ENGLISH LESSONS

 

Against the Clock 

 

Skills: verbal description; vocabulary review
Group Size: 2-20
Time: 5-15 minutes
Materials Needed: Vocabulary word or picture cards
Interest Level: 5-young adult
Ability Level:  beginning to advanced

Keep a box of vocabulary cards in the classroom. (I usually write out each week's vocabulary words on index cards at the beginning of a week, and then add these to the box as I teach them.) As an end of the week review or a filler for those last five minutes of class, I select a student, hand him or her the box and set a time limit of thirty to sixty seconds. This student draws a card from the box, and then proceeds to describe the object, action, emotion, etc. written thereon to the class. As soon as the class guesses the word, the student proceeds to the next card, and so forth. One point is given for each word guessed by the class. If a student does not know the meaning of a vocabulary word he or she draws, he or she may skip it; however, one point is deducted for each skipped card. This activity works well as either a team or an individual exercise. For added practice, you may randomly ask students to use reviewed words correctly in sentences at the end of each timed turn.

Alpha Toss

 

Skill: identifying initial sounds; combining sounds to create words
Group Size: 4 to 30
Prep Time: >1 hour
Playing Time: 5-20 minutes
Interest Level: ages 4 to 12
Ability Level: beginning to intermediate

Print each letter of the alphabet on a separate A4 sheet. In the lower right hand corner, assign a point value to each letter. (I use the letter values from Scrabble.) If at all possible, laminate these for prolonged life.

Purchase half a dozen bean bags, or create bean bags by filling old socks with dried beans, sand, etc., then tying them shut.

Place letters in four rows, six in the first, seven in the second, six in the third, and seven in the fourth. Students then stand at an assigned line and toss a bean bag onto the playing area. Beginning students must think of a word beginning with the letter upon which the bean bag landed, then use the word in a sentence. Intermediate students should toss two to three bean bags, think of words that began with all letters, then use all words in one sentence. For more advanced students, you might have them toss all six bean bags, then create a word using as many of the letters as possible. Points are assigned for each letter used.

 

Blind Man's Treasure Hunt

 

Objective: Players try to guess the contents of packages by touch.
Group Size: 4 to 24
Prep Time: > 20 minutes
Playing Time: 5-20 minutes
Interest Level: ages 3 to 14
Ability Level: beginning to intermediate

Preparation: Wrap several objects of various weight, shape, and texture in separate parcels. Place these on table.

Game: Divide students into two teams. Blindfold a player and lead him to the table. He or she should select a parcel and try to guess its contents. He or she may ask up to five yes/no questions before guessing the parcel's contents. (i.e. "Is it something you wear?" "Is it something you eat?" etc.) If student guesses contents of parcel, parcel is removed from table, and his or her team receives one point.

Variation: Wrap several small objects that could be given as prizes (pencil, eraser, notebook, candy, balloons, etc. in separate parcels. If student guesses contents of parcel, he or she wins the prize.

 

 

 

 

Blind Postman

 

Language Objective: review of geographic locations and modes of travel.
Game Objective: a blindfolded player tries to sit in an empty seat while two or more players or changing places.
Group Size: 4 to 24
Prep Time: > 5 minutes
Playing Time: 5-20 minutes
Interest Level: ages 4 to 12
Ability Level: beginning to intermediate

Preparation: Place chairs equal to number of students minus one in circle. (For example, if twelve students are present, you should place eleven chairs in circle.) Assign each student a name. You may name students after cities, states or provinces, countries, or specific locations [bank, grocer, hospital, bookstore, etc.]. All names, however, should come from the SAME category.

Game: Choose one student to the postmaster. The postmaster is blindfolded, led to the middle of the circle, and spun around a couple of times so that he or she is somewhat disoriented. Warning: DO NOT spin the student around more than a couple of times; young children especially may get sick! The postmaster then announces that a letter has been sent between two locations. For instance, "A letter is going from Japan to China." Players bearing the aforementioned names must then switch places while the postman attempts to steal on of their seats. If the students called upon reach their seats, the postman must announce another letter. If, however, the postman manages to steal a seat, the player without a seat becomes the new postman.

Variation: The postman may also say how the letter is to travel, thus indicating how students must move. (The postman must use the same mode of travel.) Suggestions include the following:

• By air--Students move quickly.

• By train--Students march at a steady pace.

• By water--Students crawl slowly.

