Party Crawl
Minefields

Level Aims Grammar Time Materials
junior high school second year to Adult To consolidate or review direction giving and understanding. directions 15 mins Work sheets, an OHP sheet master map.

Prepare worksheets showing a town with a number of intersecting streets. Make eight different copies, each with a house marked in a different place.

Divide the class into groups of four (a few groups of 5 is OK, but groups of 4 seem to function better), and give each group a different map. If there are more than 8 groups (there usually are) give two groups the same map, but don't tell them. Tell the class that they are going to have a special dinner, and that each course is at a different group's house. Have the students in each group take turns giving the rest of the class directions to their house. To make it more interesting, you can take the first turn and point the students in the wrong direction. For example, you might begin team-A by stating, "From the station, turn right and take the first left". The first student in team-A must then decide how to deal with your misdirection. They might say, "Walk straight until you come to the first corner on your left", or they might make it more challenging for the next student by saying, "Go straight on for three blocks ..."

Each group must tell the other groups how to get to their house from the last group's house. Group 'A' should start, and give directions to their house from the station. Group 'B' follows with instructions from 'A's' house to theirs. Etc., etc.. The object of the game is for students to listen to the instructions and draw in the route on their maps. Have the students finish by writing down the directions from group-H's house back to the station.

Have a master copy of the map on an OHP sheet, without any of the houses labelled. Have the groups give you the directions to their houses again, while you draw in the routes given (and label the houses). If they give incorrect instructions, say nothing. Let them correct themselves. As each group completes its directions the others can see how well they understood and, by following your route, see the (hopefully) correct directions to follow.

Finally, get each group in turn to give you one direction for the route back to the station, while you mark the way on the OHP sheet. Again, let the students be the ones to correct themselves.

The basic concept was appropriated from Jill Hadfield's excellent activity guide book Basic Communication Games, by Nelson Press.

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