5ESL

5 ESL/EFL Activities Using Playing Cards FREE DOWNLOAD

2011-03-04T09:26:00.001+09:00

I thought it's be nice to do some grouping by item, though you can always check the tags is you have a certain item you want to use! Here are five activities you can do with a standard deck of playing cards.

5. Add the Numbers
You need: One deck per pair/small group
How to: This is a good fun way to get students practicing numbers (often they can recite but not think of the number independently). If you have enough decks for pairs then each student takes half the deck. At the same time they each turn over the top card, the first student to shout the total in English gets to keep the cards, the student with the most cards is the winner. If you have small groups then divide the deck into two piles in the centre and students can take turns turning over the cards.

4. Higher/Lower
You need: one deck of cards per pair/small group
How to: This is good for introducing comparatives (for more ideas see the post on comparatives here)

The first player lays out six cards face down. They turn over the first card. They must then decide if the next card is “higher” or “lower” than the first card. You can have lower-level students just say “higher” or “It’s higher” and ask more able students to say “I think it’s higher than a three.”

They can then turn over the card and see if they were right. If they were wrong then all the cards go back in the deck. If they were right then they can go on to the next card. If they can get to the end then they get to hold on to those cards.

I also give them to option to say “Stop!”. If they say stop, then they can take the face-up cards, while the face-down cards go back into the deck. Once the first player has finished by either making a mistake, getting to the end or saying stop, the next player can play. The player with the most cards is the winner.

You could also change the English to "more/less" "up/down", whatever fits in with your students.

3. Doubt

You need: One deck per group

How to: This game is also known as bulls**t in some places! It can be used to practice numbers or months, or any kind of list. the deck is spilt between all the players. The player with the Ace of Spades goes first. They lay down the ace and any other aces face down and say "One one" or "Two ones" or if you are using months "One January" etc. The next player must lay twos (February) and so on. The trick is that you can lie. If another player suspects that someone has lied they can say "You are a liar!" then check the cards that have been played. If the student was lying then that student must take all the cards in the middle. If the student was not lying then the accuser must take all the cards in the middle. The first player to get rid of their cards (by fair means or foul!) is the winner.

NB If you are using months make the King card "Happy Birthday!"

2. Q&A

You need: One deck per group

How to: This is good for practice simple questions that can have a number of answers. I'll use weather as an example. Put your question up on the board "How's the weather?" then assign four possible answers to the four suits. Hearts= "It's sunny." Spades = "It's rainy." Diamonds= "It's cloudy." Clubs ="It's stormy."

One player takes the whole deck, they ask the question to the player on their right. The other player answers the question and then draws a card. If the card matches the answer then the answering student gets to keep the card, if the cards don't match then the questioner keeps the card.

For example, the answering student says "It's sunny!" and then draws a card, the card is the four of hearts. Hearts represents sunny so the answering student can keep the card. The answering student then asks the question to the next player who asnwers "It's stormy!" and draws the seven of spades. Spades represents rainy so the questioning student keeps that card. The answering student asks the next player and so on. Once the deck is finished or the time is up, the player with the most cards is the winner.

1. 52 Questions

You need: one deck per group, a question paper. (Download my version here)

How to: Good for general question practice or review. As you need 52 questions, it might be a little difficult to prepare for lower level/beginning classes. Prepare a question paper with 52 different questions, each assigned to a card. The players then take turns drawing cards and answering the questions. This might also be good for an ice-breaker in adult classes.

5 ESL/EFL Activities for ~er Comparatives - FREE DOWNLOAD

2011-02-16T13:38:00.002+09:00

I've found it's better to split up the comparatives into ~er and more ~. It helps the students absorb the point better and they are less likely to confuse the two early on.

5. Higher/Lower playing cards

You need: A deck of playing cards for each small group or pair (depending on your class)

How to: This is a nice warm-up to the concept of ~er. The first player lays out six cards face down. They turn over the first card. They must then decide if the next card is “higher” or “lower” than the first card. You can have lower-level students just say “higher” or “It’s higher” and ask more able students to say “I think it’s higher than a three.”

They can then turn over the card and see if they were right. If they were wrong then all the cards go back in the deck. If they were right then they can go on to the next card. If they can get to the end then they get to hold on to those cards.

I also give them to option to say “Stop!”. If they say stop, then they can take the face-up cards, while the face-down cards go back into the deck. Once the first player has finished by either making a mistake, getting to the end or saying stop, the next player can play. The player with the most cards is the winner.

4. Top Trumps Mingle

You need: A deck (or two) of Top Trumps cards, Interview papers

How to: This is the same as any general mingle with information, but using the real cards makes the students much more interested! I have a deck of superhero cards that works, I imagine that the Harry Potter deck would go over well too! Give each student a card and an interview sheet. The basic conversation would go something like:

“What’s your name?”

“My name is Batman.”

“How tall are you?”

“I am ~ cm tall.”

“I am ~er than you!”

Obviously you might need to tweak this conversation for the deck you are using. NB Monitor to make sure the students are not mixing up their comparatives.

3. Get Four (MES-English)

You need: Get Four papers adapted for this grammar point, one copy per pair

How to: I use this with animals. The instructions are on the MES site, but basically the students take turns making a sentence in order to get squares, if they can get four squares in a line they get one point. Again you’ll have to monitor to make sure they are using the right comparative. Sometimes students mix up the order of the two things being compared. Also, at least in Japan, I have to point out that they can block each other so they are not politely taking turns in separate areas of the paper and scoring equal points!

2. Head of the Class

You need: Head of the Class gameboard and comparatives cards (download here)

How to: Split the class into groups of four. One student will become the “teacher” and will get an envelope with the cards. The other students are students and place their marker/eraser/keyring etc on the numbers.

The teacher will pull out a card and the students have to make a correct (and true!) comparative sentence. The first student to answer correctly can move up one place. If a student reaches the top then that student and the teacher change roles. NB don’t make the other two students go back to start or the slower students will never get a chance. This game has no “finish” so keep an eye on how bored the students are getting and stop it while they are still having fun!

1. Quiz

You need: Prepared facts and pictures about various countries, animals, celebrities, anime characters (whatever your students will find interesting!) Play money, or coloured paper.

How to: Split the class into teams (whatever is manageable for your situation). Give each team some play money. If your situation/culture/school rules don’t allow that you can give them coloured pieces of paper.

Put up two pictures on the board and ask the quiz question, for example “Which is bigger, the UK or Japan?” Give each team some thinking time. They then have to “bet” some money or paper on the right answer. I usually have an empty space at the front split into two halves with a ruler. Each team has a coloured clip that they put their money into and put it on the side they wish to bet on.

After a dramatic pause reveal the answer and sort out the money. My students like it when I act happy about stealing the losing teams money! You can start out with some easier questions and progress to some trickier ones later.

NB It’s a good idea to give the students a limit to how much they can bet, I usually say up to half of what they have left, but on the very last question (sometimes a trick question) I let them bet the lot!

