Activate Manual

56
Activate: Games for Learning American English
Game 9: Paraphrase It!
Paraphrase It!
provides students with practice saying the same thing in a variety of
different ways by paraphrasing. Paraphrasing allows students to be creative with
language to express a particular meaning, while practicing different grammatical 
structures, word forms, and vocabulary. 
Instructions
1. Have students (the players) sit in groups of 3–4.
2. Put the 
Picture This
cards in a box, bag, or basket (where players cannot see them) in 
the center of the classroom.
3. Invite someone (Player 1) from each group to take a card, carry it to his or her group, 
and place it on the table so that the question side faces up. 
4. The players should work together to see how many ways they can ask each question 
using different words. Give players a set amount of time to make questions for the card.
5. End the game after the specified amount of time.
Optional: To make this game more competitive, form two or more teams, and have each 
team write down their paraphrases for the same 
Picture This
card. After 10 minutes, 
have groups exchange papers and check each other’s questions. See which team got the 
most correct paraphrases. Note that this option requires multiple copies of the 
Picture 
This
cards.
“Player Talk” in Paraphrase It!
Beverages
Original Question: 
Which drink on the card is the healthiest? Why?
Paraphrases:
Which is the best for you? Why?
Of these drinks, which is the healthiest? Why?
Which is the healthiest? Why?

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57
Activate: Games for Learning American English
Game 10: Pass It On
In 
Pass It On
, students use the vocabulary words on a 
Picture This
card to create a story. 
This game provides students with the opportunity to be creative with language and to 
use their imagination to tell a silly story. 
Instructions
1. Have students (the players) sit in groups of 3–4. Choose an amount of time for the 
activity.
2. Invite someone from each group to take a card and carry it to his or her group. 
3. Group members examine the title and the pictures on their card. Then players match 
the pictures with the appropriate words or phrases on the cards.
4. The group should work together to tell a silly story. One player starts the story, using 
one of the picture words from the card.
5. Once Player 1 has used one of the words, the story passes to the next person, who 
continues the story until he or she can use another picture word.
6. Remind players that the words and ideas must connect to the previous part of the 
story.
7. When the group has used all of the picture words on their card, one member of the 
group can return the card and get another.
8. End the game after the specified amount of time.