Schubitrix English: School, Body and Home, First Reading 2
As I am always on the lookout for games and fun activities to motivate my students, I find this product the perfect choice. With 22 volunteers agreeing to stay at school an extra hour on Friday afternoon, I can definitely say they were motivated!
Schubitrix is a set of triangular dominoes that combines pictures with words or phrases depending on the level. The finished result is a geometrical shape rather than a continuous line, and with a different lexical set on the back you get two games for the price of one. The games are aimed at young learners and teens up to level A1, or early intermediate, although the challenge element means that students with a higher level (B1) can still enjoy the activity.
From a teacher’s point of view, the game requires no preparation and hardly any explanation, so it can be given to a group of students to use autonomously. The technical challenge also means that students can enjoy playing it individually.
The students loved the challenge, and many insisted on the need for concentration, although always in a positive way, which was interesting as it doesn’t seem to be something they appreciate in more traditional classes! Some said it was a fun way to learn or practise vocabulary, and others appreciated the chance to work as a team.
The only negative comment came from one student who thought that it was boring – not a rare comment from a teen, but actually more a comment on the level chosen than the game itself. We played with two versions, one simply contained words related to body, house, and school.
The other set contained present continuous phrases and was more challenging, including ‘decoy’ phrases and similar images such as the pirate is cooking, the prince is cooking, or the pirate is eating.
One drawback to this product – common to other games – is that once the students have found the solution and played it a couple of times it loses its appeal. The same of course can be said for any activity we do in class, and while the teacher-time and effort to student-enjoyment ratio is positive, it would be more advantageous to be able to use this game with several classes or over a few years to make it a better investment.
Rachael Harris