Krzysztof Kula, DII/2

Teaching listening:

Chinese Whispers

The activity is suitable for all students, despite their age. However, it works best with the younger learners, mainly 7- and 8-year-olders. The older and more advanced the pupils are, the more complex sentences should be used. The main point is to lead the students into the lesson and/or practice their skill of understanding the spoken language.

PROCEDURE:

The students sit in a circle pattern of setting whilst being divided into 2 opposing teams. The teacher sits in a position as to be the beginning of both teams. The teacher makes it clear that the students are going to play a game based on passing a word to the last person of the team. The students need to whisper the word to their neighbour. The word may be repeated only once, than it needs to be passed on. Two persons sitting closest to the teacher are to draw a slip of paper held by the teacher. In the paper there is written a short and basic word; such as “cat” or “dog”; or the whole sentence in case of more advanced learners. The teacher tells those 2 students to read the word in silence and start whispering it to their neighbour when the teacher gives a signal. The last person from the team who hears the word needs to raise they hand. The second group keeps playing until they reach the end, too. Then, the teacher asks the person who came first to say the word. If it's wrong, the teacher may ask the students from the beginning to say their version to identify the place of misunderstanding and asks the other group the utter their word. If they are also wrong, it is a tie and the game starts all over again, with a different word/phrase/sentence.

Suggested vocabulary: animals: a cat, a dog...; fruit: an orange, an apple...; items: a pencil, a ball...

HINTS:

1. After the students receive the slips, stand a little bit in the back so you could monitor the whole activity effectively.

2. If there should be any problem with understanding the written words by the students, make sure they know the proper pronunciation of the vocabulary used in the activity.

3. Remember to change the order of persons after each try; you can simply tell the first student to go to the back, rendering the 2^nd person the one who begins the activity.

4. The slips may have a visualisation of a word in the form of picture.

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_whispers

http://static.howstuffworks.com/gif/how-to-draw-animals-58.jpg

http://jonesview.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/dog.jpg

http://static.trustedreviews.com/f19c29|7785_7895-OrangeSmall.jpg

http://www.clker.com/clipart-3982.html

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_32zLxz3D62g/TAC5xu0zuiI/AAAAAAAAAJw/eKnjaaJvpLY/s1600/pencil_color.gif

http://webmaths.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/soccerball1.png

A DOG	A CAT
AN ORANGE	AN APPLE
A PENCIL	A BALL

One-Word Story Game

The activity can be used with all types of learners. Nevertheless, in terms of less advanced and/or younger ones, the vocabulary used in the game needs to be adjusted properly, hence remain relatively basic. The main point is to lead the students into the lesson and/or practice their skill of understanding the spoken language.

PROCEDURE:

1. Ask the kids to sit in a circle facing each other so they can clearly hear what everyone is saying.

2. Start the game by saying one word, like "one." The person sitting to the right of you goes next, saying another word that follows yours, such as "day." Continue along the circle, forming sentences word by word until you've completed an entire story.

3. Foster teamwork by dividing the group into 2 teams. Have each side complete a story and then recite it to the entire group.

4. Make the game more difficult by playing one on one. Try to use words like "and" and "the" that will force the child to come up with the descriptive words and verbs.

5. Introduce movement by asking players to stand and create a funny or appropriate movement to accompany each word. Have older kids try to remember the movements and repeat them if they use the same words.

6. Reinforce improvisational skills. Once the group makes up a story, instruct them to act out a skit in the theater based on the entire plot or one of the most memorable scenes.

7. Help young actors work on their moods by instructing them to use the One-Word Story Game to create a happy, sad or angry story.

HINTS:

When playing games with younger kids, ask them to retell a familiar story like "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" rather than make up their own story. They'll still need to use a little imagination to find the right words to complete the tale.

Sources: http://www.ehow.com/how_2216160_play-oneword-story-game-theatrical.html

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