Tools For Classroom Activities (ETJ-Aichi workshop, Sharon Abe, September 8, 2002)

Some tools you can buy, including game sets, are just not completely suitable for your particular classes or groups of students. A packaged tool may have something you will never use, or might not have something you do want. Why pay for something you are not happy with? Make it, or something similar, to fit your needs and the needs of your students.

There is also no reason to spend a lot of money on tools, either. Almost all my tools come directly from 100-yen stores or are made from materials bought at 100-yen stores.

CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS I USE MOST FREQUENTLY

TOOLS TO BUY

1. Timer/Stopwatch:

a) quizzes: Ss have a time limit; don't give them time to guess and thereby use up precious class time (1-5 minutes)

b) team writing on blackboard: give topic, have teams write as many words　as possible within time limit (3-5 minutes)

c) individual reading within time limit

d) read words, sentences, etc. and have 2 students use timers; record the　faster time; have Ss read again following week for improved time;

e) time all students for competition; fastest student wins

f) set time limit; Ss do dialog or Q&A; see how many times Ss can do this　within limit (ex: What is it? It's a ... What color is it? It's ...) (1-3 minutes)

2. Tiddly Winks　（おはじき）:

a) use for counting, mixed colors or in separate colors

b) use to make letters on table

c) use as bingo markers, to reuse cards

d) use as game markers (駒)

e) use as points for individual or team games

3. Dice (regular, blank, different shapes, colors instead of numbers):

a) board games, textbook games; use only 1, 2, and 3 to make the game　longer; 4 = 1, 5 = 2, 6 = 3; make own dice out of 2 milk carton bottoms, one　inserted into the other, covered with colored or white paper, using dot stickers for number dice, just color for color dice, or use words for Ss to make questions (Who, What, Why, etc.)

b) roll for order instead of using janken (highest/lowest goes first)

c) Ss roll and count or say number on 1 die or 2 dice (or 3, etc.); I give each beginning student a die to take home and practice with; they are very proud of having their own die and can't wait to show their parents!

d) for Yahtzee-like games of spelling, use blank dice with letters written on dot stickers, or use regular dice covered with dot stickers; have Ss roll 3 or more dice and try to make words with the letters; some dice can have the same letter on all sides

4. "Front Desk" Bells/Ringers (good for large or noisy classes or large rooms):

a) Q&A: use two different-sounding bells; give one bell to each team, or to one member of each team; after each team/member has 1 chance to answer the question (if the first team/member is incorrect), then give any member the chance to answer; they must ring the bell before answering, instead of shouting out the answer

b) to end a relay; first team to finish rings a bell

c) pictionary; played like Q&A, but with team members alternating drawing pictures from clues given by teacher or drawn from a pile of cards on the table

5. Bingo Cards ** (bought or made, blank "white bingo"); I recommend covering homemade cards with wide cellophane tape to keep the paper from being dirtied or torn:

a) T or Ss write letters for ABC or phonics practice/recognition

b) vocabulary/reading: use words or sentences instead of letters

c) pictures

** See Peter Warner's presentation notes on "Living Bingo" from September 8, 2002

ADDITIONAL TOOLS TO BUY:

1. Clocks; can get rubber clocks with interchangeable numbers and hands at 100-yen stores; have one per student, and give them 5 or 10 minutes the first class only to play with the clocks by interchanging the parts with each other--they will definitely want to play first, and if you let them do it once, they will be OK the next time; teach time, then:

a) T gives time, Ss set clock

b) Ss set time, T asks "What time is it?", Ss answer

c) S1 sets time, asks S2 "What time is it?", S2 answers

d) S1 (or T) sets time, asks S2, "What do you do at 00:00?"; S2 answers, "I [get up] at 00:00." -or- S1 says to T, "I [get up] at 00:00"; can adapt to past, present, or future tenses--I [got up] at ...; I [will get up] at ...

2. Blindfolds/Sleep Masks (easier for small children; can buy or get them from airlines) or Scarves:

a) put pictures/puzzles together, like Japanese game fukuwarai ふくわらい

b) teach/practice directions; have S1 direct blindfolded S2 around room or outside; include "Turn left/right," "Go straight," "Duck!" etc.

c) prevent cheating: blindfolded Ss raise hands for "Yes" etc. to T's questions; T can know if Ss understand or not (ex: in phonics, T wants to practice "a" as in "apple"; Ss listen to various words such as tag, tug, lag, big, dog, etc. and raise hand when T uses "a" sound

