ESL Activities that work surprisingly well

Blue-tac: the next best thing next to the nude woman

After a year of teaching the English language to Vietnamese students of all ages (seriously), I've experimented with many different activities (whiting-out "SexyBack" lyrics, "how much wood can a woodchuck chuck?"), in search of the most effective methodology. Amateur English language teachers fall into the trap of talking too much - using their TTT (Teacher Talk Time) ineffectively, treating the classroom as an auditorium. I subscribe to a 60/40 principle: students do more of the talking.

Here are three of my favorite activities / games that gets students to become active and/or interact with one another, without you having to say much at all.

Backs to the Board

Suitable age group: 11 and up

Objective: To get students to identify particular vocabulary using contextual keywords and phrases.

Duration: 20-25 minutes

Methodology: Prepare a list of vocabulary according to the particular target language / vocabulary of the unit you are teaching in a given class. For example, if the current unit is "technology and computers," a potential list of vocabulary could be: "laptop, iPod, Wi-Fi, memory, program, e-mail, etc." Then, split, the class into two teams and have them send one team member to the front of the class. They will respectively be the standing team members who must turn their backs to the board. Write one of the vocabulary words on the board. Inform the sitting team members - who are able to see the board - may not say the particular vocabulary, but rather, use contextual keywords and phrases as clues to the particular vocabulary. The goal is to get the standing team member to say the particular vocabulary, ideally shouting it out. The first standing team member to identify the target vocabulary correctly earns their team a point.

A typical scene: I write "iPod" on the board. The sitting students verbally scramble, shouting key incomplete phrases and keywords to clue their standing team member on what the word is: "Apple...you can listen to music...it's small...Steve Jobs..." The standing student might say: "MP3...radio..." and then "iPod" with the sitting students shouting in triumph.

P.S. I like to use this activity as a review of many units to keep it spicy. Try not to use vocabulary which they can easily gesture to on the spot, for example: watches, desks, hands, etc. as they will almost always physically express the vocabulary rather than verbally deconstruct it.

Running Dictation

Suitable age group: 8 and up

Objective: To get students reading, speaking, listening, writing (and exercising), all within one activity and to practice any target language / vocabulary.

Duration: 15-25 minutes

Methodology: Take any written text (a series of alphabet letters, a sentence, a passage from a textbook, a paragraph from a short story, lyrics to a song) and stick it on a wall, place it on the chair - put it somewhere out of the students reach, at least five footsteps away. Get the students to form partnerships. Inform students that each partnership will have one writer and one runner. The runner will dictate the selected written documents to their partner by sauntering up to the written document, memorizing a portion of it, and running that memorized portion back to dictate to their writing partner. Also warn students that they may not stand next to the written document and shout it out to their partner.

A typical scene: A runner goes to the written document, reads it, and runs it back to their partner to dictate it. After doing such for five minutes, they get tired and propose to switch roles with their writing partner - let it happen (!) as long as it keeps them engaged and practicing their English.

P.S. Putting the written document outside the classroom door is my preference. I also like to use "blue-tac" to stick it on the wall, as its re-usable. I prefer using lyrics to a song, so after they are finished (and exhausted from) dictating the entire document, I can play the actual song and the class can unwind - maybe even extend the activity by having them underline certain portions I play specifically.

Hangman (Don't Die Minh!)

Suitable age group: 6 and up

Objective: To get students to identify target vocabulary.

Methodology: Prepare a list of vocabulary according to the particular target language / vocabulary of the unit you are teaching in a given class. Divide the class into two teams. Draw a scaffold on the board and to the right of that, draw the appropriate amount of letter spaces given a certain word you think of (ex. "blue" yields _ _ _ _ ). Write the subject or particular unit you are studying above both. Explain that students have six chances to guess the correct letters to complete the word. For each letter they guess incorrectly, that incorrect letter is written to the left of it and a body part is drawn (preferable order: head, stick body, stick left arm, stick right arm, stick left leg, stick right leg...you can always add more heh heh). A point is rewarded to the team who identifies the target vocabulary word without getting their "man" hung at the scaffold.

A typical scene: Students will shout out random letters. As a word begins to reveal itself, some students will simply shout the word since they now know what it probably is - ignore them and force them to keep guessing the correct words. This prevents the game from going by too fast and forces them to spell it and pronounce letters completely.

P.S. Being that many students will know how to play "Hangman" once you draw the scaffold, I like to play "Don't Die, Minh!" Instead of drawing a scaffold, draw a cliff. On this cliff, draw four ticks and a fifth tick being an arrow downwards into the ocean (preferably with a shark or what looks like the Lochness Monster). Identify a student in the class, preferably a kid who is shy and/or needs a boost in confidence. Above this cliff, write "Don't Die, [insert student's name]!" Draw a little stick version of that student on a "zero" tick. With every letter guessed incorrectly, erase that student and move them to the proceeding tick and write the incorrect letter under the aforementioned proceeding tick accordingly. If a team happens to lose in identifying the word, draw the student getting eaten by the shark/Lochness monster, and then choose a new student in the class to "not die" - students eat it up!