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TEACHER'S INSTRUCTIONS: The Secret Code Game.
| Age Group |
All 8 to 66
|
| Language level |
All From Elementary to Upper Intermediate |
| Time required |
15-25min. |
| Focus |
Ice breaker for the first days of class after a
long holiday period.To build classroom dynamics;
to review the English alphabet at lower levels;
to build fluency at higher levels. Optional: Vocabulary
warmer.
|
| Skills used |
Reading and Speaking.Reading to solve the clues.
Speaking to carry out instructions.
|
| Materials required |
Lollipops, sweets with wrappers or slips of paper.
|
| Groupings |
Individual work to solve clues.Paired work to carry
out task found in clue.
|
| Procedure |
Hidden Message ( or Spies)
1. Prior to this lesson write a secret message (
the code is described below) on the wrappers or
lollipops or another type of sweet. You may also
write out the secret messages on slips of paper
that are folded into various origami or other shapes.
2. Greet and welcome students to their first lesson.
3. Tell them you'll play game called "Hidden
message". You can also tell them , if they
are young learners, that you will be playing a game
called "Spies".
4. Then, if the class is lower level, elicit the
alphabet and write it on the board.
5. Give out the sweets or lollipops wrapped with
the slips of paper. This paper will have a hidden
message which will have to be worked out by students
if they want to eat their sweets or lollipops. Tell
students that each letter used represents the previous
letter in the alphabet ( Note: Z comes before A).
You can demonstrate by writing IJ on the board and
you should have spelled out "HI".
6. Once students understand, allow them two minutes
to work out their messages individually. The first
one to find out the hidden message, should read
it out to the rest of the class and carry out the
instructions on it. See example below:
TBZ ZPVS OBNF UBML BCPVU ZPVS IPMJEBZT
(Decoded: "Say your name. Talk about your holidays")
7. Continue around the class until everyone has
deciphered their messages. Give help as needed.
|
| Notes |
Why it works
This game helps students learn each others names
and builds a sense of community at the beginning
of the school year. It also helps students develop
their fluency and truly "breaks the ice"
if students have just come back from a break or
are just starting their studies. This creative classroom
aid is usable in Multi-level, large classes with
limited Resources as well as adaptable for Elementary
classrooms too.
|
| Variations |
Higher level students can be given hidden messages
which review functions such as complaints, apologies,
etc. Teachers may include any topics they want students
to talk about such as hobbies, family , animals
and so on.
|
| Follow-up |
Once they have finished getting to know each other,
they may write a short paragraph about what they
learnt about their pals as a homework task.
|
By Ana Maria from Buenos Aires, Argentina.
|
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