Games Adult ESL Students Like To Play

Most people like to play games. People are competitive by nature. Use that to your advantage. This article is about games ESL students like to play.

They also work for students who are not adults and for people who are not ESL students.

They can be used for just about everyone.

It doesn’t matter if the students are in the classroom, online or both.

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I prefer to use games to end a class period, I’ve been known to start classes with them or to make them part of a day’s lesson. I don’t think there’s a right or wrong time.

Whatever works best at the time for your class is the best time.

Why These Games Are A Good Idea In Classrooms

First of all, as stated above, it doesn’t matter if students are in the classroom or online.

Most of the students in my class are in the classroom but I usually have some who are online. The beauty is, everyone can play regardless of where they are.

Also, as stated above, people are competitive by nature.

I love to see the reactions of students when I tell them we are going to play certain games. Students who may have not been participating, will often look ready to participate. Actually, they look ready to win, as that is usually the unwritten name of just about every game.

Just about any game seems to enhance or change the mood in a classroom whether it’s a virtual classroom, an in-person classroom, or both, as in a hybrid classroom.

If the class is quiet and/or a little flat, they seem to come to life and look forward to a little fun instead of the grind some classes be, especially if it’s boring or many of the students struggle with the material being covered.

If the class is already upbeat, that feeling is almost always carried into the game.

Games can be tailored to support or enhance a lesson or class period, even if the lesson or class period is boring or dull.

Games make learning fun.

Sometimes they can and will be the difference between learning or not learning something. They might be difference between understanding or not understanding.

The bottom line, games engage the whole class, although, sometimes some students either don’t like a particular game, need to leave early, or for whatever reason, just aren’t up to playing.

That’s okay too. If they need to leave or don’t play, the others can still enjoy the time.

Why They Like Tic Tac Toe

Nearly everyone knows how to play this game already. I don’t need to explain how to play. If someone doesn’t know how to play, they’ll catch on quickly.

There is strategy involved about where to place the Xs and Os.

I divide the class in half or as close to half as possible.

One of the programs we use in my class is Burlington English (BE). Many of the BE lessons have tic tac toe built into the program. In that scenario, I don’t have to do anything except push some buttons.

If I’m not using BE, I can either create my own game for where to place the Xs and Os, by writing it on the board or I can find one online to use.

It doesn’t matter.

The game consists of questions that are tied to that day’s lesson or a certain lesson within the day’s lesson.

Only one person at a time can answer for his or her team.

I give ten seconds to answer the question for each player whose turn it is to answer.

I allow the team to briefly discuss the answer so, even if the person whose turn it is to answer doesn’t know the answer, the team can help him or her.

That doesn’t mean that someone on his or her team will provide a correct answer, which adds to the excitement of the game.When someone provides an incorrect answer, it creates a level of tension and all the students become anxious as to what the correct answer is.

If they answer correctly, that team receives an X or O, depending on which team they are on.

There are nine spaces on a tic tac toe board. The upper left is number 1 and the bottom right is number 9.

If they answer correctly, they get to choose where to put the X or O.

I allow the team 10 seconds to discuss where to place the X or O. Those discussions can be quite intense. In any case, the only answer I will accept is from the person whose turn it is to answer. Sometimes they answer to the chagrin of the team. So be it. That adds to the excitement.

Once a team gets tic tac toe, the other team usually wants a rematch.

Two out of three, three out of five, or four out of seven are common, depending on how much time we have.

Those who didn’t know certain answers, learn the correct answers. Those who know the correct answers have their knowledge affirmed.

Everyone wins and has fun in the process.

I like it and the students like it.

Why They Like Kahoot

This is an online game that students can play on a computer or cell phone.

The host logs into his/her account at Kahoot.com

Students do not have to download anything but log into Kahoot.it and are given a game PIN that connects them to the host and a particular game.

