Mastermind
Level
Lower intermediate to advanced.
Preparation
1. Print out one of the Mastermind question sets (lower intermediate, intermediate, upper intermediate or advanced), or write your own set of questions. These should be in four general knowledge categories, such as science, geography, sports, music, etc.
2. Set up a 'stage' at the front of the classroom with chairs for three contestants. Write the four categories on the board and then draw a scoring table, like this:
How it Works
Contestants: Chai Sonia Peter Score
1. Ask for one student to act as quiz master and give him or her the set of questions. Then ask for three students to act as contestants. The rest of the students make up the 'audience'. The quiz master then writes the contestants' names along the top of the scoring table.
2. The quiz master asks three rounds of questions, with one question for each contestant per round. To begin, the quiz master asks the first contestant ('stage right') which category he or she would like to answer a question from. The quiz master then reads the first question from this category. If the contestant answers correctly, the quiz master marks the contestant's box with a tick. If the answer is not correct, the quiz master asks if a member of the 'audience' can answer the question. If no-one can, the quiz master reads out the correct answer.
3. The game continues with the second contestant choosing a category and answering a question, and then the third. Then round two is played, and so on. If, after three rounds, one player has earned more points than the others, this player wins. If two or all three are tied, another round is played. If, after this round, a winner has still not emerged, 'joint-winners' are announced.
4. For the next game, ask for three new students to act as contestants. The quiz master continues asking questions from where he or she left off in the first game. If the questions for one or more categories run out, contestants choose from among the remaining categories.
Note:
- For a class of more than seven students, it might be best to divide them into groups of three or four with each group drawing up its own scoring table on a piece of paper. One member of each group acts as quiz master and is given a copy of the questions while the other members act as contestants. This allows all students to play an active role.
<< Back to free games
© 2009 TEFLGames.com