Wordpool Bingo

Source: Learning One-to One by Ingrid Wisniewska

Purpose: to use speaking and listening skills to practice asking questions and vocabulary

Prep Time: 10-15 minutes

Materials: a wordpool grid, pen or pencil

Prep: Create a 5x5 grid with one vocabulary word or phrase in each box.  Note that these words or phrases should be the answers to open ended questions. Some possible words and phrases are: everyday/once a week/once a month/once a year/ once every few years/all the time/often/sometimes/rarely/never  or in the summer/ in the spring/ in the fall/in the winter/ in the morning/in the afternoon/in the evening/at night/Monday through Friday/on the weekend

in the summer
in the winter
in the spring
in the fall
all year

in the morning
in the afternoon
in the evening
at night
Monday through Friday

weekends
on Mondays
on Wednesdays
on Fridays
on Sundays

in December
in March
in July
in September
in November

at 9:00
at noon
at 3:00
at 5:00
at 8:00

​Procedure:

For One to One Tutors
Make one copy of the grid for yourself and one for the student. Ask the student to read the grid. Then ask the student a question that will result in an answer that is on the grid, such as When do you eat lunch? Cross out the answer that the student used on your copy of the grid. Have the student ask you a question and if you use an answer on the grid, the student can cross it off on his/her grid.  Continue until you or the student gets three answers in a row to determine a winner.  If desired, play again. 

For a Class
Make copies of the grid for the students. Model the instructions by asking a student a question that will result in an answer that is on the grid and show students how to cross out that answer.  Have a student ask you a question and cross out that answer on the grid. If necessary, do a couple more examples together.  Then have students work in pairs, asking each other questions and crossing out any answers that are on the grid until a student gets three answers in a row to determine a winner.  If desired, play again. 

Variation: If the students struggle with asking the questions, brainstorm a list of possible questions as a class and write them on the board before playing the game. The grid coud be 4x4 or 3x3 if the students struggle with the amount of vocabulary.