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Planification of an educational game...
Getting to know each other
Language: Questions and answers about personal characteristics.
Skills: Listening and speaking, With some reading and writing.
Control: Guided.
Level: All.
Time: 15-20 minutes (depending on the level).
Materials: One card 100 mm *150mm for each learner. Chalkboard or OHP.

Preparation
Collect or cut enough cards for the class.

Procedure
Class work.
The basis of this activity and its variations is "question and answer". The nature of caring and sharing games, however, is that the learners concentrate on their experiences, opinions and feelings rather than on a general exchange of more material information.
With the help of the learners, make a list on the board or OHP of the personal details people often like to know about each other, for example, favourite music, favourite famous person, dislikes, material possetions, most frightening thing...
Give each learner a card about 100mm*150mm and ask them to write:

a) Their name on it in letters at least 10mm high.
b) Four categories of personal detail they would not mind telling people about.
 
 
Music                                                                                                    Dislikes 
Name
Famous Person                                                                       Interesting subject 
 
 

Then help the laerners to fasten these cards to their clothes. If this is not possible, they should hold their card so that other people can see it. All the learners should circulate around the room looking at each other. When you say "STOP !" ( or turn off the music which you might have been playing), each learner should then enter into conversation with the nearest person. Each learner should ask the other about the personal information indicated on the card.
The learners should not mearely name, for example, the person who is so important in their life but be asked to say why, perhaps to give examples, etc. After a few minutes ask the learners to continue to circulate ( perhaps by starting up the music again) until you stop them once more. Each learner should talk with about five others.
At the end you might ask who found people who like or dislike the same things, have the same aims or similar heroes, etc.
 
Taken from:
Games for language  learning by Andrew Wright, David Betteridge and Micheal Buckby, Cambridge University Press,1984.
 

 
 
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