Digital Play

By kylemawer 　http://www.digitalplay.info/blog/2012/11/23/2729/

Level: Intermediate

Location: Non-connected classroom

Skills Focus: Writing

Language focus:  Present Perfect

This activity uses two screenshots as flashcards, which are taken from a game called ‘Hoppin at the Avocado Combos‘.  Students look at a screenshot taken at the beginning of the game and compare it to a screenshot taken at the end of the game and describe what has changed.

Preparation

Decide if you are going to:

1) Show the two screenshots to the class and elicit sentences in open class for learners to write down sentences (download and print a single copy).

2) Hand out the two screenshots to each pair of learners for them to work in pairs writing down sentences (download and print a copy for each pair of  learners).

What I like to do is do is:

step 1) to elicit a few example sentences with the target language as an open class activity

step 2) for learners to write down the examples and either continue working in pairs or on their own.   Monitor and help as necessary.

Play

1. Show learners the first screenshot and tell them this is the beginning of an online game.  Elicit what they can see.
2. Show learners the second screenshot (next to the first or, if you want to introduce a memory challenge element, covering the first screenshot).
3. Ask learners to identify ‘What has changed?’ using the present perfect.
4. Award a point for each correct sentence.
5. Continue verbally for a few sentences.
6. Then ask learners to write down ten sentences about the two screenshots saying what has changed.
7. Feedback in open class.

Post Play

For homework learners learners can either:

a) Write more sentences on the screenshots.  Offer an incentive to learners by saying the one who writes the most correct sentences gets less homework next time.

b) Write explanations to the sentences they have written down.

Here are some examples produced by a class:

The man playing the saxophone has stopped because he has gone to the doctor’s.

The door to room 174 has *been left opened because the man has gone on holiday.

* a need for the present perfect passive form emerged so after a quick presentation learners began to produce this too.

NOTE Why not find other games where noticeable changes take place during play and take a ‘before’ and ‘after’ screenshot to use in class.   Games where game play spans a single screen tend to work the best.

Downloads

Hoppin’ At The Avocado Combos Screenshots

Hoppin’ At The Avocado Combos