Good afternoon Everyone!
I've already told you how much I love using games in teaching. I also mentioned my fascination with
Black Stories , a spooky card game with mysterious riddles. In this short post I'd like to share with you how I exploit this game to practice asking
indirect questions with my teenage and adult students. This game is appropriate for both lower and higher levels (A2-B2).
After explaining the difference between direct and indirect questions ( feel free to use this
worksheet ), write the below riddle up on your board:
Thank You
A woman goes into a pub and orders a glass of water. The man behind the bar grabs a rifle and aims it right at the woman. She thanks him and leaves.
Clarify any vocabulary items your students might not know. Their task is to ask you yes/no indirect qestions to solve the mystery. Some example questions might include:
1. May I know if the man and woman know each other?
2. I was wondering whether the man is crazy.
3. Could you please tell me if she was thirsty?
You should limit your answers to yes and no only, without giving your students any clues (unless, of course, they get stuck). The solution to the story:
The woman had hiccups and wanted to get rid of them with the water. The man behind the bar understood straight away and wanted to help her by giving her a real scare. It worked!
*For those of you who don't know it yet, it's believed that getting a fright might stop hiccups.
You can find more black stories
here.
These cards are my students' favourite game and I can definitely say it's one of my best purchases :)
Are there any board/card games you really like using in the classroom? How do you exploit them?
