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PRACTICAL IDEAS AND INTERACTIVE
ACTIVITIES FOR
EFL CLASSROOMS
GAMES AND ACTIVITIES IN THE EFL CLASSROOM
Games and activities are an important part of almost every EFL classroom. Games and activities create situations where students can use the target language of the lesson in a playful situation (a game) or in presentation or production ( exercises). Games and activities allow opportunities to use language repeatedly and to build a habit from the structures provided.
Every experienced EFL teacher has several favorite games and activities that require minimal preparation – ready to go at any time.
WARM-UPS
Most EFL classes should start with a “warm-up” activity to help the students relax and settle into the class. The warm-up is often a game, just to start things on a “fun” level.
WARM-UP ACTIVITIES
Mystery Object (advanced, group)
Bring an item that is so unusual that the learners are not likely to recognize what it is. Spend some time eliciting basic descriptions of the item and guesses about what it is and how it's used. If possible, pass the item around. This is an activity in observation and inference, so don't answer questions. Just write down descriptions and guesses until someone figures it out or you reveal the mystery.
Similarities (beginner-intermediate, group)
Give each person one or more colored shapes cut from construction paper. They need to find another person with a similar color, shape, or number of shapes and form pairs. Then they interview each other to find 1-2 similarities they have, such as working on a farm or having two children or being from Asia. They can share their findings with the class if there is time.
Mystery Identities (any literate level, group)
Write the names of famous people or places (or use animals or fruits for a simplified version) onto 3x5 cards. Attach a card to each learner's back. Give them time to mingle and ask each other questions to try to figure out their tagged identities. This is usually limited to yes/no questions, although beginners might be allowed to ask any question they can. Be at least 90% sure that the learners have heard of the items on the cards and especially the ones you place on their own backs
Can't Say Yes or No
In this game everyone is given a certain number of coins or squares of paper (about 10). Everyone moves around the room starting conversations and asking each other questions. The only rule is that you cannot say the words YES or NO. If you accidentally say one of these words, you have to give a coin or square to the person who you said it to. Try to trick each other by asking questions that you would almost always answer with a yes or no. Think of other ways to trick your friends. Sometimes asking two quick questions in a row works well. (Especially tag questions: Are you new here? This is your first time in America, isn't it?). This game is a great way to practiseusing small talk and to add variety to your vocabulary. It also makes everyone laugh.
Categories(Beginner-Advanced)
For this game, one person thinks of a category, such as MOVIES. In a circle, everyone must take a turn thinking of a Movie title (in English of course). If someone takes too long to give an answer (the leader should count to five) then that person is out and a new category begins. If someone gives an answer that doesn't make sense or is incorrect, he is also out of the game. For example, if the category is VEGETABLES and someone says "banana" that person is out. The game continues until only one person is left!
STRUCTURED ACTIVITIES
Structured activities will be provided to students during the practice and production stages of the lesson.
“Changing Sentences”. Aim: Practice of sentence patterns.
Procedure: choose a simple sentence pattern, which can bebased on a grammatical structured you have recentlylearned.Then ss invent variations, either by changing oneelement at a time or as much as they like:
She wrote a letter to her sister….to her husband….
We
People
Children
Dogs
Often
Never
Sometimes
Always
usually
Eat
Sit on
Play with
The floor
Meat
Chairs
Dolls
Chocolate
Baloons
Students are expected to make sensible sentences like this:
Children sometimes play with dolls.
For an entertaining variation tell the Ss to make ridiculouscombinations:
Dogs often sit on chocolate.
“Sentence Starters” Skills involved: Writing and Speaking.
Procedure: Ask the Ss to call out what theythink could be added to this sentencebeginning. If there is time, ask the students towork with a partner, to select four of the lines, put them in order and then to find a fith line which they think makes the writing more like a poem. For example:
Being young is being with friends…Being young is losing friends… Being young is taking examinations…Being young is wondering whether there will be a
future…
“Pulling up a sentence” Aim: review theSimple Present(or another tense), Vocabulary Review.
Procedure: Start by telling the studentssomething you like, for example:
I like pop music.
Then ask a student to recall to what you likeand add a like of his or her own:
(The teacher) likes pop music, I like watchingTV.
Another student adds a further item:…
“What has just happened?” Aim: Practice the PresentPerfect with Just
Procedure: Write a series of exclamations on the board-notmore than ten(There is a selection to choose from in thebox). In pairs or groups, Students choose an exvclamation, think of an event which might have caused someone to sayit, and write down a brief description of the event if possible, using the present perfect. For example they maight choose“what?’’, and write:
Someone hasn’t heard clearly what was just said.
Then they choose another and do the same againn. Aftertwo minutes, invite students to read out their sentntceswithout identifying the exlclamtions that gave rise to them: the rest of the class guess what the exclamations were.
Box: what has just hapened?
Oh! oh? Congratulations!
Im sorry! Great! What?
No! Thanks! Welcome!
Never mind! It’s a deal! Hello?
Goodbye! Thank Goodness! Yes, Of course!
Ow! Bad Luck! Mmm!
Why might you…? Aim: To practice theconditionals.
Procedure: suggest an unlikely action, and askthe students if they can imagine under whatcircunstances they might/would do it. You mayor may not wish to instruct them to make full sentences. For example: Why might you stand on your head?
Possible answers:If I were performing in a circus, I might stand on
my head.If I wanted to look at something upside down.See the following box for more examples.
BOX: Why might you ?
1) ….go to live in another country?
2) …stop talking for a day?
3) …eat a piece of paper?
4) …dye your hair green?
5) …go and live on a tree?
6) …ride an elephant?
7) …sleep all day?
8) …jump out of the window?
9) …visit the presindent/Prime Minister?
10)…refuse to come to this lesson?
