Are you an English teacher looking for learning games and activities to help liven your English Language Arts teaching? We know that sometimes teenage students can easily lose interest. So don't be a boring teacher, and bring in some unique classroom ideas to keep them invested! Below is a list of a variety of activities for high school students. It includes a variety of English language learning experiences - poetry to writing!
While these are intended for high school students, some middle school students may also benefit from these activities.
1. Paint Chip Poetry
This is a fun activity for students that is easy to set up. All you need is the game box and to go over the directions. Students will use the unique names of paints to create beautiful pieces of poetry. The game includes prompts. It's also great to add to your classroom party game stash!
Learn more: Amazon
2. Figurative Language Challenge
These challenges tackle different types of figurative language like metaphor, simile, alliteration, and more. They are great for the inclusion classes because they work in stations.
Learn more: Teachers Pay Teachers
3. Six Word Memoirs
A small, but fun activity is to write 6-word memoirs. It makes for a great introduction to memoirs too and students really have to think. You can display them and have them attach memorable images.
Learn more: Six Word Memoirs
4. The Break-Up Letter
If you need a unique creative writing exercise, try this letter-writing activity with a hilarious twist. Rather than write a typical letter, they will write break-up letter! Perfect for teens!
Learn more: Presto Plans
5. Pop Sonnets
Great for high school students learning about Shakespeare's Sonnets! This classroom activity is a great way for introducing sonnets. It has 100 songs that are from popular culture but written in Shakespearean Sonnets. Make a classroom playlist of your favorites!
Learn more: Amazon
6. Listening Skills
This blog post provides you with directions and classroom materials for language arts teaching resources related to communication skills. For this activity, practice taking a listening inventory and practice some skills.
Learn more: The Secondary English Coffee Shop
7. Vocabulary Pictionary
Be the coolest teacher when you teach vocabulary review! Bingo Pictionary is simple, but fun and has just a bit of competition. Plus, you can modify it around your lesson or a chapter you are reading!
Learn more: Spark Creativity
8. Poetry Slam
Poetry slams are fun for those who are shy and for advanced speakers. It helps build confidence and gives students a voice. You will be surprised when you see the smooth-talking skills of your kids!
Learn more: Teacher of Vision
9. Truth or Dare Grammar
If you need an easy lesson plan to review grammar, look no further. This fun game is. game for teenager learners and will help students get invested in grammatical skills! Students have to pick a truth or dare card and answer an English-related statement.
Learn more: Teachers Pay Teachers
10. Book Spine Poems
This is a great lesson to help motivate a lower-level class or those with varying language levels on writing poetry. It uses book titles to help them create their own unique poems! All you need is sheets of paper printed out and some books! Or make it like an online game, and allow them to "hunt" for titles online!
Learn more: Teachers Pay Teachers
11. Soccer Ball Questions
You don't need to be in the hot seat with questioning skills when teaching a lesson! Make one of these soccer balls that already have general prompts on them. It also helps get more students to answer because they want a turn.
Learn more: Building Book Love
12. Black Out Poetry
Another great activity for lower-intermediate students. This black-out activity for students has them use a page of a book to black out unused words and create a poem. If you have early finishers, ask them to find fun images to pair with their fresh poem.
Learn more: Arapahoe Libraries
13. Review Game
A quiz challenge is a great way to cover all the material for key lessons In this fun game they will play a "Let's Make a Deal" game - based on the popular game show. You will act as the game show host and make deals with the teams.
Learn more: The Hungry Teacher Blog
14. Balderdash
This is an addictive game for more advanced teenage students. It uses nonsense and uncommon words to help students determine if it is a real word. They will give others either a false statement or a true statement with a silly (but possibly real) sounding word. It teaches new vocabulary!
Learn more: Boardgame Geek
15. Free Rice
This is another addictive game, but better suited for lower-intermediate students. The online game can be a long or short game session and has students answer vocabulary and grammar questions. The best part is, every time they get a correct answer, they provide rice to a hungry family!
Learn more: Free Rice
16. NYT Crossword
One of the favorite games in the US is the New York Time crossword! Great for an English class of advanced students, this is a student version of the famous puzzle!
Learn more: The New York Times
17. Inkle Writer
Inkle is a cool tool for an individual student to work on a creative writing prompt while using a text. It had a fun twist because it is interactive and as they read, students can make different choices.
Learn more: Inkle Writer
18. Book Raffle
A book raffle tradition will help to get a lower-level class invested in reading - especially if they don't have many of their own books. This blog post shows you how to start one! You can also modify this and do things like themed book raffles or past class favorites or even raffle old books from your classroom library.
Learn more: Brown Bag Teacher
19. Writing Prompts
This is a batch of writing prompts that have a variety of topics high school students won't get bored with. Perfect for using is a writing journal!
Learn more: Small World
20. Vocab Zee
Similar to the classic game, Yatzee, this game works with dice and a vocabulary list. It has a variety of activities based on what students roll.
Learn more: Go Sadlier
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