Part of Lesson Plan: Interview Appointment Prep

Activity Overview / Details

Show the ending scene from Madagascar 2: Escape to Africa where Alex the Lion is passing information up to Marty the Zebra. The information is passed by monkeys. Each time they pass the information, they get the message completely wrong.

Alternative: Telephone Game

Step 1
Sit in a circle or a row with players a foot or more apart.

Step 2
Choose one person to start. He comes up with a phrase or sentence — silly or serious, it doesn't matter.

Step 3
He leans over and whispers the phrase in the ear of the person next to him. That person whispers what she heard into the ear of the next player, and that continues around the circle.

Step 4
When the last person has whispered the phrase in the ear of the first person, he repeats it out loud. After the laughter dies down, he can tell everyone the original sentence or phrase.

The point of the video or the game is for the students to see the challenges of communication and how the message can get distorted if we are not clear.

Questions - Why did the message from Alex to Marty get messed up? What can we do to make sure this doesn't happen in our communication?

Materials: Madagascar Clip or Phrases for Telephone Game