“Appendix: Conversation Group Games,” EnglishConnect 2 for Learners (2022)

“Conversation Group Games,” EnglishConnect 2 for Learners

Appendix

Conversation Group Games

Included in this manual is a list of fun games to practice English. You can play these games during any group meeting. Use the patterns and vocabulary from the lesson you are on or a previous lesson. (Most of these games require you to work with a partner or a small group.)

Questions (10–15 minutes)

Image

three question marks

Steps

Choose a question from the list. Remember you can replace underlined words with other words and phrases.
Share your answer with the group.
Take turns choosing questions and sharing answers.

Questions to Review Patterns:

What do you like doing? Why?
Tell me about your extended family.
How are you and your sister different?
Are you happy? Why or why not?
Tell me about where you live.
What were you like as a child?
Tell me about your weekly routine.
What did you do yesterday?
Where were you yesterday? Why?
When did you finish school?
What happened when you moved to the United States?
Tell me about shopping in your city.
Which phone is better?
Tell me about your neighborhood.
What will you do tomorrow?
Tell me about your favorite holiday.
Tell me about your plans for the summer.
What do you do when you are sick?
Tell me about a time when you got hurt. What happened?
Tell me about an event next week.
Tell me about your last vacation.
What are your future plans?

Notes

You can play this game with the whole group or in smaller groups of three to five people.
You are not limited to the questions on this list. You can create new questions. You can also change the underlined words to create more questions.
If you want to make this game more challenging, take turns sharing the answers you remember from each member of the group.
You can use these questions with other games, such as “Bicycle Chain” or “Ball Toss.”

Hot Seat (10–20 minutes)

Image

woman sitting with back to blackboard

Steps

Divide into two teams.
Choose two learners (one learner from each team). These learners sit facing the group (in the “hot seat”) with their backs to the board.
Your teacher writes a vocabulary word or phrase on the board. The learners in the “hot seat” cannot see the word.
The teams have two minutes to help their teammate in the “hot seat” guess the word on the board without saying the word.
The person in the “hot seat” who says the word first gets one point for their team. If a team says the word on the board while trying to help their teammate guess, they don’t get a point.
Repeat with new words.

Notes

Create one to three teams depending on group size.
If you are meeting virtually, play as a whole group rather than in teams. One person is in the “hot seat.” This person does not know the word. One person is the “clue giver.” The “clue giver” chooses a word and gives clues so the person in the “hot seat” can guess the word.

Ball Toss (10–15 minutes)

Image

young woman with a ball

Steps

Find a ball, a soft object, or a crumpled piece of paper.
Choose a question. (Use one from a lesson or see “Questions” in this appendix.)
Ask the question and toss the ball to a learner.
The learner catches the ball and answers the question.
The learner asks the question again and tosses the ball to another learner.
Repeat until each learner in your group has answered the question. Then begin again with a new question.

Notes

To make this game more challenging, change the question each time you toss the ball.
If you are meeting virtually, call out names instead of tossing a ball.

Give One, Get One (10–20 minutes)

Steps

Choose a topic for the group (for example: family, sports, or food).
Write down as many words as you know about the topic for one to two minutes.
Stand up and walk around the room. Find a partner.
Share a word from your list with your partner. Your partner shares a word with you. If it is a new word, add the word to your list.
Walk around the room again. Find a new partner. Repeat.

Example

Topic: family

Partner A writes:

mom
dad
sister
brother

Partner B writes:

grandfather
grandmother
mother
father
aunt
uncle

A: What’s one word from your list?
B: Grandmother.
A: I don’t have that word. I’ll add it to my list.
B: What’s a word from your list?
A: Mom.
B: I have mother. I will write mom next to mother.

Both learners add the new words to their lists.

Partner A’s list:

mom
dad
sister
brother
grandmother

Partner B’s list:

grandfather
grandmother
mother, mom
father
aunt
uncle

Notes

This is a great way to learn or practice new vocabulary that is not in the lesson.
If you are meeting virtually, have each person share one word from their list with the whole group rather than working in pairs.

Speculation—“I think that you …” (15–20 minutes)

Image

two women laughing

Steps

Think of a verb.
Say the verb out loud.
Using the verb, create a true sentence about another learner. Say, “I think that you …” to start your sentence.
The other learner says if your statement is true or not.
If it is true, you get one point. If it is not true, you don’t get a point.
The first learner who reaches five points wins!
Complete 10 to 20 rounds. Change the verb for each round.

Example

Learner A (to learner B): The verb is like. I think that you like chocolate.

Learner B: That’s true! (Learner A gets a point.)

Learner B (to learner C): I think that you like to play basketball.

Learner C: That’s not true! (Learner B doesn’t get a point.)

Notes

Create groups of three to five people.
This game will include 10 to 20 rounds. You will need a verb for each round. Take turns saying a new verb each time you start a round.

