This set of games is about students' dream jobs. It can be really interesting to talk about dream jobs in school because it opens a door for students to think about what to do after school. As students enjoy playing different games related to a topic because they are having fun, they may even learn about the topic without noticing.
Introduction for "Acting out Jobs" - Mehmed
The activity starts with a short introduction, where the teacher asks the students if they have a dream job and if they would like to tell the group about it. After the introduction, the students chose a card which is faced down. Those cards contain different jobs. Once they know what the job means (they can ask if they are not sure), they act out the job either as a mime or by using their surroundings. While they are acting it out, it is important for the other students to observe what their classmate is doing and they are only allowed to make a guess once the teacher asks them "What is he/she doing?" or "What job is he/she acting out?"
Target group and Time
Target group: Grades 5 and 6; Vocabulary and instructions need to be adjusted according to the grade one is teaching.
Time: 3 minutes for the first introductory time and then leave as much time as needed for the main activity. This is necessary in order to accommodate differing comfort levels of the students and/or groups acting out.
Learning objectives
General: The goal of this activity is to help the students understand what different jobs do and how they might be something they themselves want to do in the future. If they lack certain vocabulary, they also have the opportunity to learn the names of certain jobs in English.
Vocabulary: The cards are supposed to act as a catalyst for them to learn the different jobs. Since students have different levels of exposure to the English language, some of them might know more than other students.
Grammar: Most of the time, the students are required to use the progressive tense, though the tenses used may vary if necessary.
Instructions to set up the activity
Prepare cards with job terms; distribute them randomly. Prepare more cards than students so you can have students exchange cards that they do not feel comfortable with or are unknown to them. Most students should still try the new word out instead of immediately asking for a new one if they are unsure what the job they have means.
Encourage students to try it out - by talking about their dream job and reaching them at a personal level. However, it is necessary to give the option of keeping their dream job to themselves.
Letting it run
Always encourage students to ask for vocabulary
If the students decide to ask questions, it is important to respect their decision and help them as much as possible even if they talk in German to you or their fellow students
Do not interrupt the students even if they are rambling about different jobs – this is them showing interest in the topic
Introduction for “Circle of Dream Jobs“ - Hendrikje
The aim of this activity is to combine vocabulary and acting with each other. The students will learn new vocabulary or deepen their understanding.
Target group and Time
Classes 5 to 6 should have fun with this game. For this activity, 12-15 minutes should be enough for a small group.
Learning objectives
Self-confidence in language use. Learning new vocabulary through movement.
Instructions to set up the activity
At first everyone stands in a circle. The question "What is a dream job?" will be answered through different ideas of students. The students then begin to brainstorm different jobs. After having talked about the various jobs and what they do, the students will find gestures for each job. After they have been practiced together, the game can start.
Person A says: My name is ... and my dream job is ... (he/she does the gestures practiced before)
Person B says: Is your dream job a ...?
Person A says: Yes/No.
Person A says: What is your name and what is your dream job?
Person B says: My name is ... and my dream job is ... (Person B thereby takes the place of Person A)
Letting it run
This game can be adapted in various ways for different stages of English learners. The vocabulary can be more advanced, topics can be changed, gestures can be more complex.
Introduction for “What do I do for work?“ - Margot
This teaching activity starts with a short round of introductions, with each student asked to state whether they have a dream job. If they feel comfortable, they are welcome to say what their dream job is. After this first round, the teacher can let the students blindly pick cards with English terms for different jobs. They are then asked to think of a single pose or movement that encapsulates what this job, in their opinion, is about. After about a minute of consideration, everyone who feels confident in their pose or movement is asked to act it out in front of their classmates. In contrast to a regular game of mime, the teacher could ask the students not to shout out what their classmate are doing. Instead, the instructor could ask them to wait until after their classmate has finished, and then start the discussion with the question: "What was he/she doing?" and not "What job did he/she act out?".
Depending on the time left, teachers could follow up this activity with another group activity, in which every group member is asked to act out the pose resembling the job they liked the most at the same time. This might help less outgoing students to also take part in a dramatic activity.
Target group and Time
Target group: Grades 5 and 6; it is possible to vary the difficulty of the job terms between both grades (e.g. only using "chef" for the 6th graders) and focus on more straight-forward instructions with the younger kids.
Time: 3 minutes for the first introductory time and then leave as much time as needed for the main activity. This might be necessary because the amount of students that feel comfortable could vary greatly between the different groups and the different grades.
Learning objectives
General: With this teaching activity, teachers aim at helping the students understand what tasks different jobs, including their dream jobs, require, and how to describe these tasks. "Describing" here refers to two ways of depicting an activity: Using their bodies to express their thoughts and verbally expressing what a job entails.
Vocabulary: Every student is supposed to learn the vocabulary for 5-10 job descriptions by looking at the cards and their fellow students performances. Furthermore, they learn verbs related to the actions, e.g. "cooking" or "performing".
Grammar: Describing their classmates' performances requires the students to use forms of the progressive, which they can do with varying success.
Instructions to set up the activity
Prepare cards with job terms; distribute them randomly. Prepare more cards than students so you are able to have students exchange cards that they do not feel comfortable with or go beyond their knowledge, even in German. This does not prevent students from sticking with new words, but getting a new card helps them to actually think of a pose when the former one felt too abstract.
Encourage students to open up - by talking about their dream job and/or by choosing to perform. However, make the option to not say their dream job or not act out explicitly, so that no one feels pressured to put themselves into an uncomfortable situation. This helps students to not feel afraid, and in some circumstances, the students go on to discover their courage and perform after declining to do so at first.
Letting it run
Always encourage students to ask for vocabulary.
Do not be be discouraged when students ask questions in German or when they use German to explain the rules to their classmates - this actually shows that they are interested and want to take part.
If students show a lot of enthusiasm and use it in a productive way, use that positive energy - don‘t cut off the activity.
