1.Let students listen to you or a higher level student read a selected text or story. (don’t make it too long, depends on the level but I’d say no more than 3 min. listening).It might also even be a dialog.

2. Next, tell them to listen again. This time taking notes, drawing pictures or however they want to record the information. You might even give them a graphic organizer or chart to help categorize information.

3. The students get in groups and try to recreate the exact text from memory. After some trying, you might even reread the passage to help them.

4. Share each others passage and note the differences.

This activity is similar to Running Dictation - in that the students recreate a text.

This post was submitted by David.

This activity can be used with any level – just use an appropriate text. It is great for introducing a text that you will study in depth through intensive reading. Or it can also be used to finish off a lesson/unit and review the text again…

Basically, you have to do 4 things.

1. Divide the class into groups of 3-5. One person is a scribe or writer. Give them the handout with only the first part of the article or topic sentence of paragraphs appearing.

2) Discuss the topic sentences, headline/title. Predict. What will the article be about? What words will you encounter? What questions do you have ? A kind of K_W_L (what I know / what I want to know / what I found out).

3. Put up the full text around the classroom, number them for each group. On GO!, the students in turns run to the article/text and read it. They then run back and tell the writer who records it. The next “runner” goes and so on…set a time limit or go until someone has finished the article.

4. Review and check against the real/full article/text. The winner is the group who best recorded the text and NOT the one who wrote the most!

Here’s a full explanation and also a ready to go Running Dictation exercise. It is about the reunification of separated families from the Korean war and is from Andrew Finch’s Activities to help teach the H.S. textbook – get it in our Korea area in the Resources Share.

Enjoy and get fit using Running Dictations!

This post was submitted by David .

This is a very easy activity.  Easy to prepare and easy to do.  Howvever, it is very efficient to evaluate sts listening skills and to get some creativity in the listening area in your class.  I actually modified it from another activity I read in this site posted by David.

Objective:  To evaluate sts listening skills by picking out words from a song.   

Steps:

1.  Choose a song with vocabulary that suits your class or that you have used.  Ex.  past verbs, past participles, animals, places, etc.

2.  Cut little pieces of paper with a word for every sentence in the song. You will end up with many pieces of paper.

3.  Place the pieces of paper infront of the sts.  Make pairs or groups of three or four. 

4.  Explain and model the activity. (Be funny and exaggerated to model activities, sts will laugh.  Always good in a class)

5.  Play the song and let the sts to GO FISHING!  The st who has more pieces of paper wins. 

Follow up: 

If you want to evaluate comprehension, ask a few questions about the song. 

Another great idea is to make a story with all the words.  This depends on the level you teach.

GO FISHING! CAN BE DONE WITH ANY LEVEL.

Let me know how it goes.

Vic

This post was submitted by Victor Mejia.

1.  Put large posters of “Yes” and “No” at opposite ends of the classroom. (you might also use “Rocks! – Sucks!  or “I think so” or “I don’t think so” etc….)

2.  Students stand. Read a statement such as “I love chocolate ice cream” .  Students answer by going to the side of the classroom, the poster, that represents their opinion/answer.  Or if undecided they can go to the middle. Continue reading statements.

3.  Give students a slip of paper. They write their own statements or closed questions (Yes/No). Then each take turns reading theirs and seeing the opinions/beliefs of classmates.

….

You can use this technique in many ways and to cover/introduce many topics and language items. Really good for doing surveys interactively… A perfect example of “learning on your feet” and Active Learning.

This post was submitted by David .

Students in groups pass around a piece of paper while music plays. When it stops, whoever has the paper must answer the question or do a specific task.  In this game - finish the Christmas Carol.

Pass the paper is an excellent interactive way to review the lesson / curriculum.

Get the powerpoints and more games like this HERE.

This post was submitted by David .

1. Put on the board

my ….. – mine.

your ….. – yours.

his ….. – his.

her ….. – hers.

its …… – its.

our … – ours

your … – yours

their ….. theirs.

2. Prior to the class while students are waiting, go around an scoop up some student’s items (put them in a basket / bag).

3. Take out some items and ask students. “Is this your…..? Is this yours? Whose is it? etc…

Get students to respond and give back the items one by one.

4. Give students some small pictures of items. Tell them they got a gift and they should put a secret label on it, so they can tell if it is theirs. (I get them to sign it or put a secret sign on it. – NOT their name).You could use these pictures.

5. Collect the “gifts” and shuffle/mix. Tell the students they have lost their gifts but found some others. Go around the class asking students – “Is this your…. ? Is this yours? When a student has returned all the gifts to their proper owner, they can sit down.

6. Conclude by asking which gift they got, they like the best.

This post was submitted by David Deubelbeiss.

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.

The teacher (or a student(s)) instructs other students to do certain actions.

Ex.  Simon says, “Touch your nose”! or Simon says, “jump up and down”.

If the caller doesn’t say “Simon says” and only, “Touch your nose” and if a student does that action – they are eliminated and must sit out.

For older students don’t use “Simon says” but use “Please” or “Could you…” or “Don’t”. This nicely teaches the imperative to students.

Even better, get students playing this game in small groups. It will go much quicker and focus more on student talk time.

Simon says, “Get playing Simon Says!”

This post was submitted by Peter.

ie. (name) loves dancing.

However, there is another option and one that even is stronger cognitvely and pedagogically. (Go here for an explanation and part 1)

Give students a bingo card with pictures. Or even better, get them to draw/label the pictures into the boxes. Use my Bingo Powerpoint if you want.

Students go around the classroom asking people the target question (on the board) or as in this example – Do you like…….?  If the student answers yes, they write in an O, if no, an X. They also write the students name.

If they find 5 in a row (either O or X), they get bingo and can sit down.

Finally in groups, they make sentences using the names to make statements about classmates. ex.  Jennifer likes (O) / doesn’t like (X) watermelon.

This is a great visual and student created content way to play FSW!

This post was submitted by david .

In pairs, students silently “mouth” very slowly, the questions from a handout. Simple questions. Go here for many lists - use the simple ones like “Favorites” or “Getting to know you”.   The other student responds with one or two simple sentences.

Students see if they can follow the other person. Doing this they will gain important information about how to get more information than the ear allows and increase their ability to read facial information – so important for language learning/speaking. Plus, they will just have a lot of fun!

This website from the U. of Iowa is the perfect compliment for this exercise and a must site for pronunciation!

This post was submitted by David Deubelbeiss.