Fun Games

Game 1: Conditional Tic-Tac-Toe Healthy competitions increase students' motivation.  Try out this Tic-Tac-Toe game to practise building Conditional Sentences in your classroom.  Students are to complete the sentence with one of the conditional forms  Distribute the tic-tac-toe sheet, either by printing it out or copying on the whiteboard.  Students score an X or O for each sentence which is grammatically correct and logical. This game is best played as a class with the teacher as 'examiner'.  Nonetheless, the game can also be played in pairs while the teacher acts as a facilitator, checking answers.

Tic-Tac-Toe Conditional Game

(Adapted from: http://esl.about.com/library/lessons/bl_ttt_conditionals.htm)

Game 2: The IF’s Cards

Description:  A card game to practice the first, second and third conditional.

Skill:  Grammar

Focus: Matching the “Beginnings” and “Endings” of conditional sentences.

Time:  25 minutes

Preparation:

1) Print out the “How to play the game” section for each student.

2) Make copies of the “Beginnings” and “Endings”, on coloured hard papers if possible, for every four students in your class.

3) Cut along the dotted lines to obtain decks of 32 cards. (Ideally, you should use a different colour of 120 g/m₂ paper for each deck of cards.)

Procedure:

1) Divide your class into groups of four.  Each group should sit around the table.

2) Give each group a copy of instruction sheet and a complete deck of 32 cards.

3) Instruct students to form conditional sentences by pairing the “Beginnings” to the “Endings” cards.

How to Play the Card Game of Conditional Cards

1) Form groups of four.  Each group should sit around a table.

2)  The goal of this game is to form conditional sentences by matching pairs from “Beginnings” to  “Endings” based on the first, second and third conditional.

3)  Before you play the game, spread out all the cards on the table and organize them in pairs, so you can see which ones matches.

4)  In each group, “the dealer” mixes the cards and deals out all the cards to the players.  Some players might have one more card than others, but this does not matter.

5)  Look at your cards and see if you have any pair that fits together to form a conditional sentence.  If you do, put these pairs face up on the table so everyone can check that they really belong together.  (Ask your teacher if you are unsure.)  If you have made a mistake, you have to pick the cards up again and continue playing.

6)  The dealer begins.

7)  When your turn comes, you must offer your cards spread face down to the player on your left.  That player selects a card from your hand without seeing it, and adds it to his or her hand.  If it makes a pair, that person puts the two card on the table for everyone to see.

8)  The player who just took a card then offers his or her cards face down to the next person on the left.  The game continues.

9)  When you have no more cards, you are out of the game.

10) When all the pairs are on the table, count up your score as follows:

·         One point for each pair of cards that makes a first conditional sentence.

·         Two points for each pair of cards that makes a second conditional.

·         Three points for each pair of cards that makes a third conditional.

Beginnings	Endings	Beginnings	Endings
I’ll marry him…	…if he asks me.	If I saw Eddy…	…I would tell him the good news.
I’d marry him…	…if he asked me.	If I had seen Eddy,…	…I would have told him the good news.
I would have married him…	…if he had asked me.	If we go to Penang,…	…we’ll stroll along Feringgi beach.
If I see Eddy…	…I’ll tell him the good news.	If we went to Penang,…	…we’d stroll along Feringgi beach.
If we had gone to Penang,…	…we would have strolled along Feringgi beach.	If you study the smart way,…	…you’ll enjoy learning.
I’ll say hello to your parents,…	…if I meet them at your hometown.	If you studied the smart way,…	…you would enjoy learning.
I’d say hello to your parents,…	…if I met them at your hometown.	If you had studied the smart way,…	…you would have enjoyed learning.
I would have said hello to your parents,…	…if I had met them at your hometown.	If I win a million dollar,…	...I will bring my parents to travel around the world.

(Adapted from: http://www.klett-langenscheidt.de/_downloads/lehrwerke/308/ELT-P04_57_conditional.pdf)

Game 3: Bingo!

Activity:  Bingo

Aim:  To play a game of Bingo using first conditional sentences.

Interaction:  Whole Class:

Language Focus:  First conditional (if + present simple + future simple)

Skills focus:  Speaking, listening

Preparation:  Print out Worksheet 1 for every six students.

Time:  25 minutes.

Procedure: 

1.     Review the form of the first conditional on the board.  Example: If you listen carefully, I will tell you what to do.

2.     Tell the students they are going to pay a game of Bingo. 

3.     Tell the students they will be given a card which contains six boxes each.  In each box, there is an ending of a first conditional sentence.  Explain that you will read out the beginning of a sentence and that if a student has the correct ending on their card, they can cross it out.  The first student to cross off all six boxes shouts Bingo and is the winner.

4.     Give out the Bingo cards and ask the students to read their sentence endings quietly. 

5.     Read out the sentence beginnings (in any order you like) until one student shouts Bingo. 

6.     Remember to tick or number the sentence beginnings you have read out so you can check the answers later.

7.      Ask the students to read back their sentence endings to check if they answer correctly.

Sentence Beginnings	Sentence Endings
If I pass my exams with flying colours,	I will enter a prestigious university.
I will hike the mountain this weekend if	the weather is fine.
I will pass my exams if	I study the smart way.
If I win some money,	I will donate it to charity.
I will get married if	I met the right person.
If the weather is nice,	I will stroll along the beach.
I will learn about new culture if	I travel to more countries.
If I go to the cinema,	I will watch a comedy.
I will feel lonely if	I am left alone at home.
If I go to London,	I will visit my best friend there.
I will cook dinner if	I am lazy to eat out.
If I stay up late	I will fall asleep in the class the next day.
I will go to Penang this weekend if	I finish my assignments.
I will take a nap if	I am really tired.
I will attend the party if	I am invited.
If I have enough sleep	I can focus in class the next day.
I will feel guilty if	I eat too much fried food.

                                                                                                           

Variations: 

1.     To avoid more than one students having the same card, this activity could be done in groups of seven with one student reading out the sentence beginnings. 

2.      At step 4, the students could be asked to predict their sentence beginnings.

Worksheet

Card 1

I will enter a prestigious university	I study the smart way	I met the right person
I am left alone at home	I finish my assignments	I am invited

 

Card 2

I am really tired	I will stroll along the beach	I will watch a comedy
The weather is fine	I met the right person	I am lazy to eat out

 

Card 3

I will visit my friend there	I will fall asleep in the class the next day	I will donate it to charity
I am lazy to eat out	I eat too much fried food	I study the smart way

Card 4

I travel to more countries	I finish my assignments	I am invited
I can focus in class the next day	I will stroll along the beach	the weather is fine

 

Card 5

I will enter a prestigious university	I am really tired	I travel to more countries
I am left alone at home	I will watch a comedy	I met the right person

 

Card 6

I will fall asleep in class the next day	I study the smart way	I will watch a movie in the cinema
I eat too much fried food	I will enter a prestigious university	I will stroll along the beach

(Adapted from: https://shop.hueber.de/media/hueber_dateien/Internet_Muster/Red2/978-3-19-152979-9_Muster_1.pdf)