Last week I shared the baseball game I used to review a lesson in my class. You can also create a treasure hunt to review a topic.
A treasure hunt can be held anywhere, depending on the amount of space you have - the whole school, your classroom or the outdoors. Divide your class into teams of six or so and let each student have a chance to read a clue. Each team should have their own color so the clues don't get misplaced. Preferably, each team should have different clues. If it is too much work simply vary a few of the clues, but definitely have a unique order for each team.
The clues can use words from a story you have learned. Depending on your students' age you can have straightforward clues ("Go to the water fountain"), hints ("A drink of water is nice") or even more obscure phrases ("Are you thirsty?"). Of course, the level of the words themselves should be matched to your students' levels of English.
Clues can be based on the unit subject you have finished. For colors - "go to the blue water fountain". For numbers - "there are three classrooms. Choose yours!". Propositions of locations - "near/under/over the table" - are perfect for a treasure hunt.
Or you could take it one step further and have them use a book to look for hints. Send them to a page or sentence in a book and have them answer a question to get the next clue. You can use friendly staff members or have them use the story itself to understand the clue.
Treasure hunts can be done on many levels and in many ways. The main thing is to have fun and sneak in a review without them realizing it! Let me know how you use a treasure hunt to review your class.
Gaila has over 40 year of experience teaching and runs A.H.A.V.A., a non-profit to promote English literacy. Would you like to ask Gaila a question? Email us at ahava.org@gmail.com or send us a message. Look out for more Dear Gaila columns!