This is a great game that I used to use as an end of year review, lots of fun.

You can either use it in big groups, like I describe here.

(Or for smaller groups see lower down!)

1. Spread out lots of picture cards on the floor. (I used to use about 50 A4 cards at a time)

2. Put the kids into groups of about 5 or 6.

3. Two members from each group go upstairs along with the teacher who speaks the best English (if you are more than 1.)

4. The other members stay downstairs with the other teacher (if you have one!).

5. The upstairs kids have a piece of string (long enough to reach down to the floor below) which has magnet tied on the bottom. There is one for each team.

6. One of the kids from each upstairs team comes to the upstairs teacher and asks them today’s question.

7. The teacher tells them an answer using one of the picture cards below  (e.g.  What can you see?  with “I can see a dog”, “I can see a car” etc.)

8.   They go back to their fishing pole and their teammate below shouts the question up and the top kid repeats the answer the teacher just gave them.

9. The teammates search for that word amongst the picture cards.

10. When they’ve found the correct card they attach it to the magnet on the string.

11. The upstairs kids reel in the card.

12. They bring the card to the upstairs teacher, saying the English to them.

13.  They then re-ask the teacher the question who then tells them the next answer!

Remember to give each team different words to look for (otherwise you’ll have a big fight downstairs).

It’s also good to change the kids around (i.e. the upstairs kids go downstairs and the downstairs kids go upstairs) half way through.

Ninja Tip:  Thick string doesn’t tangle as much as thin string!

Fishing Game – For Smaller Groups

Or if you are in small groups, here’s a great version I learn at the ACET teacher’s meeting yesterday:

1.   Put fish minicards on a blue coloured mat.

2.  The kids fish one fish each.  (Put a metal clip on each mini card, and again a magnet on the end of each string!)

3.  At the end give them a Fish Market sheet to fill in with the prices for each fish and how many of each they caught!

4.  See which team got enough money to feed their families!

This is Japan so they were fishing sharks and all sorts.

But …. this is also a fantastic time to introduce some ecology if you wish and give the kids minus points for fishing endangered species or fish that are too small!

Or if you’re really into this type of thing, do check out the Sustainable Fishing Game!

Do let us know what you think in the comments!