Are You Asking?

Introduction
Who? What? When? Why? How? Talking in just questions? See who’s up for this hilarious challenge.

Learning Objective

Kids will practice strategic thinking and build English language skills.

Materials

• None

Activity

1. Ask: What are the ways we ask questions?
2. Discuss: We ask for information in several different ways:
   a. How and ‘wh’ words (who, what, when, where)
   b. Linking verbs (is, am, are, were, was)
   c. Do and don’t
   d. Intonation (You are going to the store?)
   e. Tag questions (You’re not going to the store, are you?).
3. Explain: Today we’re going to play a game of questions. Let’s see how long we can keep a conversation going with just questions.
4. Divide group into to teams, A and B.
5. Have one person from each team stand up and face each other, as if they are going to have a conversation. These will be the first players. During their turn no one else can talk.
6. Have everyone else on each team line up, single file, behind them.
7. The player on Team A asks the player on Team B a question. The player on Team B must respond with a question. Then, the player in Team A responds with a question. These two players keep going until someone slips up or takes too long to respond (you can use a stop watch to set a time limit).
   Example: Player A: Nice day, isn’t it?
   Player B: Are you going swimming?
   Player A: Do you think the water will be too cold?
   Player B: Don’t you like the cold?
   Player A: You’re kidding, right?
8. When a player makes a mistake, he/she must go to the back of the line of their team. And the next person in line takes their place, continuing the conversation or starting a new one.
9. The winner might be the player who stays in his/her turn the longest, or the team with the fewer rotations.
10. Debrief: Who else could you play this game with? How can we change the rules to make it more challenging—or less?

Twist!

Play the same way, but players have to have a conversation in which each turn
starts with the next letter of the alphabet.
Example: Player A: A lovely day, isn’t it?
Player B: Beautiful, really beautiful.
Player A: Couldn’t ask for better weather
Player B: Do you want to go for a walk?
Player A: Excellent idea!

Project Extension!

Have groups create a game show. Invite family members to be part of the
audience—or contestants!

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