Originally submitted by: Rebecca O'Neil
Introduce the flashcards and have the students practice pronunciation. After introducing each card, hang it somewhere visible in the room.
Explain that this is a 'touch game.' When the ALT says one of the categories, students have to find and touch a flashcard that matches that category. For example, if the ALT says, "Red" the students can touch the red dog, the red cat, or the red bird. If the ALT says, "Cat" they can touch the orange or red cat. More than one student can share the same card.
After a few rounds, the ALT calls out, "Stop!" Then say a specific card, such as "red cat." The students touching the red cat win the round!
The game lasts longer if you introduce the flashcards in stages, about 4 at a time, then have the students sit down and learn the new cards.
VARIATIONS:
Play it with more than two categories as a review game: colors, shapes, animals, foods, etc.
Change how the students move to the card, like crawling or walking backwards (carefully).
Change which body part the students touch the card with, if they've learned body parts.
Reverse it so the card you call is out and play elimination, like Englipedia's Four Corners.
If the cards are laminated you can put them on the floor and have them stand on the cards.
TEACHING SUGGESTIONS:
Organize your flashcards so that they are grouped by one category. For example, my students had already learned colors, so we did red cat, blue cat, black cat; red dog, yellow dog, white dog. This way it seems less random and your students will learn to put the adjective+noun combination together themselves.
For younger/rougher classes that sprint towards the cards and tackle each other to touch the card, tell them they don't have to run, but just standing near the card is OK. Laminating the cards will make them last longer if you have time.
Make sure your students know at least one of the categories already.
Make sure the cards are easily visible from anywhere in the classroom, and don't hang them next to anything dangerous, like the heater, fan, fish tank, etc. Flat surfaces are best if you can manage it.
For bigger classes, make more flashcards that fulfill each category so there aren't many students crowding around one card.
TIPS/CAUTIONS:
If you don't have time to laminate the cards, put a strip of tape on the back of the flashcard and stick the tape on tape when you hang it on the wall. That way after class you can take the tape off more easily and reuse the flashcards.
This can get crazy very quickly with big and/or genki classes, so shorten the time you play it and use it as a warm-up or warm-down activity.
Some younger kids just moved as a herd towards the same card. Encourage them to split up by calling the card with the fewest kids.
MATERIALS NEEDED:
Hullabaloo flashcards
Tape: Cellophane