This is a very cool game sent in by Michael Jeffcoat. Over to you Michael…
This game is very useful for reviewing both the current and previously learnt language points which means that it is very adaptable. I have found it to be a real hit in the classroom and what’s more, it even gets those less-willing children involved!
1. Firstly you explain to the children that you (the teacher) are in a really cool club that meets every week, that you have a lot of fun together with the other people in the club etc etc.
2. You then tell the children that the club you are in is looking for new people to join. You tell the children that if they would like to join your club they must say something (using cuurent/previously learnt language/you can be more selective here) followed by the catch phrase “Can I be in your club?”
3. So one child at a time would say something like the following “I went to the beach yesterday, can I be in your club”?
4. Now this is the catch and how the game works … the teacher has already decided on a (just one) prerequisite as to how the children can join the club, e.g. only those who are wearing glasses, only children with curly hair etc.
5. So if a child who does not have that prerequisite plays the game, the teacher acts up to the children and says rather bluntly “No, I’m sorry but you can’t be in my club,” (the children find this funny.)
6. Of course you will allow those children who match your criteria to join your club when they play and it is at this point that the game gets very interesting as while the game continues with more children speaking, any student who guesses what it is the teacher is looking for is the winner (and can take the teacher’s turn if you like.)
Good luck and enjoy!
It sounds like a very cool game, give it a try and let us know how it goes!
A suggestion for the prerequisite here could be to use the student’s name as part of the prereq.
I play a similar game I call: Camping Game. Instead of a club, the students are invited to join me on a camping trip. This also works as a good icebreaker/first week game to get to know your students’ names.
The dialogue starts with me introducing myself, “Hello, my name is Winnie. I am going to bring watermelons. I will go camping.”
One student will say: “Hello, my name is ____. I am going to bring ____. Can I come?”
Based on their name and what they bring, I can decide if they can come or not. The prerequite I normally use is the first letter of their name MUST match the first letter of the item they bring.
EXAMPLE: My name is Andy. I will bring oranges. Can I come?
***No. Andy you can’t come.
But if Andy was going to bring apples, alligator, Australia, etc (any words that started with the first letter of his name “A”), then he can come.
Give it a try. My kids loved guessing. You can change the prerequisite to be the first letter of their middle name (ie KIM YU NA), last letter of their name, etc.