Activities

Activities
For secondary students
 In common
• Materials: The attendance list
• Time: 20 min.
• Dynamic: Whole class
• Procedure:
1. Give each student a copy of the
handout.
2. Instruct students to circulate and find Name In common
one thing they have in common with
each other student. They must find a
different thing for each student. 1.
3. When to students have discovered
something in common, each writes it 2.
down on the line next to the name of
the student he/she is talking to.
4. When they have finished, they sit
down. Ask which verb tense they use
most often and why (simple present/
facts), then ask individual students at
random what they have in common with
someone of their list.
 Are you the one?
• Materials: worksheet Find a classmate who…
• Dynamic: whole class Has more brothers than sisters
• Time: 20 min.
• Procedure: Has a pet
1. Distribute a copy of the Is not from a large city
worksheet to each student.
2. Tell students to circulate, asking Is older than you
the questions on the worksheet.
3. When the questioning student Is wearing blue socks
gets a yes answer, he/she fills in Walks to school
the answer´s name.If the answer
is no, he/she must coontinue until Likes to dance
she/he find someone who answers
yes Likes vegetables
4. When they have finished, they
sit down and then go over as Is afraid of spiders
many of the questions/answer as
time allows.
 Short answers
• Material: strips with answers
• Dynamic: small/pairs groups
• Time: 20 min.
• Procedure: Yes, I am
1. Divide the class into pairs or I usually go to the movies twice a month
groups of three or four.
No, I don´t
2. Give each group several strips
with short answers on them. Have Yes, she is
the students work together to No, he isn´t
write questions for the answer.
3. The members of each group can Yes, he does
take reading their questions and Yes, it is
answers aloud, the rest of the
class judges the questions are In Campeche
appropriate for their answers. I am 15 years old
She is a secretary
 Human Bingo
• Materials: worksheet
• Dynamic: whole class
• Time 15 min.
• Procedure:
1. Go over questions formation if necessary. If
this is used as a review, the Ss should be
Gets up Likes Is from Has a Has a
able to form questions from the prompts. at 6:00 chocola a small crush dog
Give a copy of the hand out to each S. te town
2. Tell them to circulate, asking their classmate
questions as indicated by the prompts on the Lives in Likes go Favouri Favouri Has
bingo card. If a S answers YES, they write an dancing te color te class more
the S’s name after the prompt. If the S
gets a NO answer, they continue asking until apartm is green is math bros.
they find someone who answer YES. ent Than
3. As in Bing there are several forms to win: sis
the fist students who gets five names in a
row, fills in the four corners, makes a cross Drinks Eat free Likes to Goes to
and complete the board wins coffee health swim karate
4. Check it, using questions such as: whose food class
favorite color is green? Who gets up at
7:00? Takes a Is Likes to Dirnks
forgets shower wearing use milk at
to in the black comput breakfa
brush morning shoes er st
teeth
Eats Takes Has a Likes sings
lunch at the bus pet onions
three to
school
 Twenty questions
• Material: none
• Dynamic: whole class
• Time. 10 min.
• Procedure:
1. Chose a category, sucha as famous person, occupations, food or animals.
Chose one S to answer questions from the rest os the class. Show the S
a piece of paper with a word telling what he or she is. This S sits in
fornt of the class and may answer only YES or NO to any question.
2. The class may ask a total of 20yes/ no qustions to discover the identity
of the S in front of the class.
3. Variations. T may be the “misterious person”, or T tapes a small picture
on the back of each student and Ss circulate and ask each other yes/no
questions to discover who or what they are. The responding Ss look at
the picture before answering. The number of questions may vary.
 Memory round
• Material: cards with a frequency adverb written on each ( or any other words)
• Dynamic: whole class or teams
• Time: 20 min.
• Procedure:
1. Prepare one crad for each S. the words should be large and in dark ink so that all
the Ss will be able to read them.
2. The Ss form a circle, either sitting or standing. Ask who has the best memory.
Start with the person next to the volunteer so that he or she will be the last. ( or
if you know the weaker/quieter student is, start with him/her)
3. Each S makes a sentence using her/ his frequency adverb ( or
noun,pronoun,verb,adverb,etc), but no writing is allowed at any time.
4. Holding the card with the frequency adverb toward the circle, the first S says his
sentence. The second S says her/his sentence aand repeats the first student’s one
and so on around the circle until the last student, who says his/her sentence and
repeats the sentences from everyone in the group.
 Ball toss
• Material: any soft ball or a fate fruit.
