VARIANT ONE

The classic game – practical for teaching telling the time in English to small groups in a ‘summer camp’ type environment.

One pupil is the wolf.  The wolf walks slowly ahead, with the class following behind.
The class ask in unison, “What’s the time, Mr Wolf?”
Mr Wolf replies, “It’s one o’clock” (or whatever time he likes).
The class repeat the question until Mr Wolf replies, “It’s dinner time!”
At this point, Mr Wolf turns around and tries to catch one of the group.
I suggest swapping Mr Wolf over at this point, regardless of whether the wolf catches anyone or not.
If you like, Mr Wolf can also call out breakfast time, lunchtime, tea time, supper time, and even elevenses (a British custom of coffee or tea and biscuits around 11 am).  Whenever Mr Wolf calls out a time involving eating, he turns and chases the group.

LANGUAGE IDEAS

The most obvious, easy adaptation is to use the time theme, but with different tenses.
E.g., “What time did the wolf come in?”  The wolf replies, “It came in at 5 o’clock”.
Or, “When will the wolf come in?”  “It’ll come in at 5 o’clock”.
Or, “When is the wolf coming in?”  “‘It’s coming in at 5 o’clock”.

You can modify this game for other questions and answers. Here is one example to give you the idea.  Use with variants two to five, using flashcards. For example, let’s say you want to practise, “Where are you going on Saturday?” The wolf replies, “I’m going to the beach.”

VARIANT TWO

Quiet, controlled classroom variant.  3 to 60 pupils.

One pupil is the wolf.  The wolf faces the board or away from the group.
The class members stand behind their desks and ask in unison,
“What time is it, Mr Wolf?”
Mr Wolf replies, “It’s one o’clock.”
The class repeat the question until Mr Wolf says, “It’s dinner time!”
At this point, the class freeze, Mr Wolf turns around and sees if anyone is moving.  If the wolf catches anyone moving, they become the new wolf.
See variant three for more time-telling options.
Combine this with variant three for more fun.

VARIANT THREE

Here’s a classroom variant to teach telling the time in English with no materials.  3 to 60 pupils.

One pupil is the wolf, facing away from the group.
Pupils each hold up 1 to 10 fingers, one arm in the air for 11, or two arms for 12.
The class ask in unison, “What time is it, Mr Wolf?”
Mr Wolf replies with a time, e.g., “It’s 5 o’clock”.  Anyone holding up 5 becomes the wolf.
If more than one pupil has five, then the wolf picks one of them out.
You can combine this with variant two for more fun and variety. 

To use more time-telling possibilities, you can use the following idea.
3 o’clock would be three fingers held above the head.
Quarter past three would be three fingers held to the right of the body.
Half-past three would be three fingers held over the stomach.
Quarter to four would be three fingers held to the left of the body.

VARIANT FOUR

Classroom variant with flashcards. 6 to 60 pupils.

Pupils stand at their desks with a wolf upfront.
In this version, each class member has a flashcard with a different time on it.
Remember you can ask the class to draw a clock and choose a time themselves, to have everyone kitted out with their own flashcard in minutes.
When the wolf gives a time, e.g., “It’s half-past five,” anyone holding that time must call back “It’s half-past five,” or “Is it really?”
The class keep their flashcards flat on their desks or hidden from the wolf.
The wolf then turns round and must identify who replied by the sound of their voice.
If the wolf does this successfully, that person becomes the next wolf.
Or you swap the wolf over each time.

VARIANT FIVE

Classroom variant with flashcards.  5 to 30 pupils.

This variant is a little more lively but still very manageable.  Basic setup as above.
Students hold up their flashcards (see variant 4) to the wolf.
The wolf mentally picks one of the times he sees and turns away from the class.
The class ask in unison, “What time is it, Mr Wolf?”
Mr Wolf says, “It’s five o’clock,” and then counts to four at a steady pace.
The class members holding “five o’clock” may, if they choose to, quickly swap their card, or give it to a neighbour before the wolf turns around.
Everyone freezes.
On the count of four, the wolf turns around and tries to catch someone moving.
The wolf then names the person he believes to be holding the 5 o’clock card.

Everyone knows the classic game Mr Wolf, but most people don’t know my variants, so let your teaching buddies know by sharing this page with them.telling the time in English