THE
DIRECTIONS GAME
USEUM
SCIENCE M
Objectives of the game The aim of The Directions Game is to learn how to give and understand directions in a fun way. It is really easy to get lost in a city that we do not know, even if we have a map or a navigation device with us. This is why it is always useful to know how to ask for information and, in the same way, it is also nice to be able to give directions to tourists or friends. The game is meant for learners who have an A2 - B1 CEFR language level. It aims to stimulate logical reasoning and enrich vocabulary relating to directions and the city, the main buildings, shops and places of interest. Thanks to the illustrations, learning and memorising new words and common expressions takes place in a fun and spontaneous way. The game is simple and intuitive, making it easy to learn and use. Contents The game consists of: 1 city map The entrances of the locations are indicated on the map like this. 60 counters including:
15 departure counters
15 arrival counters 2
30 tokens
70 “places of interest” cards (purple deck) The “places of interest” present the vocabulary related to the most common places in a city.
10 “action” cards (red deck) The “action” cards present the verbs in the infinitive form that are used when getting around a city.
10 “position” cards (light blue deck) The “position” cards present the prepositions and adverbs most commonly used in giving directions.
20 “ask for directions” cards (blue deck) The “ask for directions” cards present a series of questions to ask for directions. The language used is formal.
22 “itinerary” cards (orange deck) The “itinerary” cards present a series of set routes. The language used is natural and informal.
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GAMES AND ACTIVITIES The various suggested game modes all have in common: The time factor, a challenging and fun element. The leader can decide the duration of each round based on the time available and the language level of the players. Time limits can be calculated with a digital stopwatch. The division in teams is an essential factor to encourage the involvement and participation of all players. The leader chooses the number of players for each team and gives all participants the opportunity to take part in the game, alternating pairs and roles.
1 • FOLLOW MY DIRECTIONS! With the “itinerary” cards (orange deck) Divide the group of players into teams. In each round, a pair of players from the same team participates. Aim of the game: earn points for your team by guiding your teammate to the destination within the time set by the leader. The pair from the team with the youngest player begins. Player 1 takes a card from the “itinerary” deck. Only that player can look at the card. Player 2 takes an arrival counter. Player 1 starts to read the text on the card and, in the meantime, player 2 – who does not know the destination – moves the counter on the map, showing everyone the route that they are following. If player 2 makes a mistake, player 1 can stop player 2 by saying: “Stop! Go back to start”, or player 1 can simply repeat the instruction. 4
At the end of the time established at the start of the game, if player 2 has reached the destination on the card, their team earns a token. The game continues with a pair of players from the opposing team. The team with the most tokens is the winner.
2 • WHO ARRIVES FIRST With the “places of interest” cards (purple deck) Divide the group of players into teams. In each round, one player from each team participates. Aim of the game: describe the quickest route to reach a destination chosen by the leader. The players whose turn it is (one per team) choose and announce their place of departure. At this point, the leader takes a card from the places of interest deck and this will be the destination that the players need to reach. The leader places the “arrival” counter on the map. Taking turns, each player describes the route they must take to arrive at the destination. The leader times the duration of the directions. The player who reaches the destination in the shortest time wins the round and earns a token for their team. The game continues with other players. Taking turns, everyone takes part in the game. The team with the most tokens is the winner. Tip: The action cards, placed clearly on the table, can help the players to describe their route.
