SPEAKING ACTIVITIES
1. Fairy Tales [see also Morgan in Bibliography]
An excellent activity to promote speaking is the use of fairy tales in the classroom. The students can initially be read fairy tales, fables, or even myths, some of which they may already be familiar with in their native language, and then be asked to either a) create their own original stories or b) write a new, more modern version of a familiar fairy tale. The students could write these stories in small groups and then perform the tales in front of the class. The use of costumes and props is strongly encouraged, as is the use of a video camera to film the students. The latter idea is useful because it is more motivating (since the students are later able to see themselves). The video camera is beneficial since students can become more aware of their errors through self, teacher, and peer comment and criticism. A negative factor is also involved, however, due to the fact that those students already nervous about performing in front of the class may be made more so knowing that they are being filmed. Thanks to Johanne Vallerand for this idea.
2. Ping Pong
This game is useful for practicing Yes/No questions but can also be used for Wh- questions as well as other structures. The class is divided into 2 teams. A student from one team must ask a Yes/No question to a student on the other team. One point is given for a properly formulated question and one is given for a correct answer.
3. Where Was I?
Here is a language game which allows students to learn a little more about each other while practicing the past tense and question formation. One student asks the class, ex: "Where was I yesterday at 5:30?" The rest of the class must then ask questions to try to determine where that student was and possibly what she or he was doing. They are permitted 10 questions to try to find the answer. The teacher should suggest that they begin with broad questions then narrow their scope. Example: Were you in the province? Did you do the activity alone? etc.
4. Getting to Know You [from Georges Terroux (see Bibliography)]
An amusing introductory game useful on the first day of class as a means for the students (and teacher) to get to know each others' names. lt is also a good memory game which practices the possessive form and can improve vocabulary. If possible, have the students sit in a wide circle so everyone can see each other. The first student introduces him or herself by saying "I went to the store and bought Dan's drums." The next student must state, "I went to the store and bought Caroline's computer and Dan's drums." The chain continues with each student repeating what all the preceding students' names are and what they bought. The teacher can provide assistance to those students unable to think of an alliterative object or who have poor memories. When completed, the chain can be reversed with another object or perhaps an animal.
5. Find Someone Who............
This is an interactive task which requires students to circulate around the class to gather names of people who meet certain criteria. The purpose of the activity is to practice "Do you ... ?" and other Yes/No type questions. Each student is given a list of short phrases all headed by "Find someone who..." They must then go about the classroom asking others if they meet those criteria. For example: Each student must find someone in class who.... smokes cigarettes; someone else who hates fish; someone who has 2 brothers and 1 sister; a classmate who is a Scorpio; is one month older than they are; has less than $1 in their pocket; sings in the shower; etc. There should be a list of about 20-25 items and when the students find someone to meet one of these criteria, they must write down that person's name beside the item. The only provisions are that no one may have the same person on their list more than twice and they cannot include their own name on the list.
6. Interview a Monster.
This is an amusing activity used to practice asking questions. Half the class are assigned the roles of reporters and the other half are visiting monsters from outer space. The students who are the alien monsters must use their imaginations to answer questions such as "Where do you come from?" "What do you eat on your planet?" "Why did you come to Earth?" etc. The reporter must then take this information and present it to the class.
7. Detailed Instructions
This activity is intended to practice students' overall speaking skills as they are given a procedure or situation they must describe to their classmates. For example, the teacher could ask a student to describe how to tie his/her shoelaces or how to make spaghetti. Their partner must then guess what is being described.
8. $25,000 Pyramid
This game is based on the game show and is an excellent vocabulary builder as well as fantastic for improving students' fluency and speed in speaking English. The students are placed in pairs and one of the two is given a card which has a category on it. The category is read to his or her partner and then he or she is given 1 minute to describe all seven words on the card. One point is given for each word guessed correctly. There are no restrictions on what clues are allowed except that no part of the word being guessed at may be used. Hand gestures are also permitted.
