martedì 18 febbraio 2014

Vocabulary & Grammar Auction: A Revision Game

Are you looking for a checking activity before a diagnostic or progress test about grammar and/or vocabulary? If your answer is yes you have just found the right post for you!

- What's an auction?
It's a public sale of goods or property, where people make higher and higher bids (= offers of money) for each thing, until the thing is sold to the person who will pay most.

- What's a Vocabulary&Grammar Auction?
It's a fun game which will let teachers understand which topics students have assimilated well and which aspects students need to repeat. This game is perfect for pre-teens and teens but it is also suitable for adults (as a teacher who borrowed the idea told me). It usually lasts 1 hour.

1) Preparation
a.Worksheet with about 20 questions about the topics learnt.

b. British pound banknotes [I printed them from Google Images] (£6000 each pair or group)


2) Procedure
a. Put students in pairs or in small groups (3-4)
b. Give them the same amount of banknotes and tell them they can bid up to £300 for each question.
c. Give students the worksheet and tell them they are going to answer 20 questions about the topics learnt. Time: 20 minutes.

d. Read the first question and students start bidding. When the bidding starts to fizzle out say, "Going once, going twice, sold!".
e. Get the money the pairs or groups bid. 
f.  One member of the highest bidder pair or group comes to board. If their answer is correct they will win the money the bid otherwise another pair or group have the chance to answer and get the banknotes.
g. Go through the 20 questions. The team with the highest number of banknotes will win the game.


3) Advantages
I think this game has two main advantages for students: 
1. Peer teaching/correction - during the first 20 minutes students can share their opinions and doubts. 
2. A remedy for shyness - if students are unable to answer or are insecure about a question they will just bid less or won't bid at all. In this way they won't get embarrassed in front of the others if they do not know how to answer a question.


If you play this game with your students, please let me know your impressions!


5 commenti:

  1. I have used a similar game. It's called a betting game. You can find it here https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2-MbAFwVNYVSks5QUx1ZDh1c1k/edit?usp=sharing
    This particular worksheet is aimed at the revision of pre-intermediate tenses. I can tell you that my students enjoyed it very much.
    I love your version, too. Group work and peer correction are beneficial. :)

    RispondiElimina
    Risposte
    1. I used your activity with my class. Thank you so much for posting it. It was really helpful that I was able to edit it as well to suit the topics we have covered. Thank you again :-)

      Elimina
    2. Hi there! I'm really glad you found it useful! Larissa

      Elimina
  2. Hi Gordana, thank you so much for reading my post and sharing your activity! I think it's fantastic! I'll try it with my adult students ;-) As usual, SHARING IS CARING! Keep up the good work! All the best, Larissa

    RispondiElimina
  3. Interesting idea but I have some queries:
    - if each group has £6000 and can bid max £300 won't everyone bid £300?
    - if the winning correct bidder wins what they bid do you have to have a further £6000 to give out?
    - how much paper (and cutting of it) does £6000 involve?

    RispondiElimina