This is like a role-play activity with no dialogue!

Author
Jo Budden

It needs a little bit of preparation time for you to write out the problem cards. This example is set in a hotel, but you can adapt this to any scenario where functional language would be used, such as at the train station, in a restaurant or at the shops. 

Procedure:

  • Put students into small groups.
  • Tell the students they are in a hotel. Explain that one student in the group is the guest, and the other students are the receptionists. The guest has some problems that they need to tell the receptionists about. However, the guest has lost their voice and can only mime!
  • Give the guest in each group a problem card, for example the TV doesn't work, the window is broken or the shower in my room doesn't have any hot water. The guest mimes and the receptionists need to guess the problem.
  • To make it more challenging and to revise functional language, you could make it so they must guess what is written on the card word for word, e.g. Could you help me please? The key to my room doesn't open the door.
  • The first receptionist to guess wins a point and keeps the card.
  • Then change roles so another student in the group is the guest, and give them a new problem card to mime.
  • When all the problems have been guessed, ask students to role play the different situations.
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