Wheel Of Fortune

Setup

The easiest way to play is to use our Wheel Of Fortune online game. Otherwise, you will need to make your own wheel or try Dice Of Fortune. Dice Of Fortune is also a good option if you have a very large class (so you can play multiple games).

In class, divide the students into two, three or four teams.

Game

1. A word or phrase is chosen from the target language (our online game has a number of vocabulary options). This word or phrase is displayed on the board as blank spaces, as in Hangman.
2. One team starts by spinning the wheel. If they land on a money segment, they can guess a consonant. If that consonant appears in the word/phrase, they receive the segment value multiplied by the number of occurrences. When they have enough money, teams also have the option of buying a vowel for $250.
3. A team continues its turn until their guess does not appear, or they land on “Lose A Turn” or “Bankrupt” (they also lose all their money on the latter). Play then passes to the other team.
4. When they think they know the complete word/phrase, teams can guess the solution. If they are incorrect, play passes to the other team. If they are correct, they win a point.
5. Repeat the game with a new word/phrase. The team with the most points at the end wins.

Target Language

Like Hangman, the You can play the Wheel Of Fortune ESL game with any type of vocabulary, and so it can be adapted to any level. It’s often used as a warmer to review a recently learned topic.

For higher level students, try phrases instead of words. As such, it’s a great way to familiarise them with idioms too; you could even award a bonus point for a good explanation of the idiom.