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Why were you?
This fun game requires students to think on their feet as they are hit by a barrage of strange questions.
- Focus: Grammar
- Level: Pre-Intermediate +
- Age: Teens/Adult
- Target Language: Present or past progressive
- Time: 15 minutes
- Preparation: Minimal
Procedure:
1: One student sits in the hot seat (S1).
2: Give each of the remaining students a piece of paper with an activity.
3: Students take turns to ask S1 why they are/were doing the activity on their paper.
4: S1 must try to answer all of the questions in a set time, and gets a point for each good answer.
5: After the time is up, choose a new student to go in the hot seat, and change the activity cards.
Example:
S2: Why were you wearing a coat?
S1: Because it was raining!
S3: Why were you sleeping in lesson?
S1: My friend was talking about something boring!
Variations:
Online: This activity can work online providing all students know when it is their turn to ask.
1: This game could just as easily be used to practise present continuous by change the question to “why are you…?”
2: If you have a big class, students could do this activity in smaller groups. Points could also be awarded for the funniest answer.
Example Language:
wearing a coat
sleeping in class
burning your homework
eating your pencil
taking money from your friend’s bag
putting a spider on your friend’s chair
drawing on the table
pushing your friend
pulling your friend’s hair
shouting at your friend
eating paper
wearing a hat
putting your book in the bin
running in the hall
drawing a picture
using your phone
speaking Russian
looking at the wrong page
