Learning Numbers 1-5, 6-10

This fun and non-threatening number learning activity is for Beginning ESL students.  It is also an indirect means of teaching the plural form of nouns.

1. Begin by counting the students and various objects in the classroom.

2. Repeat the action and have student repeat the numbers after you.

3. Pick up different objects, say the names of the objects and have students repeat after you as a group and then individually.

4. Repeat numbers 1-10 again and then pick up 1 book, 2 balls, 3 cars …. And have the students repeat after you.

5. Next have 1 of the puppets ask, “What is that?” Either you of the other puppet can reply, “1 book, 1 car….”  Now ask the pairs of students the same.

6. Continue with different numbers of objects as the puppets ask, “How many cars?”

7. Now have the puppets ask the pairs of students.

8. Finally, have the students throw the ball to all class members as they count to 1-5.

9. Repeat the same activity another day with numbers 6-10.
 

Materials:
· Various types and numbers of articles of interest to children: balls, stuffed animals, books, colors, small toys like cars and trucks, etc.
· Flashcards depicting specific numbers of objects
· Flashcards of numbers 1-10
· An illustrated poster introducing numbers 1-10
· 1-2 puppets
· Soft ball

What’s your name? 1
 

This is an easy, fun and simple learning activity for beginning ESL students to get to know one another.

Use any two puppets and tell the class the names of each and your name.
Secondly, ask the two puppets, “What is your name?”
Next have the puppets ask each other their names and finally have puppets ask the students their names.

The next step or the next day you can once again ask “What is your name?”  and then add, “My name is…”  Write the name on the board and have the students repeat once again.

Now use a soft ball and have the students toss the ball to fellow students, asking, “What is your name?” and replying, “My name is…”

Materials needed:
· 2 puppets

What is your name? 2

This activity is also for beginning ESL students and provides students with the opportunity to learn that many languages have a variation of the same name.  For example:
· William, Will, Bill, Billy, Willy in English
· Guillermo in Spanish
· Wilhelm in German.
A follow up activity is that students then will have a list/oral version of names in many languages and can choose to pick any other name to be used in the ESL classroom.

Begin the activity with a large world map hung so that it is easily accessible to all students.

Draw a girl/boy on the overhead or on the board and include her/his name on a nametag.  Make it clear to all students what her/his name is.  Remove the nametag and go to the US on the map and emphasize her/his name in the US.  Identify other countries and the equivalent in that respective language.  You can emphasize that there is no equivalent by saying the same name and referring to different countries.

Point out your nametag with your first name on it.  Say your name, take it off and place it on the US.  Then take it off and place it on other countries and give the foreign language equivalent for that country.

Have the students make a simple nametag and then ask students to come to the map one at a time and continue the activity in the same way.  Use a name book to help you with the various versions of names.

Materials:
· Name tag materials
· Board for writing various names
· Name book
· World map

What is your other name? 3

This is a good activity for Intermediate ESL students.  It provides students with an opportunity to learn names from other countries and to choose another name from their own culture or a brand, new culture.  This name will be special to the ESL classroom.  Some students may choose to use their own names.

This activity is a follow-up name activity for Beginning ESL students as they learned students’ names and recognized that a student’s name may be different in another language.This is my own activity, but you may choose to refer to this activity regarding choosing an American name: everythingesl.net/lessons/name_lesson.php
 

1. Begin by having a variety of children’s books from various cultures in front of you and point their names and point to the countries on the world map, say the name of the country and write the name on a sheet of paper on the country.  When finished with the books focus on the students’ names and ask the students to add them to the respective country lists.

2. Use a transparency of 30 to 50 names from many languages with the language of origin in parentheses.  Read through the list of names and then have the students repeat.  Some names will be difficult for students to pronounce so do not practice for perfection.  You may ask students to offer names to add to the list.

3. Pass out the stapled list of boys’ names to boys and girls’ lists to girls.  Point out the language of origin in parentheses.  Ask specific questions like:
· What’s Mary in French?
· What’s Victor in Russian?
· What’s the girl’s name for George?
Have students tell you names and where they are from.  Ask them to come forward and add the names to the lists on the map.

