Pictionary, Mandarin Chinese, Novice-Mid

Created Feb. 7, 2024 by Amber Hoye, Hannah Steiner, Camille Daw, Mimi Fahnstrom

Please Note: Many of the activities on the Pathways Project OER Repository were created by upper-division students at Boise State University and serve as a foundation that our community of practice can build upon and refine. While they are polished, we welcome and encourage collaboration from language instructors to help modify grammar, syntax, and content where needed. Kindly contact pathwaysproject@boisestate.edu with any suggestions and we will update the content in a timely manner. — The Pathways Project

About the Boise State World Languages Resource Center (WLRC) Language Activity Repository

The activities provided by the Boise State World Languages Resource Center (WLRC) serve as foundational activities which can be adapted by any language and scaled up or down on the proficiency scale. Many of these activities offer an English Version that is “language-agnostic” to provide language instructors from around the country a platform to remix these instructional materials, infusing them with their target language and culture! The activities within the Pathways Project OER Repository seek to help students solidify their interpersonal speaking and interpretive skills through task-based situations or communicative activities. These activities should be facilitated in the target language for approximately 90% (or more), per the recommendation of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.

How to use the WLRC Repository’s Activities:

1. Use the Activity as is:

Before you begin:

Most activities are 30 minutes in duration, unless otherwise specified.
Be sure to read through the activity description, and review the list of required materials. You will notice that the activity materials are also highlighted in yellow throughout the activity instructions.

If you have any suggestions about grammar, syntax, and content, please kindly contact pathwaysproject@boisestate.edu.

2. Remix for Your Language Classroom:

When you are ready to begin remixing the activity, in order to adapt it for the needs of your language classroom, simply click the blue “Remix This Resource” button at the top of your screen. This will then take you to a screen with a NEW, editable version of this activity. The text provided in purple is a suggestion of what you might say to your students in the target language, and may be altered for different levels and age groups. All activities have “NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do” statements, a warm-up, a main activity, and a wrap-up.

Many of the activities include printable cards and other instructional materials such as Google Slideshows. If you would like to make changes to these materials for your classroom, follow the instructions below:

Google Slideshows:

To begin, go to File -> Copy to create an editable version of the slideshow.

Once finished with your changes, please complete the following steps to share:

Click on Share

Who Has Access

Ensure link sharing is on and allow external access.

Materials Saved as PDF: Please email pathwaysproject@boisestate.edu

3. Adapt for Another Language:

See the linked English Version at the top of the activity (English Version may not be available for all activities)

Pictionary (Novice-Mid)

Description:

In this activity students will team up and play pictionary to review vocabulary and verb phrases that may appear on semester finals.

Proficiency Level:

Novice Mid

Keywords:

China, real-world practice, vocabulary, review, review games, pictionary, team games, Chinese

NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements:

I can use non verbal clues to communicate meaning
I can recognize high frequency vocabulary and terms in Chinese
I can work in a team or small group to achieve a goal

NCSSFL-ACTFL World-Readiness Standards

Standard 1.1 - Students engage in conversations, provide and obtain information, express feelings and emotions, and exchange opinions in Chinese
Standard 1.2 - Students understand and interpret written and spoken language on a variety of topics in Chinese
Standard 3.1 - Students reinforce and further their knowledge of other disciplines through the study of Chinese
Standard 4.1 - Students demonstrate understanding of the nature of language through comparisons of the Chinese language with their own

Idaho State World Language Standards:

COMM 1.1 - Interact and negotiate meaning (spoken, signed, written conversation) to share information, reactions, feelings, and opinions
COMM 2.1 - Understand, interpret, and analyze what is heard, read, or viewed on a variety of topics
CONN 1.2 - Relate information studied in other subjects to the target language and culture
COMP 1.2 - Identify patterns and explain discrepancies the sounds and the writing system in the target language

Materials Needed:

Pictionary Cards

Miniature White Boards - 1 per team

White Board Markers - 1 per team

White Board erasers

1 Minute Sand Timer or Stop Watch

Dice

Warm-up

1. Begin by introducing the Can-Dos for today’s activity and spend some time to review descriptions.

2. Shuffle the Pictionary Cards and have one student pick one.

3. The student who drew the card will provide a one word description of the word on the card. They cannot use that word to give clues.

4. The other students will guess what the word is.

5. After each student guesses, the student with the card will give another one word clue.

Main Activity

Split students up into teams of two and hand each team a white board, marker, and eraser. Shuffle the pictionary cards and set them in a stack in the center of the table. Have each team roll the dice. The team who rolled the highest number will go first.
Teammates have to decide who will draw and who will guess in the first round (rock paper scissors might be useful here)
The team member who will draw first will draw a card from the pile, and look at the word on the card WITHOUT SHOWING it to their partner. They will only get about 5 seconds to look at the card and plan their drawing. THEY CANNOT SKIP THE CARD.
When the student is ready, the lab instructor will flip the timer to start
The student drawing will draw a picture to represent the word on the card for their partner to guess. THEY CANNOT WRITE ANY WORDS IN EITHER ENGLISH OR CHINESE. Their partner can guess throughout the entire 1 minute.
- IF the partner guesses correctly, the team keeps the card and if time remains in the minute they can draw another card and keep drawing until the 1 minute runs out
- IF any card drawn cannot be guessed by the other partner, start a discard pile next to the draw pile where the students will place the unguessed card FACE DOWN so no one can see what was on the card
Repeat with each team. Each round the student who is drawing and the student who is guessing swaps
The team with the most cards at the end wins!

End of lab:

• Read Can-Do statements once more and have students evaluate their confidence.
(Use thumbs up/thumbs down or download our student cards.)
• Encourage students to be honest in their self-evaluation.
• Pay attention, and try to use feedback for future labs!

NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements:

I can use non verbal clues to communicate meaning
I can recognize high frequency vocabulary and terms in Chinese
I can work in a team or small group to achieve a goal

Where are we? Rate yourself on the weekly Can-Do Statements using this scale: I get it!, I got it!, I kind of get it..., I don't get it...