Excerpt
Excerpt
Excerpt
Warm-up
1
Show students your enlarged picture cards one by one and ask them to guess
what classroom language each represents. They may come up with slight
variations to what is in the speech bubbles and thats fine. Stick the picture
cards on the board so everyone can see.
Now show the speech bubbles one by one and ask for volunteers to come up,
read them out and stick them next to the corresponding picture card.
Give students the chance to practise saying the language by doing some snappy
choral drilling. Model the language and ask students to repeat after you.
Main activity
1
It is important to do the warm-up before the main activity. Put students into
groups of three or four and give each group a copy of the board game (page 11),
a set of cards (page 10) and a coin. Each student will also need a counter.
The aim of the game is to move from the classroom door to the board. Students
can choose their route through the board. However, to add an extra challenge,
the rule is that students cant move onto a circle if another player is already on
it. They have to go around them. Only one player at a time can be on each circle.
Instead of using a dice, students toss a coin. If they get heads they can move
two spaces, tails one space. Students should look at the picture they land on
and make a full sentence connected to it. For example, if they land on the pencil
sharpener, they should say: Can I borrow a pencil sharpener, please? or Do you
have a pencil sharpener? or How do you say (pencil sharpener in their language)
in English? The other group members should decide if the sentence is valid or
not. If it is not valid, they must move back to where they came from.
If a player lands on a Team question circle, the player on their right should ask
them a question related to classroom language. For example: What do you say if
you forget your homework? or Whats this in English? (pointing to something in
the classroom). Write on the board What do you say if ? as a model. The player
must answer correctly, or move back.
If a player lands on a Take a card circle, they should turn over one of the cards.
If it is a word card, they should translate it into their own language. If it is a
picture card, they should say the sentence it represents.
The winner is the first person in each team to reach the board.
Level
elementary
Time
60 minutes
Preparation
for the warm-up one
enlarged set of picture
cards and speech
bubbles (on card if
possible) to use with the
whole class; blu-tak;
one set of cards, cut up,
and one photocopy of
the board game and a
coin for each group of 3
or 4 students, a counter
for each student (or they
could use a paperclip,
sharpener or rubber)
Extra notes
By spending some time
revising useful language
at the beginning of a new
term, we remind our
students that we expect
them to use English
whenever possible.
Follow-up
Put students into groups of three or four and give each group a set of cards from
Part 1 to play Pelmanism:
Place all the cards face down on the table in random order.
Player 1 turns over two cards and reads the words on each card or says the
words the picture represents. If the cards match, Player 1 keeps the cards. If
they dont match, Player 1 puts them back in the same place, face down.
The next player has a turn. Play until there are no cards left. The winner is the
person with the most matching pairs.
Make classroom language speech bubbles to display around the classroom.
If the classroom language that you expect your students to use during the class is
visible in the room, it is easy for you to encourage its use by simply pointing to the
correct speech bubble when the students make mistakes or use their own language.
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1.1
Cards
Im sorry Im late.
Can I borrow
a please?
Im sorry.
Ive forgotten my
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1.1
Board game
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Warm-up
Write on the board ENGLISH CLASS and ask your students to connect as many
relevant words as they can in the form of a crossword so there are interlinking
words. Whoever links the most words in a set time wins.
Main activity
Skills focus
reading, dictating and
writing: resolutions
Stick the enlarged dictation sentence beginnings (see bottom of this page) on
the wall around different parts of the classroom.
Put students into pairs of walker and writer. The walker has to go to each
of the dictation strips in turn, read it, remember it, return to their partner and
dictate the sentence to them. Their partner has to write it on their activity
sheet in the corresponding space. Tell students to make sure that the sentence
numbers correspond.
Give each student an activity sheet and tell them that these must stay on the
desks at all times. Walkers must not take the sheets with them and they must
not shout to their partners from across the room.
Set a time limit and ensure all students start at the same time if you are
planning to have a class race. If you wish, halfway through the activity students
can change roles, and the walkers become the writers.
Check that all students have written all six sentence beginnings and then
ask them to complete the sentences so they are true for them. Ask for some
examples to ensure all students are on track. For example:
In English Im very good at reading and learning new vocabulary.
Ask students if they have ever made New Years resolutions at the beginning
of a new year and listen to some of their examples or share some that you have
made in the past. Now ask your students to think of a New Term resolution for
the English class. Give some examples, but encourage students to think for a
minute about themselves and their learning before they write their resolution
and sign it. Examples could be:
I will try to do all my English homework this term or I will listen when the
teacher is explaining the activities or I will try to talk only in English.