• Dynamic: Whole class
• Time: 10 min.
• Procedure:
1. Arrange Ss in a circle, either standing or at their desks.
2. Ask make a sentence with a word (adverb, verb, pronoun, noun,
adjective..etc) and toss the ball to a S
3. The S who catches the ball must answer, using the word in a sentence.
The same student then ask a sentence with a different word.
4. Variations: T may use verbs in infinitive and the Ss must say them in
past or past participle form. Also the T may ask questions about a topic
(something they have read) or general knowledge.
 Picture search
• Materials: magazines or catalogs, scissors
• Dynamic: small groups.
• Time: 15 min.
• Procedure:
1. Divide the class into groups of 4 or 5. Give each group sveral catalogs or
magazines.
2. Have each group make 10 sentence using a form of To Be or To Have.
They must find a picture that describes the sentence.
3. Have the gropus read their sentences aloud while showing the class the
picture.
4. To make it a competition, the first group that shows you 10 correct
sentences wins.
 Picture sentences
• Materials: pictures with a lot of activity going on
• Dynamic: small groups
• Time. 25 min.
• Procedure:
1. Divide the class into groups of 4 or 5. Give each group the same picture or put it
on and overhead.
2. Instruct the groups to describe the picture in as many sentences as possible in
the time allowed, using the present progressive or past progressive, the
sentences must be grammatically correct and accurately depict what is
happening in the picture.
3. Each group reads its sentences or write them on the board, the group with ythe
most correct sentences wins.
4. Variation: give each group a diffrent picture, folow the step 2, after 15 seconds
say PASS nad have the groups pass their pictures to the next group. Continue
until all groups have written sentences for all pictures. Score the correct
answers as in step 3.
 Detective
• Materials: Worksheet
A thief stole a computer and printer
• Dynamic: pairs from an office on campus Saturday at
• Time: 30 min. 10:00. Sandy ___ in the parking lot
across from the office, standing next
• Procedure: to her car. She saw him for only a few
1. Divide the Ss into pairs. Have them minutes, but she _____ sure she could
read the situation together and fill in
the blanks with a past form of To BE. identify him. The police officers ____
2. Assign the roles of police officer and happy to have a witness. But they
witness (or have the Ss choose). As a ____ sure how much Sandy saw from
class, brainstorm some questions the parking lot. Sandy ____ positive
using a past form of To Be that the
police officer might ask the witness. she could answer the detective’s
Examples: What the thief tall? Were questions.
you across the street from the
QUESTIONS
office? Where did the thief go when
he left the office? ___ you near the ESL office at 10.00 on Saturday?
3. Have two students practice asking Why ___ you on campus on a Saturday?
and answering questions. (for a low ___ the office open when you arrive
class, you may want to copy the list ____ you able to see anyone run out of the
of questions in the worksheet)
office?
4. Encourage the police officer to aks
both yes/no questions and Wh- What ___ in his hands?
questions How tall ____ he?
What color ____ his hair?
_____ his clothes new or old?
___ his clothes expensive?
How old ____he?
_______ he someone you knew?
 Chain Stories
• Materials: a 3” X 5” card per student, with a verb written on each.
• Dynamic: large groups
• Time: 20 min.
• Procedure:
1. Give each S a card with the simple form of a verb written large. The
verbs may have regular or irregular past form, or you may use a mixture.
The Ss supply the past form.
2. Put Ss into groups of five or six. Give each group a sentence to begin
their story. Going around in their circle, the Ss each add sentence to
their story, using their verb. The stories maybe serious or funny, but
they should make some sort of sense.
3. After the groups have finishes, they may repeat their stories for the
class, write their stories, or just end the activity in the groups.
 Tell the story
• Materials: short video
• Dynamic: Small groups
• Time: 45 min
• Procedure:
1. Choose an excerpt from a movie as long as the scene is self contained, that is,
tells a story itself. Tell the class to pay clase attention to the story.
2. After the class watched the video, put them into small teams(4). You can list
difficult vocabulary on the board or give them a handout.
3. The Ss discuss the video they watched and retell the story in writing. Each
group chooses one recorder, but all group members checkk over their finiseh
draft.
4. Variation: Copy a child’s picture book. Delete any words on the pages. Pur the
Ss in small groups and give one copy of the pictures to each group. Have them
write the text to correspond to the pictures.
