2. In our daily lives, we often find
reason to discuss rules. They can be
rules we live by such as driving
rules, societal rules, cultural rules
or school rules; or they can be the
rules we play by such as rules for
party games, card games, or
children’s games.
Explaining Rules
3. In this unit, you will learn to give clear
instruction or explanations using
classifiers and conditional sentences,
rhetorical questions, and relative clauses.
You will learn rule-related vocabulary
needed to achieve this goal. You will
develop strategies for explaining rules
while playing a game and learn to use
attention-getting behaviors to manage a
group during a game.
Explaining Rules
4. Explaining a Card Game
1. How the game is set up.
□ Make the position of players and card
arrangement clear using LCL’s, ICL’s, and
spatial agreement.
2. How the game is played.
□ Set up hypothetical situations to help you
explain the rule(s). Use conditional
clauses.
3. How the game is won.
□ Use a rhetorical clause to explain how
someone wins.
5. Card-Related Vocabulary
□ Ace
□ King
□ Queen
□ Jack
□ Clubs
□ Spades
□ Hearts
□ Diamonds
□ Deal the cards
□ Hold the cards
□ To turn face up
□ To take card(s) from
□ To take turns
□ To run out of/get rid of
(all cards)
6. Explaining a Card Game: War
2 PLAY+ER (2h)SCL:V “sit
facing each other”
DEAL TILL ALL-GONE. ICL
“place cards in hand.”
TIME+SAME (2h)LCL:B “place
top card down, face up” WHO
HIGH, TAKE-FROM “table”. IF
(2h)LCL:B “place face up,”
EQUAL, (2h)LCL:B “add 3 more
cards face down,” FOURTH,
(2h)LCL:B “flip face up” WHO
!HIGH! COLLECT “all”.
WHO COLLECT “all”, #ALL fs-
CARDS, FINISH WIN.
Review the grammar structures and
card vocabulary. Then watch how
John describes the position of the
players, how to set up, how to play,
and how to win (the card game
“War”).
7. You Try One: Memory
□ HOW-MANY PLAY+ER, NOT-
MATTER. 2 MORE-THAN
□ (2h)LCL:B “place cards in a
series of rows on the table”
TILL ALL-GONE.
□ PICK 2 (2h)LCL:B “flip them
over”.
□ IF SAME-AS “2 selected
CARDS” K, K, (2h) TAKE-
FROM “table”.
□ AGAIN, (2h)LCL:B “flip
other cards over” IF
DIFFERENT, (2h)LCL:B “flip
them down,” me-GIVE-
TURN-TO-next person.
□ WHO MOST fs-CARDS, WIN.
Practice explaining this card game
(Memory). As you practice it, think of
the steps and elements required as you
sign them.
8. Explaining a Group Game
1. How the game is set up.
□ How is the arrangement of players
described?
2. How the game is played.
□ How is the information sequenced?
□ How are contrastive structure, conditional
clauses, and rhetorical questions used to
explain the rules?
3. How the game is won.
□ How is a rhetorical clause used to explain
how someone wins?
9. Group Game Related
Vocabulary
□ To win
□ To lose
□ Captain/Leader
□ Points
□ Line up facing away from teacher
□ Line up facing teacher
□ Line up in a row facing teacher
□ Line up in a row facing away from teacher
□ Make 2 lines facing teacher
□ Make 2 lines facing each other
10. Explaining a Group Game:
Lady, Tiger, or Camera
Practice using Stefanie’s
instructions. Pay attention to
where raised eyebrows and head
tilt are used to signal different
types of sentence structures.
Imagine yourself trying to explain
this game to a group. Think about:
where is the best place to stand
to explain the game
what parts of the game are
better explained before the
players take their positions
what is better explained by
playing or doing
how to hold the group’s attention
throughout your explanation
Watch Stefanie explain how to play
the group game. Analyze how Stefanie
explains the rules of the game.
11. Review
Throughout this presentation, you have learned the following:
□ Explaining a card and group game (basic sequence):
1. How the game is set up.
□ Make the position of players and card arrangement clear
using LCL’s, ICL’s, and spatial agreement.
1. How the game is played.
□ Set up hypothetical situations to help you explain the
rule(s). Use conditional clauses.
1. How the game is won.
□ Use a rhetorical clause to explain how someone wins.
□ Card-related vocabulary
□ Group Game-related vocabulary
