Number dominoes
Overview
Purpose
Vocabulary acquisition
Learning outcome
Students are able to use the numbers 1–10 in Japanese, confidently and accurately.
Skills
- Listening
- Speaking
- Reading
Type
Pair or group activity
Related units in Hai! kit
- Unit 3 Denwa bangoo wa nan desu ka
Instructions
Like traditional dominoes, the cards for this game are divided in two. However instead of dots at both ends, this game uses the Japanese word for a number at one end. The aim of the game is to match the Japanese word on one card with the corresponding number of dots on another card.
Materials
To download the template for the 10 domino cards, select from the following Word or PDF formats:
- Dominoes template for 'Number dominoes' activity (Word, 35KB)
- Dominoes template for 'Number dominoes' activity (PDF, 136KB).
Each group of students needs one set of 10 domino cards.
Steps
- The domino cards are shuffled and the students are given one each, with the remainder placed face down in the middle of the table, forming the 'pool'.
- One player starts the game by laying down a domino and counting the number of dots aloud in Japanese.
- If the next player has that word on their domino, they respond by repeating it and laying down their domino next to the first one. If this player does not have the correct number, they have to take a domino from the centre pile.
- The next player in the circle now has to either hand over their card if they have the number, or pick up another card from the pool.
- The game continues until all of the dominoes have been placed correctly. The winner is the player who finishes first.
Tip
- If you haven't taught hiragana, modify the card template to use kanji instead, or simply use dots on both ends of the dominoes and ask the students to count up to the number in Japanese.
Variations
- This activity can also be played in pairs, with each student starting the game with five dominoes, or in a group of five, with each player starting with two dominoes.
- Extend the use of numbers to other counting words, as outlined in Unit 13 Nanji desu ka.
Further learning
- Teach the kanji numbers.
- Have students cut out paper t-shirt shapes and write consecutive kanji numbers on them. They can take turns to hang them on a line/string in sequence. Then the class can read them aloud forwards and backwards.
- To extend the use of these cards, students could work in pairs to recite simple maths equations using the numbers on each card. For example:
Ni tasu san wa go desu.
Two plus three is five. - Introduce months and birthdays.
Language to use
- Hajimemashoo
Let's start! - Yoku dekimashita.
Well done! - Moo ichido.
Once more. - Tasu
Plus - Example:
Ni tasu san wa go desu.
Two plus three is five.