ENJOY YOUR ENGLISH PART 2

10 THE MAGIC OF PLAYING CARDS

Sometimes in these days of computers, MP3s, Youtube, mobile phones, MSN, and similar technology we can forget that a simple pack of cards (or two) can provide hours of fun. And there is no better way to learn than by having fun.

Cards are inexpensive, easily portable and endlessly adaptable. Friends can enjoy a game together, players can play in pairs, groups or on their own. The solitary player can spend the hours playing “solitaire” games while learning, practising and revising at the same time.

Suggested way of preparing the cards

1. Get a set of playing cards. Oversize cards, often made in China, seem fairly
easy to obtain. They are hard-wearing, long-lasting and easier for groups of
players to see.

2. Get a roll of sticky white labels. The labels should be rather smaller in size
than the cards.

3. Stick a label on the face side of each card. This will provide you with 52
playing cards, minus the Jokers, that can then be used to carry the information
you want the players to learn.

4. As you know, there are 13 sets of 4 cards in a pack of cards. These can be used
to group the information in categories of 4. Of course it is not necessary to
use the full pack for every card game but it is essential to have them in
groups of 4 for many of the games.

5. Decide on the information/vocabulary you want your players to focus on, and
write this information – one item per card – in large, clear, black print on
each label.

6. It’s a good idea to start by asking your group of players to ‘sort out’ the
cards. You don’t have to give them any more information than this. They will
quickly realise the cards are in categories of 4 and they will attempt to sort
them out in this way.

7. Offer no advice during the sorting out process other than to explain any items
they are not familiar with.

8. After the sorting our process is complete, sort them out yourself in front of
the players explaining why some cards belong to one category rather than
another.

9. Let us say that you are teaching a group who are fairly near the beginning of
learning English, you might decide on categories such as these: 4 colours, 4
animals, 4 things found in the living room, 4 things found in the kitchen, 4
things to wear, 4 boys’ names, 4 girls’ names, and so on. A more advanced
group will, of course, practise learning and using more advanced vocabulary
but the card games will be similar.

10. The information on each playing card does not have to be limited to single
items. In fact, the labels can be used to carry any sort of information being
studied. For example, a student of Law might put the names of cases and the
legal principle associated with each case on the label. The student then has a
portable compendium to be used anywhere at any time – perhaps on a train, car
journey or during a flight. The only real limit to using cards is your imagination.


SUGGESTED ACTIVITIES – remember to add your own activities

1. CONCENTRATION, also known as Memory, Pelmanism, or simply Pairs

1. The cards are laid down on a flat surface and two cards are flipped face up at
each player’s turn. If the cards match (belong in the same category), the
player keeps the cards and has another turn. If the cards do not match, they
are turned over face down. The aim for each player is to collect as many pairs
(or four cards) until all the cards have been picked up.

2. Players can play as a pair or even as a small group. This often leads to
lively discussion about where the matching cards actually are. The conductor
of the game may insist that all such discussion is in English!

3. In a variation called Zebra, players try to find and choose pairs that do not
belong in the same category.

4. In the variation called Spaghetti, the cards are scattered randomly on the
flat surface. It is fun if they are scattered on the carpet so the players can
sit on the floor, or on a large table so that the players can walk round the
table until the leader gives the signal to choose two cards.

5. The leader can lay out the cards in straight rows which helps memorization.
Alternatively, the leader may scatter the cards between each turn to make
memorization more difficult.


2. BUILDING A STORY FROM THE CARDS

1. Players in pair select two cards at random and connect the cards in a sentence
which begins their story.

2. When it is their turn again, each player can pick up another card. They must
then use the word on the card to continue the story they began with their
first two cards.

3. At each turn, players in pairs pick up another card and continue to extend
their stories until all the cards have been used up.

4. The conductor may set some rules about the stories. For example – your story
happened in the past – your story happens in the future – your story must
include the players themselves so that they use the first person We/I…..

5. When each pair has told their story, they can be asked to join another pair
of players and combine all the cards to tell a single story. This process can
be continued – the 4’s become 8’s and so on – until the group/class has
created one very long story using all 52 words!

