Te lo juro
It really will work. Te lo juro. (I swear to you!) Using comprehensible input in the language classroom does take a leap of faith...but it works. Last week we played the game, Te lo juro. It's deceptively easy. The kids pay no attention to the Spanish at all. And that is the method to my madness.
Three students sit in the front of the room. They have volunteered to be the "mentirosos" (liars). Each of them has an index card folded in half in front of them. On the outside of the cards is the phrase "Te lo juro" (I swear to you/I promise you) On the inside of the cards is the phrase, "Tengo el desayuno". (I have the breakfast) On only one of the cards, next to the statement "I have the breakfast" is a sketch of a doughnut and coffee.
All three of the 'mentirosos" face the class and say in their most convincing manner, "Tengo el desayuno. Te lo juro." ( I have the breakfast. I swear it to you." I then ask for volunteers to "interrogate" the "mentirosos". Anyone who volunteers can choose one "mentiroso" to question. They are instructed to be as stern as possible, as intimidating as they can be, as they ask the question: "Do you have the breakfast?" (I'll switch to all English here but of course we are working in Spanish in the classroom). The "liar" being questioned must answer, "I have the breakfast, I swear it to you."
I add additional reps of the phrases by MCing the game. Johnny has just asked Jalisa "Do you have the breakfast?" and Jalisa has answered "I HAVE THE BREAKFAST, I SWEAR IT TO YOU!" I believe that she has the breakfast. Do her eyes say she has the breakfast? Does her smile say that she has the breakfast? and so on...
Sometimes I let everyone in the class be an interrogator. Sometimes only a few students want to. When I feel the time is right, I go around the entire class and ask..."In your opinion, who has the breakfast? And each student gives his response. And I get to throw in more reps....Morgan and Trey and Ana say that Jalisa has the breakfast and Jalisa swears that she has the breakfast. Could she really have the breakfast? Or does Martin have the breakfast?
When everyone has made their prediction I ask the real holder of the breakfast to stand...and after a few fake-out moves from the two that do not have the breakfast, the true owner of the breakfast rises while the class reacts with shouts and groans.
When we first start to play the game, we use a very limited set of phrases:
I swear it to you.
I have the breakfast.
Do you have the breakfast?
Who do you want to ask?
I want to ask ___________.
In your opinion who has the breakfast?
In my opinion, ________________has the breakfast.
As the weeks go on, we can add more phrases:
I have it/Do you have it?
Do you believe him?/I believe him/I don't believe him
Are you sure?/I'm sure/I'm not sure
What do you think?/I think that.....
I want to know/I demand to know/I must know
I am not a liar/I tell the truth/Believe me
I can change the inside of the card so that two out of the three have a breakfast and then ask the question: "Who ate the breakfast?" They will all swear that they ate the breakfast and the one who does NOT have a breakfast sketch will be the one who "ate" the breakfast.
I can change the item inside of the card:
I found the breakfast/I made the breakfast/I bought the breakfast/I cooked the breakfast
And of course I can change the word breakfast to any other item that I would like to get reps of. (I just chose breakfast because I felt like it)
They love playing the game. Like I said...they could care less about the language...they want to figure out who is lying and who isn't!!! But boy are they acquiring the language!!
with love,
Laurie
Three students sit in the front of the room. They have volunteered to be the "mentirosos" (liars). Each of them has an index card folded in half in front of them. On the outside of the cards is the phrase "Te lo juro" (I swear to you/I promise you) On the inside of the cards is the phrase, "Tengo el desayuno". (I have the breakfast) On only one of the cards, next to the statement "I have the breakfast" is a sketch of a doughnut and coffee.
All three of the 'mentirosos" face the class and say in their most convincing manner, "Tengo el desayuno. Te lo juro." ( I have the breakfast. I swear it to you." I then ask for volunteers to "interrogate" the "mentirosos". Anyone who volunteers can choose one "mentiroso" to question. They are instructed to be as stern as possible, as intimidating as they can be, as they ask the question: "Do you have the breakfast?" (I'll switch to all English here but of course we are working in Spanish in the classroom). The "liar" being questioned must answer, "I have the breakfast, I swear it to you."
I add additional reps of the phrases by MCing the game. Johnny has just asked Jalisa "Do you have the breakfast?" and Jalisa has answered "I HAVE THE BREAKFAST, I SWEAR IT TO YOU!" I believe that she has the breakfast. Do her eyes say she has the breakfast? Does her smile say that she has the breakfast? and so on...
Sometimes I let everyone in the class be an interrogator. Sometimes only a few students want to. When I feel the time is right, I go around the entire class and ask..."In your opinion, who has the breakfast? And each student gives his response. And I get to throw in more reps....Morgan and Trey and Ana say that Jalisa has the breakfast and Jalisa swears that she has the breakfast. Could she really have the breakfast? Or does Martin have the breakfast?
When everyone has made their prediction I ask the real holder of the breakfast to stand...and after a few fake-out moves from the two that do not have the breakfast, the true owner of the breakfast rises while the class reacts with shouts and groans.
When we first start to play the game, we use a very limited set of phrases:
I swear it to you.
I have the breakfast.
Do you have the breakfast?
Who do you want to ask?
I want to ask ___________.
In your opinion who has the breakfast?
In my opinion, ________________has the breakfast.
As the weeks go on, we can add more phrases:
I have it/Do you have it?
Do you believe him?/I believe him/I don't believe him
Are you sure?/I'm sure/I'm not sure
What do you think?/I think that.....
I want to know/I demand to know/I must know
I am not a liar/I tell the truth/Believe me
I can change the inside of the card so that two out of the three have a breakfast and then ask the question: "Who ate the breakfast?" They will all swear that they ate the breakfast and the one who does NOT have a breakfast sketch will be the one who "ate" the breakfast.
I can change the item inside of the card:
I found the breakfast/I made the breakfast/I bought the breakfast/I cooked the breakfast
And of course I can change the word breakfast to any other item that I would like to get reps of. (I just chose breakfast because I felt like it)
They love playing the game. Like I said...they could care less about the language...they want to figure out who is lying and who isn't!!! But boy are they acquiring the language!!
with love,
Laurie
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