In this post, I’m going to share some activities for working on questions.  In this case, I mean activities of working on different question forms and when and why they are used (as well as who asks them).

Guess the question

Version 1

Ask students to write 2 questions on a theme (to interview a famous person/to ask about the homework they have to do/to guess where the class is going this year on their trip…)

Each student then draws a box or circle for each word in their question.

For example:

Ο    Ο     Ο    Ο

The other student(s) try and guess the words in the question.  Each time they guess incorrectly, the person who wrote the question gets a point.  The game continues with another student showing their circles/boxes and their partner/group guesses words for the question.  The winner is the student with the most points * but their question must be logical and grammatically correct!!!

Version 2

You give each student 2 questions and they just draw the circles/squares.  You could do this with students in the class who may struggle to write the questions.

Questionstorm

You can use this for any skill.  Students try and come up with questions to fit a category or to work on a topic.

For example

Questions people ask:

a)  at a bus station       b)  when you need directions to a place     c)   when someone has just come back from a holiday     d)  a doctor asks     e)  a teacher asks     f)  a student asks       g)  a waiter asks  h)  a customer in a restaurant asks

Give each group a situation.  They write questions.  Groups read out their questions.  The other students have to guess what the situation is.

Pre- reading or listening activity

Tell students that they are going to read a text about a new video game, film or mobile.  It is their birthday soon and they want a new video game/mobile or to go to see a film.  Ask them to write or say 8 questions to find out about the game/film/phone.    They then read the text and see if they can find the answer to their questions.

Blindfold questions

One or more students stand or sit at the front/back of the class.  They are looking the opposite way to their classmates.  One of these students asks a question.  e.g  What’s your favourite food?    One of the students in the rest of the class answers.  The students who cannot see the rest of the class has to guess who answered the question.  If they cannot guess, they ask another question and the same student answers.

 

 

In the next post, I’ll be sharing other activities for working on questions and using them to work on imagination and creativity in the classroom.

Thematic questions

Give students 20 questions.  They have to make 4 groups of related questions.

When’s your birthday?

What’s your favourite animal?

Who do you play with at the weekend?

What time do you get up on Saturday?

Which animals don’t you like?

What’s the name of your school?

How old will you be on your next birthday?

Which subjects do you like best?

Do you watch TV on Saturdays and Sundays?

What present would you like?

Which animals are dangerous?

Do you like going to zoos?

Which subject is the most difficult?

Where do you have lunch on Sunday?

What sports can you play at school?

What food do you like eating on your birthday?

What do you do on Saturday afternoon?

Do you usually have a party?

Do you always remember to do your homework?

Do you have any pets?

They can then interview each other using the questions.

 

More questions activities to follow!