Rock, Paper, Lesson

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This ELL Lesson examines the vast influence the age-old game Rock, Paper, Scissors has had on our society. Students learn about how a Japanese businessman used RPS to auction off a famous Cézanne painting. They listen to a Norwegian rock band’s hit song about RPS. And they watch an incredible animated short film featuring characters that represent rock, paper, and scissors.

Language Level: Intermediate
Time: 50 minutes

I. INTRO (5 min)

  1. With students seated in pairs, introduce the topic using the below PPT and having students shout out guesses.

II. AUCTION STORY PARTNER ACTIVITY (25 min)

  1. To prime students for some of the challenging vocabulary in the partner reading activity, hand out the synonym activity worksheet and have students work together to complete.
  2. Then use PPT to explain the procedure for our partner reading activity. Student A has head down and eyes closed. Student B reads first slide silently. After enough time (~30 seconds), Student A lifts head and opens eyes, and Student B tells partner what they read. Next slide, switch roles. Students change roles three times.
  3. When the yellow slides appear on the PPT, the whole class finishes reading the subsequent slides together.
  4. After the full story is revealed, hand out the text of the story (which has been simplified from the original version) for students to confirm understanding.

III. KATZENJAMMER SONG LISTENING (10 min)

  1. Transition to listening activity by handing out Katzenjammer Gap Fill.
  2. Depending on time and student level, play audio first and then video (or just video). Tell students to try to complete the missing lyrics, consider the meaning of the song, and guess what country the band is from.
  3. After watching, review answers as a class and have a little plenary about the song’s meaning. Then, reveal the band is Norwegian after students make their guesses.

IV. “BROKEN” ANIMATION + RPS STUDENT TOURNEY (10 min)

  1. Tell students we will finish class by watching a short animated film, made by students from Ringling College of Art and Design. Tell students they must make a prediction before we watch. Write on the board:
    1. Who will survive?
      • A – Rock
      • B – Paper
      • C – Scissors
      • D – All live.
      • E – All die.
  2. Tally the votes, and then watch the film.
  3. Finally, hold a very quick RPS tournament among the students who predicted correctly, and crown the winner the RPS Champion of the Class.

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