4. Hand out the duplexed name worksheet and have the students complete the worksheet.  After fifteen minutes of working alone, allow to work together to complete the assignment.

5. Ask students if they would like to choose a new name for fun for the ESL class and give the students time to read and work together in pairs or in groups and find a new name from the handout or from the transparency list of names.

6. Ask students to make a new nametag and decorate it.  Have a place to hang all nametags where students can select the name they want to use for the day.

(continued on p.2)
7. Use the ball to have students ask each other their new names.  What’s your name?  My name is …

Materials:
· Children’s books representing different cultures
· Transparency of names
· World map
· Lists of names of boys and girls from around the world
· Name worksheet
· Materials for nametags
· Soft ball
 

Fairy Tales: “The Little Red Hen”, Worksheet 25A, Fun with Grammar, p. 81

This listening and reading activity is a two-part activity (Worksheet 26A is “The Three Little Pigs”) designed for advanced beginner to intermediate ESL students.  The activity is good for pronunciation practice and reading comprehension.  Students will enjoy the story and it would be fun if you could follow the reading with a video of the story.

Students will have their own papers to complete, but this activity will be done as a pair activity with 2 students completing the entire assignment together.

1. Read the entire story first.

2. Pass out copies of the story to all students and read the story using the “popcorn” reading format. (That means that one student reads and then says “popcorn” and another person’s name.  That person reads and the “popcorn” reading continues.)

3. Have students read the story again in pairs.

4. Pass out Worksheet 25C and have students work in pairs.

5. Go over worksheet as a class.

Materials:
· Copies of Worksheet 25A, “The Little Red Hen”, Fun with Grammar
· Worksheet 25C
· Opti

Sorry! Bright Idea, Activity 10, 1983

This is a great learning activity for Beginning ESL students and review for Higher Level ESL students.  This is good for Friday or the end of a full day.

This game is our version of Go Fish!  The students have fun with this activity.  The objectives are:
· To review numbers
· To learn the suits and denominations of cards
· To ask and answer simple questions:       - Do you have an Ace of Spades?
 - Yes, I do. Here you are.        - No, I don’t. Sorry.

1. Use the flashcards to introduce the non-number playing cards and have students repeat after you.

2. Use the entire set of a large deck of cards, pointing out the 4 suits of 13 cards each, the jokers and a total of 52 cards in all.

3. Introduce a variety of questions with 1 of the puppets and possible answers with the other puppet.  Allow the students to see the cards in the hands of the puppets as they ask and answer.  Have a student come up to briefly play with you and then 2 students to continue the practice.

4.  Hand out a deck of cards to each group of 4-7 students.

5. By role play and demonstration introduce the rules are as follows:
· Players try to make runs of four in a row or 4 of the same kind.
· Players take turns going in a circle.
· The person with the most runs or sets wins.
 
 

Materials:
· Large deck of playing cards
· Flashcards depicting spades, clubs, hearts, diamonds, Jack, Queen, King, Ace, Jokers
· Decks of playing cards
· A poster depicting the order of cards in the deck, sets and runs
· 2 puppets
 

Tic Tac Toe, Ernie’s Activity Page, lingoex.com/userpages/Ernie.html

This game is a good learning exercise for Beginning ESL students and a good review for Higher Level ESL students.  This game is good to review:
· General vocabulary
· Thematic vocabulary
· Parts of speech
· Different verb forms

1. Draw a 9 square grid on the board and fill each box with a different word.

2. Divide the class in half and designate each half as either X or O.

3. Students on each team collaborate in coming up with grammatical sentences using the vocabulary.  Students will write the sentences on their post-it papers or you may choose to have students give the sentences orally.

4. Each side takes turns and when they use a word correctly, mark X or O appropriately.

Materials:
· Chalk or whiteboard
· Vocabulary list of general and thematic vocabulary, parts of speech and verbs

Time Chart – Worksheet 31, p. 101 Fun with Grammar, Suzanne Woodward

This activity provides Intermediate to Advanced ESL students a good opportunity for tense, person and number review and a reminder of expressing time as relative to the present.  This can also provide students the opportunity to reflect upon the same principle in their first language.

