Secret List
Subject: There is + Vocabulary
Skills: Speaking, Writing, Listening
Level: Elementary
Recommended Age: 12+
Number of Participants: 4-12 players
Time: 20-25 minutes
Place: Classroom
Equipment: A black- or whiteboard
Materials: A piece of chalk or a marker
Preliminary Preparation (5-7 minutes). Make a list of ten things, which you can find, e.g. in a park. It might look something like this:
a bench, a bird, a bush, a dog, a flower, a fountain,
grass, a path, a playground, a tree
Immediate Preparation: (1-2 minutes).
1. If possible, arrange the game participants so that they are sitting or standing in a semi-circle in front of the board.
2. Ask the players to guess the words on your list.
How to Play. A typical game might start something like this:
Player A: Is there 'a tree' on your list?
You: Yes, there is.
Player A gets one point and you write 'a tree' on the left side of the board.
Player B: Is there 'a gate' on your list?
You: No, there isn't.
You write 'a gate' on the right side of the board.
and so on around the circle.
After all the words on your list has been revealed, allocate a different type of public place to each student in the class. You can select from the following ones:
a beach, a cafe, a chemist, a hospital, a hotel, an office, a school,
a supermarket, a theatre, a train station, etc.
Next, tell each player to make a similar list by your example in their notebook. Allow the students a reasonable amount of time to complete this task. While they are working, circulate, monitor and assist, if necessary. When everyone has finished, bring the class to order. Afterwards, invite Player A to come to the board for leading the second round. Then it is Player B, whose turn to lead the following round and so on. The game continues around the circle as long as all the 'secret lists have been disclassified'. At the end of the activity, the number of points, accumulated by each participant during the whole competition, is counted up. The player, who gets the most points in total, becomes the winner of the game.