A SURPRISE PACKAGE

A SURPRISE PACKAGE

                  

Age Level - Teens and above

Proficiency level - Intermediate and above

Material - None

Objective - To develop creativity when solving problems; to use language in a communicative way.

 Divide the class into small groups. Each group must have a sheet of paper to jot down ideas. The teacher reads the following story:

"Imagine we are survivors from a ship wreck and we are in a desert island, sitting on the beach, thinking what to do next. We have absolutely nothing except the clothes we are wearing. Suddenly, we see a package floating in the water. We run to get it, and when we open it, what is inside??? Twenty-four cans of hair spray (or anything unusual, such as 10 blank notebooks, a box of plastic dishes, a teddy bear, etc). The question that arises is, 'What are we going to do with these things in order to make our life easier here?' "

• In their groups, students have three minutes to write down five original ideas to use the objects.
• When time is up, they stop writing, and each group reads their ideas. Each original idea, one that no other group had, is worth 10 points. Ideas that occur in more than one group are worth five points. Groups add their points, and the group with the highest number wins.

(Adapted from "Alternatives", by Richard and Marjorie Baudains - Pilgrims Longman Resource Books).