• By foot--Students walk normally.

• By horse--Students gallop like horses.

• By bicycle--Students skip.

• By unicycle--Students hop on one foot.

Advanced Variation: The postman may announce more than one letter at a time. For instance, "A letter is going from the school to the bank and from the doctor's office to the hospital." For added interest, the postman may send these letters by different modes of transportation. For example, "A letter has been sent by air from Seoul to New York and by boat from London to Jerusalem." In this instance, the postman may travel by either mode of transportation.

Close Your Eyes!

 

Skills: Describing physical appearance; asking and responding to questions; visual discrimination
Group Size: 4 to 24
Prep Time: none
Playing Time: 5-20 minutes
Interest Level: ages 3 to adult
Ability Level: beginning to intermediate

Language used: "Look at _________." "Close your eyes!" colors, shapes, positions, articles of clothing

Game: Choose a student to begin. Tell the student, "Look at _______." Allow the student to examine the person or object for about five seconds, then direct the student, "Close your eyes!" After the student's eyes are closed ask him or her a question about the person or object examined. For example, you might ask, "What color is Sung-ho's shirt?" or "Is there a box of crayons on my desk?" If the student responds incorrectly, direct him or her to open his or her eyes and inspect the object for five more seconds. Direct the student to close his or her eyes again and ask another question. Depending on class size, you may allow students up to three turns. If the student correctly answers the question, he or she chooses a player as well as a person or object and asks the next question. 

 

Disaster!

 

Objective: to recognize and describe changes in a specific setting.
Group Size: 4 to 24
Prep Time: none
Playing Time: 5-20 minutes
Interest Level: ages 3 to adult
Ability Level: beginning to intermediate

Game: Divide students into two teams. Send one team outside of the classroom (with a co-teacher, if students are very young.) Allow the other team a set period of time (two to five minutes depending on students' ages) to make changes to the classroom (like hang a poster upside down, move books, switch pictures, exchange chairs, etc.) or themselves (shoes on wrong feet, sweater inside out, socks off, jewelry traded, etc.) At the end of the time period, the opposing team returns to class and points out as many changes as its members detect. One point is given for each correct response (vocabulary and known syntax). Teams then reverse roles and continue. The winning team is the team that describes the greatest number of changes correctly.

 

 

 

"I Spy With My Little Eye."

 

Objectives: to describe common objects; to increase sensory perception; to verbalize sensory detail
Group Size: 4 to 24
Prep Time: none
Playing Time: 5-15 minutes
Interest Level: ages 3 to 16
Ability Level: beginning

Language Used: Classroom objects; colors; "Is it ____?"  "Yes, it is."; "No, it isn't."

Game:  Choose one student to be the spy. The spy looks around the room and selects an object that he or she then whispers to the teacher. (With very young students, it might be better to have them tell a teacher outside of the classroom.) He or she then announces to the class, "I spy with my little eye something [color]." Students then take turns guessing what the spy has seen object (i.e. "Is it the teacher's shirt?") Whoever guesses correctly becomes the next spy.

I'm going to the supermarket... 

 

Skills: naming food items, listing items in alphabetical order, identifying initials sounds, recalling items in a series
Group Size: 2 to 36
Prep Time: none
Playing Time: 5-15 minutes
Interest Level: ages 3 to adult
Ability Level: beginning to lower intermediate

Choose a student to begin. This student will say, "I'm going to the supermarket to buy [food item beginning with "a"]." The next student will then say, "I'm going to the supermarket to buy [food item beginning with "a" named by first student] and [food item beginning with "b"].

Play continues, with each student recalling all previously mentioned items and adding another item in alphabetical sequence. If a student misses an item or cannot think of an item to add, he or she is out. The last remaining student wins.

If play continues after all letters have been exhausted, students repeat all previously named words, then add a new word beginning with "a" and continue through the alphabet once more. For example, "I'm going to the supermarket to buy apples and . . . zebra meat and apple juice . . . "

Note: The letters "q," "x," and "z" may be omitted if you like. Or you may encourage creativity--quiche, a xylophone-shaped cake, zebra meat, etc.

