IS THIS THE PICTURE?

Age: Older children and above
Proficiency: High beginners and above
Objective: To practice describing pictures, using adjectives and "there is/There are"
Materials: Magazines with lots of pictures.

Divide the class into smaller groups. Give each group a magazine.
Instruct one student to choose one picture randomly, without letting the other members of the group see it. This student then describes the picture in as much detail as possible. He/She closes the magazine and gives it to the others, who then try to find the picture just described. The other members take turns doing the same. 
This is particularly good to practice describing people (with adjectives related to physical description), actions in the present continuous, different kinds of weather, etc.

This activity was a contribution from Bruno Cavalcanti Albuquerque, a teacher at Casa Thomas Jefferson, Brasília-Brazil.
Thanks for sharing, Bruno.

DECYPHER AND LEARN

Age: Any
Proficiency level: Any
Objective: To review vocabulary, to ask and answer questions, to learn new information about a topic, or anything you can think of that can be encoded in QR. 
Materials: 

• Printed QR codes created by the teacher for a specific task.
• a set of questions, answers, synonyms, etc, depending on the teacher's objective for the activity.
• Tablets or smart phones with an app that reads QR codes.  

 Place the printed QR codes on the walls around the classroom. Pair students up and give each pair a tablet, or ask them to use their own device. Tell them to figure out the message in all the QRs, paying attention to the information given. When they finish, they close their device and try to solve the task presented by the teacher (answering questions, matching vocabulary items, etc). They get together with other pairs to try to complete the task. They open their devices again and check ir they were correct. 

Although we can encode pictures, sound, and videos, the only kind of QR that does not need internet connection is the text message. Therefore, only encode the other items if you are sure your connection will work well. 
Here is an example of activity prepared as a warm-up for a lesson entitled "Amazing Nature". It talks about animals that migrate or hibernate during the greatest part of their lives.The grammar topic related to the unit is the use of future perfect and future perfect continuous, so we made a point of starting to present the topic.
     
The sentences encoded are:

1 – In its lifetime, the Arctic Tern will have made three round trips to the moon

2 – The Chilean Flamingos can travel up to 700 miles, or 1,126 km, a day.

3 – Male and Female Arctic Squirrels hibernate in different periods of the year.

4 – The Elephant Seal can travel 21,000 km, mostly under water, and keep its sense of direction.

5 – The groundhog’s heartbeat drops from 80 to 4 beats per minute, and its body temperature can go below zero.

6 – The Sooty Shearwater travels around 64,000 km in its migration round trip.

The questions students were supposed to answer after collecting the information were:

1 – Which animal will have made three round trips to the moon during his lifetime?

2 – Which animal can travel up to 700 miles a day?

3 – What can the elephant seal do?

4 – What happens when the groundhog is hibernating?

5 – How far does the Sooty Shearwater travel in his migration route?

6 – What is interesting about the Arctic squirrels’ hibernation?

We used the site www.qrstuff.com to create the codes, and the app SCAN to read them.

VOCABULARY CARDS

Age: Any
Proficiency level: Any
Objective: To review, reinforce, or assess vocabulary.
Materials: Many different sets of two cards, one with the vocabulary items and their definitions or synonyms, the other with only the definitions or synonyms, arranged in a different order from the other card.

Pair students up and give each of them a card. Tell them they cannot let their peers see their cards. The student who has the vocabulary items starts the activity by asking, "What does.....mean?" or "What is a synonym for....?" (Teacher, write these questions on the board for reference.) The other student chooses among the items in his/her card and says it outloud. The other student checks whether the answer is correct. When they are done, move the cards around the class.

PREPARING THE CARDS

Make a list of the items you want to work with. Then separate them into groups of five or six, let's say. The cards will look like this:

 Card 1

FOOTPRINTS  (noun) -  the marks made by a person's or animal's feet.
SOFTWARE (noun) - computer programs
VALUABLE (adjective) - something very helpful and important; something worth a high price
OUTNUMBER (verb) - to be greater in number than someone or something
 STRUGGLE (verb) - to make great effort to do something very difficult

Card 2 

• Something very helpful and important; something worth a high price.
• Computer programs
• To make a great effort to do something very difficult.
• The marks made by a person's or animal's feet.
• To be greater in number than someone or something.

