Teaching English in Korean Middle Schools: Bingo

Filed as: ESL Lessons, Teaching in Korea // Responses: 34

Now that March is around the new school year has started, and with it has come a lot of new English Conversation Teachers. Hopefully you’ve seen our ESL Resources already so you can have an idea of what it’s like to teach English in Korea. The videos we made from our classes, though, make it seem as if the lessons require huge amounts of prep time. This isn’t always the case. So what we’ve done is uploaded another lesson plan, only this time it’s really easy to prepare. In fact, it should take you probably ten minutes to prepare this lesson, and it will have your students speaking in and listening to English for the entire class. Check the new video of Simon Teaching in a Korean Middle School, and if you like the lesson, download it:

Available in both Mac and PC format.

If you do decide to use it, please let us know how it works! Oh, and if you really liked this lesson, and it totally made your job and life easier, then – by all means – feel free to click this button here:

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Nicole
OMG I hope Spudgy didn't hear this video!!!
Peter
I tried this today with a few classes and they all enjoyed it. Just having their number picked was reason to celebrate, then the bartering began…"movie! drinkuh! animal!!" followed by the answer…"big bang!! 2ne1!!!". One kid kept shouting "Me! Me! eight!!! Pal!!! eight!!" every time I went to pick a card and had a heart attack every time he finally was picked (I teach small classes, so each student was picked about 3 or 4 times). Definitely will use it again and change up the sentences to fit whatever subject we're on. Awesome, easy game!
T
As someone who will begin teaching in Korea soon (at a middle school in Bucehon, like you), I appreciate your videos. Question: how common is it for classrooms to have all those resources? It looks like you have a pretty nice setup with the screen and the ability to plug in your laptop. Is that available in all Korean middle-school English classes?

Kristen
I also teach Korean Middle school, but my resources are not nearly as nice. This is due to the fact that I work in a low income area. However, I still have a TV screen hooked to up to the computer so my students can enjoy these games as well

http://www.eatyourkimchi.com Eatyourkimchi
Yeah, this school happens to be in a pretty wealth area. Lots of kids have iPhones, PSPs, and a bunch of cool stuff.

Paul
it worked! it worked!
Eat Your Kimchi
Glad to hear it!
J. Griffin Stewart
Very cool. Thanks for sharing. Do you have your MBP plugged into your smart-board? Do you just use the Apple remote to change slides etc? Just curious. I hate having to use the PC!
Eat Your Kimchi
It's not a smart board. It's just a big TV. As for the remote I use, I used a USB wireless remote, but the batteries died and I keep on forgetting to buy new ones, so now I just use my iPhone.
I like how snotty that sounded. "Now I JUST use my iPhone." Sheesh. I meant to say I use my iPhone. It's cooler.
dt1
thanks for the great idea, this looks perfect for my lower level high school students. only wish i stumbled upon your website sooner, this will be my final lesson plan!

eatyourkimchi
Thanks! Glad you like it. Let me know how it goes!

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=2529267 Nicole Ibarra
gonna try bingo this week, I'll let you know how it goes
http://www.youtube.com/abombs1 Andy
I just noticed you in a photo at SeoulTube, I must have missed you, I arrived after 8!
Also, I think I will try this with my classes tomorrow or tuesday but they don't get bigger than 8 in size. Good idea?

http://www.eatyourkimchi.com Eatyourkimchi
We left at 7! Too bad. We had a big day on Sunday so we had to go home and prepare for it. Bah! And I've used this with smaller classes as well and it's worked fine. Let me know how it works for you.

Ki Tae Kim
I, a 48-aged Korean man, had not an Enlish lesson such like this video. We had only English book reading and understanding its grammar. Currently I can read English well but, it is so difficult to hear and speak English.

http://www.eatyourkimchi.com Eatyourkimchi
I think a lot of my students are good at reading English as well. I was hoping they would feel more comfortable and have more fun speaking English instead.

http://badmetaphor.net karenology
Hi! I really want to try this lesson out, since it seems like a good way to get the students actually talking and excited. One (probably really dumb) question – how do you generate the bingo sheets? Do you have the students fill out their own, and if so, how do you restrict their answer options? If you generate them, how do you make sure every question is represented on the sheet? Thanks for your help and for posting this!

