That's My Bag

Archived from Englipedia.
Originally submitted by Lindsay Upton on June 02, 2010.

DETAILED EXPLANATION:

• First, make sure all the students know the names of basic school items: pen, pencil, eraser, ruler, marker, white-out, notebook, textbook, etc. (scissors are technically plural, so tell them to put those away for now)
• Explain that both and ALT and JTE are "Thieves"! They are going to walk around and steal items from the students.
• Instruct the students to lay some of their items out on their desks and then put their heads down. No peaking!
• The ALT/JTE walk around and quietly, carefully remove items from the students desk and pile them at the front of the classroom. When you have enough, tell them to look up.
• The ALT/JTE alternate picking up items from the pile and asking, "This is my ."
• The owner of the item must stand up and answer, "No, it's not! That's MY !" Encourage them to be loud and emotive, as though they were accusing a real thief.
• The owner comes up to the front to claim their item.

VARIATIONS:

• Instead of saying "This is my...", you could have the owner of the item raise their hand and then you ask them, "Is this YOUR -----?" or point to a student "Is this AKEMI'S -----?"
• You can also alternative with your co-teacher, having the JTE/ALT hold up and item and the other teacher points and asks, "Is THAT my/your ----?"

TEACHING SUGGESTIONS:

• Writing the phrases on the board as a reference, if you don't have it written already, is a really good idea. Even the higher level students need a little reminder.
• Students seem to really like this simple game. When you tell them you are a "thief", they usually make a fuss and try to hide all their items in their desk! Even the lower-level students found it entertaining.