CREDITS - This activity was suggested by Anna Lúcia Seabra Mendes, from Brasília-Brazil. Many thanks to her. 

HUMAN TIC TAC TOE

In this variation, the students will stand on a grid drawn on the classroom floor. The objective is the same: to have three people from the same group in a horizontal, vertical or perpendicular line.

Age – Teens and older

Proficiency level – low intermediate and above

Objective - To practice any grammar point, vocabulary (synonyms, opposites, definitions), verb tenses, irregular/regular verbs, etc.

Materials

1 - Pieces of ribbon of two different colors to tie around students’ heads.
2 – Three copies of a list with at least nine tasks – Each group will get one list, and the teacher will number his/her list randomly, not following the order in which the tasks were typed.
3 -  Masking tape to draw a big grid on the floor. 

4 – A list with two columns of odd and even numbers, which the teacher will cross out as he/she calls on students to stand on the grid.

INSTRUCTIONS

1 – Divide the class into two groups.

2 - Form two separate circles.

3 – Use odd numbers for the students in one circle and even numbers for the others. (1,3,5,7, 9, 11, etc… / 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, etc…). Give each group pieces of ribbon of the same color to be tied around their heads. This will help them visualize their partners on the grid.

4 – Give each group a sheet with the tasks and give them time to work on all of them. Everybody in the group must know the answers to all the tasks.

5 – When they are done, give them some more time to decide on the strategy they will use to position themselves on the chart.

6 – Decide which group will start the game. If the odd-numbered group wins, for example, start calling any odd number and cross it out on your list. This will help you keep track of who has already participated and who hasn’t. FROM THIS MOMENT ON, THERE IS NO MORE COMMUNICATION AMONG THE MEMBERS OF THE GROUPS.

7 – The student decides where he/she wants to stand and answers the task the teacher gives him (also randomly chosen from the list of tasks). If the student is correct, he/she remains on the grid. If not, he/she goes back to the group and the teacher moves on to call a student from the other group. The team that forms a line first is the champion.

Bingo and much more!

OBJECTIVE - To recognize and practice vocabulary items.
AGE - Young learners (children)
PROFICIENCY LEVEL - Beginners and low intermediate
MATERIALS - Several sets of cut-out pictures ( 5 x 5 or a little bigger) of vocabulary you want to work with: food, animals, clothing items, furniture, colors, occupations, etc., kept in individual envelopes. It would be ideal to have 10 or more pictures in each set.

These pictures can be copied from pictionaries and other photocopiable books.

After drilling the vocabulary items with the class, hand out the envelopes and ask students to organize them in a grid-like pattern on the floor or on a larger desktop. 

The activities listed below will move from simpler to more demanding; from recognition to production.
  
       Activity 1 - BINGO!

• Ask students to choose, say, six pictures and put the others back in the envelope. They will leave the pictures chosen face up on the floor/table.

• Start calling out names of the items randomly. Students who have that item will remove it from the floor/table and put it back in the envelope. The student who finishes all his/her pictures first is the winner. 

          Activity 2 - MIMING

• This activity can only be done with certain classes of words, such as animals and occupations.
• Students choose one of their cards and are invited to mime the item to the whole class. The other students will try to guess the item. 

       Activity 3 - LISTEN AND IDENTIFY

• With all cards facing up, students pick up the card that corresponds to the description the teacher makes. They place these cards on a row separate from the grid they have on the floor/table. 

For example, the teacher will say, "This fruit is red outside and white inside." "This animal has four legs and a big tail. It barks." 

• When they are done, the teacher can check their extra row.

           Activity 4 - CLASSIFYING

• The teacher asks students to set aside items with certain characteristics that he/she is going to mention. 

For example, "Put aside all the animals that can fly; all the wild/domestic animals; all the food items that are healthy/junk; all the dangerous occupations, etc."