In the City 

 

Skill: Following oral directions to arrive at a specific locations
Group Size: 4-12
Prep. Time: 5 minutes [ready-made map]-1 hour [teacher-made map]
Time: 10-30 minutes
Interest Level: ages 3-adult
Ability Level: beginning

Materials: two identical city street maps listing sites such as school, post office, department stores, hospital, churches, police stations, etc. (may be teacher created); two Matchbox cars

Game: Divide students into two groups. Student from each group places his car on map at a prescribed location. Teacher gives directions to destination. (Example: "Turn right on to Main Street. Go four blocks. Turn left at the church. Turn right onto the next street. Cross the railroad tracks. Take the next left. The supermarket is two blocks down on your right.") Other students should monitor to see that driver follows prescribed route. (In one class, I gave each student 10 tokens at the beginning of the game. Observing students were highway patrolmen who could fine driver one token for directional violations. Students got to exchange tokens for M&M's at the end of the game.)

 

In the Dark

 

Skill: Describing how a given object feels; associating descriptive terms with an appropriate object
Group Size: 4 to 24
Prep Time: ~1/2 hour
Playing Time: 5-20 minutes
Interest Level: ages 3 to 14
Ability Level: beginning to intermediate

Language used: Common objects; words that describe texture/feeling--soft, hard, rough, smooth, silky, light, heavy, small, large, cold, sharp, dull, etc.

Game: Fill a box with textured items--a piece of blanket, a feather, a square of sandpaper, a rock, a small pillow, a bean bag, a coin, a ball, etc. Blindfold one student. Quietly choose one item from the box and show it to the rest of the class. They must then give the blindfolded student clues to help him or her find the object. For example, "it's small. It's round. It's cold. It's heavy," and so forth.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Occupation, Please! 

 

Skill: identifying and discussing occupations
Group Size: 4 to 20
Prep Time: > 20 minutes
Playing Time: 5-20 minutes
Interest Level: ages 5 to adult
Ability Level: beginning to lower intermediate

Paste pictures of people engaged in various occupations on 4 x 6 or larger cardstock, or write occupations on cardstock (if students can read).

Select student to begin. The student draws a card and must assume that occupation shown. Other students ask yes/no questions in order to guess occupation. Sample questions might be...

• Do you work inside?

• Do you treat sick people?

• Do you work with children?

• Do you work in an office?

• Do you travel a great deal?

The first student to guess the correct occupation draws the next card.

 

Photographic Memory

 

Vocabulary Objective: to review and remember vocabulary.
Game Objective: to recall items, words, or pictures seen.
Group Size: 4 to 24
Prep Time: > 10 minutes
Playing Time: 5-20 minutes
Interest Level: ages 3 to adult
Ability Level: beginning to intermediate

Preparation: Place a variety of small items or flashcards (word or picture) face down on a table. Cover these with a cloth or towel until playing begins.

Game: Uncover the objects and allow the players a set amount of time (1-3 minutes, depending on students' ages) to memorize them. Players may not make any notes about the contents. At the end of the time, objects are removed or recovered. If players can write, they are asked to list as many of the items as they can remember. The student with the most detailed list wins. If students cannot write, they are divided into two teams.  Teams form two separate lines. The student in the front of the first line tries to recall an item he or she saw. For recall, one point is awarded. If the student can also use the item in a sentence, a second point is awarded. The student then goes to the back of the line. The student at the front of the second line repeats the process. If a student cannot remember an item, he or she goes to the back of the line and no points are awarded.

Variation: If you are teaching phonemic awareness, you might have the student name the letter of the initial consonant sound instead of using the word in a sentence.

Police Artist 

 

Skill: accurately describing people; comprehending descriptions
Group Size: 4 to 12
Prep Time: > 20 minutes
Playing Time: 5-20 minutes
Interest Level: ages 4 to 14
Ability Level: beginning to lower intermediate

Paste pictures of various people on 4 x 6 or larger cardstock. Clothing catalogs are ideal sources of pictures. Cards should reflect a wide assortment of ages, nationalities, clothing, hairstyles, and eye and hair color.

Each student will need paper (scrap paper is fine) and colored pencils, markers, or crayons.

One student selects a card. He or she then describes the person on the card to the rest of the class. His or her description should be as detailed as possible. For instance,

"The person is a woman. She has long, wavy brown hair. She is European or North American. She has green eyes. She is wearing small gold glasses. She is wearing black pants. She is wearing a green blouse. She has a brown watch on her left arm. She is wearing black boots."

OR

"The person is a man. He is Oriental. He has short, black hair. He is wearing a gray, three-piece suit. He is wearing black slip-on shoes. He is wearing a white and red pinstriped shirt."

