In this lesson, your students will learn a simple but astonishing magic trick. Here’s an example of how it might be performed:

Do spend time learning the trick yourself. Being able to perform it will have a much greater impact on your class group rather than simply showing them a video demonstration. Once you’re familiar with the inner workings of the trick, you will be able to troubleshoot issues or inconsistencies your learners may have while they practise and learn the routine.

Start the lesson with a demonstration. This is probably best performed while sat at a table with your learners stood around watching. Perform the trick before explaining how it’s done. There really needs to be a pause and period of enquiry prior to revealing its secret.

Making the gimmick

• Take the cardboard tube* from a toilet roll and cut it in half.
• Place half of the cardboard tube on a piece of plain paper and draw a circle around the circumference. Put the other half of the cardboard tube aside for later.
• Remove the cardboard tube and cut out the circle.
• Take the cut out circle and carefully glue it to the lip of one side of the cardboard tube. It’s important the cardboard tube is flat.
• When the glue is dry, examine whether the paper overhangs or protrudes past the lip of the cardboard tube. If this is the case, carefully trim the paper so it’s flush.

*You can also use a plastic cup or glass. With a non-transparent plastic cup, cut the bottom off.

Introduction:

• The magician sits at a table.
• Take a piece of plain paper and place the gimmicked cardboard tube on the paper face down.
• Place the other half of the cardboard tube next to the gimmicked cardboard tube.
• Ask your learner group to gather around the table while you demonstrate the trick.
• Place a coin (or other flat object) on the piece of paper.
• Tell your audience that you will magically make the coin disappear.
• Hold up the other piece of cardboard tube, showing that your fingers can pass through it.
• Show your audience that your hands are empty.
• Place your hand over the top of the gimmicked cardboard tube so the inside is not visible, and gently lift it about a 1cm above the paper.
• Place the gimmicked cardboard tube over the coin with your hand covering the top.
• Pause and tell your audience that the coin has now disappeared.
• Slowly withdraw your hand from the gimmicked cardboard tube and allow the audience to see that the coin has disappeared. In fact, the coin is hidden. It’s sandwiched between the piece of paper and the paper glued to the bottom of the gimmicked cardboard tube.
• Again show your audience that your hands are empty.
• Tell the audience that you will now make the coin reappear.
• Again cover the gimmicked cardboard tube with your hand and lift it slightly. Slowly move the cup to the side so that the coin is revealed.
• Pick up the coin and ask a member of the audience to examine it.
• Repeat the trick one or two more times before thanking the audience for watching.
• After demonstrating the trick, place learners into groups and ask them to discuss how they think it was done.
• Bring learners back to the table and invite suggestions.
• Reveal the secret.
• Magic is magic for a reason. Remind your learners not to reveal the secret.

Here’s a video demonstration of someone going through the trick using a glass:

Task

• Demonstrate how to make the gimmicked cardboard tube before allowing your learners to make one each.
• Once everyone has finished, bring them back to the table and demonstrate the trick again. Repeat some of the key moves and invite questions.
• Place your learners into pairs/groups of 3 and ask them to practise the trick using the task language and steps as a guide.
• Monitor and assist when necessary.
• Invite learners to mingle and perform the trick. Organise which students are magicians and which are audience members. They will need to change roles to allow everyone an opportunity to perform.
• While the magician performs the trick, the audience member(s) should assess the performance using the success criteria and give feedback.

Download a PDF of the Task language and steps and the Success criteria here: Lesson. The disappearing coin magic trick

Task language and steps

• Sit behind a table.
• Place the gimmicked cardboard tube upside down on a piece of paper.
• Place a coin next to the gimmicked cardboard tube.
• Ask, ‘do you want to see a magic trick?’
• Say, ‘I will make this coin disappear’.
• Hold up the other cardboard tube, showing your fingers can pass through it. Say, ‘look, the tube is empty‘.
• Show your hands are empty.
• Cover the gimmicked cardboard tube with your hand.
• Lift the gimmicked cardboard tube and place it over the coin.
• Say, ‘ladies and gentlemen, I will now say the magic word, alakazam! The coin has now disappeared’.
• Slowly move your hands away from the gimmicked cardboard tube. The coin has now vanished. Make sure the audience are able to look into the gimmicked cardboard tube and see the coin is no longer there.
• Say, ‘ladies and gentlemen, I will now make the coin reappear’.
• Cover the gimmicked cardboard tube.
• Say the magic word, ‘alakazam!’.
• Lift the gimmicked cardboard tube and slowly move it to the side. The coin reappears and is back on the table.
• Pick up the coin and ask someone to examine it. Say, ‘please, have a look at the coin’.
• Repeat the trick.
• Say, ‘thank you for watching my trick’.

Success criteria

• Did the magician perform the trick well?
• Did the magician tell the audience what was happening, e.g., did they say, ‘I will make this coin disappear’?
• Give the magician some feedback and advice.

Before finishing the lesson, try and make time for a review stage. If your students have followed the task language and success criteria, there will be plenty of scope for reflection.

Also, when I have run this lesson, I ask my students to perform the trick in English for their family as a homework task. A nice compliment to the lesson and gives a real-world use to some of the language.

Feature image: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1679705

Like what you’ve seen? There are lots more like this! I’ve been making materials for years and they’re all free to download! Click here: eflsummerschool.com

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Do you need a game to fill a gap in your lesson and engage your students? If yes, look no further than here: Games and board games

Need more ideas like this? Here’s a spin on the theme from STEM Learning: https://www.stem.org.uk/resources/elibrary/resource/36291/disappearing-coin-trick