CIRCLE KARUTA

Circle karuta is played in pairs. Students will need a worksheet, two different coloured pens or pencils, and some space to lay the worksheet between them (a desk, table, or the floor).

Teachers need to prepare the worksheets in advance. The worksheet should have a variety of language items represented on it (these can be letters, words, sentences, pictures, symbols, colours, etc.). To play, teachers call out the items and students race to be the first to circle the item. Play continues as long as teachers want, or until all the items have been called.

At the end of the game, students count how many items they circled (as they are using different coloured pens or pencils, it is easy to tell who circled what). Teachers can then ask students: "how many did you get?", taking care not put too much emphasis on winning or losing.