LEVEL: Intermediate to Advanced
TIME: ~15 minutes
PURPOSE: Vocabulary usage, adjective clause practice, and thinking about things that aren’t obvious
PREPARATION AND MATERIALS:
- Timer
- Ensure there are enough copies for the desired activity. You can do this all together as a class room (1 copy) or divide students into groups. Each group can have a copy of a set, or one set can be divided among groups.
- Option 1: Pictures on a PowerPoint. For each picture, a list of words that cannot be used when describing the picture.
- Option 2: Cards with the target image and list of words that cannot be used to describe it.
If you want to use a word instead of an image (ie. the word “dog” vs a picture of a dog), that is also possible, but it is more mental tax for students to think about.
GOAL: Describe the picture without using any of the words in the “taboo” list
ACTIVITY:
There are multiple ways this can be done, depending on the class size and level of gamification desired.
Version 1: Easy Mode — Teacher shows the picture and forbidden words on the board/screen. Students then call out adjective clauses describing the picture. If students haven’t played Taboo before, this is a good way to start, or at least a practice round.
Version 2: Competition — Students are divided into groups/teams. One member from each team comes to the front, picks a card, and has to describe it to their teammates. If teammates get it before the timer is out, they win at point!
Version 3: Headband Style — Students divided into groups. Sets of cards are distributed for each student and tied to their forehead so their teammates can see it, others can’t. Their fellow group members have to describe the picture to them.
Version 4: Inverse — Students are still in groups and everyone has their own card, but it is the inverse of #3. Each student has to describe their card to their group members, who have to guess.