Some of these activities might be useful in class. Others might be useful as English Corner activities. Some may not be useful at all in their present form. You might be able to adapt them to suit your class, however You are the expert in your class, so you will need to decide what the activities are suitable for.
1. Bingo -- tenses, prepositions
Bingo can be played in a number of ways. E.g.
Tenses: Read out sentences in the past tense where learners have the verb form on their card ( Sentence read out: He went to the movies yesterday; Card: go )
Prepositions: Say a sentence with the preposition left out. Make a noise during the missing word. Learners have to cover the word preposition if they have it on their card. Also, see attachment for a ready-made form of preposition bingo.
2. Comparing myself with others – comparisons
First do a few examples with the whole class, then put the students in groups. Each student has to compare herself / himself with others, e.g. My hair is longer than Lucy’s. I’m not as tall as Andy. ( Note: Students are not allowed to say anything which would be unkind.)
Variation: Students each write down five sentences comparing themselves with others in the class. They then read out one or two of their sentences.
3. Who am I? -- verb tenses
Write the names of some famous people from the past on some piece paper. Students in small groups choose one and read it without showing it to anyone else. Write these sentence beginnings on the board:
Long ago, I used to….
I have often….
I have never….
Three years ago, I….(+ simple past )
These days, I often….
Next month, I hope….
By this time next year, I’ll have….
Students should pretend they are the person on the piece of paper, and see if others can guess who they are. Alternatively, students can pretend to be someone else in the class, and the others in their group guess who they are. ( They must not say unkind things. )
4. Chain story – simple past
Start a story for the class. Often it is a good idea to start with a time phrase, such as:
Once upon a time, there was a man who lived on an island.
Last year an interesting thing happened yo a teenage boy.
Three winters ago, it was very, very cold in the north.
This activity can be done with the whole class, or by dividing the class into two, or by having the students in large groups. The teacher starts, and then says the name of a student. That student adds a sentence to the story and then says the name of another student, who must then add another sentence. All the students should monitor the sentences to see that they are grammatically correct. The story goes on for a set period of time, or until it comes to a natural end.
5. Things to do – modals
Write four headings on the board:
Things I can do Things I ought to be able to do Things I must do Things I need to do
Get the students to write 4 sentences that are true using the 4 different structures; e.g.
I can use a computer.
I ought to be able to ride a bike.
I must do my maths homework tonight.
I need to tell my mother that I have lost my camera.
Now get them to give you their sentences that fit under these headings, and write them on the board. ( e.g. William – ride a bike ) After the information has been written on the board, the students could write down 4 different sentences from other students that they have chosen from the information on the board.
6. Surveys – questions forms ( wh- questions, yes / no questions )
Make sure that these are communicative and have an information gap, if done in class ( e.g. do a survey about how learners get to school, what they have for breakfast, what their hobbies are, what their favourite web sites are / what their favourite books are )
7. Open-endedness – adverbs of frequency
Choose interesting topics for asking open-ended question. It allows your students to be funny, creative, or original, or to give a more or less complicated answer, depending on their personality or proficiency level. So, instead of students inserting an adverb of frequency ( always, usually, sometimes, rarely, never, etc.) into a sentence like: He has rice for breakfast, get them to create questions and sentences like: What things do you usually ( always, never, etc.) do when you feel unhappy / depressed? |