Thursday, January 10, 2019

20 Questions Speaking Lessons

(TESOL Worksheets--Speaking, Listening, Questions)

Google Drive Folder HERE
Failed Game Transcript: docs, pub
1st Game Transcript: docs, pub
2nd Game Transcript: docs, pub
3rd Game Transcript: docs, pub
Video Playlist HERE
Failed Game Video HERE
1st Game Video HERE
2nd Game Video HERE
3rd Game Video HERE

[This is partly inspired by A Framework for Task Based Learning by Jane Willis, who suggests that you record and transcribe native speakers doing a task and use that as an example before the students themselves do the task.  I've used these videos for lessons on question formation, and also on lessons for general conversation.  I was at one point planning to do more with these transcripts, and devise materials based around some of the vocabulary and re-occurring grammar structures--some sort of slideshow or vocabulary cards.  But I never got around to it.  I might go back to these someday in the future if I have time.  But for the moment, I've just been using the transcript by itself to draw the students' attention to grammar and vocabulary in the classroom.]



Watch the Video: https://youtu.be/4bVge1pwfQ4

Mary: First question

Doug: Is it alive?

Mary: No,

Doug: Is it something I would find outside?

Mary: Yes

Doug: Mmm. Is it something that moves?

Mary: No.

Doug: Is it something made of glass?

Mary: Can I say sometimes?  Sometimes.

Doug: Is it something also made of concrete?

Mary: Yes.

Doug: Is it…

Mary: Sometimes.

Doug: Is it something you live in?

Mary: No.

Doug: Is it something you put things in?

Mary: No.

Doug: Is it something...hmmm...is it something you…

Mary: Sorry, maybe not glass.

Doug: Can we start over? Alright, let’s do another one. Let’s-- I’ve asked a lot of shitty [realizes he just said a bad word, stops to correct himself] poor questions. Alright, alright, reset.


Watch the Video: https://youtu.be/qWqRbbZgeTM


Doug: [Is it] alive?

Mary: No

Doug: Is it something you’d find outside?

Mary: Yes

Doug: Is it something that you put things in?

Mary: No

Doug: Is it something that is made of wood?

Mary: Sometimes.

Doug: Is it something that moves?

Mary: No. Oh, sometimes.

Doug: Is it something… is it something that is painted?

Mary: Sometimes.

Doug: Is it something that has been around for at least 100 years.

Mary: Yes.

Doug: Is it something that has been around for 500 years.

Mary: No

Doug: Is it…

Mary: How many questions have we done?

Doug: Is it something that...is it something that I would pass on my way to work?

Mary: Possibly, yeah. So, yes.

Doug: Is it something, uh, I could go inside?

Mary: Yes.

Doug: Is...

Mary: Maybe you have 7 questions.

Doug: Is it something, uh, is it something I go in to make money?

Mary: No.

Doug: Is it… Hmmm… Is it something I would go to if I was sick?

Mary: No.

Doug: Is it something I can spend money in?

Mary: No.

Doug: Hmm. Is it...something I can park a car in?

Mary: In? No.

Doug: Is it something I can park a car on?

Mary: No.

Doug: Is it something I can park a car…[laughs] I’m joking...Is it something I can...Is it something I can see from the roof of this building?

Mary: You could. Maybe.  

Doug: Hmmm. 

Mary: Take a guess.

Doug: Is it aaaa building?

Mary: No. Is he allowed to guess then?

Joel: Yeah.

Mary: One guess.

Doug: One guess. Uhh.  Is it a bridge?

Mary: No

Doug: Ahh. What was it?

Mary: Playground

Doug: [Laughs] A playground! Nice. Alright, now it’s your turn?

Watch the Video: https://youtu.be/oFVi1yRBiHI


Doug: (unintelligible) Nice, okay.

Joel: Okay.

Doug: Ummm….okay. 

Mary: Is it alive?

Doug: Yes.

Mary: Okay. Is it an animal?

Doug: No.

Mary: Is it a plant?

Doug: No.

Mary: Okay. Is it a boy? Or a man? Is it male? That’s my question.

Doug: Yes.

Mary: Yes. Um, is he famous?

Doug: Yes.

Mary: Mmm. Is he in movies?

Doug: I don’t think so.

Mary: Okay. Umm… Is he alive now?

Doug: Yes.

Mary: [To herself] Ew. Wasted question. Um, okay. Is he in the government?

Doug: No.

Mary: Is he in politics?

Doug: I don’t think so.

Mary: Mmm. Is he an athlete?

Doug: No. 

