This whole-class game is a great way firstly to summarise issues of cause or effect, and then (most importantly and most challengingly) to link them together in a meaningful way prior to students producing a written essay.

  • The class will be divided into 5 teams and one piece of scrap paper to jot down ideas. One person in each team should be the scribe. A version of the template will be on the whiteboard ready for the teacher, as quizmaster, to fill in as the game proceeds.
  • Note: The template provided below is merely a suggestion. This can be adjusted by the teacher to list FIVE key factors for the issue in question (although more or less can be added, it is flexible).
  • Example questions:
    • What were the main causes of the Spanish Civil War?
    • Why was Hitler able to become Chancellor of Germany?
    • What were the effects of World War One?
    • What was the impact of Stalin’s rule on the Soviet Union?

Round 1: Revising the Factors

  • In this round, each team will be challenged to contribute factual points to place into ONE of the darkly shaded cells (randomly chosen by the teacher).
  • Each team gains one point for each valid, explained point they make, up to a maximum of THREE points.
  • Each team will be given five minutes preparation time to decide what they could contribute for all the cells before the round begins.

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Round 2: Linking the Factors

  • The teacher will roll the die for each team. If a ‘6’ is rolled, the die will be rolled again.
  • The numbers now allocated to each team corresponds to the factor on the left that needs to be connected to one of the blank cells along that row.
  • Example: If you roll a ‘2’ you need to explain how Socio-Economic factors LED TO or EXACERBATED one of the other factors.
  • The entire class will be given several minutes of ‘team time’ to prepare their thoughts. Each well explained point will gain TWO points for the successful team and will be written into the table by the teacher.

Twists and Turns

  • The teacher may initially roll the die TWICE for each group to provide both a row AND a column that the team will need to complete.
  • As the game proceeds and fewer cells are left blank, teams may nominate the cell they wish to complete (or nominate one for the next team!).

Homework / Extension Task

  • When the table is complete, the game is over. Your teacher will provide you with a completed copy of this worksheet. Produce your own flowchart of the strongest links as the basis of your essay plan. Write the opening topic sentences as appropriate and discuss these with your teacher before writing the essay in full.


“Linkage Bingo” Worksheet Template