In this activity, we sat at tables where students from each class section were mixed. We formed groups of four and each person wrote down three important moments of their life on post-it notes. These were moments that greatly influenced their language learning, teaching, and cross-cultural experiences. Once these were completed, they were put in chronological order on the table. Different groups chose to organize them differently: in a line, circle, etc. Then, we each were given a coin and the game began. If the person landed on someone else’s event, they would ask them a series of questions about that event. If a person landed on their own event, then everyone in the group would ask them a question about their experience.

Through asking and answering questions, students in the group have an opportunity to get to know each other better, and improve their interpersonal skills. Regarding benefits for language learning/teaching, this activity can help boost conversational skills in the target language. For students at the beginner level, it may be difficult to grasp the instructions and learners may find it very difficult to communicate/continue talking in the allotted time due to their lack of vocabulary. However, this would be a great activity to promote language-building and community building in an intermediate or advanced language classroom. In conclusion, we think this is a versatile activity that could be used in many different classroom settings and at different language levels.

Written by Dee Doucette and Minh Nguyen