Today we are going to play "Alibi" !
Warm-up: Test your awareness
Before we start, watch this. It is 60 seconds long. Your job is simple: watch carefully.
👉 Whodunnit? – Test Your Awareness (Transport for London)
VIDEO
🚨 You are all suspects. Last night, between 19:00 and 21:00 , someone broke into this school.
The door to the headteacher's office was forced.
A laptop is missing.
So is the school trip money:
£4,000 in cash.
The police have no leads.
But they know one thing:
Three people worked together.
And everybody in this room is a suspect.
Your job?
Prove that you were somewhere else and that your group is not guilty.
You have fifteen minutes to build an alibi that can survive a police interrogation.
Build your alibi Get into your group of three . (I choose the groups!)
You were together the whole evening , from 19:00 to 21:00 .
You need to agree on one story .
You have 10 minutes .
Decide:
Agree on every detail. Then write your alibi down.
All three people must write exactly the same story.
Why?
Because later, the police will separate you.
And then you will have to remember your story without looking at it .
3. Your two papers Every student has two papers .
THE ALIBI This is the story your group agreed on.
You need this when you are the suspect .
THE QUESTIONS These are the eight questions your group will ask.
You need this when you are the police .
Keep both papers safe. You will use both during the game.
4. Become the police Now choose eight questions from the list.
Your whole group must choose:
the same eight questions
in the same order
Write them down.
Remember:
Small questions are better than big questions.
Anyone can prepare an answer to:
Where were you?
But it is much harder to prepare an answer to:
Whose phone rang?
5. The questions Choose eight .
Where exactly were you at 8 o'clock?
What did you eat?
Who paid?
What were you wearing?
What did you talk about?
Who arrived first?
How did you get there?
Whose phone rang?
What was on TV?
What was the weather like?
What time did you leave?
Who left last?
6. Learn your two roles You will be both a suspect and a police officer.
You will change roles during the game.
👤 When you are the SUSPECT When the teacher says:
SEPARATE!
Go to your assigned seat.
Put THE QUESTIONS face down.
You do not need them.
The police will come to you.
Your job: Answer the eight questions from memory .
You are not allowed to read your alibi .
Do not look at another suspect.
Do not ask your group members for help.
You may say:
"I don't remember."
But only once .
After that, you must answer.
🕵️ When you are the POLICE Take THE QUESTIONS with you.
Find the suspect you have been assigned to interview.
Ask all eight questions.
Write down the answers.
Listen carefully.
Do not help the suspect. Do not tell them what another person said.
Do not give them the answer.
You are trying to find contradictions.
You can ask:
"Are you sure about that?"
or:
"That's not what your friend said."
Round 1 The teacher will say:
🔴 SEPARATE!
One person from your group becomes the suspect .
The other two become police officers .
The suspect goes to their assigned seat.
The police officers take their questions and find their suspect.
Police: ask the questions. Suspect: answer the questions. Nobody should hear another suspect's answers.
When the teacher says:
🟢 REGROUP!
Go back to your original group.
Compare the answers.
Look for contradictions.
Round 2 Now change roles .
A different person from your group becomes the suspect.
The other two become police officers.
When the teacher says:
🔴 SEPARATE!
Repeat the interviews.
When the teacher says:
🟢 REGROUP!
Return to your group.
Compare the answers again.
What counts as a contradiction? A contradiction happens when the answers to the same question do not match .
Example: Question: What did you drink?
Rita: Tea. Tea. Coffee.
❌ CONTRADICTION
That counts as one contradiction .
But different words can mean the same thing.
Example: Question: Who arrived last?
Rita: June arrived last. June arrived last. I arrived last.
✅ MATCH
Same meaning. No contradiction.
Remember: Do not look for identical words. Look for the same meaning.
Who did it? Now count your contradictions.
0–3 contradictions Your alibi holds .
🟢 NOT GUILTY
4 or more contradictions Your alibi does not hold .
🔴 GUILTY
The group with the most contradictions becomes the final suspect group.
11. Useful English 👤 If you are the suspect We were at …
I was watching …
We were just talking.
Sorry, could you say that again?
I don't remember.
Remember:
"I don't remember" only once!
🕵️ If you are the police Where were you at …?
Who else was there?
What were you doing?
Are you sure about that?
That's not what your friend said.
🚨 THE BIG CASE The group with the most contradictions has been caught.
All three of you come to the front of the class.
You are now being questioned by the whole class.
But remember:
You are a team.
You never answer alone.
How it works Another group asks you one question in English .
For example:
What colour was your friend's jacket?
All three of you:
Write your answer on a piece of paper.
Do it at the same time .
Do not talk.
Do not look at each other's answers.
You have 10 seconds .
Then the teacher says:
🔴 SHOW ME!
Turn your papers around at the same time.
The class decides:
MATCH or CONTRADICTION? Every group in the classroom may ask one question.
If there is a contradiction... You have 30 seconds to explain your answer together .
Then the next question.
Finally, the class votes:
GUILTY OR NOT GUILTY? The final rule You were together the whole evening.
You must tell the same story.
You must remember the details.
You must speak English.
And you must trust your memory.
Because:
Anyone can prepare the big answers.
The small details reveal the truth.
Good luck, detectives. 🔎 
