Activity

Boring 4 Taro

This is an interview activity where the students ask each other questions in this style and write them down to create somewhat odd and random sentences.

Archived from Englipedia.
Originally submitted by Matt Baumgartner on July 7, 2007.

MATERIALS NEEDED:

  • Boring4Taro worksheet: There are three worksheets to choose from. You need to make a copy for each student.
  • Two small boxes
  • Scratch paper: One for each student
  • Pieces of paper with various adjectives written on them

DETAILED EXPLANATION:

  • Fold the pieces of paper that have the adjectives and put them in one box.
  • At the start of class, give students a blank slip of paper and tell them to write their name on it, fold it and place it in the other box.
  • Give the worksheet to the students and review the question: “Is it ___ for ___ to ___?”
  • The activity starts by the students drawing a name and adjective from each box. Once they have written the name and adjective on their worksheet, they return the slips of paper to the appropriate boxes.
  • Then, they find that person and ask them the question. For example, a student pulls “Taro” from one box and “difficult” from the other box. They must find and ask Taro: “Taro, is it difficult for you to use a toilet?” The bolded section is already written on their worksheets. Taro must answer: “Yes, it is” or “No, it’s not.” The student who asked the question writes the answer in the space provided on their worksheet.
  • After they have checked the accuracy of the sentence with the JTE/ALT, they draw another name and adjective.
  • The students continue until the entire worksheet is finished.

VARIATIONS:

  • Once everyone has completed their worksheets, choose random students to read their sentences aloud for the class.
  • Note Boring4Taro1 & 2 combined provide an alternative worksheet for the same activity.

TEACHING SUGGESTIONS:

  • Adjective suggestions: fun, interesting, difficult, boring, easy, hard, cool, helpful, good, impossible, ridiculous, convenient, meaningless, pointless, etc.
  • Verb suggestions: break a window, scratch the chalkboard, wear makeup, sleep in class, scream and yell, toss a cat, eat natto ice cream, etc.

TIPS/CAUTIONS:

  • Think about the adjectives you choose. Don’t make the adjectives too random. It would sound strange, for example, to say: “It is fast for you to play this game.” Try making the sentence endings on your worksheet interesting, but keep them simple. This activity loses its luster if the students don’t understand the meanings.
  • Some classes work better in pairs. If this is the case with your class, you don't need the "student's name" area. Also, if students are working in pairs, students don't need to keep asking their partner's name before each question.
3
Submitted by Englipedia Archive May 7, 2020 Estimated time: 15-30 min
  1. justBrowsing June 26, 2022

    Nice and simple!

Sign in or create an account to leave a comment.