5 ESL/EFL Activities for Valentine's Day

2011-02-02T15:15:00.000+09:00

I don't really like to use this holiday but I know some people do and there's a few of my activities that can be adapted for it. Of course you can just do a regular class but whack hearts all over things which works too!

5. Broken Hearts Matching
You need: Paper hearts, enough so that each student gets one half.
How to: This can be used to review any English really, prepare broken heart shapes with halves of sentences or words or compound words. I like to use matching for "If" "but" and "because" practice because grammatically all the pairs work so the students must think about the meaning. Have the students walk around and try to find their other half. You can either have the students say their English or just show it and read together.

4. Valentine Card Read 'n' Run
You need: A prepared logic puzzle. Hints, answer papers, pictures of celebrities.
How to: This takes a bit of preparation. Find a simple matching logic puzzle online or in a book/magazine. Rewrite the clues so that the theme is celebrities giving cards to each other. "Hello Kitty did not give a card to Anpanman." etc Paste up the hints around the room and give each pair an answer paper, the answer paper can have a logic puzzle grid on it to make it easier. If your students don't know how to do this kind of puzzle you may have to demonstrate on the board. The students need to find out who the celebrities gave cards to.

3. Love Song Listening
You need: A love song of your choice, lyrics papers
How to: Depending on the song you could do fill in the blanks, choose the word, count how many times a certain word appears, find the grammar point, guess the word before listening. Any of the usual music activities with a Valentines twist. (You could even use a broken hearted song if you were so inclined!)

2. Valentine Card Craft
You need: Instruction papers, construction paper in different colours but mostly pink and red, other craft bits and bobs, dictionaries
How to: This idea might work better with an all-girls school, for a mixed school you could have less pink and red and make "Friendship Cards". Have the students think of a person to give their card to and five reasons why that person is a good friend. Then they can make and give out their cards.

1. Valentine Creative Writing
You need: Writing prompts, (possibly) props, writing paper
How to: Have the students work together in groups, give each group a prompt and/or a couple of props to help the creative process (the wackier the better). They can either work together to make a story, or if you have higher levels they can take turns writing sentences. If your students are not too shy have them read out the story at the end.

5 ESL/EFL Activities Using a Mobile Phone/Cellphone Theme

2011-01-25T16:05:00.002+09:00

These activities aren't actually using phone as they aren't allowed in my school, but if you have adult classes you could do comparative work with your students' real phones. Some of these activities aren't teaching English as such but they generate interest, and I think my students are happy to know that we play with language just as they do and English isn't all tests!

5. Smilies
You need: worksheets or cut up papers
How to: If you are in Japan or another county that uses different smilies, try to have the students match their version of the smiley to the "English" version. For example, happy in Japan would be (^-^). Either give students worksheets to match up the smilies or if you want something more kinaesthetic cut up the papers and have them match them up that way.

4. Texting English
You need: text English on a worksheet and the corresponding real English on cut up papers.
How to: Tape the real English up around the room. Give the student a couple of examples of how we reduce English for sms texts. you are > ur etc. Put the students into pairs. One student will sit with the paper while the other runs around looking at the clues. Together they can match up the words. The number of words you choose to do depends on the level of your class. My mid-level JHS second grade took around ten minutes for ten clues.

3. Interview
You need: Interview papers
How to: Prepare a simple interview worksheet. I used this as an introduction to the topic and had questions like "Do you have a mobile phone?" "What network are you on?" "Do you want a mobile phone?" For lower level classes just have them ask a certain number of people. If you have higher level classes they could do some feedback to their group or to the class about the most popular colour of phone etc.

2. Feature Ranking Survey
You need: For the simplest version, a worksheet with a ranking section and an interview section, for a big project poster making materials.
How to: Mobile phones have so many features these days. Make a list of common features and have the students rank what they think is the most and least important. I used these ten:

camera
the colour of the phone
GPS/maps
shopping (here in Japan you can swipe your phone to pay for things in some shops)
internet access
full PC browser
calendar
music player
TV
games

Then the students can interview each other. If you want a simple version, they just need to ask for the most and least important, and after the activity you can ask the class to raise their hands for each item as a round-up. If you want to make a project of this, split the class into ten groups and give each group an item. They must interview the whole class between the group and then you can have them make an English poster about the result. They could even translate some quotes into English if they are up to that!

1. Texting Bingo
You need: Bingo Papers
How to: write up examples of text English on the board, and have the students fill in bingo sheets. Call out the real English and play bingo as usual. If you can make sure that students don't call out the answers this really makes them think about English and how you can change it. For example, I had "gr8" on the board but when the students first saw it they were thinking of the number in Japanese. Once they could switch to the English number they could work out other words like 2mrw and b4 much more easily.

hv fn w/ da gmes!! :)

Short Hiatus

2010-07-28T13:00:00.001+09:00

5ESL will be on a short hiatus until September, as I'm doing some professional training over the summer.

See you in the autumn/fall!

5 Tips for new JETs/ALTs

2010-07-21T13:00:00.002+09:00

I was a JET for five years but I still remember the nerves during my first lessons (and second... and third...) so here's a few tips for those of you just starting out. Being an ALT is a very different experience from other EFL jobs, especially as every situation is truely different! I won't be describing activities here but take a look around the rest of the blog for ideas!

5. Simple is best!
Don't worry too much about elaborate games and crazily creative ideas, a lot of the students are just happy not to be in math/science/PE whatever other lesson they hate. As a new foreign teacher you are automatically interesting, so keep to simple activities with few materials until you find your feet. The less materials you have the less chance of things breaking or getting lost!

4. Try again tomorrow!
If a lesson goes wrong, don't beat yourself up about it. It's easy to say but seriously, the students will forget about a bad class pretty quickly, they have numerous other classes, clubs, lunches and who-loves-who conversations between one class and the next. One bad class does not make you a bad teacher, good experienced teachers sometimes have bad classes but they carry on and learn from them!

3. Give Up!
In case of a class that isn't going so well, always have extra activities that you can switch to. It's perfectly ok to stop an activity that isn't working and change it completely, the students aren't stupid and they can tell when something isn't working. It's far better to give up and change an activity rather than push on and waster the students' time. Afterwards have a think, was the activity too hard? Or could your instructions be better?

2. Show don't tell!
Yes, you are an English teacher and yes you should be talking in English in your classes. But it's so very important that you use gestures and demonstrations as much as possible. You will likely have a mix of levels in your classes, even if you teach high school. And you will find that some of the higher academically-able students find real communication difficult whereas lower-level students can interpret what you say better with gestures. I had a boy once who understood perfectly what I was explaining everytime and the other teachers were surprised. Turns out he was very low level even in Japanese so he had interpreting skills that he simply transferred over to English. The point I wanted to make was that gestures and demonstrations will confirm for the able students that they are understanding, and help the less able students to follow the class.