At the bottom of the resolution theres a space for the teacher or student to add
a signature at the end of the term if the resolution was achieved.
Level
intermediate
Time
60 minutes
Preparation
one photocopy for
each student and one
photocopy (enlarged
and cut up) of the
sentence beginnings at
the bottom of this page
Extra notes
This activity is designed
to be used near the
beginning of a course
or a new term with a
new group of students.
It gives you the chance
to find out how they
feel about learning
English, what types of
activity they enjoy and
what they consider to
be their strengths and
weaknesses of language
learning.
Follow-up
Collect in the answer sheets and try to respond to some students comments in
future classes by incorporating some of their favourite activity types or working
in a supportive way on areas that they find difficult.
Display students resolutions on group posters round the classroom as a
constant reminder of their New term resolutions.
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1.2
Name:
In
very
not
me,
For
My
In
worst
,
good
about
thing
English
activities
are
going
Signed
Achieved on (date):
Signed
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Dictionary dive
Language focus
dictionary definitions
Warm-up
If you have a class set of dictionaries, distribute them amongst your students
so everyone can see one, and have a quick dictionary quiz. Ask questions to get
your students using the dictionary and looking up words. For example:
Where can you find a list of the phonemic symbols?
What word comes straight after cauldron?
What information do you get next to a word, apart from its definition?
How do you pronounce the word mischievous and what does it mean? (Write
the word up on the board, dont say it out loud! Get students to look up the word
and use the phonemic script to get the correct pronunciation.)
Key vocabulary
parts of speech: noun,
verb, adjective, adverb
Skills focus
using a dictionary and
becoming familiar with
the style of dictionary
definitions; speaking:
sounding convincing
writing: definitions
Level
upper-intermediate
Time
45 minutes
Main activity
1
This activity is based on a popular word game. The idea of the game is for
participants to create fictitious definitions for words and try to trick their
opponents into believing the invented, rather than the real, definition.
Before you begin, demonstrate the game using the word bamboozle. Read
the three definitions convincingly and ask students to vote on the correct
definition. (The correct answer is underlined.)
Preparation
one set of cards per class;
access to dictionaries,
preferably monolingual;
two or three blank cards
per small group
WORD bamboozle
Definition 1 verb. (informal) To trick or deceive someone often by
giving them confusing information. E.g. She was bamboozled into
revealing her credit card number.
Definition 2 noun. A person with a short concentration span.
E.g. Werent you listening? Youre such a bamboozle!
Definition 3 verb. To walk slowly, without a final objective.
E.g. She loves bamboozling around the town centre.
3
Divide the class into pairs or small groups and give each group a definition
card or two (depending on your class size). Give them time to write two false
definitions in the spaces. As they do this, monitor carefully and help students to
write definitions that sound like they have come from a real dictionary.
Groups take it in turns to read out their definitions to the class convincingly and
keeping a straight face.
After this round, give students some blank cards. In groups students should
create two or three definition cards. They should look through a dictionary to
find words they think may be useful or interesting to present to the class. Using
the dictionary for the real definition, and their imaginations for the two false
definitions, you will have enough cards to play another round of the game.
Follow-up
If you have Internet access in your classroom, show students some examples of
online dictionaries. The definitions for this activity have been adapted from the
Cambridge online dictionary: http://dictionary.cambridge.org/
Students write a list of top tips for using a dictionary.
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1.3
Dictionary dive
Definition 1:
Definition 2:
Definition 3:
Definition 3:
Definition 1:
Definition 1:
Definition 2:
Definition 3:
Definition 1:
Definition 2:
Definition 2:
Definition 3:
Definition 1:
Definition 2:
Definition 3:
Definition 3:
Definition 1:
Definition 2:
Definition 3: noun. (old fashioned) A loud
noise made by angry people. E.g. The
protesters were making a real hullabaloo.
Definition 2:
Definition 3:
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Technology 2.1
Teenspace
Language focus
giving personal details;
love / hate / dont mind +
gerund
Key vocabulary
ambition,
favourite thing, future,
graffiti wall, hobby,
message board,
status, wish (noun),
worry (noun)
Skills focus
writing and reading
personal profiles and
writing comments in
response to them
Warm-up
1
Write on the board THE INTERNET (or play a quick game of Hangman to get
it on the board). Then ask students what they think about when they think of
the Internet and write their ideas around the main word like a mind map. They
may suggest some of the following: WWW (world wide web), email, chat rooms,
shopping, messenger, blogs, personal web pages, etc.
