English Tools and Activities

English Tools and Activities
A Compiling of Activities, Games, Dialogues, and Slang
Table of Contents
LISTENING........................................................................................................................... 11
USING COLORS.................................................................................................................. 11
WORDS IN A BOTTLE.......................................................................................................... 11
GROUP STORIES................................................................................................................. 11
WHICH PICTURE AM I DESCRIBING?...................................................................................11
DRAW THIS PICTURE.......................................................................................................... 12
DRAWING DICTATION......................................................................................................... 12
MUSICAL ADJECTIVES......................................................................................................... 12
MIND-MAPPING MUSIC....................................................................................................... 12
IMAGINE & DRAW............................................................................................................... 13
WORD CATCH..................................................................................................................... 13
DRAWING-WRITING VOCABULARY......................................................................................13
TRUE-FALSE WORDS.......................................................................................................... 13
COMPLETE THE DRAWING.................................................................................................. 14
FILL-IN-THE-BLANK MUSIC.................................................................................................. 14
STRIP SONGS..................................................................................................................... 14
SPEAKING............................................................................................................................ 15
NAME SIX........................................................................................................................... 15
TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE.................................................................................................... 15
MESSENGER....................................................................................................................... 15
BUILD A STORY/ BUILD A SENTENCE..................................................................................15
GROUP PROBLEM SOLVING................................................................................................15
WHAT WOULD YOU DO?..................................................................................................... 15
AGREE/DISAGREE............................................................................................................... 16
FICTIONAL CHARACTER INTERVIEW...................................................................................16
CANDY SPEAK.................................................................................................................... 16
BROKEN TELEPHONE......................................................................................................... 16
WRITING.............................................................................................................................. 17
POSTCARDS & LETTERS..................................................................................................... 17
PICTURE STORIES.............................................................................................................. 17
FOLD OVER STORIES.......................................................................................................... 17
CREATE SENTENCES.......................................................................................................... 17
TEXT CORRECTIONS........................................................................................................... 17
LIST WRITING FOR FUN...................................................................................................... 18

WRITING DIRECTIONS........................................................................................................ 18
STORIES WITH VOCABULARY............................................................................................. 18
FILL IN STORIES................................................................................................................. 18
YOULL NEVER GUESS........................................................................................................ 18
WRITE YOUR OWN ENDING................................................................................................ 19
MAD-LIBS........................................................................................................................... 19
RANDOM WORD TRAIN....................................................................................................... 19
STRUCTURED WORD TRAIN............................................................................................... 19
ACROSTICS........................................................................................................................ 19
TOPICS TO WRITE ON/ABOUT.............................................................................................20
POSTCARDS AND GREETING CARDS..................................................................................20
POSTERS AND BROCHURES............................................................................................... 20
READING.............................................................................................................................. 21
WORD CATCH..................................................................................................................... 21
CATEGORIZATION............................................................................................................... 21
RUNNING DICTATION.......................................................................................................... 21
STOP!................................................................................................................................. 22
CONDENSATION................................................................................................................. 22
GUESS THE MEANING........................................................................................................ 22
SLICED UP TEXT PREDICTIONS...........................................................................................23
PREDICTING THE TEXT....................................................................................................... 23
WARM-UPS.......................................................................................................................... 24
WORD ASSOICATION.......................................................................................................... 24
SIMPLE CONVERSTAION..................................................................................................... 24
ICE BREAKER...................................................................................................................... 24
WHO AM I?......................................................................................................................... 24
INNER/OUTER CIRCLES: CRITICAL THINKING......................................................................24
AROUND THE ROOM VOCABULARY....................................................................................25
WHATS IN THE PICTURE?................................................................................................... 25
ACT IT OUT......................................................................................................................... 25
WARMING UP WITH MUSIC................................................................................................. 25
INTRODUCTION................................................................................................................... 27
GUESS THE NAME.............................................................................................................. 27
TELL ME ABOUT MYSELF.................................................................................................... 27
GET TO KNOW YOUR CLASSMATES....................................................................................27

ENGLISH NAME AND INTRODUCTION.................................................................................28
CLASSROOM WORDS......................................................................................................... 28
SNOWBALL NAMES............................................................................................................ 29
MISCELLANEOUS................................................................................................................ 30
TOPS.................................................................................................................................. 30
MYSTERY OBJECT: 20 QUESTIONS......................................................................................30
FAMOUS Auction................................................................................................................ 30
DICTATION RELAY............................................................................................................... 30
AUCTION............................................................................................................................ 31
EXPERT STUDENTS............................................................................................................. 32
IMPORTANCE SCALE........................................................................................................... 33
DIALOGUE JOURNAL........................................................................................................... 33
QUESTION FORMULATION GAME........................................................................................33
Creative Writing Using Pictures..........................................................................................34
IMPORTANT WORD............................................................................................................. 34
AROUND THE WORLD........................................................................................................ 34
SLAP.................................................................................................................................. 34
KIMS GAME....................................................................................................................... 35
SNOWBALL SENTENCES AND STORIES...............................................................................35
WHISPER CHAIN/TELEPHONE.............................................................................................36
BOUNCE BALL.................................................................................................................... 36
GOOD MORNING BALLS..................................................................................................... 37
INSIDE/OUTSIDE CIRCLES................................................................................................... 37
LOTTO AND BINGO............................................................................................................. 38
PREPOSITIONS.................................................................................................................... 39
Simon Says with prepositions............................................................................................39
PREPOSITION CARDS......................................................................................................... 39
DRAW A ROOM................................................................................................................... 39
FILL IN THE PREPOSITION................................................................................................... 39
PREPOSITIONS IN A BAG.................................................................................................... 39
Listen and Draw................................................................................................................. 40
GESTURES......................................................................................................................... 40
DIALOGUE............................................................................................................................ 42
TELEPHONE SKILLS: ROLE PLAY......................................................................................... 42
DIALOUGUE........................................................................................................................ 44
Greetings: Acquaintances.................................................................................................. 44
Greeting: Good Friends...................................................................................................... 44
Greetings: Family............................................................................................................... 45
Early in the Morning........................................................................................................... 45
Daily Needs........................................................................................................................ 45
Airport Bus......................................................................................................................... 46
Making a Date.................................................................................................................... 46
Catching a Bus................................................................................................................... 46
Ordering Breakfast............................................................................................................. 47
Near Accident.................................................................................................................... 47
Arrival Time....................................................................................................................... 48
After the Game.................................................................................................................. 48
Going for a Walk................................................................................................................ 48
Whats for Dinner?............................................................................................................. 49
Academy Awards............................................................................................................... 49
At the Hotel....................................................................................................................... 49
After the Movie.................................................................................................................. 50
At the Bank........................................................................................................................ 50
Discussing a News Story.................................................................................................... 51
Talking It Over.................................................................................................................... 51
Weekend Plans................................................................................................................... 52
Dinner Invitation................................................................................................................ 52
Car Insurance.................................................................................................................... 53
Parents Night Out.............................................................................................................. 53
Discussing the Economy.................................................................................................... 54
Dental Appointment........................................................................................................... 54
Making Plans...................................................................................................................... 54
Neighboring Problem......................................................................................................... 55
Car Theft............................................................................................................................ 55
Getting Ready.................................................................................................................... 56
Making a Purchase............................................................................................................. 56
Mail Time........................................................................................................................... 56
Bedtime............................................................................................................................. 57
Getting Something Fixed.................................................................................................... 57
Family Plans....................................................................................................................... 58
Planning a Business Trip.................................................................................................... 58
A Short Discussion............................................................................................................. 58
Family Squabble................................................................................................................. 59
COUNTING........................................................................................................................... 60
BEANS IN A BOTTLE........................................................................................................... 60
COUNTING: LARGER/SMALLER........................................................................................... 60
COUNTING TREAT.............................................................................................................. 61
REVIEWING MAERTIAL....................................................................................................... 62
CHEATING VOCABULARY TEST........................................................................................... 62
VARIATION OF TIC-TAC-TOE................................................................................................62
CARD EXCHANGE............................................................................................................... 62
LINE-UP.............................................................................................................................. 63
MIX-UP QUESTIONS............................................................................................................ 63
JEOPARDY........................................................................................................................... 63
VERB REVIEW..................................................................................................................... 64
Find Someone Who......................................................................................................... 64
GUESS THE OBJECT............................................................................................................ 65
ROUND TABLE.................................................................................................................... 65
GRAMMAR CHECKERS........................................................................................................ 65
MY SENTENCES=YOUR PARAGRAPH...................................................................................66
MARTIAN............................................................................................................................ 66
WHO AM I?......................................................................................................................... 67
KEEP TALKING.................................................................................................................... 67
NAME SIX........................................................................................................................... 68
HARD WORDS.................................................................................................................... 68
QUESTIONS........................................................................................................................ 68
SURVEYS............................................................................................................................ 69
QUIZ GAME........................................................................................................................ 69
HOT POTATO...................................................................................................................... 70
CORRECTING HOMEWORK.................................................................................................71
SAVED BY THE BELL........................................................................................................... 71
TIC-TAC-TOE....................................................................................................................... 71
SPELLING............................................................................................................................. 73
ALPHABET SLIPS................................................................................................................ 73
ALPHABET SLIP SPELLING.................................................................................................. 73

HANGMAN.......................................................................................................................... 73
SYLLABLES......................................................................................................................... 73
LONG WORDS SHORT WORDS...........................................................................................74
INTERSECTIONS................................................................................................................. 74
SPELL ALOUD..................................................................................................................... 75
DOMINOES......................................................................................................................... 75
GUESS THE WORD............................................................................................................. 78
AIR-WRITE.......................................................................................................................... 78
BACK WRITE....................................................................................................................... 79
ALPHABET........................................................................................................................... 80
Alphabet Drawings............................................................................................................. 80
ALPHABET BOXES.............................................................................................................. 80
ALPHABET SONG................................................................................................................ 80
ALPHABET DANCE.............................................................................................................. 81
ALPHABET LINE-UP............................................................................................................. 81
ALPHABET SENTENCES...................................................................................................... 81
ALPHABET SOUP................................................................................................................ 81
ALPHABET WAVE................................................................................................................ 81
ALPHABET WHISPERS......................................................................................................... 81
BALLOON ALPHABET.......................................................................................................... 82
BOARD SCRAMBLE............................................................................................................. 82
CHALKBOARD FUN............................................................................................................. 82
CONCENTRATION............................................................................................................... 82
DOMINOES......................................................................................................................... 83
FIND IT............................................................................................................................... 83
FIRST LETTER..................................................................................................................... 83
HOT POTATO FOR THE ALPHABET......................................................................................83
I SPY................................................................................................................................... 83
LETTER SCULPTURES......................................................................................................... 83
LETTER SHAPES RACE........................................................................................................ 84
MAGIC FINGER................................................................................................................... 84
MAKE AN ALPHABET BOOK.................................................................................................84
MUSICAL CHAIR ALPHABET................................................................................................84
PASS.................................................................................................................................. 85
SAND PAPER ETCHINGS...................................................................................................... 85

SCRAPBOOK....................................................................................................................... 85
SLOW MOTION................................................................................................................... 85
UP AND DOWN................................................................................................................... 85
VANISHING ALPHABET FLASHCARDS..................................................................................86
YELL IT............................................................................................................................... 86
VERBS.................................................................................................................................. 87
DESK INVENTORY............................................................................................................... 87
SPOON FAMILIES................................................................................................................ 87
PAST IRREGULAR BINGO.................................................................................................... 87
TENSES.............................................................................................................................. 88
Hot Potato with verbs........................................................................................................ 88
ACTING ADVERBS............................................................................................................... 88
VERB CHARADES................................................................................................................ 88
VOCABULARY...................................................................................................................... 90
LISTEN & DRAW/ LISTEN & DO........................................................................................... 90
VOCABULARY SCRAMBLE................................................................................................... 90
FAMILY PICTURE................................................................................................................. 90
VOCABULARY VOLLEYBALL................................................................................................90
PICTIONARY........................................................................................................................ 91
THE OBSERVANT STUDENT................................................................................................91
VOCABULARY TABLES........................................................................................................ 91
HALF-WORDS..................................................................................................................... 92
PICTURE STUDIES.............................................................................................................. 92
VOCABULARY CATEGORIES................................................................................................93
GUESSING GAME................................................................................................................ 93
FRIDAY BRAINSTORMING.................................................................................................... 94
SONG WORD GRAB............................................................................................................ 94
TRANSLATION CONCENTRATION........................................................................................94
Unscramble Vocabulary..................................................................................................... 95
Fun Sentences for New Vocabulary....................................................................................95
Slap!.................................................................................................................................. 95
Concentration.................................................................................................................... 95
VOCABULARY PICTURES..................................................................................................... 95
AROUND THE CLASS.......................................................................................................... 96
DRAW THE TEACHER.......................................................................................................... 96

SIMON SAYS....................................................................................................................... 96
CARD SWAP....................................................................................................................... 97
SLANG.................................................................................................................................. 98
Word Conjunctions............................................................................................................. 98
Vocabulary......................................................................................................................... 98
Phrases.............................................................................................................................. 99
SLANG ACTIVITIES.............................................................................................................. 99
ACTIVITY 1:..................................................................................................................... 99
ACTIVITY 2:................................................................................................................... 100
ACTIVITY 3:................................................................................................................... 100
ACTIVITY 4:................................................................................................................... 101
ACTIVITY 5:................................................................................................................... 102
LISTENING
USING COLORS
LEVEL: BEGINNER
Choose a picture or compose a picture that fits into your lesson plan to use for this
activity. Distribute this picture to your students. You will name the name of an object
in the picture and tell the students to color that object a particular color. You will
check to see if the students have colored in their picture correctly. If time permits
then you may allow the students to finish coloring the picture in at their discretion.
If supplies are limited and every student does not have their own set of colors, ask
the students to say which color they would use.
WORDS IN A BOTTLE
LEVEL: BEGINNER
Take two empty bottles. First, put the words you want to revise in a bottle by
saying the words and closing the lid. After three words (for example, repair, visible,
ruin) ask the students if they can remember the words in the bottle.
In the second bottle, put the meanings, in random order (for example, seen, mend,
destroy). Check if the students can remember these.
Now pretend to pour the contents of one bottle into the other, close it, shake it, and
say that when you open it, the words will come out in their correct synonym pairs.
In fact, the students should say the pairs when you take the lid off!
GROUP STORIES
LEVEL: BEGINNER
In a group story, the teacher reads the narrative (a well-known Fairy Tale), and the
children participate as a group (or individually, as they become more confident)
responding to incidents in the story. For example, in Goldilocks and the Three
Bears, the narrator (teacher) introduces Papa Bear, and the children speak in a
deep voice like Papa Bear and say, Hello! Then they introduce Mama Bear in a
high, feminine voice and Baby Bear in a childs voice. When Goldilocks slams the
door, the children smack their hands on desks or the floor to make the sound of a
door slamming.
Children love to hear the same story over and over, doing it exactly the same way,
so they will ask for story time and enjoy it. This also makes an excellent
demonstration lesson for the director or parents who want to see how much English
the children are learning. If you post the story on a poster or two in the front of the
room, the children will be reading the story as you go along.
WHICH PICTURE AM I DESCRIBING?

LEVEL: BEGINNER/ INTERMEDIATE
The teacher has five different pictures, which are very similar, displayed on the
board. The teacher describes one and the pupils try to guess which one is being
described. They can ask questions to get information about the pictures that will
help them choose co
DRAW THIS PICTURE
LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE
A volunteer looks at a picture the teacher has drawn that no one else has seen. The
student describes the picture to the rest of the class and the students have to draw
it. Compare and contrast their drawings with the original drawing.
DRAWING DICTATION
LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED
Please read the following (or similar) story to your students. They must follow your
directions and draw what you say.
It is winter. The sky is blue. The sun is shining brightly. There is a large tree. It has
many branches, but no leaves. There is snow on the ground. There is a little girl.
She is wearing a brown coat and a red hat. She is also wearing black boots. There is
a little boy too. He is wearing a green shirt, blue shorts and a yellow hat. He is
wearing orange shoes. The girl is warm but the boy is very cold
Repeat the story several times depending on the students ability. To extend the
exercise, ask questions about the story, or have students come to the front of the
room and tell about their picture they drew.
MUSICAL ADJECTIVES
Have students compose a list of adjectives before this activity starts. It might be
helpful to put a word bank on the board for the students to refer to during this
activity. The song may be lyrical or instrumental in nature. They should describe the
song after listening to it with one word or one descriptive sentence. The point of this
activity is the fact that music is full of emotion whether it is lyrical or instrumental. It
is a great way to use the descriptive words in the English language.
MIND-MAPPING MUSIC
Choose a song for the students to listen to. This activity should not focus on spelling
and grammar, but instead focus on their creativity. While listening to the song have
students come up with three to four different titles for the song. They should write
whatever comes to mind without stopping or lifting their pen/pencil from the paper.
Once the song is completed you should openly discuss the titles of the songs with
the entire classroom.
Another option is to allow the students to write whatever they feel while listening to
the song and speak about it afterwards. Another option is to write questions that
joggle the students minds to think about the lyrics of the song while listening to it.
IMAGINE & DRAW
Choose a song for the students to listen to which is strictly instrumental in nature.
The activity is designed to give students freedom in what they imagine. It is best to
use a song without lyrics because it requires the student to use their imaginations.
Students should listen to the song and afterwards they should use their English to
speak about or write about the things theyve imagined or drawn on paper. You may
let the students just listen to the song and think about the song or you may let the
students draw while they listen to a song. It is important that afterwards you, as the
instructor, ask students questions about the things they have either written or
drawn on their paper.
WORD CATCH
LEVEL: ALL
Choose a song that fits into your lesson. Pick out 7-14 words from the song and
write them on small strips of paper. Add 5 words that are not in the song. Divide the
students into small groups and given them the vocabulary words. As you play the
song, they are to listen to the words and see if they can figure out which words are
in the song. This activity may work for all levels because it depends on the
toughness of the song and its vocabulary.
DRAWING-WRITING VOCABULARY
LEVEL: ALL
Students take a piece of paper and draw a grid of 9 squares on the piece of paper.
Students will draw a picture of a vocabulary word (for beginner levels) or the name
of a vocabulary word (for intermediate/advanced levels) in each square. The
teachers will either read a list of vocabulary words (for beginner levels), a definition
(for intermediate levels), or synonyms (for advanced levels). When students hear a
match for one of their squares, they mark that square. When they have a row of 3,
they must say Bingo. The allocation of a prize to the winning students is at the
discretion of the instructor. Continue playing the game until a few more students
get bingo.
TRUE-FALSE WORDS
LEVEL: ALL
Choose a song that fits into your lesson. Give students a handout with the lyrics to
the song. However, before you make the handout, change some of the words so
they are written incorrectly. Play the song for the students and see if they can pick
out the false words and replace them with the correct words. This activity may work
for all levels because it depends on the toughness of the song and its vocabulary.
COMPLETE THE DRAWING
LEVEL: ALL
Choose a picture or compose a picture that fits into your lesson to use for this
activity (i.e. a picture of a kitchen). Give a copy to all the students, a picture that
doesnt have any item that will be described. This way the students can draw in the
item as they are being described.
The instructor will describe the objects and their location in the picture to the
students. The students should try to draw the object in the correct location in their
picture. This activity can either be done between the instructor and students (for
beginners to intermediate levels) or the students can work in pairs to describe and
draw the picture (for advance levels).
FILL-IN-THE-BLANK MUSIC
LEVEL: ALL
Students will be given the lyrics with some words or lines left blank and they will try
to fill in the blanks while listening to the song. Write out the lyrics on a poster or the
blackboard and replace the words or lines you want to leave out with numbers. The
students will write their answers next to the number on a sheet of paper. There are
different ways to use this activity: 1) fill in the blanks with a word bank and then
listen to the song (for beginner levels); 2) fill in the blank just by listening to the
song and filling in the lyrics (for intermediate levels); 3) fill in the missing articles,
pronouns, verbs, adjectives (for advanced levels).
STRIP SONGS
LEVEL: ALL
Separate the students into small groups. Give each group a set of lyrics to a song of
your choice (i.e. the choice of song may work for beginner, intermediate, or
advanced levels). They lyrics should be cut into different strips of paper with twothree lines of the song on each strip. Each group should work together to guess the
order of the lyrics. The instructor should play the song and the students try to listen
for the correct order of the lyrics and makes changes to their own arrangement if
needed. Make sure everyone has the lyrics in the correct order and then sing the
song if necessary.
SPEAKING
NAME SIX
LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE
Place students in a circle of five or six. They will have to practice this game. Give a
ball to the first person in the circle. You will call out a topic (name six objects that
are green, name six American holidays, name six American cities, etc.). The person
with the ball passes it to the right and begins to call out the six objects. If the ball
gets back to the speaker before she has named six objects, she is out of the circle
and someone else takes her place. Continue playing until only one person if left.
TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE
Have students get into groups of four or more. One student should be the
interviewee and the rest the interviewers. The student should tell 3 things about
him or herself, 2 true things and one lie. The interviewers have to figure out which
one was the lie.
MESSENGER
Separate the students into groups. One messenger from a group looks at an
arrangement of objectsa drawing, the buildings of a town map, or the furniture on
an apartment floor plan which is hidden from view from the rest of the class. The
messenger then must tell the rest of the class how to draw the different items
without touching or pointing. The teacher will need to have the same objects
available for each group to recreate.
BUILD A STORY/ BUILD A SENTENCE
Give all students a vocabulary word written on a piece of paper. In a chain, each
student makes up a sentence using the word to create a story.
GROUP PROBLEM SOLVING
LEVEL: ADVANCED
In groups, students will be put in hypothetical situations where they must prioritize
items on a list. For example, if you are stranded in a snow storm, is it better to have
a blanket, a flashlight or water?
WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