First review the six tenses of a regular and irregular verb by varying person and number. The six tenses are:
· Simple present
· Simple past
· Present perfect
· Past perfect
· Future
· Future perfect

Have students repeat orally(move from present to future perfect and vary the person, number and tense) and then provide as overhead to read once again:
Regular:
· He visits my friend.
· You were visiting (visited) my friend.
· Susie visited twice last week.
· Mom and I had visited the museum before anyone else.
· They will visit in the summer.
· I will have visited us by August..
Irregular:
· I sit up.
· You were sitting up when I came in to the room.
· The boys have sat up straight once before now.
· Jorge had sat up before the bell rang.
· The dogs will all sit up when I say, “Do you want a dog treat?”
· Max, the dog, will have sat up before I get his dog treat.

Pass out copies of the worksheet for all members of the class and have students work in pairs.  Have the pairs write six sentences of their own on the back of the handout.

Go over assignment as a class.
 
 
 

The 8 English Parts of Speech, grammar.englishclub.com/index.html

This activity is a good, organized, and complete review for Advanced ESL students of the 8 parts of speech in the English language.  Students will recognize that all words which they know fall into one (or sometimes more) of these 8 parts of speech.  For example, walk is a verb or a noun.

1. Write the 1 of the 8 parts of speech at the top of each poster size post-it sheets.

2. Ask students to tell you any words that they can think of and assist students in including the word under the correct part of speech.

3. Divide students in to groups, pass out a sheet of paper and different color marker for each group, read some of the words below and have them record them with pen or pencil under the proper part of speech on their papers.

4.  Ask students to brainstorm 20 other words and record on sheet of paper with their marker.

5.  After 10 minutes, get the attention of the class and have a representative from each group record their words on the respective posters.  Critique as a class.

6. Next write a couple of sentences on another sheet of paper or on the board.  Underline different words and label the part of speech under the words.

7. Give each group their own sheet of large post-it paper and have groups create 4, good sentences.  Critique as a class.
 
 

Materials:
· Sheets of  poster size post-it paper
· Flashcards of any vocabulary words
· Objects or pictures of anything
· Good list of examples from the 8 categories:
  Verbs   be(am, is, are), have, do work run love, jump
  Nouns   man, town, music, monkey,
  Adjectives  a, the, 69, big, blue, clever
  Adverbs  loudly, quickly, well, often
  Pronouns  you, she, him, ours, some
  Prepositions  at, in, on, under, over, from
  Conjunctions  and, but, though, while, yet
  Interjections   ah, dear, uh, hmmm, oh, um, well
· Paper and different colored markers
 
 

Vicky
 

Fairy Tales: “The Three Little Pigs”, Worksheet 25B, Fun with Grammar, p. 82

This listening and reading activity is a two-part activity (Worksheet 26A is “The Three Little Pigs”) designed for advanced beginner to intermediate ESL students.  The activity is good for pronunciation practice and reading comprehension.  Students will enjoy the story and it would be fun if you could follow the reading with a video of the story.

Students will complete the worksheet alone, but the reading activity will be done as a pair activity.

1. Read the entire story first.

2. Pass out copies of the story to all students and read the story using the “popcorn” reading format. (That means that one student reads and then says “popcorn” and another person’s name.  That person reads and the “popcorn” reading continues.)

3. Have students read the story again in pairs.

4. Pass out Worksheet 25C and have students work alone.

5. Go over worksheet as a class.

Materials:
· Copies of Worksheet 25B, “The Three Little Pigs”, Fun with Grammar
· Worksheet 25C
· Optional: video of story

Newcomers and places in the community, everythingESL.net/lessons/environ_print.php, Judie Haynes

This is a great reading and writing activity to welcome the new ESL students to the United States and to our local communities, and engaging for the other first year students.  This is an interesting introduction for students to their new environments and communities.

Our new English language learners are eager to read the environmental print that surrounds them.  We need to take advantage of this natural interest to help students learn to read in English and gain information about the community at the same time.

1. Hang photos of the community, identify the name, label and have students repeat.

2. Hand out copies of photographs.

3. Pass out paper or index cards and have students make flashcards of these places.

4. Students can play concentration in pairs (1 new student and 1 returning student) or match the names with their pictures.