“Teacherless Task” Aim: To practice the simple past and the pastperfect. Suggested levels: Intermediate-Advanced.
Procedure: 1 Seat the students in circles of as near to ten as possible.
2 Give out a copy of the story, cut into strips, to each group. (Make sure
the strips are out of sequence.) Within the group, each student takes one
strip. Ask the students to read their mini-texts silently and to ask your
help with words they don't know.
3 Explain that the aim of the game is to sequence the strips into a story
and to solve the problem it poses.
Rule 1: Only read your own strip of paper. You are not allowed to look
at anyone else's.
Rule 2: Don't write.
Rule 3: Only ask the teacher language questions.
4 The circles of ten students sequence the story and solve the problem.
This is a time for you to listen diagnostically to pronunciation mistakes
and to watch the dynamics of each group.
PRESENTATION
5 Once the students have found the solution, give each person a copy of
the full text.
“What am I doing?” Aim: Practice the PresentContinuous.
Summary of the game
In order to join a team, students have to guesswhat someone is doing by that person’s oral lues and name the action using the presentcontinues tense. Each team tries to get more people than the other.The team take turns untilthere are no more players left in the middle of the room or there are no more phrases on thelist. The lager team at the end of the game wins.
Summary of the game
Students circulate, asking for classmates’
opinions on what people should and
shouldn’t do, and fill in a survey with the
results…Example:
“should all of the countries in the world
belong to the united Nations?”
“Sharing should” Aim: to practice should/ shouldn’t for prohibition and obligation.
SURVEY OF EXPERIENCE AIM: TO PRACTICE THE
PRESENT PERFECT
Summary of the game: Students circulateand find out whether their classmates havehad the listed experiences. Students haveten minutes to get as many signatures as they can. Example”
Have you ever changed a diaper?
Yes, I have.
Thank you, but it isn’t the answer I am looking for.
Summary of the game
Students identify the people at a party on thebasis of descriptive clues.
Party Characters;Men: John, Fred, Lou, Phill,andBob; Women: Mildred, Marsha,Joan, Sally and Jill.
“Party People” Aim: Make comparisons of equality and inequality.
USEFUL STRATEGIES
Look up and speak (Conversations,use it with all levels).
Cloud Prediction (Aim: Develop Ss’ ability to predictcontent from key words.
Disappearing Dialog( for conversations)Aim: Give Ss’ confidence using new vocabulary).
Example: A: Good Morning. How are you?B: I’m just fine.Thank you…BecomesA:Good Morning._______you….B:I’m just fine._____you…
Tic-Tac –Toe( for vocabulary review; Aim: HelpSs review words in a fun way
Know Give Think
Fall Feel Buy
Catch Sing swim
If time allows, a short language game
or activity may also be used at the very
end of the class so that it can be
rounded off with a smile.
FUN LAST MINUTE EFL ACTIVITY TO FINISH THE LESSON
TongueTwistwers(Intermediate-Advanced)Try this pronunciation exercises with yourstudents. You might even give prizes to thosewho can succeed in saying these twisters fivetimes quickly without making a mistake.
Example:“Seven serious southern soldiers setting sailsouth suddenly”.
Riddles(Intermediate-Advanced)
One sure way to integrate yourself withthe class is to ask them a riddle. Butdon’t tell them more than one or two at one time.
Examples of Riddles:
“What grows larger the most you takefrom it?”
“If five dogs are chasing a cat down thestreet, what time is it?”
Listening to a song
Procedure: Play the song and ask thestudents to follow the words, and to singwhile you play it again. Deal with anyquestions or confusion over meaning.
REFERENCES
More Grammar Games by Mario Rinvolucri and Paul Davis(Cambridge University Press)
Five-Minute Activities by Penny Ur and Andrew Wright. Shennanigames by James Kealey and Donna Inness. The TKT Course by Mary Spratt, Alan Pulverness and
Melanie Wiliams(University of Cambridge)
Other useful Resources 101 Bright Ideas by Claire Maria Ford ESL Teacher’s Activities Kit by Elizabeth Claire Elementary Grammar Games by Jill Hadfield(Longman) Grammar Practice Activities by Penny Ur(Univerity of
Cambridge) Pictures for Writing by Mary Stephens(Longman)
LIST OF IMPORTANT EFL/ESL WEB SITES:
http://eslgames.com/ http://eslgames.com/ http://www.everythingesl.net/ http://a4esl.org/ http://www.onlinemet.com/ http://www.etprofessional.com/ http://www.eslmag.com/ http://www.its-teachers.com/ http://www.pearsonlongman.com/teachers/ http://www.cambridge.org/do/elt/teachers/ http://www.eslcafe.com/ http://exchanges.sthttp://www.mes-
english.com/ate.gov/englishteaching/ http://www.isabelperez.com/
http://eslsite.com/http://bogglesworldesl.com/http://esl.about.com/http://esl.about.com/http://esl-galaxy.com/]http://www.esl-lab.com/http://fog.ccsf.edu/~lfried/http://legacy.lclark.edu/~krauss/toppicks/toppicks.htmlhttp://www.manythings.org/http://a4esl.org/q/h/grammar.htmlhttp://www.chompchomp.com/http://literacynet.org/cnnsf/archives.htmlhttp://www.ict4lt.org/en/en_mod3-4.htm
http://www.esl-lab.com/
http://www.esl-lab.com/research/end.htm
http://www.tefl.net/
http://iteslj.org/games/
http://iteslj.org/Lessons/Liang-ExtensiveReading.html
http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com/
http://iteslj.org/
http://www.onestopenglish.com/
http://www.eslcafe.com/idea/
http://tienganhthucdung.com/listening/
BERNOLI TEJADA
CONTACT INFO.: [email protected]
Thank you everyone!
