Long time, no see! I am very excited to be back creating new games and new ideas for ESL teachers to use. Today’s game is based on an old favorite of mine, Clue (aka Cluedo, for any readers in the UK). Instead of trying to find a murderer – the players are trying to figure out who is Jordan Body’s mysterious date?
Jordan Body’s Mystery Date comes with printable cards as well as clue sheets for the students to fill out. There is no board or map, instead this game focuses on the speaking element of the game. For those who have never played the original Clue, here is a simple rundown on how to play:
First, the teacher will shuffle the three separate decks of cards. They are color coded to make it easy. One card from each pile will be taken out and placed on the teacher’s desk. The rest are shuffled together and handed out to each student/group. Then, hand out the clue sheets so the players can mark the cards they have.
The goal of the game is to be the first team to guess who Jordan is on a date with, where they are going, and how they are getting there. They do so by taking turns saying out loud:
I think Jordan is going out with Zero Murasaki. They’re going to the park by bus.
The beauty of this game is that you can play it to practice different tenses.
I think Jordan went out with Zero Murasaki to the park. They went by bus.
or
I think Jordan has been to the park with Zero Murasaki. They have gone by bus.
This adds to the replay value of the game.
Anyway, after a student has made their guess it is time for other students to speak up. They must check to see if they have any of the prior mentioned cards in their hand. If they do, they must tell the guesser without letting the other students know. They can either whisper or hand their card over. The guesser marks what they got wrong and then it’s someone else’s turn to guess.
Eventually, a student is able to narrow it down to the correct three cards. That student wins. The teacher can then collect the cards, reshuffle, and start the game over again.
It’s a very simple game once you get started and my students enjoyed it a lot when I played with them before. In fact, when I use to implement “Friday Free days”, the activity they’d ask to do would often be this game. They loved it that much, and I hope your class enjoys it as well.