Find your partner
Overview
Purpose
To recognise and respond to phrases in German.
Learning outcome
Students will be able to:
- greet
- farewell
- respond to greetings and introductions.
Skills used
- Listening
- Speaking
Type
Pairs or class activity
Related units in Ja! kit
- Unit 1 Hallo!
- Unit 3 Wie heißt du?
Instructions
Pairs version
The aim is for students to locate their partners by introducing themselves in German. The matched names are well-known pairs, such as Jekyll and Hyde, Pooh and Tigger.
To download the list of paired names, select from the following Word and PDF formats:
- Pairs template for 'Find your partner activity' (Word, 23KB)
- Pairs template for 'Find your partner activity' (PDF, 8KB)
Steps
- Students are allocated one name from a pair of names (without hearing who has the other name in the pair).
- Students go around the room greeting the other students in German and asking their name.
- The first matching pair to find each other and sit down is the winner.
Group version
Students circulate the room and use their knowledge of simple greetings and naming phrases to find their allocated group of friends.
To download the groups of names, select from the following Word and PDF formats:
- Name group template for 'Find your partner activity' (Word, 34KB)
- Name group template for 'Find your partner activity' (PDF, 12KB)
Steps
- Students are given a card containing a name for themselves and a group of German names for their friends.
- Students go around the room introducing themselves and asking each others' names in order to find their friends.
- The first group to find all the members and sit down is the winner.
Tips
- Make the cards for the names of the pair or group before the lesson, and laminate to allow long-term use.
- Keep card sets together in a small plastic bag or container.
Variations
- You may wish to use the group activity to practise 'Wie heißen Sie?' (the formal equivalent of 'What is your name?'). For example:
- Wie heißen Sie? Ich heiße Herr Marienfeld.
What is your name? My name is Mr Marienfeld.
- Wie heißen Sie? Ich heiße Herr Marienfeld.
- As the students are exposed to more language in other units, there will be further opportunities for variations of this activity, for example:
- asking how someone is
- saying farewell
- giving 'yes/no' responses
- adding 'time of the day' cards, so greetings become specific for the time of the day (such as morning, afternoon, evening).
- Ask students to contribute new names to the game.
Further learning
- Students engage a partner in extended conversation by asking how they are, how to spell their name, and other personal information appropriate to the learning intention.
- Students could introduce the other member/s of their pair or group to the class by using Er heißt... (His name is...) or Sie heißt... (Her name is...).
Language to use
For pairs version
- Tag / Hallo / Hallöchen / Guten Tag / Guten Morgen / Grüß Gott
Hello / Gidday / Good morning - Ich heiße...
My name is... - Wie heißt du? / Und du?
What is your name? / And you? - Danke/Danke schön.
Thanks/Thank you. - Das passt. / Das passt nicht.
That matches. / That doesn't match. - Tschüs. Auf Wiedersehen.
Goodbye.
For group version
- Tag / Hallo / Hallöchen / Guten Tag / Guten Morgen / Grüß Gott
Hello / Gidday / Good morning - Ich heiße Thomas. Meine Freunde heißen...
My name is Thomas. My friends are... - Wie heißt du? / Und du?
What is your name? / And you?