They enter the PIN and a nickname, which can be their own name or a fictitious name. Some nicknames are entertaining to say the least.

The material used for the game can be just about anything. I use material that pertains to something we’ve covered in class or that we are learning in class.

The number of questions for the game is completely up to whoever creates the game. A host can create a game or use one that someone else made. A host can also edit what someone has created by making it his or her own game first, then editing it to his/her desire.

As the host, I can set the timer to 20 seconds, 30 seconds, 1 minute or longer. I generally set it at 30 seconds.

The questions are usually multiple choice.

Even though they are multiple choice, the correct answer can be a missing word or words, correct use of a word or words, or a complete sentence. There isn’t a right or wrong way to pose questions.

The answers are color-coded:

• Red
• Blue
• Green
• Yellow

The questions are shown on the screen at the front of the classroom or on a shared Zoom screen for students online, as are the answers, which are color-coded.

The students click their answers from their phone or computer.

All the answers are stored and after the allotted time expires, the correct answer or answers are revealed. Everyone can see if they got the answer correct or not.

Points are given for correct answers. Furthermore, the quicker someone correctly answers, the more points they receive.

There is usually one or a small group of students who often win. They are the ones the others want to beat.

Others know they probably won’t win but enjoy being part of the fun.

Either way, everyone learns.

If a lot of the students in the class do not fare well in a game, I will have them play the same game again, if not that day, another day.

At the end of each game, a spotlight of the top three shows the nickname of the third-place, second-place, and first-place scorer, the number of correct answers, and the number of points each received.

It’s possible that someone who answered fewer correct answers can receive more points than someone who answered more questions because more points are awarded depending on how quickly they answer.

It’s a cool twist to the game in my opinion and it keeps the really competitive students on the toes. They want to bring their A game to win.

In any case, once the winner is shown, virtual confetti falls on the screen and an audio recording of what sounds like people cheering plays.

The students all congratulate the winner.

Sometimes that’s how class ends. Other times, we’ll play the same game again, or we’ll play a different game.

There are a multitude of ways to utilize this game.

Why They Like Quizlet Live

Quizlet has a lot of elements to it, all of which are very valuable to a class.

Having said that, I’m going to talk only about one aspect. It’s called Quizlet Live.

Similar to Kahoot, students do not need to download anything to play.

The host must be logged into Quizlet.com and students log into Quizlet.live where they receive a game code/pin.

They enter the code/pin to connect to the host and game.

The players can play individually or as teams.

However, if students are online, the team play doesn’t work as well, although there is a way to do it, but I usually avoid it.

The team method involves all the player on each team, which usually consists of 2-5 players, depending on how many are playing the game.

The way it works is, everyone who’s playing the game sees the same question but the members of the teams all have different answers to choose from.

Only one person on each team has the correct answer.

The team needs to discuss which is the correct answer.

Regardless of whether students play individually against other students or teams against other teams, the object of the game is to be the first to answer 12 questions correctly.

Sometimes the questions are recycled if answered incorrectly and sometimes they aren’t.

Here’s the twist:

If a question is answered incorrectly, the player or the team has to go back to the beginning.

Everyone can see who has how many answers correctly and who has to go.

I’ve seen people/teams get all the way to 11 only to have to start over, while at the same time, someone who’s at 1, goes on a streak and wins.

The exasperation and OMG is common.

Students take the game seriously.

They often demand rematches, which I usually grant.

Students, like most people, want to win!

Conclusion

People are competitive by nature.

I’ve told you about three games adult ESL students like to play:

• Tic tac toe
• Kahoot
• Quizlet Live

All three games allow students to have fun while learning. It can be deepening the learning they’ve already gotten, it can be reviewing or quizzing students about things just learned, or it can be just for fun.

The bottom line is, students are engaged, learning and usually enjoying themselves, while tapping into a natural human drive-competition.

I recommend all three games as often as possible.
Watch the YouTube video that correponds with this lesson.

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