Ever wonder what would happen if the city you lived in just went BOOM and was gone tomorrow?
Maybe it’s global warming, perhaps a nuke strike. It could be some crazed terrorist or maybe just a whole lot of bad tacos.
Either way, it’s an interesting idea.
I thought about that a lot back in 2012 when the Mayan calendar was coming to an end and the movie 2012 came out.
See, in China that movie was a big hit, and all my students were talking about it. It only made sense to make an ESL PowerPoint game along the same lines.
So I did so, and created Escape Shenzhen…a game that quickly got away from me.
Maybe it’s global warming, perhaps a nuke strike. It could be some crazed terrorist or maybe just a whole lot of bad tacos.
Either way, it’s an interesting idea.
- What would your ESL students do, the ones that could survive on their own, that is?
- Would there be anything left that you could use?
- Where on earth would you go after everything was destroyed?
I thought about that a lot back in 2012 when the Mayan calendar was coming to an end and the movie 2012 came out.
See, in China that movie was a big hit, and all my students were talking about it. It only made sense to make an ESL PowerPoint game along the same lines.
So I did so, and created Escape Shenzhen…a game that quickly got away from me.
This image montage floats into place slowly with PowerPoint custom animations. Just click!
I won’t say it got away from me, really, but it did get really large...and difficult for other teachers I worked with to understand. That’s why I just used it myself.
Oh, and the fact that it’s best for higher-level students…and as anyone who teaches ESL knows, those students are few and far between. Here’s what a slide looks like:
Oh, and the fact that it’s best for higher-level students…and as anyone who teaches ESL knows, those students are few and far between. Here’s what a slide looks like:
This ESL PowerPoint game follows my usual template, where you have a compass map and go in directions. That makes this a 90-slide PowerPoint
There’s that map there, and you’re moving around that city. You can go the directions of the compass, and along the way you meet interesting and unique characters that will help you, and give you fun items:
I had these cards printed out and laminated and used them for many different games. Students really have fun with the ideas you can have.
Those are all cards you can print out and give to students. The food is fun, and you can make the game go longer as students roll dice, trying to figure out how much food they get each day.
The weapons are a lot of fun, and so are some of the other items. Really, for this game it’s letting students try new things. You could get to a dead-end in the game, but if a student wants to break down a door with his sword, why not use your imagination, let them explore, and maybe find something fun?
Escape Shenzhen is a role-playing game, in that regard, and you’re the game master, giving directions on where to go, like this place:
The weapons are a lot of fun, and so are some of the other items. Really, for this game it’s letting students try new things. You could get to a dead-end in the game, but if a student wants to break down a door with his sword, why not use your imagination, let them explore, and maybe find something fun?
Escape Shenzhen is a role-playing game, in that regard, and you’re the game master, giving directions on where to go, like this place:
Take your students up the tall buildings of Shenzhen
There are three large buildings in the Chinese city of Shenzhen, and each of them is a possible ending point for this game. Sound difficult? It can be, and that’s why I explain it all with this teacher’s guide for the game:
This teacher's guide is included with the game, and is a handy thing to have when you're clicking to the next slide. This is really an our to 2-hour ESL game.
Mainly, you need to figure out how to get to the top of those buildings. Think the elevator is the best way? Maybe you should think again:
Most of these buttons go nowhere, but students don't know that, and you always get a fun reaction when they see this.
If you do make it to the top, you have to contend with a killer tidal wave coming in. It’s enough to make you want to just give up and jump:
There's slide animation here that causes that other image to float across the screen. Student always like that.
Escape Shenzhen is a fun, unique and exciting game that will have your students thinking and talking long after class is done. Download your copy today, and let some real ESL classroom magic take place!