3. BEGGAR MY NEIGHBOUR
This is a variation one of the all-time favourite children's card games.

1. This game is best played in groups of four players with the rest of the
group/class gathered round as spectators until it is their turn to play.

2. Players are each dealt 13 cards face down. They pick their cards up but they
must not look at the faces of the cards. One player begins and lays down 1
card face up.

3. The next player, on the left, turn up his card. If this card belongs in the
same category, he picks up both cards, keeps them and lays them aside.

4. If the cards do not belong in the same category, the player to the left turns
up a card. If this card matches the previous card, he keeps all the face-up
cards and lays them aside. He then turns up his next card and lays it down
face up.

5. The game continues until all cards have been won. The winner is the player who
has collected most cards. It is now the turn of the next group to play Beggar
My Neighbour. The overall winner is the player who has collected most cards.

4. EXPLANATIONS AND DEFINITIONS
The level of challenge in this activity depends on the sophistication of the
lexical items on the cards. It is much easier to explain what a dog is than
the meaning of to stroll or amble.

1. The leader shuffles the card and then turns over a card to show the word.
He/she then invites the group to explain in English what the word means. For
example, the group may have to explain what a dog is, which is not as easy as
it sounds!

2. The leader awards points, maximum 10, depending on how good the explanation
is. Remember the whole group can contribute to the explanation.

3. To win extra points, the group must name the three other items that belong in
the category.

4. The group can win more extra points if they can answer a question put by the
leader who, of course, has control over the complexity of the question. For
example, from What is the dog’s name? to What would you have done if the dog
had chased you down the street?

5. The leader may read definitions from a dictionary and ask the group to
identify what word in the playing cards is being defined. Use a dictionary
that matches the ages and ability of the players. Do not ask seven-year-olds
to identify: A domesticated carnivorous mammal (Canis familiaris) related to
foxes and wolves and raised in a wide variety of breeds.


5. MY SHIP SAILS
This is an easy card game for all ages which is most exciting when played
at high speed. The leader of the group should play as well so that he can
dictate the speed of the game.

1. The game leader must select the number of categories to match the number of
players, including himself. For example, if there are 7 players, including the
leader, he will select 28 cards in categories of four, e.g. the 4 colours,
animals, things in the kitchen, etc.

2. Players should be seated in such a way that they can pass one card at a time
to the player on their left.

3. The leader deals 4 cards to each player. Players pick up and look at their
cards without letting other players see what they have.

4. The aim of the game is to try and collect 4 cards from the category. Players
decide which category to collect (although they may change their mind as play
progresses).

5. Each player puts an unwanted card face down on the table and slides it to the
player on the left who takes it up. Try to do this in a rhythm so that all
players are passing and picking up at the same time. When he player has
collected 4 cards of the same category, he slaps them down on the table
calling out: My ship sails! The game continues until all the cards have been
slapped down on the table.


6. ROLLING STONE
This is an easy card game for all ages. Be warned. It can be very
frustrating: just when you think you are about to win….

1. Players are seated round a desk/table so that cards can be passed easily to
the player on the left. The cards are shuffled and dealt out to the players.
Each player picks up his cards, looks at them but keeps the faces concealed
from other players.

2. A player begins the game by laying down 1 card face up.

3. The player on his left must play a card that belongs to the same category. If
he can lay down a card from the same category, he places it down on the pile.

4. When a player cannot lay down a card belonging to the same category, he must
pick up all of the cards from the table. The next player on the left restarts
the game by laying down a card face up.

5. The game continues until the last player is left holding the remaining cards.

7. SNAP!
This is probably the most popular of all simple card games. It can be
played one against one, or one group against another, or the whole group
against the leader.

1. The pack of cards is shuffled and dealt randomly to each player so that each
player has 26 cards. Players must not look at the faces of their cards.

2. One player begins the game by laying down a card face up. On top of this, his
opponent lays down another card face up.

3. If the two top cards belong to the same category, each player tries to slap
his hand over the pile and claim all the cards.

