#1332. The Fly Swatter Game

Language, level: Elementary
Posted Sat Oct 2 05:07:48 PDT 1999 by Thad Schmenk (thadsensei@hotmail.com).
Matsuyama JHS, Japan
Materials Required: Fly swatters, chalk, chalkboard
Activity Time: 5 to 10 minutes
Concepts Taught: Alphabet practice

The Fly Swatter Game

Objectives:
1. The student will be able to match the written form of a letter of an alphabet (German, Spanish, English, etc.) with the letter's pronunciation.

Procedure

1. The teacher should review the pronunciation of all the letters of the alphabet with the students. I suggest using flashcards.
2. The teacher then writes all of the letters of the target alphabet on the board. The letters should be written randomly on the board. (For lower level students or younger students, writing the alphabet in its proper order makes finding the correct letter easier.)
3. The class should be divided into teams. Teams of 4 or 5 seems to work best.
4. Have each team stand in a line behind the starting line. The starting line should be about 5-8 feet away from the chalk board on which the letters are written.
5. The first person standing in each line will then be given a fly swatter.
6. When the teacher calls out a letter, the students with the fly swatters should run to the board and swat the written form of the letter that the teacher called out.
7. The first student to swat the letter wins a point for his/her team.
8. After the round is finished, the fly swatter is handed to the next team member.
9. The first team to a set amount of points wins.

Possible Problems

Students may be tempted to swat each other. Students should be forewarned of the consequences of such actions. Possible solution, have the students circle the letter which was called out with a piece of chalk instead of swatting it.