Guess Which One

Goal: Identify the secret object by asking yes-or-no questions. (This game is similar to Twenty Questions.)

1. Set up for the game

Children play in groups of 2–6. Each group spreads out 15–25 objects so everyone can see.

Decide who will be the Chooser for this game. The Chooser secretly picks an object without removing it from the layout.

 

2. Take turns asking yes-or-no questions to identify the secret object

Children ask questions to rule out several objects. They cannot ask if a particular object is the secret one.

The Chooser answers the question and then removes any objects that have been ruled out.

Example: Children are playing the game with buttons. A player asks, “Is it made of plastic?” The answer is no, so the Chooser removes all the plastic buttons. None of the buttons left is plastic.

 

3. Continue taking turns until only the secret object remains

The winner is the player who first narrows the set down to the secret object.

Variations

Secret Person (Grades K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)

The Chooser secretly picks a person from among the group. Players ask questions such as “Does this person wear glasses?” to rule out people until they can identify the secret person.

What's Around Us? (Grades K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)

Gather a set of items outside. Everyone contributes an item of a certain kind, such as a pebble or a leaf. Play with the set of items gathered.

Objects from Everywhere (Grades K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)

Play with items such as coins, stamps, or photos from another country. Or, play with a set of objects from different countries, such as a set of coins from many lands.

 

Books and Other Resources

Book ideas to come!

Spotlight

Logic

Logical thinking—using a chain of evidence to rule out some possibilities—is a big part of this game.

The Chooser uses logic to decide which objects to keep in the layout and which to remove.  For instance, if someone asks if the secret button has four holes and the answer is no, the Chooser needs to decide which buttons to remove.

Players trying to rule out possibilities use logic to come up with good questions. They need to look over all the objects and identify a feature that will eliminate some, but not all of the objects.

Connections

Reasoning from evidence

On a regular basis, people make decisions based on evidence they gather and possibilities that they rule out. When a child at an afterschool program complains of a stomachache, afterschool staff need to gather evidence to figure out what might be wrong and how to handle the situation: Does the child have a fever? Did she eat enough today? Is there a problem at home or with friends?  If the child has a fever, she’s probably sick and should go home. If she seems healthy and has been eating well, it’s time to look for other reasons that she might be complaining

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