The endless EFL E-textbook for teachers who don't want to spend all their time preparing
"Not..., but..."
Contents
=> "Not..., but..."
=> "Sequence or Set"
=> Remember the Hide 'n' Seek game?
=> "Who's Got What? - Fruits" online for a limited time
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"Not..., but..."
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It’s been ages since the last issue of ETs in Russia and Elsewhere, so I figured I’d better put something out—something easy and imminently practical.
Here are a couple simple activities that train critical thinking, logic, and vocabulary building skills.
The first game is called “Not … but.”
Write the following or (or similar words) on scraps of paper or little index cards. One student in a group of three or four will select a card and attempt to get the other members to guess what’s written there.
The Describing player picks up a card and looks at the word (without showing anybody!). Let’s say the word is “The Moon.” The Describer uses the “Not…, but…” format now. Example: “Not the sun, but…” The describer allows a pause for the group members to guess.
Or if “no” is written on the card, the clue might be “Not yes, but…” Usually the describer needs just one clue at this basic level.
***** words *****
happy, the sun, daughter, soft, old, man, night, thirsty, smart, tall, walk, rich, down, round, alive, sad, land, rude, cold, wet, white, old, loud, me, thank you, tea
Add a bunch of your own words so that groups can work longer. Students take turns. Rotate the cards from group to group so students get tons of practice.
Level 2
When that’s finished, try the second level of "Not.., but…” Sometimes the describer will need to offer more than one clue here.
Let’s say the word “some” is written on the card. The describer might give this clue… “Not many, but…” If group mates don’t guess the describer can follow u with “Not few, but…”, “Not any, but…” Eventually the group should guess.
***** words *****
silly, grey, leaf, later, animal, the USA, cat, planet, apple, cream, ugly, drink, green, who, desert, forward, laugh, couch, water, near, alone, part, jealous, London, bear, jump, find, strange
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Sequence or Set
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The next game to play is called "Sequence or Set."
Learners again pick a card on which a word is written. This time they must offer, as a description, a sequence or set of words that the remaining group members will complete. Clues, therefore, are groups of words, not sentences.
Example: On the card is “ocean.” The describer says, “puddle, pond, lake, sea…” and waits for the group to guess. In this case, the describer has offered a sequence: small bodies of water to large.
Or let's say "eyes" is on the card. The Describer might say "mouth, lips, nose, ears," etc. In this case he or she is creating a set in which the word "eyes" would belong.
***** words *****
October, winter, blue, pizza, kitchen, 2006, excellent, uncle, huge, puddle, a quarter past 5, morning, Canada, people, tree, gorgeous, dirty, frozen, ape, baby, religion, Buddhism, candy
Be sure to add your own words!
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“Who’s Got What? Fruits” – available now
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For a limited time I’m posting the audios and user manual for “Who’s Got What? - Fruits” on English Teachers Everywhere.
Of course it’s free. For now.
If you haven’t played "Who's Got What?" try it. The concentration you get from students is amazing. It’s a great class management tool and a super listening task.
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Hide 'n' Seek Chaos
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In ETs in Russia #138 I described a kind of searching game called "Hide ‘n’ Seek Chaos." I had a chance to try it. It worked great. I hid 5 plastic animals around the room. A couple were obvious; others were hard to find. Twenty-five 14-year-old kids in groups of four hunted for the animals, but they didn’t shout out when they found them (well, they tried not to); they wrote down the animal locations on a paper: “Lion – on the back of the chair.” “Rhino – above the door.”