1. Be friendly!
It's really important that you smile and be friendly to the students, for many of them you may represent all the foreigners there are! When I first arrived I was told "It's nice that you smile and say hello to the students in the corridor" It made me wonder what the previous ALT did! If you shout and get angry or are cold and distant, then the students may resent you, the class and English. Most of the time these students haven't chosen to study English, some of them would have and do love English. But sometimes you'll get a note saying something like "I didn't like English before I took your class but I like it now." That's a moment to be proud of!

Good luck and if you're in Japan, 頑張って!

5 ESL/EFL Activities for Practicing Large Numbers

2010-07-14T12:00:00.004+09:00

Students are often taught the lower numbers then left to fend for themselves, here’s some simple activities so they can practice big numbers (I teach up to a million)

5. Karuta

You need: cards or papers for each group with big numbers on them, a master list for you

How to Play: Call out the numbers and the students will listen and grab the card for the number that you say. Be sure to have numbers that are close to each other so the students must listen to the whole number before grabbing the papers

4. Board Game

You need: A board game with numbers written on the spaces, OR a board game with different colours/symbols for each set of numbers (tens, hundreds, thousands etc) and a stack of number cards for each set.

How to play: For the pre-printed numbers version, the students simply say the number as they land on the spaces, if they cannot say the number they must return to their previous place. For the card version if the student lands on a colour/symbol they must take a card from the stack and say the number, again returning if they are incorrect. Be sure to add “Go ahead” “Go back” or other task spaces to keep the game interesting

3. Bingo

You need: Blank or pre-printed bingo papers with large numbers, a calling list for you

How to Play: If you have blank papers have the students write the numbers where they like on their paper Tip: This can take forever so what I did was have the possible numbers written at the top and assigned a letter of the alphabet, the students then write only the letter of the alphabet in the grid. Call out the numbers, make sure you repeat as often as the students need, and play until a certain number of students gets bingo.

2. Secret Number

You need: Blank scrap paper for each group

How to play: In small groups, one student will think of a secret number and write it on the paper. The other students take turns guessing what the number is. The student with the secret number can give them a hint by saying “Up./Down.” or “Higher/Lower.” When one student guesses the number it’s their turn to write a secret number. Tip: I tell the students that for the first game they can choose between 0 and 100, the second game is 0-200, the third 0-300 etc. This builds up the game and their confidence.

1. What’s this number?

You need: A piece of paper for each student with a large number on it (preferably with the English answer written on the back) a scrap of memo paper for each student.

How to play: The students should mingle with their papers. I have them play rock, paper, scissors to decide who gets to speak, but they could take turns if you prefer. One student shows their number and the other student must say it. If they can say it correctly (they can check the back of the paper) they can get their paper signed by the other student. Most signatures wins or they try to get a certain number to finish.

Teaching Tip: When teaching large numbers, teach them to say the commas for “million” and “thousand”. It also helps to use colours to demonstrate how the numbers are broken down.

5 ESL/EFL Activities for Syllables/Rhythm

2010-07-12T15:26:00.001+09:00

Learning English is not just about grammar and vocabulary. There are other useful skills that language teachers can introduce that will help our students to become more fluent and speak more naturally. One of the main things I have been teaching this term is English syllables and rhythm

I teach in Japan and often the students pronounce English words with a very strong Japanese rhythm. This is partly because of the many English loan-words that have been adopted into Japanese. I think it is perfectly acceptable to say "orenjiju-su" when speaking Japanese. (The same way we mispronounce déjà-vu when speaking English) however they need to learn to say “orange juice” when speaking English. Hopefully learning about English syllables will help the students recognise that pronunciation needs to be learned as well! One extra tip, the first lesson I do with syllables I don’t explain how syllables work, I save that for the next lesson. I don’t want the students to be caught up in the academic practice of counting vowel sounds before they have a chance to use their own ears!

5. Guess The Syllables
You need: a list of words/sentences, a set of numbers 1-10 for each team (per student if you teach small groups)
How to play: Divide the class into teams and give them each a set of numbers. Read out one of the words or sentences and give the students some time to think. Have the students hold up the number of syllables they think is in the word you said and award points. Tip: encourage the students to speak aloud and clap the rhythm during the thinking time.

4. Listening Pyramid
You need: worksheets, List of English words/sentences
How to play: Make a worksheet where the options build from the previous option. So the top row has "1 2" and the next row has "3 4 3" the next "5 4 5 4" etc.
From start the students have the option of 1 or 2. So you should say an English word that has either 1 or 2 syllables. The students listen and circle what they think is the answer. From their answer they now have the option of 3 or 4. Again you say a 3 or 4 syllable word or phrase. The students follow the path to discover which letter is the answer. The can only choose an answer from the previous answer.

3. Pyramid
You will need: triangular shaped construction paper, cut out sentences and words (one 1 syllable, one 2 syllable etc)
How to play: Give each student (or group if you have large classes) a pyramid paper and a set of English words and sentences. The students should place the papers on the triangle with one syllable at the top, building in sequence to 9 or 10 syllables at the bottom

2. Read ‘n’ Run
You will need: English words (from 1-6 syllables is a good number), answer papers with boxes labeled 1-6
How to Play: Pin up the words around the room. The students will work in pairs, one student sits at the desk and the other student will run to find all the English words. They must decide how many syllables are in each word and write it in the appropriate box.

1. Dice Challenge
You need: two dice per group, memo papers
How to Play: Give each group two dice and a memo paper for each student. The students write 2-12 on their papers. One student should throw the dice and the students should work together to think of a word or sentence for the number that was rolled. Each student writes the sentence on their own paper, then the next student throws the dice. They should try and get all the numbers from 2-12. Tip: If the higher numbers are too difficult let the students use a question and answer pattern.

5 ESL/EFL Games to Play Outside (Classic Kids Games!)

2010-07-01T15:44:00.003+09:00

It's summer again! If you have the opportunity you could take your students outside for a nice change of pace. These are typical children's games played outside in Western countries that can be adapted to ESL/EFL teaching. I won't go into lengthy descriptions of how to play, however if you don't know any of the games then this site has many many examples!

5. Marco Polo
You will need: blindfold (optional)
You or one student volunteer is either blindfolded or has their eyes shut. The other students have 10 seconds to run away and hide. Then the game begins. Once the game has begun the other students must freeze (this avoids injuries!) you shout the trigger word and the other students must reply. You can make the trigger and response any English you like. "Hello" is the simplest, or "How are you?" "I'm fine". The last student to be caught is the winner and if you have time can replace you as the chaser.

4. Hopscotch
You need: chalk, small bean bags or stones
If your group is quite big, split the students into a number of smaller groups. Draw out the traditional hopscotch grid from your country. Play as you normally would, but make sure the students count out loud as they play. Variations: Make a reeeeally long version! Or find some different patterns from other countries online, the students will probably be interested to learn other versions.

