Game: Marker Boards

I think that using Marker Boards as a learning tool is one of the most versatile thing I have. Some kids love the marker boards, they can draw, write, erase, use the pretty colors, and yeah, it has this smell... I had a student who straight up told me, "They're not really a game." Well, yes, but the others don't know that!

I got my marker boards from Target a few years ago and they've help up alright enough. I bought them to replace older boards that the backs could be written on - but not erased. Sure, a few of them had silly stuff (a blob with "I am the orange potato God" written next to it, or "Miss W talks a lot," which, admittedly, I do) but after one of the boards had something highly inappropriate about me on it (yes, a direct attack. Rated X) I figured it was time to replace the boards. The boards I got had the wipe off finish on both sides - no more permanent messages on the back!

Low odor, HA!

I buy markers through the school. We actually do have a small budget to make purchases with. And I only need to buy new markers every 2-3 years. The erasers are the hard part. When I inherited my classroom, there was an old, smelly plastic bag filled with about a dozen red rags. Certainly not a class set. I ended up finding a bunch of cheap, thin gloves on sale (50 cents a pair!) and use those. I do wash the rags and gloves at least twice a year. Unfortunately, messages can be left on the gloves, but luckily the kids have been good and have just decorated them with designs or written their names. Washing them just fades their work, so I guess as long as it stays appropriate, we're good.

It's important to still have rags as an option. Some kids just can't imagine using the same glove as someone previous. But if I want them to participate, they have to erase with something. The rags were also used as a messaging system. I simply throw away the ones that were too inappropriate. I still have plenty left.

I use marker boards for everything. Vocab, grammar, drawing, writing, it handles it all. I offer it as an option for the end of chapter review day, and it's great because 2 of the other games I offer are games I can leave the kids alone with, and then I can lead those who want to play with the marker boards. Super easy! And kids actually do enjoy handing the supplies out. Well, it could just be that they love having control over whether someone gets the color marker they want.

Update 12/17/15: So, all of my students have iPads this year, so in lieu of marker boards, they use the Notability app ($3.99, but we all use it so much, the school bought a license and it's pre-loaded on the iPads.) Just make sure that they make the font size big so you can see what they wrote/drew even if they are sitting in the back of the room. And if they change the background color on the app, that they use a font color that stands out.

Notability App icon

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!

Game: Scattergories for Language Learning

This is probably my favorite game to play with the kids. They have so much fun and EVERYONE is involved. It works best as a complete summative review, so probably best used at the beginning or end of the year, or as a filler day.

The official Scattergories logo/ box design. I'm probably breaking some copyright laws. I didn't mean to, officer, honest!

If you've never played Scattergories, then I'll do my best to describe how to play. Every player is given a list of general things (Boy's name, fruit, something hot, type of car, etc) and then a 26 sided die (or is it 20?) is rolled to determine the letter that all the answers to the categories need to start with for that round. Then a timer is set and everyone writes down an answer for each category. When time is up, everyone shares their answers. Points are given for unique responses, so if 2 or more people have the same answer in a category, then that one doesn't count. You play a few rounds and whoever has the most points wins!

Here is my twist on it: I put the kids in groups of 3 or 4 students. The categories are listed in the target language and instead of just nouns or proper names, I include actions, since they can brainstorm infinitive verbs. I also say that if half the teams or more come up with the same answer it doesn't count (so if 3 of 7 teams come up with an answer, it counts, but if 4 teams do, it doesn't.)

I don't have a 26 sided die, so I use this one I found online. It is also an iPad app, but cost 99 cents. There is a free app called 'ScatTools' that includes the randomizer, a timer, and sound effects. I'll be using it next time we play.

I offer this game through my TpT store. It includes 4 category lists.

I will definitely be playing this game again with my students. It is amazing what words they can remember from their years of language learning!

Game: Pesca (Go Fish)

Pesca is a game I like to play within the first day or two of a new vocab unit. It's a simple game and doesn't require too much thinking, which is why I put it at the beginning of a unit. I prefer more complex, thinking games towards the end of a vocab unit.

Basically, I create a MS Publisher document with pictures of vocabulary terms. I print them on card stock, laminate the pages, cut up the cards, and put each set in a baggie. I make 40 cards per set, which is 20 vocabulary terms.

The objective? Just like Go Fish!: Get as many pairs of matching cards as possible.

This is how it's played: Kids partner up and receive the baggie of cards. They shuffle them and deal 5 cards to each player. The remaining cards become the 'fishing pond' to pick from when they are told to go fish. Once everything is ready, one person goes first by asking their partner if they have a particular card in their hand. The partner either says yes and hands it over, or tells the other player to go fish. This goes back and forth until all cards are matched. All matches are removed from their hands and set aside, but keep each players' matches separate for scoring reasons.

Something I've learned over the years: You need to have the kids establish rules regarding taking another turn. My students typically play that if your partner gets a match, or if you pick up a match when you are told to go fish, you get to go again. Some people will disagree and say that it was luck, your turn is done. It all depends on the players. However, this must be established ahead of time, or you will deal with arguments and accusations that "it's not fair!".

I love that this is a game for all Foreign Languages. Because the cards are pictures, you can tailor it for your vocabulary list, and just change the words the kids say while playing. For Spanish, we use some basic vocabulary while playing: ¿Tienes...? (Do you have...?) Sí. (yes) Pesca. (go fish, familiar command form) Gané. (I won) etc. Simple vocab, but it works. You can kick it up a notch, offering the students a wider variety of things to say, such as: Busco... (I'm looking for...), Sí, lo/la/los/las tengo (Yes I have it, them), etc.

I have started putting some of my Go Fish cards on my Teachers Pay Teachers store. I haven't posted a lot because I want to make the cards as generic as possible, and my cards have vocabulary terms from my specific source. But if you can create your own template, then you are well on your way!