oral sentence completion

This activity works well for exercises where students have to complete sentences with their own ideas, such as:

• comparatives and superlatives: ..... is not as interesting as ...
• conditionals: If I were older, ...
• present perfect: I have always wanted to .../ I have never... before

Instructions:

1. You should have a series (about 15- 20 or more, depending on your number of students) of sentences (cues) ready. Put it up on an overhead, or give each student (or each pair of students) a copy.
2. Divide students into groups of no more than 6 people.
3. Have a timer ready.
4. Each group will stand up front, and will have 3o seconds to say as many sentences as they can. Two conditions apply: The same person cannot say two sentences in a row - he/she must give the chance to other members of the group. Secondly, they must produce the sentences in the order in which they are given; they cannot choose their cues.
5. Give one point for each correct sentence.
6. After 30 seconds, the next group comes up and continues producing sentences where the previous group left off.

Livening up the coursebook - musical ball

This is a good way to give weaker students enough time to complete an exercise, while adding an element of fun to the stronger students who usually have to wait for their slower classmates. It's brought a lot of laughs to my class.

1. Have your class sit in a circle, each with their books/worshsheets ready.
2. One of the students gets a soft ball, and starts passing it around while you play music. Meanwhile, all the students should be working on their exercise/worksheet.
3. When you stop the music, whoever has the ball will call out the answer to the first exercise/question.
4. Then the ball starts going around again, until the music stops and whoever has the ball this time calls out the answer to the next question.

as ... as (warmup)

Hold out your hand. Ask the students if any of them have a bigger hand than yours, a smaller hand, and if any of them have hands as big as yours (or one of the students' who has gone up). Ask them to come to the front.

You can then make sentences using their (and your) hands as an example:


Arthur's hand is (just) as big as Keita's.
Marlise's hand is not quite as big as Keita's.
Kristina's hand is almost as big as Marlise's.
Kristina's hand is not nearly as big as Keita's.

Bring me... (comparatives and superlatives)

This has worked as a good warmup activity for reviewing comparatives and superlatives (assuming that students have already studied it sometime before). It really brings energy to the class.

Divide students into groups. Then tell them that the first group to bring the objects you ask for, will win points.
You can say sentences such as the following:

"Bring me the thickest dictionary"
"Bring me the messiest folder."
"Bring me the whitest shoes."
"Bring me a cell phone which is bigger than mine."
"Bring me a watch which is smaller than mine."

Pronunciation Competition (vowels)

This was written up by my colleague, Doris. We joined both our classes for this game, and the students really enjoyed it. It takes a bit of preparation though.

Vowel Sound Pronunciation Bee/Games

Divide class into 4 groups. Each group has to choose as its name one of the vowel phonemes (e.g “We are the /I/ group”).

On OHP, put a Snakes & Ladders game board. Project on wall. Each group has a different colored post-it note that they move around the board (projected on the wall) as a playing piece. The first group to reach the finish point will win.

Having two teachers present (or else a teacher and an assistant) makes this flow better.
Have a dice on hand. Each number corresponds to a type of activity. Roll the dice to select the activity.

All teams play all the time for all the activities. The dice is also rolled by the two teams winning each activity to determine how many spaces on the game board they get to move.

Games/Activities

1. Many Words: The teacher assigns a vowel sound to each group (or uses the team name for the first round). The teams have 1 minute to write on the whiteboard as many words with that sound as they can think of. The 2 teams with the most correct words get to throw the dice and move on the board.

2. Sound Chain: Two teams line up facing each other. The teacher says a vowel sound. The first person on the A team has to say a word that contains that phoneme. Next, the first person on the B team also says a word with the same phoneme. The same word cannot be repeated. This continues, back and forth between the two teams, until one team makes a mistake, repeats a word that has already been said or can’t think of a word fast enough (5 second rule) and loses. The winning team gets to roll the dice to advance on the board. (With two teachers present, all four teams are playing at the same time, A against B, C against D).

3. Fake Words: (prepare a list of nonexistent words that follow the spelling rules/phonemes the class has been studying-ahead of time). The teacher writes a “fake” word on the board for each team (or a representative from each team) to pronounce following the patterns they have studied before. If they are correct, they get to roll the dice and advance.

4. Find it-Bring it: (prepare cards with minimal pairs before hand. Mix them up and put them in bags to be handed out to each team). The teacher calls out two or three words (ex. Cat , chicks). Students must rummage through their cards, select the ones the teacher said, and run to the teacher with the cards in hand. The first two teams to bring the correct cards get to roll the dice and advance. (In their sets, they would have had to make the decision between the “cat “or the “cut” card, or the “chick” or “cheek” card).

5. Rhyme it: Two teams line up facing each other. The first person on the A team has to say a word. Next, the opposing person on the B team has to say a word with the same vowel sound. The second person on the A team can choose to change the vowel sound and say a different word for which the second person on the B team must find a rhyming vowel sound word. The same word cannot be repeated. This continues, back and forth between the two teams, until one team makes a mistake, repeats a word that has already been said or can’t think of a word fast enough (5 second rule) and loses. The winning team gets to roll the dice to advance on the board. (With two teachers present, all four teams are playing at the same time, A against B, C against D).

6. Sound Sentence: The teacher assigns a vowel sound to each group (or uses the team name for the first round). The teams have 1 minute to write on the whiteboard a sentence which contains as many words with that sound as they can think of. The 2 teams with the most correct words get to throw the dice and move on the board.

Pronunciation Drill

For a class of 12 students or less (although you can always adapt it!).

1. Divide students into groups 6. Give each student a number from 1- 6.

2. After reviewing a minimal pair combination of sounds (pat - pet), roll the die. If the die rolls to, say, 2, both number 2 students should get up front.

3. The student from the first group reads the words from the first column (pat), and the other student reads the words from the other column (pet). After they finish the list, roll the die again for another pair of students to come up.