3. Skipping Rope/Jump Rope
You need: a (few) skipping rope(s)
Again, if your group is quite large you may need to split the students into smaller groups. You'll need another teacher or a volunteer to turn the rope with you, or if you are lucky you can attach it to some sort of nearby object/tree/bad student and turn the free end yourself. There are many different rhymes for skipping rope, the first one that sprang to my mind was

Summer, autumn, winter, spring
When it's your birthday, please jump in
January, February, March etc

with the students trying to join the game on their birthday month. Try out different ones, or you could have a go at writing your own!

2. Freeze Tag
You will need: engergetic students!
Sometimes the students need to burn off some energy! Bring a little English in by having the frozen students shout "Help me!" when they get stuck and "Thank you" when they get freed. Alternatively, have "frozen" students go to you to answer an English question to be allowed back into the game.

1. What's the time Mr Wolf?
You need: nothing!
You stand at one end of the playing area, and the students at the other. They shout in unison "What's the time, Mr Wolf?" (You can leave out "Mr Wolf" if you wish). You reply while facing away from them "It's ~ o'clock" You then count to that number. While you are counting the students should count with you and take a step with each number. When you reach the time, you spin round and the students must freeze. If you see them moving they are out and much go back to the beginning and start again. When a student reaches you they are the winner and can take over your place. Play for a while, but remember to stop before the students get too bored!

Enjoy the lovely weather!

5 ESL/EFL Activities for the Days of the Week

2010-06-10T09:00:00.002+09:00

Students often learn the days of the week by rote and in order. This leads to them counting off in their heads (or even singing) to get to the day they want to say, even adults could use practice in this. Here are some activities for learning the days out of order. NB These activities use a lot of L1 to L2 translation.

5. Listening
You will need: CD and player, worksheets. (My version from ESL Printables)
Using The Cure's Friday I'm In Love is a good warm-up and introduction to the topic. You can have the students fill in the blanks, give them a choice of days to listen for, re-arrange the lyrics, there are many options for using music in the classroom.

4. Spinner
You will need: Spinner papers, (my Japanese version available here), a spinnable object
Create a spinner worksheet by dividing a circle into eighths. Label each segment a day of the week in L1. The final segment could be "spin again" "pass" or some other English task if you wish. The students can use a pencil or other spinnable object and take turns spinning. They should attempt to collect a whole week to finish the game. If you want to add a little tension give them a time limit (three seconds or so) to answer. If you'd like there is a version in English of this at ESL-Kids but their spinner is only divided into six segments.

3. Chanting.
You will need: possibly papers with the days on it, possibly a paper with the chant on it or a board
I cannot take the credit for this, it was introduced to me by another teacher a few years ago and I do not know where she got it. Anyway, the students form groups of hopefully seven students but six is also ok. Each student is assigned a day of the week. The chant is a 4 beat rhythm.

Beat 1: Slap the desk (knees) with both hands
Beat 2: clap
Beat 3: snap the fingers of your right hand
Beat 4: snap the fingers of your left hand

Got it? The chant fits into three cycles of the beat. The bold parts are said on beat 1 and 2.

I am Monday.
Also getsuyobi. (L2)
Who is Friday?

Let the group do one silent cycle then the person who is Friday responds

I am Friday.
Also kinyobi.
Who is Wednesday?

The important thing to remember is to get the students throwing the question randomly. When they can handle it change the days around and speed it up!

2. Party Week
You will need: worksheets with a blank schedule
Have the students decide on one day to have their party. They will then mingle and ask other students to come to their party on ---day. The students can only go to one party per day. Once a student has the week filled up they are finished. If your class atmosphere allows, see who will have the biggest party. (Just be careful with younger students. For example if an unpopular student ends up with the most popular party it could cause teasing.) The key to this is not allowing the student to show their schedules so that they must listen to the spoken English.

1. Head of the Class
You will need: Board game and days of the week papers in L1 for each group
This works well with groups of four. The board game has one place at the top and three lanes to race up. One student will be the teacher and place their eraser on the top place. The other three are students and place their erasers at the bottom of the lanes. The teacher will show the students a paper and the students must be first to raise their hand to answer. The first student to raise their hand and answer correctly can move to the next place. When a student reaches the top they become the teacher and the teacher becomes a student.
NB Depending on the mix of students you may want to let the other students keep their position when a change happens, otherwise slower students may never get a chance to get to the top.

5 ESL/EFL Activities to Practice Numbers

2010-06-02T12:23:00.004+09:00

From my experience here in Japan, students are taught the numbers up to twenty, then "thirty", "forty" etc up to a hundred and then pretty much left to fend for themselves. When I asked some students how old they were I noticed quite a few counting from one to the number they needed. So here are some activities to help them become more familiar with English numbers 1-100.

5. Danger Number
You need: nothing
To play: Put the students into pairs or small groups of three or four. Decide on a "danger number", for example: 100. The first player starts at "one" and may say a maximum of three numbers. If he says "one two three" then the next player will start at "four" and again may say a maximum of three numbers. They keep going until one student is forced to say the danger number and is out. If you are playing in groups this can either be the end of the game, or you can play another round with the out player rejoining, or you can play the next round with only the remaining players until you have one final winner. This is good as an introduction to other games as here they are still using the numbers consecutively.

4. Board Game
You need: A board game template, dice
To play: Fll in the template with various sums using plus, minus, times and divide (assuming your students are old enough to do this in L1) you can either write digits or write the sums out in words. When a student lands on the sum they must read it and give the answer. Add variation with "roll again" or "go back three" squares.

3. Sums Bingo
You need: bingo papers
To play: Have a list prepared of the numbers on the bingo papers and corresponding sums. Be careful not to duplicate any numbers. You will call out a sum and the students must find the answer. Be aware that some students may merely be finding out the answer from other students, ask them to play quietly.

2. Word Sums Read'n'Run
You need: Sums written out in word form. Memo paper or worksheet for each pair
To do: Pin up the word sums around the room. In the pairs one student will run to the sums and run back to report to the other student who will write down the sums. They can work together to find the answer. You can have them write down the words but I find it's better to have them write down numbers, that way you know they understand.
Variations: To make this harder instead of writing sums as "two plus four" you can write "the number of eyes you have plus the number of legs a cat has" (free download will be up by the end of this week!)

1. Playing Cards Plus
You need: one deck of playing cards between each pair, could also be done with small groups of three or four if you don't have enough cards
To play: Each student has half the deck. At the same time they put down the top card face up. The first student to add up the numbers and say the total gets to keep the cards. This is a very simple game but it allows the students to think of the numbers independantly and to speed up their thinking. If you have groups either split the deck four ways and play in pairs or have the students take turns flipping two cards and all students compete to call out the answer.

5 ESL/EFL Quick Alphabet Activities

2010-04-22T16:14:00.002+09:00

Some students learning English have to start with the alphabet as their own language uses other characters. Here's 5 quick activities to get students familar with the roman alphabet. Learning the order is very useful for developing dictionary skills and dealing with alphabetised items.

