From WikiJET, the interactive website for the JET Programme
Kids playing Super Janken
The Super Janken game is a good vocabulary review activity for Elementary classes. Two teams compete against each other on a row of vocabulary flashcards using janken. They must shout out the vocabulary to progress along the line. This game is ideal for smaller classes but can become a bit unweildy for larger classes.
[edit] Materials required
[edit] Procedure
- Teach your target vocabulary and/or target phrase (e.g. I like ____).
- Line up 10 chairs in a row, leaving enough space at either end for the teams to line up.
- Place one flashcard on each chair.
- Split the class into two teams.
- Demonstrate the game procedure with the JTE:
- The first kid from each team must proceed along the line touching each flashcard in turn and shouting out the target vocab as they go (eg. "I like bananas. I like pineapples. I like cherries.")
- Once the two kids meet in the middle, they stop and play janken.
- The winner continues along the line, while the loser must return to the back of their team's line.
- The cycle repeats, with each team's fortune depending on their luck with janken.
- If anybody gets to the last card in the line, then that becomes the deciding janken battle. If they win, their team receives a point and the game resets. If they lose, the game continues as previously.
- Make sure you emphasise that the kids must shout out the vocab loud and clearly. Anyone doing it in a quiet voice or using Japanese gets tapped on the head (an inflatable hammer is great for this!) and must go to the back of their line.
- Depending on how the janken exchanges go, one round of this game can take anything from 10 seconds to 10 minutes. Be aware of your time constraints!
- If you have a large class sometimes the kids waiting in line for their turn can get a bit unruly or bored. It can sometimes be better to create two games and run them simultaneously: one at the front and one at the back of the class.