4. You can also have a number which means "all participate", so students line up in two rows and each one gets to read a word from their column.

This activity keeps them moving and on their toes, but it must be done only if students feel comfortable coming up front- otherwise it could be tortuous, especially if they still don't feel comfortable with the target sounds.

Review activity - Your number participates

1. Divide students into groups of no more than 6. Students in each group will get a number from 1-6 (if there's less than 6 students, give each student two numbers, or make the last number/s to be "all"). Give one slate (or large piece of paper) to each group.

2. Have a transparency with sentences ready (this can be used to review any topic - vocab or grammar). Show each sentence/ question one at a time, after rolling the die.

3. Roll a die. If, for example, it rolls to 3, only the "number 3"students from each group can write the answer on the slate/ paper. Their group members can help, but cannot write on the slate.

4. The group which shows their written answer first, wins a point (it can be measured in points, or the group can get candy, or whatever.

Possible idea: If there's an odd number of students, get one to be your "referee", a neutral person who decides which group presented the answer first, as it's hard to be doing all that leading at one time. Students themselves can take turns rolling the die, or your referee can do it.

VARIATION:

Have the transparency, and one transparency marker at hand. When the die gets rolled, the students with that number can (once they've decided on the answer) rush to write the answer on the transparency. There will be fun scrambles when students try to grab the marker first. (Of course, this can only be done with respectful students!)

I found this activity in an e-book called "Best ESL Practices". Unfortunately I can't find the reference right now, but as soon as I do, I will give full credit to the authors.

Livening up the coursebook

Activity 1:

I learnt this one from my students. It's a good way to brighten up a coursebook exercise. Simply copy the exercise, mount it on cardboard, and cut it up like a jigzaw puzzle. That way, before students can complete the exercise, they have to put the pieces together and have a little fun.


Activity 2:

No time to plan for today? No problem as long as each student has a book (or worksheet)! Simply sit them in a circle, and get them to complete an exercise- but every minute (or less), blow a whistle or ring a bell, and they have to pass their book on to the person on their left- at the same time, they get a book from the person on their right. They then continue where the last person left off.
This way, all students will probably finish at around the same time, and the activity brings a lot of laughs.

NB: Make sure each student has a lead pencil - some students get very upset by having someone else mess up their books!


Activity 3:

This one might sound really dumb, and I don't recommend it to happen often, but sometimes teachers have those days in which there's no inspiration... In that case, choose an exercise from your coursebook, and divide your students in groups of 2 or 3.

Beforehand, for each group, make little papers with the exercise numbers on them: 1a, 1b, 1c...

Then the students work in groups, but don't follow the order of the exercise. Rather, they draw a paper (e.g. 2.c) and complete that sentence first. Then they draw another paper (e.g. 1.b) and complete that one.

Activity 4:

1. Divide the class into 3 or 4 groups (depending on the size of your board). Also, divide the board and assign a section of the board for each group.

2. Tell Ss that they will complete exercise so-and-so on the board, but only one student from each group can go up to the board at a time (one student, one sentence). If that person makes a mistake, the next student who goes up can correct it.

3. The objective is to see which team finishes first. Points can be assigned by giving 1 (or 1000!) points for each correct sentence, plus giving 2 (or 2000) points to the team which finished first, and 1 (or 1000) points to the team which finished second).


Activity 5:

If a worksheet or coursebook exercise has either/or answers, make students stand up if it's one answer, and sit down if it's the other- or any other type of action that's appropriate for your group.

Present passive

Present simple passive:

1. Beforehand, make cards with names of objects written on them, e.g. scissors, shirt, cell phone, pen, pillow, blanket, shoes, computer, broom, paper, etc.

2. Divide the class into two groups.

3. A student from one group comes to the front and picks a card. He/she then gives clues using the present simple passive to help his/her group guess the object.
For example, if the card reads "stapler", sample clues would be: "It's used for keeping papers together. It's made from metal and plastic. It's used in offices and schools."

4. For every grammatically correct clue, the team earns a point. If after three clues the team doesn't guess, the other team gets the chance to guess.


Present continuous passive:

1. Beforehand, make cards with activities in present perfect passive, such as:
-His hair is being cut.
-The floor is being swept.
-A book is being read.

2. Divide the class into two groups.

3. A student from one group comes the front and draws a card. He/she then gestures what the card says, for his/her team to guess. If after 10 secodns the team hasn't guessed, the other team is allowed to guess it.

ESL Football

Instructions here:

http://www.esljunction.com/esl_games/football-print.html

I have used this in small groups (with one or two players per team, plus a referee): Each group gets a board and ball; the referee gets a list of questions, plus answer key, and monitors whether the teams are answering the questions correctly. This way, you can have three or four small groups playing independently, and you can walk around helping them.

Discussion wheels

Discussion wheels
Submitted by Nik Peachey on 23 June, 2002 - 13:00
http://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/try/activities/discussion-wheels

Discussion wheels are a good way of giving students time to think and formulate opinions before they do discussion work. They work particularly well with areas of discussion which can have ranges of agreement or disagreement.

Preparation :

1. To create a discussion wheel you simply need 8 or 10 contentious sentences based around a theme which you would like the students to discuss.
2. Draw a circle on a piece of paper and draw lines through the circle (one line for each sentence) so that the circle is divided into segments.
3. At the end of each line, write one of the sentences, then make sure to copy enough so that each student has one.

Discussion wheel template 49.9 KB

Procedure:

1. Give each student out their own discussion wheel and get them to look at the sentences and put a cross on the line next to the sentence according to how much they agree or disagree with it. A cross near the centre of the circle indicates strong disagreement and one near the edge of the circle can indicate strong agreement. A cross half way along the line can mean they are undecided.

