The best game ever, with the worst name ever.
I'm not sure where the idea for this game came from, but I remember playing it with my very first class of middle schoolers. So I came up with it at least 9 years ago.
Over time, the game has evolved a bit, but the basic idea is still the same.
This game is ideal for vocabulary review. I will do this sometimes at the end of a unit, before an assessment, or if I want students to specifically get some verbal practice.
Here's how it works.
Create a PowerPoint with two text boxes that are side by side. Only one word or phrase will be going in each box.
Fill each text box with a word that students (or at least the majority) will know. Make as many slides as you want. I would recommend not repeating words (even having the same word on the opposite side).
When you're ready to play, split your class in half down the middle. Ideally, the middle of your projector screen is the dividing line between the two teams. Have a student from each team drag a desk or chair to the projector screen so they can sit right in front of it facing their team. This student is the one who will guess the word for that round. Once the kids are "in place," go ahead and click to the first slide with words on it. A different word should appear behind each kid. This is the word their team has to get them to guess.
The way I usually play, the rest of the team can ONLY use words in Spanish to get their teammate to guess the word behind them. The first student to say the word behind them on the screen in Spanish wins, and then you play a new round or switch whose "it" and then play a new round. I play with the following additional rules:
-NO gestures; a point won with a feature doesn't count.
-kids get one "oopsy" look at their word without losing a point. (It's instinctual, but they have to learn not to do it or the game will not be fun). After that, the opposite team gets a point when they look at their word, even if it's an accident.
-Proper nouns are allowed.
-Words that are "the same" except for the -o and -a at the end are allowed. (For example, if the word is novio, students can say novia as a hint).
Take these all with a grain of salt, and do whatever works best in your classroom! I have adjusted each of the rules at one point or another depending on the group of kids, their level of Spanish, and the vocabulary we're using to play. For example, if I was reviewing family member words specifically, I wouldn't allow that last rule. I would take away that option so students are forced to describe the relationship.
Easy mistakes
Probably the easiest way to mess up this game is to consistently have "harder" words on the left or right, and "easier" words on the opposite side. It might be wise to make a list of words from the get go and then go through and input them into your PowerPoint. I try to gauge the approximate difficulty of each word and put words of similar difficulty on the same slide. Is it perfect? Nope. Will your kids likely say "They have all the easy words!"? Very possible. In my classroom, it's still been a worthwhile game. My students really enjoy it, and it's a good way to get them to produce a bit of language.
Variations
This game has a lot of simple variations. Here are some of the ones I've used:
-Reverse charades: Everyone except for the guesser is acting out the word instead of trying to describe it.
-Reverse charades/Original combo: Students can use both the target language and features to help the guesser figure out the term.
-Reverse Pictionary: Each student except the guesser has a whiteboard that they can draw an image of the term.
-One word white board: This is actually the technical OG version of the game, but I use it less often now. Each student but the guesser gets a white board, one which they are allowed to write ONE word in the target language. Students with white boards can whisper to each other, and put their boards in order to form a phrase or sentence to lead the guesser to the word.
Let me know if you use this game with your students and how it goes!
Click the link below for a free version of this game (Guess the "celebrity") on my Teachers Pay Teachers Page:
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