4. The winner is the player who ends up with all the cards in his hand.


8. OLD MAID
‘Old Maid’ is part of a family of card games known as “scapegoat” games.
In scapegoat games, the goal is to avoid having a particular card or cards.
The game is suitable for 2-8 players and it uses the whole pack of 52 cards.

1. The dealer/leader removes three cards from one of the categories, e.g. one of
the four animals. The remaining animal is the Old Maid. The aim of the game
is to avoid being left with the Old Maid (an elderly unmarried lady).

2. The dealer deals the cards as evenly as possible among the group. It's
acceptable for some players to have more cards than other players.

3. Players sort their cards and discard any pairs belonging to the same
category. (If a player has three of the same category, he discards two of
the cards and keeps the third).

4. The dealer then offers his hand, face down, to the player on his left. That
player randomly takes one card from the dealer. If the card matches one he
already has in his hand, he puts the pair down. If not, he keeps it.

5. Play proceeds clockwise, so the player to the left of the dealer then offers
his hand, face down, to the player on his left. This cycle repeats until
there are no more pairs and the only remaining card is the Old Maid. The
game ends when the Old Maid is the only card in play. The person holding the
Old Maid loses that game.

9. I DOUBT IT
In this game players try to get rid of all their cards by deliberately
tricking other players. It is up to the other players to decide whether or
not to call another player’s bluff.

1. The dealer shuffles the pack and deals out the cards to each player in the
game. Three to five players is ideal where there is one pack of cards. It’s
fine if some players have one more card than others.

2. The first player plays one or more cards from his hand, face down, starting a
discard pile in the middle of the table. He says, “One animal,” or whichever
category he is laying down. He may say “Two Animals” – “Three Animals” or
even “Four Animals”. It is interesting that the player must call out the
category, not the individual item on the card.

3. Each player who discards cards can be challenged by any of the other players
who do not believe he has laid down the cards he says he has laid down. In
other words, a player may call another player’s bluff.

4. If the player is challenged successfully, if he is caught out bluffing, he
must pick up all the discarded cards in the pile on the table and add them to
his pile. If he has not been bluffing, the challenger must pick up all the
discarded cards and add them to his pile.

5. The first player to get rid of all his cards wins. The last play is always
made face up, because other players will inevitably doubt it.


10. INVITE SUGGESTIONS
Invite the players to suggest any card games they know that can be played
using word cards. Even better, ask them to invent card games that can be
played using the word cards. Invite players to suggest sets of four words
that can fit into the same category.



11 GAMES USING ORDINARY NUMBERED PLAYING CARDS

PREDICT HIGHER OR LOWER

1. The group get into pairs; include a threesome if numbers are odd.
2. Leader shuffles the pack. Then turns the first card face up.
3. First pair guess if the next card will be higher or lower in value.
4. Leader turns up next card.
5. If pair guess correctly, they win and keep the card, and have another go.
If they guess incorrectly, turn passes to next pair, and so on.
6. Winners are the pair who win most cards when the pack is exhausted.

PREDICT RED OR BLACK

As above, except that pairs win and keep the card when they predict
the colour, red or black, of the next card.

PREDICT THE SUIT

As above, except the pairs win and keep the card when they predict the suit
– hearts, clubs, spades, diamonds – of the next card.

MATCHING PAIRS – in PAIRS

1. The group get into pairs; include a threesome if numbers are odd.
2. Leader shuffles the pack and spreads all of them face down on a table.
3. Leader turns over first card, shows card, then lays it back where it came
from face down.
4. First pair pick up another card.
5. If they can then pick up another card that matches, they keep both cards,
and have another turn. If not, they must lay both cards face down where
they came from.
6. It is the turn of the next pair, and so on.
7. Winners are the pair who have collected the greatest number of pairs when
all the cards have been taken.

MATCHING SEQUENCES – in PAIRS

As above, except teams pairs are attempting to pick up three cards in
sequence; for example, 3-4-5, Jack-Queen-King, Ace-2-3, Ace-King-Queen.

COLLECTING CARDS IN SEQUENCE – in PAIRS
The aim of this game is to collect five cards in sequence,
regardless of suit.