2. Once your students have had time to put crosses on each of the lines they can then start to discuss. This can be done in a number of ways. The easiest in terms of classroom management is for you to give them a partner to discuss with (the person next to them or on the table in front of them).

3. If you have the space though, you can ask the students to connect all the crosses so that they form a shape and then stand up and mingle round the class to find the person in the class who has a similar shape to their own. (This has no real pedagogical value, but can be a nice way to get students up and moving and get them to talk to other people in their class.)

4. Once they have a partner to talk to, get them to discuss and explain their opinions and see if they can convince their partner to change the position of the crosses.

5. This approach gives the students more of a supportive framework and a goal for their discussion. If you have time and the students are doing well they can discuss with a number of partners, or you can show them your own discussion wheel with your crosses and see if they can convince you to move your crosses.

This is an idea that I first saw in a book called 'Short stories for Creative Language Classrooms' by Joanne Collie and Stephen Slater (P 52).

Nik Peachey, teacher, trainer, materials writer, British Council

Song: my time's running too fast

This song leads to interesting discussion.

My Time’s Running Too Fast (performed by The Real Group)

INSTRUCTIONS:
As you listen to the song, on the blank spaces write the number of the order in which each section appears. Some sections appear more than once!

1 .
My time's running too fast
I tell you my time's running too fast
Today the future becomes the past
Somehow the tempo is way too high
Somehow the tempo is way too high
I can't see any reason why
Somehow the tempo is way too high

____ ____ ____ _____
Think of all the time
… that you can work
to make more money
to buy you things you need
to save time that......

____
On the highway of life
l find no place to rest
By the high speed of light
I'm completely impressed

____ ____
Every time I decide
to slow down and shift gear
I can hear all these voices
repeat in my ear;

____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____
Run run run
If you want to have fun fun fun
Life has only begun gun gun
Go ahead and just run run run
You can never stop

_____
I just want to get out
I know that I just want to get out
Today I see what life is about
I know that I just want to get out
I try to cool down and lower the pace

____ ____
Don't look back
Stay on the track
Don't ever slow down

Pronunciation/ listening games (minimal pairs)

These ideas help give variety to what would otherwise be a boring pronunciation drill.

1. For open vowels, mouth them, so students "lip-read" by noticing the shape of you mouth. This will raise awareness as to how the sounds are produced. For example, you read out "I need a ..."
and then you either mouth "pin" or "pan".

2. With minimal pairs, such as /i/ and /e/, get them to raise their left hand if you say a word with /i/, and their right hand if you say a word with /e/.
Alternatively, divide the class into two groups, each group standing up when they hear one vowel.

3. Dictate (and get students to dictate) sentences such as "Draw a hut next to a track", while the SS draw. They might just end up drawing a hat next to a truck! This helps make them more aware of how improtant it is to pronounce clearly.

4. Picture cards: There are so many ways to use cards! One is to give out pictures representing "pin", "pen", "chick", "cheque", then get students to find their "partner"- a word with the same consonants but different vowel. Then, you can dictate sentences containing those words, and the students put up their picture when it's mentioned. Other Ss can also read out sentences.

You can also have a mad dash, with all the cards in the middle, and students trying to be the first to grab the cards when you call out the word.

While not all these activities get students pronouncing, they do raise awareness and improve receptive skills. This is important because many of the pronunciation problems are due to a lack in listnening ability rather than in production - students can't "hear" the right sound in the first place, let alone produce it!


Thanks to http://www.eslflow.com/pronunciationlessonplans.html for some of these ideas!

Wheel Drill

Do your students never study outside of class? This helps them drill each other and be drilled, working with different partners every time.

1. On the board, write down the items you're working on with your class (it could be verbs that take gerunds and/or infinitives, or vocab items). Make sure all the answers (classifications, definitions, whatever it is you want them to know) are visible on the board.

2. Make Ss form two rows: one row with its back to the board, another row facing the board. At the same time, both rows should be facing each other. You need an even number of Ss for this, so if the number is uneven, the teacher can join in!

3. Once Ss are seated and facing each other, the one who can see the board starts drilling his/her partner who cannot see the board. Every minute or so, the T can blow a whistle or ring a bell, and Ss move on to the next seat, and start working with a new partner (or, instead of the next seat, they could move two seats up, or the T could vary it every time).

Find someone who (gerunds and infinitives)

1. SS first complete the blank spaces with either a gerund or infinitive form of the verb in brackets (as appropriate)
2. SS walk around asking questions based on the paper, to find a person who fits each item. When they find that person, they write the person's name next to the item. The first person to finish the whole questionnaire (or 9 items- up to the teacher) wins.

Find someone who...

- refuses _________ (eat) dinner at the cafeteria
- needs __________ (write) an email this afternoon
- forgot __________ (do) their homework last week
- remembered ________ (do) their whomework this week
- enjoys __________ (speak) English
- expects _________ (be) at home this summer
- is planning ________ (study) ESL next semester
- wants ________ (learn) to play a new sport
- intends _________ (work) in their country after finishing college
- has offered ___________ (help) someone this week
- has quit __________ (eat) a certain type of food (for example, meat)

What has he been doing?

This game helps to practice the meaning of present perfect continuous as "an activity which was in progress until very recently - we can still see the results"). You need to have explained this aspect of the present perfect continuous before you do this activity.

1. Divide the class into two groups.
2. A student from one group picks a card (see examples below) and tries to get his/her group to guess what's in the card by speaking and/or acting it out. They need to answer the question "What has he/she been doing?" For example, if the card says "You've been holding a cat", the student can say, "Oh! Look at all these hairs on my shirt!" and pretend to wipe them off. NOTE: The student must make clear what HAS JUST BEEN HAPPENING, not what IS happening, i.e., the CONSEQUENCE/RESULT of the action on the card. So, even if the group guesses what's on the card, don't give points if the student does not represent the result, because the meaning is not being conveyed properly.
3. Give a time limit to each card (no more than one minute). For each card, the team has up to three tries to get it right: if they get it right the first time, they win 10 points. If they get it right with a second try, it's 5 points. A third try is only 1 point.
4. After SS have guessed (or not) their card, a SS from the other team comes up and does the same.
5. Game ends when there are no more cards. The team with the most points wins.