Example: Category is Things found in the kitchen. Words are - dishwasher, table, sink, refrigerator, stove, dishes, and food. Sample clues for dishwasher: This is a machine you use to clean glasses and plates, it has hoses which connect it to a tap on the sink, it is usually painted white, etc. If a guesser is having difficulty with a word, she or he can pass it and come back to it later if there is still time. Afterwards, the partners can switch - with the clue-giver becoming the guesser and vice-versa. In this game, time is of the essence so clues must be given quickly and succinctly and the listener must pay close attention. A suggestion on how to employ the game in class is to have one pair at a time sit up front and play with the whole class listening. The top teams can then go on to further rounds of play. Prize to winning team is $25,000 (or a substitute award).
9. Look Who's Talking [from Christison]
Dozens of discussion topics to be done variously as a whole class, in small groups, or in pairs.
Sample activity: Line Ups
Strategy type: Restructuring
Non-personal
Time: 15 minutes
No Materials
Procedure: Ask students to line up in the class according to a certain pattern (listed below). In order to do so, it will be necessary to speak to each other to determine their relative positions.
Possible patterns: alphabetical order (by last name), what time you got up this morning, what time you went to bed last night, how old you are, how tall you are,
how many boyfriends/girlfriends you have had, how much money you have in your possession right now, etc.
10. Who Am I? (version 1)
The purpose of this game is to practice Yes/No questions as well as to have students practice thinking in English. lt is not a new game but is nonetheless worthwhile as it promotes speaking and builds vocabulary. One student is chosen and she or he must think of a famous person (someone known to the entire class) and the others must attempt to discover who it is asking only Yes/No questions. Example: Is it a woman? No. Is this person living? No. Is the person an entertainer? No. Is he a politician? Yes. Did he live in this century? Yes. Did he live in this country? Yes. Was he an anglophone? No. ls the person René Levesque? Yes. If the class has too much difficulty in finding out the identity, clues can be given such as: He was an important figure in Quebec. A limit of 15 questions should be imposed.
11. Who Am I? (version 2)
In this version of the game, the students must again ask the same type of Yes/No questions, however there is a slightly different slant to the game. After explaining how the game works and what type of questions the students are expected to formulate, the teacher circulates around the class and places the name of a famous person on the back of each student. This requires some advance preparation for the teacher, as cards must be made up with at least one different personality for each of the students (some extra cards are a good idea, because some students manage to learn their identities rather quickly). The cards must have an adhesive such as masking tape and should be placed where students cannot see the names on their own backs or be able to reach them very easily. They can ask as many questions as they like, but can only ask each classmate one question, then they must move on and ask someone else. The personalities can be living or dead, real or fictitious, but must be known to everyone. Some sample personalities might be Jean Chrétien, Mitsou, Mario Lemieux, Michael Jackson, Mickey Mouse, Batman, Himself or Herself, Jacques Cartier, etc. Note: It would be a good idea to introduce the first version of this game before attempting the second, as the second requires much more interaction in class and could become confusing for some first-time players.
12. What Am I?/Twenty Questions
This is essentially the same game as above's Who Am I? but rather than choose famous people who have to be guessed at, objects are chosen. These objects can range from household items to animals to unusual things such as a cloud or a spaceship. The purpose once again is to practice asking Yes/No questions. A chosen student simply thinks of a thing and then his or her classmates ask Yes/No questions until they guess the object. Approximately 15 questions should be the limit then clues can be given. Another way that this game may be played (as in version 2 of "Who am 1") is to place a picture of an object on the backs of each of the students who must then circulate around the class asking Yes/No questions to try to determine what the object is on their backs.
13. It's Time to Talk [from Dubin]
Sample discussion activity: Ice cream concoctions* (Short text describing popularity of ice cream, where you can get it and it's flavours.)
Text: Ice cream is a very popular dessert in North America. You can buy it already packaged at a Supermarket. You can also eat it at an ice cream parlour*. Some ice cream parlours have 30 or more flavours* of ice cream. Some ice cream parlours serve dishes made of ice cream combined with other ingredients*.