LEVEL: ADVANCED
Students are given an open-ended question and must give a detailed answer in
English. For example, what would you do if you were the president? or what
would you do with a million dollars?
AGREE/DISAGREE
LEVEL: ADVANCED
Post signs around the room saying agree, disagree and dont know. Read
argumentative statements about the topic you are studying and ask students to
stand by the sign that stands for their opinion. Ask them to explain why they feel
that way.
FICTIONAL CHARACTER INTERVIEW
LEVEL: ADVANCED
Have students develop an imaginary character, or a character from the reading and
provide information for the basic questions about background likes and dislikes
memories, etc. Each student should present their character to the rest of the class.
The class then interviews the character. Students should improvise if asked a
question for which they are not prepared.
CANDY SPEAK
LEVEL: ALL
Pass around a bowl of colored candies and ask the students to pick one but dont
eat it. On the board, the teacher will write that those students with red candy will
tell something about their families, those with green will talk about their favorite
food, etc. Once they have said something, they can eat their candy.
BROKEN TELEPHONE
LEVEL: ALL
One student at the front of the line whispers a sentence of word in his or her
neighbors ear without repeating it. This neighbor must pass what he or she heard
to the next student. The goal is for the last student to receive and say the exact
same sentence or word that the first student said.
WRITING
POSTCARDS & LETTERS
Choose a topic of your choice that coincides with your lesson. Whatever you are
teaching and the students are studying can become the contents of a formal or
informal post-card or letter to someone. You might create a hypothetical situation
and ask your students to respond to this hypothetical situation by giving advice or
re-telling the situation in a letter.
PICTURE STORIES
Give your students a picture or photograph that they should describe. These
pictures may come from any source. They may be created or taken from a source
like the internet, a newspaper, a magazine, a book, et cetera. The emphasis of this
activity is on sensory acuteness and observation not grammatical correctness. You
may or may not give the students a word bank to help in their descriptions.
FOLD OVER STORIES
Write question words/phrases on the blackboard or poster. The appropriate number
of question words/phrases depends on the level of your students. They should make
logical sense. One example: Who? With whom? Does what? How? Where? When?
Why? Each student should be given a blank piece of paper and have each student
answer the first question, then fold that part of the paper over so whats been
written isnt visible to the next person. Pass the paper to the left and answer the
new question on the paper, and then fold the second answer over as well. Continue
until all the questions are answered and the page is full. Then unfold the papers and
read the crazy sentences that have been created.
CREATE SENTENCES
Give your students all the elements of sentencesparts of speech, verb cases,
tenses, prepositions and have them make their own sentences in a group. Have the
groups present to the class and check for comprehension.
TEXT CORRECTIONS
LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE TO ADVANCE
Invent a text with many grammar errors. Students must find and correct the errors.
The teacher should tell them how many errors to look for.
LIST WRITING FOR FUN
If you are studying food, have the students brainstorm a grocery list. If you are
studying travel, have students brainstorm what to pack for your vacation. Write the
list on the board for the students to follow along.
WRITING DIRECTIONS
Separate students into groups and write directions for someone who needs to find
the cafeteria, the principals office, a classroom. Go over it as a class. For more
practice, the teacher should prepare a map of a town and have a stick figure post it
note cut out that can easily be moved. Have students give the stick figure directions
to different parts of the town and have a volunteer student listen and move the
stick figure.
STORIES WITH VOCABULARY
Have students write stories using all the vocabulary introduced in class that day. If
working with intermediate students, the teacher should give more specific
parameters for the students; for example, assign the students to write five
sentences instead of a story using the five vocabulary words introduced that day.
Give the students a list of adverbs, adjectives and parts of speech so that they are
able to write the sentences. This activity can be taught to intermediate to advance
depending on what level is required.
FILL IN STORIES
LEVEL: ADVANCED
Give students unrelated first and last lines of a story or topic. Groups have to fill in
the rest, connecting what you have given them. Share them with the class and see
how different they are. Creativity is a must in this activity.
YOULL NEVER GUESS
LEVEL: ADVANCED
Give students several minutes to write a brief description of an object found in the
classroom for the other students to guess. The objects may be confined to a specific
subject category. There should be four sentences, beginning with the less obvious
details and moving towards those that make it easier for other to guess. Students
may call out their answers as quickly as they think they know what the object is.
The first student to guess correctly receives a score of one to four points. A student
receives four points of he he/she guesses correctly after hearing the descriptive
sentence, three points after hearing the second sentence, two after the third and
one after the fourth. At the end of the game, the student with the most points is the
winner.
WRITE YOUR OWN ENDING
LEVEL: ALL
You can use any story you can find or imagine. Tailor your story to the level of your
students. Read the story together, but stop before you read the ending. It might
help if you completely omit the ending of the story. Have the students write their
own ending to the story. They should imagine they are the author of the story or
sentence. Students can read their own version of the ending to the class. Once
students have read their endings, then read the actual ending and discuss how the
students endings are different form the actual ending of the story. You might want
to use a story that coincides with new vocabulary words the students are learning.
MAD-LIBS
LEVEL: ALL
Students will be asked to write about a specific topic. Try to use a topic that the
students are interested in because they will be more willing to try harder to write
creatively. You may or may not include a word bank; this depends on the students
level. Ask the student to leave some words out of their text so the class can fill them
in with their own words. You might also want to compose your own dialogue and ask
the students to fill in the words you omit from the text. (i.e. This weekend I went to
(place) with my friends, (person) and (person). It was (adjective) and (adjective),
but mostly it was (adjective). When we were there, we saw (thing) and (thing). We
also (past tense verb) and (past tense verb) while we were at (place). It was
(adjective) to be go there).
RANDOM WORD TRAIN
LEVEL: ALL
One student will write a word on the blackboard. The next student must write
another word on the board that starts with the last letter of the previous word.
Continue this until the board is filled with words. This is a good spelling exercise.
STRUCTURED WORD TRAIN
LEVEL: ALL
One student will write a word on the blackboard. The next student must write
another word on the board, which helps make the sentence logical and grammatical
if possible. Continue his until a complete sentence is made and then start another
sentence.
ACROSTICS
LEVEL: ALL
The instructor should think of a word that the students either know or do not know.
This word should be defined and explained. The students should try to write words,
phrases, or sentences that correspond to each letter of the vocabulary word given.
You might write the theme for the unit on the board and use it as the vocabulary
word. For example, if the topic is Ukraine, then have the students think of words
that describe Ukraine: unusual, kind-hearted people, rainy days, icy roads, not
young, echoes of the past.
TOPICS TO WRITE ON/ABOUT
LEVEL: ALL
This a list of things you might have your students write on/about: brochures,
advertisements, anecdotes, announcements, anonymous letters, billboards, bumper
stickers, business cards, calendars, CD covers, chalkboard graffiti, commercials,
contracts, diaries, dictionaries, dreams, editorials, fables, fairy tales, greeting cards,
haiku, headlines, instructions, interviews, jingles, invitations, jokes, journal entries,
labels, limericks, lists, memoirs, memos, menus, monologues, movie reviews,
myths, news articles, notes, obituaries, parables, plays, posters, proverbs, puzzles,
quotations, raps, recipes, riddles, road signs, rules, shopping lists, skits, songs,
speeches, telephone books, tongue twisters, TV guides, want ads, et cetera.
POSTCARDS AND GREETING CARDS
LEVEL: ALL
Have your students make their own greeting cards or postcards. Younger learner
can draw greeting cards for American holidays after being taught about them. High
levels should use vocabulary words and write messages on the postcards/greeting
cards.
POSTERS AND BROCHURES
LEVEL: ALL
This activity will change depending on your students level. Younger students can
draw what they know about American holidays/sports/cities/etc. Older students
should design posters and brochures with text on them. These can be displayed and
talked about in front of the class.
READING
WORD CATCH
LEVEL: BEGINNER/INTERMEDIATE
Before reading a text with the class, introduce new vocabulary words. Have each
vocab. word written on a slip of paper. Tell students to raise their hand if they hear a
new vocab. word as you are reading the text. The first student to raise his hand gets
the slip of paper, and you continue reading the text. (Make sure you have multiple
slips of paper for any words that are said multiple times.)
When finished with the text, have students who got a word to make a sentence
using the word.
CATEGORIZATION
LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE
In small groups, students are given a list of nouns and verbs used in the text.
Discuss their meaning and write them in the appropriate categorythe teacher
should supply the categories.
RUNNING DICTATION
LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE
Read a text with the class, calling on students to chain read individually. Ask the
class if there are any words that they do not understand.
Write four sentences of your own, based on the text that the students read, on
individual pieces of paper. Hang the papers around the room. (If you have more
than 12 students, write each sentence twice on separate sheets of paperso now
you have 8 papers but 4 sentencesand use different colored paper or different
color markersso 4 papers are written on with black marker and 4 are written on
with blue marker.)
Split the class into two teams. Have one team look at the sentences written in black
marker, and the other team look at the sentences in blue marker. (The sentences
are the same, but this way there isnt a lot of kids crowding around the same piece
of paper and the game will run much more smoothly.)
Assign pairs in each team. (The teams dont mean anything; it is only for crowd
control purposes.)
Choose one student to demonstrate with you.
This is how it works: One student is the secretary and the other student is the
runner. The runner goes up to the hanging slips of paper, reads the sentence, then
comes back and dictates what he read to the secretary. Because this is a low level
group, be lenient with spelling. No shouting across the room is allowed. Once one
sentence is finished, the pair moves on to the next sentence. Once the secretary
has written two sentences, have the secretary and the runner switch places for the
next two sentences.
The pair that finishes first, with accurate sentences, wins. For further crowd-control
purposes, have the pairs begin at different number sentences. Give each sentence a
number, then pair #1 starts with sentence 1, and pair #2 starts with sentence 2,
etc. Students go to the next number sentence when they have finished theirsso
group 4 would start at sentence 4, then move on to sentence 1).
At the end of the activity, have the pairs switch papers to correct them. Keep the
sentences short and simple, otherwise the activity takes too long and the students
get frustrated.
If you are using this activity for a much younger group, you can replace the
sentences with vocabulary words or phrases that were in the text.
STOP!
Level: INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED
Pre-reading: This could work with any topic, but this example is related to past
simple form. Have your students brainstorm about whatever the text is about. If its
about sports, ask the students to name all the sports they know in English. If its
about school, have them name all the subjects/words related to school.
Ask pairs of students to look through the text for all the verbs in past simple form.
Did they find all of them? Go over it with the class. What is the present simple form
of these words?
While-reading: Before class, re-write the text with a variety of mistakes. For
example, Jessica written the book last week Tell the students that there are many
mistakes in your text, and they must read along and find the mistakes. When they
hear one as they follow along in their books, they need to say STOP! and say what
the correct word is. When the sentence is finished, have a student re-read the
correct sentence. Be sure to practice saying STOP! with your students and
understand that it will get very loud by the end of the first read through because
kids like saying STOP! Once you have finished, reread the whole correct text.
Post-reading: Now tell the students they will write their own story like the one they
just read. Give them certain questions that they must answer, but tell them that
they make their own choices. For example: What kind of animal? What did he/she
play? Where did he/she play? Tell the students that the sentences need to be in past
simple tense.
This activity works well with lower level English classes because the stories have
constrains (they must answer certain questions), but the students have the freedom
to answer the questions how they wish.
CONDENSATION
Have students read a paragraph or text and express the main idea in one sentence
in their own words.
GUESS THE MEANING
Give students sentences with boldfaced or underlined vocabulary. Have them read
the sentence and try to guess the meaning of the word based on the context. You
may give intermediate level learners multiple choices to choose from.
SLICED UP TEXT PREDICTIONS
Cut the text into different pieces. Give the students the first piece. Once they have
read it, they must predict what will happen in the next part. The give them the next
part and compare their predictions.
PREDICTING THE TEXT
LEVEL: ALL
This is a pre-reading activity, in which the teacher will give students a little
information about the text and then ask students to brainstorm what the text will be
about. The teacher can give the title or a collection of words from the text.
Students responsibility is to decide what the text will be about.
Teacher will read the title of a text or paragraph aloud to the class. Students should
brainstorm what the text will be about. This is pre-reading activity that can be used
at any level. With a collection of words from the text, have students guess what the
text will be about.
WARM-UPS
WORD ASSOICATION
LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE
Tell the class to take out a piece of paper and to write down the first English word
that pops into their head when they hear the following words read aloud (give time
between each word):
School, Yellow, Grammar, Ukraine, Sports, Family, Black, Red, Friends, France,
Money, Love
SIMPLE CONVERSTAION
Have your students discuss what they did last weekend in front of the class.
Everyone should be listening and engaging in the conversation.
ICE BREAKER
Have students get up and move around and find someone who:
1
Has eaten borsch in the last week
has a birthday in the next month
has been learning English for the past year
Etc..
This exercise should be done in ENGLISH only!!

WHO AM I?
LEVEL: ADVANCED
Put names (or vocabulary words) onto pieces of paper and tape them with scotch
tape to the back of your students without them seeing who they are. The students
must walk about the room and ask questions about who or what they are. For
example, a question could be, Am I famous or Am I a food? or Am I a
politician?
INNER/OUTER CIRCLES: CRITICAL THINKING

