Games using buzzers

A few days ago, I wrote a post on gamification.  This reminded me of how I use buzzers in my lessons. We have a set of buzzers in the department, which we bought in Amazon.  See link here for an offer on Amazon. 

Below you can find  6 buzzing activities I tend to use. They could certainly be carried out without Buzzers but there's no doubt that using the buzzers adds an element of fun!  If you use them differently, please, comment below:

Odd one out with buzzers

I show different sets of sentences on the board. On each set, some sentences are correct and there's at least one sentence with mistakes. Students work in pairs. Each pair has a buzzer. I give some thinking time to discuss the sentences etc.. and after that time, students push the buzzer. The pair pushing the buzzer the fastest, who are able to identify one of the wrong sentences, explain why it is wrong and give the correct answer, will get a point. I keep a simple tally on the board. As a follow up activity, students translate the correct sentences and create some new ones with their partners, using MWBs (Mini Whiteboards).

Buzzed Gapped Dictation

This is a simple activity, only requiring a buzzer to spicy up a classic activity. I dictate a text to the students, which they write in MWBs or their books. Every so often, I press the buzz. When this happens, students need to write a word that makes sense in the given context of the text to replace the buzz. I then continue reading my text. This is a fun way to practise common collocations! At the end of the activity, we look at the different options that students wrote for each buzzed gap and discuss which ones are correct, incorrect and why when that is the case. 

Buzz the expression

Another classic activity which I carry out with buzzers.  I tend to do this especially in Y7. I read a text to students and pupils need to buzz every time they listen to a particular tense, high impact expression, sound etc.. Students play in pairs, so we don't need as many buzzers! This is great for phonics activities. Instead of a text, I sometimes read sentences, words etc.. based on past topics/ sentence builders.  It is also great to revise past topics vocabulary: buzz every time you hear an expression on the environment, free time, high impact expression, etc..

Buzz the answers

This is a the classic quiz game! I say sentences in the target language practising a particular sentence builder or past ones, I give thinking time and then students, in pairs, press their buzzer to translate the sentences into English.  This is a great fun listening activity! 

Buzzer race

For this one, I divide the class in teams of 4 and students stand up in 4 rows. At the front of each row, there's a buzzer (you only need 4). I ask questions or say a sentence in the target language or in English, or key chunks. The first person on each row listens to my question and presses the buzz if they know the answer, the quickest one from each row, if they are correct, gest a point for their row/team. Students in their row are allowed to help the student on the front by whispering information. Once the first student plays they return at the back of the row/queue  and 4 new players are faced with a new question. 

Beat the timer

I use this activity in conjunction with Flippity. I show words on the board from Flippity, in the target language or English, students, working in pairs, are given time (40 seconds), using the Flippity timer, and must write a long sentence, at least 8 words, including the word/expression showing in the Flippity activity. Once they finish, students press their buzzer.  The idea is for each pair to write their sentence under 40 seconds, beating the timer and being the first ones to do so!  They get a point if that is the case and their sentence is correct.  You can make the activity more challenging by asking students to include two expressions or more!