Game: La Bomba

I was shown a game by a former coworker that is a good for quick review. I'm sure it can be changed and made more challenging without much difficulty. I call it La Bomba because there are bombs in the game that the students are trying to avoid.

I created a 6x6 grid in a word document, labeled the rows A-F going down and the columns 1-6 going across. Then I assign either bombs or a clue to each box. Be very careful to hide your 'answer key' from the kids! They can be such cheaters! And if you are holding it in your hand, hold something behind it so they can't see through - they can totally see where the bombs are, especially if you got all artsy with them! I typically place 8 bombs, you can do fewer or more, though putting in more makes for little review. 8 bombs is already 25% of the board. Hmm, maybe I should change the amount of bombs I use... Anyways, split the class into as many teams as you like. Project a blank bomba board for all to see. Then pick a team to go first. Someone will name a coordinate, and if it's a clue, they answer it and get 10 points if it's correct. If it's a bomb, their score goes to zero, regardless of where it stands. Here's the catch: if they get a clue wrong, they lose 10 points. But do not reveal the answer. Leave the clue open for another team to answer. When all clues are answered (regardless of whether all bombs have been exposed) the team with the highest score wins! This makes a late-game bomb a real heart breaker!

To identify that a team answered a clue correctly, I fill in the box with the color of their choice to indicate that the box is out of play and to indicate which team won the points. Typically, I assign one color to a team and that's the color always used, but if you've got the score keeping under control, then I suppose they can pick any color they want every time. This makes for more fun, as I will describe later.

Sometimes, the kids like to mix things up. I have classes that like to play the game in a non-traditional manner. One way they play is to see which team can hit the most bombs. They get all disappointed when they get a clue. Another thing some like to do is try and create an image through the coloring of the boxes. I have a student who loves telling her class that she still has the fish that her team created last year hanging on the wall of her bedroom. It's up to you if you want to encourage them to do these things, or just let them come up with these strategies on their own.

What I like about this game is its versatility. I can use it for vocab, grammar, or chapter summary. It can be easy, medium, or difficult, depending on how you want to set it up. Games like this one are a great go to when in a pinch, or just need something different because it can fit in anywhere!