Tournament of Happiness | English Class Discussion & Speaking Activity

Want your students to argue, describe, and defend their ideas—all in English?

Tournament of Happiness is a high-energy, bracket-style activity that gets students using language to decide one ultimate question:

What is the MOST awesome?

Why teachers love this activity:

• ✔️ 100% in English: Designed to keep students in the target language
• ✔️ Built-in engagement: Tournament format = instant buy-in
• ✔️ Promotes real communication: Students must justify their opinions
• ✔️ Personalized + fun: Students connect content to their own preferences
• ✔️ Easy to implement: Pre-filled brackets = minimal prep

How students engage:

• Circumlocution (describing a concept when you don’t know a word)
• Comparing & contrasting
• Expressing opinions + supporting them
• Negotiating meaning in real time

How it works:

1. Bracket Setup: Students are presented with a tournament-style bracket filled with fun, relatable options.
2. Describe & Discuss: Before voting, students must identify and describe each item, which is perfect for modeling circumlocution!
3. Debate & Vote: Students compare options and vote to decide which advances.
4. Crown the Winner: The class determines the ultimate champion!

Why it works:

This activity creates real, understandable communication: students are working to make themselves understood and to understand others using the language they have. Acquisition happens when messages are understood, and this activity keeps the focus exactly where it belongs: on meaning.

Perfect for:

• English 1–3 (novice to intermediate)
• Comprehensible Input / Acquisition-Driven Classrooms
• Speaking days or low-prep lesson plans
• Building classroom community through shared opinions

If you’re looking for an activity that gets students talking, thinking, and laughing in English, this is it.

This is a resource intended for teachers of Multilingual English Language Learners. It is NOT an editable file that teachers can easily adapt for different languages of instruction (Mandarin, Italian, etc.)