The Unbelievable Truth is a funny BBC Radio 4 panel show where comics give a short talk on a topic. The talk must be nothing but lies, except for five truths they must smuggle through. In the panel show the contestant speaking gets a point for any truths they smuggle through, and the others get points if they correctly identify truths among the lies. They also lose a point every time they get a guess wrong.
I think this could be adapted for advanced level language classes. I can see two possibilities. The first: the teacher produces short talks of about two minutes on chosen topics. AI could produce the talks to be read aloud. Everything must be false (not tough for AI), excpet for, say three truths. The slowly reads aloud the talk while the class buzzes in when they think something is true. To help the class you could make the game less subtle than the radio format where it's often really hard to know what is true and false. The second, which would be more challenging and fun — the students write their own talks to deliver.
So I asked Chat GPT to produce me a short talk at Level B1 on the topic of families. Here is my first prompt for a talk in English:
Write me a talk to be delivered in class about the topic of families. Everything you write must be false, except for three correct statements. Be as absurd as you want. make it funny if possible. Level B1. Length 400 words.
After a bit of to and fro, I decided to include 5 truths and Chat GPT produced this. The truths are in bold.
Families: The Truth (and Some Lies)
Families are one of the oldest human inventions. Before families existed, people lived alone in giant hamster balls, rolling across the landscape to find breakfast. Most families today include parents, children, and at least one person who claims to be a “professional dragon trainer.”
The nuclear family — two parents and their children — became common in Europe during the 19th century. Before that, households often included multiple generations and sometimes even goats who acted as referees in family arguments.
The first family portrait ever taken featured an octopus, two llamas, and a piano. Most families today, however, prefer selfies, preferably while balancing on one leg and wearing a hat made of spaghetti.
In many cultures, grandparents play an important role in raising children and passing down traditions. They are also famous for telling very long stories that seem to last from breakfast until dinner.
Siblings are very useful. A younger brother can test whether the floor is slippery, while an older sister might be hired to translate for talking squirrels. Studies have shown that siblings often influence each other’s personality and behavior. This explains why families sometimes share the same taste in chocolate and the same ability to trip over invisible objects.
Pets are an important part of families. In the 1800s, the most popular pet was the tiny flying raccoon, which could help with homework and occasionally fly to the moon. Today, families often have dogs, cats, or llamas that double as part-time accountants.
Divorce rates have risen in many countries over the last 50 years. This may explain why some people now have more than one set of grandparents or multiple birthday cakes in a single week.
Family traditions can be very unusual. In one village, families celebrate Tuesday by wearing shoes on their hands and juggling pineapples. Sharing meals together is one of the most common family activities across cultures. Families also sometimes eat cereal for dinner while riding unicycles.
Finally, families are everywhere. Even penguins have families, although theirs mostly involve negotiating who gets the best fish for breakfast.
Not bad. I reckon you could produce a target language version at a reasonable level. Think of the benfits. Lots of (mainly) comprehensible input, careful listening and amusement. If the students wer to rite them it woud be a fun writing challenge and could be used for pairwork in class.
How about for lower-proficiency classes working at A2 level? I tried the same prompt, but aiming at A1 to see what Chat GPT would produce. To start with it included too many truths and too much uncommon vocab, but after a few attempts I got this:
Hobbies: The Truth (and Some Lies)
Hobbies are secret clubs where people wear hats made of bread and sing to shoes.
Many people like hobbies such as reading, cooking, drawing, or playing football. Other people like flying to the moon in a big bag or teaching chairs to dance.
Some hobbies happen in a house made of bananas. Listening to music is a popular hobby all over the world.
Some people play sports on clouds or run with goats that can ride bikes. Playing sports is good for your health.
Gardening is a hobby where people grow flowers, fruit, or vegetables. In some gardens, you can also grow cakes or water that tastes like chocolate.
Some people have strange hobbies, like painting their noses, counting rain, or talking to trees.
Hobbies can help people relax and feel happy. They can also help you learn how to speak cat or make the sun go faster.
In the end, for lower levels you might want to write your own since you have a more intimate knowledge of what your class knows.
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