Using

Activate
Games
for fluency
practice
Presented by the Teacher Development Center
Instituto Cultural Dominico-Americano
● What does fluency mean to you?
● Why is fluency practice important
for language learners?
● What are some ways teachers support
fluency practice at your site?
 What is
American English?
American English is a collection of
resources for...

● Teaching and learning English as a Foreign

Language (EFL)
● Exploring American culture
● Encouraging conversation within the
global EFL community.
● Professional development
http://bit.ly/AEresourcesvideo
 Activate: Games for Learning
American English are a great resource
for fluency practice
Activate Games Philosophy

● Fun and Easy to use

● Free and downloadable - open source, open access

● Puts students in the center of the action

● Allows students lots of time for language practice

● Allows for 100s of variations

● Adaptable for different levels

● Complete resource AND a starter kit

4 game types
1. Board Games
2. Picture This
3. Guess What
4. Word Bricks
1
12 different board games
Different levels and themes
Instructions and variations

all free and downloadable

What else do you need?
Game pieces...

What else could you use?

Download dice….
No dice? No problem...
 Make your own games
Walk the
Dog
dog

Do the
dishes

Take a
shower

Do my
homework

How would you adapt this for Immersion classes?

2
48 different cards for vocabulary review,
Q&A practice, and elicitation
Kevin Sees Jenny Sees
This: This:
Lots of ways to elicit language

A-Z
Feelings
Angry N
B O
Confused P
D Q
E R
F Sad, Surprised
G Tired
Happy U
I V
J W
K X
L Y
M Z
What does elicitation mean?
What does elicitation mean?

Elicitation is a technique by which a teacher or

learner gets another learner to give
information rather than giving it to them.

Example: eliciting vocabulary by giving learners

a topic, some pictures, or examples from a
category.
Why is elicitating important?
Why is eliciting important?
Eliciting is used to ask learners to come up with
vocabulary and language forms ... and to
brainstorm a topic…

Questioning assists in self-discovery, which

makes information more memorable.
Create your own cards based on your
own curriculum. Share them!

http://www.esl.net/pdf/interchange_3ed_studbk_lev0_unit6.pdf
http://www.esl.net/pdf/interchange_3ed_studb
k_lev0_unit6.pdf
Let students produce cards
3
48 different cards for vocabulary review,
elicitation and fluency practice
Show students one card

In the Classroom
1.Teacher
Write the
2.Students items on
3.Chairs the board
4.Books so all can
5.Chalkboard see
6.Desks

http://elearningexperts.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/chalkboard_wood_black.png
 Do a demonstration

1. Choose a card.
2. Don’t let students see the card.
3. Tell them the topic.
4. Let students know they should try to
guess the word you are describing.
5. Describe the first word. When one
student guesses correctly, move on to the
next word.
6. Describe all 6 words on the card.
 How to get started

1. Show students a Guess What? card

2. Do a demonstration (with the whole class)
3. Students get into group of 3 -5 (quickly)
4. One of the groups does a demonstration
5. Distribute cards
6. Students play!
Note: make sure you have selected or made cards that
are appropriate for your students level.
 Other ways to play and elicit

◻▪Mime the Words

◻▪Draw to Describe

◻▪Yes, No, Maybe

◻▪You Don’t Say

Instructions and variations
 Create your own cards

◻▪Do you need special paper?

◻▪Does each card need to have 6 words?

◻▪Can the cards include student’s L1?

Who should create the cards?
Download at americanenglish.state.gov
4
What can you do with Word Bricks?
Make sentences!
Use the “Magic S” and”wild card”
Language functions with “Magic S”

1. we ca mak 3rd-person
n e singular
2. verbs (dance
we ca mak + s)
nouns (dog +s)
3. we n
ca echangplural
some (s + end)
4. we ncanefocus on
words
corrections (we’ll
see
soon)
Pointing out inaccuracies
Sentence race: 1 word= 1 point

use a timer!
Keep a scoreboard

One group’s
score
 Check the teacher’s manual for
variations
1. Sentence Groups get points for sentence mak
each they e
2. Race –
Brick Bingo a fun listening and -recognition
word game
3. –
Sentence Challeng groups to a sentenc
of exactly 8
Boundaries – e make e
words!
4. Longest – Whic group can the sentenc
with 20 h make longest e
Sentence
bricks?
5. Sorting – Setthe Whichgroup is to their
bricks timer. prepositions,
firstand sort
Raceinto pronouns, nouns,
verbs?
6. Describ andGues – like Guess What.Describe workon a
a
e until the restsof the group
brick
guesses it
… and more!
Add names, objects, and ???
 More D.I.Y. Tips

1. Havestudents their own

2. Use makeplastic, bricks
3. stones,
Incorporatecardboard
small objects or
4. pictures
Havea re-usable collection of word
bricks
5. (500 is easy!) and Wild Card
MakeMagic
S distinctive
Lots of ways to play!
 Pic of Jenny & Kevin
◻▪
Want m
ore idea
Watch K s?
evin and
Jenny’s
Activate
Webinar
s!

americanenglish.state.gov/ae-webinars
A short quiz!
1. Name two Activate games.

2. Where can you download Activate games?

3. Where else can you get Activate games?

Ready to play?
Pros & Cons: What are some
benefits and barriers to using
these resources?
● What are some ways fluency practice
can become routine?
● What are some ways you can invite
teachers to support fluency practice?
● What additional support do you need?
 More ways to
activate
vocabulary and
grammar
from American English!
 Vocabulary
Infographics

Download them
here today...
 Explainer
Infographics

There’s more at
American English
at State
FACEBOOK
 It’s all online!
americanenglish.state.gov

2 Facebook Pages!
@AmericanEnglishatState
@AmericanEnglishforEducators

American English at State

YouTube channel
bit.ly/AEtube
 More trainings available from the

Teacher Development Center

Instituto Cultural Dominico-Americano

For more information contact Karlans Camacho

kcamacho@icda.edu.do
Keep in touch with your ELF!
Sally Kuzma
English Language Fellow, 2018-19
sallyjkuzma@gmail.com
829-491-2125