Question volleyball (Thanks to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead). Here the goal is to rapidly generate questions to assist the research in a fun way with plenty of Control English practice. Nobody tries to answer any of them during this activity. Each student prepares ten questions on the topic as home work. No repeat questions are allowed, repetition costs a point. Five seconds hesitation to speak costs a point. There is no need to write down a question during the match unless it is identified as a New Question, i.e. not on anybody's paper yet. The five second time-out count begins after the previous new question has been accurately documented. Students pool all the questions at the end. Students may pause the game at any time to ask for repetition, clarification, meaning or spelling using Control English . A successful explanation in English wins one point to the student who asked for explanation. Failure to clarify or spell correctly costs the explainer's team one point; any member of their team can try to explain any question once each. They can appeal to the teacher to ajudicate whether failure in communication is the encoder's or decoder's problem. The teacher will then award the point either way and convey the meaning of the question.

Anyone who speaks any language other than English grants the opposition team 2 points.

Students play in teams of even number. In the example match below, students A and B team up against students C and D of the same group. They will all benefit from the work anyway as they will pool the questions after the match. The teams take turns to "serve" opening questions.

Students may appeal to the teacher in cases of perceived unfair play. Points will be awarded or deducted accordingly. Every new question earns a point. One member from each team is elected to note their team's score as it develops. Civility is encouraged, rudeness may be penalized by one point's deduction per infraction.

A: Our topic is juvenile crime. Let's start. Our serve.

B: What is the legal definition of a juvenile in Japan?

C: What kinds of juvenile crime are most common?

A: In what ways do juveniles differ from adults?

C: Good question. How do Japan's juvenile laws differ from other countries'?

D: Who are the criminals?

B: What exactly does the law say?

D: Are there any underlying patterns or common causal factors?

B: How many crimes have been reported?

D: Are juvenile crimes increasing in numbers and severity in Japan?

B: Excuse me?

D: I mean, are there more juvenile crimes now in Japan than there used to be? Do you see? And are they worse crimes now?

B: I see, thanks.

A: Your point. How many crimes are unreported?

D: Did you say unreported?

A: Yes. Your point. Your serve now.

D: Are there incentives to cover-up?

B: What do you mean 'cover-up'?

C: She means not tell anybody about the crime.

D: Or not recognize bad action as a crime, you know, be a silent on-looker, or look the other way. OK?

B: Good question. I've got you.

C: Right. Our point. You to serve.

A: OK. What are the similarities or differences in the perpetrators' contexts?

D: Are there flaws or loop-holes in the law ?

A: Should it be revised?

C: New question. How might it be revised?

B: Is there any evidence to suggest that leniency or severity in punishment reduces juvenile crime?

D: Just a moment. What does that mean?

B: What, leniency?

D: No, the whole question. Your point.

B: Thanks. It means 'Is there any proof that tougher or lighter punishment makes the number of crimes smaller?'

D: Thanks. I see. Our point.

A: Your team to serve.

C: Erm..... D: Eh to..... (five seconds pass)

A: Hesitation! Our point. Our service.

B: How are victims compensated?

D: Is heinous juvenile crime just a temporary aberration or a permanent phenomenon?

B: What are the statistics of repeat offences?

C: New question. Are you guys just pretending to understand the word 'heinous'?

A: No. It means 'very bad' and is often collocated with the word 'crime'. In fact I have never heard it used in any other context. Your point. By the way, how do you spell it?

D: Er... H, A, ...

A: Our point, I think. It's H,E,I,N,O,U,S. When was the law drafted and last revised?

B: New question. Why was it revised?

D: Foul! Our point. It was our team's turn to question. What safe-guards exist now against errors?

B: New question. Are they sufficient?

C: Has the law changed in tune with changes in Japanese culture?

A: Why didn't we commit crimes as juveniles?

D: New question. Who says we didn't? We could have killed at age eight and have been rehabilitated by now.

A: Foul! Interesting idea (look at the teacher quivering with apprehension), but rhetorical question! Our point. Your team to serve.

D: New question. Do you want to see my flick knife?

B: New question. Did you buy that in Kamakura at the shop selling cross-bows, nun chuks and throwing stars? Or at the one in Ueno selling whips, spiked brassieres and thongs?

C: New question. Which blade is sharper, mine or yours, d'you think?

A: New question. Do you find the Katana or the cross-bow more effective in Oji-rolling?

D: New question. Do you think the over-the-counter availability in Japan of lethal medieaval souvenirs encourages violence?

Etc., etc.

When a satisfactory number of questions have been generated the group can then check through them and decide their relative importance to their own research 'angle'. They can then voice their opinions using Discussion tools regarding the questions. For homework they can seek the information they require from the mass media, library and internet resources to support their arguments. They might find it efficient to allocate different research areas amongst themselves, share their discoveries and learn co-operatively. Or they might want to go it alone to stand splendid in isolation, but this risks producing less content and getting lower marks.