5. Give each student a large street map of your town and encourage students to find the location of each building and label the places as well.

6. Ask simple question such as, “Where is the library?” or “Where is a grocery store?”  Answer with simple answers like, “The library is on 4th Street.”

7. Help students find their own house on the map and give their addresses.

8. If students have the communicative ability, you may be able to practice directional instructions such as: north, south, east, west, blocks, walk, ride the bus, etc.
 

Materials:
· Local map
· Scanned and copied photographs of local stores and public buildings
· Paper/cards for flashcards

Nutrition for Newcomers, everythingESL.net/lessons/food_unit.php, Judie Haynes

This activity is an introduction to food vocabulary and reinforcement of students’ nutritional needs for Grade 2-8 Beginning to Intermediate ESL students. Students will also be introduced to describing, comparing and contrasting foods and describing their preferences.

1. Begin the unit by discussing your students’ food preferences.  Beginning students will make 15 flashcards to learn the food names necessary in the unit.  Intermediate students can read a health article or school textbook material on good nutrition and illustrate something about the article.

2. Introduce vocabulary for different tastes: bitter, sweet, sour, salty, spicy.  Use pictures of food to help students understand each vocabulary word.  Students can then look through magazines to find a couple of examples of tastes.

3. Point out the food pyramid and locate the food vocabulary on the pyramid.  You may go to an internet site: The Food Pyramid Guide. The Food Pyramid Guide was designed as an easy way to show the groups of foods that make up a good diet.  It also shows how much of these different groups you need to eat to stay healthy.  Use visuals to show that the foods which make up the base of the pyramid should be the biggest part of a diet, and as you go up the pyramid, the amounts get smaller as the pyramid gets skinnier.

4. Hand out individual copies of the pyramid and have students identify, circle and tell the class the foods that they eat.

5. In cooperative groups have students conduct blindfolded taste tests on five different foods.  Help students use vocabulary which has just been introduced.  Apples, sugar, pretzels, cocoa, lemons, oranges and salsa would be good and easy foods to use.

6. Have students write the names of the tasted foods and the taste on a sheet of paper.

7. Assignment: send the pyramid home for students to record what they ate for supper and breakfast.  You may choose to have students fill in breakfast foods as an opening activity if students eat breakfast at school.

Materials:
· Large copy of food pyramid
· Student copies of food pyramid
· Magazines or flashcards of food
· Different types of food
 

This is a good reading and writing review and follow-up to nutrition and the food pyramid for Grade 2-8 Beginning to Intermediate ESL students and is an introduction to further food and taste vocabulary.  These activities are excellent language and concept-building opportunities for ESL students of different levels of proficiency.

1. Review food vocabulary by holding up flashcards of food and have students name and describe the food.

2. Have students identify where the foods belong on the food pyramid.

3. Introduce 15 new food vocabulary words including creamy, crunchy, soft, hard, chewy, crispy and mushy.  Use three different foods such as carrots, oatmeal, celery, peanut butter, apricots or cheese in a blinded taste test.  Have students record the new vocabulary and the taste to describe them.  Discuss where they fit on the pyramid.

4. Students in grades 2-4 can cut out pictures and create a poster or bulletin board on good nutrition and use all of the food vocabulary and pyramid information learned.

5. Students in grades 5-8 can watch and report on TV food commercials.  They can also create posters or their own commercials for nutritious food in cooperative groups.

6. You may plan a cultural food day for the future and ask students and parents to prepare and send a small amount of food traditional to their culture.

7. As an alternative you could have students plan a picnic and you provide the ingredients for students to prepare.  Such foods might be tuna fish salad, green salad or fruit salad.  This becomes an “across the curriculum lesson” as students complete different jobs in cooperative groups.  Let them decipher the recipes, assemble materials, measure the quantities, cut, chop, slice, and wash the food.  Have the students talk about what they are doing using the correct vocabulary.  Let them write letters of invitation to your Principal and other school employees.

