Activity

Shape Uno

Students play the famous UNO card game while practicing saying the names of ten shapes in English.

Archived from Englipedia.
Originally submitted by Matt Blasen on Oct, 2014.

DETAILED EXPLANATION:

  • Print and cut out about one full deck of cards per 5-10 students.
  • The card decks have a standard 108 card setup and play exactly as typical Uno would.
  • Take about 10-15 minutes at the start of class to write and draw the target shapes on the board and drill them with the students. After covering the shapes, take a minute to check that the kids know how to play Uno. Refresh them if they need it. I don't recommend using this with kids younger than 5th grade because you can't count on them knowing how to play the game, and you spend half the class explaining all details of the game to them.
  • As kids finish the game, they end up sitting around watching the ongoing games and get bored. Therefore, consider stopping the games after about 10-15 minutes of play so that you can rotate groups at least once during class.

TEACHING SUGGESTIONS:

  • I strongly recommend using some sort of "you have to say the card you're playing in English, or you can't play it" rule. Kids will be able to say all the cards, and kids will also enforce any rule you clearly give them before they start playing. They tend to get carried away playing the game so just be sure they're using the target words and not just playing Uno in strained silence.

TIPS/CAUTIONS:

  • Laminate the game cards, and use extra thick paper when printing. You don't want the face of the card to readily show through the back. If you have enough time, glue on a blank backing sheet to the print sheet to make the cards harder to see through.
  • Check the floor for cards before you leave the room.
Files:
Small files
  • ES_Game_ShapeUno.doc (480 KB)
  • 7
    Submitted by Englipedia Archive April 8, 2019 Estimated time: 35-45 min
    1. philipawalker April 9, 2019

      This activity is great, but you'll probably want to reshape the "circles" as they're definitely ovals.

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