Post by Lotus Eater on Nov 15, 2005 11:25:52 GMT 7
I have just come back from two of the best lessons I have delivered (OK - one lesson delivered twice!).
It was with my 2nd year Oral English students. I divided them into groups of 6 and played the old "Fight for your life" game. You know the one where you are in a bunker (this time the Martians had attacked Earth, and although defeated had poisoned the water, air and earth for a specific length of time) The bunker has everything needed - except enough water for the remaining month they need to live there. These are the last 6 people on earth. Only 5 people can survive - which one should be sacrificied for the others. The people I chose to start the new world included -:
Male 19 yo English major university student (yep - them!)
pregnant woman - 24
Nurse - female - 40
Doctor- male - 54
Construction worker/labourer male - 25
Farmer - male or female - 65.
One class had a couple of grouops of 7 so I added a scientist - 48, gender and field unspecified.
Each student had to chose a role, develop reasons for existence and then develop reasons that EACH of the others should be killed off. Then with arguments in hadn they had to 'fight for their lives'.
It was fabulous!! The entire class - quiet ones, everyone ended up shouting (Chinese university students shouting in class???- unheard of!) and really getting stuck into it - in ENGLISH!!!!!!!
After they voted I had each group then give their reasons for why they ended up making that decision.
After this I put them into the occupation groups and each group then had to develop more arguments about staying alive - their value. They then had to tell the class these reasons and I listed them on the board. After class finished I followed them oustide - they were still arguing in ENGLISH all of the way downstairs.
I loved it. The energy in class was great - they didn't even stop of their normal 10 minute break. The Chinese English teacher that sits in on my class (he has a spare and is bored) was entranced! "You are really great" he kept saying - "my classes don't talk like this".
What will I do next week now?
It was with my 2nd year Oral English students. I divided them into groups of 6 and played the old "Fight for your life" game. You know the one where you are in a bunker (this time the Martians had attacked Earth, and although defeated had poisoned the water, air and earth for a specific length of time) The bunker has everything needed - except enough water for the remaining month they need to live there. These are the last 6 people on earth. Only 5 people can survive - which one should be sacrificied for the others. The people I chose to start the new world included -:
Male 19 yo English major university student (yep - them!)
pregnant woman - 24
Nurse - female - 40
Doctor- male - 54
Construction worker/labourer male - 25
Farmer - male or female - 65.
One class had a couple of grouops of 7 so I added a scientist - 48, gender and field unspecified.
Each student had to chose a role, develop reasons for existence and then develop reasons that EACH of the others should be killed off. Then with arguments in hadn they had to 'fight for their lives'.
It was fabulous!! The entire class - quiet ones, everyone ended up shouting (Chinese university students shouting in class???- unheard of!) and really getting stuck into it - in ENGLISH!!!!!!!
After they voted I had each group then give their reasons for why they ended up making that decision.
After this I put them into the occupation groups and each group then had to develop more arguments about staying alive - their value. They then had to tell the class these reasons and I listed them on the board. After class finished I followed them oustide - they were still arguing in ENGLISH all of the way downstairs.
I loved it. The energy in class was great - they didn't even stop of their normal 10 minute break. The Chinese English teacher that sits in on my class (he has a spare and is bored) was entranced! "You are really great" he kept saying - "my classes don't talk like this".
What will I do next week now?