I think a few people have made activities using the hot potato game but I haven't seen it used for Q and A yet so I came up with this version. Please let me know if otherwise, and I will update.
This activity practices writing, reading, speaking, and listening so it's an all around good activity.
I have done this for both 1st and 2nd years, and both cases were successful. They all really get into it.
Preparation:
- handouts of Wh/ questions with answer space below each question.
ex: What did you do yesterday?
Materials needed:
- writing utensil
- timer
- small soft items to use as "the hot potato"
This game works similar to typical Hot Potato. The game starts with a timer for 1 minute 30 seconds. The first person starts with the "hot potato" and asks the second person a question from the handout. Then they pass the "hot potato" to the second person. The second person must answer the question, then ask the third person a question before passing the "hot potato" on. The one who has the "hot potato" when the time runs out is the loser.
For this to run smoothly, a short demo with the JTE is essential. Things to emphasize would be the importance of asking a question FIRST before passing it to the next student. Also, that they don't throw the plush, but hand it to the next person. I put the kids into small groups and it ran pretty well. Have them decide the order they pass the "hot potato" to, so that all students get a chance to participate.
The handout is used to make sure the kids know what question is being asked and what the proper response should be. This also helps the kids self-regulate themselves if they give the wrong answer to the questions. With the handout, you can either have the kids write the answers themselves or work as a class to complete the answers. This activity was mainly about practicing questions and answers, and the students were a little weak in English, so I helped the whole class answer the questions. This way they had something to say when it was their turn in Hot Potato. I had 7 questions on my handout, and completed 3 questions with the class before starting the first round. After the round, I answered another question with them. This way they could get a little more excited to play and stay engaged while writing their sentences.
One anecdote about the "hot potato" is that I used plush keychains I collected during travels in Japan. First, they are soft and they won't cause any injuries, but also the kids get a kick out of seeing them. I had the groups rock-scissors-paper to choose which keychain they would get.