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All of us have to learn how to invent our lives, make them up, imagine them. We need to be taught these skills; we need guides to show us how. If we don't, our lives get made up for us by other people.

Ursla Le Guin (1929-2018)

The Wave in the Mind, 2004

Find My Number

Target:

Speaking quckly, logical guessing

Age:

children and up

Duration:

2 minutes max

Class Size:

any (pairs)

Energy Level:

low

Type:

activity

Equipment:

Timer (perhaps pencil and paper)

speed
halving
narrowing
logic

Procedure

Players find a partner. One chooses a number between one and a hundred. The second has 30 seconds to find the number by asking be questions - is it bigger than 50, smaller than 30 etc. The first player answers, yes it is, no it isn't.. When time is up the questioner makes a guess.. Players then switch roles.

Variations

Go for a bigger number range or choose a date, preferably one with historical significance. With a more difficult challenge extend the questioning time to a minute.

Another way is for the answerer to give extra information by using intonation and stress in their answer. An emphatic "No" can tell the questioner they are far off target, a positive "yes" that they are very close. The ability to use stress to convey iinformation is an important skill to acquire and often elusive for Japanese learners of English.

Note:

This kind of activity lays the groundwork for twenty questions. Inexperienced players need to learn how to make narrowing questions rather than guessing wildly. With very young players it may be best to get them to write their number down - partly so that they don't change it and partly to help them remember it.