This fun and simple activity allows beginner learners to go back to school by associating flags, countries and capitals that refer to geography while learning the language of the host country in a practical way!
The bonus point ‘Culinary Speciality’ adds a little extra cultural flavour to this activity.
It’s true that setting up the materials (printing and cutting out the Countries summary sheet, flags and word labels for each pair of learners) can take some time, but once you’ve done it, you’ll have an activity/game that you can reuse.
Remember to laminate the country sheets, word labels and flags so that the game lasts, and place all the necessary materials in envelopes.
These envelopes will then be distributed to each learner or pair. All that’s left to do is play while learning!
Learners create a short ID card of countries from different continents (with picture of flag, capital, nationality, language, specialty) and display it in the classroom to decorate it.
Cover image: Created by AI
Images of the Activity: Freepik
Activity contributed by: CU / Audrey Fresquet
Individual or pair exercise
Learning objectives:
- Recognize and name countries and their capitals.
- Use nationality adjectives
Instructions for this exercise
Material: The ‘Countries’ summary sheet, the Flags cards, and the ‘Countries’, ‘Capitals’, “Nationalities” and ‘Languages’ label words.
Introduction / Warm-up
Show a few well-known flag and ask learners the following questions, as in the example below:
- What country is it? What are its colours ?
- Which is its capiital city?
- What are the inhabitants of this country called (masculine and feminine)?
- What language do they speak?
- (Bonus question: What is this country’s culinary speciality?)
Ask learners to write a short sentence using each word, following the model below:
- This is the flag of Japan country. It is red and white.
- The capital of Japan is Tokyo.
- The inhabitants’ nationality is Japanese.
- They speak/Their language is Japanese.
- The culinary speciality of Japan is sushi.
- Pair and Material: Learners form pairs. Give each pair the ‘Countries’ summary sheet and a flag, then distribute all the ‘Countries’, ‘Capitals’, ‘Nationalities’ and ‘Languages’ cards.
- Selection: Learners must choose, from among all the categories of cards and labels distributed, the different words (Country, Capital, Nationality, Language) corresponding to the country (flag) assigned*.
- Correction: When the pairs think they have assigned each word on the ‘Country’ summary sheet, the teacher goes around to each group to validate or correct their answers.
- Written task: learners must then write short sentences using each word requested corresponding to the country/flag assigned to them.
- Presentation of the country: Each pair takes turns reading their sentences aloud to the whole class.
If the groups have found a culinary speciality of the assigned country on their own, they earn a bonus point.
