Obeying Instructions

Students carry out physical commands given by the teacher, with a "Simon Says" twist where only prefixed commands should be obeyed.

Procedure

1. Start with simple commands: Stand up. Sit down. Go to the window. Put your hand on the desk. Open your book.
2. Move to "Simon Says": only commands prefixed with Simon says should be obeyed; others are ignored.
3. When a student makes a mistake, they are NOT "out" -- they continue playing. At the end, ask: Who made four mistakes or more? Three? Two? One? None? Congratulate those with fewer than three.

Tips

• Instead of "Simon Says," use Please as the trigger word, or Don't to indicate students should NOT do the action.
• Add a visual distraction: give a command but simultaneously perform a different action. Students must follow what they hear, not what they see.
• Expand beyond physical actions to miming moods (You are afraid! You are sad!), animals (You are a cat! You are a butterfly!), or sensations (You are cold! You are strong!).
• Rooted in Total Physical Response (TPR) methodology -- research shows learners retain meanings better when they physically enact them.