This is a variation of the classic EFL speaking game “Treasure Box.”
In Treasure Box, the game starts with a grid of boxes on the board or screen. There is nothing behind most of the boxes, but behind 1-3 of the boxes there is a picture. Students choose boxes until someone finds the picture, then they must make a sentence based on the picture(s) to earn points.
I made this PPT game version called Sticky Sentences.
Traditionally, the game could be played with pieces of paper or sticky notes on a whiteboard, which is how I chose this bulletin board theme. The game board looks like this:
In my version, we play with 2 teams. Students choose a box by saying a letter to indicate a column and color to indicate the row. Members of one team take turns choosing boxes until they can find the picture and make a sentence. The team gets points equal to the number of unopened boxes remaining. So, it is beneficial for students to find the pictures quickly. Then, the second team plays with a new board.
I called this version sticky sentences because the visual theme is based on sticky notes stuck to a bulletin board. In this PPT, there are pictures related to seasons hidden behind the sticky notes, so students must make a sentence related to seasons. Every round, there are two hidden pictures, except in the bonus rounds, where there is only one picture, so it is harder to find. The number in the bottom right corner indicates whether Team 1 or Team 2 is currently playing.
You can change the pictures hidden behind the notes to match your lesson. You can even replace the labels at the top (A, B, C, etc.) with pictures or words so that students need to practice saying target vocabulary in order to choose a box/sticky note.
This game can take quite a long time if you go through all the rounds, so it is great for a longer class, or you can reduce the number of rounds you play. The PPT is set up with 4 rounds (2 boards per round for each team), plus a 5th bonus round. It took my class of 22 students around 20 minutes to complete 4 rounds. They loved keeping track of their potential points as they searched for the “treasure”!
