Mai Kao Yang
Okuwa Elementary and Junior High Schools
[email protected]
Do you find your lessons lacking a
little...umpf? Are your students so bored
during your activities that you can see thought
bubbles floating over their heads depicting
paint drying? Well, I have just the activity for
you!
BAAM was created by a guy named David
Deubelbeiss, who wanted an interactive
activity that would hold students’ attention
and encourage participation. BAAM is very
similar to Jeopardy; I actually found this
game while searching for a Jeopardy PowerPoint template. Basically, students receive money or
points from answering questions. Unless they pick BAAM and then they lost all their points this is what keeps students interested and engaged. The nifty sound effects also help.
Materials:
BAAM PowerPoint with a little preparation
on your part. There are about 20 possible
questions so this is not something to do 5
minutes before class begins.
Time:
30 - 40 minutes. You can definitely adjust
this by adding or subtracting the number of
questions.
Level:
Any.
Topic:
Anything really! I usually use it for speaking practice and grammar review.
Class Size:
Any.
Instructions:
*The game comes with instructions but this is how I play it.*
Divide the class into groups and decide team order (which team goes first, who in the team will
answer first, etc.).
Each team takes turn picking a number and answering the corresponding question.
If they get a question, the group can quickly discuss it and one team member will relay the
answer out loud. When they are done, they receive the amount of points on the card.
If they get the BAAM, they lose all their points and the next team can pick a number.
Continue playing until all the questions have been answered.
The winning team is the team with the most money.
Helpful Hints:
 I find that groups of 4-5 worked best. Larger groups usually lead to “disappearing
student syndrome.” If you find that your students are still drifting off into la-la land,
hand out worksheets filled with simple activities like vocabulary word searches they can
do while they wait for their turn.
 The money they can earn ranges from $1 to $1000. It’s a great way to keep things
interesting and to ensure that one team doesn’t dominate the game.
 I’m all about positive reinforcement so if a group makes a mistake, just help them get to
the correct answer. Or better yet, have the other teams give them hints.
 My students are usually good about doing this but make sure each student gets a chance
to answer.
 This is an idea from my JTE. You can make the students want to find the BAAM.
Teams lose a certain amount of points when they pick BAAM instead of losing it all.
The winning team is not the one with the most money but the one who is closest to a set
amount (i.e. $100).
 Remember to turn the volume up!
 A quick way to play this game (for the days when you have very little time to prepare)
is to draw and number a grid on the chalkboard. Decide which numbers will be BAAMs.
Make up the questions on the spot or prepare a list. Write points on pieces of paper,
crumble them up and throw them into a container. A buzzer or your lovely voice can act
as the BAAM sound effect. You can even get a toy hammer and BAAMhammer students
over the head – or let their teammates do it!
Resources:
David Deubelbeiss’s profile: http://www.eflclassroom.com/david/?page_id=6
BAAM page where you can get other templates and more ideas on how to use this game:
http://community.eflclassroom.com/resources/topics/baam-games-create-some