Wanna know why playing a spot the odd one out game with your students can greatly benefit their language skills? I’ve got the answer for you! Playing the odd one out he’s a great game for multiple reasons, plus it’s really fun, so what’s not to like. Let me tell you why my students like playing this game so much, and why I do too!
Are you looking for a game that has your students come up with some original thoughts? Would you like to hear them argue why they choose one option over another? Then this game is exactly what you need. In the odd one out students need to explain their thinking process in the target language, and so it is a challenging but fun activity for them!
The odd one out can easily be played with a whiteboard and marker, and thus the instructions are part of my free The 7 Best Whiteboard Marker Games PDF, which you can grab right now if you click here!
What is the odd one out
The odd one out is a game in which students get four words or four names, and they must choose which of the words does not belong there. Which one is the odd one out. For example, the list could be ‘chair’, ‘table’, ‘bookcase’ and ‘spoon’. The odd one out in this list is ‘spoon’, because it does not belong in the living room, or it is not furniture. Another angle could be that ‘bookcase’ is the odd one out, because it is the only word that does not have five letters. Another word for it could be Spot the Not Game, since we are looking for what does NOT belong.
Odd one out instructions
A find the odd one out game works as follows:
- Come up with the four words that you want to give to students. Perhaps decide on an overall theme first, like ‘animals’, or ‘the house’. Or use vocabulary that students learned recently, as a reviewing tool.
- Write the four words on the board, or put them in a PowerPoint slide. All students must be able to see them clearly.
- Then ask students to think on which one they think is the odd one out and have them come up with reasons silently.
- Either ask one student to tell the whole group what they think, or ask students to discuss this in their small groups first and then share in the large group.
- Are there any other reasons why they think that that one is the odd one out, or is there another one that could be the odd one out? Make sure you get all the possible responses. Get students to really come up with arguments as to why they think they are right!
Benefits of playing an odd one out word game
So what do I like so much about playing a spot the odd one out game? Let me list the reasons why:
- Asking students ‘Can you spot the odd one out?’ gives students a challenge. It’s a riddle they have to solve! It asks them to really use their brain in order to come up with arguments. And I always make sure that more than 1 answer is correct, so there’s a number of correct options.
- Answering the question of which one is the odd one out asks students to use the target language! It helps them word their responses that they have in mind in the correct way. If they don’t use language correctly, no one will know if they got the answer right. And playing a game like this is a fun reason to use the target language as well!
- I also like that other students will have to listen to the responses of their peers in order to agree that they have the correct answer. So this game does not only train speaking skills but also listening skills!
- This game also has students revise what they learned about certain vocabulary. For example, if students just learned a lot of vocabulary for things in the house, you can use words in that category. Students will then have to show that they know what the words actually mean in order to choose the odd one out. I
- This game can be played at the beginning of a lesson as an icebreaker, in the middle of a lesson as a brain break, or at the end of a lesson as a reward or just a fun ending to learning.
Odd one out game list
It’s relatively easy to come up with words you want to use for this game, especially if you choose from vocabulary that you covered recently. Just choose 3 words that are in the same category, and one that is definitely outside of it.
However, if you don’t want to create a game yourself, then you can definitely check out the one I made for my students! It contains 18 sets of 4 words that I’ve put in a PowerPoint presentation. I usually play a few rounds at a time with my students, so they can really get into it. I will use some of the 18, and then I will still have enough sets left to play a few more other times throughout the year! Check out this game by clicking here!
I’d love for you to try out a spot the odd one out game, because my students and I enjoy it so much! Give it a try soon!
Related articles:
Why this icebreaker game for students works super well for introductions
Why this is my favorite introduction game for students for back to school time
Other articles on playing games for learning can be found here.