Tell Me a Story! (5–15 minutes)

Steps

Work with a partner or a small group.
One person says the first sentence of a made-up story.
The next person says the second sentence.
Take turns saying one sentence of the story until the story is over.

Example

A: Yesterday, Sara and Mari missed the bus to come to conversation group.
B: They waited for the next bus, but it didn’t come.
C: They started to walk to the church.
A: Luke was driving to conversation group and saw them walking.
B: He stopped so they could go with him.
C: Sara, Mari, and Luke arrived 20 minutes late.
A: Luke was happy to help Sara and Mari.
B: He said it was a blessing in disguise that he was late.
C: They all had a fun time.

Notes

Create groups of three to five people.
You can make this activity easier by showing a picture to start the story.
Another way to make this activity easier is to have each group start with the same sentence. For example, each group could start with “I had a terrible weekend” or “It was the best day of my life.”

Two Truths and One Lie (10–15 minutes)

Steps

Think of two things that are true about yourself. Make up one thing that is not true. Try to use vocabulary and phrases from a lesson.
Read your statements aloud to a partner or a small group of three to five people.
Your group members ask you questions in order to guess which statement is not true. Answer their questions.

Example

Group member 1: “I like pizza. I like French fries. I like chocolate. Which is not true?”

Vocabulary Cards (10–15 minutes)

Image

man listening

Steps

Write 5 to 10 vocabulary words on small pieces of paper (sticky notes work great). Put the pieces of paper in a stack.
Find a partner.
Flip the stacks of words upside down so you can’t see the words. Switch stacks with your partner.
Choose a paper. Do not look at the word. Hold the paper up to your forehead. Your partner describes the word (or gives a translation) so that you can guess the word on the paper. If you guess correctly, you get one point.
Take turns. Repeat for each paper in your stack.

Notes

This is a great way to practice vocabulary.
If you are meeting virtually, work with the whole group rather than in pairs. Each person writes a list of words. Do not show your list to the group. Take turns choosing one word from your list. Describe it to the group without saying the word. Group members guess the word.

Dice Game 2 (10–15 minutes)

Steps

Image

two dice

You need two dice (or number cards numbered 1–6).
Choose six verbs and write them on the board numbered 1–6.
Choose other words, pronouns, or tenses and write them on the board numbered 1–6.
Work with a partner or a small group of three to five people. Roll the dice. Use both numbers you roll to create a sentence with the corresponding words. Take turns.

Example

The teacher writes the following verbs and tenses on the board:

Verbs

eat
play
talk
laugh
go
buy

Tenses

1, 3, 5 = past tense
2, 4, 6 = present tense

Learner 1 rolls the dice and gets 6 and 3. He creates a sentence using buy + past tense.

“I bought rice and chicken at the store last night.”

Learner 2 rolls the dice and gets 4 and 6. She creates a sentence using laugh + present tense.

“I always laugh at my dog. He’s so silly.”

Learner 3 rolls the dice and gets 1 and 5. He creates a sentence using eat + past tense.

“I ate pizza for lunch.”

Notes

This is a good way to practice tense (past, present, future) or other grammar structures (using before and after, questions, negative statements, and so on).
If you are meeting virtually, work with the whole group. Use virtual dice and take turns creating sentences.

Bicycle Chain (in person) (10–20 minutes)

This activity only works for groups meeting in person.

Steps

Choose a question. (Use one from a lesson or see “Questions” in this appendix.)
Line up in two lines facing one another.

Image
diagram of two rows of people facing each other
The people facing each other are partners.
Partners ask and answer the question.

Image
diagram of 2 rows of people where everyone moves to the position of the person on their right
Move in a circle so each person has a new partner.

Image
diagram showing two rows of people facing new people than what they started with
Partners ask and answer the question.
Repeat steps 5 and 6.

Notes

If you have an odd number of people, create one group of three.

Mingle and Share (in person) (10–15 minutes)

This activity only works for groups meeting in person.

Image

two people talking

Steps

Choose a question. (Use one from a lesson or see “Questions” in this appendix.)
Stand up and find a partner.
Ask your partner the question. Remember your partner’s answer. Answer your partner’s question.
Walk around the room and find a new partner. Ask and answer questions. Repeat several times with new partners. Remember all of your partners’ answers.
Return to your seat. Share with the group what you learned.

Example

Question: What do you like to do?

Learners walk around asking and answering the question with different partners.

Sara: What do you like to do?

Mei: I like to dance. What do you like to do?

Sara: I like to go to karaoke.

Mei: What’s your favorite song to sing?

Sara: I don’t have a favorite song. I really like to sing with other people.

Mei: What do you like to do?

Lee: I like to play video games. What do you like to do?

Mei: I like to dance. What is your favorite game?

Lee: I like strategy games.

Learners share with the group what they learned.

Teacher: What does Mei like to do?

Sara: She likes to dance.

Teacher: What does Lee like to do?

Mei: He likes to play video games.