What's so good about SUPER DOMINO? Original post July 2017
Hello there,
Today I would like to share with you, what's so good about "Super Domino"
But first a quick outline of the game:
Each player gets 7 cards and they take turns connecting cards of the same color.
During one turn you can put down as many cards as you like, but they all have to be of the same color and connect to a previously played card.
You can only connect cards to one side of the "play field" per turn. Which side that is, depends on which side you connect your first card...
You can change color using a matching Topic Card in a different color. (e.g., connect a blue watching TV card to a pink watching TV card) but only at the start of a turn.
You're not allowed to play more than one color per turn. You can't change color with your second or third card. If the first card you play is green, all other cards have to be green as well. If you want to play another color, then you'll have to wait for the next turn...
Now, what's so good about Super Domino?
In Super Domino each player usually gets to put down two or more cards per turn. (in some situations even more than 5!) And since all the cards need to be of the same color, automatically each card played during a turn is a different topic but using the same Target Language. An excellent way for your students to internalize those new target structures.
The following 3 videos show the same target language, but the student adds more "information" with each video....
What Target Language should I use?
The Target Language language used, can be the same for all cards throughout a game. What target language you use depends on what you want your students to practice.
This can vary from very basic structures, such as: "I (don't) like watching TV" up to "I think that watching TV is interesting" (practicing adjectives at the same time) or "I watch TV 3 hours a day / once a week" (adding time frequency words)
With more advanced students, you can assign different Target Language to each color, using different Subjects (Tom, Mary, my friend(s) etc), different Verb Tenses (yesterday, tomorrow, every day etc) or entirely different structures for each color....
Whatever target language you choose, make sure it's at your students' level.
Super Domino is not a game to teach new language, but a game to recycle and internalize previous learned language. Designed to help your students to get comfortable with going back and forth between various language structures without the stress of having to remember new words...
For more ideas on how the use the color codes, please take a look at MEMORY GAME and the Color Coded Cards.
Well... that's it for today. It's very hot here in Japan at the moment, so where ever you are...stay cool and till next time!
If you are looking for more ideas/games to use with your students, be sure to check out the Game Page.