Logical Activities

Alphabet code To review the letters A-I, write them on the board and under each letter write the numbers 1-9, e.g. A=1, B=2, etc. Clap quickly a number of times. The students listen and count the claps. Then, they raise their hands and say the letter and sound that corresponds with the number of claps they have heard. If possible, students can also say a word that begins with that letter. If students have trouble remembering their words, the teacher can write them on the board. Concentration To review vocabulary, make a flashcard for each w.3ord. Write the word on one side of the card and leave the other side blank. Photocopy one set of cards for each student. Demonstrate this activity with one pair of students first. The students put their cards together, shuffle them and spread them out face down. Student 1 turns over two cards. If they match, Student 1 keeps the cards. If they don't match, he/she turns the cards face down again. Then Student 2 takes a turn. Students try to memorize the locations of the different cards. They can play in pairs or small groups. Word unscramble This activity can be used to review the days of the week, months or numbers. Give each student a piece of paper and have them write down the days of the week (or whatever group of words you want to review). Then, the students cut apart the words, word by word and letter by letter. The students can either keep each day of the week separate, or to make it more interesting, mix all the letters together. Put students in teams and have them race to see which team can put the words together and back in order the fastest. Whose is it? To review possessive pronouns, have students get into small groups. Each group member should put one of their personal items on a table. As students take turns putting their belongings on the table, they tell the class, e.g. It's (my book). It's mine. Everybody tries to remember to whom the items belong. After everything is on the table, Student 1 picks up an item and asks a question, e.g. Whose (book) is this? All the other students answer It's (Student 2's name)'s (book)./ It's his/ hers. The real owner then identifies himself/ herself by saying It's mine. That student then takes a turn choosing an object and asking a question. Stickman This is a variation of the popular Hangman game. Choose one word that the students know. Draw the same number of blanks as there are letters in the word on the board. For example, if the word is reading, draw seven blanks. Have one student write the alphabet on the board. Ask another student to choose a letter of the alphabet. If the student chooses a letter that is in the word, the teacher replaces the appropriate blank(s) with the letter and erases the letter from the alphabet list. If the student chooses a letter that is not in the word, the teacher draws one part of a stickman, i.e. the head, the body, the left arm, the right arm, the left leg and finally, the right leg. Then, the next student guesses a letter. The aim is for the students to guess the word before the teacher completes a drawing of a stickman. I don't believe you This game reviews the months of the year. Each student needs 12 blank flashcards. Have students write the months, i.e. January to December, on the cards. One side of each card should be blank. Put students in small groups. Each group chooses a dealer who shuffles all the group members' cards together and deals them out so that each student has 12 cards. The students in each group sit in a circle. Student 1 starts the game by laying a card face down and saying January. Student 2, the student on Student 1's right, lays a card face down and says February. The students take turns around the circle laying cards face down, each saying the name of a month in order. If a student doesn't have the correct card, he/she "bluffs" by putting any card face down, then saying the correct month. If any student in the circle thinks another student is bluffing, he/she says I don't believe you. The student who put the card down must turn it face up for everyone to see. If the student told the truth, the student who said I don't believe you. must take the whole pile of cards. If the student was bluffing, he/she must take the whole pile of cards. Play continues until one student runs out of cards. Variation: This game can also be used to review numbers or days of the week. Find the rule! Choose a group of words before the game starts, e.g. family words; countable or uncountable nouns; weather words; final t sound, etc. Have students sit in a circle. The teacher starts the game by saying, e.g. (for the final t sound) I'm going to the park and I'm going to take my (bat). Write the word on the board. Then a student has a turn, e.g. I'm going to the park and I'm going to take... then says a word. The teacher shows whether he/she accepts the student's word by putting a thumb up or down. If the word is accepted, the teacher adds it to the list on the board. Then the teacher takes a turn again, e.g. I'm going to the park and I'm going to take my (parrot). Then he/she adds the word to the list. The teacher doesn't say why, so the students try to guess the rule. When students catch on to what the rule is, they should not say it out loud. The teacher reveals the rule when most students appear to have caught on. Expensive train Ask a volunteer to write expensive train on the board in large letters. Then point to the letters s, e and e on the board and say I found "see". Repeat with the word ten. Put students into small groups and give each group paper. Then say How many words can you make in five minutes? Write them down. Give students five minutes to work. Then have each group count the number of words they found. Ask each group to say some of the words on their lists. The teacher or a volunteer can write the words on the board.