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The TOEIC Game
Materials needed: paper and something to write with.

I find it hard to just test my students over and over, so from time to time it is good to play a game and see just how much TOEIC vocabulary
my students have acquired. The first thing I do is break the class down into small teams. Two to four students in a  group seems to work well.
They are each armed with pencils and pieces of paper.

Objective: To write down more words in a catagory than the other team.

Time for each round: two  minutes. At time all pens and pencils are to be put down! My students feel that not only is it perfectly all right to
cheat but it is their obligation to try. They seem to  think  that this behavor will keep me on my toes  or consider that preventing their cheating is an all
round IQ test for professors.

Game Rules: Teams are to write down, in the allotted time, all the words asociated with a particular catagory such as: "All things found at the airport."
After time has run out, each team has a chance to present one of their words to the group, then it is the next team's turn and so on until no one has any words left.
A point is awarded if the other teams did not also write down the proposed word. If another team has written down the same word
no points are awarded.  This does not include synonyms, for example if one team wrote steps and another stairs then both teams would get points.
Also, I don't generally penalize teams for writing: chair, armchair, desk chair, lawn chair since it shows and demands increased vocabulary.
The word has to be  in the chosen catagory.
Usually there are some very convoluted arguments in defense of their "words" which in themselves indicate a growing mastery of the language.
The whole class votes on if the word is or is not in that particular catagory. I may elect to step in if it gets too dicey.
An optional rule but one that is very useful is to ban words that were used in an earlier round.
Traditionally, the game is over after three rounds with the teams totalling all their points from the three previous rounds to determine a winner.
(Unless, of course the students protest too much or I've got an extra ten minutes to kill.

Hints to students: If you can't think of a word in English whisper to your partners "how do you say ______ in English.

The catagories are chosen to reflect different settings and situations found in the TOEIC
Some sample rounds:

Please list things found 1. in or on the ocean or the sea 2. at a factory 3. in the city	Please list words that you think are associated with 1. Business in general 2. Human Resources or the Personnel department 3. Technical areas
Please list words that you think are associated with 1. business purchasing or personal shopping 2. travel 3. Entertainment or the media	Please list things found: 1. at the airport 2. in a hotel 3.in the office
Please list things found: 1. in a hospital 2. at a restaurant 3. at a famous resort area	Please list words that you think are associated with 1. Real estate 2. The weather 3. Banking and finance

Ce texte © 2004-2005 Christopher Yukna - tous droits réservés