(*words followed by an asterisk are vocabulary with short definitions).
Activities:
A. Can you describe these ice cream treats?
an ice cream soda,
a milk shake,
a cone,
a banana split,
a sundae.
B. With a partner, talk about your ice cream preferences. Be ready to ask your partner these questions:
What is your favourite flavour?
Where do you like to eat ice cream?
Which is your favourite ice cream dish?
What is your favourite ice cream concoction?
How do you make it?
C. With the whole class, ask who knows these flavours:
- Rocky Road - Neapolitan - Heavenly Hash. Ask students, "Who knows other ice cream flavours?"
Write them on the board and let students take turns describing them to the class.
D. Ask, "What is your favourite ice cream concoction?" Have students
take turns telling the whole class. i.e. - "My favourite ice cream concoction is made with the following ingredients: ..............
14. Doing One's Job [from Lee]
Sample activity: Doing one's job
Use: To practice formulating arguments
There are 2 sets of cards, 1 with occupations, the other with objects (scissors, a ball, a chair, a ring, a bicycle, etc.)
Each student takes 1 card from each set and must justify why he or she needs to use the object in their work. Ex: A baseball player and a bicycle. "I need to stay in shape when I am not playing, so I ride my bike for exercise.
15. React Interact [from Byrd]
Synopsis of one discussion situation: Marooned (Unit 19)
You and your group are a crew of astronauts marooned on a distant uninhabited planet after your spacecraft is damaged. Your only hope for survival is to travel 160 kms., before your oxygen runs out, to the landing site of another crew which comes from the planet Zavia. On this planet there is no oxygen, no water, very little gravity, little sunlight, and many large mountains. First individually, then as a group, you must number the following items in order of importance from 1-16. You must come to an agreement with your group on the order of the items.
Items: life raft (folded), food concentrate, map of the planet, first-aid kit, magnetic compass, English/Zavian dictionary, coloured signal flares, two 4-litre water containers, box of matches, small heater, box of powdered milk, mineral samples from the planet, 30 feet of nylon rope, solar-powered radio (receiver/transmitter), two loaded guns, 3 back jets capable of a speed of 40 km/h.
This is followed by discussion questions as well as written reaction questions and vocabulary.
Sample oral interaction questions: Name the 3 most important items you chose individually, and as a group. What were your reasons? Since the planet is uninhabited, what do you think the astronauts were doing there? What do you think the Zavians were doing there?
Where do you think the marooned astronauts were from? What could the astronauts do if the Zavians refused to help? What might be some reason that the Zavians would refuse to help? Explain in detail what the marooned astronauts must do in order to get to the Zavians' ship? Mention the amount of time involved, the means or conditions of travel, and the amount of oxygen needed (i.e. for how many hours).
16. Plays
The use of plays in the ESL classroom is invaluable as it teaches and practices vocabulary, presents and reinforces various structures, and permits students to focus on pronunciation and other oral skills. The following are a number of ways in which plays can be utilized. The most straightforward way is by taking an existing play, reading and rehearsing it, then finally performing it (for some sample plays see McCallum in Bibliography). Another possibility is the idea mentioned by Terroux (p. 144), of reading two thirds of a play then having the students write and present the ending. One final concept would be to have the students create their own plays from scratch then stage them in front of the class. This would permit the students to use their imaginations and present their own work to their peers, something which would undoubtedly be highly motivating. [see also McCrae]
17. If I Won a Million Dollars
This activity is intended not only to practice the conditional, but also to enable students to express desires and wishes. The students can be placed in groups of four or five and must share their thoughts on what they would do if suddenly they won (or were given) $1 million. Afterwards, one or two students from each group could tell the class about their choices. A preceding or subsequent activity which could be used to practice listening and would reinforce some of the vocabulary is the song "If I Had a Million Dollars" by The Barenaked Ladies.
