Going to the Dogs

• Key words: vocabulary, speaking, relative pronoun (Do you have a dog that has a short tail?)                                       
• Learner English skill level: Intermediate (third year junior high school)                                
• Learner age level:                                                                                                          
• Preparation time: 20 minutes                                                                                          
• Activity time: 60 minutes for all activities and instruction time                                                                          
• Materials: one regular size deck of cards (see below), one oversize deck of the same cards 

Do you have a dog that speaks English? Don't feel bad if you don't. You may have a dog that can fly or do all sorts of other amazing tricks in this variation of the classic card game, Go Fish. This game introduces and helps student use the relative pronoun, "that."

For the purpose of this lesson (and game) practice the following kinds of questions and answers with the students using the appropriate graphics displays.

Q: Do you have a dog that has spots?
A: No I don't. / Yes I do.

Q: Do you have a dog that has a long tail?
A: No I don't. / Yes I do.


The basic deck should include 40-80 cards (20-40 matching pairs) made from the following card set (using 2-4 copies of each page).

a dog that has long ears
a dog that has short ears
a dog that has big eyes
a dog that has eyeglasses
a dog that has spots
a dog that has a bird
a dog that  has a curly tail
a dog that has a long tail
a dog that has a hat
a dog that loves cats

a dog that reads
a dog that dances
a dog that has a short tail
a dog that speaks English
a dog that sleeps
a dog that drives
a dog that plays baseball
a dog that eats trees
a dog that flies
a dog that watches TV








After reviewing and drilling the vocabulary and grammar to be used explain how the game is played. One way to do this is to model playing the game with the assistance of a couple of students. Use a shorter deck when modelling the game to save time.

Deal five cards to each player and put the remaining cards in the deck face down in the center of the table. Keeping the cards in their hands out of view of the other players, each player discards any matching pairs they have in their hand and places the matching pairs in individual piles before them. Once they have discarded their matching pairs and decided who will go first (by some means like rock, scissors, paper, etc.) the game can proceed.

The starting player begins by looking at a particular card in his hand and asks any other player in the group if he/she has a matching card.

If a player has a card featuring a dog that has a curly tail, he/she will choose another player in the group and ask them: "Do you have a dog that has a curly tail?"  If  the player who is asked the question has the card, he/she replies: "Yes I do" or "Yes I have a dog that has a curly tail." The player then hands over the card to the player who asked the question. The player who asked the question takes the card and places it along with the matching card from his/her hand on top of his/her individual discard pile. The game continues with the next player to the right asking a question.

If the player who is asked the question does not have the card, he/she replies: "No, I don't" or "No, I don't have a dog that has a curly tail" (which is the same as saying "go fish" in the traditional version of the game).  In this case the player asking the question draws a card from the deck in the center of the table and the game continues with the next player to the right asking a question.

Players should always have at least five cards in their hand. Some players will have more than five cards in their hands but those who don't should draw enough cards from the deck in the center of the table at the end of their turns to fill their hand. Towards the end of the game, when the the deck in the center of the table is depleted, it will be impossible for every player to keep five cards in their hand. The game is over when the deck runs out and the players have matched all the cards in their hands.

Players try to collect as many pairs as they can. When there are no more cards remaining in the deck located in the center of the table and the players have matched all the cards in their hands, the game is over. Players count the cards in their discard piles and the player with the most cards wins.

After modeling the game with a short deck, divide the class into groups, give each group a deck of cards and let the games begin. Each group should be able to play at least a couple of hands and remember no gambling dog gone it.