RUN, READ, DICTATE!

RUN, READ, DICTATE

Age level: children and teenagers

Proficiency level: basic and low intermediate

Objective: To practice reading, speaking, and writing in a kinesthetic, fun manner

Materials: two sets of slips with the words, sentences, parts of a sotry, or dialog lines for a dictation

 Prepare two sets with the same number of slips. You can practice vocabulary items, simple sentences, or more complex dialog lines. It also works if you cut a short text into smaller segments. Here are some examples: 

Vocabulary (very basic)

1 - refrigerator                                  2 - couch

3 - bedroom                                     4 - bathroom

5 - living room                                  6 - kitchen

A dialog

1 - Hello. How can I help you?         2 - Yes. I'm looking for jeans.

3 - What size do you wear?              4 - I'm not sure. Maybe 30...

5 - Let's see... I think a 32 will do.    6 - OK. Let's try them on.
      

....

A story

1 - It was a dark, stormy night. Jeffrey and Paola were driving through a deserted road.

2 - They were having an argument because Paola didn't like to travel at night.

3 - Suddenly, the car started making funny noises until it stopped completely.

4 - Jeffrey tried to start it many times, with no success. 

.....

 1) Place the odd-numbered slips on one side of the classroom and the even-numbered ones on the opposite side.

Pair students up. Decide which student in each pair is going to read the odd-numbered and the even-numbered sentences. Tell tehm to get a piece of paper and a pen or pencil. Odd number students stand up, run to their side of the classroom, read the first slip, run back to their seat and dictate what they read. As soon as the even number student finishes writing, they run to the other side, read the first slip on that wall, run back and dictate what they've read. This goes on until everybody has finished, but the first pair to finish and get everything right is the winner. 

VARIATION: If you choose to work with a text or story, you can leave the ending out and ask the pairs to come up with an interesting, intriguing ending to it. They tell the group what they came up with.