Who Am I?
This is a very simple game which is also a lot of fun.
It works as follows:
The class is divided into groups of two or three.
Each learner is given a Post-it note.
They write on this the name of a specific person (for example, Queen Elizabeth) or a representative of a group (for example, a member of the working class), making sure to keep it secret.
One member of each group elects to go first.
They are passed a Post-it note by one of their peers, making sure not to look as they receive it.
They stick this on their forehead.
They now have to work out who they are by asking questions to the other members of their group. When the learner correctly works out who they are – or when they give up – the next learner takes their turn.
You can develop the activity in the following ways:
- Learners are only allowed to ask questions which can be answered ‘yes’ or ‘no’.
- Learners are only allowed to ask a certain number of questions.
- Learners are only allowed to ask written questions (responses must be written as well).
- If learners are working in a group of three, the two pupils who answer the questions decide in advance which one of them will tell the truth and which one of them will tell lies. The learner who is asking the questions must try to work out what information they receive is true and what is false.
- Learners are not allowed to ask direct questions. Instead, they must ask indirect question such as: ‘Who is this person like?’ ‘How might this person react in situation X?’ ‘How might this person describe person X?’
Twenty Questions
This is another simple game with which I am sure you will be familiar.
It works as follows:
Either in groups or as a whole class, one person is asked to think of something connected to the topic. You might like to specify a range of categories from which learners can select something.
The group or the whole class then has twenty questions which they can use to try and discover what the thing in question is.
Questions should be phrased so that they can only be answered ‘yes’ or ‘no’.
Here are some ways you can develop the game:
- Appoint a learner whose job it is to record the questions that are asked. These can then be discussed at the end of the activity.
- Appoint a learner to record the answers that are given. This will help pupils to keep track of what information has been elicited.
- Encourage learners to choose more abstract or esoteric elements of the topic for others to guess. This will increase the difficulty level of the activity.
- Precede the activity with a discussion about what makes a good question in this particular game. Draw learners’ attention to the fact that there is a higher chance of success if you can narrow down the options as early as possible. Talk about what types of questions are likely to have this effect.
Finally, you might like to consider with your class when and where such questions can come in useful (beyond the confines of the game).
- Make the game competitive. Divide the class in half and write out a series of slips of paper containing things that connect to the topic.
Call up a learner from one side and give them a slip of paper at random.
Their teammates must try to work out what the thing is in as few questions as possible.
The opposing team then have their turn.
The game continues for as long as the teacher wishes.
A question count is made as the game goes along.
The team who asked the fewest questions is the winning team (add on a penalty of five questions if a team fails to correctly work out what one of their words is).