5. Ordering.
You will need: One set of alphabet cards per group.
Just give each group (or individually if you'd like) a set of cards and have them put them in order A-Z.

4. What's this?
You will need: One set of alphabet cards per group
Layout the alphabet cards in order. Give each group a somewhat thick piece of paper or card. The students should take turns with the card. The other students should close their eyes and the student with the card covers a letter. When the students open their eyes they should say the missing letter. The first student to say the correct letter gets a point.

3. Circling
You will need: alphabet worksheets (download coming soon), coloured pens/crayons
Give out one worksheet per pair. Each student in the pair should have a different coloured pen or crayon. As you call out the letters the students should race to circle the correct letter. The student with the most claimed letters is the winner

2. Alphabet Bomb
You will need: nothing
In groups the students take turns saying up to three letters of the alphabet. The next player continues with up to three letters. For example: 1. "ABC" 2. "DE" 3"FGH" 4. "I" etc. The student who says "Z" is out. Either play a couple of rounds starting with all the players each time, or have a knockout tournament.

1. Slam
You will need: Alphabet cards
Layout the cards randomly for each group. Call out a letter and have the students slam their hands on the right letter. The winner gets to keep the card.

5 ESL/EFL Activities for Easter

2010-04-14T13:00:00.004+09:00

Easter is over but it's still spring and if you are working in another country then the exact date of holidays isn't so important. I am aware that many teachers do not wish to teach culture or religion in class. That's totally ok, and up to you and your teaching methods. I tend to teach secular culture and traditions but stay away from the religious side of things. Whatever works best for you!

5. Slam/Karuta
You will need: pictures (clipart or photos) of things to do with the Easter story.
For larger classes split them into smaller groups each with their own set of pictures. Tell the students about Easter and as you talk they should listen for keywords and slam the picture to win that card. The student with the most cards is the winner. This is best used in conjunction with other Easter activities otherwise the relevance of the cards is lost.

4. Colouring/Painting Eggs
You will need: eggs (hard boiled!) or blank egg-shapes on paper, colours or paints, egg-hunting worksheets
Have the students draw a design using certain shapes, colours and numbers. If you have a very small group the students can ask you for the colours and tell you what shapes they are drawing. If you have a large class (that can do desk work quickly) set a time limit, then after they are finished pin up the eggs on the board. Split the class into teams and have the first member come up to the board. Describe an egg "I see an egg with two red square and one yellow triangle". The students must touch the egg you are describing.

Variation: If you think the eggs will get destroyed as students fight to touch the first one, split this activity over two lessons and instead number the eggs and give each student an "Egg-hunting sheet" which has descriptions of the eggs. The students should find and write down the number of the eggs.

3. Egg-Rolling Quiz
You will need: Hard-boiled eggs, a grid pattern on the floor or printed on paper (for an example see the Rolling to Points printable here) trivia/review questions
This is simply a scoring system. With the students split into teams, ask questions in whatever way works best for you. The winning student gets a chance to roll the egg onto the grid to score points. If you wanted a little more competition you could use a marker and have the teams attempt to get closest to the marker when all the questions are answered, something like bowls.

2. Read 'n' Run
You will need: Easter story worksheets missing keywords, keywords or scrambled word hints (you can scramble words for free at SuperKids Word Scrambler)
For this the students can work individually, in pairs or in small groups. Pin up the scrambled letters around the room and give out the Easter story worksheets (you can choose how much religion to explain yourself) the students should go around the room collecting the hints then trying to match them to the story. For lower level classes use the words as they are, for higher level classes you can try scrambling the words. Check their answers.

1. Mad-libs
You will need: Pre-prepared worksheets of the Easter story with keywords missing, keyword papers.
Before telling the students anything hand out the Keyword papers. The students should fill in the different parts of speech (noun, adjective, a boy in your class etc) with any English they can think of. It's always best to tell them that the craziest words with be best for the next activity. If you have lower level classes, they can work together in pairs or small groups. After everyone has finished, give them they Easter story worksheets and have them fill in the words and read what they have written. If you have volunteers they can read their story to the class, otherwise put the students into groups and have them read to each other. After you can tell them the real story of Easter.

5 ESL/EFL Self-introduction Ideas FREE DOWNLOAD

2010-04-07T10:30:00.003+09:00

It's the start of a brand-new school year here in Japan so this post's theme is ice-breakers and self-introductions. (You and them!) It's an obvious way to start the year if you have new students who don't know each other but it can also be useful for students who do know each other, they may find out something new and it gives you a chance to learn more about them! The more you can use their interests in class the more engaged they will be. So you can think of this as a kind of research/reconnaissance lesson for you!

5. About Me
You will need: Pre-prepared worksheets. Feel free to download the temple "About Me" here.
This is a writing activity, make up a worksheet with fill-in-the-blank sentences. I have the students fill these out while I am taking their photos. You can use the time to walk around talking to the students informally if you wish, it's a chance for real English conversation with no pressure.

4. Find Someone Who
You will need: Worksheet with a grid of various activities. Or a blank grid if you have high-level students.
A simple mingle where students can ask each other questions and attempt to get a "bingo" finish the worksheet or ask as many people as possible in the time frame. Higher level students can fill out the grid themselves with whatever they want. Be aware that university students or adults may use this as a way to find a date (of course you can make that your theme if you want!)

3. Class Survey
You will need: a survey worksheet with questions of your choosing, a list of the class members, (possibly a report worksheet or arts and crafts supplies)
This is good for classes who don't yet know each other very well. If you have a large class, split them down into groups. Give each group/student one or two questions on a theme (sports, hobbies, family, pets, TV). Give each student a list of the class. (For large classes each group member will take a section of the class instead of asking everyone). Give them some time to collect all the answers. You can either jot the results up on the board and finish there or have each member/group make a poster or report if you wish to continue the activity.

2. Stand Up/Sit Down
You will need: nothing, or memo paper
First you say a sentence like "Everyone who likes Harry Potter stand up" Now you should have a random selection of students standing. Now say something like "Everyone who ate bread for breakfast change" now the students who are standing and ate bread will sit down, the students who are sitting and ate bread will stand up.

Draw a student's name at random and have them think of the next sentence (if you have a lot of shy students you can keep saying the sentences or you can have the students think of a sentence before the game starts). There are many ways you can choose to end the game. Either pick a number at random and when you have that number of students standing the game is over, or you can have a timer, or you can play a certain number of rounds. I usually end this with a simple silly "punishment" like jump ten times or do five push ups. It is up to you whether you have the standing students or the sitting students do the punishment (and remember don't use English as a punishment!!)

1. Likes and Dislikes
You will need: You can do this with no materials if you wish, or have an envelope with slips of paper with various items, and big 'YES' and 'NO' banners for each team.
This perhaps works best with groups who don't know each other so well, but even if they do they can be surprised! It can be played as a whole class team game or in smaller groups. You will choose a student at random to stand up. Pull a slip of paper and ask the class "Does she like 'monkeys'? The teams have to choose 'yes' or 'no'. Then ask the student and award points to those teams with the correct answer. For smaller groups have the players take turns answering.

