Introduction
This game was adapted from page 146 of the playingCLIL Handbook and was played as Secret Conversations - talking about countries.
The idea is that players have to listen to a conversation of peers on an unknown topic. I chose countries but any subject (food, weather phenomena, or political systems…) may work out well. The players are not supposed to guess and shout out the topic of the conversation but to join in as soon as they think they know what it is about. The game results in authentic speaking opportunities, where students can share their own experiences and opinions. A conversation ends when all players have joined in the conversation.
Target Group and Time
The game can be played from grade four or five on, depending on the learners’ level. They should be familiar with past tenses, in order to be able to speak of their own experiences.
Plan for at least 20 minutes of time if you want to play several rounds.
Learning Objectives
Generally speaking, the activity trains fluency as well as narrative and discourse competences. It requires students to spontaneously analyse and evaluate utterances and associate the subject of conversation with their own experiences and opinions.
Vocabulary: The game is a good opportunity to set recently adopted vocabulary clusters into a creative kind of practice.
Grammar: Students can practice past and present tenses, e.g.: “Have you ever been to the capital?” “Yes, I visited the city with my parents last summer. It was so boring. But I think Marc-André ter Stegen lives there.” “Oh no! He plays for Barcelona.”
In terms of social skills the game offers an opportunity to develop active-listening skills and train the acceptance of rules.
Instructions to set up the activity
Material:
Special material is not always necessary. But you may wish to provide scaffolding for insecure or shy participants. In this case, I recommend to prepare cards with (secret) information on specific countries as well as sheets with text fragments students may use if they feel insecure.
Set up:
Introduce the rules to your students and let them pair up to choose (and discuss) a country. They should not discuss it out loud but rather whisper or move to a corner of the room so peers can’t listen.
Hand out the text fragments if needed. In case students can’t agree on a country, provide a country card and let them read through it. It might be necessary to take the country card back before starting the conversation so they can’t just read out items from it. Make sure no one else can see the content of the card.
Come together in a circle and initiate a sample conversation to make sure everyone has understood the game. Choose a first pair and let them discuss their country.
Letting it run
As the teacher, you may or may not join in the conversation. But make sure you stay actively involved to help out with vocabulary if needed. You could also take notes on grammar issues or vocabulary to revise afterwards. But make sure there is no exam atmosphere. Students should feel free and be playful.
By the time everyone has manged to join in, you may consider letting the game run on a little longer if the conversation is going on well. Do not simply cut it off. After all, the aim is not to guess as many countries as possible but to get your students to talk!