After the description is complete, the teacher evaluates the drawings. The student whose drawing comes closest to the original picture chooses the next card.

 

 

Red Light! Yellow Light! Green Light! 

 

 

Skills: Comprehending "stop," "go," and "be careful"; associating correct actions with traffic signals; listening comprehension
Group Size: 4 to 24
Prep Time: >5 minutes
Playing Time: 5-15 minutes
Interest Level: ages 3 to 10
Ability Level: beginning

Language used: go; stop; be careful;

Preparation: Cut a red, a yellow, and a green circle out of heavy paper. Laminate if possible.

Game: Choose one student to be the traffic light and another to be the traffic cop (or highway patrolman). All other students are cars. The traffic light holds up a circle and calls out "Stop!", "Be careful!", or "Go!" depending on the color of the circle he or she chooses. The traffic cop must watch the light and the cars. When the light is green and the traffic light has called, "Go!" students may run around freely. On yellow, students may move, but anyone whom the cop tags is out. When the light turns red, everyone must freeze. If the cop detects any movement on red, the player is out.

After students have become familiar with the oral commands, the traffic light may discard the colored circles and simply call words. Students must then listen carefully to ensure that they are following directions. 

Ring, Ring, Who Has My Ring? 

 

Skills: asking questions about people; identifying people by description
Group Size: 4 to 24
Prep Time: none
Playing Time: 5-15 minutes
Interest Level: ages 3 to 12
Ability Level: beginning to lower intermediate

Choose a student to begin. This student steps out of the room. Hand a ring to another student. All students in the classroom should see who receives the ring. Call student to return to class. He or she must try to guess who has the ring by asking various classmates ten or fewer yes/no questions.

Sample questions include...

• Sang-chul, does a girl have the ring?

• Min-soo, is the person who has the ring wearing tennis shoes?

• Charles, is the person who has the ring older than me?

• Gyung-hee, is the person who has the ring wearing something blue?

• Mary, was the person who has the ring late to class?

If the student guesses correctly, he or she gets another turn (limit three). If the student guesses incorrectly, the student who has the ring becomes the next player.

See, Hear, Taste, and Smell

 

Objective: to increase sensory awareness; describe objects using sensory detail.
Group Size: 4 to 24
Prep Time: none
Playing Time: 5-20 minutes
Interest Level: ages 3 to adult
Ability Level: beginning

Game: Divide students into two teams. Pick student from one team to be the "sensor." Either assign an object to the student or allow him/her to select an object. This student must now give one sensory description of the object. (i.e. "I see something ____," or "I taste something _____.") The student's team then receives one guess. If it guesses correctly, no points are assigned. If it guesses incorrectly it receives one point, and the opposing team receives a guess. If the opposing team guesses correctly, no point is assigned to it, and the next sensor is selected from it. Otherwise, it also receives one point, the current sensor offers another description and teams may guess again. Remember, points are assigned for incorrect guesses; therefore, the team with the lowest wins.

Note: This game provides an excellent tool for vocabulary review. You may wish assign a particular topic for the session (i.e. clothing, vegetables, classroom objects, etc.). Flash cards may also be incorporated. These are especially useful when working with younger students. I would often post ten or fifteen object cards that I wanted my students to review, and then allow the sensor to choose among these objects. Even pre-school students seemed to enjoy this variation.

 

 

Sentence Scramble 

 

Skills: vocabulary review; sentence structure
Group Size: 4 to 24
Prep Time: >5 minutes
Playing Time: 5-20 minutes
Interest Level: ages 6 to adult
Ability Level: upper beginning to intermediate

Write a list of five or more vocabulary words. Divide students into teams, and give each team one copy of the list. Teams must work together to create a story using all of the vocabulary words listed. Each student in the group should create at least one sentence containing at least one vocabulary word to ensure that the final product is a group effort and not just the work of one member. Teams compete in the three following areas: (1) speed, (2) usage, and (3) creativity.

The first team to complete a story receives 20 points, the second 15, the third 10, and so on. However, two points are deducted for any vocabulary word used incorrectly. After all stories are complete, each is read to the class. Students vote for each story's level or creativity by holding up one to five fingers. Fingers are counted, and the total divided by the number of students in the class. Points equal to the average number of fingers for a given story are awarded to the authoring team. After all calculations have been made, the team with the most points wins.