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3 • FROM HERE TO THERE With the “places of interest” cards (purple deck) and “position” cards (light blue deck) Divide the group of players into teams (a maximum of five teams). In each round, players take turns. Aim of the game: describe your own route to arrive at the destination using two position cards, within the time limit set by the leader. The leader takes two cards from the places of interest deck. Based on these two cards, the leader places the “departure” and the “arrival” counters on the map. The players whose turn it is, take two position cards each and, one at a time, starting with the youngest player, they describe the route to reach the destination. They must include the words on their position cards in the description of their route. The player who arrives at the destination within the set time limit, having correctly used the two position cards is the winner. In the event of a tie, the leader chooses the winner, based on the best description. The winning player earns a token for their team. The team with the most tokens is the winner. Tip: The action cards, placed clearly on the table, can help the players to describe their route. 6
4 • THE TOURIST AND THE CITIZEN With the “ask for directions” cards (blue deck) Divide the group of players into teams. In turns, a pair of players from opposing teams challenge each other in the roles of tourist and citizen. Aim of the game: ask how to get to a destination and put the citizen to the test. The youngest player in the role of the tourist starts the round and places two counters on the map, wherever they prefer (departure place and arrival place). The player then takes a card from the blue deck and asks the opponent – the citizen – how to get to the destination by reading the question on the card. While the citizen describes the route, the tourist listens and moves the departure counter along the map. If the tourist makes a mistake, the citizen can stop the opponent player by saying: “Go back to the departure”, or the citizen can simply repeat the instruction. Once the route is completed, players swap roles. At the end of the two routes, the leader chooses the winner based on the best description, also evaluating the difficulty of the route. The winning player earns a token for their team. The team with the most tokens is the winner. Tip: The position cards and the action cards, placed clearly on the table, can help the players to describe their route. 7
5 • WHERE IS IT? With the “places of interest” cards (purple deck) and “position” cards (light blue deck) Place the position cards on the table for all of the players to see. The players sit around the map. Aim of the game: describe the exact location of the place of interest. The youngest player takes a card from the places of interest deck and asks the player on their left a question: “Where is the PARK?”
The other player looks at the map and answers the question using the position cards of their choice: “The PARK is in front of the TOWN HALL.” If the answer is correct, the player earns a token and takes a card from the places of interest deck and asks another question to the player on their left. The game continues until the end of the time limit set by the leader. The player with the most tokens is the winner.
6 • TELL ME! With the “places of interest” cards (purple deck) All of the players sit around the map. Aim of the game: describe your own route using fun and imaginative details. The player whose turn it is takes two cards from the places of interest deck and puts two counters on the map to indicate the departure and arrival. The player then begins to describe the route to their companions. 8
Example:
Departure: CAR PARK
Arrival: PARK
“I arrived at the CAR PARK by car and then went for a walk along VICTORIA STREET. Then I met my friends at the PARK. But suddenly one of my shoes broke! So, I had to go to the SHOE SHOP which is in CHAUCER ROAD to buy a new pair of shoes. When I left the shoe shop, I was hungry so I bought an apple at the GREENGROCER which is next door. Finally, I walked along LILY AVENUE and, after turning left at ROUNDABOUT ROAD, I arrived at the PARK and met my friends!”
After all the players have described their routes, the leader chooses the winner based on the correctness of the description and also evaluating the most entertaining and detailed description. Tip: The position cards and the action cards, placed clearly on the table, can help the players to describe their route.
Of course, these are just a few suggestions of activities that you can do with The Directions Game. The game leader can use the game in different ways depending on the language level of the players and their language objectives. It can be used as a basis for many other activities as an effective tool for helping to stimulate English language learning. General note: we have chosen to use the gender-neutral pronouns
‘they’/’them’, rather than specifying whether the subject is female or male.
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A1 A2 B1 B2 C1 C2
Beginner Elementary Intermediate Upper Intermediate Advanced Proficiency
The Directions Game by Gianni Caputo
The Directions Game - 81197 - V72578
CEFR: Common European Framework of Reference for Languages
© ELi s.r.l. P.O. Box 6 - 62019 Recanati - Italy Tel. +39 071 750701 www.elionline.com English Version: Lisa Suett Art Director: Letizia Pigini Editors: Gigliola Capodaglio and Francesca Bugiolacchi Illustrations: Laura Re Production Manager: Francesco Capitano Graphic Design and Layout: Gianni Caputo Printed in Italy by Tecnostampa Pigini Group Printing Division - Loreto - Trevi ISBN: 978-88-536-4343-8 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of ELi s.r.l.