We teachers sometimes have a hard time asking the boys to talk to the girls and the girls to talk to the boys. I hope that this idea will motivate your students to communicate with everyone by adding this little game element.
The idea is pretty simple.
Just add a point chart to the any handout you are going to give your students.
If they talk to the;
HRT: 10 points
ALT: 5 points (it's also a way to check if they are doing the activity correctly)
Opposite sex: 3 points
Same sex: 1 point
You could also add a "LUCKY KID" element.
The teacher would chose a student, but he or she wouldn't tell the class which student he or she chose until the end of the communication activity.
When the communication activity is done, the teacher will reveal the "LUCKY KID".
If the student talked to the "LUCKY KID" the student will get an extra 20 points. You could also give 20 points to the "LUCKY KID" just for being the "LUCKY KID".
At the end of the activity, ask the students to count their points.
The student with the most points is the winner.
Obs. I only would use this idea to classes that have a tendency of "not" mixing. If your classes already have a good relationship between boys and girls I would avoid adding this point game idea.
This is genius. I teach elementary school and junior high and I can see my students frantically trying to talk to everyone trying to get more points. Thanks for the idea!
@mysticalmakishima, You're welcome. It seems that up to elementary school grade 4 boys and girls are pretty mix, but when they reach the end of grade 4 or they begin grade 5, the tendency is for them to isolate in same gender groups. I hope that with this idea the kids will be able to broad their network and be able to talk to everyone instead of only their closest friends.
This is an awesome idea! I can`t wait to share it to my co-teachers! Thank you so much!
This is a great idea. JHS students tend to only talk to same gender and sometimes circle of friends. Finding the "Lucky kid" points is really fun idea.
@msbanana, @genieg I'm glad you guys liked it.
this is great! we do a lot of speaking practice when I help teach, so I'll run this idea by my JTEs next time we're teaching together. thanks for the idea!
@meatydog, you're welcome. Cheers!
I've done a similar thing - kids get 2 points for asking a question and one point for answering. The idea being that the question is usually much more difficult to produce, and as kids get into 5th and 6th grade they get shyer. The more proactive Ss are about engaging in conversation, the more likely they are to receive points.