In or Out works best for kindergarten students i.e. the ones who cannot read or write yet and who respond exceptionally well to visual ways of explantion and instruction.
The basic idea behind the game is that if you are good, you are in the same group with the teacher and other students; if you are naughty, you are out of the group.
Apples in a basket:
During the first week (month) of the school year, the teacher has to prepare a big paper basket and paper apples for every student. They will later colour and write their names on them with the help of the teacher who will have an apple of his/her own as well. Next, all the apples will be placed in the basket hung earlier on the classroom wall/ bulletin board. If one student misbehaves, he is taken out of the basket and put next to it. If his/ her behaviour changes, the apple is placed back into the basket.
The activity has many variations. The teacher may decide to prepare, for example:
• bees and a beehive
• stars and a model of univers
• clouds and a sky
• flowers in a garden
• wagons of a train
• animals in a forest/ jungle
• fish or frogs in a pond
• starfish or other sea creatures in a sea
The Football English activity works best with older students who have at least some idea about football. It works particularly well in classrooms where the kids are mainly boys.
To make it work you need to prepare a set of YELLOW and RED cards.
You set up the activity by explaining the rules:
- if a student talks, interrupts, refuses to engage in an activity etc, s/he will be given the first YELLOW card
- s/he will be given one more chance but in case s/he continues to misbehave, another YELLOW card will be given
- if the situation continues, a student is given a RED card
- a RED card means extra homework, detention, a talk with the principal etc.
The students will realize immediately that the game is similar to football with one exception i.e. the players are given two yellow cards instead of one and the second yellow card does not automatically generate a red card.
A problem that might occur while you try the activity out is the students themselves. They will most probably start writing on the cards or damaging them in some way. In such a case, a good solution might be using colored chalk. Instead of giving the cards to naughty students, mark their desks with red and yellow chalk and you will get a very similar effect. It will also save you time on preparation of the cards.