SAMPLE CARDS:

• You've been talking to your boyfriend/girlfriend.
• You've been travelling for many hours.
• You've been watching videos/TV.
• You've been practicing in the language lab.
• You've been working under the hot sun.
• You've been playing video games.
• You've been carrying something heavy.
• You've been holding a cat.
• You've been travelling on a bad road.
• You've been playing with a small child.
• You've been washing dishes.
• You've been having a nightmare.
• You've been laughing.
• You've been swimming.
• You've been reading.
• You've been cooking.
• You've been hearing a dog barking for two hours.
• You've been singing.
• You've been running.
• You've been eating very spicy food.
• You've been crying.
• You've been painting your house.
• You've been doing exercise.
• You've been cleaning your room.
• You've been shopping.
• You've been working on the computer for many hours.
• You've been listening to very funny jokes.
• You've been standing in line for a long time.
• You've been studying grammar for three hours.

Created by Marlise, 2009

Pictionary/ Definitionary/ Mimictionary

1. Make cards of the vocab you're working on with your class.

2. Find a way of timing 30 seconds (kitchen timer? Hourglass? One of the students?)

3. Divide SS into two groups.

4. A SS from one group gets up, and, when time begins, picks a card. He has to define it (or draw, or mimic- up to the teacher) until his classmates guess it. Then he can go on to the next card, and try to get his/her team to guess it.

5. When time's up, a Ss from the next group comes up, and does the same so his/her group can guess the words.

6. Game ends when there are no more cards left. The team with the most cards in the end wins.

Vocab Cards

Read "phrasal verb cards" (2 or 3 entries before this one). All ideas apply.

Once Ss find that they can play while learning new words, they really get into it and even invent their own games!

Home-made Crossword Puzzle

VERSION 1: By the Teacher

Ss first need to know what a crossword puzzle is, so you could first make one for them. Options:

1. As individual or group worksheets
2. As a big poster on the board, which can be transformed into a competition between groups, with the teacher calling out the definition and each group having only one chance at a time to complete a word.

VERSION 2: By the students

1. SS should have a list of words they're working on in your class.
2. Divide SS into groups of 2 or 3, and give them each some sheets of squared paper so they can experiment with their own crossword puzzles, trying to weave words together.
3. In the end, each group should hand in: 1. The completed crossword puzzle (answers), 2. A blank crossword puzzle, and 3. The clues.
4. Groups can then exchange their (blank) puzzles, and try to complete it. My favourite part is that, if they have any problems completing it, I just say, "I don't know, ask the authors!"

This activity can also be used to practice adjective clauses when giving definitions: "A device which is used for talking long-distance - telephone".

Bingo

Ok, so this is not a very original activity, but it works!

VERSION 1:

1. Make boards of 9 squares for every two students, and randomly write vocab items and/or grammatical items (for example, irregular past tense verbs). Make each board different.

2. Give each pair of SS pieces of coloured paper which can cover up each word.

3. T calls out a definition (if the focus is vocabulary) or an infinitive verb (if the topic is irregular past). SS cover up the word which corresponds to what the teacher said. (It's ok if the Ss call out the answer- it helps them and their classmates confirm whether they're right. It's also good revision).

4. The first group to get a row of three words covered is the winner.

5. For a new round, make groups change boards.

VERSION 2:

Instead of seeing who gets three covered words in a row, see who can cover the whole board first!

VERSION 3:

Instead of 9 squares, make it 16!

• You can also get a student to give the cue.

Woman throws away million-dollar mattress

This article can be used for introducing the past perfect.

1. SS read it as a class, individually or in groups, or T reads it aloud (up to T).

2. Discuss vocabulary and details of the article. (This article elicited a lot of participation from the class I used it with. I guess they find money issues interesting!)

3. Use it as a springboard for presenting the past perfect and its meaning:

"When she realized her mistake, the mattress had already been taken away."

"She threw it away because she forgot that her mother had hidden money inside it."

(I really wonder what happened after that? I hope she found it! Haven't heard anything on the news yet though).



From Times Online
June 10, 2009

Woman throws away million-dollar mattress

Philippe Naughton

An Israeli woman who bought her elderly mother a new mattress threw out the old one unaware that it had $1 million hidden inside it.
Israeli newspapers reported today that the woman was left scrabbling through landfill sites in an, as yet, fruitless search for the mattress which contained her mother's life savings.
The woman, identified only as Anat, a resident of Tel Aviv, told Army Radio that she bought the mattress on Monday as a surprise for her mother and got rid of the other one without telling her. When she realised her mistake she rushed outside to look for the mattress but found it had already been taken by the rubbish collectors. Subsequent searches at three different landfill sites turned up nothing.
The Israeli daily Yediot Ahronot published a picture of the woman searching through refuse at a dump in southern Israel.
Yitzhak Borba, the dump manager, told the radio station that his staff was helping the woman, saying she appeared “totally desperate”, but the mattress was hard to find among the 2,500 tonnes of rubbish arriving at the site every day.
Mr Borba said that he increased security at the site to keep would-be treasure hunters at bay. For her part, Anat is displaying an admirable stoicism. “People have to take everything in proportion and thank God for the good and the bad,” she said.

Time Line

This game can help SS understand the relationship and time frame between the different verb tenses.

1. For the T, make a list of sentences such as the following (use sentences that match the structures your class is learning- but I find this helps them be a little less confused with past perfect, present perfect, simple past and past continuous especially) (sorry, I was pressed with time and couldn't come up with more interesting sentences. Next time! If you do, please send them and I'll give you credit!)