http://www.eatyourkimchi.com Eatyourkimchi
I generate all of the sheets myself. As for making sure how every question is represented on the sheet, I usually plan for about 30 answer in a class, so I'll add around 10 extra answers that won't get picked, and then randomly distribute them on the sheets. Does that make sense? I'm reading it myself and it only kinda makes sense to me…

http://badmetaphor.net karenology
Thanks for the reply! You mean you create all 30-some bingo sheets by hand? Or is there some generator program you use? I have found some bingo sheet generators online, but none with options to make sure answers of every category are represented on all sheets, for instance! I don't mind doing them by hand, but that does mean this lesson would take more than 10 minutes of prep work for me

http://www.eatyourkimchi.com Eatyourkimchi
Yes, we create all of the bingo sheets. But it's not as bad as it sounds! The first time it sucked a lot. Really, really sucked. Now, whenever there's a new bingo game to play, I simply write out the list of 40 words I want to include, then simply find and replace all of the words on the old bingo sheet with the new words I want to use. For example, on a Halloween sheet there are a bunch of instances of "Pumpkin" but for the Hobbies version I want to have the word "Singing" or something like that. Simply open the old sheet, CTRL+F, then find Pumpkin and replace with Singing. Do that for the whole sheet and it takes no more than five minutes, still half the time or regular prep work!

Sarah
The irony of your videos is that I'm always watching them (right now) when I should be planning my English lesson (for tomorrow).

http://www.eatyourkimchi.com Eatyourkimchi
That's actually quite funny. Ha!

http://www.facebook.com/R.I.P.Haiti Angelika Madelyna Lavina Sauveur
thats so mean >_< only an applouse

http://www.eatyourkimchi.com Eatyourkimchi

http://www.facebook.com/SweetCecilia Cecilia Dornan
I do this with my high school students. But easier for you to prepare. For exam review:
** if your students are old enough, or your coteacher cooperates well with you to QUICKLY explain the rules this is a way that you don't have to make all the bingo sheets… circulating while they fill out the sheets helps you find students who are confused.
1) print out blank bingo sheets (I make them rectangular not square, you can fit more on a page- I do 5 on a page, since they are just writing words they dont need a whole big box) (5 rows, 5 columns, columns are MUCH wider than the rows are tall, skinny rows, fat columns)
2) powerpoint presentation, each slide has a list of words (at least 10, usually way more) from the units we have covered, one slide for each unit, and then another slide for random vocab… nothing special or fancy, just a list of words
3) tell the students to look at the first slide and choose X number of words and place them randomly on their sheet
4) repeat step 3 with each slide ** DON'T CLICK TIL EVERYONE is complete with each slide! this way students can't fall behind!
5) have each slide's words in a different cup, so that each unit/topic will be chosen equally and students have a better chance of getting some than just random 50+ words
6) select a word from the first unit/topic and give them the definition (I click between slides so they had see the words when the listen to the definition) almost always SOMEONE in class will know the answer. if not I give more hints. then go to the next slide, after one word from each topic is done, go back to the first topic…
7) students DO NOT throw out their sheet after someone wins… we continue to play until 5 or so students win ONE LINE. Then they have to get 2 lines (students who win always need one extra line to win again or more depending on ur mood and how much they win), then they play for 2 lines, or a square or whatever… occassionally we get to black-out.
This is AWESOME because all students pay attention (they get candy when they get bingo), so they will absorb more words… Even if they don't know the definition of the word, by playing they are more likely to learn it and remember, esp if it's the last word or two that they needed to win… It's way easy to set up too! I have 9 classes and we go through about 1 big bag of candy (15-20 students get candy)… bc it's a big reward game they will keep playing… once you play once you won't have to explain the rules again for next exam. AND I've noticed if I don't play this game, they have lower marks on word/phrase definition portions of their exams…
HINT: tell them they MUST use a pen to write the words, they MUST write legibly, and they MUST gently cross out words they get with a DIFFERENT colour pen or marker (no scribbling out) "If I can't read it, or if I think you're cheating, you can't win"

http://www.eatyourkimchi.com Eatyourkimchi
That is a totally awesome variation. Thank you for sharing! Wow!

seeee
Do you want to learn korean? I can't recommend the site seemile highly enough, its great ! This site offers free online lessons. http://www.seemile.com
TN.D
your "Oh Yeah" totally sounds like how it would be sung by MBLAQ. which is why I also laughed >_>;;;
maknaelover
your students understand english?

http://www.eatyourkimchi.com Eatyourkimchi
They all speak it to some degree. Some of them are fluent, some of them are low level, but most of them are somewhere in between.

realistic
This teacher is one lucky teacher or I'm just working in the wrong school! I've worked in two different Middle Schools and I've never had a coteacher. What that would do for control in the classroom! I was just told at my school that it really doesn't matter what I do in the classroom, but they just don't want any complaints from the students about the classroom! It would be so nice to have a KoreanTeacher in the classroom with me!

guest
You are in the wrong school. Not every work situation cares. About anything.

Bad_fish_11
OMGGGGGGGGGGGGG HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA the last part! i have tears * thankuuuuuuuuuuuuu hahahaha
http://www.facebook.com/people/Anthony-Rivera/612699405 Anthony Rivera
haha i hate when teachers do that their gonna give you something but it just a round of applause
grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr lolÂ *waves fist* lol