A nod to TESOLTOOLBOX here…
Harry the Hippo is a fun guessing game to use in the class. It can be adapted for practicing various grammar structures. I can’t remember where I first played the game or who taught it to me, but I’m sure it’s well-known by many TEFLers!
In its simplest form…
Practice language: love/like/dislike/hate
Find a good pic of a hippo. I used this one from a Google Image search. Explain to the learners:
Harry the Hippo likes a lot of things. Can you guess what they are? Ask me the question:
Does Harry like…?
Listen to the answers carefully. Make a note of anything Harry likes/dislikes. Do you notice any patterns?
(Answer: the clue is in the name ‘Harry the Hippo’. Harry likes any world that includes the same letter twice in a row, e.g. battery, butter, sheep, screen, apple, etc. Students guess items…)
Tags: classroom game • ELT • elt games • grammar • lesson ideas • likes and dislikes • modal verbs • review • tefl • TESOL • tesoltoolbox • vocabulary