True/False Betting

Submitted by: Sean Whelan    Borrowed or inspired from: N/A     Date added: 11-03-07

Brief Outline:  Have the students write a sentence about themselves that is true or false. Have the class bet on it. Win the money, go home happy etc.

Materials Needed:

Teaching Suggestions:

• Great as a review lesson on any grammar, or as a last minute filler when you’re jumped with a last minute lesson. Fairly adaptable. Use your imagination. Think Chuck Barris in ‘Confessions of a Dangerous Mind’. Should spice up the classroom a little.

Detailed Explanation:

1. Give the students some interesting sentence examples using 'when' -- "I studied Kendo when I was at junior high school." Or, "When I was at junior high school, I studied Kendo."
2. Ask the students whether they think it is a true/false statement. Think of something that will entertain or make them think. Give a few more examples, no, give them lots of examples. You will want the students to eventually come up their own interesting truth/lie. So the more the better I guess.
3. Give the students some paper and have them write a true AND false statement about themselves. I.e. I eat chocolate when I’m sad. I get mad when the ALT asks me a question. When I was 3 years old I could play Beethoven’s sixth on an electric-Theremin. This might take 5 minutes or so.
4. Break them up into teams and distribute the paper money. (about 10x10 dollar notes to each team is usually sufficient for a few rounds)
5. First, get a student from the first team to read out one of their statements. You can let his/her team bet, because they can try and throw the other teams off with a bluff if they like. Depends how smart your kids are. If you don’t want to work that bluffing dimension into the game just give them a bonus 20 for reading something out loud. Little darlings.
6. Collect the money from the other teams. Max bet is always half of what they have, and if they run out, use the ‘read a sentence bonus’ as a way to buy them back in.
7. After you have all the money have the teams write T/F on a piece of paper. Ring a bell, hit a gong, blow a whistle, or simply ask the students to raise their answers on your count and check the answers. Distribute the winnings (I usually give twice their initial bet back in winnings, except for SUPER rounds) and the ask the next team to read a sentence.
8. Repeat steps 5 to 7. The last round is always an opportunity for everyone to bet everything they have. Award stickers and government warning pamphlets on the ‘dangers of problem gambling’ (in English) for prizes.

Variations and Options:

• Adapt it for any grammar that could possibly work with true and false.

Attachments: 

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