LEVEL: ADVANCED
Have the class get into two circles, one inside the other, facing one another. Ask a
question to which each student must answer to their partner at the same time.
Then tell the outside circle to rotate one person so everyone has a new partner. Ask
a different question, and so on. Afterward, you can ask the students what was the
most interesting answer they heard. Some example questions include:
What is your idea of a happy life?
What is your dream?
If you could be any animal, what would it be?
Describe your perfect day.
What makes you happy? Sad?
What is your lifes goal?
What are you afraid of?
AROUND THE ROOM VOCABULARY
LEVEL: ALL
Write vocabulary words on post-it notes and place the words around walls of the
room. Have the students stand and walk around the room to become familiar with
the words. Then explain one of the words by giving the definition. The students
must look for the described word. Once one student finds it, s/he takes it off the wall
and describes it to the class, and so on until all the words are picked off the wall.
The students must then make sentences with the words that they picked off the
wall.
WHATS IN THE PICTURE?
LEVEL: ALL
Collect pictures from magazine and newspapers. Ask the students what the picture
reminds them of, or to tell a story about the picture. If it is a lower level group
simply ask them what they see in the picture. You can also collect many pictures
and have each student come and choose one picture. The student must then tell
why s/he chose that particular picture.
ACT IT OUT
LEVEL: ALL
Write any vocabulary words you like on index cards. Ask pupils to volunteer to come
up to the front of the class and act the words out without using any sounds. They
also cannot point to things. The class has to guess the correct word. The student
that guesses it right first gets to do the next word.
WARMING UP WITH MUSIC
LEVEL: ALL
Listen to a song and have the group write words about how the music makes them
feel. Or they can draw a picture to show what the music is making them feel.
afterward ask the group to share what they have done.
INTRODUCTION
GUESS THE NAME
Tell the pupils you will spell the name of another student in the class out loud. If a
pupil thinks he knows the name, he should raise his hand and tell you. If he is
correct, praise him. If not, continue spelling the name until someone guesses it
correctly. Pupils who get it can be the next speller of names so they get practice
spelling out loud in English.
TELL ME ABOUT MYSELF
LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE
It is an original way to introduce yourself (as a teacher) to a class for the first time,
but can be used later on too.
Prepare in advance, on an overhead or white board, a mind map of yourself. Instead
of using sentences to describe your life, use symbols, illustrations, numbers dates
or words. For example, name of siblings, date of birth, name of hometown, children
(names and birth dates), shoe size, height, illustrations of your hobbies etc. For
example, if you enjoy drawing you could draw a pencil and paper if you enjoy
reading you could draw a book.
Questions the kids may ask:
1.
Do you eat a lot of Fish?
2.
Do you enjoy fishing?
3.
Is your star sign Pisces?
To follow up, get your students to take a few minutes to prepare something similar
individually, and they will work in pairs guessing what information means about
their partner.
GET TO KNOW YOUR CLASSMATES
LEVEL: ALL
Teacher gives every student a piece of paper on which they write a sentence about
their personal life. This sentence can be about school, family, music, friends, the
last vacation, etc. For example, I went to the beach last vacation or I always
study for my exams or I have two brothers, etc. When they finish writing their
sentences they fold the paper and give it to the teacher.
It is very important to tell students before writing the sentence that the information
they are going to write is a secret and not to show it to their classmates. If they
have a question about something, they should ask it to you instead of a classmate.
Tell students to write their names on the papers.
After collecting all the papers, ask the students to write the numbers from one to 10
(or 20, depending on the number of students you have in the classroom) in their
notebooks. After that, the teacher reads the sentences in random order (without
saying the name of the student), and the students write the names of the people
they think wrote sentences.
After reading all the sentences, say the question number and read the sentence
again for each piece of paper and ask the students to name who they thought wrote
it. Then tell the students the name from the student who wrote that sentence.
Students should write C for correct guesses and I for incorrect guesses.
ENGLISH NAME AND INTRODUCTION
LEVEL: ALL
When pupils enter the classroom, greet each in English. Wear a badge or special hat
that says, Speak to me in English. Use the students English names. Give each
pupil a name in English, and help them practice saying, My name is . using the
English name. Teach them to say your English name (American and English teachers
are called Miss or Mrs. if married, or Mr. (if male) and the last name.
Practice the routine you will use to begin class in English. Good morning/afternoon
class. Teach the class to respond, Good morning, Mrs. For the quicker pupils,
ask them, What is your name? and they should reply using their English names:
My name is Anna.
CLASSROOM WORDS
LEVEL: ALL
Tell students you are going to learn English words that you will use in the classroom.
Use TPR (total physical response) and body language during this drill.
First, say the word and act out what you want. Then do it with them. Then ask them
to do it when you say the word.
Phrases: Stand up. Sit down. Raise your hand. Put your hand down. Each phrase
should be accompanied by the corresponding action. Students will be moving
constantly as you drill these phrases.
Ask the pupils to stand up now.
Show them the signals for listen, watch me, watch and listen, quiet,
everyone together, this row, boys only, girls only.
Go over these in mixed order until all are responding rapidly. Then dont say the
word, just use the gesture.
Review stand up, sit down, raise your hand, put your hand down, again.
Then teach them point to, and drill. Point to the window. Point to the door. Point
to the ceiling. Point to the floor.
Review stand up and sit down.
Teach them touch, and say, Touch the desk. Touch the chair. Touch a friend. Etc.
Add new classroom words every week.
SNOWBALL NAMES
LEVEL: ALL
Once students have mastered saying their own names, teach them their
classmates names. Begin with yourself, saying, What is my name? Students
should respond chorally, Your name is Mrs. . Then begin with the students. Make
a circle of four or five of your strongest students. The others watch, but call on them
occasionally to be sure they are attentive. This is a snowball activity. Give
instructions in English using lots of body language so they can figure out what you
want.
Point to the first student in the circle and ask, What is your name? Tell him to
reply, My name is . Do this exchange several times so all the students
understand the questions and the answer. Then ask the class, What is his (or her)
name? The class must reply, His/her name is . Praise them even if only a few
do it right the first time. Do it again. Do it with yourself.
Notice students are practicing the third person pronouns. It is not important that
they know the grammatical termsthey are learning it as one learns a native
language, by hearing and imitating. Add the second child in the circle by asking the
same question, What is your name? The child replies, My name is Anna. Guide
them by saying Her the first time as they students will not be familiar with this
word. Then point to the first child and ask again, What is HIS name? The small
group says, His name is Petro. Then point to the second child. What is her
name? Her name is Anna. Point to or call on a child in the audience and ask,
What is my name? If he cannot answer, point to someone else until you get the
right answer. Then point to Boy #1 and ask, What is his name? Someone in the
class should say, His name is Petro. This may take most of the class, or your class
may get it very quickly. When they can use the correct construction (His name is
or Her name is) you are ready to play the game.
The first pupil says, My name is Petro. The second pupil must say, His name is
Petro. My name is Anna. The third pupil must say, His name is Petro. Her name is
Anna. My name is Dima. And so on. If someone misses, he is out of the circle and
someone else may try. You can vary this by calling on someone in the audience and
inviting him or her to enter the snowball without warning, so he or she must be
attentive to all the names so far in order to participate. Once the small group has
mastered all the names, bring a different group of pupils to the front to do the
same. They can stand in a straight line if there is no room for a circle. They can hold
their name tents in front of them to match the sounds and the letters, though you
are not teaching spelling at this time. Ask if anyone in the class can say everyones
names. Give a candy to anyone who can name ten of the names. Make it fun.
MISCELLANEOUS
TOPS
Split students into pairs and give each pair a top (something can that be spuna
coin would work as well). One partner says as many sentences or words in the
target language as he can before the top stops spinning. His partner counts. The
student who says the most words wins. Let winners compete in spin-offs.
MYSTERY OBJECT: 20 QUESTIONS
LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE
The teacher thinks of an object somehow connected to what the lesson is about.
Students have to guess what it is by asking the teacher 20 yes or no questions. If no
one guesses what the object is in 20 questions, the teacher tells the students. The
student who does guess correctly gets to pick an object and be the teacher
answering the questions.
FAMOUS Auction
Level: INTERMEDIATE
Every student gets a pretend $10. Explain that they will get no more than $10 and
you will not tell them which item you will auction off before its on the table. This
keeps them guessing. Establish a raise your hands policy.
Have students keep track of how much they are spending. This will give them
practice using their English numbers. This will also give them practice using their
vocabulary if you use items for which they have recently learned the words. It is
more fun if you use famous peoples possessions, for example, Harry Potters pen;
Brad Pitts sunglasses, etc. Wrap up by asking everyone what they bought and
collect it, along with any remaining money as each student names their items.
DICTATION RELAY
LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE
The students should be split into groups. All of the groups stand at one end of the
classroom. Each group sends a runner to the other end of the room where you are
standing. You stand there with a piece of paper or you can attach the paper to the
wall or board. On the paper is written one of the sentences below. The students
must memorize it and run back to their groups. They then dictate the sentence to
the group. Another group member writes it down. A new runner and secretary are
chosen for the second sentence. If the runner forgets part of the sentence, he/she
must run back, reread the sentence and return to the group. Another variation is to
combine all of the sentences to create a story. Two examples are given below:
I missed the train.
It was a long journey to Kyiv.
I like to fly.
I have been abroad many times.
There were many passengers on the train.
I like going around town on foot.
OR
I like to travel. Travelling by train is interesting. I meet many people from Ukraine
and abroad. Playing cards and talking to the other passengers makes the journey
enjoyable. I like to fly because it is the fastest way to travel. I have flown to Moscow
and New York. I like to travel by car because I can stop whenever and wherever I
want. I dont like to travel by foot because I get very tired.
AUCTION
Ask students if any of them have ever been to an auction. Ask questions of those
who have been. Introduce necessary words/phrases like to bid, auctioneer, a bid,
hammer, going going gone!
Pair the students off and give each pair an auction sheet. (Make sure to number the
sentences.) Tell them that some of the sentences on the sheet are correct and some
are incorrect. They are to read through and decide what sentences are correct and
what sentences are incorrect, then budget their $5,000 (decide how much they
want to spend on the sentences they think are correctthe quicker students will
budget more money on sentences they are certain are correct and less money on
sentences that they are somewhat sure are correct). Do not help students with this
task; they should take responsibility for what they think they know.
In the auction that is to follow, they are going to have to bid for sentences, the aim
being to buy only correct sentences. Tell them each pair has $5,000 for buying
sentences and ask them to note down in the budget column of their auction sheets
how much they are willing to bid for a given sentence. They may not spend more
than $5,000. The winners in the auction are the pair with the most correct
sentences and the most money left.
Before starting the auction, tell them you will not accept bids of less than $200.
Read out the first sentence in a lively, persuasive way, even if it happens to be
wrong, and then ask for bids. Students should raise their hand if they want to place
a bid to buy the sentence. Call on the first pair to raise their hands, and the
students will say the amount they are willing to bid. Then ask if any other pairs
would like to bid more. Allow the bidding to last until students are no longer willing
to bid more money. At this point say, Going, going, gone and award the sentence
to the pair with the highest bid. The winning pair should write the number of the
sentence they bought and the price they paid for it.
Keep the bidding moving fast, keep up a fast patter (talk quickly) to convey the
excitement of an auction room. When you come to the going, going, gone stage,
be ready to accept last minute bids. When a sentence has been auctioned off, make
sure all students keep a note of the buyer and the amount in their bought column.
After a sale is finalized, tell the students if the sentence was correct or incorrect. If it
was incorrect, tell the correct version of the sentence. Do all this very quickly to
keep the pace of the auction, and wait until all sentences have been sold to explain
the grammatical problems in incorrect sentences.
Start the auction with the first sentence on the list, but say the rest of the sentences
in random orderthis heightens the feeling of expectancy.
A good place to find sentences is from student homework. Take 12-15 incorrect
sentences written by students, and put them in an auction list, but correct about
half of the sentences. After each sentence is bought, tell whether it is correct or
incorrect, but wait until the auction is over and have the students correct mistakes.
Example Auction Sheet
BUDGET BOUGHT
(How much we want to spend) (By for $...)
1) I wanted that you should know what happened. ____________ _____________
2) Was you pleased to see your mother? ____________ _____________
3) Ive always wanted to visit Spain. _______________ _____________
EXPERT STUDENTS
LEVEL: INTEREMEDIATE/ADVANCED
This is another structure that can be adapted to many different topics, subjects, etc.
Have students start class sitting in groups, arrange desks accordingly. Assign one
person within a group a different letter: A, B, C and D. Explain that they are each
going to research/read/study part of the topic. Set up four tables around the room,
each labeled: A, B, C and D. On each table, place different materials needed for
their research. The As will research one part of the topic and Bs another part, etc.
Ask the students to get up from their original group and move to the table with their
letter on it. At this point, all the A students are working together at Table A to
answer their common question. All the B students are working at Table B, etc.
Next, students return to their original groups as an expert on their question/area
of the topic. One at a time, members A, B, C and D report to their group on the
information he or she has collected. While one student is reporting, the other group
members are listening and completing their knowledge of the topic. You can have
them take notes, fill in chars, answer questions on worksheet, etc.
Example topics:
o
A long story of text
Descriptions of a house, having each group research a different room
School subjects, each group researching specific class
Sport teams
IMPORTANCE SCALE
Students will be asked to identify different appliances or household needs and list
them for importance. For example:
Refrigerator, Washing Machine, Shower, Toilet, Tea/Coffee Maker, TV, Radio,
Telephone/Cell phone, Light bulb, Cooker, Computer
The list of items may come from a vocabulary set. Have students rate them in
importance. This will create a discussion about the different items and their
importance.
DIALOGUE JOURNAL
Have students complete the following sentences:
Dear (teachers name),
I wish
I think
Do you?
Promise the students you will respond in writing. This becomes the first page of a
dialogue journal. From time to time repeat this activity, sometimes with a question
to be answer and sometimes with open statements. Always assure the students you
will respond in writing. A sample response is as follows:
Dear Tatiana,
What is the best thing that happened during your holiday? Do you every worry
about anything? The best thing that happened during my holiday was that I had
time to spend with my husband. Sometimes I worry about my family in America.
Please answer.
Mrs. Smith
QUESTION FORMULATION GAME
Write an answer on the board and ask the students to devise as many questions as
possible to which this can be the answer. For example, the teacher could write on
the board, Jessica is not in school today. Possible questions: Who is not here
today? Where is Jessica? Why didnt Jessica take the test? Did Jessica get in trouble?
Etc.
Creative Writing Using Pictures
LEVEL: ADVANCED
Hang up five pictures on the board in any order. Have students create a story that
links all five pictures together in any order they choose. They must name
characters, describe a setting, and use a plot that makes sense. Tell them it has to
be 10 sentences at least.
Encourage them not to worry about spelling and grammar as much as the content
of their stories. While they are writing, play some music that contributes to the
creative environment if its available. When each student or pair is finished, have
them come to the front of the room, arrange the pictures in the order to their story
and share what they wrote.
IMPORTANT WORD
LEVEL: ADVANCED
Tell your students, Today we will do an activity which will help you speak English
well. Pretend that a dictator came to Ukraine. This dictator said, Each person in
Ukraine can only have five words to use. Think of what your five most important
words.
First students will write their five most important words in their copybooks. Then ask
the students to write the word in a sentence. Class is divided onto teams. Students
should discuss their words and reasons why they chose that word. Call on someone
to read one of the sentences. If it is correct, that students team gets a point.
Students interview one another after the activity and ask one another their five
most important words. Students write correct sentences using these words.
AROUND THE WORLD
LEVEL: ALL
Have two students that are sitting next to each other stand up. You say a verb in the
infinitive, and the students must try to conjugate it in, for example, the past
indefinite. Whoever correctly conjugates the verb first moves on to the next
student. If a student incorrectly conjugates, then he or she sits in the seat of the last
student that they stood next to. See how long students can go moving from one
student to the next.
You can also do this activity with vocabulary; either by showing a picture of a
vocabulary word and the first student to correctly say the word moves on. Or you
can say the Ukrainian translation and the first student to say the word in English
moves on.
SLAP
LEVEL: ALL
Make card decks for the letters of the alphabet, for classroom words and objects, for
each vocabulary unit such as colors, animals, clothing, and food.
Place all the picture cards face up in front of the players. As you turn over each
word card and call out the word, the first person to slap the matching picture gets to
keep it. If the person slaps the wrong picture, he is out and another person joins the
group (or you can make the person forfeit a card). Whoever has the most cards at
the end is the winner.
You can do this in reverse, and when you turn over a picture, they have to slap the
word.
If you have a group of students who quickly sight-read the words, put them together
and for that group just turns over the card with the word and they must read it and
then slap.
A student who is good at the game can be leader while you observe the level of
mastery of students playing the game.
You can change the rules so that a person must not only slap the card, but use the
noun in a sentence (or use the noun in a sentence with the verb in the present
continuous).
More challenging: turn all the picture cards over so only the backs are showing.
Then the person must slap the card he thinks or remembers is the correct match. If
incorrect, the card is turned back over and the next person takes a turn. The goal is
to remember where the cards are.
KIMS GAME
LEVEL: ALL
Lay out either word cards or picture cards, but not all of the deck. (As a review
activity, mix the decks and lay out words from several decks to be reviewed.) Give
students thirty seconds to look at the cards, and then cover them with a scarf. Ask
the first student to tell which cards are under the scarf. If students can write the
words, ask them to make a snowball list: you can ask one student to write one word
on a sheet of paper, and then ask other students to add to the list. Uncover the
cards again briefly so they can complete the list. (You can then play Slap with the
pictures that are already lying there.)
Alternate: Once the students have named all the cards, cover the cards and ask the
students to close their eyes. Reach in and remove once card. Try to move the other
cards around so it is not obvious where the missing card was. Students open their
eyes, you remove the scarf and they must try to guess which picture you removed.
Return that card and then do the same again. Removing one, two or even three
cards, depending on the level of the class.
SNOWBALL SENTENCES AND STORIES
LEVEL: ALL
Lay out several pictures form the unit and ask each group to make a crammed
sentence or, if there are enough words, a crammed paragraph using all the words. A
variant is to post several pictures and tell the students to create a story that ties all
the pictures together. (Be prepared to demonstrate this the first time as it will be
difficult for the students). Then tell them that the story must also contain the
vocabulary words.
A snowball paragraph or story begins with the first student in a group. (Doing this
with the whole class is hardgroups of four or five students is better.) The first
student makes up a sentence to begin a story and uses one of the words displayed.
He then removes that word from the table. The next student adds to the snowball
with another sentence in the story, using other words from the table. If the sentence
is acceptable, he removes that card from the table. This continues until all the
words have been used and then the group makes up the sentence (or sentences) to
end the story. Ask groups to share stories with the class.
Follow up activities: Ask another group or the same one to illustrate the story, and
then ask other students to tell what event in the story is being illustrated. Ask
students to act out the story. If a story is particularly good, turn it into a class story,
which you read while the students mime or call out appropriate parts of the story.
WHISPER CHAIN/TELEPHONE
LEVEL: ALL
Divide the class into two teams. Line up the players. If there are an odd number of
players, one can be the teachers helper. The teacher or his helper whispers a
message to the first person of both group A and group B. The game only starts
when both players know the message. Then each player whispers the message to
the next player in his group successively until the last player gets the message. The
team which can repeat the message first and correctly receives a point. Start the
game over with the second student of each group becoming the first ones in line.
BOUNCE BALL
LEVEL: ALL
Good warm-up activity for the beginning of a class. Students make a circle or a line
and the teacher bounces the ball to the first student and he says (the English
version of) his name. He must bounce it back to the teacher, saying her name, or to
someone else in the circle saying their name. If he bounces the ball and doesnt say
the name, he has to sit down.
After learning new vocabulary, play bounce ball using the words. A student make a
circle or line, and the teacher calls out a vocabulary word and bounces the ball to a
student, who then must say another recently learned vocab. word. That student
bounces to another, who must immediately say a third vocab. word, and so on. If
someone repeats a word or doesnt say a word, that person must sit down.
You can play bounce ball with COLORS, and LETTERS of the alphabet, and even
NUMBERS:
You call out a color, bounce the ball, and the receiver must say something that is
that color. You can continue with the same color for two more bounces, or have that
person call out a color and bounce it to another student, who must name something
that color, and so on.
With the alphabet, you call out a letter and bounce the ball. The person receiving
the ball must say a word that begins with that letter. Or you can call out the word
and the person must tell the first letter.
To play with numbers you can say The number after 14 and bounce the ball or
the number before 20 and bounce the ball. If you know the numbers in Ukrainian,
you can say the Ukrainian number and the student says the English equivalent.
With this game, or while learning any of the games above, the ball should come
back to the teacher after each student.
When the students begin to learn verb tenses or sentence patterns with the verb to
be, use the bounce ball to involve all in practicing the tenses. You call out a verb
and bounce the ball to a student who must then use that verb in the present
continuous or the present simple. If students are learning the verb to be, call out
the pronoun I and the student must then say I am.
If your students are not agile enough to catch the ball easily, you can seat them in
chairs in a circle and have them roll the ball back and forth. If you want to keep
them in seats, use a lightly-inflated balloon that students can pat back and forth like
a volleyball. In this case, you are playing Vocabulary Volleyball, rather than Bounce
Ball.
GOOD MORNING BALLS
LEVEL: ALL
Do this activity in the morning at the beginning of class.
Have three different colored balls (they should be very light weight and small). Get
the class to make a circle. Give three people a ball and assign each ball a phrase.
(Ex: green ball = How are you? Red ball = good morning blue ball = Fine thank you.
And you?) Students gently throw the ball to each other and the student who catches
the ball must say the phrase.
INSIDE/OUTSIDE CIRCLES
LEVEL: ALL
Whenever you want all the children to practice a particular kind of speaking (for
example: introduction) or asking and answering questions, make two circles of
students, one inside the other. Have the inside circle face the outside circle. Each
student should be facing a partner. When you say go, the person on the inside
introduces himself to the person on the outside. When you say switch, the person
on the outside introduces himself to the person on the inside. When you say
change partners, the circle on the outside takes one step to the left. Now
everyone is facing a new partner. Repeat the activity.
When everyone is back to his or her original partner, as the class questions about
what you have learned. (For example, Whose hobby is collecting coins? What did
you learn about Sergei? How many sisters does Petya have?)
With vocabulary words, the inside circle members could each have two picture
cards. The outside circle partner must say the words in English and then use it in a
sentence.
Students can practice the question forms by asking each partner in turn a particular
type of question. The big advantages of the circles are 1) everyone is speaking
English, not just one or two students, and 2) in a big circle, even shy or reluctant
speakers are more comfortable speaking English because they dont feel that
everyone is watching them.
LOTTO AND BINGO