 

Silly Sentences 

 

Skills: combining adjectives, nouns, and verbs to create sentences
Group Size: 4 to 24
Prep Time: > 20 minutes
Playing Time: 5-20 minutes
Interest Level: ages 6 to 15
Ability Level: beginning to lower intermediate

Create three sets of cards. The first should contain simple adjectives; the second, common nouns; and the third, basic verbs. Following are lists of suggested words:


Place all three sets of cards face down on the table. Make sure that the three sets remain in separate stacks. The first student draws the top card and from any stack he or she chooses and reads the word on it. He or she then uses the word in a sentence. If the sentence is correct, the student may keep the card.

 

Adjectives

Nouns

Verbs

[colour words]

[number words]
short
tall
long
old
young
new
kind
mean
good
bad
wet
dry
hot
cold
big
little
ugly
pretty
first
last
rich
poor
smart

boy
girl
man
woman
dog
cat
bird
fish
home
car
bus
truck
park
store
tree
grass
flower
game
class
ball
doll
pen
pencil
crayon
book

run
walk
sit
stand
eat
shop
sleep
go
stop
write
paint
sing
jump
dance
play
study
bake
draw
color
work
wash
clean
cry
laugh
talk

The next student then draws a card from the stack of his or her choice and uses it in a sentence. As before, the student wins the card if the sentence is correct. If the student can use both the word he or she has drawn and the card previously drawn in a sentence, he or she wins both cards.

The third student draws a card from the stack of his or her choice and uses the word correctly in a sentence for the card. This student may win any of the previously drawn cards by using those words in his or her sentence as well.

Play continues, until all cards have been disbursed. The student who has the most cards wins.

Variation: To use this game with younger students, you may substitute picture cards for word cards; however, this greatly increase prep. time.

Sorry!

 

Objectives: Matching English words with corresponding pictures; practicing a basic question and answer structure
Group Size: 4 to 12
Prep Time: 30-60 minutes
Playing Time: 5-20 minutes
Interest Level: ages 3 to adult
Ability Level: beginning

Materials Neededed: Teacher-made coordinated picture and word cards

Preparation: List 24 or more words that you want students should be able to recognize. Print each word on one card. On separate cards, draw or paste an illustration of each word. Laminate cards, if possible, for prolonged life.

Game: Distribute all cards among students. Students first remove any word/picture matches they have and place these cards on the desk or table. Choose a student to begin. From among his or her cards, this student picks a card for which he or she has no match.  If the chosen card is a word card, the student asks a classmate, "[Classmate,] do you have a picture of (a/an) [word featured on word card]?" If the chosen card is a picture card, the student asks a classmate, "[Classmate,] do you have the word [item pictured'?"

The student who is called on then reviews his or her cards. If he or she has a match, he or she responds, "Here you are!" and supplies the player with the requested card. The player places the set on the desk or table and asks about another card. If the student who is called upon does not have a match, he or she responds, "I'm sorry, I don't." The player's turn is then over and the next student tries to find a match.

Play continues until all players have laid down all cards.

Variations:

Alphabet Sorry: Place uppercase and lowercase letters on separate cards. Players must match corresponding upper and lowercase letters.

Number Sorry: One one card write a numeral. On the next write a number word or draw the same number of objects.

Rhyme Sorry: Write rhyming words on cards. Students may then ask, "Do you have a word that rhymes with bat?" or "Do you have a word that rhymes with cake?"

Same Sound Sorry: Paste on separate cards two pictures that start with the same initial consonant sound. Students would ask "Do you have a picture that starts with /t/?"

Taste Test

 

Objectives: describing how a particular food tastes; asking and answering questions about the taste of a given food
Group Size: 4 to 18
Prep Time: > 15 minutes
Playing Time: 5-20 minutes
Interest Level: ages 3 to adult
Ability Level: beginning to intermediate

Language used: Food items; words that describe taste--sweet, sour [bitter, tart], salty, hot, cold, spicy, refreshing, bland, crunchy, chewy, crisp, light, heavy, smooth, thick, soft, firm, etc.; simple questions and answers.

