| The standard pack of 52 cards is thought to have | | | | yang-ban.First Game:The first real game I play with |
| been invented in Persia. The back design usually looks | | | | kids is SNAP where a kid has to say "snap" and slam |
| like a Persian carpet.Many English speakers do not | | | | down his hand on the cards as I deal them out on a |
| realize that a club was a soldier's symbol for war. Act | | | | pile.They love the exciting anticipation of this game. To |
| out the use of the club (bonk! bonk!). The spade or | | | | start just play the game and don't explain rules. When |
| shovel is a symbol of the farmer, the economic | | | | teacher shouts SNAP and slaps down his hand down |
| foundation of feudal society (Act out the digging. A | | | | on the first pair of cards the kids catch on fast.This |
| shovel is a sap-jil in Korean). The heart symbolizes | | | | game is best played around a small table with the |
| romance or love and the diamonds symbolize wealth | | | | children standing. They will fight for space. If they |
| or commerce.Some (very few parents or bosses) | | | | speak Korean I kick them out for one round of cards. |
| object to using cards in class but I always defend this | | | | They find this funny.Sometimes they kick me out for |
| stance by saying "We do not gamble and we do not | | | | speaking Korean. They find this even funnier!Second |
| play poker. We use the cards to motivate the children | | | | Game:We sometimes play the Go Fish game with |
| and help them learn English." After that I have had no | | | | regular playing cards. It involves short dialogue like this: |
| problems.I introduce the cards by asking:How many | | | | "Do you have an Ace? No, go fish." If readers do not |
| are there? (52 or 13 x 4)How many colors? (2)How | | | | know the Go Fish game then do a search on internet |
| many kinds or sets (4)First Class:In the first class I just | | | | or ask another teacher. It is very useful.Older Kids:I do |
| throw down random cards and the kids call out the | | | | play poker or 21s (Blackjack) with older kids/adults but |
| kind. This is challenge enough for beginners. Korean | | | | we use my token coins and these are returned to me |
| kids typically drop the s off the ends of the words and | | | | at the end of the class (thus not gambling). Kids learn: |
| pronounce with their Konglish saying heart-uh, | | | | betting, cheating, cheater, bluffing, bluffer, the kitty, close, |
| spade-uh, di-a-mond, club-uh. So the first game or class | | | | fold or out, hit me, bust, I'm out, I'm the winner. All of this |
| is a lot about re-teaching pronunciation (hard going | | | | is common English, just like many sporting terms, and |
| voice coaching).Teach them to say diamonds, hearts, | | | | kids need it to fully understand the language.Cards are |
| clubs and spades correctly. I don't introduce the word | | | | a wonderful way to motivate students and teach |
| suit. Kinds or sets is enough for ESL learners.Next | | | | English. They don't even think it as class work. The |
| teach that the cards make a pack or deck. You can | | | | fascination with card games is that they involve mental |
| also tell them a pack is like a backpack or a wolf pack. | | | | math, chance, skill, social interaction and sometimes |
| Tell them about shuffling or mixing (be-bim in Korean) | | | | cheating or bluffing. They combine these things and |
| the cards.Finally have the kids call out the Ace 2 3 4 5 | | | | have the appeal of interactive computer games. |
| 6 7 8 9 10 Jack Queen and King. This is easy. The | | | | Young kids are amazed and shocked that teacher |
| Jack is a royal servant. Ace is generally not known. | | | | cheats sometimes. Hee hee, :o). You will be surprised |
| Most kids call it A. Teach them ace driver, ace shooter, | | | | at their indignation. |
| ace golfer etc. Royal in Korean is roughly translated as | | | | |