1. Each team (pair) is dealt five cards by the leader.
2. The remaining cards are piled face down on the table.
3. Each team takes it in turn to take two cards from the top of the pile, and
discard two cards that go to the bottom of the pile.
4. The winners are the first team to collect a sequence of five cards.
5. If the playing deck is used up and there is no winner, the discard pile is
then shuffled and used to continue with the game.


12 JUST FOR FUN

JUNGLE SAFARI
1 Everyone sits in a circle.
2 The circle appoints a leader.
3 Each player adopts the name of an animal they might see on a Jungle Safari.
4 Leader notes down the name of each animal.
5 Players have a few moments to practice making the sounds their animal
makes.
6 Leader invents and tells a jungle story which includes the names of the
safari animals
7 Every time a player’s animal is mentioned, he/she must respond with the
sound of his/her animal
8 When the leader mentions the words ‘Jungle’ or ‘Safari’, all players
must respond with the sound of their animals
9 At the end of the story, appoint a new leader and have another go.
10 As a follow-up, players can make masks of their animals and wear them
when they play.
It’s easy to see how this can develop into a full scale drama activity.

SAUSAGES

1 Spin the bottle, or whatever, to decide who the first ‘Sausage’ will be
2 The ‘Sausage’ must sit facing everyone else; they sit in a semi-circle
3 When everyone is ready, players in the circle fire questions at the Sausage
4 No matter the question, the Sausage must reply loudly Sausages!
5 Players are attempting to make the Sausage smile or laugh
6 About 2 minutes, timed, for each Sausage.

HEAD AND SHOULDERS - KNEES AND TOES
This is an old favourite with a twist. It’s especially useful for those
cold winter days when the boiler system breaks down! But can be used as a
happy energiser at any time.

1. Everyone knows the old favourite ‘Head and Shoulders, Knees and Toes.’
Tell the learners you are all going to stand a go at it.
2. When some of them protest, say that you are going to introduce a challenge,
a competition (that usually gets them going).
3. Run through the whole thing quite speedily:

HEAD AND SHOULDERS, KNEES AND TOES,
KNEES AND TOES
HEAD AND SHOULDERS, KNEES AND TOES,
KNEES AND TOES
AND EYES AND EARS AND MOUTH AND NOSE
HEAD AND SHOULDERS, KNEES AND TOES,
KNEES AND TOES

4. Now ask learners to face each others in pairs or three.
(Here’s the twist).
Tell the learners they must run through the whole thing again,
BUT
They must call out the wrong body parts!
For example, when they are touching their knees,
They can touch any of the other named body parts EXCEPT their knees.

5. The ‘winning’ pair or threesome, is the one who can go through the whole
thing most accurately (i.e. getting the body parts wrong). The leader (you)
observes and decides on the winners.

THE NEVER-ENDING SENTENCE

1 Everyone sits in a circle
2 Leader begins with a name, for example ‘Fred’
3 Moving clockwise, each player in turn must continue the sentence by adding
one word e.g. FRED bought some old shoes….. etc. The word ‘and’ may only be
used 4 times in any sentence. Players must try to avoid completing the
sentence but it must make sense at all times.
4 A player may challenge at any time if they believe the sentence no longer
makes sense. If this is a wrong challenge, the challenging player must start
a new sentence
5 Each player is free to end a sentence if he/she believes it is grammatically
correct to do so, by simply calling out ‘FULL STOP!’
6 The leader will disqualify any player, including him/herself, who takes more
than 5 seconds to add the next word.

SPEEDWORDS

After explaining the activity, the teacher gives notice of a topic or
theme (e.g.: numbers, animals, names, something you eat, words beginning
with a specific letter, etc.)

1. All students stand.
2. One by one, the teacher points to each student.
3. Each student has to say a word that fits with the theme - without repeating
any previous suggestions.
4. If the suggestion is a valid suggestion, all other students clap twice and
the student making the suggestion sits down.
5. If the suggestion does not fit with the theme or has already been suggested
by a previous student, all other students silently wave their hands in the
air, the student remains standing and makes another suggestion. (The teacher
may point to another student and returning to this student soon afterwards).
6. The activity continues until all students are seated.