18. Who Gets the Heart? [from Rooks' Non-Stop Discussion Workbook]
This is a sample activity (from among 30) designed as a starting point for oral discussion. Unit 8 has the students in small groups of 3-4 as members of a transplant surgery team who must choose who gets the heart transplant from among 6 critically ill patients who could die at any time. They must decide quickly as a donor heart has just become available. The patients must be ranked in order of who should get the heart first (1-6).
The patients are:
- a 55-year old male steelworker who is unemployed and married with 7 children
- a 31 -year old female soprano opera singer who is divorced with 2 children, aged 2 and 3
- a 42-year old male research scientist who is the leading authority in the world on bacteriological diseases, he is unmarried
- a 10-year old male who is the son of the Venezuelan ambassador, he is an elementary school student who hopes to one day become a doctor.
- a 65-year old male who is the Canadian Governor-General, he is the father of three grown children and grandfather of 5
- a 39-year old female who is unemployed and on welfare, she is widowed with 3 children aged 4, 8, and 10.
Reasons should be given for why each candidate for the transplant should and should not be chosen for the operation (each group of students must come to an agreement) and then their arguments should be presented to the class. This should encourage further discussion.
Other topics also found in this book include "Starting a New Civilization," "Recommending a Vacation Spot," "Ordering a Made-to-Measure Baby in the Year 2250," " Whom to Invite to Dinner" (a person living or dead), "Which Sports are Best," "Plan a Perfect TV Schedule," etc.
19. Chain Stories
This is a very simple activity which requires very little planning or preparation and develops fluency and quick-thinking in the second language. The students have to tell a story as a class by having one student begin telling a story which is made up as it goes along. As the first student begins his/her story, the teacher stops him/her and asks another random student to continue. This process continues until the story has been completed and may be repeated with a new story. Also a good activity because it forces students to hone their listening skills.
20. Can't Stop Talking [by Rooks]
Editing and Writing a Newspaper
-A vocabulary list is provided
i.e. headline - title above a newspaper story
editor - person in charge of decisions relating to a newspaper
Read the situation: You and your group are editors of the Montreal Gazette newspaper. Every day, you must decide what stories to put in the paper. On many days there is a small amount of news and your decisions are easy. On other days there is a lot of news and your decisions are difficult. Today is a very unusual day. There are many exciting national and international stories. Which headlines from yesterday afternoon, evening and early this morning will go on the front page? (Choose 6)
Fidel Castro Dies
Scientist Finds Cure for Liver Cancer
Pierre Bourque Re-elected Mayor of Montreal
Russian Soldiers Invade China
Four Feet of Snow in Los Angeles
Peace in lsrael
Prime Minister Eliminates Income Tax
Thieves Steal Mona Lisa from Louvre
Brazil Wins World Cup
Nuclear Accident in New York
Plane Crash Kills 337 People
OPEC Raises Oil Prices 25%
Thieves Rob 4 Banks in Montreal
Scientist Invents Solar-Powered Jet
Iran and Iraq Fight Again
Scientists Find Cure for AIDS
Choose six of these headlines for page 1 and six for page 2. Write down the 4 headlines that were not chosen and with your group explain why you did not choose them.
Discuss: Verbally compare your decisions with your classmates. What kinds of stories are important to the people in your group and in your class?
21. Perfect Person [from Sadow]
(Sample of one activity from among dozens of excellent ideas)
Objectives: to consider positive qualities of people,
to practice describing people,
to practice vocabulary related to character traits and physical characteristics
Tell the class to design the perfect person (as biologists)
Check comprehension of the task.
Present vocabulary they might use (adjectives such as wise, thoughtful)
Ask the class - What questions do you need to ask about a perfect person? (write the following questions on the board)
1. What does this person look like?
2. What type of personality does this person have? How can we describe this personality?
3. What makes this person special?
4. What sort of work does this person do?
5. What has this person achieved?
Form groups (3-5) with one secretary. Do the activity.