3. Flyswatters (cut off sharp points, take away pincers) Rules: tell Ss "Up"--Ss must keep swatter up and next to shoulder before T calls out item; no searching with swatter by holding it over the cards; Ss lose one turn after getting card/point

a) letters, phonics, words (picture side up or down)

b) Ss count own cards in English after game finishes

c) Ss must say letter, sound, word to receive point

TOOLS TO MAKE

1. Numbers/Letters; these will be used over again, so make them out of stiff paper or cardboard:

a) decide order to speak, read aloud, or recite (when no one wants to go first or do janken)

b) decide partners for freshness; always having the same partner is "safe" for shy students, but the conversations get stale because each partner knows what the other is going to say; mix up the students and encourage them to find out new things; this also demands teamwork and cooperation from each participant

c) decide teams and order on the team

2. Split ABC Cards; draw letters on stiff paper or cardboard, with a small line at the bottom indicating the "bottom" of the card, then cut the cards in half so there is a left half and a right half; many letters look the same, so the hand drawn line at the bottom must match):

a) relay matching: put half of the cards at each end of a long table or space; split the students into teams; have the S1 from each team take one card from their own end of the table, run down to the other end and try to find the other half of their card; if both students have halves of the same card, they may a) wait for the other student to bring back the half that is needed, or b) take their card back to their own side and pick up a different card; game ends when all cards have been matched; winning team has most matches

b) recognition, timed or not: Ss take turns, or have 2 or more students at the same time, match the halves; I use this after teaching the shapes, and for those students who proclaim, "I know all the letters!" in a very loud voice

3. Paddles; made out of chopsticks and a round or square piece of stiff paper or cardboard; I cover mine with colored paper:

a) make puppets out of colored paper, crayons, yarn for hair (let the children make their own, but you should have one as a sample first) for conversation, especially among younger children; some students won't look at each other while speaking, but using puppets helps encourage them

b) yes/no or O/X written on opposites sides of the paddles, so each Ss needs only one paddle: T reads story, ask questions, Ss respond; use in phonics for LC, similar to Blindfolds c), but Ss show yes/O for what the teacher is looking for, no/X for anything else

c) 1, 2, 3 (can be bought in sets) for multiple choice questions; Ss will need one of each paddle

4. Fortune Sticks おみくじ; make out of a whole milk carton with the top as is or folded down to be flat; you can cover the carton with colored paper and decorate it, or leave it plain; cut hole in bottom for chopsticks to pass through; use wooden chopsticks, unsplit, and write letters, words, questions, etc. on them; use a different set or style of words, etc., for each level or lesson; Ss may read and answer, or T may read and Ss answer:

a) Q&A

b) charades

c) with letters, Ss must say word beginning with that letter

d) may have "secret" stick: get 1 point free; get 1 candy; lose a turn, etc.

5. Signal Game; review vocabulary first (can write on board), then T or S1 calls out the signals, S1 (or S2) then answers; can be used as a whole class or in teams, especially for large classes; if a student is late or makes a mistake, take a point away from the team/student, make the student lose a turn, or have the student stay out of the game in elimination; How to play: cards have 3 circles on them, horizontally like a traffic signal; the first two signals from the left are the same, the last one on the right is different; or, all three signals are the same; when the first two are the same, the Ss may use the same word twice or use two different words; if the signals are all the same, each word (3) must be different (ex: green, green, white = leaf, leaf, teeth -or- leaf, spinach, teeth; black, black, black = ink, tires, hair):

a) colors: any word or choose category such as food, animals, etc.

b) letters: Ss must make word beginning with that letter

ADDITIONAL TOOLS TO MAKE:

1. Bean Bags; bought or handmade to fit occasion (pumpkin, etc.)

a) quick Q&A: S1 or T asks Q, then tosses to S2 who must answer, then toss to S3; Ss who both ask and answer may sit down or keep standing to receive bean bag again

b) quick conversation ("Hi, I'm Sharon. What's your name?" "I'm Tim.")

2. Game Markers (cute erasers, tiddly winks, or stickers on colored paper):

a) for board games or textbook games

3. Spinners; use instead of dice; made from circles of stiff paper or cardboard, a "pointer" made from stiff paper, and a brad (坊主・ピン）; divide the circle into parts and label the parts with numbers (including -1, -2, etc. for a longer game), colors, pictures, words, letters, etc., depending on the game board

a) for games with color, numbered spaces, etc.

b) for games where Ss must collect pieces to make a whole object, draw the pieces on the spinner; a student may collect the piece on their turn if they spin to the correct piece; this can be done in order (first a skeleton head, then the body, then the arms, etc.) or out of order (but no double pieces unless it is 2 arms, etc.)

4. Gamepoint Tally; made from stiff paper, heavy cardboard, rings that open on a hinge; numbers can be drawn on or be number stickers:

a) Ss can be put in charge to turn the numbers over, one from each team, or make separate tally boards

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