Disappearing dialogues is a very much used language teaching technique

1. Elicit and write the dialogue. Or use a prepared dialogue.

This post was submitted by James.

Last year, I asked my students to do the following project: CREATE YOUR ENGLISH GAME! It was a hard task, but so REWARDING!!!!!!! Because of that, I’ve just decided to share this interesting useful IDEA with other students and teachers. Let me tell you what you need …

 
1. Students have to make up everything: the rules of the game, the title, the instructions, the small cards, token, dices, and so on.

2. The teacher can ask them to write questions, short English tests on every card, challenges, bets, etc. These cards will make them review all the grammar constructions, vocabulary seen in every unit, etc.

 
3. The most important thing is they are going to learn and have fun!!! So, I encourage all of you to carry out this project with your students, they’ll never forget this enriching motivating task.

 
I hope you’ll enjoy it! PLEASE, IF YOU MAKE THIS PLAN WITH YOUR STUDENTS, CAN YOU TELL ME SO AND SHOW ME THEIR GAMES?

I’D LIKE TO SEE THAT THIS IDEA IS WORTHWHILE AND HELPS OTHERS IMPROVE ENGLISH. THANK U!

This post was submitted by valme.

This is a great way to practice the future tense and learn about each other. Adapted from Jill Hadfield’s “Communication Games”.

1. Ask students about their resolutions. Put the target language on the board – “This year, I will / I resolve to / I’m going to ……….

2.  List some of the common resolutions as you discuss.

3.  Students write down 3 resolutions and then go around the class surveying classmates. They must find as many classmates with the same resolution as them.

4. Finally, why not sing Auld Lang Syne!

Here is a handout that students can use to check off their resolutions prior to “hunting”. You might also list language of agreement like – “So am I ” / “Me too!”  / “Same here”

This post was submitted by David Deubelbeiss.

First, come to class with some pictures you’ve cut out of a newspaper or magazine. Nice gift ideas. Tell the students it’s Christmas and walk around the class giving items. Stop at a student, handing them the picture and say, “Merry Christmas! Students if advanced must reply with more than “you’re welcome” and should use one of the ways to say “Thank you’ ,you’ve put on the board. Keep going around the class until students get the hang of it…..

Next, give students in groups, one of these pictures ( from Hadfields Adv. Communication Games) and put them in pairs. They must make a list of students names in the class and write down one of the gift items beside it. They may have to ask you the names of the gifts or look them up in the dictionary.

Finally, when they have decided who is getting what gift, give the signal and students will walk around the class using the target language and giving gifts.

To conclude, ask students what they got and which present they liked best (and why!). Everyone in the class will feel great. If by some chance, some students are not getting many gifts, give them some from your magazine collection. This will make them feel great.

This post was submitted by Jerry.

1. Watch The Great Toy Robbery. Put students in pairs and have one watch the screen, the other look away. Partner A describes what he is watching to Partner B who can’t see. Switch part way through.

2. Watch again and pause, noting vocabulary (or make a worksheet). Discuss and point it out in context.

3. Students retell the story or retell as a writing exercise. Lots of other creative extension ideas possible too!

This post was submitted by DD.

Provide the class with a list of topics (City living / Exercise / Learning English / being single).  Model whole class. The teacher is the Devil and the students the Angel.

1. The teacher (Devil) says why they are against the topic using 3 transitions to order the arguements.

2. The students (Angels) offer the advantages / for the topic, using transitions.

3. Do this a few times so students get the idea. Then they can do the same in pairs or small groups. Really works!

Here’s the handout explaining it. Get more on this presentation page…

This post was submitted by David Deubelbeiss.

Story Dominoes is a great concept. Just get a lot of varying pictures. Cut them up and students in groups of three/four, use them to tell “random” stories.

One student turns over a card to begin. Then the next, turns over a card and continues. Lots of creativity involved.You can also extend this or make this into a writing activity. After telling the story, the students can collaboratively write the story using the pictures.

Here’s a nice handout of example pictures. Also, I’ve made a nice game – Story Dominoes. Find the ppt on EFL Classroom 2.0 HERE. Print the slides and use as a handout in class!

This post was submitted by David .

One great place for this would be The Speech Accent Archive . There you can choose mp3 samples from speakers all over the world. They all read the same paragraph so students can just concentrate on the “accent”. I’ve made a cool game from them.

Other recipes for doing this would be visiting Voicethread. There, students can encounter a wide range of authentic audio from speakers around the world. Here are some good examples.  Also, The Language Accent Game is fun too.

This post was submitted by David .

Write a simple sentence on the board. Students copy it.

Ex. The dog ran. 

Ask the students questions and the students after each question must rewrite the sentence, answering the question.

Ex. Where? The dog ran ………….

      What color of dog? The …….. dog ran to his mother

      How?  The black dog slowly ran to his mother

      How long?  The black dog slowly ran to his mother ……

      Why?  The black dog slowly ran to his mother for 30 minutes because ……

Afterwards, get students to read their creative sentences to the class and to each other. You’ll be amazed at how well they can do this and write.

Here’s an example of sentence stretching on powerpoint – from the Owl of Purdue’s writing lab.

This post was submitted by Jesse.

Get a pile of nice magazine pictures. Next, tear or cut them into twos. Enough halves for the number of students in your classroom.

Then, give each student half a picture. They have to walk around the class describing their picture and finding their torn “match”. Once they find their match, they can sit down.

Make sure to make the rules clear. English only ! No showing the picture or peeking! Have some extra halves to give out incase some students finish early.

This is a great way to practice “In my picture there is / are …..

Use these picture guessing ppts for a nice game to compliment this. Load up your ppt with a picture and students must guess what it is, as you take away pieces! Use class faces – it works great!

This post was submitted by David.