A fun, sociable activity which provides the necessary practice on functions and exponents and generates a lot of laughter.

Instructions

1. Show the trainees the pile of cards. Choose one at random but do not look at it. Hand it to one trainee and ask them to stick/pin it to your back.

2. Explain that the word on the card is a function but that you do not know what it is. Ask the trainees to give you exponents of this function so that you can guess what the function is. Do not guess the function until you have heard several exponents.

3. Explain that the trainees are now going to play the same activity as a whole group. Explain that each trainee will have an unknown function on their back, will stand up and will mingle with the other trainees.

4. Explain that whenever a trainee meets a new partner, they should look at each other's backs, and say an exponent of the function they see. Stress that it is important that trainees should not confirm each other's guesses during the game. Only at the end of the game will they guess their function.

5. Monitor for incorrect language to feed back on after the activity.

6. After 10 minutes, call the trainees back into a circle. Each trainee guesses what their function was, and looks at their card to confirm their guess. Conduct feedback by asking questions such as What was the most formal/ informal exponent you heard for your function? and feeding back on errors.

NB Functional categories end in –ing, e.g. thanking, interrupting, asking for clarification. Make sure the trainees are using this form, and elicit it where necessary.

Variation 1

For groups who may find it difficult to think up exponents on the spot, hand out a copy of the complete worksheet (1.3A) before the mingle. Groups can then practise thinking up exponents in advance. Before proceeding to the main activity, collect all copies of the worksheet.