White Board Relay

Purpose: Review previously taught content in a fun, collaborative and energizing way.

Prep time: 10–15 minutes

Materials: dry erase markers and one small white board (approximately 8 ½ x 11 inch) per team of 3-5 learners

Prep:

Think of several prompts for the game that allow the class to review previously-taught grammar, vocabulary and other knowledge. The prompts should have at least 3-5 possible correct answers. Here are a few examples:

Beginning ESL: spell colors, numbers or items in the room

Intermediate ESL: give an example of a pronoun, write each of the three forms of irregular verbs, list words with a short “a” sound

Advanced ESL: spell vocabulary words from the current unit, write a correct sentence using a grammar feature (i.e. an infinitive), list adverbs

Pre-GED & GED: spell vocabulary words from the current unit, list test-taking strategies, each person determines one: radius, diameter, and height of a given cylinder 

Procedure:

1. Put learners in teams of 3-5. They should sit close to each other at the same table. Allow space between teams, so they cannot copy each other. 
2. Give a prompt like, “Each student, write one month on the white board.” Modeling without a time pressure for one two to prompts will help all teams feel prepared to race. 
3. Learners pass the small white board to each other in a circle until each learner from the team has provided an answer. 
4. The last learner in the team to write an answer places the board on their head face up and says, “Finished!” This prevents other teams from copying because they cannot see the upturned board. Allow time for all teams to finish. 
5. Award points if you wish: 3 points for 1st place, 2 points for 2nd place and 1 point for 3rd place. If the team has an error, they don’t get any points for placing, but they can earn one point if they can correct their error after the race to finish is over. 
6. Repeat with another prompt. 

Some groups of learners may not like the stress of racing or competition, so instead, set a timer for ample time of 1-2 minutes to allow learners to think and answer without the stress of racing. 

Watch this video to see a class of high school French language students playing the game to see how it works.

Thanks to Edutopia for this Tutor Tip. For questions or comments contact Tutor Training Coordinator Meghan Boyle at mboyle@literacymn.org.