Ludo Sapiens: learning through fun!: Belling Spee

Monday, July 30, 2012

Belling Spee

Level: Elementary, Intermediate and Advanced.

Skills: speaking.

Topic: spelling.

Materials: none.

Time: 5 to 10 minutes.

This quick game is a variation of the habitual Spelling Bee. One student (or a member of one team) asks another student (or a member of the other team) how to spell a word - but to say the letters backwards. If desired, the words can gradually increase in difficulty: starting with three-letter words, then moving to longer and longer words.

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What do you think about it?

Who I am and where these games come from...

I'm a Brazilian English teacher who believes learning can only fully happen when you are having fun... I live and work in the Northeastern part of my country, by the margins of the bluest river I've ever seen, the majestic São Francisco, in the city of Petrolina (Pernambuco). I've been blessed for being able to do what I like and for enjoying the company of such wonderful students for all these years.

Teaching English as a foreign language (TEFL) games and other fun activities play an important role in the English class, and not only when teaching English to children (my experience comes from teaching teenagers and adults). While a class based around TEFL games would lack balance (and create certain problems), an English class without any games would also lose a lot. It is important to choose games which practice English intensively, avoiding 'empty' games which, while fun, only involve minimal practice of English. Good games for teaching English should involve most of the students using English for most of the time (it may sound obvious - and it is! - but many teachers forget that).

By involve, I don't mean that students have to be talking nonstop. A silent student may be very actively listening and thinking in the language, and a very noisy student may not be thinking at all. My preference is for TEFL games which involve little preparation, as most of us teachers are busy enough anyway. I've also included some 'game like' activities which have worked well for me - all the stuff posted here was tried and tested, and they worked!

I don't claim to have invented these TEFL games. Many I've been shown by other teachers over the years I've been teaching (it's been ten years now! Time flies when you're having fun!). I've come across some TEFL games in English teaching books. Occasionally I've used them straight, but usually I've adapted them to suit my needs; as any teacher should when necessary.

Ludo Sapiens: learning through fun!

Monday, July 30, 2012

Belling Spee

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