Trimono
Overview
Purpose
Recognise and respond to words and phrases in German.
Learning outcomes
Students are able to:
- greet, farewell and respond to greetings/farewells (German in the New Zealand Curriculum Level 1.1).
- introduce themselves and others (German in the New Zealand Curriculum Level 1.2).
- communicate days of the week and days/numbers (German in the New Zealand Curriculum Level 1.3).
- communicate about personal information (German in the New Zealand Curriculum Level 1.4).
- communicate about relationships (German in the New Zealand Curriculum Level 2.1)
- communicate about likes and dislikes (German in the New Zealand Curriculum Level 2.3)
Skills
- Listening
- Speaking
- Reading
Type
Pair activity
Related units in Ja! kit
- Unit 1 Hallo!
- Unit 2 Auf Wiedersehen
- Unit 3 Wie heißt du?
- Unit 4 Wie geht's?
- Unit 5 Wie alt bist du?
- Unit 6 Die Famile
- Unit 7 Woher kommst du?
- Unit 8 Wo wohnst du?
Instructions
Trimono is a version of dominoes that uses tri-dominoes (three-sided, triangular dominoes) instead of the traditional two-ended, rectangular dominoes. The objective is to form a pre-determined triangle pattern by matching the questions and answers, parts of equations, or word/phrase types that are written on the edges of the tri-domino pieces.
Because of their position within the overall pattern, the central tri-dominoes require three matches, the side pieces require two, while the apex pieces require only one – see following template.
Materials
To download the trimono template (which gives templates for both the triomino pieces and the solution), select from the following Word or PDF formats:
- Trimono template for 'Trimono' activity (Word, 46KB)
- Trimono template for 'Trimono' activity (PDF, 399KB)
Each pair of students needs one trimono set of 16 tri-dominoes.
Steps
- Divide class into pairs and provide each pair with one set of 16 tri-dominoes, which are placed face down on the desk.
- One player in each pair 'shuffles' (mixes) the pieces while still face down, then deals their partner and themselves a 'hand' of four pieces each. The remaining eight tri-dominoes are left face down in the middle (forming the pool).
- When all pairs are ready, tell class to start.
- The non-dealing player starts the game by placing one tri-domino from their hand face up on the desk and asking a question that is either written on it or relates to a word on it.
- If the dealer has the answer to that question on a tri-domino in their hand, they reply affirmatively and give the answer. They then place their tri-domino beside the first so that the matching sides are aligned. It is now the dealer's turn to ask a question about one of the pieces. But if the dealer does not hold the answer to the first question, they reply negatively and pick up a new piece from the pool. The non-dealer then continues their turn by asking a new question from the tri-domino on the table (or in their hand if the piece on the table provides no new questions).
- This process of question and answer continues until the puzzle is finished.
- The winners are the pair who finish first.
Tips
- Model the activity before starting play. Students may need to refer to their books to help them translate the German.
- Laminating copies of the trimono template before cutting out the pieces will make the tri-dominoes last longer.
- If suitable, provide copies of the solution to help students ask the right sorts of questions.
- You could add an extra element by having students show the relevant national flag for when the say "Ich komme aus...".
Variations
Trimono can be adapted for different vocabulary and levels of difficulty by:
- matching pictures with words
- matching words with phrases
- matching new questions and answers.
Further learning
Trimono can also be used for extension and learning-centre based work in which students can:
- do the puzzle individually (like a jigsaw)
- make up their own versions of trimono (based on Ja! Units 1–10) for use by other students in the learning centre, or to share with their group or the whole class.
Language to use
The following dialogue illustrates a possible conversation between partners while searching for a correct match in the trimono.
| Student A: | Guten Morgen / Guten Tag / Tag / Hallöchen. Good morning / Gidday / Hi |
|---|---|
| Student B: | Guten Morgen / Guten Tag / Tag / Hallöchen. Good morning / Gidday / Hi |
| Student A: | Woher kommst du? Where do you come from? |
| Student B: | Ich komme aus Berlin. I come from Berlin. |
| Student A: | Was passt? What matches/fits? |
| Student B: | Ja. Das passt. Yes. That matches. |
If a student disagrees with an answer, they can say: |
|
| Student B: | Das passt nicht. That doesn't match. |