LEVEL: ALL
NUMBERS
A Bingo card is a grid (5 squares across, 5 squares down would mean a total of 25
squares, for example), and in each square of the grid is written whatever is being
tested. For example, if you are teaching numbers 1-30, then you will randomly write
a number (1-30) in each square. Each student must have a Bingo card, and each
card must hold a unique combination of numbers (so if on one card the first row
reads 1, 5, 20, 13, 6, then another card would read 2, 5, 30, 15, 27). The teacher
will have a bag or box which contains all of the possible Bingo calls (scraps of paper
with the numbers 1-30, for example). The teacher will pull a paper out of the
box/bag and read aloud. Students will then look at their board to see if they have
that number. If they do, then they will cover it with a marker (dried beans are good,
or slips of paper). The first student to get, for example, 5 beans in a row must say
Bingo to win.
COLORS
For a simplified version of Bingo, children can quickly make their own bingo
scorecards: have each child draw five circles on a sheet of paper and color each one
a different color. Collect all the bingo scorecards and redistribute them when you
are ready to play Bingo. Each student will need something to mark their scorecard
with (dried beans are good). Put the colors in a box or bag, and pull one out. Call out
the color, and if a child has that color on his scorecard, he may place a bean on that
square. The first child to have beans on all his colors shouts Bingo and is a winner.
ALPHABET
Once the children have learned many numbers and all the letters of the alphabet
have them fold a sheet of paper so they create either nine squares or twelve
squares. Ask each child to write letters of the alphabet, one per square with no
repeats, and not in order. Now you have lotto cards. Collect them. When you are
ready to play, turn over the alphabet deck and call out each letter. As above,
students should mark each letter on the lotto card when it is called. The first child to
have a row of three going up, down, or diagonally calls out Lotto and is the winner.
Be sure to check that you did call the letters on that card!
When you are learning clothing, classroom objects, foot, etc. you can prepare
lotto/bingo cards yourself drawing pictures of the foods, etc. Or, you can make
scorecards with vocabulary words in each square, and pull either a definition or a
picture out of the bag/box. It is important that every lotto/bingo card be different.
PREPOSITIONS
Simon Says with prepositions
Level: INTERMEDIATE
Have the students play Simon Says (teacher gives command and students obey
only if the command was preceded by the phrase Simon Says). The teacher will
use commands with prepositions in them. Example: Simon Says sit on your chair.
Simon Says get under your desk. Simon Says go to the center of the room.
PREPOSITION CARDS
Teacher gives each student a preposition card and students move around the room
to use their proposition to describe the location of objects in the room in a complete
sentence. Students change cards and describe different objects.
DRAW A ROOM
Teacher reads a description of a room. Students listen and draw what they think the
room looks like. Example: The rug is in the middle of the room. The sofa is near the
wall. The door is to the left of the sofa. The table is to the right of the sofa. The TV is
across from the sofa. The window is to the left of the TV.
Students compare drawings and try to create the correct room on the board.
FILL IN THE PREPOSITION
Prepare a text that contains prepositions. Take out the prepositions and print them
on a separate sheet, then cut this sheet so that each preposition is on a piece of
paper, then put all of them in an envelope. Divide the class into groups and give
each group an envelope. Tell the students that you are going to read a text and
whenever you raise your hand they should bring a suitable preposition and put it on
your desk. The fastest team receives points. Read the text as students have made it
(using the prepositions given to you) and deduct points for mistakes. Finally, read
the text with the correct prepositions.
This game can be played with adjectives as well as a, the and an.
PREPOSITIONS IN A BAG
LEVEL: ALL
Do this activity on the same day or day after you do the Gestures activity.
Put 10 household objects in a bag that cant be seen through. (Suggested objects:
napkin, small book, tea cup, rubber band, cork, plastic spoon, eraser, etc.) Gather
the students around a central table or desk. The teacher should demonstrate this
the first time. Take the napkin out of the bag and lay it flat on the table. Say, The
napkin is on the table. Pupils repeat. You may then take one object after another
out of the bag and place each one somewhere on the napkin to practice under, in ,
around, between, etc. If your group is quick, you can begin and then have the pupils
take turns placing an object from the bag. The pupil must then make a sentence
telling where the object is on the desk while using a preposition. This becomes a
snowball activity. As each object is added, the pupil must say where his/her object
has been placed, and then go back through all the other objects that have been
placed, saying where each is. (Ex: The shoe is in the middle of the napkin. The
spoon is on the corner of the napkin. The playing card is between the spoon and the
shoe. The cup is under the napkin.)
Once students have done this with you successfully, distribute bags (with different
items, if you wish) to each group. Have each group in turn perform the drill.
Listen and Draw
Level: All
Read aloud to the students a description of objects in a bedroom. The desk is in the
center of the room. The carpet is under the bed. The window is on top of the shelf.
Students must listen and draw what they hear the teacher reading.
First, the teacher should have a student demonstrate this for the class. Choose one
student to draw the room on the board as the teacher reads the description aloud to
the students. If the student drawing it on the board gets it wrong, the rest of the
class can help.
Have the students work in pairs to draw the room as the teacher reads the
description of the room aloud.
When all the sentences are read, the teacher should show the picture of the room.
The students should check to see if it looks the same.
Repeat this, only this time, have the students listen and draw individually. Again,
compare the teachers drawing of the room with the students.
For homework, have the students write five sentences describing their rooms and
draw their room. The next class period, have students work in pairs: one should
read their sentences aloud while the other student draws the room. Then the
teacher student should show their picture and compare. Repeat with the other
student reading their description.
GESTURES
LEVEL: ALL
Review a posted list of prepositions. Use gestures and ask the pupils to both say the
word and demonstrate the gesture. Go through the sequence until all the pupils can
quickly make the appropriate gesture. Then call on one pupil and, without cuing
(that is, you dont show the gesture), call out a preposition and the pupil must say it
and make the appropriate gesture. Do this with parts of the class, pairs, or one
student.
This process is called Total Physical Response (TPR), and it helps pupils remember
not just with their brains or eyes, but also with their hands and bodies. Repeat this
activity at intervals throughout the year.
Suggested gestures:
Onlay both hands flat, with the right on top of left
Inmake a cup with the left hand and put the right hand into it
Underput one hand out flat and then put the other hand under it
Next tohold your arm out next to you with the hand pointed down, point to the
hand with your other hand and indicate that it is next to you
Betweenput the next to arm in position, then use your other arm to show
between hat arm and your body
Behindwith your hand, point over your shoulder and behind you
In front ofpoint with your hand to a space in front of your chest
In a cornermake a cover with your feet and point to it with your hand
In the middlehold one hand out flat, and with your other hand point into the
middle of the flat hand
Aroundhold one hand upright, and with the other hand, circle the raised hand
Abovehold a hand above your head
Belowhold one hand out flat, then bring the other hand in a semi-circle to be
below the first hand-do NOT do it the same way as under
DIALOGUE
TELEPHONE SKILLS: ROLE PLAY
LEVEL: ADVANCED
Prep time: 5 minutes
Copy the role plays at the bottom of this page and cut them into strips. Make
enough copies of the Response Sheet to give one to each pair of students in the
class.
Directions: There are a number of ways to use role-play in class. For these particular
cards we recommend the following:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Place two chairs back to back at the front of the classroom

Explain to the class that the students will be coming up to these chairs
to perform impromptu role-plays. Because these role-plays take place on the
telephone, students will not be allowed to see their partner.
Divide the class into pairs.
Students who are not sitting at the front of the room performing their
role play will fill out the Response Sheet.
5.
Choose two students from the class to come and sit in the chairs.
6.
Hand each one a card (give one student A and the other B).
7.
Allow students to act out their role-play as the rest of the class listens
and takes notes.
8.
Once the role-play is finished, give all the pairs a couple minutes to
compare their answers to the questions
9.
Then, ask for feedback from the whole class about the answers.
Provide any useful telephone expressions and reformulations.
10.
Now, ask the first pair to select the next pair.
11.
Have these next two students come to the front of the room and repeat
the process.
12.
Once you have gone through all the cards, you should pass them out
again. (Make sure each pair receives a different situation from the one they
performed for the whole class.)
13.
Give the class a few minutes to act out the role-plays simultaneously.
(If they seem to like this activity and you still have some time, you might
want to have pairs trade situations and do it again.)
14.
Finally, bring the class together and select a few students to report
back on the simultaneous role-plays.
Role Plays: (There are enough for 18 students)

A (1): You are calling your friend Ken. You want to invite him to a party this Friday.
B (1): You answer the phone. The person on the other end of the line wants to speak
to Ken. You dont know anyone named Ken.
A (2): You want to reserve a table for five at a restaurant called Slanted Door. Call
the restaurant and make a reservation for 8:00 this Saturday.
B (2): You work at a restaurant called Slanted Door. Answer the phon. (The
restaurant is completely booked for Friday and Saturday nights this week.)
A (3): You need to make a doctors appointment because you hurt your back while
you were cleaning the house. Call the doctors office and make the appointment.
B (3): You work in a pediatricians office answering the phones. (Note: a pediatrician
is a doctor for children.)
A (4): Your friend just borrowed your car to go get some more juice. Call him (on his
cell phone) and remind him to get some chips and salsa.
B (4): You borrowed your friends car to buy more juice. You have just driven into a
lamppost. You are not hurt, but the car is badly damaged. Your cell phone rings.
A (5): Youre on vacation with your friend in Las Vegas. You have just spent all your
money. Your friend is upstairs in the hotel room. Call your friend and ask to borrow
$60.
B (5): Youre asleep in your Las Vegas hotel room. Your friend is still downstairs in
the casino. Its four oclock in the morning. The phone rings.
A (6): Call your girlfriend/boyfriend to let them* know that youll be home very late
because you have to work. (*them = him or her (informal)
B (6): Your girlfriend/boyfriend is always staying out late. You suspect that they* are
up to trouble. The phone rings. (*they = he or she (informal)
A (7): You promised your mother that you would water her plants while she was
away on vacation. You forgot. The plants are dead. The phone rings.
B (8): You are away on vacation in San Francisco. You have a lot of beautiful plants.
Call your son/daughter to find out how your plants are doing.
A (9): You have not finished writing your English essay. Call your teacher and ask if
you can turn it in late.
B (9): You are an English teacher. The phone rings. Its one of your students.
A (10): You live in an old flat. Things break down all the time. This time, your toilet is
flooding the bathroom.
B (10): You own a beautiful old apartment building. You have one tenant who is
always calling you to complain. The phone rings.
Response Sheet
Phone Call
Who are the two callers?
What is the purpose of the phone call?
How does the phone call end?
List any useful telephone expressions you hear:
Phone Call
Who are the two callers?
What is the purpose of the phone call?
How does the phone call end?
List any useful telephone expressions you hear:
DIALOUGUE
(The following dialogues can be given to students to read/speak during class. Use as
many students as is needed for each dialogue.)
Greetings: Acquaintances
-Matt: Good morning.
-Maxine: Good morning. How are you today?
-Matt: Just fine, thanks. How are you?
-Maxine: Wonderful. Things couldnt be better.
NEW VOCABULARY: acquaintance: a person one knows but not a close friend; things
couldnt be better: everything is going well
Greeting: Good Friends
-Dotty: Hi! Whats up?
-Vivian: Nothing much. Whats new with you?
-Dotty: Not too much. Ive been pretty busy.
-Vivian: Me too. Seems like all I do is eat and sleep.
-Dotty: Gotta go. Call me tonight.
-Vivian: Okay. Ill call you later.
NEW VOCABULARY: hi: informal way to say hello; pretty: rather, somewhat; whats
up: whats new? (used informally); seems: it seems; gotta: Ive got to, I must
Greetings: Family
-Mother: Good morning.
-Son: Morning. Whats for breakfast?
-Mother: The usual. Eggs, toast, and cereal. Coffee, if you want.
-Son: I think Ill just have cereal for a change.
-Mother: Help yourself. The cereal and sugar are on the table. The milks in the
refrigerator.
NEW VOCABULARY: whats for breakfast: what are we having for breakfast?; just:
only; help yourself: serve yourself as much food as you want
Early in the Morning
Gene: Its time to get up!
Ed: I just went to bed!
Gene: You shouldnt have stayed up so late watching TV. I told you we had to get an
early start.
Ed: I know, but that movie was too good to leave. I guess Ill just have to pay the
price.
Gene: Do you want to eat breakfast here?
Ed: No. Why dont we just grab a bite at the coffee shop next door?
Gene: Okay by me.

NEW VOCABULARY: TV: television; get an early start: leave early in the morning;
just: simply; pay the price: suffer the consequences; grab a bite: get something to
eat, informal; coffee shop: a type of restaurant; okay by me: its all right with me
Daily Needs
-Judith: This is the last of the milk.
-Mother: I know. I intend to go to the store today.
-Judith: Would you get some of that new cereal we saw advertised on TV?
-Mother: Which one?
-Judith: You know the one with the silly ad about how vitamins jump up and down.
-Mother: Oh, you mean Kikies
-Judith: Yeah. Thats the one.
-Mother: Well, Ill see. Sometimes the stores dont have some of the new kinds of
cereal.
NEW VOCABULARY: last of the milk: there is no more milk, this is the last bit of milk;
silly: foolish; ad: advertisement; yeah: yes, informal; Ill see: Ill examine the
possibility
Airport Bus
-Stan: What time does the bus leave for the airport?
-Harry: I dont know. It used to leave every half hour, but I think the schedules been
changed.
-Stan: Do you know the telephone number to call?
-Harry: Its Enterprise 7-4700. At least thats what it used to be.
-Stan: Yeah, Ill try it. (Pause) They dont seem to answer.
-Harry: I expect that its a little too early. I dont think they open until nine oclock.
NEW VOCABULARY: at least: in any case
Making a Date
-Drew: What time are you leaving tomorrow?
-Paul: You mean to go to the graduation ceremony?
-Drew: Yes, Id like to go with you if I may.

-Paul: Id be delighted to take you. I plan to leave here about nine-thirty.
-Drew: Fine. I can be ready by then.
-Paul: Okay. Ill pick you up at your house.
-Drew: See you tomorrow, then, about nine-thirty.
NEW VOCABULARY: making a date: making a social appointment; Ill pick you up: Ill
come to your house
Catching a Bus
-Steve: It this where I catch the bus for the zoo?
-Alan: You can take a T-30 from here, but then you have to walk about six blocks.
-Steve: That doesnt sound too bad.
-Alan: Actually, if you go to the bus stop on the next block, you can take a Z-8 that
will let you right off in front of the zoo.
-Steve: Maybe thats what Ill do. Thanks a lot.
-Alan: Youre welcome.
NEW VOCABULARY: catching a bus: getting on a bus; T-30: number of a bus; that
doesnt sound too bad: that doesnt appear to be difficult; let you right off: take you
exactly to the spot
Ordering Breakfast
-Waitress: Would you like to order now?
-Phil: Yes. Id like back and eggs with buttered toast. No jelly.
-Waitress: What would you like to drink?
-Phil: Do you have hot chocolate?
-Waitress: Yes, we do.
-Phil: Then, Ill have a cup of hot chocolate.
-Waitress: How do you want your eggs?
-Phil: Over easy, please.
NEW VOCABULARY: how do you want your eggs: how do you want your eggs
prepared?; over easy: egg fried on one side and slightly on the other, with the yolk
left uncooked or partially cooked, not hard (other ways to prepare eggs are
scrambled, fried (hard), boiled (soft, hard), and poached)
Near Accident
-Quinn: How about that!
-Kerwin: What? What happened?
-Quinn: Did you see what that guy did?
-Kerwin: No. I was looking the other way.
-Quinn: He made a U-turn right in the middle of the block and almost hit a kid on a
bicycle.
-Kerwin: Drivers get crazier every day!
-Quinn: Right. Nobody wants to drive by the rules anymore!
NEW VOCABULARY: near accident: almost an accident; how about that: just consider
what happened!; guy: man; I was looking the other way: I was looking in the
opposite direction; u-turn: turn a vehicle such as a car or truck in the shape of a U
Arrival Time
-Pat: What time does mothers plane get in?
-Cliff: Im not sure, but I think at 2:35. Ill call the airline to make sure.
-Pat: Why dont you do that while I change my clothes?
-Cliff: Do you think Dick or Brenda will want to go?
-Pat: I dont know. I guess we could call them.
-Cliff: I know Dick has to work, but maybe Brenda can go.
-Pat: Okay. Call her first, then the airline. Ill go get ready.
NEW VOCABULARY: get in: arrive
After the Game
-Gloria: Did you watch the game last night?
-Roy: I sure did. I wouldnt have missed it for anything!
-Gloria: I think it was one of the best games Ive ever seen.
-Roy: Me too. I thought both teams played super ball. Too bad one had to lose.
-Gloria: Yeah. I thought they were evenly matched. It could have gone either way!
-Roy: That shot that won in the last fifteen seconds was really something.
NEW VOCABULARY: I sure did: I certainly did (watch the game); played super ball:
played extremely well; too bad: unfortunately; it could have gone either way: either
team could have won; really something: extraordinary; quite unusual
Going for a Walk
-Roger: What did you say?
-Claire: I said that its a lovely day. Why dont we go for a walk?
-Roger: Can you wait a few minutes? I have to finish this letter.
-Claire: Dont take too long. It would be a shame not to take advantage of such
lovely weather.
-Roger: I wont be long. No more than ten minutes. Why dont you go ahead and Ill
meet you in the park.
-Claire: Believe I will. Look for me near the rock garden.
NEW VOCABULARY: dont take too long: dont delay; go on ahead: proceed (to the
park); look for me: meet me
Whats for Dinner?
-Mother: I wonder what we should have for dinner this evening?
-Mana: Are you asking me?
-Mother: Yes, I am. I really dont feel much like cooking, but the family must eat.
-Mana: Well, you know me. I can always eat a pizza or spaghetti.
-Mother: So Ive noticed. Youre putting on a little weight, arent you?
-Mana: I know. Dont remind me! Im starting a new diet day after tomorrow.
-Mother: Its about time!
NEW VOCABULARY: I wonder: I wish to know about; pizza: a spicy Italian dish made
like a pie from bread dough and covered with cheese, tomato sauce, meat, spices,
etc.; putting on a little weight: gaining weight; dont remind me: dont call it to my
attention!; its about time: its the right time (to begin)!
Academy Awards
-Janice: Did you see the Academy Awards program last night on TV?
-Rob: I watched for a while; then I had to go to bed.
-Janice: You missed a good show. I didnt agree with the selection for best picture,
though.
-Rob: I guess I missed that part. What happened?
-Janice: Oh, they chose some picture that was so avant-garde that no one
understands it.
-Rob: Well, I dont go to the movies very often. You know me. I prefer more activetype things.
-Janice: Too bad. I really wanted to discuss it with someone.
NEW VOCABULARY: academy awards: awards in the film industry given annually for
the best movie, best actor, best director, et cetera. The awards, or small statues,
are called Oscars; avant-garde: in the arts, having to do with creative ideas,
methods, designs, et cetera, that are ahead of all others
At the Hotel
-Clerk: Yes, sir. May I help you?
-Tony: I have a reservation for tonight. Tony Davis.
-Clerk: Just a moment, please, while I check. That is correct. You have a reservation
for a three-room suite for tonight.
-Tony: Im afraid there has been a mistake. I only asked for a single room, not a
suite.
-Clerk: Im sorry, Mr. Davis, but we have only the suite available. Your request
arrived too late to reserve a single. Theres a large convention in town this week
and were full up.
-Tony: Well, if thats the way it is, Ill have to take it.
-Clerk: Just sign the register here and Ill have your bags sent up later. Its suite 718.
NEW VOCABULARY: may I help you: may I serve you?; were full up: all of our rooms
have been rented
After the Movie
-Pamela: I really enjoyed that movie!
-Scott: I did, too. At first I thought it was going to be a drag, but then it really got
good.
-Pamela: What part did you like the best?
-Scott: Oh, I dont know. I guess the scene that grabbed me the most was the one in
which the old man was dying.
-Pamela: I liked that one, too. In fact, I cried.
-Scott: To tell you the truth, I had a few tears in my eyes.
-Pamela: Now what?
-Scott: How about a coke and hamburger?
-Pamela: Super!
NEW VOCABULARY: be a drag: be boring or uninteresting; the scene that grabbed
me the most: the scene that most moved me emotionally; coke: coca cola or any
soft drink; super: wonderful
At the Bank
-Teller: May I help you?
-Nancy: Id like to cash this check, please.
-Teller: Do you have an account with us?
-Nancy: Yeah. Heres my identification card.
-Teller: Do you want large or small bills?
-Nancy: Actually, I want to buy some travelers checks.
-Teller: What denomination?
-Nancy: Twenties would be fine.
-Teller: Do you want the whole amount in travelers checks?
-Nancy: yes, please.
NEW VOCABULARY: to cash this check: to receive money for this check; large or
small bills: bills of large or small denomination; travelers checks: special checks
issued by banks for a special amount and which can only be used by the buyer
Discussing a News Story
-Helen: Did you hear about that guy who was struck by lightning?
-Mavis: You mean the man up in Maine?

-Helen: Thats the one; the blind guy who could see again.
-Mavis: I read about him in the paper this week. Hed been blind for about eight or
nine years.
-Helen: Uh-huh. Wasnt he also able to hear again after the lightning hit him?
-Mavis: Right. He didnt have to wear a hearing aid anymore.
-Helen: I think its a miracle!
-Mavis: Me too!
NEW VOCABULARY: Maine: state in the northeastern part of the U.S.; uh-huh: yes;
right: correct; hearing aid: a device to help deaf or partially deaf persons hear; me
too: so do I!
Talking It Over
-Jeff: Cant we go someplace and talk? Its so crowded in here.
-Sonia: Well, theres a little park down the street about three blocks. Its usually not
crowded this time of day.
-Jeff: Lets go. I need to get some fresh air anyway.
-Sonia: Just what is it that you want to talk about?
-Jeff: You remember that note you sent me last month?
-Sonia: Which one? The one about the trip out West?
-Jeff: Yeah. Thats the one. Listen. Ive got a terrific idea about the whole project and
we need to discuss it.
-Sonia: Wonderful! Id like to hear some of your ideas.
NEW VOCABULARY: talking it over: discussing a matter or problem; anyway: in any
case; just: exactly
Weekend Plans
-Al: Hi, Im glad I ran into you.
-Bob: Why? Whats up?
-Al: Howd you like to go on a hike this weekend?
-Bob: All weekend?
-Al: Well, just Saturday and Sunday.