Whether or not its mentioned, ask students about any personal web pages
they may have or know about such as MySpace or Facebook. Even if these sites
are new to you, you may well find that your teenage students are familiar with
them, and if they are, try to use the natural information gap between you and
them to find out as much as you can from your students.
Main activity
1
Give each student a copy of the activity sheet. Ask them to bring in a
photograph or a picture to stick on the page for the next class. It doesnt have to
be a photo of themselves; it could be a picture that shows something they love
or anything that will represent them.
Next, students fill in the Personal info and Favourites sections. When these
sections are completed you can display the Teenspace profiles on the classroom
wall or, if that isnt practical, put students into groups of six or seven and
they can pass the profiles around the group. The students should read their
classmates profiles. If they want to write a comment or a question, they
should do this on the message board. If they want to draw a picture or make a
statement, they can do this on the graffiti wall.
When the Teenspace profiles are complete, ask students whose pages look
like the most interesting sites. You could have a class vote to choose the most
original or detailed page.
Level
elementary
Time
40 minutes + an optional
5 or 10 minutes per class
for the next 3 or 4 classes
Preparation
one photocopy for
each student, enlarged
to A3 size if possible;
sticky notes or labels for
students to update their
status in future classes.
Try to have a look at
Facebook and MySpace
on the Internet before
the class, if you are
unfamiliar with this type
of website.
Extra notes
This activity can also
be used successfully for
higher levels as most of
the language is student
generated.
Follow-up
Repeat the task, but instead of students using their own personal details they
could choose a famous person to be.
Ask students to think of some new applications they would like to add to their
page too. Ideas to get them going could be interactive games of chess, photo
share areas, quizzes, puzzles, etc.
Use the information from the pages to create a class quiz about your students.
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2.1
Teenspace
Teenspace
My photo
info
home
friends
photos
Status
Personal info
Name
Birthday
Hometown
Favourites
My friends
Music
Films
Books
Hobbies
I love
I hate
I don't mind
Message board
Graffiti wall
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Technology 2.2
Chat room
Language focus
question forms
Key vocabulary
getting to know people
(student generated)
Skills focus
writing and reading chat
room messages; error
correction
Level
intermediate
Warm-up
1
Ask your students if they ever use Internet chat rooms. If so, ask them some
general questions like who they chat to and what they chat about.
Ask them if they have nicknames for chatting online. If so, they can use them
for this activity; otherwise ask them to invent a nickname.
Main activity
1
Tell your students they are going to take part in a crazy chat room. If at all
possible, students should move their chairs into a circle for this activity.
Explain to students that you are going to take the role of the Internet server
and stand in the middle of the circle. When students are ready to send their
messages, they should hold up their paper so you can see who is ready. You then
pass it to someone who is waiting to receive a message.
Give all the chat room participants (the rest of the class) a copy of the activity
sheet. When the chat begins, they can write anything they like, within reason.
They should always write their nickname before they begin their message. Tell
them that the Internet server has a Super Scout system that will destroy any
papers from chatters who send inappropriate messages.
As soon as students finish a message they should hold their paper up in the air
so the net (you!) can pick up their paper and give it to any student who also has
a message ready to send. As mentioned above, as you exchange the messages
you should glance at the papers to check for anything inappropriate.
When the activity is in progress it becomes faster and quite exciting as the
papers are flying around the room and the chat is growing. Let the chat go on
for about ten or fifteen minutes or until the first chat paper is completed, then
the Internet crashes.
Now the papers should be returned to the people who started each chat. Ask
a few students to read out their chat conversation to the class. The results will
often be amusing for all to hear.
Then ask students what tools we have on computers to check for our mistakes.
We usually always have a grammar- and spelling-check tool. But, of course, in our
crazy chat room we didnt have these tools, so ask the students to read the chats
carefully and to find the top five mistakes. These mistakes should be ones that
students should know how to correct themselves, and which have been made
because they were writing quickly. Mistakes that were made because students
were trying to use language beyond their level dont need to be corrected now.
When the whole group has completed their top five mistakes, ask students for
group feedback and collate a class list of the top ten mistakes. These could be
used for a mini progress check in a future class.
Time
60 minutes
Preparation
one photocopy for each
student
Follow-up
If you have access to a computer room, you could progress from this paperbased chat to a real chat room. Ensure that the online space you choose is a safe
one for teenagers.
Making e-pals with a class of English language students from another school,
city or preferably another country can be a great way to motivate teenagers and
get them writing in English.
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