Introduction

The idea of the game is similar to pantomime games like "Tabu". Students will receive vocabulary cards corresponding to places (e.g. bakery, garden, beach,...) and then have to act out a scene for their classmates to guess where they are. They are not allowed to use language, however, they should be encouraged to use soundeffects. After each act the performing student will ask "Where am I?" and is then allowed to choose a classmate who can answer in a full sentence. The students will take turns until everyone had the chance to perform. The game can be easily be adapted to different fields of vocabulary.

Target group and Time

• Target Group: Grade 4-6 ( for standard version, it can be adjusted easily: see learning objectives)
  
  
• Time: depends on group size and participants. Example: For four 5 graders it took less than 5 min for each round.

Learning objectives

• Vocabulary: Here the teacher can decide what is supposed to be on the cards and which places students may already know or have heard of. Through this game the students get to practice vocabulary in a creative way but may also be able to make stronger connections than through simple learning by heart.
  
  
• Grammar: The students need to use prepositions in order to answer the question asked (e.g He is at the beach./ You are in the garden.).
  
  
• Note: If the game is adapted to for example activities the learning objectives and skills needed will change considerably. When using activities as vocabulary it might be a good idea to introduce the students to the present continuous first ("What am I doing?" "He is swimming."). Through combination this also makes it possible to work on more than one grammar objective at a time and is easy to adjust in difficulty.

Instructions to set up the activity

• Material needed: Vocabulary cards.

The cards should also include a visual representation of the word the students will be trying to present. This is intended to help students be as autonomous as possible and may also prevent students from being intimidated or asking questions immediately. Remember to prepare spare cards in case that the students are faster than expected. Old fashioned notecards will suffice.

• Set up: Do not let students see the cards in advance.

They will have enough time to think about their act after you handed them out. Make sure you hold/ lay down the cards in a way which makes it impossible for students to catch a glimpse, otherwise they might start talking with other classmates sharing "the secret".

• Explaining it to your students: Using an example is best.

After you explained to your students what the objective of the game is and that they will each get cards and a certain amount of time to prepare, it is a good idea to present a sample vocabulary act yourself. It will not only provide further clarity as to what is expected from the learners but may also reduce inhibitions and inspire. Furthermore, it is important to make sure they understand the question ("Where am I?") used in the game as well as the sentences that may be used to answer.

Letting it run

• Make sure that each student has enough time to think about their act before the round starts. You want them to be excited for their turn and engaged in guessing when others have their perfomance. If they still stress about how to present their word it is impossible for them to concentrate on anything else. Suggestion: It might be a good idea to let them walk around the room (if the space allows for it) while they think about their perfomance. In that way they can move their bodies and try out some gestures without paying attention to the other group members. Ask them to return to the "stage" when they are ready and you will have a silent signal for when to begin the actual game.
  
  
• Once the game has started you only help or aid students in using full sentences or keeping up the structure of the exercise. The students themselves are allowed to pick each other and it is very well possible for the teacher to participate in the game as well. However, should you students be shy or very quick to stop with their presentations, you can introduce another twist. After they have already played through at least one round of the game, instruct them to not ask the question "Where am I?" or stop acting before at least two fellow students (or whatever number you think will work best) decided to quietly join the activity and create a bigger picture of the scene. This way you get more students involved at the same time as well as challenge students to participate independently.
  
  
• Should the students be very fast or you just want to switch it up, it is a fun to integrate a freestyle round. Here the students can choose whatever place/activity they want to if they believe that their classmates are able to name it in English.