Mary: 10 more questions. Umm… Is he young?

Doug: No-o

Mary: Mmm. Is he someone I know?

Doug: Yes.

Mary: Can I ask my question now? Is it Joel?  Is it [laughs] Joel?

Doug: [Laughs] Well I wish it would have been. Uh, no.  You don’t know him personally, but you know that person--you know of him.

Mary: Oh.

Doug: Yeah.

Mary: Umm. Hmm. Does he live in Vietnam?

Doug: No.

Mary: Does he live in the United States?

Doug: Yes. 

Mary: Is he an artist?

Doug: No.

Mary: I can’t remember if he was famous.

Doug: Very famous.

Mary: Umm… He lives in the United States? 

Doug: [nods] Mm-hmm

Mary: Not in politics or sports. Is he an artist?

Doug: Not an artist. Not in politics now. I don’t think. 

Mary: Okay. 

Doug: I don’t think. 

Mary: Does he live in the West Coast? Or the Western half of the United States?

Doug: I don’t--, I’m not sure, where he exactly lives.  It’s okay.

Mary: Can I ask a new question if he doesn’t know? Okay.  Um… Has he been on TV?

Doug: Countless times.

Mary: Uh…

Doug: S--, Countless times.  

Mary: I don’t know. Is…., I don’t really know famous people. Um… 

Doug: Mega famous

Mary: Does he have another character he plays? Or is it just him?

Doug: It’s just him. 

Mary: Um…, Was he famous at an early age?

Doug: No. 

Mary: I can only think of Donald Trump. Um… Oh! What? Is it Donald Trump?

Doug: No. One more guess. So close.

Mary: Really? Ronald Reagan?

Doug: D’oh! No! Barack Obama.

Mary: Oh. 

Doug: Sorry. Yeah he, uh--

Mary: That’s better than Trump.

Doug: Way better than Trump. But the question about the--, I don’t think he’s in politics now. I think he’s retired.

Mary: Oh!

Doug: Yeah, it’s tough. 

Mary: Okay.

Doug: Yeah, sorry.

Watch the Video: https://youtu.be/XmtRULp1_qU

Mary: Okay.

Doug: Is it alive?

Mary: Yes.

Doug: Hmm. Is it an animal?

Mary: Yes.

Doug: Does it live in the desert?

Mary: No.

Doug: Does it live in the jungle?

Mary: No.

Doug: Hmm. Does it live in cold places?

Mary: Yes.

Doug: Is it scary?

Mary: Sometimes.

Doug: Does it fly?

Mary: No.

Doug: Is it a reptile?

Mary: No.

Doug: Is it a mammal?

Mary: No. 

Doug: Is it a marsupial?

Mary: No.

Doug: Is--

Mary: I was trying to think if it was a mammal.

Doug: Is--

Mary: I don’t think so.

Doug (Talking to him himself): Ahh… hmm. It’s not a bird, it’s not a…. (to Mary) Is it an amphibian?

Mary: [Laughs] No. Um…

Doug: Does it have a duckbill?

Mary: No.

Doug: Is it… Does it live in the ocean?

Mary: Yes.

Doug: Ahh… Umm… Is it a predator?

Mary: No.

Doug: Not a mammal?

Mary: Maybe it’s an amphibian?

Doug: Hmm. Hmm. Does it look like a snake?

Mary: No.

Doug: Hmm.

Mary: You have five more questions.

Doug: Yes, okay.

Mary: I think it …

Doug (talking at the same time): Does it…

Mary: … I don’t know.

Doug: Uh, does it have tentacles?

Mary: Yes.

Doug: Does it have eight tentacles?

Mary: (pauses to think) Oh, ah, maybe sometimes.

Doug: Is it an octopus?

Mary: No.

Doug: Is it a squid?

Mary: No. (laughs) I think they’re tentacles.

Doug: Ah, is it a jellyfish?

Mary: Mm-Hmm.

Doug: Oh, high-five.

Mary: Okay, thanks.

Doug: Ah, I’m not sure what kind of an animal a jellyfish is technically.  I think it’s a… Joel?

Mary: I don’t know.

Joel: Yes, it’s a...it’s an invertebrate, right?

Doug: Invertebrate?

Mary: Ah, okay.

Joel: So that means it’s not a mammal, fish…

Doug: Not a mammal, fish

Joel: ...uh, amphibian…

Doug: It escapes all those classifications. Nice.

Mary: Ugh, sorry. 

Doug: That’s okay. I was playing on things. So, oh yeah, so we’re doing another round? Or...

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