For a variation or if you want a change of pace, have the students think of their own "Do I like~?" question. Remind them that they can be tricky or they can be even trickier by having an obvious answer.

5 ESL/EFL Activities for Teaching Colours

2010-03-24T14:15:00.003+09:00

This post is aimed at those teaching young learners. Children love colourful things and their worlds are full of colour, so they are often interested in the English words, plus the materials by nature are bright and colourful!

5. The Rainbow Song
You can have the students draw a rainbow before teaching the song if you'd like or just use coloured pieces of paper. Make sure that as you sing the song the students are connecting the lyrics to the words. Have them touch the colours as you sing the song. Once they are happy with the colours and the song mix up the colours and sing in a different order. This will help them to connect the words and the colours.

4. Hunting
This depends on your environment but it means the students are incorporating realia with their English. Tell the students a colour and have them find and touch something of that colour. They could also have to bring you something with that colour if you want to make it into a race. Depending on how many students you have you can have teams or keep the cometition out of it if you wish.

3. Memory
Layout some coloured papers, making sure the students are comfortable with the colours. Have the students cover their eyes, and take away one colour. The students open their eyes and say what colour is missing. If you have a large class split the class into small groups and have students take turns being the Paper Master.

2. Painting/colouring
Obviously this depends on your learning environment but this can be a great way to have the students use English practically. It's good for a quiet activity, which can be good for the quieter students. Either have pictures for the students to colour in or give them blank pieces of paper. Have them ask you for the coloured pencils or paints, "What colour do you want?" "Red, please". Ask them what they are colouring, what colours they are using, what they are drawing. This is a loose and relaxed activity but will have them using English for real communication. Remember not to stifle creativity, if the student wants to draw a purple cow, let them!

1. Karuta
This is based on the Japanese card game karuta. Once the students are comfortable with the colours, lay out coloured papers. Call out a colour and the students must try to grab the paper before the other students do. Split larger classes into smaller groups and play at the same time.

5 EFL/ESL Games Based on TV Gameshows

2010-03-18T15:54:00.005+09:00

If your students know these shows already then you can play up the "gameshow" aspect, act like a host or include sound effects. If they don't know the shows it doesn't matter, these are still good solid games for the classroom!

5. Countdown (wiki) A British gameshow where contestants attempt to make the longest word possible from a random selection of nine letters.

You need: Letters of the alphabet on magnetic cards
How to play: Make this a group activity so there is less pressure on the students. Randomly select alphabet cards (ensuring there are enough vowels) or have a student select for you. Put the cards up on the board and give the students a set time to find the longest word they can. Allow dictionaries for lower level classes. Award points for the longest words.

4. Blockbusters ( wiki ) Originally American but with a longer running British counterpart, contestants attempt to cross a board of hexagons which have letters on them by answering trivia questions.

You need: A board with hexagonal spaces, each space with a letter. Either print and photocopy to a large size or draw directly onto a board if you have time. You also need trivia questions where the answer begins with the letter on the hexagon. It's a good idea to have multiple questions in case no-one can answer.
How to play: The original game was for a solo contestant vs a pair of contestants. You can vary this depending on how your students are. It could be two large teams with students taking turns to answer, or you could have multiple rounds with smaller groups leading to a championship or you could make small desktop versions for small groups to play with one Question Master.

Assign one team to go from left to right and one team to go top to bottom. Choose a letter at random to start and assign that hexagon to the first student to answer. (colour it in or use small magnets) That student can then choose the next hexagon (must be touching the first) to try to win. NB In the TV show the contestant who chooses has a chance to answer the next question uninterrupted, however in the classroom it works much better if anyone can answer any question. The first team to make a "path" either left to right or top to bottom is the winner.

3. The Weakest Link (wiki) Originally British but with worldwide versions, players attempt to answer a chain of correct answers to win the most money possible.

You need: Lots of questions, a scoring grid of some kind on the board.
How to play: The original version is quite complicated and doesn't transfer well to the classroom but this is a version that I play in fairly well-behaved classes. Split the class into teams as you see fit, around six is good. Decide randomly which team will start. Ask them a question, if they can answer they get one mark/point/magnet on the board. They can then choose to "Stop" or "Play". If they stop then their point is safe, and you move to the next team. If they choose to play then you will ask them another question. If they cannot answer then they lose their point and you move to the next team. The first team to get to the top of the scoring grid (which is as big as your time allows) is the winner! To prevent the early teams winning too soon it's a good idea to have a limit on how many questions they can answer in a chain

2. Family Fortunes/Feud (wiki) Family groups compete to give the most popular answers to pre-surved questions.

You need: A set of questions such as "What is your favourite sport?". Ask all the teachers at your school or survey a different class of students to get the most popular answers. Write up these answers for your reference. Whiteboards/chalkboards/pads of paper for each team
How to Play: Split the class into teams, this depends on your class size but for a class of forty, ten groups is good. Instead of having one player at a time come up like the TV show, ask the question and have the teams write down what they think is the most popular answers. After a certain time have the students hold up their whiteboards and if they have any of the answers reveal those answers dramatically and award points (more points for more popular answers) if there are any unrevealed answers then have the students shout out what they think for bonus points.

1. Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? (wiki) Possibly the most well-know gameshow on this list, contestants must answers 15 questions to get to a million pounds/dollars etc

You need: multiple-choice trivia questions
How to Play: This is a simplified team version of the game. Split the class into teams. Each team gets a money grid to race up. Take turns asking each team a multiple choice question (but have them answer in full for English practice!). Allow each team a 50/50, Ask The Audience or Phone a Friend. These work best if you can prepare surveying another class for Ask The Audience and asking certain teachers for Phone a Friend. (if you can use photos of the teachers then the class really enjoys it)

These games are great for adding a bit of variety to your classes, some of them take more preparation than others but the students interest pays off! Good luck!

5 Variations on Bingo for EFL/ESL Classes

2010-03-11T12:08:00.002+09:00

Bingo! The students love it...I suspect because it require little English from them...but still it can be a good warm-up, cool down, filler or reward if the students like it enough! Here are 5 ways to stop bingo becoming stale...

5. Translation Bingo
Instead of having written English and calling out the words in English, have the students write their native language on the bingo paper (or pre-print) and call out the words in English. This should help the students think about the meaning of the words. If you don't like using the native language or have mixed languages use pictures instead.

4. Switch Bingo
This has been both popular and unpopular in classes I have tried it with. Have the students write out a bingo shet as usual. When you call the first word, they will mark it off as usual. Before you call the second word have them switch papers with the student next to them! Then switch back and forth for each word so the student who gets bingo may or may not have their own paper.
Extra variations: Pass the papers clockwise around a group, or snake-like around the whole class
Only switch the papers when a student gets bingo.

