My Advice

Introduction:
A fun activity involving students providing advices for problems of other students.

What is learnt?
Modals and modals reported

How the game is played:

1. Divide your class into two groups: 'problem people' and 'advice givers'.
2. Ask the 'problem people' to each think up a minor problem they have and are willing to talk about.
3. Arm the 'advice givers' with these suggestion forms:

You could ... You should ... You might as well...
You might...  You ought to ...  You might try...ing ...

1. Get the class moving round the room. Tell each 'problem person' to pair off with an 'advice giver'. The 'problem person' explains her problem and the other person gives two bits of advice using the grammar suggested. Each 'problem person' now moves on to another 'advice giver'. The 'problem people' get advice from five or six 'advice givers'.
3. Call the class back into plenary. Ask some of the 'problem people' to state their problem and report to the whole group on the best and the worst piece of advice they were offered, naming the advice giver, e.g. 'Juan was telling me I should give her up.' 'Concepcion suggested I ought to get a girlfriend of hers to talk to her for me.'

Variation
If you have a classroom with space that allows it, form the students into two concentric circles, the outer one facing in and the inner one facing out. All the inner circle students are 'advice givers' and all the outer circle students are 'problem people'. After each round, the outer circle people move round three places. This is much more cohesive than the above.

Acknowledgments: Thanks to Graham.J.B. for submitting this game to us.

02.01.2007. 10:46