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Cadava · Joined: 10 Jul 2004 Posts: 6 Location: Central China

Now that the warmer weather is returning to this part of China - at last - I would like to take my classes outside for some fun activities. Can anyone suggest any language related activities that are suitable for outdoors?

I have used running dictations quite successfully, but I can't do this all the time.

Any ideas?

Thanx.

Sekhmet · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 329 Location: Alexandria, Egypt

There are lots of wide games you can use if you have a big enough area. Try Scavenger hunts, ball games etc. These can easily be adapted to practice EFL. I did a module about it on my TEFL course! One good resource for wide games is Scout websites.

Hope that helps!

Brian Caulfield · Joined: 14 Sep 2004 Posts: 1247 Location: China

I like taking the class outside too. Running dictation can be adapted to dribbling a basketball dictation or kicking a football dictation . Make it into an obstacle race . I like scavanger hunts but you must have many dictionaries . You can run any thing outside . I have them bring clip boards to write on . It is a good way to deal with students that come to class late . They arrive and no one is there .

oprah · Joined: 26 Apr 2003 Posts: 382

Please explain, what is basketball dictation??

Brian Caulfield · Joined: 14 Sep 2004 Posts: 1247 Location: China

Oprah , basketball dictation is like running dictation . You put the students in lines of about four students each . One student goes to the end of the basketball court with a pen and a piece of paper (clip board is good ) . The other students in the line have a text of about fifty words . Now the first student runs to the student with the clipboard and dictates what they have memorized to the person with the clipboard , After the finishing the person who was writing goes to the back of the line and the next person runs and dictates . The first team to finish wins . You can complicate the game by having them dribble the basketball or even have them shoot a basket . This game is very funny to watch because the students always forget their lines and have to return and learn them again . I have done this game with university students and middle school students and it is always a success .

oprah · Joined: 26 Apr 2003 Posts: 382

Hi.. "After the finishing" after the finishing of what??

Brian Caulfield · Joined: 14 Sep 2004 Posts: 1247 Location: China

Sorry this is kind of like explaining to you via the internet how to tie your shoes . You need to see it . I am lucky in that I have worked and met with many experienced English teachers in my day . And I have learned by watching them in the classroom . This activity running dictation is as old as the alphabet . Most teachers know of it .
( Finishing what they have dictated.) Sometimes the student might not know how to say a word then they must spell the word . It is a relay race where they must read speak listen and write a text in English . A game where they move . It can be done in the classroom if there is enough room .
RU pulling my leg Oprah ?

dajiang · Joined: 13 May 2004 Posts: 663 Location: Guilin!

Hmm, reminds me of some things we did in a summer camp once.
one was similar to running dictation, but then without the dictation part.
It's been a year and a half ago, so I've got to rack my brain here how it went...

Teams of 2/3/4 ss, tables on one side, boxes opposite them a few yards away with cut up sentences in them (same one in each box)
A student of each team runs to the box to get the sentence and takes the words to the table where their team is waiting, they have to put it together and when they think they have made the right sentence they tell you and you record the time. the fastest teams wins obviously, provided they have exactly the same sentence you have.

Another few are just fun but don't need a lot of language.
one is throwing eggs. pairs stand opposite each other, they pass each other the egg, every time you catch it, one takes a step backwards. The pair that can pass the eggs the farthest wins.
Another one is getting bicycles and you make a race, who can go the slowest to the other side. Draw sidelines and ss cant cross the sidelines or put their feet down.

Of course charades and chinese whispers work well outside, and I like walking outside and just talk a bit was cool.

Ah, a scavenger hunt!
That's cool, of course it's impossible to check if they speak English during the search, but they could look for English things, and the questions and answers should be in English.

Another one needed music and a large circle of people walking around you in the middle. The music plays and they all walk one way. When the music stops you Shout out a numer like: '5!'.
The students then have to huddle together into groups of 5 and obviously there will be some left alone.... They are 'out'. (if there are 23 ss, there will be 4 groups of 5, and 3 left alone...)
Continue untill you have 2 ss left, and they win.

btw, you can do a running dictation and tie the shoes together of 2 students. funny.

Oh, and you know you can adapt almost any drinking game into an English language exercise...

good luck,
Dajiang

drumbeat · Joined: 13 Jul 2004 Posts: 46 Location: Nanjing

I like the basketball dictation and will adapt that to a game in my PE class.
I teach PE at a Canadian school in Nanjing. All my students are Chinese so it often is quite like an ESL experience.
One great game if you have space (a field or a large part of a whole basketball court) is capture the flag but just use a few bean bags instead. First I used one frisbee per side but then modified the game.
Ok it is complicated a bit but you have to visualize it and teach them the layout of the court you need.
you will need about 20 cones and use skipping ropes for the center line. One each end make a "safe zone" with a semicircle about 10 yards in diameter and a "jail" in one corner of each end about 3 yards in diameter. Use the skipping ropes for a center line. Put a frisbee or a few bean bags in the "safe zone" and they have to run from their side to get the frisbee or bean bags.
I have modified it to a big square safe zone but it is hard to explain - I made the the whole width of the court instead. Well if they get tagged they go to jail.
The ESL can be done in some way better but for my students it is more for exercise since it is a PE class (and for fun!). I would love any ideas on how to put more of an ESL slant to this.
Oh- the object of the game is to bring the frisbee or bean bag back to your side without it touching the ground. You get a point. I make 3 teams of 8 students since 12 aside is too much (crowded) for a width of only 40 yards/meters by a length of about 100 meters.
I imagine after playing this they can do a journal on how to play this.

By the way if there are any other PE teachers out there please send any ideas you have about how to do games without much for facilities. I do not have a proper field but use bits and pieces of spaces with limited supplies.

drumbeat · Joined: 13 Jul 2004 Posts: 46 Location: Nanjing

I also have developed a modified type of "speed cricket" game which I use. I have done this in large class rooms too. you need a bat or a type of hockey stick and use a sponge ball of course inside. THey get points for hitting it before the ball is rolled by a pitcher through chair legs and then they must run around a cone. They get out if the ball is returned to the pitcher before they get back past a certain cone by the batting /out chair. They can have a maximum of five runs then switch to the next person.