ąćĉċ    ÒÕÖ    èé   30-50 min.   5 votes: 4 stars If you're going to give this activity a low-rating, please post a useful comment to help make it better. SearchESActivity

Brief Outline: This easily adaptable game turns your usual boring classroom into one giant Super Mario video game while having the class work together to clear levels.

Detailed Explanation:

The key to this whole game is 'presentation'. Students need to believe they are actually playing the game. There are two basic sounds you will need to know: the intro music & Mario's death. Click HERE for a refresher course of those sounds.
1. Ask the students if they know the video game characters' Mario & Luigi. (they will of course know them!)  Ask two students to draw some Mario and Luigi faces on the chalkboard. These faces become the lives the students will be playing the game with. Explain that once they lose all the lives, the game is GAME OVER!
2. Next, write the word 'points' on the chalkboard and tell the students when they clear a level they receive points: Level 1 = 1pt, Level 2 = 2pts, etc. (n.b. I have a point system I use in elementary school; the points the class earn playing the game gets added to their point cards).
3. The object of the game is for the whole class to work together to clear levels by taking turns saying the target vocabulary. The game starts by you and/or the students singing the intro to the Super Mario video game. About 5-10 seconds into the song, ask the first student a question that promts the student to respond with the target vocabulary.  Some example questions include: Greetings - "How are you?"  "Time - What time is it?"
4. The next student then a chooses a target vocabulary, BUT it can't be the same word. If it is, start humming the Mario's death sound and erase one of the faces.  When all students have participated, Level Up!!! 
5. Once Level One is cleared, the students move to Level Two. For Level Two, students must choose two target vocabulary words and the student who follows can't use either one of the words. You may need to take notes to ensure the students don't repeat the previous student's words. Level Three = 3 target words.
6. Game is over when all the faces have been used up.

Variations:

• To make the game longer or shorter, add or reduce the number of 'faces'.

Tips/Cautions:

• Don't allow students too much time to think. Sometimes there are long pauses in the upper levels of the game. You might need to introduce a timer into the game.
   

Comments:

• (July 11, 2011) englipatrick (mod) said:
  THEME SONG: The theme song is only hummed at the beginning of a round. Once the students start speaking, the humming stops. 
  STUDENTS WORKING TOGETHER TO COMPLETE ROUND: Let's say the target vocab is 'greetings' (I'm happy, sad, hot, etc). The round starts with the theme song humming, then the ALT and/or HRT ask the class, "How are you?" The first student answers, "I am happy." The second student cannot use the same I-am-happy phrase; they must say something else, "I am hot." The same phrase can be used more than once, simply not back-to-back. If all students in the class can respond with a "I am..." phrase, they have cleared that level. 
  40+ STUDENT CLASSES: In order for this game to work in these classes, you'll need to split the class in half and have the HRT take half the class. 
  DEMO-EXPLANATION: When I play this game, I usually don't explain it. I simply ask a student how they are, and keep asking students until I get the same response back-to-back. Then, I hold up my hands in a cross gesture and yell out "buu-buuuuu" There are always a few students who understand and the rule starts spreading like wildfire through the class. Once the 'wildfire' has run its course, I do the same thing again for the 'unsure' students until someone makes a mistake and I yell out "buu-buuuu" again. By this time, the class generally understands and I start the game.
• (July 11, 2011) Ben L. said: I have three questions: 1. My initial question relates to how the students work together to say the target vocabulary, and whether or not they should stop singing the theme song when each question is asked? 
  2. In addition, if you have a class size of about 40 students is it possible to do more than 1 level in 10 minutes? 
  3. It seems like a very fast game that needs a demo-explanation?

このゲームの鍵は 'presentation'だ。生徒が本当にこのゲームをしているように感じることが大切だ。みなさんご承知かと思うが、2種類の基本的なサウンドがある。「イントロミュージック」と「マリオの死」だ。 ここにクリックするとその音を思い出す。
1. 生徒にマリオ＆ルイジというビデオゲームに出てくるキャラクターを知っているかどうか聞く。もちろん知っているはず!　2人の生徒にマリオとルイジの顔を黒板に描いてもらう。これらの顔が生徒がゲームをする時の lives（生命）になる。生徒が全部のlivesを失ったらゲームオーバーになることを説明する。
2. 次に黒板にポイントを書き、生徒がレベルをクリアしたらポイントをゲットできることを話す。レベル1 = 1ポイント、レベル2 = 2ポイントというように。 私は小学校でポイントシステムを取り入れているので、ゲームで獲得したポイントが生徒のポイントカードに追加されるようにメモする。
3. このゲームの目的は、生徒が順番に目標語彙を言い、レベルをクリアするためにクラス全員が協力すること。ゲームはあなたか生徒がスーパーマリオビデオゲームのイントロを歌うところからスタートする。5～10秒くらい歌ったら、最初の生徒に目標語彙に反応させる質問を出す。例えば、挨拶なら How are you? 時間ならWhat time is it?など。
4. 次の生徒がまた 目標語彙を選ぶ。しかし、同じ言葉ではだめ。もし同じ言葉を言ってしまったら、「マリオの死」の音楽を口ずさみ、黒板の顔の一つを消す。
5. レベル１をクリアしたら、レベル２に進む。レベル２では生徒は2つの目標語彙を選んで言い、次の生徒は前の生徒が言った言葉は２つとも使えないようにする。 前の生徒が言った言葉を繰り返していないか確認するためにメモをする必要があるかも知れない。レベル３では 3つの 目標語彙を使う。
6. 全部の顔がなくなってしまったらゲームは終わり。

バリエーション：

• ゲーム時間を長くしたり短くしたりするために,黒板に描く顔の数を増やしたり、減らしたりします。

• 生徒にあまり長く考える時間を与えないでください。レベルが高くなると時々長い時間がかかることがあります。ゲームにタイマーを使うことも必要かも知れません。

Template Version: 1.0

This page was last modified on Monday, February 06, 2012 11:15:12 AM