Hi! I'm teaching English in Korea for the first time, and I promised my kids an end of the semester party.
Does anyone have any good ideas for party activities for middle schoolers (with a class size of about 35)?
Thanks!
Laura
End of the Year Party
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There are many ideas, I'll suggest two that were very successful with some of my classes the same size as yours.
1) Place a nice wrapped carton box in the class and tell them they are supposed to put there:
- little notes where they have written something positive, encouraging, praising or thanking one of their classmates. If they don't have enough English for that yet, you can hand out a printed sheet with lot of sentences for them to choose. Like for example: "I enjoyed being your pal this year." or "Thank you for helping me the other day." and so on.
- little gifts they will attach to the notes. The gifts must be really little and preferably something they create or bring from home, like a drawing, or a stamp, a key-holder, a beautiful sticker, and things of the kind.
At the day of the party they will sit in a big circle with the box in the middle and taking turns will open their notes and gifts, reading them outloud; this starts the party with a positive and happy atmosphere.
2) They will be preparing together with you a big Board Game which will be played on the day of the party:
- have a big square of thick nylon, permanent markers, a pile of pink cards (it can have 15 cards) and another pile of blue cards, same number. The colors are just for fun and also are separated for girls and boys tasks.
You will also need two big dice (the kids can make them with construction paper) and some counters (also can be prepared beforehand, using lots of imagination.
- the big square will be the "board". You can prepare on paper the paths so that they will copy them on the nylon board. You can find millions of ideas on the net with board games, they are easy to draw, for instance a huge spiral "snake" will cover the whole board. Divide the path(s) in squares or draw lines so that there will be spaces along the whole path and number them.
- As said before, the cards are supposed to have tasks. This can be done during a couple of lessons with their help, it's fun and they love it. Example of tasks to be written on the cards:
Girls (the pink ones): Point to the cutest boy in the class and tell him "I love you", etc. etc.
The kids can prepare the cards, first writing the sentences in their notebooks and copying or, if they need your help, hand them a ready printed page with sentences.
On the day of the party, after the first activity, join their desks together until you have a huge "table" in the middle of the class, chairs against the walls. I know, they are many, and it seems impossible, but I must say that I did it many times, it is up to you how to handle their discipline; in general if everything is prepared beforehand by the pupils, everything will be successful on the big day.
How to play:
Divide them in groups, each time another group plays and the rest remains sitting around the big table, watching. Since the "punishment" when someone stops his counter in a certain number is a task, and tasks can be even a performance (song, poem, etc), those that are not playing at the moment are the audience.
It is great fun and kids never forget this great "happening".
Good luck, hope it helps:)
Syl
Learn English and Have Fun - Syl's English Corner
http://ginnegar.0catch.com
1) Place a nice wrapped carton box in the class and tell them they are supposed to put there:
- little notes where they have written something positive, encouraging, praising or thanking one of their classmates. If they don't have enough English for that yet, you can hand out a printed sheet with lot of sentences for them to choose. Like for example: "I enjoyed being your pal this year." or "Thank you for helping me the other day." and so on.
- little gifts they will attach to the notes. The gifts must be really little and preferably something they create or bring from home, like a drawing, or a stamp, a key-holder, a beautiful sticker, and things of the kind.
At the day of the party they will sit in a big circle with the box in the middle and taking turns will open their notes and gifts, reading them outloud; this starts the party with a positive and happy atmosphere.
2) They will be preparing together with you a big Board Game which will be played on the day of the party:
- have a big square of thick nylon, permanent markers, a pile of pink cards (it can have 15 cards) and another pile of blue cards, same number. The colors are just for fun and also are separated for girls and boys tasks.
You will also need two big dice (the kids can make them with construction paper) and some counters (also can be prepared beforehand, using lots of imagination.
- the big square will be the "board". You can prepare on paper the paths so that they will copy them on the nylon board. You can find millions of ideas on the net with board games, they are easy to draw, for instance a huge spiral "snake" will cover the whole board. Divide the path(s) in squares or draw lines so that there will be spaces along the whole path and number them.
- As said before, the cards are supposed to have tasks. This can be done during a couple of lessons with their help, it's fun and they love it. Example of tasks to be written on the cards:
Girls (the pink ones): Point to the cutest boy in the class and tell him "I love you", etc. etc.
The kids can prepare the cards, first writing the sentences in their notebooks and copying or, if they need your help, hand them a ready printed page with sentences.
On the day of the party, after the first activity, join their desks together until you have a huge "table" in the middle of the class, chairs against the walls. I know, they are many, and it seems impossible, but I must say that I did it many times, it is up to you how to handle their discipline; in general if everything is prepared beforehand by the pupils, everything will be successful on the big day.
How to play:
Divide them in groups, each time another group plays and the rest remains sitting around the big table, watching. Since the "punishment" when someone stops his counter in a certain number is a task, and tasks can be even a performance (song, poem, etc), those that are not playing at the moment are the audience.
It is great fun and kids never forget this great "happening".
Good luck, hope it helps:)
Syl
Learn English and Have Fun - Syl's English Corner
http://ginnegar.0catch.com
Last edited by Syl on Sat Jan 31, 2009 12:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
You're most welcome, LolaHi! Whenever you need:)
Syl
Learn English and Have Fun - Syl's English Corner
http://ginnegar.0catch.com
Syl
Learn English and Have Fun - Syl's English Corner
http://ginnegar.0catch.com