Activity Focus:
Accuracy and Fluency (semi-controlled)
Activity Type:
Active game
Materials:
Chairs (enough for all students except one!)
Preparation:
Arrange the chairs in a circle. The chairs should be close together but not touching; there should be enough space for students to move around inside the circle easily
Activity Procedure:
Have all the students sit in chairs except for one (again- you’ll want only enough chairs for all but one student!) The student who is left without a chair stands in the middle of the circle. This student has to say something he or she has never done, e.g. I have never been to Europe. Any student who has done that thing has to stand up and find a new chair. In the scramble to find a new chair, the student who was standing up initially also tries to sit down in one of the chairs that becomes available. Whichever student is left without a chair at the end has to give the next prompt: I have never… and the game continues.
You can let the game go as long as you’d like.
What to Watch Out For
This is a physical activity and could get out of hand easily. Even with adults, it’s a good idea to give a friendly reminder before starting that the game is not a contact sport and students should not touch each other, push each other out of the way, etc.
It’s not uncommon for the person standing up to have trouble thinking of a I have never… prompt. You may want to let students brainstorm things they have never done (but think other people have done!) for a few minutes before starting to cut down on thinking time during the game.
Activity Adaptations:
Instead of having students say something they haven’t done, you could ask them to say things they have done. This makes it seem a bit more like they’re looking for classmates they have things in common with (though of course finding a chair will still be the main focus!)
This activity can easily be adapted to practice other tenses. Provide practice with the present simple by asking students to give prompts in the present simple:
I have a dog / I like basketball / I don’t like coffee / etc.
and then students who have the prompt in common have to get up and find a new chair.