1. She closed the window, but the insects had already come in.
2. The insects wanted to come in, but they couldn’t because she had closed the window.
3. When he arrived in class, the class had already started.
4. She knew because someone had already told her.
5. I told her something that she had never heard before.
6. I’m bored because I have already studied this topic.
7. I was bored because I had already studied this topic.
8. The window is closed, but the insects have already come in.
9. The insects can’t come in because I’ve closed the window.
10. I’ve been eating. That’s why I feel so full!
11. I was eating when the rain started.
12. It’s been raining for three hours! I wish it would stop.
13. It’s going to rain.
14. We’ve been studying verb tenses in grammar class.
15. While we were playing, someone did something funny.
16. While we were studying verb tenses, it started to rain.
17. While I was eating, an insect came in.
18. Before eating I had already closed the window.

1. Divide your students into groups of about 3.
2. Write only the infinitive verb forms of each clause, on half and a4-size paper. Make enough copies for each of your groups. (e.g. for sentence one, write "close the window" on one paper and "come in" on another). NOTE: there are many sentences which use "start to rain". For each group, make only one such card. They won't need more, as once they use it, they'll return it to the pile again.
3. Give each group a long strip of cardboard with an arrow on one end, to simulate a time line.
4. Spread all the "clause cards" in the center of the classroom, on the floor. Station the groups with their time lines around the clause cards.
5. T reads out the first sentence, and SS find the clauses and place them on the time line. The first group to do this correctly wins 1 point (or 10 000 points!).

VARIATION:

1. SS can then use the clauses to make their own sentence combinations and quiz their classmates.
2. SS can place the clauses randomly on the time line and see what sentences they come up with (this can be done by sticking them on the board).

Phrasal Verb Cards

These help to review SS' knowledge of phrasal verbs ("come out"), - or adjectives/verbs that take specific prepositions ("afraid of"/ "comply with").

ACTIVITY 1:

1. Make cards of about 7 x 10 cm. On each card, write (with thick marker) a verb particle or a preposition.
2. Divide SS into groups (of up to four people). Give each group a name or number.
3. Place cards in the middle of the room, and get SS to stand around (not too close!). They don't need to be standing close to a teammate.
4. T calls out a synonym for a given phrasal verb (e.g. "leave" for "go away"). SS have to find the preposition ONLY ("away"). The first group to show the preposition to the T wins a point (or 10 000 points - up to you!).
5. Tell you class beforehand how many round of this you'll have. At the end of it, count points.

ACTIVITY 2:

Same as activity 1, but instead of SS picking out the preposition, they pick out the verb particle.

ACTIVITY 3:

Another option is to have enough copies of the cards for each group, and in a far end of the room, to place a basket or hat for each group. The first group to put in both verb particle and preposition into their basket wins x points.

ACTIVITY 4:

SS put cards upside down, forming a neat square, and play memory - the SS who finds two cards which can form a phrasal verb studied in class, can keep them for points and have another turn.

ACTIVITY 5:

Give each SS one set of cards. In twos, SS play "snap":

1. Each Ss holds their cards in one hand in a pile, with cards facing downwards.

2. With the other hand they take hold of the first card in their pile, and together count "1, 2, 3"

3. On the count of three, both SS place their card, facing upwards, on the desk/floor, next to each other.

4. If the cards are not identical (i.e., if they show different words), SS simply count "1, 2, 3" again, and place the next card on top of the previous one.

5. If the cards are identical (i.e., if both have the same word), the first student to yell "snap!" and cover both piles with his/her hand wins all those cards.

6. The game ends when all the cards have found an "owner". The SS with the most cards wins

VARIATION:

These games can be played with any vocabulary item, one card being the actual word, and the other being a definition, a picture, phonetic script, or whatever the teacher's imagination can come up with.

Have you ever

This is one that a colleague taught me. It's great for bringing life back to a sagging class, and brings a lot of laughs. It's also good for making students focus on accurate language, while giving them a chance to be creative.

1. Students (SS) place their chairs in a circle (no desks!). The teacher (T) also joins the circle, but standing- no chair for the teacher.

2. T thinks of a phrase which starts with "have you ever..." (Have you ever lost the keys to your house?" "Have you ever ridden on an elephant?").

3. Anyone who has ever done that has to stand and find a new chair to sit on. Those who haven't done the action can just remain in their seats. Of course, there will always be one person without a chair, so that person has to come up with a "have you ever" phrase.

4. The game can be played until T sees that SS have revived and are ready for the next activity.

VARIATIONS:

1. Instead of "have you ever...", you can opt for "Are you going to...?" to talk about plans.

2. You could also use this game to practice constructions with gerunds and infinitives, although students find it harder to concentrate on getting all the gerunds, infinitives and auxiliaries in place, and this might make the activity drag ("do you like to cook?" "Are you tired of studying grammar?").

Guide to Presentations

Asians and Westerners have a very different way of grouping information. My Asian students find it difficult at first to put an English presentation in order, because they're not sure what's expected of them. Their language has a different way of doing it! And hey, this happens to Westerners, too! This step-by-step guide has helped bring out well-organised presentations. I usually give them a copy of this and go over it with them before they are assigned an (academic) presentation.

INTRODUCTION:

• HOOK: Say something to get people interested in your topic. It might be a question ("How many...?" "Have you ever...?" "What's your favourite...?") a statement (a fact, statistics), or a personal anecdote (not too long!).
• MENTION CLEARLY WHAT YOUR TOPIC IS. If you want to, you can also say why you chose this topic.
• You can also mention (briefly!) the PARTS OF YOUR TALK ("First, I'll tell you the history of..., Then I will tell you the kinds of ..., and finally I will mention how...")