Materials:
· Large copy of food pyramid
· Student copies of pyramid
· Flashcards or magazines with pictures of food
· Foods to taste
· For this lesson or for future lesson: ingredients to make salads
 

Name of Activity:  Factor Finding;  Category:  Math Game

A game for two players; students reinforce their knowledge of factors and products.
Materials:  pair of number generators (better known as dice)
Factor Finding game board (below)

1. Starting player rolls dice and generates a 2 digit number with the numbers rolled.  Largest number = 10;s and the smallest number is the ones every time.  For example, if a 2 and a 3 were rolled, the number generated would be 32, rather than 23.
2. The player places only one disk during each turn.  He or she places it on the playing board over any number that is a factor of the number created in the roll.  For example, the player could place a marker over 2,4,8,16, or 32.
If a player rolls a doubles, the turn is lost.
If a player rolls PRIME, he or she places a marker on any PRIME square.
If a square is already covered, a player cannot use it.
The first player to get 4 disks in a row wins.
If the grid gets locked and no one can win, players start a new game.

            __________________________
              5       3       7       Prime
        ____________________
              2       6       8        17
        ____________________
              Prime     21       4        16
        ____________________
             13       9    Prime      26
        ____________________
 

Name of Activity:  Fraction-Action Bingo

Skill:  Fraction Concepts, identifying numerator, denominator

Materials:  Bingo game board,
                  Disks or markers to place on bingo board
                  Clue sheet for teacher to read

1. Distribute bingo game boards
2. Instruct students to write predetermined fraction values
on the board
3. Read clues* and follow procedure for generic bingo game

*Example of Clues:  This fraction has a denominator of 5
                               This is an improper fraction
                               This fraction is equal to one
                               This fraction can be expressed as a mixed number
                               This fraction has an odd number less than 4 in the
                                numerator.
 

Clues are teacher generated and are based on the math/fraction skills you are reviewing. You can use this format for pretty much anything, but it is also interesting when using it for addition/subtraction problems.

Food is always a welcome reward for the winner- especially of the chocolate kind!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Name of Activity:  Identify common themes in fairy tales

Materials: Graphic Organizer
                 Broad selection of fairy tales, copy for each student

Read several examples of fairy tales.  This is a great opportunity to use multicultural tales, such as Mei-Ling and the Dragon,(Chinese) The Tongue-Cut Sparrow (Japanese); The Singing Monster (Kenyan)*

Generate a graphic organizer with students which reflects elements of the tales.  Examples are:  use of magic, characters marry into royalty, characters live happily ever after, characters are put to a test, evil is punished, characters are either very, very good or very , very evil, evil characters are described as ugly or deformed, honesty or cleverness are rewarded, are a few.

Use the graphic organizer as a reading comprehension tool. Also, another good use would be to compare the characters in two or more fairy tales
or fables.  Use adjectives to describe qualities of personality, such as kind, brave, stingy, cruel, etc.

Reading partners can read a fairy tale and illustrate it. Share illustrations.
Invite a resource person from the community to discuss how symbols used in specific fairy tales, e.g. the dragon, are important symbols in their culture.

A wonderful internet resource for graphic organizer activities related to fairy tales as well as online text of fairy tales can be found at:

http://www.webquestuk.org.uk/webquestuk_library.html
click under English, then go to the fairy tale unit – you will like this!!
 
 

· Can be found in Multicultural Fables and Fairy Tales, Stories and Activities to Promote Literacy and Cultural Awareness,  by Tara McCarthy, Scholastic
· ISBN number 0-590-49231-4

Activity:  Identify and apply figurative and literal language devices;
                identify and illustrate idiomatic usages.

Materials:  Varied list of idioms
                  Art materials

Explore the meaning of the idioms*on your lists.  Discuss with students what the meaning might be of some of them.  Use them in context so that students can infer what they might mean, even if they have never heard of some of them.  Some of the most popular with students are:

 Climbing the wall                                 Eat you out of house and home
Eat humble pie                                     Hold your horses
On top of the world                             Eat crow
Have a bone to pick with you               Close shave
From soup to nuts                                Food for thought
Carry the ball                                      Drop the ball
Break the ice                                      Saved by the bell

Discussions of idioms always include some kind of verb study; since idioms generally express action and use active verbs.

