Would You Rather Games in the ESL Classroom

 

Would you rather? This is a question that can be applied to many things, and it's also the name of a unique card game. In this post, we will explore how incorporating the would you rather card games into your learning environment can provide students with an engaging way to learn while being creative at the same time!

How can the would you rather games be useful for students?

Playing would you rather games can be helpful for students of all ages. Some ways that teachers have used would you rather in the classroom include:

As a break from traditional teaching/learning with an engaging activity to re-energize your students during class.

For group work, splitting up into small groups and using would you would as a way to get students talking and listening to each other.

As an icebreaker activity on the first day of class

From some of these examples, it would seem that would you rather is mostly used as a break from traditional teaching methods. However, would you rather be can be used in conjunction with more typical ways of learning by asking students questions throughout the would you rather game. This would result in an activity that breaks up learning and encourages creativity and critical thinking skills at the same time!

Who can find this method of teaching useful?

This would you rather game would be useful for all students, although there are some ways that it would work better for particular types of learners. Some examples include:

For the visual learner 

– Visual learners learn best when they can see something in front of them, which is what would you rather provide! The cards have pictures on them so that students can associate the would you rather options with something tangible

For students who learn best through hands-on experience 

– Would you rather is a great way to incorporate physical activity into learning. Students will think and talk about each different would you rather card, which means that they'll be up and moving around during this game! This could also help improve social skills as students would be working with classmates

For the auditory learner 

– Would you rather provide an opportunity for verbalizing thought processes. Students may struggle to find words when talking about something abstract, but would you rather cards are concrete and the topic is explained right on them!

Where can I play would you rather?

There truly are endless possibilities when it comes to would you rather. This game can be played anywhere- in the classroom, at home, or even on a road trip! You could even make your own would you rather cards by brainstorming would you questions before playing.

Would I rather is useful for many different reasons and everyone should try it out! Have fun with this would you rather card game and let us know how would you would incorporate it into your teaching. 

Ways to play would you rather card game for teaching

Small group work would you rather playing with classmates would be useful in improving social skills and communication would improve for students who have difficulty speaking English. We recommend using the cards to help ELL / ESL / EFL language learners practice their reading comprehension! The questions are written on each of the would you would cards so students can easily refer to them as they go along.

What are ways would you rather card games can be used by homeschoolers?

Homeschoolers would benefit from would you rather card games and not just for the learning during that lesson, but also because it is a wonderful tool to use as review material before writing tests. By using would you cards with your children at home during lessons, they will be more likely to retain what they have learned than if you used traditional methods of learning. For example, would you rather card games would be better for review before tests than having students re-write notes they have taken in class because children are more likely to remember what is written on the cards versus something that was transcribed by hand.

Would you rather questions can also build critical thinking skills! They're not just helpful for ESL learners. The would you rather game is a great way to get students engaged in learning. If you’re looking for an engaging way to teach, we recommend trying this strategy out! It could be the difference between your students remembering what they learned and forgetting it all come exam time.

What other teaching strategies do you use?

Do you have students who are learning English as a second language? What about those with limited proficiency in the native tongue, or even advanced learners but still need some review material before test time! This is for them. With these Halloween Would You Rather Questions that can be used during October lessons (or any other time), there will be no shortage of creative discussion on all things spooky and frightful. And once it's over, I'll provide an interactive PowerPoint presentation AND printable set containing 30 trick-or-treat worthy questions ready to go which could lead into discussions like “What was your favorite part?”

More ideas:

• Have students create their own questions and then share with the class
• Divide the class into two teams and give each team a set of questions to answer
• Create visual aids like pictures or videos to illustrate the questions
• Ask students to write their own questions and have them answer them in pairs or small groups
• Ask students to draw two things on the board and make up a would you rather questions about them
• Ask students to work in pairs and create their own would you rather questions
• Divide the class into two groups and have them choose which side they would rather take on a given question
• Have the class list out a few would you rather questions and give them time to think of the answer
• Set up a debate with two teams and have them argue different points for various questions
• Use a timer and allow the students to ask and answer questions with a partner
• Use a "would you rather" game board and allow each student to ask a question, then move around the board
• Hold a class debate on the pros and cons of different scenarios
• Have students create their own questions and play them in small groups
• Invent silly scenarios and ask the class which one is correct or which would they choose
• Debate between two countries or cultures
• Have students vote on the most interesting answer
• Pose open-ended questions for students to answer
• Divide the class into two teams and have each team take turns asking each other would you rather questions
• Assign a topic (e.g. travel, food, animals, sports, etc.) and have students create their own would you rather questions related to that topic
• Have students make predictions about which option their classmates will choose
• Have students guess the most popular answers and then tally the results at the end
  

grab your free copy here

This game is helpful not just in teaching a new language, but teaching small children their native language. This is also a fun learning tool for homeschooling. Teaching does not have to be boring to get the lesson and skills across for children to grasp them. Actually, the opposite is true. If the lessons are fun and engaging, children are more likely to be attentive and engaged in the lesson. The result is that they learn the lesson much more quickly and retain what is being taught without even realizing it.