BODY:

• Divide your information into PARTS: history, types, advantages, disadvantages, etc.
• With each part, use TRANSITION WORDS (next, and now, firstly, secondly, etc) so the audience will know you are focusing on a new point ("And now I'm going to tell you about the different clothes that people wear for this festival.")
• You can give your opinion about each part ("The food in this festival is delicious, but I think it's good we don't eat it all the time because it's very unhealthy.")

CONCLUSION

• RE-STATE THE MAIN POINTS OF YOUR TALK (Summarise) ("I have told you about..." "I have explained about...")
• GIVE FINAL THOUGHTS: your opinion, advice, or suggest a future course of action

MORE ADVICE:

• Use audiovisuals (at least 3) such as powerpoint, objects, posters, sound, etc, to make your presentation more engaging.
• Don't read from your notes! Use your own words.

Home-made Group Skits

This activity can be used to review vocabulary, grammar, or speaking functions. I've found that most of my groups have enjoyed this activity.

1. Divide students into groups of 4 or 5.
2. Tell them they have to come up with a 5-minute skit (or whatever time slot you want to give them) in which they have to include x amount of words (I usually say around 12) from their vocabulary list, or x instances of the grammar they've been learning.
3. Students work during one period, discussing their ideas and writing up their script.
4. For the next period, they present their skit (they'll usually need more time, so they'll have to meet after class and keep practicing their English!)

Possible grading guide (for high-intermediate level)

(Grade 0-3 points for each item)

1. A wide variety of props for scenery was used (at least 3 types)
2. The presentation included a large amount of the vocabulary/grammar covered in class.
3. The vocabulary was always appropriate
4. The correct forms of words were always used
5. No grammatical errors
6. Pronunciation very clear and understandable
7. Speaking always audible to audience
8. Speaking very fluent
9. Never read from the script
10. Message always clear

Total points: 30

World's heaviest man

1. Ask the students how much the heaviest person in the world might weigh, if it could be a man or woman, or which country he/she might be from. You could even discuss how overweight people are treated in your country (or think of any other lead-in that won't offend any of your students)
2. Get the students, as a class, in groups or individually, to read this story (if you like, you can read it to them, too).
3. Go through unknown vocabulary
4. This article lends itself to practicing conditionals. You could give sentence cues below and ask students to complete them:
5. As a follow-up, you can get students to look on the Internet for more information on this man, since this article is from 2008. Has he been able to reach his goals? Another possible follow-up could be to read/discuss/write about obesity or any other health issue, or even about prejudice.

Sentence Cues:

1. If Manuel hadn't tried to lose weight, ______________________

2. If he loses more weight, _______________________________

3. If Manuel decides to have a wedding cake, __________________

4.If Manuel's girlfriend hadn't encouraged him, _________________

5. If his girlfriend ever breaks up with him, ____________________

6. If Manuel is able to walk again, ___________________________

Source: http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/0810/081003-weight_loss.html

World’s heaviest man plans to marry

Love conquers all. This is certainly so for the former heaviest man in the world. Mexican Manuel Uribe used to be the world’s most overweight person. He was in the Guinness Book of Records in 2006 after breaking the human weight record. Special weighing scales showed he weighed 560kg. He was so enormous he could not leave his room. He spent his whole life living on his bed, eating huge meals and watching TV. He decided enough was enough and that he wanted to change his life. He also wanted to marry his longtime girlfriend Claudia Solis. Uribe went on a crash diet and lost almost half his body weight. He lost a whopping 250kg and has slimmed down to a lighter 310kg. He still has a long way to go before he can once again lead a normal life.
The secret to 43-year-old Uribe’s success is his love for his fiancée Claudia. The two plan to marry on October 26 in his hometown of Monterrey. Manuel said he owed a lot to the love of his life. He said she encouraged and supported him non-stop to lose weight. After they got engaged two years ago, Uribe promised Claudia he would get into better shape for their wedding day. He went on a diet called the Zone Diet, a special combination of carbohydrates and proteins. His diet was created and supervised by a team of weight loss and obesity specialists. He is still too big to walk on his own and said his dream is to be able to walk again. Manuel told reporters that he will have a big wedding, but the reception would have a “low-calorie banquet”. He added this meant no wedding cake for him.

More Precious than Silver

More Precious than Silver

I. As you listen to the song, fill in the missing words to complete these comparisons.

Lord, You are ______ precious ______ silver
Lord, You are ______ costly ______ gold
Lord, You are ______ beautiful _____ silver
And nothing I desire compares with you.

II. Number the verses (sentences) in order as you listen to the song.

_____ Who can judge the worth of who You are?
_____ Who can count the blessings of loving You?
_____ Who can say just how great You are?
_____ Who can weigh the value of knowing You?


III. This stanza is not in the song, but try to write the comparative form of the adjectives in brackets.

Lord, Your love is _________________ (high) mountains.
Lord, Your love is ________________ (deep) than seas.
Lord, Your love encompasses the nations.
And yet, You live right here inside of me!

Passive Voice Race Game

Source: http://www.edu.gov.mb.ca/ael/all/publications/MALC_ESL/writing/Passive%20Voice/Passive%20Voice%20Race%20Game.htm

Procedure:

Try this activity after having worked on using passive voice in other assignments.

1. Copy the attached pages.

2. Fill in the blank spaces with the names of some of your students.

3. Copy on to coloured paper or cardstock and cut the sentences into strips.

4. Divide the class into teams.

5. This game is played in rounds. For each round, give every team one strip.

6. Students work together to change the active voice sentence to passive.

7. One member of the group races to the board and rewrites the sentence in the passive--if possible. (Almost all the sentences can be changed to passive; there are just a few that can't-- to throw a wrench into the activity.)

8. You check the sentences with the class and keep track of each team's points on the board.

Scoring is as follows:

· Grammatically perfect sentences are worth 5 points.

