Chinese Whispers Dress-up Game

Mark Barr

OBJECTIVES:

• To practice clothes vocabulary
• To have fun with English

PROCEDURE:

I used two classes to teach clothes. First class involved the usual drilling many clothes items followed by BINGO or Flyswatter Game. Second class I reviewed the clothes and added some new items. Then we went to the gym to play Chinese Whispers Dress-up Game.

Make three/four teams depending on class size. Best to have same number of students in each team (use the HRT if need be). From each team you need one volunteer. Usually a loud or genki student is best. Don’t choose anyone who doesn’t want to volunteer.

The volunteer from each team sits at the front of the gym near the stage (I gave them a chair). The three/four teams make lines spreading from the front of the gym to the back. At the front of the gym on the edge of the stage lay out your clothes. Lots and lots of your clothes (the bigger/baggier/brighter the better). Use one or two items of everything that you have taught (except maybe underwear).

Call the front students over to you. Whisper the name of a clothes item to them. Say it twice then say ‘Go’. They run to the next student on their team and whisper the item. No Japanese is allowed. If students don’t hear or understand they can say ‘once more’ (helps to drill this before hand). If students shout or say item loud enough for you to hear, disqualify their team from that one round (tell them this rule beforehand).

Last student in team runs to the front and grabs item. Each student can only grab one item. If they grab the wrong item first, they cannot grab another. The winner of each item of clothing gives it to their team volunteer who then wears it. Students in the line then rotate (not volunteer).

This goes on until all items are won (or time runs out). As students gain more and more items it becomes really funny. During the game, regularly stop and drill the items again. You can be sure they are paying attention. Winner is the team whose volunteer is wearing the most clothes.

NOTES:

• Be sure to book gym/inform teachers in advance
• Explain to the kids that these are your clothes and to be careful and they will
• I used flashcards from http://www.mes-english.com/
• Advisable to wash clothes before and after game
• All my classes loved this, even the normally reserved older grades