-Bob: Im not sure I can be gone all weekend. I promised to help my sister move
Saturday.
-Al: How about Sunday, then? We could start early in the morning.
-Bob: I might be able to do that. Tell you what. Let me check and Ill call you at
home tonight.
-Al: Great! Ill talk to you later.
-Bob: So long.
NEW VOCABULARY: Im glad I ran into you: Im glad I met you; whats up: whats
happening?
whats going on?; to help my sister move: to help my sister move her household
effects to another house or apartment; how about Sunday, then: is Sunday a good
day, then? tell you what: heres my opinion/reaction; let me check: let me verify;
great: wonderful; so long: good-bye for now
Dinner Invitation
-Laura: Dont forget. Were invited out to dinner tonight.
-Ted: Oh. I almost forgot. Thanks for reminding me. What time?
-Laura: Seven-thirty. We should leave the house by six-thirty. You know how bad the
traffic is that time of night.
-Ted: Uh-huh. Its informal, isnt it?
-Laura: Yeah. You can wear your new sports jacket.
-Ted: Okay. Ill try to get home a little early.
-Laura: Good. Bye-bye.
NEW VOCABULARY: were invited out to dinner tonight: were invited to have dinner
with friends or acquaintances; uh-huh: yes (I do); bye-bye: good-bye
Car Insurance
-Dick: I need to get car insurance. Ya got any ideas?
-George: Well, you could try my company. It seems to have fair rates.
-Dick: Do they insure older cars?
-George: As far as I know, they insure all kinds of vehicles.
-Dick: How long have you had a policy with them?

-George: Oh, I dont know. Maybe five years.
-Dick: And you say their rates are low?
-George: Not low, reasonable. Ive always gotten good service from them. Let me
give you their phone number and you can call them.
NEW VOCABULARY: car insurance: insurance on automobiles in case of accidents,
theft, bodily injury, etc.; as far as I know: to the extent of my knowledge
Parents Night Out
-Joe: Can you get a baby-sitter for tonight?
-Susan: I dont know. Why?
-Joe: Well, I thought we could go out for dinner and then to a movie afterward.
-Susan: I can call Debbie and see if shes available. She usually doesnt like to sit
during the week, but she might make an exception.
-Joe: Well, do that, and then call me at the office if you have any luck.
-Susan: Okay, but dont get your hopes to high. Its hard to find a good baby-sitter
these days.
NEW VOCABULARY: night out: evening away from home for the purpose of
recreation or relaxation
baby-sitter: woman or young girl hired, usually by parents, to watch small children
while the parents are away from the home; to sit during the week: to baby-sit on
weekdays; if you have any luck: if you are successful; dont get your hopes too
high: dont expect success
Discussing the Economy
-Gordon: The economic news doesnt look good, does it?
-Hobart: Not according to the newspapers yesterday. I saw a similar report last night
on TV.
-Gordon: I saw that, too. The analysis seemed to be quite realistic.
-Hobart: I hope theyre wrong. We really need to get the rising price structure under
control.
-Gordon: Well, costs seem to be rising in so many categories that it appears to
defeat any efforts at stabilization.
-Hobart: Thats my feeling, too. Raw material now costs more. Labor is demanding
higher wages and production costs continue to soar.
-Gordon: There may be some relief this summer. I understand the price of some
foodstuffs will decrease.
NEW VOCABULARY: thats my feeling, too: thats my opinion too; soar: rise beyond
what is common today
Dental Appointment
-Dental Assistant: Dr. Katunas office. May I help you?
-Karen: Yes. Id like to make an appointment for a dental checkup.
-Dental Assistant: Are you one of the doctors regular patients?
-Karen: No, Im not. I recently moved to this area and a friend of mine
recommended Dr. Katuna.
-Dental Assistant: I see. Dr. Katuna can see you next Thursday. Do you prefer
morning or afternoon?
-Karen: Morning is best for me.
-Dental Assistant: Would 10:30 be all right?
-Karen: That would be fine.
-Dental Assistant: Good. Well expect you then at 10:30 on Thursday.
-Karen: Thank you very much.
NEW VOCABULARY: I see: I understand; would 10:30 be alright: is 10:30 be
acceptable?
Making Plans
-Alice: When shall we meet?
-Sofia: You mean to talk about the party?
-Alice: Right. We really need to plan better this time. Remember what a mess it was
at the last party?
-Sofia: I sure do. I hope well do much more planning this time.
-Alice: Well, thats why were going to meet tomorrow at my house. How does 7:30
sound to you?
-Sofia: Fine by me. Ill call Jan and Judy. Well see you tomorrow.
NEW VOCABULARY: right: correct; mess: unpleasant or unsuccessful affair or event;

how does 7:30 sound to you: can you meet at 7:30?; fine by me: its all right with
me
Neighboring Problem
-Wife: Weve got to do something about the neighbors dog!
-Husband: Why? Has he been into your flower garden again?
-Wife: The flower garden, the garbage can, and yesterday he started digging holes
in the yard!
-Husband: Did you talk to Mrs. Gorham about it?
-Wife: You know how she is. All sweetness and light to your face but then she never
does anything. They should either keep that animal in the house or tied up!
-Husband: Ill talk to Hank about it tonight. He usually listens.
-Wife: We need more than listening, dear. We need action!
NEW VOCABULARY: all sweetness and light to your face: excessively agreeable and
pleasant in direct confrontation; Hank: Mr. Gorham
Car Theft
-Byron: Did you hear about what happened to Howard?
-Vance: No, what?
-Byron: Someone stole his car!
-Vance: Really? When did it happen?
-Byron: Last night. He left it parked in front of his girlfriends house and when he
came out to go home, it was gone.
-Vance: Wow! Thats really tough. He just bought it last month, didnt he?
-Byron: Uh-huh. Fortunately, hes got insurance and the police think they already
have a good lead.
-Vance: Well, I certainly wish him luck.
NEW VOCABULARY: theft: act of stealing ; wow: exclamation of amazement,
surprise, joy, etc.; thats really tough: thats too bad; a good lead: a strong clue
Getting Ready
-Bill: We dont have much time!
-Jerry: Im hurrying as fast as I can!

-Bill: Well, try to hurry a bit more, will you? I dont want to be late.
-Jerry: Oh, we wont be late. You know how these affairs are. They never start on
time.
-Bill: Maybe so. But I always like to get there on time.
-Jerry: Oh, youre such a fuddy-duddy. Dont worry. Ill get you there with time to
spare.
-Bill: Is that a promise?
-Jerry: Its a promise. Now leave me alone while I finish getting ready.
NEW VOCABULARY: such a fuddy-duddy: an extremely fussy, hard-to-please, or very
particular person; time to spare: excess time
Making a Purchase
-Joan: How much is this?
-Clerk: You mean the large one or the small one?
-Joan: The large one.
-Clerk: Theyre on special this week. Theyve been reduced to five dollars.
-Joan: Is this the only kind you have?
-Clerk: No. We have some that are different in style but not in color. Theyre over
there. Do you see the sign?
-Joan: Oh, yes. I think Ill look at those over there before I decide.
-Clerk: Very well. Just take your time.
NEW VOCABULARY: on special: special low price; just take your time: dont be in a
hurry
Mail Time
-Barbara: The mail has arrived.
-Norma: Did I get anything?
-Barbara: I think so. Let me look. You got something from the bank and an
advertisement from a health spa.
-Norma: Give me the letter from the bank. It might be important.
-Barbara: Here. Maybe youve overdrawn your account.

-Norma: No danger of that. I dont have any money to overdraw. I hope its an offer
of that job I applied for.
NEW VOCABULARY: health spa: heath resort; maybe youve overdrawn your
account: perhaps youve spent more money than is in your checking account at the
bank; no danger of that: thats not a possibility
Bedtime
-Angela: Did you lock the doors?
-Frank: All except the back door. I left that open for Tim. He took the dog for a walk.
-Angela: Well, Im going to bed. Im bushed.
-Frank: Okay. Im going to stay up awhile. Ive got to go over the household budget.
Were a little overspent this month.
-Angela: Please tell Tim to close the door to the basement. I dont want the dog
down there tonight.
-Frank: Okay. Good night. See you at breakfast.
NEW VOCABULARY: Im bushed: Im exhausted, very tired; stay up: remain awake;
Ive got to go over: I must read to examine; overspent: expenses in excess of
income
Getting Something Fixed
-Lee: How long do you think itll take to fix it?
-Repairman: Hard to tell. Sometimes we can find the problem right away and
sometimes it may take an hour or two.
-Lee: Should I wait or come back later?
-Repairman: Suit yourself, but its probably better to come back later.
-Lee: You will get it fixed today, wont you?
-Repairman: I dont see any problem. We should have it ready for you by three at
the latest. But, better call before you come.
-Lee: Okay. Thanks a lot.
NEW VOCABULARY: hard to tell: difficult to predict; right away: immediately ; suit
yourself: do as you please; by three at the latest: no later than three oclock
Family Plans
-Wife: The gas company phoned this afternoon.
-Husband: About the gas stove that we ordered?
-Wife: Yes, and also about the gas furnace you asked about.
-Husband: What did they say?
-Wife: Theyre going to send someone out to talk with us about the furnace.
-Husband: Good. I think were doing the right thing. The old furnace just isnt very
efficient anymore.
-Wife: I agree. We should be able to afford a new furnace now that you got that raise
in salary.
-Husband: Exactly my thoughts.
NEW VOCABULARY: gas company: public utility company providing natural or
manufactured gas for heating, cooking, etc.; I think were doing the right thing: I
think we are proceeding correctly; afford a new furnace: pay for a new furnace;
exactly my thoughts: I agree
Planning a Business Trip
-Dave: When shall I say that you will arrive?
-Don: Tell them that I plan to be there by tomorrow afternoon.
-Dave: Shall I have them make a hotel reservation for you?
-Don: No need. I made one last week by telephone.
-Dave: Do you plan to stay longer than three days?
-Don: I dont think so. I can take care of all the necessary business in three days.
-Dave: Well, have a good trip.
-Don: Thank you.
NEW VOCABULARY: no need: its not necessary; have a good trip: have a pleasant,
successful trip
A Short Discussion
-Rosalie: Dont forget, Jim and Adrian are coming over tonight.
-Tracy: I thought they were coming next week.
-Rosalie: No. Tonights the night. I told you at least a half a dozen times!
-Tracy: Well, I forgot.
-Rosalie: You forgot all too easily if you ask me.
-Tracy: Anyway, Ive made other plans.
-Rosalie: Like what?
-Tracy: I told Frank Id help him work on his car.
-Rosalie: Then, youll just have to tell him you cant come.
NEW VOCABULARY: coming over: coming to visit; like what: for example?; work on
his car: help repair his car
Family Squabble
-Brother: Come on! Its time to go!
-Sister: Wait a minute! Just hold your horses! Whats your hurry anyway?
-Brother: Well, Ive got to stop and get gas in the car, first.
-Sister: That wont take long.
-Brother: Well, it wont if theres no line at the pump.
-Sister: Well, Im not quite ready.
-Brother: Ill give you five more minutes, then Im going without you!
-Sister: You wouldnt do a thing like that!
-Brother: Oh, yes I would!
NEW VOCABULARY: squabble: noisy quarrel having little importance; just hold your
horses: dont be so impatient!; line at the pump: line of waiting cars at the gasoline
pump; not quite ready: not completely ready
COUNTING
BEANS IN A BOTTLE
LEVEL: BEGINNER
Before the lesson, collect a bag of several varieties of dried beans at the market.
Depending on the size of your class, divide the beans into empty plastic bottles, or
smaller bags. Buy some small plastic dishes also at the market, or bring some form
home. Each pair of students should have a bottle or dish.
Young learners learn best with very concrete tasks. The beans are your prop to help
them learn to count in English. Fill each dish with beans. Have your own dish of
beans in the front of the room where all can see. Reach into the dish, take out one
bean and say one. Students should do the same. Do two through five the same
way. Put all the beans back in the dish. Ask pupils to take five beans, place them in
a row, and then count together with you from one to five, moving one bean to the
side for each new number. Show them yourself. Then everyone should do this
together. Set the five beans aside, quickly count aloud (use your fingers to help
them) 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Now take one more bean. Say six and add the bean to the
group that is set aside. Say seven, eight, nine, ten, adding a bean each time. Drill
these numbers too. Put all the beans back. Now each pupil, with you should lay out
a bean and call out the number going from one to ten.
Now count other things. Point to one student and say one. Point to the next
student and say two. Point to the third student and use body language to get the
children to say three. Count up to five students. Then take a stack of copybooks,
match boxes, whatever you have brought in to count, and ask them the count as
you hold up each one. Count the windows in the classroom. Count the desks or the
chairs. Count the boys or the girls. At least some of the objects should be as many
as ten. Ask them how many fingers they have. Ask them to count a partners
fingers. Ask the pupils to take a handful of beans from their dish (or do it yourself).
Ask them to count out ten beans that look like this. Hold up one distinctive kind of
bean (for example, a white bean). They can do this in pairs. Ask the students to put
the white beans back in the dish one at a time, counting aloud.
COUNTING: LARGER/SMALLER
LEVEL: BEGINNER
Put a handful of mixed beans on each table and ask the pupils to count the beans
that look like this holding up dark red beans. Continue until they have little piles
of all the different colors. Then tell them to make a group of four beans that look
like this, five beans that look like this, etc. This is a good time to work on larger
and smaller. Bring in some paired objectsshoes, boxes, cups, spoons in which
one object in the pair is larger than the other. Teach them larger and smaller. If you
have time, cut out lots of different fish from sheets of different colored paper. Give
each group or table a handful of different sizes of fish. Hold up two fish and ask
which is larger. Ask which is smaller. Hold up three fish and ask the same question.
Once they understand larger and smaller, ask them first to arrange the fish from
largest to smallest, and when they have done that successfully, ask them to take a
handful of beans from the dish and arrange them from largest to smallest.
COUNTING TREAT
LEVEL: BEGINNER
At some point, you will want to continue teaching counting so the pupils can count
to twenty. You can use beans, cut out fish, chestnuts, pencilswhatever you have
that is plentiful and easy for the pupils to handle. At the end of the lesson, pull out a
big bag of cheap and small candy. Have students reach in and take out up to twenty
pieces of candy. They can eat as many as they can count.
REVIEWING MAERTIAL
CHEATING VOCABULARY TEST
Four or five students will be testers and stand at the front of the class with a list of
three or four words. Their job is to ask other students the meaning of these words.
Students form queues in front of each tester, and the first in line is asked to give a
meaning of a word from the list. If he gets it right, then he moves on to another
queue. If he is wrong, then he goes to the back of the queue and tries again.
The tester alternates between the different words on his list, so the same word is
not asked to two students consecutively. When a student has visited all testers, he
has finished and can go back to his seat.
The cheating element comes in when students are queuing. They are allowed to ask
students in adjacent queues about which words they are likely to be asked and their
meanings, thus making it cooperative rather than competitive.
VARIATION OF TIC-TAC-TOE
LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE
Split the class into two teams. The object of this game is for students to practice
with new vocabulary or practice verbs. The subject of this game can be applied to
many topics. One team will be the Xs and one team will be the Os and they goal is
to get three of their letters in a row. The team who successfully puts the three
letters in a row wins. In order to put the letter on the board they have to say the
word or phrase correctly. To make the exercise more difficult, have the students use
the word in a sentence.
One example is to have students review past tense verbs in a sentence. The groups
discuss sentences and every student must make a turn. The group alternate turns.
One is Xs and the other is Os.
Leave, Eat, Give, Think, Have, Drink, Take, Come, Meet
CARD EXCHANGE
LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE
Great activity for a class of at least eight students; the more students you have, the
better it works. Students will practice asking and answering questions from material
they have already learned.
Give each student a card. Each of the cards should have a different question on it.
But if you have a big class, you can use question multiple times.
Students stand up and each find someone to ask their question to.
They will take turns asking and answering the questions with students around the
room.
Once they have done this for several minutes, let them switch cards, collect and
redistribute so they can practice asking new questions.
If a student is asked the same question more than once, no big deal; someone else
who hasnt heard the answer is usually asking it.
If you write your own questions they shouldnt simply elicit a yes/no answer; the
idea of the activity is interesting conversation.
A variation of this game could be played in a large group circle exercise where the
student hold a question and throw a ball to another student who needs to then
answer the question and ask the question that they have in their hand.
LINE-UP
LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE
This is a structure that has a variety of uses, including reviewing new vocabulary,
reinforcing grammar, and practicing expressing opinion. This structure requires
students to physically move according to their answer. For example, if you were
talking about birthdays, you would have students line-up in order according to their
birthdays, January 1st at one end and December 31st at the other. If you are
speaking about frequency adverbs, tape up signs labeled: ALWAYS, OFTEN,
SOMETIMES, RARELY, and NEVER on the wall horizontally in the correct order. (Leave
a few feet between each adverb.) All students should stand in front of the wall. Read
a statement and that students should react by moving to the part of the wall that is
labeled with the adverb that matches their life.
For example:
How often do you do the following:
o
I read in bed before I go to sleep.
I watch American movies on TV.
I go for a walk on the weekend.