· An incorrect passive voice sentence is worth 0 points.

· Subtract one point for every other type of grammatical mistake.


Lesson Extension


1. Discuss and correct errors together.

2. Discuss which sentences cannot be changed and why.

3. Discuss use of passive voice and why it might be used.



Follow-up / Transfer Activities:

This activity can be done to reinforce a number of other grammar points such as changing the verb tenses, changing vocabulary choices, adding or deleting connectors…..etc.


Sample Sentences:

1. Scientists observed the tigers for six days.
2. Esther is investigating a new theory.
3. When we walked into the classroom, the teacher had already given the assignment.
4. Some teachers cleaned up the teachers’ room.
5. I think Su and Tin will finish all the food.
6. Maggy made the som tum.
7. Juju’s cat ate the fish.
8. Our discovery will surprise the world.
9. Someone will tell us by this time next week.
10. Many people visit Dreamworld every year.
11. Wanida and Jaruwan have washed the dishes.
12. Someone has poisoned Marlise’s dinner.
13. What happened to you last night?
14. The girls rented some movies.
15. Rinbi will complete her degree in two years’ time.
16. Ekapoom could not fall asleep.
17. A lot of beautiful girls followed Po.
18. Argentina will win the next World Cup!!
19. Tonya ate Wichai’s lunch.
20. The police dragged Miss Doris away.
21. Pray was making all the pictures.
22. Sirinda gave the whole class some presents.
23. Derald is organizing the trip.
24. Paola wears this dress.

When I fall in love

When I fall in love

I. Listen to the song, and number the verses (lines) in the correct order.

1 When I fall in love
___ And too many moonlight kisses
___ Seem to cool in the warmth of the sun
___ In a restless world like this is
___ Love is ended before it’s begun
___ It will be forever
___ Or I’ll never fall in love

___ It will be completely
___ Is when I fall in love with you
___ When I give my heart
___ And the moment I can feel that you feel that way too
___ Or I’ll never give my heart


II. Find future tense verbs in the song.

III. Find future time clauses in the song.

Because you loved me

I love songs! They release tension and my students leave the classroom happier. This one, so far, has never failed.
Sorry that the "worksheet" has such a terrible format. It looks much nicer as a Word file, but won't transfer that way to this blog.


Because You Loved Me (Celine Dion)

I. Write the past tense of these verbs. They will all be in the song:

Hold:
Bring:
Make:
Lift:
Believe:
Give:
See:
Lose:
Can’t:
Carry:
Touch:
Say:
Stand:
Have:
Is:
Find:

II. Listen to the song and complete the blank spaces with the missing verbs:

For all those times you ________ by me

For all the truth that you _______ me see

For all the joy you __________ to my life

For all the wrong that you _______ right

For every dream you _______ come true

For all the love I _____________ in you

I'll be forever thankful baby

You're the one who ___________ me up

Never let me fall

You're the one who _______ me through through it all

Refrain:

You ______ my strength when I was weak

You were my voice when I ______ speak

You were my eyes when I ________ see

You _______ the best there was in me

_______ me up when I couldn't reach

You ________ me faith 'coz you _______

I'm everything I am because you loved me

You _______ me wings and made me fly

You ______ my hand, I could touch the sky

I _____ my faith, you gave it back to me

You ________ no star was out of reach

You _________ by me and I stood tall

I ___________ your love I had it all

I'm grateful for each day you gave me

Maybe I don't know that much but I know this much is true

I was blessed because I was loved by you

You were always there for me

The tender wind that _________ me

A light in the dark shining your love into my life

You've been my inspiration

Through the lies you were the truth

My world is a better place because of you

Jumbled essays

This activity can be used either before or after students have learned the structure of an essay. If used before, it will help them generate whatever (passive)knowledge they have on logical essay organisation. If used after, it will help them apply what they have learned.



Just in case, I'll include the basic argumentative essay organisation format I teach my students, from the book "Introduction to Academic Writing" by Oshima and Hogue (Unit 6), which explains it very clearly:

• Introduction Paragraph: General Statements + Thesis Statement


• 2-3 Body Paragraphs, each paragraph containing: Topic sentence + supporting statements + concluding sentence.


• Concluding Paragraph: Re-statement of Thesis Statement OR Restatement of main points in the body, + Final Thoughts.

Activity:

1. Divide your students into no more than 4 students per group.

2. Make enough copies of each essay for each group.

3. Cut the essays into paragraph strips (make the title one strip) and mix them up (I find that it's more challenging to give each group 2 or three essays, all mixed up, at the same time. That way, they have to discover which paragraph belongs to which essay, as well as put the essay in a logical order)

4. Give each group the slips of essay paragraphs, and make it a race to see which group can put them in order first.

Follow-up:

You can then give each student a copy of the essays, to analyse in groups. You can look at formal features, at linking words, or the position of the writer. Is the writer's position clear? Do the students agree with it? Can they think of more support? Can they think of support for an opposite view?

Here's the essays!

Why children should have pets

People have different opinions about whether it is a good thing for children to have pets, or not. Some people believe that having pets can be a problem because pets can transmit diseases. Others say that pets give too much work. That may be true, but I believe that we can have pets and avoid those problems. In this essay, I will tell you why I believe that having pets is a very good thing for children.

First, it is good for children to have pets because it teaches them responsibility. Children learn that the pet depends on them for food, water, exercise and shelter. Children learn that a pet can’t wait until later. When it’s eating time, it’s eating time. This teaches a child to be responsible and less selfish.

Second, children benefit from the company of their pets. Pets can become warm and loyal friends. Most children come to love their pets just as a member of their family. Having pets makes them less lonely. It gives children something to do, someone to play with, and avoids boredom. Also, many pets such as dogs give protection to children. Having the company of a pet can be very beneficial to children.

