About This Activity

Overview

Bedroom Cards is a simple game suitable for beginners that will allow for fun, repeated practice of common bedroom related vocabulary.

Students can play this game after memorizing as few as 9 vocabulary words.

The game can also be used to practice using prepositions. Set C contains 16 cards where the only difference between many cards is whether a specific object is "beside the dresser," "in front of the dresser," "on the dresser," "on the desk," "in front of the bed," or "on the bed."

Currently, 3 different sets of 16 cards are available for this game.

As a deduction card game, players need to use their verbal skills to deduce which of the cards laid out in front of them matches the "secret card" in their activity partner's possession.

 

Activity Presentation Phase Instructions

 

Bedroom Card Example

Set A card with a bed,
desk, dresser, shelf & window

 

Bedroom Card Example

Set A card identical to the
previous one, with a chair added

 

 

Download Game Materials

 

 

How To Play

Groups: This game is best played in pairs of two participants. One participant in each group will be the asker and the other will be the answerer.

Materials: Two sets of 16 identical Bedroom Cards are needed for each pair of two participants. This means two sets of Set A or two sets of Set B or two sets of Set C.

Time / Game Round: 1-3 minutes

 

  • The asker should lay out one set of game cards in front of them and the answerer should draw one "secret card" from an identical set of cards. The "secret card" will therefore match one of the cards laid out in front of the asker.

  • The answerer can look at the "secret card," but they aren't allowed to show it to the asker. The asker can only learn which objects in the washroom on the "secret card" by asking verbal questions.

  • The asker's GOAL is to narrow down which of the cards in front of them matches the "secret card" possessed by the answerer.

    To do this, the asker can use the sentence pattern "Do you see a _________________ in the bedroom?" and systematically insert different objects into the blank in the sentence pattern.

    With more advanced card sets (such as Set C), the asker can use the sentence pattern "Do you see a _________________ on / in front of / beside the _________________?" to determine the location of a specific objects.

  • Based on the answerer's 'yes/no' answers, the asker can "eliminate" any cards that logically can't match the "secret card" held by the answerer. The best way to "eliminate" the non-matching cards, is to flip them over face-down. Then asker can continue to ask more questions to further narrow down the remaining "face-up cards."

  • Each round of the game continues until the asker has narrowed down the cards in front of them to just one card. They can then ask the answerer, "Is this your card?"

 

For more detailed instructions for how to print, prepare, and introduce card-based deduction games like this one, click the blue button below.

 

How To Play

 

Printing & Preparation Instructions

 

 

 

Words to Learn Before Playing

The Core Vocabulary Words listed below are all words that students should learn BEFORE playing this game. Students will only need to learn the words listed for Set A to play this game with that set of cards. However, to play the game with Set B, students will need to learn the words for both Set A and Set B. Likewise, to play the game with Set C, students will need to learn the words for Set C and all previous sets.

 

Core Vocabulary Words Used in Activity
Card Set A bed, bedroom, books, chair, desk, dresser, fan, shelf, window
Card Set B basketball, computer, drum, fishbowl, guitar, robot, teddy-bear, umbrella, 
Card Set C beside, in-front-of, on 

 

Important Notes: 

  • Currently, three different card sets for Bedroom Cards are available. To play with each set of cards, students need to learn the Core Vocabulary Words listed for that set AND all previous sets.

  • The first set, Set A, contains the core bedroom related vocabulary, primarily furniture found in bedrooms. The subsequence sets contain objects that might be found in bedrooms or prepositions that can be used to describe the location of the objects introduced in other card sets. The following two cards are from Set C and are identical other than the location of the fan. Students would need to use prepositions to describe the difference between these two cards.

 

Bedroom Card Example

Set C card with a
fan on the dresser

 

Bedroom Card Example

Set C card with a fan
in front of the dresser

 
  • It's entirely possible (and even recommended, once your students understand the game) to combine more than one set of cards together to create a more varied and interesting card deck. 

 

Words to Learn While Playing

The following words will be used to the play this game (with every available set of cards). However, these words don't need to be pre-taught. These words can and should be learned WHILE playing the game.

Vocabulary Best Learned In Context
Used With All Sets a/an, card, do, don't, see, in, is, isn't, it, no, the, this, yes, you, your

 

 

Sentence Patterns to Use While Playing

The following sentences and sentence patterns are recommended for use while playing this game. The best way to teach these sentences, is to use them in context while introducing the game and demonstrating how to play it.

Standard Sentences and Sentence Patterns
Do you see a _________________ in the bedroom?
Do you see a _________________ on / in front of / beside the _________________?
Yes, I do. / No, I don't.
Is this your card?
Yes, it is. / No, it isn't.