Communication problems
This activity asks students to be creative so that they can communicate even when the situation is difficult.
You are talking to someone who doesn’t understand you. Find out:
- Do they want milk or sugar in their tea?
- Do they want to go shopping with you?
- They are riding their bike down a one way street. Tell them!
- You’re going to the movies. Do they want to come too?
Line up
Students order themselves according to different criteria:
- Who lives the closest to school?
- Birthdays: January to December.
- Who went to bed the latest?
- Who got up the earliest?
Sold!
Give students an object to sell to the class (e.g., knitting needle, matches, etc.). Ask students to stand and tell the class why they should buy this. How many orders can they get?
Childhood memories
Students write a word they associate with their childhood on a slip of paper. The slips are redistributed and the students have to guess whose they are. The student whose slip it was explains the association.
Gift of the gab
Students face each other and start talking. Each has a coin on their palm. Each student tries to distract the other and grab the coin.
How was your weekend?
Students choose one adjective to describe their weekend. Mingle and find out why other people chose that word. Or mingle and ask enough questions to try to guess your partner’s adjective. This works well with many different themes.
Lying continuously!
Student 1 mimes an action, e.g., rowing a boat.
St. 2 asks, “What are you doing?”
St. 1 lies, “I’m washing my hair.”
St. 2 then mimes washing their hair.
St. 3 asks “What are you doing?”
St. 2 lies, and so on.
Spelling warmer
The students have already received the vocabulary list containing approximately 50 words (selected from P. Nation’s 2000 word list).
Step 1: Students head up their books with the title Spelling Test and the date. They are told the test will be marked out of 20.
Step 2: The teacher reads 20 words picked at random from the list. Each word is read twice.
Step 3: Students mark their tests and record their scores at the back of their books. The teacher also records the marks.
Step 4: The students can compare results and discuss spelling errors.
Draw a word
Students draw representations of a word on the whiteboard. Other students guess what word it is. The one who guesses correctly takes their turn next. This is a useful way to revise the week’s vocabulary.
Thanks to those who contributed tips: Judy Massam, Gabrielle Harris, Grant Price, Phillipa Watt, Martin Rodgers, Daniela Gadiuta, Judy Child.