Can & Can’t- Coin Games

A LESSON PLAN FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS

By: Alex Case
Level: Beginner
Topic: Money
Grammar Topic: Modals
      Page: /

Lesson Plan Content:


Can & Can’t- Coin Games
Play games from below in pairs. Your teacher will tell you which game or games you
should play, or tell you if you can choose the game(s) yourself. Make sure that you read
the instructions carefully each time before you start playing, particularly to find out:
-

What each side of the coin means

-

What should be said before and/ or after the coin is flipped

The coin should be hidden from your partner until they have responded to what you say in
every game.

1. Can can’t answer me coin games
1A. Can can’t answer me coin game
Secretly flip a coin before you speak, then ask your partner a personal Yes/ No question to
get one of these responses:
Heads = One point if your partner says “Yes, I can” when you ask them a question
Tails = One point if your partner says “No, I can’t” when you ask them a question

1B. He can she can’t answer me coin game
Secretly flip a coin before you speak, then ask your partner a Yes/ No question about
themselves or people they know to get one of these responses:
Heads = One point if your partner says “Yes, I can” when you ask them a question
Tails = One point if your partner says “Yes, he can” or “Yes, she can” when you ask them
a question

2. Can can’t the same or different coin games
2A. Can can’t things in common coin game
Secretly flip a coin. Tell your partner about your abilities and ask about theirs to find
positive or negative things in common:
Heads = One point if you can find something that you can both do
Tails = One point if you can find something that you both can’t do (= One point if you can
find something that neither of you can do)

2B. Can can’t things not in common coin game
Secretly flip a coin. Tell your partner about your abilities and ask about theirs to find things
which are unique to just one of you:
Heads = One point for something you can do and your partner can’t do
Tails = One point for something you can’t do and your partner can do

2C. Can can’t the same or different coin game
Secretly flip a coin. Tell your partner about your abilities and ask about theirs to find things
in common or things which are unique to one of you depending on which side of the coin
comes up:
Heads = One point for something you can do or can’t do and is the same for your partner
Tails = One point for something you can do and is different for your partner

Written by Alex Case for UsingEnglish.com © 2017

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3. Can can’t coin bluffing games
3A. True or false abilities coin bluffing games
Secretly flip a coin and make a true or false positive or negative statement about your
abilities depending on which side comes up:
Heads = Make a true statement about something you can do or can’t do, and see if your
partner can guess that it is true (perhaps after asking questions to get more details)
Tails = Make a false statement about something you can do or can’t do (= a lie/ something
that isn’t true), and see if your partner can guess that it is not true (perhaps after asking for
more details)

3B. Can or can’t coin bluffing game
Secretly flip a coin and make a true or false positive or negative statement about your
abilities depending on which side comes up:
Heads = Make a true or false positive statement about something you can do, and see if
your partner can work out if it true or false (perhaps after asking follow up questions)
Tails = Make a true or false negative statement about something you can’t do and see if
your partner can correctly guess if it is true or not (maybe after asking for more details)

4. Can can’t personalised guessing games
4A. Personal can can’t guessing game
Secretly flip a coin and try to make a true statement about your partner’s abilities:
Heads = Try to make true positive statement about something your partner can do
Tails = Try to make a true negative statement about something your partner can’t do

4B. Friends and family personalised guessing game
Secretly flip a coin and try to make a true statement about your partner’s abilities or the
abilities of someone else:
Heads = Try to make a true statement about your partner’s abilities
Tails = Try to make a true statement about the abilities of someone who your partner
knows, e.g. their friend or father

4C. Abilities topics personalised guessing game
Secretly flip a coin and try to make a true statement about your partner’s abilities on one of
the topics given:
Heads = Try to make a true statement about your partner’s abilities on one of the topics on
the left below.
Tails = Try to make a true statement about your partner’s abilities on one of the topics on
the right below.

Heads

Tails

Sports

Cooking

Physical abilities

Technology

Crafts

Music

Languages

Mental abilities

Maths

Memory

Written by Alex Case for UsingEnglish.com © 2017

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