Hey guys,

You know how our students are obsessed with Rock Paper Scissors? Well, I made lesson that revolved around this topic.

Here's the deal:

Intro video


1. I introduce the SS to RPG in the U.S.and Canada, how we have a national RPS championship every year (show the video for this () There's audio commentary and the guys are hilarious, talking about fatigue 
2. Then take the Ss step by step on how to play Western Style RPS. Have them learn the expressions. The Ss are physically following what you are doing, get them to do it.
3. Then introduce the Ss to the rules. Have them learn the rules
4. Then have the Ss learn different strategies to winning in RPS. For example Paper is thrown only 29.6% of the time. Or that Boys usually use Rock as their first throw.
5. Then if you can have the Ss make their own strategy at winning RPS. These strategies can even be about cheating  ;) like for example, doing the Tela Tubbies song instead of throwing in a sign (Korean style).

Then finally have the RPS championship in the classroom with the final Ss winning candy. Be very dramatic about it and make commentary in the video.

Overall a very fun lesson and easily used after midterms or final exams. The students will love it 

P.S. On the third sheet of the worksheet I included  the entire sheet of RPS strategy. If anyone else can come up with anything on who to use this in the classroom, please post your findings 

I personally like this video.

I will be using this in my after school!

Consider some of the expansions if you want to challenge them, and give them some new verbs.

Actually, on the topic of verbs, a suggestion is to implement a serious rule: if you cannot explain why you win in English (rock crushes scissors for example) then you don't win and must play again.

Rock Paper Scissors Spock Lizard (RPSSL)
Comes from a message board back in the mid 1990s but has been featured on sitcoms since apparently (except like all internet memes gone mainstream, they got the order wrong, grr):
Preserved copy of the original explanation: http://www.samkass.com/theories/RPSSL.html
Javascript implementation: http://asymmetric.net/feature.php?rpssl

RPS 25
Now with 22 further gestures.
Link: http://www.umop.com/rps25.htm

RPS 101
Oh, for the love of...
Link: http://www.umop.com/rps101.htm
Maybe just give the link to interested students and let them try and play amongst themselves. Having the webpage open to verify results is pretty much a prerequisite.

This is the first day I've used this lesson, just finished my first class with it.

I would recommend that maybe adding a section of strategies being explained just to talk about RPS a little bit more (like billet first recommended, but for my classes a worksheet won't be useful) and really enforce the students to say how they won, with a full sentence after a throw (like paul recommended). I would also suggest that you have two students come up and give a practice match so you can exemplify and stress the need for a full sentence explaining how they won, otherwise the point is not awarded (which will motivate them to say it.) When they play I leave the ppt on the "specific verbs" slide so they can reference it.


Without these suggestions, the class goes by too fast and subtracts from the little bit of English they're ask to learn here.

I also removed the video embedded pages as they take even longer to load than to click on the video file individually.

Here are the downloaded videos if it makes it easier for those with no internet connection in their classrooms or just so it will load faster to keep the presentation more fluid. (.mp4 files renamed with .avi extension so they would upload)

*chuckle