Have the secretary read the descriptions to the class, then ask the class if they agree that this person is perfect. Summarize the descriptions. In-class discussion topics:
1. What makes a person admirable?
2. Why do some people become heroes?
3. What are the best qualities a person can have?
4. If you met a "perfect person" would you like them?
Follow-up writing topics:
1. My ideal person
2. My favourite person/my hero
3. The type of person I want to be
22. Art Discussion [see also Maley]
The use of art can be an interesting addition to the ESL classroom as it can be an excellent basis upon which to build discussion. Aside from improving vocabulary, using artwork can also allow students the rare opportunity for self-expression which other activities simply cannot go into with as much depth. Essentially, what is required here is that students are shown one or even several pieces of art, either photographs, sculptures, or paintings of varying types - be it classical, contemporary, abstract, etc. The students are then asked to describe the artwork and then can comment on what it makes them think of, feel, and what they believe the artist intended.
23. Theater Activities
This activity in fact contains a number of related activities which can be adapted and performed at all levels. These activities all permit students to very actively employ English, even if it is non-spontaneous, in order to increase fluency, vocabulary, and pronunciation. It also provides them with a sense that they can pursue an artistic endeavour such as acting in their second language. Many teachers may notice that even a shy, demure student will have less difficulty speaking before a class if they already have a prepared text which they have studied. The following activities are ordered from the most to least structured.
a. Plays: The first of these activities is the staging of a play. This was already mentioned, but could potentially be used by weaker students if the language and presentation were simplified. It essentially consists of having students create their own play or memorize one which already exists and perform it in front of the class. (See McCrae)
b. T V: The second activity is a variation of the last and involves using a popular television show. The script of a show is written out (eg. one or two short scenes), and the students choose parts, study and memorize the script, decide how it will be presented, and then perform the segment for the rest of the class. A suggestion might be to have various groups in class each perform their respective scenes until the entire show is presented. For example, group A would perform scene 1, group B - scene 2, and so on. The class may even create their very own show or put a new spin on an existing program. lt could be a sitcom, drama, or even a soap opera. To maintain interest, each group would only be allowed to know the content of their own scene.
c. Role-plays: The next activity is the infamous role-play with which all language teachers are likely familiar. As a result, I will not go into them in detail, but rather will briefly describe them and make reference to further sources of ideas. The role-play (or sketch/skit) is useful in providing students with a brief opportunity to practice a circumscribed aspect of language such as specific vocabulary or a particular structure or notion. The students are simply given a short dialogue between two or
more people which they must memorize and present. (See Dougill, Hines, Paulston and Terroux. The latter on pp. 106-7, 140-2, 146-7).
d. Improv: The final and most spontaneous approach is improvisation.
Students are given a topic or situation as well as a location and are either
given a short time to prepare or are asked to present a quick sketch on-the-spot. Different groups of students in class can form teams and can compete. For example, two teams are given the same topic to present and once they have performed it (either with or without practice) the class votes on which improvisation was better presented.
24. The News (see also Terroux, p. 129)
The students are initially exposed to a brief news report (either on TV or on radio) and then are asked to write their own short reports and read them to the class. This activity also practices listening and writing, but is particularly useful for speaking as it entails a clear and precise presentation of information which the rest of the class must understand. This is an activity which can be done at any level, depending upon the complexity of the reports required by the teacher. Possible news items might be sports, weather, politics, catastrophes, scandals, business, food, Hollywood, etc.
25. On Focus
This game is terrific for all levels and good for use early in the school year when the students don't know each other very well. The object is to practice asking questions while improving fluency and coping skills. Students are given a series of possible interview questions (or can make up their own) and are permitted a little time to think. Students are placed in groups of 4 or 5 and one student is placed "on focus." The students then ask that person a number of personal questions to which he or she may answer truthfully, tell a lie, or refuse to answer. After 5 questions, he or she may ask the same question to any member of the group. Sample questions: What is your favourite food? Where were you born? Do you have a girlfriend? etc.
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