3. Strips Bingo
NOT strip bingo!! This game was presented at a seminar I was at a few years ago, it wasn't my idea but it works really well! Instead of using a regular bingo grid, give the students strips of paper about 2-3cm high and as long as you need. (The longer the strips the more words and the longer the game.) The students should half and rehalf (as many times as needed) then unfold the paper. The folded segments are their bingo boxes. They can write the vocabularly in and you call out the words as usual, if the student has the word in either end box they can tear that box away. The keep going tearing away each end only until they have one word left, if you say that word they can discard the last paper and get bingo.

This can be difficult to explain but demonstration or diagrams should work if you are patient. Also as new boxes will come into play you will need to say target words more that once. A good way is to write the words yourself onto small cards and draw them out of an envelope at random. In regular bingo set the used cards aside, in strips bingo drop them back into the envelope.

2. Mingle-Bingo
Prepare a grid worksheet. For example, have a 4x4 grid with pictures of sports in each box. Have the students mingle and ask each other a question "Do you like ~?" or "Can you play~?" etc. If the answer is "Yes, I do/can." the answering student should sign the questioning student's paper. Have the students try to get one or two "bingos" to finish. If you have keen classes you could have everyone get a fullhouse/blackout then play regular bingo calling out students names. (not very "English-y" but a nice motivtator to finish the original worksheet!)

1. Music Bingo
This takes preparation but is very popular! Find some songs with clear English words in them and cut them up into about 20 second segments. (I have used Windows Movie Maker for this, or you can google the best way for you.) Give the students the key words for bingo as usual but play the clips instead of speaking. A rest for your voice, a shake-up of routine and a lot of interested students- how's that for a slice of fried gold?

5 ESL/EFL Resource Websites You'll Visit Again and Again

2010-03-05T14:50:00.002+09:00

Some websites have some good ideas, some specialise in specific topics but these 5 are the sites that I go to again and again, often redisovering the perfect idea for a lesson!

5. Michelle Henry's Site (Nancy Metz Academy) Mostly in French but easy to navigate, contains a lot of links to resources around the web. Worth stopping by to save yourself some searching!

4. Lanternfish (formerly Boggle's World) A great selection of cards, flashcards, worksheets and ideas. Has writing practice worksheets if you use them. Seems to span from beginners to business and practical travelling roleplays.

3. ESL Printables (requires membership) A share-for-share points system where you earn points when people download your printables. You can then use those points to download other printables. It's not as difficult as it sounds to get points and there is a wonderful selection of printables. You can find my printables at Samiantha /shameless plug

2. Genki English Aimed mostly at elementary school teachers in Japan, but has a lot that can work with junior high or high school. Has materials and resources for sale in sets but there is a lot of free stuff on the site and a lot of game ideas sorted by theme.

1. MES English A massive selection of stylish flashcards, game cards, bingo sheets, games, and worksheets totally free! Also links to the authors other sites, Tools for Educators 123 Certificates and others! I would be lost without this site!

That's all for now, I hope to do another link post in the future!

5 ESL/EFL Dictionary Skills Activities

2010-02-24T15:11:00.001+09:00

Most students of English own a dictionary (or they should!) but few are taught how to use it. They are just handed one nd left to get on with it. Here are some activities about ordering the alphabet and using a dictionary which will help the students become familar with it. This is also a useful skill in the real world as we often organise things (books, cds, etc) in alphabetical order.

5. Alphabet ordering.
Split the students up into small groups or pairs and give them cards with the alphabet on it. They have to race to put the alphabet in the correct order. When they are comfortable with this give them cards with double letters, then triple. This will get them used to how words are organised in the dictionary.

4. Guide words.
Dictionaries have guide words at the top of the pages. Give the students A4 papers with guide words on them (aadvark - apple) and small cards with random vocabulary on them. The students must place the cards on the correct "page". If your students all have the same dictionary you can be more specific with guide words and match them to the dictionary. Have the students check themselves if they are correct.

3. Grab.
This is a game I saw on Japanese TV and can be used for many other ideas but here it can be used as a warm-up or introduction to a dictionary class/activitiy. Put the students into small groups of about four. You'll need small soft objects like crafting pompoms. Each group gets one less pompom than there are students. For example, a group of four students needs three pompoms. Start reading the alphabet. If you call out the correct order the students should not touch the pompoms, if you say a letter out of order then they should try and grab a pompom. Either play for a few rounds, or make the student with no pompom "out" and play until you have a winner. A good way to play this is to have the students stand up with their hands on their heads. Even third grade JHS students like this game!

2. Open the dictionary.
This is to make the students aware that the dictionary is not neatly divided into 26ths and also to make them faster at opening their dictionaries to the right section. Even though most dictionaries have the alphabet printed on the side this is a useful skill to develop. Have the students go through the dictionary and check how big each section is. I remember doing this much myself at school as a child! Then have the students look only at the top of the dictionary (so they don't cheat and use the index printed on the side). Call out a letter at random and the students have one chance to open the book at that section. You can make this a non-competative excercise or if you wish see how many the students can get out of five. You could even make it a knock-out with all students standing, then sitting down if they lose. (This would mean a lot of students just watching though!)

1. Dictionary race.
Once the students are happy using their dictionaries, have a race! Split the class into teams and have one dictionary for each team. Make sure you use copies of the same dictionary for this. You need lists of words and the corresponding page numbers. Either have one member come up per round to find a set of words, or make it a relay and have them switch members after each word is found. Winning team is the fastest to finish with all correct answers!

Another thing that is important when teaching dictionary skills is to encourage the students to read the guide section. Most students don't bother but it has a lot of useful information that may help them later!

5 Ways to Make New Pairs for ESL/EFL Classrooms

2010-02-17T14:43:00.001+09:00

(These may be useful in any classroom or group setting)
So you want the students to make pairs, the easiest way is to have them work with the student next to them. Except then you end up with the same pairs all the time: students who dislike each other, students with vastly differing levels or even a pair who fancy each other and spend the entire time flirting (it happened!) You can turn this into a chance to get a little extra English in with these activities.

5. Half Sentences
Does exactly what it says on the tin. Write sentences and split them into half then have the students find the matching half. This works best if all the sentences follow the same grammar, "if" or "but/and" sentences are good for this. Warning! Double check there are no confusing sentences or multiple possible answers! When they find their pair they can sit down together.

4. Half words
Runs like half sentences but they each have a half of a word. This forces them to think about the spelling of the vocabulary. Japanese students at least have a tendency to try to see the word as a whole shape and guess it. Again double check for multiple answers!