Finally, pets help children to understand more about the natural world. Children learn that we need to love and take care of nature. They learn to respect animals and not be cruel to them. All in all, having pets makes children more respectful of the creatures in the environment.

In brief, I have given three reasons why I believe that having pets is beneficial to children. I believe that, when children have pets and learn to care for them properly, they become better people.

Why College Degrees are Important

College degrees are becoming more and more common. Twenty years ago, most people (if they were lucky) had only a high school certificate, and that was enough to get them a job. Some people now believe that college degrees are so common that they are not so important anymore. What counts is the experience that a person has for a job. However, I believe that, even though college degrees are more common these days, they are still important and worth the effort.

One important reason for getting a college degree is that a college degree gives you the basic information and preparation that you need to get a good job. College courses are organized so that you can get the information you need about a certain job. College courses teach you skills for that job. Of course, college courses cannot teach you everything you need to know, but they give you the basics, enough information for you to be prepared. They also teach you how you can get the information that you don’t have. Therefore, in order to get a good job preparation, it is a good idea to complete a college degree.

A further reason for completing a college degree is that the knowledge you get from college makes your life more pleasurable. For example, if you take introduction to music history, you become familiar with the different musical periods and styles. You start to enjoy the classical music that you listen to, because now you understand more about it. When you study literature, you get a better understanding of the beauty of poetry. You will notice that college subjects not only make you more knowledgeable; they bring more pleasure to your life.

A final reason for getting a college degree is that it shapes your character. In order to be successful in college, you need to learn to manage your time. You also need to be responsible and work hard, do all your assignments and study well for all your tests. In addition, you learn to deal with frustrations, such as low grades or tiredness. You learn to persevere and keep trying. This is very good training for the frustrations you will have in your job and in your life later on.

In brief, I have mentioned three reasons why a college degree is an advantage to you, both in your intellectual preparation and in character building. I believe the advantages of a college degree are worth the effort.

The Best Book in the World

If you go to a library, you will see countless books, more than you will ever be able to read in your life. With so many books around, though, I want to recommend one particular book: the Bible. In this essay, I will give you four reasons why I believe that the Bible is the best book that you could ever read in your life.

One reason why the Bible is the best book to read is that it is the most trustworthy book that tells us about God. There are many books that talk about God, but the Bible is the one we can trust the most. It was written by prophets of God, with God’s message. It has survived for hundreds of years and we still have its message. As you read it, you will get to know God better and have a close relationship with Him. No other book will give you better information about God than the Bible.

Another reason why reading the Bible is important, is that it helps to develop your mind. Ellen White, in her book “Education”, says that no other book can develop your mind like the Bible. The Bible is not an easy book to read, but anyone can read it and ask God for help in understanding it. When you read the Bible, you have to think. To understand the Bible, you need to compare the different texts. This takes time and effort, but the results are well worth it. The Bible, then, is an excellent book for developing your intelligence.

Thirdly, the Bible gives us a lot of practical advice for our daily lives. Through the Bible, for example, we can learn about how to improve our relationships. The Bible has a lot of advice about how families should treat each other, and how neighbours should treat each other. Through the Bible we also learn how to have good health. The Bible also teaches about how to find hope when life is difficult. If we follow this advice, we can live good and happy lives.

There are many more reasons for reading the Bible, but I will give you just a final one. Reading the Bible can be very pleasurable. The Bible is full of interesting stories about people and their experiences with God. The Bible is also full of poems, such as the Psalms and the Proverbs. In those poems, you can read about issues that affect your own life. Those poems talk about fear, friendship, wisdom and love. Reading the Bible, then, can be very enjoyable.

I have given you four reasons why the Bible is the best book you can ever read. Now it is up to you to read it. Don’t miss your opportunity! I’m sure you will find many more benefits from reading the Bible.

You have been

Source: Harmer, Jeremy (2007) The Practice of English Language Teaching, Fourth Edition, Pearson Longman Publishers (pages 336, 337).

1. Using an overhead projector, poster or whatever, show students the following "poems" (or similar ones - I teach at a Christian university, so this goes well with them), covering the bottom part where the answer (who is it?) is.

2. Get students to guess who/what the poems are talking about.

3. Group students into threes, give them large sheets of paper, and let them write their own poems/riddles. They can then decorate them.

4. Students can post their poems on the wall until the next class, so the rest of the class can read them and try to guess who/what they are talking about.

5. Students can also write the answer on the poster, but cover it up with a flap. These posters make a great bulletin board, too!

Sample poems:

You have seen the Heavens before they were made
You have planned the foundations of the earth
Your words have formed the world
You have received glory from Heaven
Your heart has created love
You have seen men turn away from you
You have offered your life
You have provided salvation
You have given more than you can give
Yet you have given me a choice
And you are coming soon for me and those who love you

(answer: Jesus Christ)


I have seen nationalities eating together
I have smelled flavours from different countries
I have seen friendships started during a meal
I have seen romantic gestures, I have heard romantic words
I've heard complaints, I've seen wrinkled noses
I have seen an important part of campus life

Who am I?

(Answer: school cafeteria)


Here are some poems my students came up with:

You're the first person that I've seen
You've been the most improtant in my heart
You've given everything to me
You've solved all my problems
You've taken care of me when I've been sick
You're the one... I love you

(mom)

by Krisdha M, Sirisuda B, Wanida P.


We have seen them every day
We have used them every day,
but we don't use them in our tests
We have heard them in only one language
We have gotten a lot of knowledge from them
We have fed them electricity when they are hungry
We have kept them in our pockets
We haven't seen them contact other people

(electronic dictionaries)

By Dany, Keita, Andy and Pik

I have been with you
I have gone with you everywhere
I have saved you from dust
I have been on your feet

(shoes)

By Prapatsorn, Namtip, Johnny