Materials Needed:

• Chairs, one per two teams

How to play:

1. Divide the students into two teams, and have them stand on each side of the chair in a line. The chair is the hot seat.
2. Set a timer (1-2 minutes recommended, but you can adjust based on the level of students or class size)
3. Students from different teams alternate turn sitting in the hot seat. They should sit in a chair while practicing the target language.
4. When the timer goes off, the team with a member sitting in the hot seat is the loser. Award a point to the other team they win this round.
5. Depending on the class size, play enough rounds so that each student gets a chance to play.

Teacher’s role

Listen as students practice. correct any mistakes they make and notice common errors. Explain them between rounds so that students don’t continue making the same mistakes.

Make sure to use a timer, such as the stopwatch on your cell phone. This will make the game more fair for both teams.

Who wins

The team with the most points at the end of the game is the winner.

What’s there to love?

The hot seat is a fun, competitive game to keep students on their toes while practicing. They must be quick and careful to make sure they are not in the hot seat when the time is up.

It helps to improve their fluency as they try to complete the English practice writing faster than the timer.