MIX-UP QUESTIONS
LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE
Split the students into groups of three or four and give each group of students a
copy of a question with the words mixed up. When they think they have done it
correctly they come to the front to show the teacher; if it is correct you give them
the next one, if not they go back and try again. The first group to finish all (5 to 6)
sentences wins. This can also be used for structures such as conditionals and
relative clauses.
JEOPARDY
Select four or five categories, either general or specific. General might be countries,
sports, animals, food, drink and names. Specific may be something from the text.
Divide the board into three parts horizontally. 100, 200 and 300 (representing the
points each question is worth). On the top of the board put the categories. Students
usually like if there is a wild category where they do not know the subject of the
questions they are asking.
During preparation time, think of easiest and hardest questions for each particular
category.
The class should be broken into two or three groups depending on the size of the
group. The students choose a category and then they choose (100, 200 or 300). If
the team is unable to answer the question correctly, you can either give the other
group a chance for half the points or leave the question unanswered.
For a variation, you can draw a soccer park or basketball court on the board and
assign areas in the same way.
VERB REVIEW
Activity can be played in teams or individually. Teacher gives students 5 minutes to
review a list of both regular and irregular verbs. Then teacher writes something on
the board like things we do with our feet. The students then have exactly one
minute to write all the verbs related to this topic, such as walk, kick, dance, run,
jump, etc. After time is up, the teacher checks the students lists of verbs. Each verb
counts for one point. Any verbs appearing in more than one student list are
eliminated. Then the teacher writes another topic on the board, such as things we
do with our mouth. The student or team with the most points is the winner.
This game can be used to review not only verbs, but also adjectives, nouns, etc.
Find Someone Who
Level: INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED
Find Someone Who is an activity in which students are given a piece of paper with
a list of things taught from those last 10 lessons. Students have to find someone in
the class who knows the present simple tense of come. The students have to ask
each other, in English, if they know the answers to the questions. Once the students
find someone who knows the answer, the student should write down that students
name next to that question. Each students name can appear on the paper ONLY
ONCE.
Tell students that today they will be reviewing/ competing to see who remembers
the most about the last ten lessons you have studied. Explain to students how to
play Find Someone Who. Ask a student or two to explain the rules to the class
after you have explained them to check for comprehension. Assign penalties if a
student is heard asking the questions in Russian, it should be done in English.
The first to complete their form should raise their hand at their desk. All play stops
and students return to their seats. You take the paper from the student that has
completed it. Read the first statement aloud and the name of the person who says
he knows the answer and asks for the answer. Go over it as a class.
Further Review: After this activity, give each student a piece of paper. Tell them it
must be absolutely quiet and anyone who talks will have his or her paper taken
away. Tell them they have five minutes to answer as many questions as possible
about the material you have been reviewing. Unroll a wallpaper chart with some
questions on it. Walk around monitoring and watching to be sure students are not
copying or talking. And the end of five minutes, collect the papers. Ask the students
to comment on what they remembered.
GUESS THE OBJECT
The teacher prepares cutout pictures that are pasted or taped to index cards. One
student selects a card and must describe it in English until another student can
guess the object. Teacher should be careful to select pictures that reflect the
vocabulary level of the students. Simple objects like baby, door or car are
good for beginners. Later on, more complicated pictures that suggest actions,
scenes and relationships could be used, like: mother bathing child.
ROUND TABLE
Students should start off the class in groups of 4-5 students per group. Each group
should have one piece of paper and one pen. Explain that you will announce the
new (or review) topic of study and that a timer will be set for five minutes (or as
long as you think necessary). During the five minutes, each group passes its piece
of paper and pen from member to member. One at a time, each group member
writes down one word that is related to the topic. For example, if the topic is
hobbies, student one writes down cycling, and then passes the paper to student
two, who then writes reading. One student is not allowed to do all the writing. Each
student must write something in turn. After you say stop, each group counts how
many words they have written and the group with the most words reads their list
aloud. Write their words on the chalkboard and have the other groups listencrossing the words off their own list that are the same as the first groups. When the
first group is finished the other groups offer the words that have not previously been
mentioned. The first group to report should also add new words to their own list.
Explain to the students that they should all be writing any new vocabulary words in
their vocabulary notebook to study for homework.
This activity is great at the beginning of a unit because it will show you, the teacher,
how many words the students already know (or do not know) about the given topic.
It will give you a clearer idea about what you need to teach your students. This
activity is also useful at the end of a topic because it is a great way to review before
a test, or simply show the students how many words they have learned.
GRAMMAR CHECKERS
You need to prepare checker boards and game pieces for every pair of students. A
checker board is comprised of 8 squares by 8 squares, and every other square
should be colored black. The rest of the squares should be left white. Prepare a set
of pieces: Each set will have 12 pieces. Set A should be pronouns and nouns: choose
8 different pronouns or nouns in varying cases (ex: you, she, the police, John, my
friend, the men, I, they, he, we, people, her husband). Set B should be verbs that
the students know in random present simple tenses (ex: wonder, stop, buy, refuse,
sells, want, drink, goes, thinks, lives, asks, hits). To make the pieces, draw a grid of
3 by 4 squares. You will cut out the squares, fold each in half and write a word on
either sideso they should be small enough to fit in the checker board squares. (For
example, set B piece stop will be folded in half so that the paper can stand on its
own, and stop should be written on either side so it can be viewed by both players.)
Prepare four Q pieces for each set. (It may be helpful to write Set A in one color
marker and Set B in another color.)
Students will play the game like regular Checkers, with one difference. Student A
will place Set A pieces on the black squares of his side of the board, and Student B
will place Set B pieces on the black squares of her side of the board. Students rotate
taking turns. A turn involves moving one piece forward one diagonal squarepieces
can only move diagonally, so they will always remain on the black squares. A
student can jump another students piece if there is an open black square behind
it.
For Grammar Checkers, only pieces that are grammatically correct may jump
each other. For example, the stop piece cannot jump a she piece, but stop can
jump a I piece. If one student moves his/her piece all the way to the other side of
the board and can no longer move that piece forward, then the piece is crowned.
That piece becomes a Queen, and the student should replace it with a Q piece.
A queen piece can move forward or backwards diagonally, can jump any
verb/pronoun/noun, but can only be jumped by another queen.
The game ends when one player has jumped all of the other players pieces, or if
neither player can move anymore. In this case, the winner is the student who has
collected the highest number of the other players pieces.
If there are students in your class you know the rules for Checkers, have them walk
around the room and assist other students.
Circulate the room as students are playing and provide immediate feedback about
grammar questions.
MY SENTENCES=YOUR PARAGRAPH
Ask the class to tell you all the linking words they know. You might start by
suggesting and, but. Build up a list on the board. There will be some you will have to
explain/translate for people who do not know them, or are not sure they know them.
Write up on the board five open, general sentences around a theme. Ask the
students to work on their own and put the above sentences in any order they want,
linking them into a two or three sentence paragraph. They may add linking words
and further linking clauses or sentences to make a full paragraph. While this is
going on, go round and help students who are getting linking words wrong.
Ask the students to stick their paragraphs up on the walls of the classroom and go
around and read each others.
MARTIAN
LEVEL: ADVANCED
Tell your class you are a Martian from the planet Mars and you are inhabiting a
human body to study human ways. You then ask about virtually anything in the
room, and ask follow up questions. Example:
What is this?
Its a pen.
Whats a pen?
You use it to write.
What is write?
You make words with it on paper.
What are words?
Etc.
You can make it as difficult as possible for your higher level students; at some point,
though, youll need to say Ok, I understand, and go on to the next object. Even
your best students will eventually get stuck on this one.
WHO AM I?
LEVEL: ADVANCED
You can use this with any subject. Write the names of famous people (mixed
nationalities) on small pieces of paper. Tape a name on the forehead of each
student. The individual student should not see his or her paper, but the others
should. Then, students may ask each other only yes or no questions about the name
on their forehead. (Ex: Am I a man?) If the student elicits a yes answer, he/she
can ask another question. If the answer is no, he/she must move on to another
student to ask questions. Play until everyone has guessed who he/she is. This can
be played with nationalities, countries, household objects, anything.
KEEP TALKING
LEVEL: ADVANCED
Explain to the students that you want to see how much information they remember
from their lessons. Divide the class into two groups. Slips of paper are placed face
down. Explain rules: one person from each group will select a piece of paper and
read the topic. He then will have one minute in which he has to talk about that
topic. If he succeeds, one point is given to that team. If he pauses for five seconds,
he is finished and no point is given. For homework have each student select and
write about one topic to be read aloud at the next lesson.
Materials: slips of paper with different topics which can be taken from the textbook.
Examples: My pet, the farm, my daily schedule.
NAME SIX
LEVEL: ADVANCED
This game is fun and challenging at the same time. It can be adapted for virtually
any subject and any grade level. It allows the students to review material theyve
learned, without having to get out a pencil and paper and answer questions from
the text.
Arrange students in a circle and choose one person to stand outside the circle.
Give one student in the circle a stuffed animal to pass around the circle.
The person outside the circle states what the person holding the animal has to
name six of.
The person who started with the stuffed animal is responsible to come up with the
six items while the stuffed animal is being passed around the circle.
If the stuffed animal gets back to the first person, without that person having listed
six items, that person is now outside the circle and chooses a category.
For example, youve just finished a vocabulary unit on animals. The person standing
outside the group may say something like: Names six animals that have fur. The
person sitting in the circle holding the animal must pass it along and being naming
animals. If the player cannot name six animals with fur by the time the stuffed
animal reaches him, he has lost and its his turn to stand outside the group and try
to stump the other students.
HARD WORDS
LEVEL: ADVANCED
Childs Name:
Dear Family, Your child is learning to use the dictionary to find out what words
mean.
Sometimes you will need to use a dictionary to learn the meanings of hard words.
Read this sentence:
I looked at my homework with consternation.
o
What do you think consternation means?
What does the dictionary say the word means?
What else does the dictionary tell you about the word?
What do you have to know in order to be able to use the dictionary?
When is it a good idea to use a dictionary to learn the meaning of new

words?
QUESTIONS
LEVEL: ADVANCED
Usually students answer comprehension questions after a reading. Why not have
students create their own comprehensive questions? Have students in small groups
work together to write questions about the text. Only questions which can be
answered by the text are allowed. Opinion questions are not allowed. After groups
finish writing their questions, they ask their questions to another group which must
answer within a specified amount of time (the teacher decides the time according to
the class level). If the answer is correct and given within the time period, the
answering team receives a point. If the answer is incorrect or not found within the
time period, the questioning group receives point, but they must inform the other
group of the answer. Each group takes turns asking and answering questions.
SURVEYS
LEVEL: ADVANCED
Distribute one card per student. (If you have a large class, you can either have
students work in pairs or you could divide the class in two and use two sets of
cards.)
Instruct students that they are going to walk around the room and survey seven of
their classmates on their question.
You will give them one question on a card, and ask each student to write down two
follow up questions from the first question.
They should take notes as they listen to their classmates responses.
Allow around 15-20 minutes for the students to conduct their surveys.
Monitor and circulate.
Then bring the class back together and have individual students report back on
their results. Encourage group discussion.
An extension to this game might be bar graph for students to see what the most
common response was. For example, one student may ask what is your favorite
sport and then show the class which sport was the most popular.
QUIZ GAME
LEVEL: ADVANCED
In the classroom, separate the students into two teams (works best with 3-7
students per team). Then write on each side of the board numbers one through six
and blanks for the student to write the answers in the spots. Two students will stand
in front of the board. The student will be given a category and they will write on the
board one item that is part of the category. The next student on their team will write
another part of the category, students will take turns until they have completed the
six blanks. The first team to complete all six parts will win. A wrong answer means
they do not get full points for their category. For each correct item, a point is
awarded, the team with the most points will win.
Possible questions to ask the students:
Something worn on a cold day:
1.
A hat
2.
A scarf
3.
Gloves
4.
Thick socks
5.
Warm coat
6.
Long johns
The Scandinavian capitals:

7.
Oslo
8.
Copenhagen
9.
Stockholm
10.
Helsinki
A tool used in the garden:

11.
Spade
12.
Fork
13.
Lawn mower
14.
Shears
15.
Hoe
16.
Rake
HOT POTATO
LEVEL: ALL
Students sit or stand in a circle. A ball or stuffed animal is thrown around the circle
as quickly as possible (imagine it is a hot potato so you do not want to hold onto it
for a long time). Students may speak only when they have the object in their hand.
The ball or animal is NOT passed around the circle, but rather thrown across the
circle. In this way students do not know when they will speak next. Therefore, they
must remain attentive.
Imagine all students are standing in a circle:
The topic is: words that begin with the letter A
Student 1: Apple (throws it to student 8)
Student 8: Air (throws it to student 15)
Student 15: Ape (throws it to the next student)

This can also be used to make sentences:
Student 1: The (throws it to student 11)
Student 11: boy (throws it to student 7)
Student 7: went (throws it to student 16)
Student 16: home (ends the sentence).
CORRECTING HOMEWORK
LEVEL: ALL
Select 12 representative mistakes from your students homework. Put half of them
on the team A worksheet and half on the team B worksheet. Write the correct
versions of the mistakes on team As worksheet onto the team B worksheet and
vice-versa. Wrong sentences and corrected sentences should be mixed together on
each worksheet. Do not mark the students homework.
In class, divide the class up into groups of six to eight. Split each group up into an A
team and a B team. Give out the appropriate worksheets and ask the students to
work in their A or B teams deciding which sentences are correct and which are
wrong. Tell the A and B teams to work separately.
During this phase the teacher should walk around and listen to the thinking and
discussion, but do not offer your opinionthis will ruin the exercise.
When most of the groups have worked through their sheets, give each pair of A and
B teams a large piece of card to stick up on the wall in their part of the classroom.
One person from each pair of teams acts as a secretary, writing on the card.
Tell the A team to read out their first sentence. The B team should then read their
corresponding sentence. Working cooperatively, the two teams decide which is the
right version, the secretary writes this up on the card.
Ask the secretaries to read out the sentences their group consider to be correct.
Allow discussion before giving your authoritative feedback.
Give back the homework and ask the students to mark each others. There will be
plenty more mistakes than the ones you put on the worksheets. These may or may
not get worked on, but thats ok.
SAVED BY THE BELL
LEVEL: ALL
Place a buzzer or bell inside a waste basket (a clean one, of course). Get a light ball
that fits into the basket. Each student will take a turn trying to throw the ball in the
basket. If the bell goes off, then he/she does not have to answer a question. If the
bell does not sound, then ask the student a question that you have prepared.
Questions can be about anything, from vocabulary definitions to how are you?
TIC-TAC-TOE
LEVEL: ALL
Divide the class into two groups. Draw a grid of nine squares (3X3) on the board and
write a number on each square (1-9). Prepare nine questions and set one question
for each number. The groups call out the numbers and if they answer the question
correctly, they get the point. The goal of the game is to make a line (either
horizontal, vertical or diagonal) and prevent the other team from making a line.
SPELLING
ALPHABET SLIPS
LEVEL: BEGINNER
Tear paper into small squares. Include capital and small letters of the English
alphabet. Make multiple copies of each letter. Distribute bundles of letters to the
students. (This works well as a pair activity.) Then you spell a name, a word, etc.,
slowly. The children with those letters bring the letter to the front of the room and
spell the word. When the entire word is displayed, chorally spell the word, one letter
at a time, with the whole class.
This can also be a listening activityyou begin to spell a word they know slowly,
and as soon as someone thinks he knows the word, he runs up and spells it using
the alphabet slips, then tells the class the whole word.
Children can spell their names, the name of their village, names of siblings, parents,
teachers, pets, etc.
ALPHABET SLIP SPELLING
Each student gets two or three slips showing one letter of the alphabet. If your class
is small, give each pupil two or three letters. If you dont have time to do this now,
do it at the next lessonbut try to at least get some of this in while the words are
still fresh. You call out the letters of the word family and the pupils with those
letters run to the front of the room, line up in order to spell the word and then
everyone together calls out the letters one at a time and the word spelled. You say
family then everyone spells F-A-M-I-L-Y. You ask, What does it spell? and
everyone says, Family. Repeat multiple times. Do the same for mother, brother,
father, sister, etc. Once the pupils know how to do these class spelling exercises,
you can do them quickly at the end of class whenever you have learned new words.
Writing the new words in the air is another good way to check retention.
HANGMAN
Divide the class into two teams. On the blackboard, draw spaces for the number of
letters in a word, and a large upside down L (this is your hangman stand). Have
the players guess letters in the word alternating between the teams. If a letter in
the word is guessed correctly, the teacher writes it in the correct space. If a letter is
guessed which is not in the word, the teacher may draw a body part of the man
being hanged under the upside down L. The team which can guess the word first
receives a point, then start the game over. No one wins if the entire body is drawn.
(Body parts: Draw a circle for a head, line for the body, one line for each leg, one
line for each arm, two dots for eyes, mouthif students really cant guess the word,
start adding things like a hat or hair to make the game last longer.
SYLLABLES
Write a difficult word on the board. For example: ACCOMODATION. Clap your hands
for each syllable while saying the word. Repeat as necessary. Ask students to count
the claps in ACCOMADATION. There are 5 handclaps. Get students to clap and say
ACCOMADATION. Tell students these handclaps are called syllables, and that every
word breaks down into one or more syllables. Briefly practice saying syllables. On
the board underneath ACCOMADATION draw 5 medium sized boxes. Put the correct
number under each box. Clap and say the first syllable of ACCOMADATION and ask
you students which letters should go in box 1. They should say AC. Repeat this
process until all of the letters are in the correct boxes. It should look like this: BOX 1:
AC, BOX 2: COM, BOX 3: MO, BOX 4: DA, BOX 5: TION. Then choral drill the letters
like this: What letters are in box 1? What letters are in box 2? Etc. Continue this until
all 5 boxes (syllables) have been covered. Then ask a student to give you the
contents of box 1 and box 2. Ask another to give you the contents for box 2 and 3.
Etc. This gradual building of the word helps them not only to understand the rhythm
and concept of syllables, but also helps them to fix the spelling in their minds. Once
they grasp the concept of syllables, write some 1, 2 and 3 syllable words on the
board and get the students to work out how many syllables the word has, then get
them to put the letters into the correct boxes.
LONG WORDS SHORT WORDS
The class is to be divided into two or three teams. Give each team a dictionary and
write a long word on the board. Students should compose different words from the
letters of this word. After some time, the teams give their words. The team that has
the most correct words wins.
Example: RETRIBUTION
Possible words formed with the letters from RETRIBUTION: return tribute iron notion
note tone rib tube bruit tent tribe bur button rent burin nob bite burr run route tire
tore bent bet bonnet rub nib net nub bin nut bit rube ruin rob rot unit union unite
tier tie tin tint tone toe brute burn brunt butt butter riot tot tenet tenure terrier retro
bone boot born bout totter tote tour bore
INTERSECTIONS
To present words that are synonyms (mean the same thing), it is sometimes useful
to present them visually overlapping.
Example: The word refusal has a similar meaning to deny, say no, reject, and
(throw) out.
do
refusal
enta
jyy
en
co
t
This diagram gives an image of the new word (refusal) and other words with similar
meaning (deny, say no, reject, (throw) out) by showing them literally as
intersections. To make this presentation an activity, write this diagram on the board,
then erase all letters of the word (refusal) that are not part of other words. See if
students can remember the original word.
do
reus
enta
jyy
en
co
t
Other examples: essential intersects with important, vital, must have ; disastrous
intersects with terrible, awful, very bad
SPELL ALOUD
Spell out the words and meanings of chosen vocabulary aloud, (for example, d-i-s-pl-a-y = s-h-o-w,) while students listen. Students cannot see the word or hear it as it
is spoken, only as it is spelled. After each word pair is spelt, ask students to say the
words aloud, and give help if necessary. Next, write all the words and the meanings
on the board at random and tell the students to try to match them. By getting
students to visualize the word first, then say and hear the word before seeing it
written, we reverse the normal process of learning and students must learn to think
about words in a different way.
DOMINOES
Copy as many sets of dominoes as you have groups of three or six in your class.
Put the students in circles of three to six round a flat surface. Give each group the
two pages of dominoes and ask them to carefully fold and tear the pages to create
dominoes. Ask someone in each group to shuffle them and deal out as many
dominoes as possible to every student in the circle. Students should not show their
dominoes to each other.
Player A in each group starts by laying down a domino. The player to his/her right
then lays down a domino, one end of which matches one end of As domino.
(Example: If the left side of As domino is SANE and the next player lays down a
domino with IN on its right side, then this is a correct match because it creates the
word INSANE.)
Play continues around the circle. If a player cant lay down a domino, he or she
misses that turn. The winner is the first person to get rid of most of his or her
dominoes.
You should walk around the room and be available to help when people want to
know when a particular match is correct. Give immediate feedback.
DOMINO PIECES
Draw 56 2 inch by 1 inch rectangles. Inside each rectangle draw two squares, each
in one half of the rectangle. In each square write the prefix or suffix, and make sure
to write its corresponding prefix or suffix in the next square. You can cut the
rectangles before class or have the students to this. After making the pieces (be
sure to have one set for every 3 to 6 students), keep them in separate envelopes for
later use.
CENTRALISEDELIGHT
LYDE
FULIM
RELIABLEYOUNG
YUN
FULIR
ICETWENTY
LESSIR
FULUN
SMOKERGREY
LESSNONABLEIM
RESPONSIBLEOLD
LESSDIS
ABLEIR
BREAKABLEBULLET
LESSDE
ABLEIN
MAGNETISEWATER
LYIR
ABLEDE
HONESTRUST
PROOFIN
PROOFDE
REGULARYDUST
YIN
PROOFIN
BALANCEDBREAK
COMFORTPROFIT
EUROPEANHOUR
RELEVANTENJOY
TOLERANTTUNE
SINCERERUST
PERSONALPAIN
POSSIBLEWATER
FROSTHARM
OBEYDUST
STICKCOLOUR
RATIONALCRUNCH
PATIENTAVOID
SANEMOTHER
YDIS
PRACTICALCOWARD
PROOFUN
ADVANTAGEFORTNIGHT
ISHIM
YIM
COMFROTABLEPAIN
ISHNONLYDIS
VISIBLEHELP
ISHDIS
LYNONFICTIONPOWER
ISHUN
FULNONGUESS THE WORD
LEVEL: ADVANCED
Choose a word and write a number for each letter of the word, plus an extra one at
random, on the board. (For example, if your word is pretend, then you will write
numbers 1 through 8 on the board.) Assign each letter from the word a number at
random (for example, p=2, r=5, e=1, t=6, e=3, n=4, d=7), but do not show the
students. The extra number (for example, 8) represents the synonym or meaning of
the chosen word (for example, 8=act in a different way than how you really are).
Put students in two teams. For each turn, students from one team will choose a
number. Replace the chosen number with the letter (or phrase, as in the example
#8) it represents, then let students guess the word. Each team can choose one
number and take one guess, then it is the next teams turn. The team that guesses
the word wins.
AIR-WRITE
LEVEL: ALL
One person writes letters, words, numbers, shapes, etc., in the air and others
guess what it is. This can be done in pairs, groups or along a chain.
BACK WRITE
LEVEL: ALL
Students write a letter, number, or word on the back of another student and that
student tries to guess what was written. Line students up and see if they can pass
the letter, word or number along without saying it.
ALPHABET
Alphabet Drawings
Level: beginner
Give students an alphabetical list of simple words with the first letter missing (for
example, _pple, _ear, _at, and so on). Students will follow your lead and fill in the
blanks with the required. Then ask each student to read a newly completed word.
Then have the kids separate into two groups and have one student from each group
go to the blackboard. The teacher will say a letter aloud and it is race for the
students at the board to write the correct letter.
To further review, after this activity, have the children stretch and calm down and
then sit at their desks. The teacher should show them flashcards of the letters in
alphabetical order and have them tell you what the letter is. Later, you may want to
do this out of order.
For homework, divide the alphabet between them as evenly as possible and have
students draw a picture that starts with the letter they were given. Put it all
together and display in your classroom for a reference.
ALPHABET BOXES
LEVEL: BEGINNER
You need: 26 baby wipe boxes/tissue boxes, various items to go with each letter (ex:
apple magnet for the letter A) and a permanent marker.
Write the upper and lower case letter on each box, one letter of the alphabet for
each box. Get your students to fill each box with items that begin with that letter.
Some can even be pictures of items (this can be done slowly over a matter of
weeks/months). Each class show the items to the children and pass them around,
this captivates the children!
One box is filled at a time. You dont even have to fill all the boxes at once, but fill
them as you go through the year. This hands-on experience is a big hit!
ALPHABET SONG
LEVEL: BEGINNER
Teach students the alphabet song. You may want to only teach them the first line or
two or you may want to start with the whole song, accepting that they will not be
able to learn all the letters at once, but that they will add more with each practice.
Whatever part of the song you decide to present, point to the letters on your wall
chart and sing slowly so the children can hear the name of each letter. The children
should listen to you, then sing it with you. Repeat as needed.
ALPHABET DANCE
LEVEL: BEGINNER
Make up a simple move for each letter of the alphabet. As you sing the alphabet
song, teach the students the steps up to the last letter you are introducing. Do not
be discouraged if the children do not master all the letters the first time through.
Singing, pointing and dancing will reinforce the memory of the letter names.
ALPHABET LINE-UP
LEVEL: BEGINNER
Give each student an alphabet flashcard. Play the ABC song and have the students
skip around in a circle singing along to the song. Stop the tape at random points
and the students have to line up in the correct alphabetical order according to their
cards.
ALPHABET SENTENCES
LEVEL: BEGINNER
One student says a letter (for example A) and his teammate says a word that
starts with that letter (like ant). Then you go on to a sentence that uses the letter
A word (ex: A nice person would not smash an ant.).
ALPHABET SOUP
LEVEL: BEGINNER
Place plastic letters in a bowl (or paper cards or slips with letters written on them).
In alphabetical order, line up picture flashcards (for example, the A picture is an
apple). Each student draws a letter from the bowl (with a spoon if you want to make
it really seem like they are eating alphabet soup) and then finds the flashcard
associated with that letter.
ALPHABET WAVE
LEVEL: BEGINNER
Divide the a-z flashcards among all your students. Put students in a line and play
the ABC song. As it plays, each student must hold up their corresponding alphabet
flashcards.
ALPHABET WHISPERS
LEVEL: BEGINNER
The children split up into groups of three, one is at the blackboard, one is sitting
down and one is running between the two. The student sitting down has a sheet
with the alphabet printed out in a disordered manner. The sitting student whispers
the first letter to their teammate, who in turn runs to the board and whispers the
letter to their other team member. If the letter is understood, then the student at
the board will write it on the board. The first team to write the letter correctly gets a
point. This can also be adapted to spelling words. The teams can change positions
and get maximum benefit from this game.
BALLOON ALPHABET
LEVEL: BEGINNER
You need a balloon (not filled with helium)this is your timing device evoking the
alphabet from the students unpredictably. This game can get a bit out of hand if the
teacher isnt careful in his/her method of control. Teacher starts and is A. The next
student is B. The next student is C, and so on. Each student bounces the balloon in
the air and says their letterthis goes around the room until Z. Students try to keep
the balloon from touching the ground, but only the student whose letter is next can
touch the balloon. This can be random or in a circle or line, but the balloon goes
anywhere. Control is essential so the children dont trample each other.
This can also be used for subject review, such as colors or animals. It is sometimes
helpful if the teacher touches the balloon a few times (B-B-B-B-B) then passes it on
(to C).
BOARD SCRAMBLE
LEVEL: BEGINNER
Teacher puts the whole alphabet on the blackboard in a scramble of letters here and
there, but low enough that the students can reach it. Split the class into two teams
and have one person from each team come to the board, then call out a letter. The
person that is able to find and circle it first wins a point for their team. Then call up
different students from each team. To make things harder, have capital and lower
case letters. Even more challenging, have four teams all looking for the same letter.
You can do this with numbers and words, also.
CHALKBOARD FUN
LEVEL: BEGINNER
Give each student a small chalkboard, rag and a piece of chalk. Call out a letter and
have students draw that letter and then hold up the chalkboard when finished. This
makes writing practice more fun!
CONCENTRATION
LEVEL: BEGINNER
You need two sets of alphabet flashcards for this game. Place both sets face down
on the floor. Students take turns turning over two cards (saying the letters out loud).
If the cards match, then the student keeps the cards. If the cards are different, the
cards are turned back over again in their original places. The student with the most
pairs at the end of the game is the winner. This game works well for upper and
lower case letters (find the a and A match).
This can also be used with vocabulary words and their definitions or pictures.
DOMINOES
LEVEL: BEGINNER
You need a large piece of Tag board and one permanent black marker. Cut the tag
board into 1in by 2inch pieces. On each piece, print two letters and make the pieces
look like dominos, but with letters. Use all upper case, or lower case. If the children
are ready for a challenge, use both upper and lower case at the same time. Play as
you would regular dominoes.
You can also make these using shapes, colors, animals, etc.
FIND IT
LEVEL: BEGINNER
Teacher holds up a letter flashcard at the students search around the room for an
object beginning with that letter (ex: A=arm, B=book, c=clock). You can also do this
activity by spreading picture flashcards around the classroom and having students
find the picture that has the correct first letter.
FIRST LETTER
LEVEL: BEGINNER
Give students various picture flashcards. Run through the alphabet and have
students hold up the flashcard that begins with that letter.
HOT POTATO FOR THE ALPHABET
LEVEL: BEGINNER
Write a letter of the alphabet on the blackboard. Throw a soft ball to a student.
He/she must say a word beginning with the letter and then throw the ball back to
the teacher, or to another student.
I SPY
LEVEL: BEGINNER
Teacher says, I spy with my little eye something that begins with B. Students try
to guess the object. (ex. Book)
LETTER SCULPTURES
LEVEL: BEGINNER
Either print the alphabet on the board or use alphabet flashcards. Divide the class
into teams of 3. Give a demonstration first, showing that each team must work
together and use their bodies to form a letter. Then start with: Make the letter H
Go! Students can make the letter shape either by standing or lying on the floor.
Points can be given for 1) the team that is the first to make the letter shape, or 2)
the team that makes the best letter shape.
LETTER SHAPES RACE
LEVEL: BEGINNER
Alphabet blocks or shapes are great for this activity. Scatter all the alphabet shapes
randomly around the classroom floor. Line up all the students against the front wall
and have them race to find the first letter: a. The first student to find it stamps on
it and shouts A. That student then wins the A flashcard. Students then have to
race to find v and once again the first student to stamp on it and shout B wins the
b flashcard. Continue until A. The student with the most flashcards wins.
MAGIC FINGER
LEVEL: BEGINNER
Here is a good activity to use before going on to printing practice. Go through your
routine of teaching a letter using an alphabet flashcard. Then hold the flashcard
letter up in front of each student and let them trace the letter on the card with their
magic finger. Then the teacher, using his/her magic finger, traces the letter in the
air and the students follow suit. The teacher and the students can then use their
magic fingers to trace the letter on all sorts of fun places. (Ex: Draw p on your
hand. Now on the floor. Now on your partners back. Now on your cheek. Now on the
wall. Now on your foot.) Finally, if you have posters on the walls get the students to
find examples of the letter in the posters.
MAKE AN ALPHABET BOOK
LEVEL: BEGINNER
For this you need: ring binder folder, white paper and old magazines. Each week we
choose a new letter to work on. Write the upper and lower case letters on a piece of
white paper, then go through old magazines with your students to find pictures that
begin with that letter. Let them cut them out and glue them on the paper, which
helps them improve their cutting skills, too! Use a hole punch and put it into a folder
to make a book. The students love to look at it over the year.
MUSICAL CHAIR ALPHABET

