Teaching Ideas

A Surprise Box: A Resource that Engages the Young L2 Learner

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Proven Successful Exponents*

• What could it be? It could be _____.
• It's ____.
• What do you think it is? I think it's _____.
• What does is look/feel/taste/smell/sound like? It looks/feels/tastes/smells/sounds _______.
• Can you guess what this is?
• YES/NO questions.

* You are in the best position to decide the appropriate language for the age and level of your classes. These exponents are only intended as a guide.

Other Benefits

• Inexpensive
• Easy to incorporate into a lesson plan
• Removes competition by fostering cooperative learning

Resources

• A big bright multicolored box
• Objects (real ones when possible) to put in the box.

Method

• Place the objects in the box before entering the room.
• Form students into a group in front of the box.
• Guide students towards the language they need to discover what is in the box.
• Give guidance (e.g. make a sound, offer clues, reveal the object a little each time) so that the sense of enjoyment and success will be maintained.
• Reveal the answer by showing the object.

Important Notes

• Avoid letting one student guess the answer as cooperative learning is to be encouraged.
• Be careful not to lose control of the box or leave it where it can be reached by children when they are playing in the school before or after class because it quickly becomes a toy boat, a game of peek-a-boo, etc.!
• The contents of the box should not be given to the class without a firm control of class discipline -- there's no getting that ball back once it becomes a fun way of disrupting the class!
• If you want to involve the students in revealing what is in the box, simply add one object each time away from the group, return to the group, call on a student to act as the teacher, and follow the same method.

References
Barry, K. & King, L. 1993, Beginning Teaching: A Development Text for Effective Teaching, '2nd edn', Social Science Press, Australia.
Emmitt, M. & Pollock, J. 1997, Language and Learning: A Introduction for Teaching, '2nd edn', Oxford University Press, Australia, Ch. 11.
Maltby, F., Gage, N.L. & Berliner, D.C. 1995, Educational Psychology: An Australian and New Zealand Perspective, JohnWiley & Sons, Brisbane.

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