Games & Lesson Plans: Learning Descriptions by playing Detective

(Gr 5, Lesson Plans | Games)

Sorry I've been slacking on the lesson uploads. Due to the fact my co-teacher and I have just performed an open class with this lesson has jogged my "must upload lesson plans" memory.

This lesson download on 'Descriptions' should be fun.

There are many ways you have fun playing party games which get students to learn and create
descriptions.

Warm ups: 

 

1. Guessing Game "5 Clues". 

A bit simple for the kids but it gets them warmed up for thinking and they like guessing games. If you can't download the Powerpoint (ppt download), then basically, it goes like this...

You give your students 5 descriptive clues about an object or animal and then give them 5 chances to guess what it is.

 For example: It's yellow and long. You eat it. It's a fruit. It's sweet. ..  It's....A banana.

2. Guess Who? 

I've chosen and IT person in the classroom. I tell my students they must GUESS WHO that person is. Students must all stand up; I call out descriptions of the chosen person

i.e. This person has short hair, ... has long hair,... wears glasses,... is a girl, etc...

The students who don't match the description sit down.  I give approx. 5 descriptions. If your class is advanced or maybe when you get to the 3rd or 4th/review section of the lesson you may want to have that students drive the game.

Game and Activity Section:

1. Detective Game "Who Dunnit?"(ppt download)

This is the ESL Who Dunnit? detective story version of the U.S. game Clue. I start by saying ~
"You are a detective. Listen to the story I tell and then solve the crime...

A robbery took place in the royal palace of London. A big diamond was stolen. When the police investigated the scene, they found a parrot (a talking bird) who was at the scene and saw it all. The police were excited and said to the bird,

“Smart bird! Tell us what the thief looks like?”

This is what the parrot said:

'The thief has
- A small nose
- Long hair
- Big Eyes
- Does not wear eyeglasses'

Solve the crime and help the police return the diamond back to the palace. Look at the list of suspects, Who is the thief?"

This is a detective game, you must add your own suspense to make it fun.

I print out my story (at the back of the ppt) and then read along with the powerpoint presentation to enhance the game and make it more fun. Before letting students see the list of suspects, I ask them simple listening/comprehension questions to test their understanding of the story. We ask for them to tell us what the descriptions they were given were. The kids loved this-- they wanted to play it again even though they knew the answer.

2. Pass the ball game (ppt from Waygook.org)

This is slightly modified from a lesson I got off of Waygook.org. This site is God's gift to teaching in Korea! The awesome thing is that it already came with the music embedded so I didn't need to find something.

3. Drawing Game (pair work)

The concept is really a party game and my co-teacher thought up this one. It necessitates listening and speaking skills.

 Find some celebrity faces on the internet and make copies of them.

 Ss 1 gets the picture (must not show Ss2) and must give descriptions about the person he has.
 Ss 2 must draw that person.

When they are finished have them place the drawing w/ the actual picture of the person next to each other and up on the wall. Everyone will have a good laugh at what they drew.