Onions have many layers right? You've played or know about the hot potato game right?
Well combine those two things and you get this crazy game!
There are 2 ways I've done this activity:
Version 1:
Have students break into small groups of 3-5
Choose a topic and target grammar. Examples:
• Summer and use “what, where, why, who, when, and how”
• Favorite things
• Foods
Practice target grammar, how to ask the question and how to answer.
Each student will write a different question about the topic using the target grammar. Example:
• Student 1: What will you do this summer? 2: Where will you go this summer? 3: who are you going with? 4: How are you getting there?
• Student 1: What is your favorite game? 2: What is your favorite food? 3: What is your favorite tv show?
• Student 1: Do you like cold food? 2: Do you like hot chocolate? 3: Do you like spicy curry?
Have students make an “onion” by having one student crumple their paper into a ball, pass it to the next and have their paper crumpled on top of the ball, and so on.
Play music and students will start the hot potato game. They will pass or lightly toss the onion to each other.
When the music stops the students with the onion will open its first layer and read and answer the question. * You can also have that student ask that question to each of their group members.
Play music again and repeat until all the onion layered questions are answered.
JTE and ALT can demonstrate at the beginning how to play, roleplay the game, and join the students when they are playing.
It is a fun activity where the students will spend time practicing the target grammar. You can easily change the difficulty to fit the class level and what they are studying. They will be writing, reading and speaking. Also, they will be able to learn more about each other.
Explain the boundaries of how to pass/ toss the ball so it doesn’t get rowdy, and no one gets hurt.
The tricky part is that you have to ensure that questions make sense when they get asked (example: first layers asks “how will you get there” vs. “where will you go this summer?”), you can write on the board who will write what (example, draw a 2x2 square that would represent a 4 student group, student in the top left will ask… etc.)
Version 2:
Create the Onion yourself, one for each group. This will take prep time on your part.