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One 50-minute class session
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| Overview |
 A great language activity, "Guess What's in the Bag" focuses on speaking, listening, and problem-solving skills. Whole-class participation allows students to use their imagination and frees them to play with words as they describe hidden objects, hear clues, and tap prior knowledge.
But this is not only an in-school "exercise"; it is ideal for parents and siblings to play along at home or while traveling. "Guess What's in the Bag" adds to and reinforces children's vocabulary as well as their meaning-making skills—learning, and learning through, language.
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| From Theory to Practice |
Young children can use descriptive language in authentic and purposeful ways to communicate in large-group settings. In this lesson young children develop speaking and listening skills as a part of language development. This shared language experience emphasizes the importance of both roles and, as Lindfors (1999) points out, "[R]elating meaning and expression is the essence of both speaking and listening. The speaker expresses his meaning out loud; the listener doesn't. The speaker goes from idea to expression (word), the listener from (the speaker's) expression (word) to idea. Thus the two simply proceed in different directions, but the act for both participants is to relate meaning and expression, to render 'word' meaningful" (147).
Lindfors, Judith Wells. 1999. Children's Inquiry: Using Language to Make Sense of the World. New York: Teachers College Press and Urbana, IL: NCTE.
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| Student Objectives |
Students will:
- develop and use descriptive language to communicate in a large-group setting.
- use prior knowledge and previous experiences to communicate clearly with their peers.
- develop and use good listening skills to process information given by clue-givers.
- develop and use good thinking skills to make logical predictions based on the clues.
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| Instructional Plan |
Resources
- Paper bag or pillow case
- A variety of objects to be described [Note: These can be brought in by both teacher and students.]
- What's in the Bag? interactive [Note: You will need a classroom Internet connection for this student interactive. If the class computers do not have sound, you may use the sound-off version.]
Instruction and Activities
Note: Each session should last from 10 to 15 minutes.
- Introduce the activity by discussing the importance of using descriptive language to get one's message across, emphasizing both speaking and listening skills.
- Practice by describing the characteristics of several exposed objects. Encourage students to talk about the shape, size, material, feel (e.g., hard/soft, bumpy/smooth, pointy/round) and possible uses of the objects.
- Place an object (or already have one) in the bag, making sure the students don't get a glimpse of it.
- Tell the students that there is an object in the bag, and they will be given five clues to help them guess what the object is.
- Choose five students.
- Explain that, without looking, each of them will feel the object inside of the bag and give one clue to describe it.
- Be prepared to prompt students who might have difficulty developing clues. For example, "Is it hard or soft?" "Does it have corners or curves?" "From what material is it made?"
- After the fifth clue is given, ask students from the audience to raise their hands to guess the object.
- If the students have not guessed correctly after four or five tries, reveal the object.
- Either when the object is guessed at or has been revealed, encourage the class to give more clues to describe the item.
- Following the whole-class activity, have the students do it online individually or in groups using the What's in the Bag? interactive with sound on or with sound off to reinforce reading and listening skills.
- Finally, encourage the students to play "Guess What's in the Bag" at home or on the road with their families. Have them bring home the directions and also let parents know how to access the online interactive.
Extensions
- Have students generate word sets/clues and use the lesson feedback form (located on the ReadWriteThink Web site) to share with other teachers and classes who are using this lesson.
- Play a game of 20 Questions. For this game you will need: objects, a student leader (the person who has the unrevealed object), a student checker (the person whom the object is revealed to prior to any questions), and a student to keep tallies of the number of questions asked.
The leader has an object in mind or hidden. They must tell/show the object to a designated checker before the questions begin. The students then ask a total of 20 yes/no questions to determine the object. For example, one might ask, "Can you eat it?" The leader responds with a "yes" or "no." This game encourages students to be good listeners and problem solvers. The answers to previous questions will help students determine what they should ask next.
Web Resource
- I Spy
http://www.scholastic.com/ispy/play/
- I Spy is an award-winning series of books, software, jigsaw puzzles, and games for children. It combines intriguing photographs of familiar-object collections with rich rhyming riddles to create visual brain-teasing puzzles that kids can’t resist. Each time kids play I Spy, they discover clever object associations, word play, and themes that help them build important learning skills, including reading, problem solving, and creativity.
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| Student Assessment/Reflections |
Observe students' use of prior knowledge when they describe and guess at the objects, taking note of their abilities to make logical decisions based on the information/clues provided.
If the class generated a set of descriptors/clues as an extension, display it on the wall on chart paper for follow-up discussion about the variety of words used to describe objects. Observe participation and encourage them that they can add to the Word Wall throughout the year.
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4 - Students adjust their use of spoken, written, and visual language (e.g., conventions, style, vocabulary) to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences and for different purposes.
9 - Students develop an understanding of and respect for diversity in language use, patterns, and dialects across cultures, ethnic groups, geographic regions, and social roles.
12 - Students use spoken, written, and visual language to accomplish their own purposes (e.g., for learning, enjoyment, persuasion, and the exchange of information).
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