Prep:
Worksheets (one per student)
Secret information cards (5 copies to have extras, laminated if you can)
Activity:
Simple but effective information gap activity. Students each receive a worksheet and a card with "secret information" on it, and they have to try and get the rest of the secret information from their classmates through conversations using these phrases:
"Do you know what _________ is?"
"Do you know where ___________ is?"
"Could you tell me the spelling?"
I let them walk around freely, meet a partner, and discuss to get the information. However, I really take a lot of time before the game to emphasize firmly that they are SPIES, and this is SECRET information. They can't under any circumstances show their paper or card to anyone else. Also, the spelling is important for the last part of the activity, so they HAVE to write the words in English. If they don't know the spelling, they should ask.
There are eight cards with secret information (1-6, 8-9). They should write their own card's answer on their paper. Number 7 is missing in order to be an example; I have them ask me the questions to practice before starting the game. Everyone does that together, and then they are free to walk around and find partners. I try to keep them to pairs or groups of three.
This does take a considerable amount of time if they're doing it right, about 20 minutes of free conversation.
After they finish and everyone sits down, review the answers together on the board. Then, to complete the secret code to find the meaning of スパイ行為 (supai koui), they have to choose the correct letters using the cipher.
For example: (1-2) means "first word, second letter." Since the first answer word is "Peru," they write the letter "e" in that space. The answers and the solution are on the second page of the worksheet for teachers.