Korean Job Discussion Forums

[schwa]

I teach 20 5th-grade kids once a week for 2 hours in an echoing cheerless barn of a room. We've got the desks clustered into groups in front of the whiteboard but that takes up maybe a quarter of the space.

These are nice kids but after a while naturally rambunctious. I'm wondering how I might use the extra available space to channel their energy into something fun but still semi-productive. Noise not a problem.

Any big-room activity suggestions?

[crazylemongirl]

ok I used this with my first graders but it's kind of fun. It's a variation on what's the time mr wolf

Have a traget question that has a yes no answer. Yes step forward, no go back. The kids take turns asking questions.

Eg. Do you like kimchi? When 'mr wolf' gets touched he catches a new mr wolf

Also try some musical movement classes.

Bring in some pop songs that the kids can make body languge for.

Ain't no mountian high enough is really good for example of something they can do with this.

[Ya-ta Boy]

I have an idea that might be appropriate.

Choose a set of minimal pairs...sheep/ship, for example. Write the various words on the white board in random order, scattered all over the board.

Divide the class into two teams and line them up some distance away from the board. Give the kid at the head of each line a marker.

Say one of the words on the board. The kids with the markers run to the board and circle the word.

Keep score.

It uses space, burns off energy and is good listening practice.

[some waygug-in]

Same idea as above, but using singular vs plural.

Put horse on a chair on the left side and horses on the right.

Have about 10 - 15 sets to keep it interesting.


Another idea is a spelling race:

2 teams line up at the back of the room. You stand between them and then hold up a word ... alligator...

They have to race to the board and write the word correctly. The first player to write it correctly gets a point. Players must alternate so that everyone has to try.

Team members can help by shouting out the correct spelling, but they can't run up to help. It gets really noisy.

[joe_doufu]

There are games you can do with directions... for instance make a "maze" on the floor with masking tape, and one blindfolded student has to walk the maze with his friends telling him the directions. Also, if you have some dice, turn the room into a life-sized Monopoly or Trivial Pursuit board, where each "block" is designated by a flash-card or a speaking activity.

Or, you could set up the classroom into different areas like the "story book corner" and the "skit corner" and the "game zone" so you get the kids moving around, keep them focused on the activity of the moment.