Gesture Communication Game
Andrew Penery
| GRADE LEVEL: | JHS any, also applicable to ES and SHS |
| TIME: | 5-50 minutes, variable at teacher's discretion |
| MATERIALS: | None (A bit of thought beforehand recommended) |
| YEAR: | 2007 |
OBJECTIVES:
1. To use English to communicate
PROCEDURE:
1. Students form pairs (3 is ok if you have an odd number)
2. One student watches the teacher, the other(s) face away
3. The teacher performs a gesture
4. The students who watched the teacher have to use English to try to get their partners to perform the same gesture. They may not use Japanese or any gestures of their own; they must use only English to communicate. The students who were not watching the teacher of course will be trying various motions as they receive the English input until the proper gesture is completed, and they can use English as well.
It is usually best to have students stand until they successfully complete the gesture, then take their seats. This makes it clear who has and has not finished, and discourages non-participation.
NOTES:
No Japanese should be used at any time by the students. They will be able to use vocabulary words to communicate their intentions. The teacher's gestures should be appropriate for this, for example (both arms up) (twiddle thumbs) (push up), etc., such that students will be able to use phrases such as (left hand up right hand up) (hands together big finger up spin) (hands on floor legs out body up-down), etc. to achieve desired results. There is no scoring, and partners determine primarily on their own if they are successful.
It is recommended that the teacher considers beforehand interesting and fun gestures that are appropriate to the level of the students. Using a good variety of appropriate gestures is very important to the successful execution of the game.
This game is extremely simple to execute, and highly effective both to get the students' interest and as a tool to teach the fundamental lesson that English is for communication, not a gigantic flash card memory game. It makes for an excellent warm up activity, and will keep students' attention through 50 minutes as well if desired.
The trick to getting students to use English is giving them proper motivation to do so. One learns a language only because one has to for daily life or because one wants to, and most Japanese students don't encounter a need for English in their daily lives.
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