My favorite bail out move! A listening game!

In case you don't know what a bail out move is... it's an activity that the teacher can do with little to no prep in case they need to "bail out" of their lesson that isn't working well, or it can be used if you have a few minutes of class left and don't know what to do with it.

My favorite bail out move is a listening game/circumlocution game that I learned from Luke Worthington (who learned it from one of his professors).  It's super easy, requires little prep, and the kids get ALL OF THE INPUT!

1.  Give the students a small sheet of paper.
2. Have them separate it into categories (place, thing, food, animal, clothing, person, etc).  You could cater these categories to what you're trying to focus on in class if you wanted...or not!
3.  Under the category title, the students should write an example for it in L1 or L2 (animal: tiger, person: Ariana Grande, etc).
4. They should cut or tear their paper into small cards that have one category and example on each.
5.  Collect all the little papers.  They don't need to have names on them.


6.  The teacher will describe the item to students in L2 slowly without saying the actual item.
7.  Students must listen to at least 3 clues before guessing.
8.  Students may raise their hands and guess the answer in L1 or L2 (the idea is that they're getting tons of L2 input as you describe each item).
9.  If the student guesses correctly, they get to keep the card.  The student with the most cards wins! (I find making activities competitive can add engagement in many of my classes, but you wouldn't have to make it a competition if you don't want to!)

I've used this game to fill 3-20 minutes in my classes.  I keep the extra cards for the next time I might need them.  Enjoy!  

Tips:
-Tell the kids to pick examples you would know.
-If you don't know the example, just don't use that card.
-Feel free to change any cards to something you do know (I warn my class that I will do this).
-I tell the kids that they may NOT guess their own card as long as they know it's theirs.  Mine have forgotten what they wrote so long ago and many of them write the same thing, so I don't police this too carefully.
-You could have the whole class do this at once if they need more structure by having them all number a paper 1-10, writing their guesses, and then seeing who got them correct at the end.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Benefits of Using the Daily Lesson Framework

Image
3 years ago, I began using a daily lesson framework in all of my classes to provide comprehensible input. It changed my life.  As many of you know, I had polyps surgically removed from my vocal cords 2 years ago. I will have to use a microphone to teach with for the rest of my career. As someone who never participated in theater or choir, I had never learned to use my voice correctly. So when I began teaching with CI and almost felt as though I was putting on a show every class for my students, it killed my voice. This daily lesson framework helped solve that issue for me as well.   Here are 4 benefits to using this daily lesson framework: 1. Creates Routine We know that brains crave novelty, but they also thrive with routine. This framework allows teachers and students to have the same routine every day while still allowing for freedom and flexibility within that routine. 2. Gradual Release of Responsibility The daily framework has a focus of "I do, we do, you do" with t...
Read more

Scaffolding Student Writing with Word Card Sentences

Image
>>This activity is not input focused.<< The purpose of this activity is to help kids process the language they've been acquiring in class and create their own sentences and thoughts without having to come up with the words themselves. It helps build confidence before the first writing assessment.  I am always looking for new ways to scaffold student writing. This word card sentence activity was inspired by my talented and smart friend, Nissa Quill. Check out some pictures of the students working at the end of this post! I also recorded this podcast episode to really explain the purpose of this activity and share more about how we discussed it in class. Main Idea:  Students are given cards with familiar words in the target language and work in groups to create as many sentences as possible with those words. They are given some blank cards to write their own words on as well.  We did this activity after spending about 4-5 days on calendar talk in class.  H...
Read more

4 Days of Lesson Plans FREE! (Individually Created Characters)

Image
If you are a fan of class-created characters (OWIs) then you will LOVE this project! I've created a 4 day lesson plan with handouts for students to create their own characters. I will admit that this is not completely input focused, BUT I would argue that giving students chances to show their learning, do some art, and let their imaginations run wild are worthwhile, too! (Especially if you are crawling trying to make it to a school break like me.) This could be done in person or virtually as long as your students have the ability to insert pictures of their characters in the slideshow! Here's the general idea of the lesson plans. Make sure you check out the full lesson plans with handout links here ! *These plans are flexible enough that you could continue things like free choice reading or calendar talk each day. I have found that working with students (especially when they are writing in L2) takes longer than I always expect and I want us to get it done in class, so there may...
Read more