Last Card Standing

The very first trick that we will study is VERY easy, and very versatile in that you can practice many different types of contents with it. Throw a deck of 50 cards onto the table, reject the ones which fall face down and keep the ones which fall face up. Continue until there is only one card left… somehow you knew which card would be the last one to fall face up.

• • • Make a prediction.
    • Lots of opportunities to for pupils to practice pronunciation.
    • Skills: Listening & speaking (pronunciation)
    • For practicing: Vocabulary.

Demonstration & Explanation

Think-a-bit tip: From time to time I will suggest ways of adapting a trick to other subjects, as a way of inspiring you to do the same, and I will suggest ways of changing a trick to try to improve it from a didactic point of view. In the case of “last card standing”, why don’t you let the student throw the cards on the table?!?! The less contact you have with the cards and the bag, the more convincing the trick will be!

Think-a-bit tip II: Incorporate writing into the trick by asking your students to write the words on some of the cards… of course, your card is always going to be the “last card standing” but your students won’t know who wrote that card!