3. Matching pictures
Give the students small pictures (of which there should be two copies) Make the picture be the answer to a question and have the students walk around and ask the question to find the student with the same answer. The possibilities are endless so long as you can have enough answers!
"What do you want to be?" "I want to be a doctor"
"When is your birthday?" "It's November 5th"

2. Line Up
Have the students line up in some sort of order, alphabetically or by height, how long it takes them to walk to school etc. Then either pair of the first two students together and keep going, or pair the first with the last and so on

1. Puzzle. Set some sort of puzzle or riddle on the board, or give the students some kind of task to do. The first students finished will pair up and so on. This is useful if you want to sort the students by level, but be careful not to make the lower level students feel bad. This depends on the atmosphere of your classroom and you know that best!

Last thought: What to do with that odd left over student? Either pair up with them yourself or make sure the activity can be done by three people. Either way make sure you consider this beforehand and have a plan!

5 EFL/ESL Back to School Activities

2010-01-06T14:35:00.003+09:00

Happy New Year!
It's cold, it's the first lesson back, the students are not in the mood to study... try these activities for the first week of term. (includes the Four Skills plus a warm-up)

5. Christmas Vacation writing. Yes, not very inspiring but can be fun depending on the class, if you give them space to draw a (quick!) picture they'll like it more.

4. New Year's Resolution. "Resolution" is a hard word but you can introduce "promise" have the students choose a promise for the year and then interview each other. "What is your New Year promise?"

3. Word of the Year. This can be a nice creative lesson. Have the students choose their own word for the coming year, write/speak/present a little about it then make decorative versions of their words for the classroom (can also be a good way to end the year)

2. New Year Vocab Quiz. Stick to words they will probably know, don't want to knock their confidence in the first week. Draw boxes on the board for each month and the winning team is the first to get to Christmas of the coming year.

1. New Year's Around the World. If you'd like to take the opportunity to add some culture. Stick up some posters about different New Years traditions around the world and have some map/the students geography books handy. Put the students into pairs and give each pair a list of questions. Have them take turns running around to find the answers and locate the countries on the maps. This is one activity which can take all lesson meaning they don't need to sit through a long explanation but they do get lots of English practice!

5 ESL/EFL Pair Activities

2009-12-09T16:27:00.003+09:00

Pairwork is easy to set up (though I'll do another post in the future if you want to shake up the pairs a bit), it hopefully means the students will be more focused and less likely to let their attention wander than group work and it maximises student speaking time. So, on with 5 Pair Activities (NB these have a less 'fun' aspect than Pair Games (planned post)

5. Interview. The possibilties are endless! Use this as a self-intro activity for a new class, to practice a certain grammar point or to review general English. You can give the students a list of questions, or allow higher level (and quick workers!) to write their own. Follow up with a presentation, writing a report or making a poster if you'd like.

4. Info Gaps. Each student has half the information and must exchange answers with the other student. Can be straightforward missing text information or you can make it more graphic, such as

a schedule for "What did you do yesterday at 4 o'clock?" or "What is Bob going to do on Monday?"
a family tree to practice family vocabulary "Who is Bart's father?"
Any kind of map/train map to practice giving directions
Any kind of drawing to practice prepositions "There is a ball on the chair"
Two spot the difference pictures

3. Ping-Pong. This only works with less self-concious classes. I got the idea from a TV drama called Dragon Zakura. They used it for quick thinking in maths, I adapted it for quick thinking in changing tenses. Basically they mime the actions of playing ping-pong (movement making it more fun and getting the blood flowing) One student 'hits' a word in the present tense, saying it out loud while miming hitting the ball. The other student 'catches' the ball, saying the past tense then passes it back saying a different present tense. It encourages faster thinking and the ping pong actions mimick a nice fast pace. Also it requires no materials or preparation!

2. Battleships. Adaptable for many grammar points or phonics words. For phonics write some minimal pairs words along the side and top. The students would then say "Rice - batter" to claim a square making sure that the other student does not check the square "Lice - butter". For grammar, you'd need a sentence with two changable words "Are you going to watch TV on Monday?". Write activities down the side and days across the top. One thing to watch out for is that Battleships is not popular in Japan so you might have to demonstrate a lot, it's easier to ditch the different sized ships idea and just have the students choose x number of "secret squares".

1. Describing Pictures. Find enough fairly detailed pictures, drawn cartoon-type picture work better than magazine photographs. Give one student blank paper and the other a picture. Without using Japanese (or gestures if you are mean) have them describe the picture. It's a good idea to point out that they can 'talk around' words they don't know. Saying "white drink" or even "cow juice" for milk gets the point across. I do not allow them to use dictionaries or ask me, if they don't know their partner doesn't know either. The point of this excercise is not perfect English but communicating anyway they know how!

Hope you found something interesting!

5 EFL/ESL No-Material Activities

2009-12-02T14:10:00.003+09:00

Have five (or even ten) minutes spare at the end of class? Have an activity that's not going well? Need a easy to prepare warm-up? Here are 5 Activities that require no materials or planning.

5. Ask Me A Question! Write up a bunch of answers to questions on the board, these can be about you (eg your full name, how many brothers you have, your country) or for practicing certain grammar (put up place names for "Have you ever been to~?") Have the students raise their hands to ask you a question, and then erase the corresponding answer.
You can split the class into teams and give points for each question asked if you wish to make it competitive.

4. Erase a Letter A variation on the above but different enough to keep students interested. Write up a long word or phrase on the board have the students ask you a question where the answer begins with a letter from the word on the board, then erase that letter. Again this could be a team game if you wish. For teams another variation is to write the word as many times as there are teams and the first team to erase their word wins.

3. Chinese Whispers　Use the fact that the students sit in rows, whisper a word to the back students and have them pass the word forward until the front student runs and writes it on the baord. This could be the same word for each team or you could have them make a six word sentence. You could also write a letter of the alphabet on their backs and have them spell a six-letter word on the board. This might work with writing a whole word, but I would avoid sentence-making here as the different lengths of words makes it unfair. NB This can be a fun way to introduce the theme of the class.

2. Prepositions moving Obviously only works if they know prepositions but this gets them moving and can be a fun way to end class. Split the class into groups (lunch groups is easiest) assign each student in the group a number (so every group has Student No1, Student No2 etc). Then call out directions, for example, "Student No1 is next to the desk, Student No2 is under the desk." My students at least are happy to get a chance to stand on the desks!

1. Cross-fire It's a classic, and there are plenty of variations on it too. For those who don't know, you have the students stand and you ask a question. The students raise their hands to answer and the answerer along with the students to the left and right sit down. Then you ask another question and this time the answerer and students in front and behind sit down, until you are left with one or two students to do some sort of batsu-game (I usually have them do 10 jumps or something).
Variations include Having one row stand and asking questions until there is one student left, then the column of that student stands up and answers questions until there is one student left, then back to a row standing. Be aware that with this version a weak student may end up standing the whole time causing the same row and column to keep standing and leading to tears (trust me on that one!)
You can also include a random element by calling student numbers and the chosen student must answer. My personal favourite is using student numbers combined with four cards that say "Back" "Forward" "Right" and "Left" the answerer chooses a card at random and those students sit down.

Hope this post helps you out of a tight spot!