Alibi

There are several variations on this classic TEFL activity (including a Hungarian one called Ive been to
America), but the standard one goes something like this:
I ask my students if they have heard that the ___ down the street was robbed last night. If they are at a lower
level, we might also brainstorm or teach some vocabulary connected with crime that they need for the activity.
Well, it was robbed, I tell them, and the police havent caught the robbers, but they think they know who did it
(What do we call those people, the police think they did it, but theyre not sure? Suspects, yes.). The suspects are
here in this class, and they are (choose two or three of the most talkative students and have them come to the
front). These students have five minutes and time them to leave the room and come up with a story about
what they were doing for the two-hour time period in question the night before.
The other students the majority of the group are the police, and their task is to work in small groups and
question the suspects individually to see if their stories match.
Giving both the police and the suspects prompts helps (you were at a restaurant what did all of you eat, who
paid, what did you talk about, what did the waiter look like check out the Cutting Edge Intermediate Teachers
Book for more examples), but make sure to tell both groups that the police can ask about anything (within
reason) that happened in that two hour window. The suspects cannot say I dont know or I dont remember;
if the police ask something, they have to answer. If the suspects stories match there are no discrepancies they
must be found not guilty and set free. But if there are differences, they are guilty.
After the five minutes during which the suspects are making up their story and the police are thinking of
questions, each group of police interviews one of the suspects at the same time. They have exactly one minute
(possibly longer for lower levels), and after one minute, the suspects switch groups and the police interview
again. One person should take notes. At the end, the police share with the group what they found.
This activity is good for speaking fluency and practicing questions in general. Its fun and useful , and there is
something intrinsically motivating about trying to find holes in someones story.
Alibi
Write the word "Alibi" on the board and explain what it means.
Invent a crime, when it was committed and where. I picked a bank robbery
at a real bank, close to the university where I teach. Then I said that
four university students where suspects of the bank robbery.
Next, divide the class into groups, my class has 20 students, so I divided
the class in to 5 groups of four. Say something like, and the four suspects
are members of this class. Ask one group to volunteer to be the suspects.
Tell them their alibi, they couldn't have committed the robbery because
they were eatting dinner in a resturant far away from the crime scene.
The students who aren't suspects, the investigators, must try to find holes in their alibi.
They way they do this is by interviewing each of the suspects separately and then comparing the stories to see
if they match. So, send the suspects out of the room to try to get their stories straight.
While the suspects are talking about the details of their stories, the investigators in each group
come up with a list of questions about the "suspects" alibi.
They can ask things like, "what was the waitress wearing, how long did you stay, how did you get there?"
After the students are finished preparing invite the suspects back in, one suspect goes to each of the
groups to be interviewed. Once each group has interviewed each suspect, compare with the class.
If they suspect's stories match, they are off the hook, if not, they are officially accused.
My students enjoyed this, you could make the crime less serious, kidnapping a neigbor's dog or something.
As an extension, you could also hold a trial in class. In China, capital punishment is widely accepted, so perhaps
make the crime less serious so you don't have to execute one of your students. My students liked the gore.

Two questions
One of my favorite first meeting, getting-to-know-you activities, this requires about two minutes prep time and
paper and pencils for students. It can also come in handy if, say, you find out with five minutes notice that you
prepared for the wrong class.
With a new group, first learn each others names. Then tell the students they need to write, at the top of a paper,
two questions which they will ask everyone in the class. They will ask everyone the same two questionsso
Emir, why do you want to be a doctor? is no good. They should try for interesting or probing or imaginative
questions. Once youve told them they need to write questions, you can give them some examples adapted to
their level. But make sure they know you want them to write their own questions, not answers to yours. (When
was the last time you did something for the first time? What cartoon character are you most like? If your house
was on fire and you could take only three items?)
Under the questions, students write the names of each member of the class, stand up and (try to) speak to
everyone. Tell them to make notes on each persons answer, but not, of course, to write full sentences. When they
are done (or the time is up), they sit down,draw names and then collect information on the person whose name
they drew in order to present that person to the class. So, if Zeljko draws Majas name, he has to talk to everyone
else AGAIN (except Maja herself) asking What do you know about Maja? and taking notes.
At the end, each student gets two minutes to speak about their subject.
This is good for speaking, listening, possibly grammar, getting to know each otherand it can take up to an hour
and a half for a class of 12.