• On a more productive levels, students can take turns giving the instructions.

      Activity 5 - ODD MAN OUT

• In pairs or small groups, students choose four cards, but one of them has to have different characteristics. They display their cards on the floor and the other students say which card is the odd man out, and why.

For example: a cat, a dog, a rabit, a lion - the lion is the odd man out because it is a wild animal.

                        a dress, a purse, a skirt, a suit - the suit is the odd man out because it is worn by men.

This activity was suggested by Daniela Lyra, from Brasília, Brazil. Many thanks to her.

Group Race

Objective - to practice or review any grammar point or set of vocabulary items you've been teaching.
Age - Any
Proficiency level - Any
Materials - as many identical sets of slips (with the tasks) as you want groups in your class.

1 - Prepare your set of tasks. You may choose to use the following kinds of exercises: fill-in-the-blanks; completion; definition; error correction; unscramble words/sentences; answer questions; ask questions to match the answers given; any other kind that may suit your purposes.

2 - Make one copy of the set of slips for each group.

3 - Cut the slips and mark each set with a different color (one group witll be blue, another red, another green, etc). You can draw a circle, a line, a heart, anything that will identify the set.

4 - In class, arrange the sets on your desks, far from each other to avoid mixing them up. Divide the students into groups of three. Number the students, 1, 2, 3. They will take turns performing three tasks: to get a slip with a task; to write the answer; to take the slip back for the teacher to check. The same student who returns the answered slip gets a new one (if the previous slip is correctly answered).

So, in the first round, student 1 will get the slip, student 2 will write the answer, and student 3 will take the slip back to the teacher. If it is correct, student 3 will get a new slip and take it to the group. Student 1 will write the answer and student 2 will take it to the teacher. And so on....

5 - You will check it and say "yes" (right) or "no" (wrong). If the answer is wrong, the student takes it back to the group and they try to fix it.They can only get a new slip if they answer the previous one correctly.

6 - Each group will work at their own pace. The group that answers all the slips correctly first is the winner.

Domino

OBJECTIVE - This game can be used to practice or review grammar topics as well as vocabulary. 
AGEL LEVEL - Young learners and above.
PROFICIENCY LEVEL - High beginners and above.
MATERIALS -  Slips of paper or cardboard which will work as the domino pieces. 


1) Select the grammar topic or vocabulary items you want to practice, reinforce or assess.
2) Choose the format you want your activity to have: word and its synonym/antonym; word and its meaning; question and answer; if clause and result clause; etc.
3) On a blank document, insert a table with two columns and as many lines as you wish.
You will have something like this: 
 4) The first slip should have a star in the left box and a word, question, if clause, etc, in the right one.
 

*****

Who did Cinderella ask for help to go to the Royal Ball?

 5) In the left box of the next slip, write the synonym/antonym, answer, definition, result clause, etc, that matches the previous box.

She asked her Fairy Godmother  for help.

 
6) This should go on until you have the last left box filled. The last right box should also have a star, since it's going to match the first one.

*****

7) Since Domino is more fun to play in larger groups, make as many sets of copies as you will need for your class, cut the slips (be careful not to mix the sets! I've done it, and it's hard to reorganize), shuffle them and set your students to play! Have fun!

Attached here is a game I have prepared to practice subject and object questions, adverbs of manner, and "used to".

*****

What did you use to do when you were little?

I used to watch cartoons on TV when I was little.

Who do students call when they have doubts?

They call the teacher. name.

What happened to your money?

My money was stolen from the bank.

Who stole it?

No one has found out who stole it.

Who are the police looking for?

They are looking for men wearing masks.

Have you ever told a lie?

Of course not! I’m an honest person!

What did you use to eat when you were a child?

Oh… I used to eat porridge and all kinds of sticky food.

Who takes care of our security?

The police do.

How should students write their compositions?

They should write them carefully and clearly.

Why did she have a car accident?

Because she was talking on her cell phone while driving.

How good is your English?

Oh, I speak it very well!

What were you doing when the bell rang?

I’m not sure, but I think I was sleeping...

*****