LEVEL: BEGINNER
Place as many chairs as there are students in a circle or a line, and put an alphabet
card on each chair. As the teacher plays music, the students walk in a circle around
the chairs. When the music stops, students must sit in the chair closest to them and
read the letter that was on the chair. Students who cant read the letter are out of
the game.
Or you can play like regular musical chairs and set up one less chair than there are
students. The student who cant find a seat when the music stops is out, and before
the next round begins, another chair is removed. Students still have to read the
letter on their chair, but they may receive help if they do not know it.
This game can also be played with vocabulary words, rather than letters.
PASS
LEVEL: BEGINNER
Sit with your students in a circle. Teacher holds up a flashcard letter and says the
letter. Teacher passes it on to the next student, who also says it and passes it on to
the next student.
Variations: change directions, do speed rounds, have many flashcard letters going
around at the same time.
SAND PAPER ETCHINGS
LEVEL: BEGINNER
You need sand paper, scissors, crayons and paper. Cut shapes, letters or numbers
out of sand paper at least three inches tall. Put the shapes under the paper and let
the children rub over the top with the crayons. Have them rub their name, etc.
SCRAPBOOK
LEVEL: BEGINNER
You need an old scrapbook or photo album, old magazines and scissors. Take a
scrapbook or photo album and on each page write a letter of the alphabet starting
at A through Z. Then with your students look through magazines for pictures of
things and put them on the pages with the same first letter. An example would be a
picture of an airplane for A, etc. Use photo albums with the cling plastic covering so
no gluing is involved.
SLOW MOTION
LEVEL: BEGINNER
Teacher holds a pack of alphabet flashcards with the letters facing towards him/her.
The last card should be turned around so the letter is facing the students but is
hidden, as it is behind the pack. Slowly pull the flashcard up inch by inch so the
students can only see part of the letter. As the letter is slowly revealed, students try
to guess what it is. The first student go guess correctly keeps the card (for 1 point).
To make it more difficult, turn each letter flashcard upside down.
UP AND DOWN
LEVEL: BEGINNER
You need two sets of letter flashcards for this game (or one set of uppercase letters
and one set of lower case letters). Give each of your students a letter flashcard from
one set. Teacher keeps the other set. Arrange the students so that they are all
sitting down. Teacher holds up one flashcard letter and the student with the same
flashcard letter stands up and says the letter and then sits down again. Play the
game at a fast pace so that students are standing up and sitting down rapidly.
Variation: give each student two or three flashcards.
VANISHING ALPHABET FLASHCARDS
LEVEL: BEGINNER
Place a number of flashcard letters in front of the students. Give them a few
moments to memorize the letters and then tell them to close their eyes. Take away
one of the flashcards and then tell the students to open their eyes again. The first
student to guess the missing letter flashcard can win that flashcard (for 1 point) and
take away a flashcard in the next round.
YELL IT
LEVEL: BEGINNER
Have your students close their eyes and turn their backs so they cant see what
you are doing. Take a letter flashcard, letter block or letter shape and hide it
somewhere in the classroom (behind a curtain, on a chair seat, under a book, etc.).
Then shout Go! Students race around the room looking for that letter. The student
that finds it yells I tout and wins a point. This can be done a letter at a time, or with
a number of letters at the same time.
VERBS
DESK INVENTORY
LEVEL: BEGINNER
Have students take out their school bags, pencil boxes, etc. and lay everything they
have on their desk. They should already know most of these words in English from
the practice with classroom English. Dont worry about words like eraser or ruler
pens, pencils, paper, desk are fine. Ask pupil, Do you have a pencil? He must
answer, Yes, I have a pencil or No I dont have a pencil. Ask some impossible
questions too. Do you have a teaching degree? to which the pupil should answer,
No, I dont have a teaching degree.
SPOON FAMILIES
LEVEL: BEGINNER
Before class, as a home task, give each child a spoon and ask the child to make a
spoon puppet of themselves: if they have photos of faces, they can cut out the
photo and paste it in place on the spoon, then dress the spoon to look like they look.
Make one or two yourself to show them.
Make spoon puppets for your own family. Make additional adult and children
puppets with different colors of hair, etc. You are going to teach the children the
words for family members and ask them to tell about their own families. After
hearing and saying the words, the pupils will practice using the alphabet letters to
make the words. Home task will be to write each of these words however many
times you think is helpful.
On the board, or somewhere easy to see, arrange your family spoon puppets. Tell
the class: My name is Barbara. I have a family. I have a mother (point to the
mother). I have a father (point to the father). I have two sisters. I have a brother.
Then ask the class to say it with you. Then point to the mother spoon and say, Who
is this? The answer is mother. You repeat, adding, Yes, This is my mother. Who
is this? Yes, this is my sister. Now add the signs which say Family mother
father, etc. Point to each sign and elicit from the class the word that is written
there.
Now you want to transfer the information from your family to the families of the
pupils. First hold up each puppet and ask, Do you have a mother? Ask pupils to
say, Yes, or Yes, I have a mother, and hold up their mother puppet. Go through
the family words, each time students holding up their puppets and repeating the
phrase.
PAST IRREGULAR BINGO
LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE
Teacher should prepare a list of irregular past tense verbs. List verbs to students
and have them copy down into provided chart, in different orders. Teacher reads the
present tense of the irregular verbs at random. Write down each verb you use.
Students cross out the past from if they have it. Example: If the reader says Do
the students will cross out Did. When a student has four in a row vertically,
horizontally or diagonally they say BINGO! They must then read their verbs,
saying the present and the past form (third form as well if you want. Play until a few
students have gotten a BINGO.
Took, Woke, Wrote, Saw, Heard, Went, Did, Sang, Ate, Flew, Read, Drank, Left, Ran,
Was/were, Came
TENSES
Write questions on pieces of paper, one word per piece of paper. Divide students
into groups of two or three. Have two more questions than you will have groups. If
you have 22 students, write 13 or 14 questions. Examples:
1.
did have meet married? Been long When and your how they parents
2.
long you English? How studied have
3.
Chisinau? ever opera Have to in you the been
4.
most changed five How in has last years? The the Ukraine
Should read: When did your parents meet and how long have they been marred?
How long have you studied English? Have you ever been to the opera in Chisinau?
How has Ukraine changed the most in the last five years?
Give each group one question. Each group puts the words in order to form
questions. When completed they can ask you for another until all or the specified
number of questions are done. Then, students answer questions. Write the number
of the questions on the back of each piece of paper-it keeps the pieces together and
helps keep track of which questions the students have completed. Ask them to write
each question in their notebook.
Hot Potato with verbs
Level: All
In a circle, or just around the classroom, have students throw the ball to one
another saying the three forms of the irregular verb. For example, Sasha says,
write, and throws it to Masha. Masha says wrote and throws it to Posha. Posha
says written and throws it to Dasha who will say a new verb in its first form. It will
be helpful to have a list of irregular verbs on the board or a chart in the classroom
when you first introduce this to the students, but eventually you should not have to
have one up as students should have learned them.
ACTING ADVERBS
LEVEL: ALL
This activity is a great way to introduce the idea of how adverbs affect the way a
verb action is done. Divide the blackboard in two and write as many verbs on one
side and as many adverbs on the other as you can (have class help). Divide the
class into two teams and give them team names. Have one team choose a verb and
adverb combination, and the other team has to act it out. (Ex: talk crazily)
VERB CHARADES
LEVEL: ALL
First introduce the words and have students stand up. As you introduce each word,
say it distinctly and then have them say it with you. Then mime the word and have
them mime it with you (Ex: the word to run, run in place). After learning words, you
say, I am walking, and students say I am walking. Go through all the words this
way. You may only be able to do five wordsafter that retention will drop off.
Put slips of paper in a hat or bag. Each pupil comes forward, picks a slip, and then
mimes the word on the slip. The class says, He is walking He is jumping He is
reading as they identify the activity.
To review, call out a word and have the entire class act out the activity.
VOCABULARY
LISTEN & DRAW/ LISTEN & DO
LEVEL: BEGINNER
Once the children know colors, put up a poster with a simple black and white
drawing on it (for example, of two children and a ball, or a tree and a basket). Ask
the children to copy the drawing. Once they have done so, tell them to take out
colored pencils. They are to listen as you tell them what color to make the ball, the
tree, the boys shorts, etc. When finished, ask each child to come to the front of the
room and correctly color in part of the big poster.
A variant is to use the same simple black and white drawing and ask the children to
draw, for example, a book next to the tree and a bird in the tree.
Another variant is to ask each child to draw a picture. Then place the children in
pairs. The first child should describe his drawing (without showing it to the partner)
so that the partner can draw it. When the partner is through, they can compare
drawings and then switch roles. Or you can give one child in each pair a picture to
describe to the other partner.
VOCABULARY SCRAMBLE
Before class, write vocabulary words, leaving space between each letter, and cut
the letters so each is separate. Be sure not to mix words, and put the letters for
each word in a small plastic bag. During class, after reviewing the words, give a
baggie to each student (or student pairs) and have them put the letters in order.
This activity is rather time consuming and students may need to help each other.
FAMILY PICTURE
Make a picture of your family and show it to the class. Demonstrate and review
telling them about your picture of your family. Have your students draw a picture of
their families. Then bring all the students to a place in the room where they can line
up in facing each other (if your class is large, you can make one line down one side
of the room and the other line down the other side of the room by the windows).
Each student should bring his or her picture of the family. Each person is facing a
partner. When you clap your hands, the pupils in the line closest to the window tell
the partner about their family. When you clap again, the partner shows and tells
about his picture. Then everyone in the line closest to the window takes one step to
the left. The person at the end goes to the bottom of the line. Now everyone has a
new partner. Do it again. Do this until they are bored or until everyone has spoken
to everyone else. This is a useful way of ensuring that everyone speaks English.
VOCABULARY VOLLEYBALL
LEVEL: INTERMEDIATE
Make two or three teams in lines from the front of the room to the back. You hand a
ball to the first person in each line and call out a topicAmerican holidays, clothing,
furniture in the house, classroom objects. As each person calls out a word, the
teacher says yes or no. The teacher would call out no if she feels the student
needs to practice more words. If yes, the student passes the ball to the next person
down the line. Words may not be repeated. The first team to finish wins.
PICTIONARY
This is a fast-paced drawing game. This can be played in pairs, groups or as a large
class. One person (in the pair, group or class) draws and the others guess. The
drawer is given a word, phrase or sentence to draw. He/she cannot speak, make
gestures or in any way attempt to say what the word is except by drawing it.
Drawers may not write individual letters or numbers. The students who guess, stand
around the student drawing and try to guess what it is being drawn. After the
picture has been guessed, a new drawer is chosen and the game continues. You can
announce the topic to the class before the word is given as a hint for the students
guessing (example: verb, place, person, etc.).
THE OBSERVANT STUDENT
Introduce vocabulary words to the students and after practicing them for a bit and
the students have a good grasp on the words, ask one student to go into the hall.
The remaining students will choose one word to remove from the list of vocabulary
words and hide it from the student in the hallway. The hallway student has to come
back into the room and figure out which word was removed from the list of words by
thinking about what word is missing.
VOCABULARY TABLES
Take one piece of A4 paper for each word. Fold these in half lengthwise. Write the
new word on one half of the paper and the meaning/synonym on the other half. The
words should be upside down to each other when the paper is open, so that when
the paper is folded, the words appear on opposite sides with the tops of the letters
near the fold.
Show the words to the class, and drill them if necessary.
Using a table at the front of the class, open the pieces of paper a little so they stand
up, and so that one side of the papers can be seen from one end of the table and
the other side of the paper can be seen from the other end of the table. Ask one
student to stand at one end of the table and another to stand at the other end.
One student calls out a word he/she can see and the other student must find the
appropriate synonym from his/her side of the table. If the second player is right, he
chooses a word from his side and so on. Increase the number of students involved
by immediately replacing a student who gives a wrong answer, or having teams of
two, three, or four on either side of the table.
HALF-WORDS
Write words in large letters with a marker on one side of pieces of A4 paper
horizontally. Write the meanings/synonyms of the words on the backs of the paper.
Make two cuts in each side of the paper, one from the top to the center, and
another from the bottom to the center. The ends of the cuts should not meet, but be
about 2 centimeters apart slightly to the right and left of the center so that the
paper can be twisted to show half of one word and half of the other at the same
time. Holding one half in each hand, turn the paper to show the class:
o
The complete new word
The complete meaning
The first half of the new word and second half of the meaning. Ask
students both words.
The first half of the meaning and the second half of the new word. Ask
Half of the new word only (fold the paper back on itself). Again ask
Half of the meaning only (fold the paper back on itself). Again ask
Thus, you gradually reduce the amount of information, forcing the students to rely
more on memory.
Note: Practice folding and twisting the paper and writing the words before the
lesson, as all are important for the exercises success.
PICTURE STUDIES
LEVEL: ADVANCED
Show the class a picture, one which has a clear structure (one with something in the
center, in the foreground and background, etc.) Alternatively, draw a simple picture
(with a border) on the blackboard. It could contain stick figures or just shapes, the
names of which could be elicited from the class.
Ask students: What is in the picture?
Look for answers and then ask, Where is the diamond? Its in the middle, on the
left, at the bottom, in the bottom right corner, etc.
With higher level students, you may wish to introduce vocabulary associated with
perspective (foreground/background/behind etc.).
Ask students Is the square above the circle? or Is the cross next to the
diamond? Look for answers like: No. Its below. No its between the rectangle
and the star.
This activity is done best if the students have just learned vocabulary on shapes or
letters or different objects. It might work well if you tell the students they will be
drawing shapes from what weve learned in class, it is important to limit the number
of shapes they are allowed to draw on their own sheets of paper.
Distribute students, giving them more paper and dividing them into pairs.
Students should sit back to back, so they are not allowed to see what the other is
doing. One student should draw different shapes on the sheet of paper.
The other student should ask questions about the location of the shapes. The
student who is asking the questions should use their paper to draw out the shapes
in the order that their partner has described.
When they are done they should look at one anothers paper and see what is
different.
Do the activity again, allowing the person who guessed the first time a chance to
choose the order of the shapes.
Have a class discussion about the challenges and why things might have been
different from the original drawing.
VOCABULARY CATEGORIES
LEVEL: ADVANCED
Students will review vocabulary previously learned. Prepare cards with categories.
Students can be divided into two groups. Each team chooses a student to go first.
The first teams student is given a card with a category and five things that fall into
the category. The student should announce only the category. The team will have
five minutes to describe the words on their list, without actually using the word. For
example, if the word is school, the student could say where students learn. The
students own team should make the guesses, with the object to guess all five words
using the allotted time. Two points should be given for each word guessed. After the
first team is done, the second team goes. Students may be asked to produce their
own category and lists.
Samples for 7th form:
o
Five things in a park: tree, statue, bench, people and flowers
Five places in a village: store, post office, street, monument and

