The Evolution Game (A1 Listening & Speaking)

 The Evolution Game

Lánczi Máté, Fonyó Gergő, Fodor Levente


Part 1: The Game

Level & Learning Outcomes

Beginner

Students learn target vocabulary.

Students practice listening skills when they listen to the teacher's instructions.


Materials needed 

  • No special materials needed


Object of Game

Students have to become the king of the sky, which is the final evolution of the game.


Rules of Play

  1. There are the following evolution stages: egg, chick, eagle, dragon, king of the sky (words can be replaced to appropriate vocabulary). Also, the number of evolution stages can be increased even further, but it is recommended to have at least five of them to make the game longer. 

  2. Each student stands up and gathers at the middle of the classroom. 

  3. Every student starts out on the basic level, in this case, as an egg.

  4. Students have to show a round sign with their hands above their head, and loudly repeat “I am an egg”. (They have to imitate a chick by waving with their hands only, an eagle by flapping with their whole arm, a dragon by making a wave-type movement with one hand)

  5. Students have to find someone who is in the same evolution stage as they are. They have to fight an “evolution war” where the two students play rock, paper, scissors and the winner becomes a chick, while the loser stays an egg. This event happens simultaneously, every player has to find pairs and fight as soon as possible, increasing their chance to evolve faster.

  6. When someone becomes the king of the sky, they win the game and can sit back in their seat. However, the game progresses as long as evolution is still possible (there are pairs who are able to fight).

  7. In the end, there will be one egg, one chick, one eagle, one dragon and the rest will be kings of the sky. 

Scorekeeping

Students have to fight other students with matching evolutionary stage with rock paper scissors, and the winner can progress to the next stage. Victory is achieved when students get to the last stage, and they can quit from the game by sitting down, as it is nit possible to evolve further.


Part 2: Reflection

This activity was extremely fun to watch, as it is a game of speed rather than technique or knowledge. It can be an excellent drill or revision of certain words, and can be replaced with many topics and contexts. In our case, the topic were avians so it seemed logical to make a game about bigger and more dangerous flying creatures. This game would not be enjoyable for an intermediate or advanced group, but it is perfect for beginners as they can easily memorize the new vocabulary items by using this game. There were students who played in a very fast paced manner, and they were naturally more successful, but luck also plays an important role in this activity. Still, this game takes around 3 minutes to execute, and it is easily repeatable. If the topic and the words are replaced, it is highly advised to think of new expressions for the students to imitate with their hands, so that the games become more interactive and fun. LM

This game idea originally came from Máté, and I’d say at first it struck me as a rather odd activity. It took a while for me to grasp the way it can be used as a vocabulary expansion game, but I came around to seeing the merit of it. The words needed to play the game can be shifted around according to the teacher’s need, so it is a pretty engaging way of drilling new vocab. One caveat would be the fact that this game is most suitable for beginner learners, as it is relatively simple in terms of language use.

As for playing the game itself, I think we had moderate success with it. The students seemed to enjoy themselves a lot, they embraced the chaotic nature of it pretty quickly. I think this game could be best used as a warm up activity to drain the excess energy of the students, so they will have an easier time paying attention to the class later on.  FG

Perhaps this game is the odd one out of the two other games that we used in a classroom in terms of language skills or level. I would consider Disconnected and Movie Monarch games that can only be utilized in an advanced class. However, this game can easily be used for beginners as well. The rules are easy to memorize and the game itself does not require high proficiency in English. In addition, this game does not require any preparations in advance, therefore it is always accessible whenever the students need refreshment. What was interesting to see that, besides the game being an excellent drill activity for memorizing newly learnt vocabulary, it also enhances quick thinking and improvisation, which skills are crucial when it comes to using a language. What the teacher needs to pay attention to is supervising the process of the game. Even if the game is not that complicated, the teacher has to make sure that the students understood the basics of the game, since it is not that easy to kick off, however once they get the ball rolling it is a fun activity which also improves language skills. FL

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