ESL Activity: Survey Says (Advanced)

This game is modeled after the popular American game show “Family Feud”.

Instructions:
This game will take two class periods to complete. Hand out a survey at the beginning of class (see below for some printable surveys). Ask the students to answer the questions, but make sure they do not share their answers with the other classmates. When they finish, collect the papers and tell them they will play a game during the next class period.

At home, review the students’ answers and tally up the most popular responses.  Make a list of the top 3, 4, or 5 answers. For example, if the question is “What is your favorite kind of music?” and 10 people wrote “Rock”, 8 people wrote “Jazz”, and 5 people wrote “Hip Hop”, those would be your top 3 answers.

The next day, put the students into groups. Ask one person from each group to come to the front of the class. Have them stand around a table or desk and put a bell or some object in the middle of the table. Ask the question: “What is your favorite type of music?” The first person to hit the bell can answer the question. If that person names one of the top 3 answers, they can return to their group and the group can try to determine the last 2 top answers. You should write the answers on the board as they answer them.

1. 1. ___________________
   2. ___________________
   3. ___________________

If the group names a type of music that is not in the top 3, they receive a strike. If the group gets 3 strikes, the first person to raise their hand can answer the question, and finish the category if there is more than one answer left. (Do not write the incorrect answers on the board, this will keep the students listening to what other groups have said.)

The group that finishes the category receives the points. It is up to the teacher to determine points. A category of the top 3 answers could be 3 points. At the end of the game, you can double or triple the points to make it more interesting. Get several more survey cards like these in The Great ESL Games Compendium! Click here for more information!

Download cards below as pdf