Introduction
This well-known game requires a participant to act out an activity which the others have to guess. Working with movements, the students get to associate specific words to a clear action.
Target group and Time
Charades can be played from the first year of learning onwards. The better the language skills, the more complex the game becomes. Single words, activities, or even cultural references (which would require more advanced skills) can be acted out. The game can take up from 10 to 15 mins.
Learning objectives
This game helps students memorize words via visual cues. Instead of having an abstract association, charades help students work with all their senses.
Instructions to set up the activity
The students and the teacher sit in a circle.
The teacher explains the game to the students:
- The teacher has cards with activities written on them.
- The teacher explains that the cards will be given out at random.
- The teacher explains that each student will be given a card with an activity which he/she will have to act out.
- The teacher explains that the other students will have to guess the portrayed activity.
- Once correctly guessed, another student will act out his/her activity.
The teacher asks if there are any questions about the game or the activity cards and the game may begin.
Letting it run
With students in the 5th or 6th grade, one could start the game with (single word) activities such as tennis, football, singing, cooking, reading, writing, etc. Here the students have to guess the activities in English, using the present progressive.
When the students are warmed up, the teacher could make the game a bit more complicated. Simple phrases, titles of books (already discussed in class), new vocabulary, etc. It is very important that the students know the activity (or its parts). If they do not know it, they can either ask the teacher (if they are acting it out), or the other students (if they are guessing it).
If everything works out well, the students can be divided into two groups. Then a competition can begin. The students of one group guess the activity of one student (also from their group). A time limit of 1 or 2 mins should be enough. Once successfully guessed, the other group gets to play.