 Tic tac toe
• Materials: board and 2 markers
teach catch Buy
• Dynamic: teams
• Time: 10 min
• Procedure
1. Draw a tic-tac-toe grid on the
board with the simple form of
irregular verbs. Decde if you want grow Hear bring
the student supply the simple past
form or past participle form. You
may use Adjectives ( comparative/
superlative form), noun ( plural)…
etc
2. Each team choose a word, and they fight shoot see
mist write the correct form, if
they do it correct they win the
place. The first team to get a row
wins.
 Error analysis draw
• Materials: worsheet
• Dynamic: small groups
• Time: 25 min
• Procedure:
1. Divide Ss into small groups of approx. 3. Give each groups a copy of the
worksheet (the same or different) appropriate to you class level or
topic.
2. Instruct the members of each group to work together to find the
errors indicated after each paragraph.
3. Ss exchange papers with another group. Go over the answer to make
sure each group found the errors indicated and can correct them.
4. Variations. T may use a short story to correct errors. (they could be
vocabulary, grammar or comprehension)
 Concentration
• Material: Board, instructor’s grid 1 2 3 4
• Dynamic: groups
• Time: 25 min
• Procedure: 5 6 7 8
1. Draw a grid on the board with just the numbers.
On a paper , your grid will have the answers
written in 9 10 11 12
2. Divide the class into groups of about five. Tell
them that this is a memory game and no writing is
allowed. Explain they are looking for matches and 13 14 15 16
will get a point for each match. They can confer
as a team, but you will accept an answer only from
the students whose turn it is. They can call out
two numbers together the first time since no 1 bought 2 bring 3 found 4 came
knows where any of the words are. In subsequent
turns, they should wait for you to write the first
answer before they call out their second number. 5 brought 6 drink 7 bit 9 drank
3. As the first S calls out numbers, write the words
that correspond to these numbers in the blanks.
Ask the class if it is a match. If not erase the 11 blew 12 buy 13 find 14 come
words.
4. Variations. T may use verbs, phrasal verbs, nouns,
etc. to check meaning or form 15 blow 16 bite 17 got 18 get
 What is in your
refrigerator?
• Materials: none
• Dynamic. Pairs
• Time: 30 min
• Procedure:
1. Review expressions of quantity if necessary
2. Divide the class into pairs. Have each pair make one sentence containing
each expression of quantity you have studied, using the different foods
they have in their own refrigerator or kitchen. They can use a list. For
example: a couple of, a few, a little, a great deal of, a lot of, a number
of, all, both, lots of, many, most, much, no, one, plenty of, several, some.
3. Check the sentences as each pair finishes. The pair that finishes first
with all correct sentences wins.
4. Varation: T may use any other rooms in the house or other building
 Fill in chart Singular plural
• Materials: worksheet City
• Dynamic. Pairs
Key
• Time: 20 min
Man
• Procedure:
1. Have the Ss work together in pairs Fish
to complete the worksheet, using pan
the worksheet appropriate to their
level. life
2. Check each pair’s worksheet as box
they finished. The first pair to
complete the chart successfully ox
wins. If some answers are Baby
incorrect, you can either indicated
Level
incorrect or tell them how many
are incorrect. The game then Kiss
continues until one pair has all
Lock
correct answers.
Mouse
house
 Relay
• Material: Board • Divide the groups in
half. On one side,
and markers
write the words
• Dynamic: teams progressive and
nonprogressive
• Time: 10 min
• Call out a verb. The
students check either
progressive or
nonprogressive. The first
one to chose the correct
answer gets a point for
his/her team.
 Fill in the blanks
• Material: woorksheet NUISANCE
Once upon a time, there was a
• Dymanic: teams tomcatnamed Nuisance. ___ lived with a
• Time: 20 min wonderful woman named Lisa, but for some
reason, ____ seemed to like everyone but
• Procedure: ___. The harder Lisa tried to please ____,
the more Nuisance thought of things __
• Divide the class into three, could do to annoy __. One day Lisa’s friend
and give them a copy of the brought over a beautiful hanging plant. __
hung ___ in ____ bedroom window. Then
worksheet thew two friends went out to dinner. When
• The students read the ___ returned, ___ found the plant on the
floor. What happened to __? asked __
sentences and complete the friend, but Lisa knew, and __ do too, don’t
statements, then draw a __? That Nuisance! Another time, __ ran
picture related to the story. away and was gone for 3 months. Lisa asked
the people in the apartment buildoong to
• Go over the answers when help search for__. ___ all agreed to hellp,
they have finisehd. but no one found Nuisance. Just when ___
had given up hope, ____ turned up.
Nuisance spent ____ whole life doing
things like this to Lisa, but she always
forgave ___.