LESSON CONCEPTThis is a classic middle school game. The whole class plays together. The standard game just uses names but this topic edition is all about using (simple) future tense. You can adapt it to just about any topic. This game is good for any age. I usually play this with my first year middle schoolers. But elementary and high school kids can easily enjoy this game too when the topic matches their levels. You don't need the PPT to play this game but it helps students understand the game more effectively and efficiently. And you can use this game for many purposes. Use it as an activity within your lessons, keep test prep classes from getting stagnant, or combine it with other games like bingo for those post-test days when students need a break.
MAIN AIMSTo have fun and let kids be kids.
Beyond that, students also practice listening, reading, speaking, and writing whatever target language/phrases you want them to practice. Students also get to move around and use deductive reasoning skills (figure out who looks/acts guilty).
OUTLINEGame Rules- Pick seven helpers (however you want to).
- Have those helpers come to the board, write their answers to today's question, and stand next to their one.
- Tell the class, "Heads down, thumbs up." Watch out for cheaters looking up.
- The seven helpers go and pick one person by touching their thumb. A person who gets their thumb touched must immediately put it down.
- The helpers return to their original places at the board.
- Tell the class, "Heads up, seven up."
- The seven chosen students stand up.
- The class asks today's question to each person in turn.
- The first chosen student reads the answer of the person they think chose them. Watch out for any grammatical changes and correct them if they forget. (EX: I will --> She will)
- Let all seven students make their guesses.
- Tell the helpers who got caught to step forward and name who they picked.
- Students who guessed right switch places with that helper.
- Students who guessed wrong sit back down.
- Have any new helpers write their answer to the question.
- Start over and play again
ADVICE FROM MY EXPERIENCEI really loved this game back when I was in middle school. It doesn't seem to matter how old you are or where you're from. It has universal appeal. Who doesn't enjoy being devious, picking on friends, and trying to outlast everybody. As a student, we usually played it after tests or at the end of the school year but any time can be a good time for this adaption.
If you're just using names, then it's fun but won't be that useful in the classroom (Example: Who did?/X did it or Who's that person over there?/That's my friend X). The benefit to asking for names is you don't need any boards/writing. But it's not much of a challenge for the kids and using the board means you can cover many more topics. Just change the PPT to match what you're interested in teaching/reviewing.
I like to pick a wide mix of skill levels as my first seven helpers just to keep some balance. If you have a student who likes to goof off or doesn't pay attention, then consider picking them. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Let the students run the show as much as possible. If you decide to play this regularly. consider making one of the higher level students the MC of the game or switching MCs a few times so the class can be self-sufficient. If you want to increase the difficulty level, you could ask multiple questions.
I've used this game in the past to teach "who's that over there/here?", simple past tense, and future tense. It's a really flexible format. It could work great for things like favorites, likes/dislikes, hopes, desired jobs, ordering food, etc.. This is just intended as a ready to use PPT that also functions as a template.
ADDITIONAL INFOI made the PPT from scratch. The great visuals are from Wikihow:
http://www.wikihow.com/Play-Heads-Up-7-Up.
The fonts I used are Corbel and Riffic (which is one of my favorite fonts because it's easy to read but still nice and chunky). Corbel should be a standard font on Microsoft Powerpoint.
Use the following link to download Riffic: http://www.dafont.com/riffic.fontThis lesson uses no paper, just the main classroom board. You could even use seven mini white boards if you have those. It's just as great for those last minute classes you didn't know you had to teach as it is for covering standard textbook lessons.
Please, let me know how it goes for you and what works/didnt work for you and your students. If you adapt this for a new topic, please share below with everybody else. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Hope you and your students enjoy it.
