For episode 2 of the Inspired Proficiency Podcast, the variety segment features a game show called “Bestie Battles” (named by Ky Pinkerton!).
Two pairs of colleagues competed! Nathan and Amanda vs. Jenny and Beth! It was a lot of fun, I hope you enjoy listening.
This post challenges you to play along AND discusses how to use Bestie Battles in your TL classroom. If you don’t want a sneak peek at the questions, don’t read this post until AFTER you listen to the episode which comes out Tuesday morning. But, if you want to play along, keep reading!
I decided that I wanted to play, too! So, I guessed what my teacher bestie, Estela Schmalz, would answer. Of course, I wanted to make it very clear that I didn’t cheat! So, I sent my guesses to a third party and Stel sent her answers too! A big thanks to Marissa Coulehan for keeping us honest and putting the responses together. 
I did pretty well, right?! I still think she is definitely more organized (especially with materials!) and I was off by ONE day for bday month! O.N.E. DAY!
Do you want to play?
Who is your teaching bestie? Use these forms below to play! I’ll post some bestie battles here next week! Have fun. If you want to e-mail me a picture for the blog post, that’d be fun, too! ashley@deskfree.org
- Fill this form out with your guesses about your teaching bestie! No CHEATING!
2. THEN (and it has to be second) Send this link to your Bestie Teacher friend, https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdzc_IcAFw6YhhY3onrp3e9Ie-CD548CMuvsfpWwsu2AqC6dQ/viewform?usp=sf_link
Should we play Bestie Battles in the Target Language with our Classes?
Yes! This is a game I often play in the Target Language. Have students sit back to back and figure out who the guesser is and who the answerer is. Then ask a question in the TL. It depends on the level, if it’s low, just ask something they know, like favorite color. They both write down the answer then turn around to see if it matches.
To help with comprehension in the TL, I like to do a model with two people in the front of the room before everyone else plays. And make it clear that it is “JOE’S FAVORITE COLOR”. Joe writes down his favorite color and Matt writes down what he thinks Joe’s favorite color is.
You could also play as a large group where everyone is guessing one person’s answers and they get points for each correct answer. Each person is in the “hot seat” for 5 questions and then someone new is answering about themselves while everyone else is guessing their answer.
What twist do you play of this game?
Desk-Free 