Here I am once again with another downloadable card game. This time we have some cards to practice conjunctions. I call this game Conjunction Junction, named after the classic Schoolhouse Rock song. The game consists of many clause cards and conjunction cards. The basic way to play this game is to hand out the clause cards to the players. Then place one conjunction card in the center. One player will put their card down face up for all to see. The other players will then place one of their own cards face down. After that, the first player will start to read what the others put down. Then they’ll pick the one that they think matches their original card the best. The player that put that winning card down gets a point and becomes the new judge in the next round. It’s played like quite a few other card games I’ve made before. Of course, there are other ways to use these cards for peak conjunction practice.
Debate
The only difference between this and basic gameplay is making the class vote on a winning card instead of letting one person decide. This is a great way to get your students to talk more with each other and practice their persuasive English skills on one another. It is also a great way to start a fight or to accidentally cause a few students to rally behind one popular student so that they’ll get the most points. If you worry that this is a likely outcome in your class, have them turn their persuasive skills on you instead. You get to pick the winning card but only after hearing each student say a sentence or two about why they think a certain card should win.
Tell a Story
Instead of playing a game with these cards, you can use them in more advanced classes as a creative writing prompt. Simply pick out two cards and write what they say on the board. Then, have your students write a short story that connects the two. You can have them write something short and quick – making them go through multiple prompts in on class – or you can give them one prompt and ask for a full page worth’s of writing. It’s up to you. You can also have the students pick two cards each so that every story is unique. Afterwards, they can pair up and share what they wrote.
The Longest Sentence
In this version, all the cards will be handed out to the students. The conjunction cards will be spread out for everyone to see. Set a time limit and have the students work together to try and make a very long run-on sentence using ALL the conjunctions. For example:
“I picked a flower and there was a typhoon so we were stranded on an island after the plane crashed although I died because I ran away while everyone cried.”
The time limit will make it so that they will have to rush to finish in time – which will lead to even funnier results. It will also encourage teamwork and discussion amongst your students.