOOK, PLAYBOOK, GAMEBOOK, CHAT-BOOK AND WORLDBOOK, a series entitled LET’S ENJOY ENGLISH. He’s currently developing curriculum for the Wenzhou Foreign Language School in Wenzhou City, Zhejiang Province, China.

Book preview

1

Chaucer Endorsement

"J ohn Dewey, a great American educator said ‘Give the pupils something to do, not something to learn; and the doing is of such a nature as to demand thinking; learning naturally results.’

---

Tim Traser’s activity books embrace this philosophy by asking kids to engage in constructive play. Powerful language learning is the result.

---

—Harry Chaucer, Education Professor, School Founder, White House Distinguished Teacher

---

2

General

Please read this first: How to make a good game GREAT!

A terrific way to add an element of chance, luck, and suspense to most of the games in this book is by introducing variables on the back end of the answers. To do this, you’ll need some surprises for the students to find after the points for a successful answer have been awarded. There are several variable cards that can be employed for an added punch to the game, from Halloween Candy to April fool’s pranks, but there are four (4) surprise cards that have proven to be very successful for me:

The Typhoon (this sign wipes out your own team’s points)

The Typhoon Switch (this sign wipes out the other team’s points)

The Switch (this sign makes the teams switch points)

---

The Thieves Hand (this sign steals points from the other team)

Write in any number of points to be stolen on the palm of the hand.

Surprise Cards

Be careful not to overuse these surprise cards so as to not dilute the game too much. For example, a Jeopardy-style quiz game consisting of 20 – 25 cards may typically only require perhaps 4 – 5 surprise cards, total. But, like all of these games, the teacher can modify and personalize the number of surprise cards to fit the age, grade, level, and personality of the class. In a closely contested game, these surprise cards are crucial; in a runaway game, they are even more crucial – and let me tell you why.

In virtually every game you play with these surprise cards, you will have one team cringing in anticipation with every turn of a card, while the other team is chanting Typhoon, Typhoon or Switch, Switch. And, yes, it can – and will – get crazy. Countless teams have been able to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat by discovering a Typhoon, Typhoon Switch, Switch, or even a Thieves Hand on the last play of the game; similarly, teams who have been perhaps a bit too overconfident in the certainty of an impending win have suffered a crushing defeat with the turn of an unwelcomed, unfriendly surprise card. It’s that game within a game element that makes these surprise cards so effective and captivating.

Once you experience the power and impact that these surprise cards have – on the game, on the class, on the kids – you may never go back to playing ESL games and activities in a conventional manner. The first game in this book, Jeopardy, offers up the perfect opportunity to try out these surprise cards.

Games & Learning

In the world we live in today, it’s important for children – and adults – to learn a second language. Perhaps just as important, though, is developing the love of learning a second language. That’s where games come into the picture. If you’ve ever taught, or even just watched a child, or anyone, learn something new, then you are probably aware that the role of active participation in learning is as fascinating as it is effective.

Simply put, human beings generally learn faster and better by participating actively than by sitting and listening passively. When dealing with kids, nothing assists in the learning process quite like games, and understanding that there are different kinds of play is important for understanding how it leads to learning. Each type of play is healthy and important for learning.

Why? Because play time gives children an opportunity to explore the world around