Level Up: The Fast-Paced World Language Game That Gets Every Student Talking

One of the biggest challenges in a world language classroom is getting every student to use the target language, not just memorize vocabulary. Students need opportunities to ask questions, respond naturally, and communicate with many different partners. That’s exactly why Level Up has become one of my favorite review games.

I am always looking for new and fun ways to practice language, not just vocabulary words. I stumbled upon this game here. It checked a lot of boxes for what I wanted to do in the classroom. Practice using the language, not just memorizing words. This simple movement-based activity keeps every student engaged while providing dozens of opportunities for meaningful interpersonal communication. Instead of practicing with the same partner for an entire class period, students interact with classmates over and over again, building confidence with every conversation.

What Is Level Up?

Level Up is an interactive speaking game where students move around the classroom, asking and answering questions using vocabulary cards created by the teacher. After each conversation, students compete in Rock, Paper, Scissors. The winner advances to the next level while the other player moves back to Level 1. I like this idea because it gives students who might not be the high achievers in the class an opportunity to win and feel successful!

The goal? Work your way through all the levels until you reach the final boss, the teacher!

You can play as many rounds as you want until you crown the winner. Which means this game can be short-lived to fill time, or stretched out longer to really get some good practice in.

The competitive element keeps students motivated, but the real learning happens through the repeated conversations. Students may ask and answer the same questions 15–30 times in a single class period without it ever feeling repetitive. Repetition with purpose is one of the most effective ways to build language proficiency.

How to Set Up the Game

Preparation is simple.

Choose your target vocabulary and create cards. Separate the cards into four stations. These are your “levels.”

• Use for new vocab
• Play to review vocabulary
• Use the game before a unit test
• Use at the end of the term to prepare for final exams

Students will flip the card over at the level and converse on that topic. Students need to spontaneously come up with questions and be able to converse on that topic for a specific amount of time (set by the teacher). I try to keep the time for 1:00 or under for the lower levels, and the upper levels can vary.

Create Four Card Decks

Prepare four different decks of cards and place one deck at each station around the room.

Each deck should contain vocabulary that answers the same question but with different words or phrases.

For example, if students are practicing favorite foods:

Station 1

• Pizza
• Tacos
• Hamburgers
• Pasta

Station 2

• Ice cream
• Cake
• Cookies
• Donuts

Station 3

• Apples
• Bananas
• Grapes
• Strawberries

Station 4

• Salad
• Soup
• Rice
• Chicken

As students move through the game, they’ll naturally encounter a wider variety of vocabulary instead of repeating the same answers every round.

How to Play

1. All students start at level 1.
2. Students find a partner (it works best in 2s, but sometimes you might end up with a group of 3).
3. One vocab card is flipped over, and all students at the level discuss that topic at the same time.
4. The teacher will start the timer. You can decide if students can or can not see the timer. I do not let them see it.
5. Students begin a conversation.
6. Students stop when the timer goes off.
7. Students will play Rock, Paper, Scissors to see who will level up.
8. The winner moves up one level. The loser stays at the current level they are on.
9. Students immediately find a new partner and repeat the process.
10. The winner is determined by the teacher determining on how many rounds will be played (who has made it around more times than the others).

Why This Game Works

Students Practice Interpersonal Communication

Unlike worksheets or flashcards, students are participating in authentic conversations.

They must:

• Listen carefully.
• Understand the question.
• Respond appropriately.
• Interact with multiple classmates.

This mirrors the interpersonal communication skills emphasized by ACTFL and many state world language standards.

Students Develop Automaticity

The more students repeat a language structure, the less they have to think about it.

Instead of translating in their heads, students begin producing language automatically. This repeated exposure builds confidence and fluency.

Students Use Vocabulary in Context

Rather than memorizing isolated vocabulary lists, students repeatedly use words within complete questions and answers.

This helps vocabulary stick because students connect words with meaningful communication instead of simple recall.

Students Practice Speaking with Many Partners

Traditional partner activities usually limit students to one conversation partner.

In Level Up, students may speak with ten, fifteen, or even twenty different classmates in a single class period.

Every new partner provides additional listening practice because students hear different signing styles, accents, speeds, or levels of proficiency.

Students Experience Spontaneous Communication

Although the question remains the same, students never know which vocabulary word their partner will have.

This requires them to actively listen and respond in real time. This is an important step toward real-world communication.

Movement Increases Engagement

Students are constantly moving throughout the classroom.

The combination of movement, friendly competition, and short conversations keeps energy high while maximizing speaking time.

Easy Ways to Differentiate

One of the best parts about Level Up is how easily it can be adapted.

For novice learners:

• Use pictures instead of words.
• Keep responses to one or two signs.
• Model the conversation before beginning.
• Provide question words
• Provide sentence structures

For intermediate students:

• Require complete sentences.
• Add follow-up questions.
• Have students explain why they chose their answer.

For advanced students:

• Require students to ask multiple questions.
• Include opinions, comparisons, or reasons.
• Add conversation extensions before playing Rock, Paper, Scissors.

Classroom Management Tips

A few simple expectations make the game run smoothly:

• Model the conversation before students begin.
• Require target language use during the entire activity.
• Keep conversations brief to maintain the pace.
• Use a timer if students begin lingering. Keep the pace fast.
• Have students immediately find a new partner after each round.
• Encourage positive sportsmanship—everyone eventually works their way back up!

Final Thoughts

If you’re looking for a low-prep activity that gets every student communicating, Level Up is hard to beat. Students stay engaged because of the game element, but they’re actually getting repeated practice with asking questions, responding spontaneously, using vocabulary in context, and building interpersonal communication skills.

Whether you’re teaching ASL, Spanish, French, German, or any other world language, this activity can be adapted to almost any vocabulary unit or grammatical structure. Best of all, your students will be so focused on “leveling up” that they won’t even realize just how much language they’re practicing.

Love this game?

If you love this game, get more than 100 templates and ideas for more games in your classroom with the Big Book of Activities from Creative ASL Teaching.

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