Activity 17- The Basketball Game

                                                        picture credits: inmagine.com

Level: basic

Grammar Point: prepositions of place

Skill: Speaking

Materials needed: a basket, a paper ball, school objects

Instructions:

1. Students place some of their personal objects (pen, folder, book, bag, etc) on the teacher’s table. Tell them to arrange the objects in different ways (a pen under a book, a folder in a bag, etc).
2. Divide students into 2 groups.
3. Place the wastebasket on one side of the classroom and a desk in front of it, at a distance that is considered a challenge for the students. 

4.      The student, representing his/her group, throws the paper ball into the wastebasket. If the ball goes in, s(he) has the chance to score 2 points. If the ball doesn’t go in, then s(he) has the chance to score 1 point. In order to get the points, the student must say a correct sentence using a preposition of place s(he) has learned. Those sentences should be about the personal objects previously placed on the teacher’s table. In the end, the group with more points wins the game.

·         Remind students that the sentences cannot be repeated and that nobody should say sentences like “ X is on the table”, otherwise they will tend to say similar sentences using the preposition ON all the time. All sentences should be about one object in relation to the other.

VARIATION

1.  Students read a text on their books. Meanwhile, write numbers on the board.

2.  The game is played the same way but, this time, students have to choose a number that is on the board. Each number corresponds to a comprehension question about the text. After throwing the ball, the student picks a number and then answers the corresponding question. If the answer is correct, the team scores 1 or 2 points.

Source: Vinicius Lemos