Five of a kind is a game where students try to collect five (or any number really) of the same card. It's a flexible template that can be applied in many different ways.
Basic Info
| Time: | 10 mins |
|---|---|
| Level: | Elementary grade 4 ~ 6 |
| Works with: | lots of different grammars and vocabulary |
| Class size: | medium to large |
You will need:
- at least 5 cards per student (and enough of the same so that students can make 5 of a kind)
Description
- Students get 5 cards each. (See variations below for easy and hard versions.)
- Students walk around and make pairs.
- They play janken (paper, scissors, rock) and the winner (S1) requests a card from the other student (S2). For example "Do you have a B card?" (See tips below for more details on this request.)
- S2 hands over the requested card ("Yes, I do. Here you are." "Thank you.") and S1 returns an unwanted card from their own hand. (Students always have 5 cards.)
- Pairs say goodbye and find a new partner to repeat.
Tips
- This activity can be used to practice various vocabulary and also different grammar. But teachers should be careful to try make the meaning of the language fit the activity. For example, this activity fits well with "Do you have ~?" "Yes, I do. Here you are." Less appropriate would be something like "Can you play soccer?" "No, I can't. Here you are."
The basic idea is that you want the activity to reinforce the meaning of the language the students are using so they are actually thinking Does Tomoko have an A card while they are asking her "Do you have 'A'?" or Oh, Haruto likes pizza so I'll give him this pizza card. - Consider what students should do if the card they ask for isn't there. Demonstrate both scenarios with the HRT before the game starts.
Variations
- Easy version - all students have the same five cards so it's easy to find 5 of the same.
Hard version - students can select the 5 cards they want from a larger selection. This means students may not be able to make a full set. This can work, but the easy version is recommended.
Comments
This activity can be used with Hi, friends! 2 Lesson 1 with the ABC cards from the back of the textbook. Note that cutting out cards takes a fair bit of time.