houses
Five activities for Sundays: reading, cleaning, watching TV, playing,

and going fishing
o
o
Five animals on a farm: cat, dog, turkey, horse and ducks

Five animals in a school: chalk, library, desks, laboratory and
chalkboard
Five things that are white: snow, sugar, clouds, chalk and ice cream
Five animals in a zoo: zebra, tiger, elephant, penguin and giraffe
GUESSING GAME
LEVEL: ADVANCED
The teacher explains that he/she is thinking of an object and the class has to guess
by asking yes/no questions. Is there.? Are there.? Model a few times until
students understand the format. Have students work in groups to review
vocabulary. This can be expanded to parts of a category, for example used well with
describing rooms in a house, could also be used with school subjects or sport
activities.
FRIDAY BRAINSTORMING
LEVEL: ADVANCED
This is a pretty good exercise for both vocabulary and speaking/defending opinions.
It can be a lot of fun too, because the students can come up with some pretty
whacked-out ideas. I make it a point to play games every Friday thus the title.
I get students to write the numbers 1-10 a bunch of times on pieces of paper. I tell
them Im going to say a word and they have to write the first then things that come
to their mind, without thinking or hesitating. I tell them its a race and there will be
a first, second and third place winner. They just raise their hands or shout out when
they are finished and then the whole class has to stop. Once I have the three
winners, we write down their ideas on the board (here is where the conversation
part comes in and it can be pretty funny too).
Other possible topics: money, marriage, studying English, lying, beauty, home,
police afraid, relaxed, etc.
SONG WORD GRAB
LEVEL: ADVANCED
Choose a song that the students have or have not heard before. Choose 10-15
pieces of vocabulary from the song and write them on a separate piece of paper.
With lower level groups you may want to pronounce the words with the students
first. Stick each word to the board with putty or tape. Put the students into two
teams each one in a line before the board. Play the song. Two students at the front
of the line must run to the board when they hear one of the words from the song
that is on the board. They go back to their seat and the next pair races to the board.
The team with the most words wins. I dont usually stop the tape so dont choose
words that come after the other. If you want to make it more difficult you can put
extra words on the board. You can usually play the song a couple of times until they
get all the words off the board.
TRANSLATION CONCENTRATION
LEVEL: ALL
Make a set of cards. Half the cards should have English word(s) written on them and
the other have should have the Ukrainian translation. Write down these so that the
words cannot be seen when turned face down. All the cards should be the same
size, shape and color so that you cannot tell them apart.
The cards should be spread out on the table face down. The Ukrainian versions of
the vocabulary should be on one side and the English on the other. The first student
turns over one Ukrainian card so that all can see it. He/she turns over an English
card. If the two cards match, he/she gets to go again. Whether he/she matches or
not the second time, the next student goes. Each pair that is matched is removed
from the table and placed in front of the student who matched them. The student
with the most pairs at the end of the game wins.
Real playing cards work very well for this game. You can cut them in half and double
the number of cards. These are great because they are sturdy, you cannot see
through them and they are easy to handle without destroying.
Instead of always doing translation version of this game, you can also play with
word and definition (both in English) or word and matching picture (example:
prepositions, clothing, etc.).
Unscramble Vocabulary
Level: All
Teacher will separate students into groups and give them slips of paper with
vocabulary words that have been cut into pieces. For example, one slip of paper will
say com and another will say puter. Students have to match the words together
to spell out computer.
Fun Sentences for New Vocabulary
Level: All
With the list of new vocabulary on the board after it has been presented, students
should pick one word and make up a sentence about it. They should write their
sentence on the board leaving a blank where they used the vocabulary word. The
rest of the students have to guess what the students word was. This is a good
listening and writing exercise.
Slap!
Level: All
Organize students in groups of 4-5 and give each student a set of cards that have
vocabulary words they have been previously taught written on them. Have 10 cards
with the words facing up so they can see them. Then, the teacher reads the word
aloud and the students have to listen and find the word. The first to slap the piece
of paper that has the word correct written on it gets to keep the piece of paper. The
student with the most cards from each group is the winner. Repeat the exercise,
placing the winning students in the same group and make new groups with the rest
of the students.
To keep the students interested, the student with the most cards at each group
could call out the English names of the words for the other students to slap.
Concentration
Level: All
Have students get into groups of four each. After new vocabulary is presented, the
teacher will hand out cards with the new vocabulary words and the definitions on
separate cards. Students will lay the cards face down on their desks and have to
pick two at a time. The goal is to try to match the words with the definitions. If the
students get a match, they get to keep the cards. If they do not get a match, they
have to put both cards back where they were. The student at the end with the most
matches wins.
VOCABULARY PICTURES
LEVEL: ALL
Assign a vocabulary word to each student and give each student a sheet of paper
and some crayons or markers. Have each student write their assigned vocabulary
word on the top of the paper as well as the Ukrainian translation if its for beginner
learners. Then have them write a sentence using the vocabulary word. Finally, tell
the students to draw a picture of their vocabulary word (or at least a picture of
something they associate with that word). Make sure to set time limits on the
drawing. Hang the pictures around the classroom.
For warm-up during the next days lesson, randomly pass the pictures out to the
students (make sure that the students dont get their own picture). Have each
student write a new sentence for that vocabulary word under the first one.
AROUND THE CLASS
LEVEL: ALL
Make as many word cards as there are students in the class and seat the students in
circles of ten or so, if possible. Each card should have a recently learned word on
one side and the meaning on the back. Give one to each student and tell the class
to pass the words around the circle. Stop when everyone has seen all of them.
Now choose one student and ask him to stand up. He turns to the student next to
him on his left and the standing student asks the sitting student the word on her
card. The standing student then tries to remember the meaning of the sitting
students card. The standing student moves on to the next student, where again he
is told a word and must give the meaning, and so on, around the circle.
The student next to the first student follows him around the class, answering the
same words, then the third student, and so on. When students have completed the
circuit, they sit down and become questioners. Continue until all the students have
been round the circle. Students should put a tick on their card each time the word is
answered correctly, so at the end of the activity it can be seen which words need
more work.
DRAW THE TEACHER
LEVEL: ALL
Divide the class into two teams. Then draw two oval shapes on the board. Yell,
Draw the teachers eyes! and the two leading students from each team run up
and draw our eyes on the oval. Next yell Nose, which is drawn by the next two
students. And so it goes. Give them permission to draw things however they like
your image can look pretty distorted, but the students love it. You can add other
funny features, like nose or ear hair. To review body parts, draw a basic torso that
students add to.
This game can also be played with animal body parts as well.
SIMON SAYS
LEVEL: ALL
The person chosen as Simon (usually the teacher) stands in front of the classroom
and issues commands. The rest of the class only follows those commands if they are
preceded by the words Simon Says. If someone follows a command not preceded
by Simon Says, then he is out of the game. The last person remaining becomes
the next Simon. Example commands: Simon says touch your nose. Simon says sit
down. Jump once. The student who jumped is out because Simon didnt say.
CARD SWAP
LEVEL: ALL
This activity is good for vocabulary concerning animals, food, places in the city,
furniture, clothing, etc.
For this activity, you must have a vocabulary card for the words being learned. A
card can be either a word or a picture. Tape these cards to the board so students
can see.
Example: If vocabulary topic is fruits and vegetables, then ask the students what
fruits and vegetables they like or dont like. Write their answers on the board, and
make sure that they know when they should use plural verbs. They shouldnt say, I
like pear, it should be I like pears.
Next ask each student to choose a vegetable or fruit card from the board. Tell
students to walk around the room exchanging cards . For example: Saha has a
carrot card, Grisha has a lemon card. Sasha walks up to Grisha and says, I dont
like carrots, but I like lemons. Grisha replies, I dont like lemons, but I like carrots.
Then they exchange cards and find someone else to exchange with. Allow the class
five minutes for this activity.
You can change the verb of the phrase used. For example, if students are learning
about clothes, then they could say wear instead of like. Or they could say eat
for food.
SLANG
Slang
wanna
gotta
lotta
gonna
gotcha
gimme
dunno
oughta
coulda
woulda
shoulda
yah, ya
Word Conjunctions
Meaning
Example
want to, want a
I wanna get that new CD.
got to, have to
I gotta go home now.
lot of
Youve got a lotta stuff.
going to
Hes gonna get that new book.
(I) got you
I gotcha a soda.
or, if after a successful trick or surprise:
Gotcha!
give me
Gimme your paper.
(I) dont know
I dunno where she went.
ought to
I oughta try to remember that.
could have
He coulda done that himself.
would have
I woulda come, but I didnt have time.
should have
I shoulda done this yesterday.
you
Ill see yah tomorrow.
Vocabulary
Slang
cool
dude
chill, chillin
peace, peace
out
Meaning
very good
any person,
whether known to
the speaker or not
calm down, or
relax
stinks
goodbye (old
slang, from the
1960s)
is bad
The Man
booze
buzz off
the law
alcohol
go away
Example
Have you met the new kid? Yeah, hes
cool.
or
Sorry, I forgot to bring your CD with me!
Dont worry, its cool.
Dude, Im glad you finally called!
or
Hey, that dude is stealing my car!
Dude, you need to chill. (calm down)
or
Were chillin at my house. Do you want to
come hang?
Peace.
This movie really stinks. Do you wanna

watch something else?
I hate working for The Man.
Theres a lot of booze at this party.
Buzz off already, I dont want to talk to
you.
john, head,
can, loo
aight
bathroom
I gotta go to the john.

Aight.
bling, blingbling
yeah
all right (usually

used the same
way as OK.)
girl
hello, or just a
word to catch
someones
attention
something thats
over or done with,
or a failure
flashy or showy
jewelry
yes
hot, fine
attractive
hang, hang out
to spend time
(usually with
friends) doing
nothing
Slang
Whats up?
Meaning
a way to greet a
person or ask
how theyre
doing
how are you
doing
chick
yo, hey
toast
That chick is really hot.

Yo, whats going on?
or
Hey, do you want to go to the store with
me?
Theres no way he can win nowhes
toast.
That rap star always wears a lot of bling.
Did you find anything interesting at the
store? Yeah, I bought a bunch of stuff.
Did you see that guy over there? Hes
super hot.
or
That girl is fine.
Were just hanging out, if you want to join
us.
or
Hes gonna come hang with us this
afternoon.
Phrases
How yah doin?
Example
Whats up? I havent seen you in ages.
How yah doin?
SLANG ACTIVITIES
ACTIVITY 1:
Slang word
airhead
beat
(to) bomb
Definition
stupid person
tired
to fail, do a bad job
broke (flat broke)

chicken
(to) hang out
hot
(to) split
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
out of money
coward
to pass the time with friends
sexy; popular
to leave
send me a text message
text me
(SMS)
wheels
car, motorcycle
I. Fill in the blank with the correct slang word:
I got a low mark on my exam. I really _____________.
Lets go to a caf and _________________ for a while.
Im going to buy a car this year. I really need some ____________.
Many Americans are __________________ before every pay check.
Cell phones are very ____________ right now; almost everyone has one.
I have an appointment in ten minutes; I need ________________.
Mary is a real _____________. Its hard to have an intelligent conversation with her.
John hates to climb trees. Hes a _____________.
Please ______________ and let me know where to meet you.
10 When Bill came home at midnight, he was completely ______________.
II. Write your own sentences below:
ACTIVITY 2:
Slang word or phrase
have a bite, grab a bite
give me a ring/ give me a
jingle
to have a ball
Got it?
Definition
eat a meal or snack
call me on the telephone
to enjoy oneself
Do you understand?
to find information on the
to surf the net
internet
uptight
nervous, tense
a wreck
a nervous person
Thats a drag.
Thats a disappointment.
Im pooped.
Im tired.
Im dead.
Im tired.
1 Mary is always worrying about something. Shes a ________ most of the time.
2 I have to work on Sunday, so I cant go to the party. Thats __________.
3 ____________________________ later and well make plans for tonight.
4 Im hungry. Id like to _______________ before we leave the house.
5 Harry only slept for three hours last night. Now hes _____________.
6 Heres my phone number: 8-067-279-5480. ________________?
7 We enjoyed ourselves in Boston last weekend. We really _____________.
8 Steve is afraid he failed the exam. He is very _____________ about it.
9 After running the long race, Karen was ______________.
10 I need to go to the internet caf and ________________ for a while.
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
ACTIVITY 3:
Definition
awesome
great and impressive
bug
bother, annoy
geek
unattractive person
grub, chow
food
nut (nut job)
crazy person
screw up
to make a mistake
sick as a dog
very sick
trendy
following the latest fashion
wimp
a coward or weak person
zip
nothing
Dont ______________ me. Cant you see Im busy?
Steve is always doing something strange. Hes a real _____________.
Mary stayed home from school today. She was ______________________.
Lets get some ______________. Im starving!
Harry did not know the answers on the test. He really ____________________.
Ipods are very _____________ in the U.S.; a lot of young people have them.
Look--I just bought a new computer. ____________________!
I have no time to help you--_____________________.
Bill never combs his hair or wears nice clothes. Hes a real ______________.
20 George hates to do anything dangerous. I think hes a _______________.
ACTIVITY 4:
to talk shop
Definition
to talk about work
something that costs more
a rip off
than it is worth
give me a buzz
call me on the phone
Im lost.
I dont understand.
Im swamped.
Im very busy.
Tell me whats new.
Tell me what happened.
Whats up?
Tell me whats wrong.
Tell me your question.
the burbs
suburban towns
the pen
jail
under the weather
sick
zoo
a disorganized place
1 Excuse me, I dont understand your point. _____________.
2 John was given six months in ______________ for stealing a watch.
3
4
5
Im not going to go to school today. Im a bit _______________________.

______________________________ later and lets make plans for tonight.
I would love to go with you this weekend, but I have a lot of work.
__________________.
6 Last year the Jacksons moved to ______________ and bought a big house.
7 Today the school was a real ______________. No one knew where to go.
8 I paid 3 gryven for an apple. That was a real ___________.
9 The party was boring. All we did was _____________________.
10 I need to talk with you right away. _______________________
ACTIVITY 5:
a couch potato
Definition
someone who sits and watches TV a
lot
a flop
something unsuccessful
a gig
a job in the music business
someone or something that bothers
a pain in the neck
you
a square
a serious person
Dig in
Start eating/Help yourself.
mail or e-mail that is sent to many
junk mail
people, not to you personally
plastic
a credit card
slaving away
working hard
Whats new?
Whats cooking?
What are you doing?
1 Tim is a real ____________. Hes always reading and never has any fun.
2 How will we pay for our new computer? Well use _____________.
3 Many Americans receive a lot of ________________ everyday.
4 _____________________ Nothing much.
5 The food looks great. _______________.
6 Did you hear? Our band just got _______________ in a night club.
7 Dont be ________________________. Go out and play.
8 Some American movies make a lot of money, and some are _____________.
9 I have a lot of homework. Ill be ____________________ all weekend.
10 Children are cute, but they can be _____________________.

English Tools and Activities

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English Tools and Activities

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English Tools and Activities

A Compiling of Activities, Games, Dialogues, and Slang

LIST WRITING FOR FUN...................................................................................................... 18

GET TO KNOW YOUR CLASSMATES....................................................................................27

ALPHABET SLIP SPELLING.................................................................................................. 73

SAND PAPER ETCHINGS...................................................................................................... 85

DRAW THE TEACHER.......................................................................................................... 96

WHICH PICTURE AM I DESCRIBING?

WHAT WOULD YOU DO?

Has eaten borsch in the last week

has a birthday in the next month

has been learning English for the past year

This exercise should be done in ENGLISH only!!

INNER/OUTER CIRCLES: CRITICAL THINKING

Do you eat a lot of Fish?

Do you enjoy fishing?

Is your star sign Pisces?

A long story of text

Descriptions of a house, having each group research a different room

School subjects, each group researching specific class

LOTTO AND BINGO

Place two chairs back to back at the front of the classroom

Now, ask the first pair to select the next pair.

Role Plays: (There are enough for 18 students)

Gene: Okay by me.

-Drew: Yes, Id like to go with you if I may.

-Mavis: You mean the man up in Maine?

-Al: Well, just Saturday and Sunday.

-Dick: How long have you had a policy with them?

NEW VOCABULARY: right: correct; mess: unpleasant or unsuccessful affair or event;

-Jerry: Im hurrying as fast as I can!

-Barbara: Here. Maybe youve overdrawn your account.

I read in bed before I go to sleep.

I watch American movies on TV.

I go for a walk on the weekend.

What do you think consternation means?

What does the dictionary say the word means?

What do you have to know in order to be able to use the dictionary?

When is it a good idea to use a dictionary to learn the meaning of new

The Scandinavian capitals:

A tool used in the garden:

Student 15: Ape (throws it to the next student)

MUSICAL CHAIR ALPHABET

long you English? How studied have

Chisinau? ever opera Have to in you the been

The complete new word

The complete meaning

Five things in a park: tree, statue, bench, people and flowers

Five places in a village: store, post office, street, monument and

Five activities for Sundays: reading, cleaning, watching TV, playing,

Five animals on a farm: cat, dog, turkey, horse and ducks

Five animals in a zoo: zebra, tiger, elephant, penguin and giraffe

This movie really stinks. Do you wanna

I gotta go to the john.

all right (usually

hang, hang out

That chick is really hot.

How yah doin?

How yah doin?

broke (flat broke)

II. Write your own sentences below:

Im not going to go to school today. Im a bit _______________________.

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