Game: Bring several food items to class. Be sure to include something sweet, something sour, something spicy, and something salty. Choose a student to be the official taster. The taster must step out of the room and sample the food item given to him or her. He or she then returns to class and answers yes/no questions posed by the rest of the class. (i.e. Is it hot? Is it crunchy? Is it sweet? Is it a vegetable? etc.) The first student to guess the correct food item becomes the next official taster.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Letter Hunt

 

Objective: increase phonemic awareness; correctly identify initial consonant sounds.
Group Size: 4 to 24
Prep Time: > 15 minutes
Playing Time: 5-15 minutes
Interest Level: ages 3 to 12
Ability Level: beginning to intermediate

Materials Needed: collection of flashcards or small objects

Game:  Have students form a circle. Place flashcards or objects outside the circle. Teach the following song to the tune of "The Farmer in the Dell":

We're looking for a/an [name of letter],
We're looking for a/an [name of letter],
[Sing sound of the letter to the tune of "Heigh, ho, the Derry Oh!"]
We're looking for a/an [name of letter].

After each verse, ask a student to find an object or picture beginning with that sound and place it in the center of the circle. Continue until all objects or pictures have been used.

Note: You might also use this song to teach vowel sounds, final consonant sounds, or blends. For added variety, you might give each student a flashcard instead of placing cards or objects outside circle. When a student's sound is sung, he or she steps into the circle.

Thwibbledy-Thwop

 

Objective: vocabulary review
Group Size: 4 to 18
Prep Time: none
Playing Time: 5-20 minutes
Interest Level: ages 5 to adult
Ability Level: beginning to intermediate

Game: In this simple activity, a player chooses a secret word. The word may be chosen from a list of vocabulary words on the board, drawn from a basket, or pulled from a file of previous vocabulary words. The player must then create a sentence which uses the word correctly. In place of the chosen word, however, the player says, "thwibbledy-thwap." For example, if the student chose the word "car," he or she might create the following sentence: "I rode to school today in my father's car." He or she would then say the following: "I rode to school today in my father's thwibbledy-thwap." Any student who believes that he or she knows what word "thwibbledy-thwap" represents should raise his or her hand. The player or the teacher calls on students in the order in which they raise their hands. If three students fail to guess the word, the player creates another sentence using the same word. ("Our new thwibbledy-thwap has four doors.") Up to three more students may guess, and so on, until someone guesses the correct word. The student who guesses correctly chooses the next word.

 

 

Who Am I? 

 

Skill: asking and answering personal questions
Group Size: 4 to 30
Prep Time: ~1 hour
Playing Time: 5-20 minutes
Interest Level: ages 4 to adult
Ability Level: upper beginning to intermediate

Paste pictures of popular characters on 4 x 6 or larger cardstock. With very young children, you may want to use cartoon characters like Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Simba, Nola, Snow White, Donald Duck, and so forth. With older students, you may choose to use well-known athletes, political leaders, actors and actresses, musicians, and so forth.

Call one student away from group. Show the student a card. (Make sure that the student recognizes the individual on the card.) The student then stands in front of the class and his or her classmates ask questions in order to guess who the student is. Students may ask questions like . . .

• Are you male or female?

• Are you a real person?

• Are you a child or an adult?

• How old are you?

• Do you like sports?

• How often are you on television?

• Where do you live?

• How much money do you make?

• Who likes you more, children or adults?

When a student correctly guesses who the student is, he or she becomes the next mystery person.

Suggestion: Collect pictures from magazines and newspapers or print from internet (especially if you have access to a color printer).

Variations:

• Ask each student to bring a picture of him or herself to class. Make cards for each class using photographs of students in that class.

• Watch selections from a video. Create cards using characters seen in the video.

• Instead of using pictures, write out names for students who can read reasonably well.

Yes, No, Maybe So

 

Objectives: Appropriate use of the phrases "Yes," "No, "Maybe So"; asking and answering questions related to a given topic
Group Size: 4 to 24
Prep Time: none, if pre-made cards are used
Playing Time: 5-20 minutes
Interest Level: ages 3 to adult
Ability Level: beginning

Materials Needed: Picture or word cards related to a topic of choice.

Game: Choose a student to begin. Student chooses a word or picture card. Classmates take turns asking questions, to which the student responds, "Yes," "No," or "Maybe So." If the topic were food and the card chosen were ice cream, a round might go like the following:

A: Do you eat it for breakfast?
B: No.
A: Do children eat it?
B: Maybe so.
A: Is it very hot?
B: No.
A: Is it a fruit?
B: No.
A: Is it a vegetable?
B: No.
A: Is it a snack?
B: Yes.
etc...

The student who correctly guesses the word chooses the next card.