WHY? BECAUSE…
OVERVIEW
This quick activity introduces students to
basic reasoning – opinions need a
justification, which we can provide by
answering the question “Why?” with
“because…”. You can use different sets of
words or statements to additionally reinforce
subject-knowledge and adjust the tone and
difficulty of the game.
TASK
Students should sit in a circle. Explain the
activity – it will focus on prompting us to
provide reasons for statements or
preferences. With some groups, you may also
wish to contextualise this by having a short
discussion about where in life we provide
reasons (students may want to cite decisionmaking or problem-solving at home or in the
playground).
OBJECTIVES
• To learn that “reasons” provide
justification for a belief or
statement, and can be formed by
answering “Why?” with “because…”
• To practise giving reasons for
statements or preferences
• To speak in small group or pair
settings
RESOURCES
A set of statements or words (see
below for examples) on slides or
printed on slips of paper. Preference
sets (the single words) should be
grouped in threes, whilst statements
should be shown individually.
Why? Because… using preference cards:
Give the first student three cards from a preference set (e.g. tennis, boxing, football). They
should select the one that is their favourite. Other students should ask, “why?” and they
should answer, “because…”, giving a reason. Proceed around the circle so that everyone has a
turn.
Why? Because… using statements:
Give the first student a card with a statement on. They should read it, and answer “Why?”
with a reason of their own. Proceed around the circle so that everyone has a turn.
Tips
With a whole class, demonstrate with a few students as volunteers before continuing the task
in pairs – one student expresses a preference or picks a statement, and the other prompts
them with “Why?” and listens to their reason.
You can add a competitive edge by giving each student a set time in which to provide reasons
for as many statements as possible.
Example preference sets:
Football
Tennis
Athletics
Badminton
Basketball
Hockey
Boxing
Cricket
Cat
Dog
Tiger
Shark
Hamster
Elephant
Dolphin
Panda
Example statements set:
Football is a fun sport. Why?
Dogs make good pets. Why?
The best time of the day is the morning. Why?
Cycling is a good way to travel. Why?
Chess is an interesting hobby. Why?
Cats are good pets. Why?
Some people enjoy sunny weather. Why?
Cars are a good way to travel. Why?
Vegetables are an important part of your diet. Why?
Reading is an enjoyable hobby. Why?