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Sunday, July 4, 2010

Game: Fortunately and Unfortunately

Purpose: this game can be used as a warmer to revise the simple past tense.
No materials needed.
Level: any level but students need a basic knowledge of the simple past tense.
Procedure: this game works with a group of up to twenty something students. Students need to tell a story. The first one needs to start his/her sentence with the word “Fortunately”.
The next student needs to continue the story by using  “Unfortunately”.
The student that comes after needs to continue the story but this time his/her first word is “Fortunately”.

The opener can be anything that may interest the students.
At the end of the task the students may vote for the best sentence. 
Look at the example:

Teacher: Yesterday the Queen of England went to the opening of an important bank. Fortunately.., continue Laura.

Laura: Fortunately, the weather was very good. Unfortunately, continue Sandra
Sandra: Unfortunately her dress was too tight for the hot weather. Fortunately, continue Pedro
Pedro: Fortunately, she could unfasten her belt. Unfortunately, continue Juan

The story continues until everybody has contributed to the story.
You can ask students what their favourite sentence was. 

Thanks to Rosie Burke, one of our methodology teachers at International House, summer course 2010 for this idea. The course was "Language Analysis for Teaching Purposes"

4 comments:

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María Zabala Peña said...

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Maria Zabala
Blog owner

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