Introduction

This game is equivalent to the German game "Ich packe meinen Koffer und nehme mit ..." which is a word game about packing a suitcase for an imaginary trip. Going along with the theme of being in nature, camping is a natural topic. So instead of 'packing a suitcase' I let the kids pack their backpacks.

Target group and Time

The target group were 11 year old children in grade 5 and the activity stretched over 12 minutes. I think it is also possible to play the game with younger children. The degree of difficulty of the words used can be adapted to the age and knowledge of the students.

Learning objectives

The objective of the game was to come up with (new) vocabulary words and to practice them.

Instructions to set up the activity

I asked the children to come up with words that I wrote down on the blackboard to provide them with visual aid. For the second or third round it might also work to remove the words from the blackboard because by this point they are used to the flow of the game.

Letting it run

The game works as follows: One student starts by saying "I packed my backpack and I packed ..." and then chooses an item from the list, e.g. "I packed my backpack and I packed a tent." The next person has to repeat the phrase, name the item of the person before and add another item, e.g "I packed my backpack and I packed a tent and a lighter." The game continues following this principle. The challenge is to remember all the items correctly plus adding a new one every time. That way, the students are able to practice and learn vocabulary as they have to repeat and remember each of the words.

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