I've been finding my kids are becoming extremely addicted to PPT games what with all the wonderful ones out there these days! But, I want to involve them actively in the games a bit more, so just wanted to share two games that are a BIG hit with them that don't need to involve computers at all (but can).
Both games start the same way but deviate in how the game is won. To start, each team gets 20-40 seconds (depending on how many flashcards/how complicated the target sentence/how good the class is) to speak (1 by 1) the target sentence on the flashcard.
You can either get someone to be the official timer (they like that) using the classroom clock or your cellphone (they also get a kick out of using the teacher's phone) or you can use the computer timer.
If they can't speak the key sentence of the flashcard, they can say pass (only once tho or some of the silly kids pass EVERY time it's their turn) and the next person must speak.
Now here's where it differs:
1. Sticky Ball. We have a big wheel made of I dont know quite what youd call it, but just like a rough plasticky fabric material (like the softer half of Velcro). With chalk, divide the wheel up in about 6 sections and write values in each section (ie: 100, 0, 10, 50, -10, etc). These are their points. Next take a ball (any small-ish soft fabric ball would do) and staple a loop of Velcro lengthwise and crosswise. This is the sticky ball.
The number of cards they have remaining when time is up determines how many times they can throw the sticky ball. 3+ cards left when times up=1 throw. 1-2 cards=2 throws. 0 cards= 3 throws. The big wheel sticks onto a bigger sheet of the same fabric which is on a magnetized backing so it sticks to the board (like a big velcro board) and the wheel can spin. Your school may already have these materials, and if not, they are easily procured during your schools annual supply shopping trip.
2. Jenga Tower.
You need a set of Jenga or the Korean equivalent, Woodquake. Dump the blocks out on the teachers desk or a kids desk at the front of the room.
1 card=3 seconds of building time (so if they get 7 cards, they get 21 seconds of building time).
After all teams have spoken, 1 at a time, 2 people from each team can come up and try to build the tallest tower with the time they earned speaking the key sentences. The tallest tower is the winner. (You need a big ruler, or many small ones borrowed from students for this one). Its funny to see if they figure out the best way to build it, or if they just stack them all up 3 in a row.
Hopefully these games are useful to you and excite your students as much as they do mine! I can't quite remember where the original idea for these games came from, if I heard something similar and adapted it, or had a genius moment, or what, so if you feel like this is your idea originally, either sorry, or great minds think alike?! ^^