Digital Play

By kylemawer 　http://www.digitalplay.info/blog/2011/02/25/question-forms-with-ask-peter/

Learners write questions for the online Tarot reader ‘Ask Peter’ to answer.

Level: Pre-intermediate +

Location: Connected classroom

Language focus:  Wh- (QASI) forms

Game: Peter Answers

Preparation

Ask learners to write down three questions.  there are three rules:

1. The answers have to be the names of people in the room.
2. They should try and use about 45 characters (punctuation or spaces or letters = 1 character)
3. They should be questions that have got answers only people in the room know.
4. Learners write their questions while you monitor.

Play

Explain that you are going to ask the questions to an online virtual Tarot reader.

Point out that you first have to type in Peter, please answer the following:

Point out that you then type in a learner’s question and then press return and you will then get the answer.

NOTE

The secret is that in the petition box you first put a full stop before writing the answer to the question you are going to type in.

This is a trick program that simply means that if you start the petition with a full stop you can then write the answer to the question you type in next without anyone realising.  While you write, for example, “.Who is wearing a red t-shirt . . . ” on the screen you see “Peter, please answer the fol (lowing:).

Your learners will be amazed.

Post activity

Learners say a question they want to ask ‘Peter answers’.  If the question is not grammatically correct simply say “I’m sorry.  Peter only accepts grammatically correct questions.”  This encourages either the individual or the class to review and correct the question.  If the answer isn’t immediately apparent then make excuses.  e.g.

Learner “What’s the name of my mother?”

Teacher “If the screen can’t see the answer, I’m afraid Peter can’t answer that.”

Be careful choosing to tell your learners the secret because you may want to use the game in another class.  If you do use it in class again it may be the case at least one of your learners went home and found out the secret to Peter answers.  You can generally find this out by keeping an eye and ear out next time you bring the game up again.  If there is a learner who knows the secret then they can come up and type in the questions.