Hangman

Rating

JHS, No prep, Verbal

How to Play

Simple: draw the appropriate number of spaces on the board, along with a box for discarded letters and the fated gallows itself. Seven guesses (head, body, arms, legs, and face) seems to work very well in terms of balancing the ease. In case anyone doesn't know: you play Hangman by drawing blanks equal to the number of letters in a word. Players guess letters; correct guesses are filled in the appropriate spots, while incorrect ones assemble a victim (the hanged man). The players lose if he is completed (which, ironically, kills him). I tend to start, then rule that whichever student guesses the word can lead the next round. This is usually pretty popular. Make sure you hang around the board and check spelling!

How to Use

This game is great for spelling practice, and can make an excellent last-minute game when the teacher springs a request on you. I allow students leading a round to choose a word from their books, then write it on a notepad so they don't stand there with the book open in one hand. By way of explanation, I do an example on the board. My explanation of losing ("Oh no, he died!" in Japanese) always gets a laugh.

Notes

WARNING! I've been told by other ALTs that this game can be very very bad. Not because of the students, but because hanging in Japan is mostly associated with suicide rather than cattle thievery, and suicide's one of those taboos that even a foreigner can't shrug off violating. If you want to play Hangman, check with each teacher (and if you want to hedge your bets, the principal or VP at the school). I make sure to introduce the game as one where the class is collectively saving the man from some malevolent, spelling obsessed external force.

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