Students select several idioms to illustrate.  The illustrations reflect the literal translations of the idiom.  You will love the pictures you get; they are too funny.  The illustrations should have a caption of the idiom underneath it. As a group, discuss the differences between figurative and literal use of language.
 
 
 

*a good resource is Dictionary of Idioms, Scholastic, ISBN 0-590-38157-1
 
 
 
 
 

Activity:  Use internet technology for content research
                Students navigate websites to find information
                Interpret information from a table
                Explore characteristics of an aquatic mammal

Materials:  Internet access computer, website:
                  http://www.teachercreated.com/lessons/010126is.shtml
                  Data sheet on the beluga whale (download from pdf file)

Students should have already had experiences with the use of such concepts as scientific classification, habitat, physical characteristics, diet and eating habits, as used in gathering scientific information.

Students work in pairs to gather material that will be collected on the data sheet.  Using a jigsaw strategy, each member of a four person group will use the data gathered from the website and recorded on the data sheet, and generate a paragraph to present the information in sentence form.  Students can illustrate their work and present their paragraphs in a “minibook” format.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Activity:  Use science process skills; observation, classification,
           inference,conclusion

Materials:  post it notepaper, one for each student
                  Pencils, clear or transparent tape
                  Data sheets which students use to transfer their fingerprints;
            download from website:

http://www.teachercreated.com/pdfs/lessons/000804is.pdf

Present a lesson on fingerprints and fingerprinting.  This could include, most importantly, the types of fingerprints and what they look like. Have the fingerprint patterns available for overhead display.  Students use the post it paper to transfer graphite from their pencils.  They then smudge their fingers in the graphite, place a one inch strip of scotch tape on their finger to pick up the graphite pattern, and then transfer this pattern to the data sheet. Once this is done, students can examine their fingerprint patterns with a hand lens and observe and classify their fingerprints.  This is great fun if there is also a set of prints they need to match from a “criminal” who has taken something from their room.

The processes of inferring and concluding is used to determine whose prints are on some object. Explain to students that these are the elements of the scientific process which all scientists use in their experimentation.
 
 

*another great website for added fingerprinting activities as well as sleuth games, puzzles and a history of the FBI kids will really enjoy:

http://www.fbi.gov/kids/k5th/kidsk5th.htm
http://www.fbi.gov/kids/6th12th/6th12th.htm
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Activity:  Define and explain the function of camouflage; illustrate an
            example of camouflage called disruptive coloration.

Materials:  Graphic for cut and paste to illustrate disruptive camouflage, as well as explicit directions on how to use it, go to pages 22 and 23 of:

http://www.seaworld.org/just-for-teachers/guides/pdf/whales-4-8.pdf

Art materials (scissors, glue, construction paper, black and white)

Before doing this activity, students should understand the concept of camouflage and have already seen some examples of it in either pictures or film.  This is a great activity to include in any oceanography/ sea mammal unit.

Discuss the function of camouflage and relate it to the universal needs of all animals in general and specifically to the need for nutrients and the need to escape from predators.  Students might do some research on killer whales to search for information about habitats and eating habits.

Have a model of the completed illustration to display and discuss.  Ask students if they can determine what it is they are looking at.  Describe disruptive coloration.  Students put illustration together.  They can also, if you like, write two or three sentences in a caption underneath the illustration to explain what it is.

P.S.  All of the teacher guides from Sea World and Busch Gardens are worth
        examining.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Activity:  Sequential Writing

Materials:  Jar of peanut butter (make sure all students can eat peanuts
                                                  before you offer them peanut butter)
                  Jar of jelly
                   Loaf (or loaves, depending upon how many
                               students you have)
                   Utensils – knife and spoon(s)
                   Napkins

Tell students that you are going to make them some snacks; you have brought the pb & j for this purpose.  Ask them to help by reminding you how to make a sandwich.   Literally do whatever they tell you.  For example, if they tell you to put the peanut butter on the bread, simply put the jar of peanut butter right on top of the unopened loaf of bread.  They will think you are silly, that’s ok.  Proceed in this fashion.

They will come to realize they must be precise and detailed in their instructions to you.  Another example, if they tell you to put the two pieces of bread together (after the pieces already have pb&j on them), but don’t specify which sides to put together, I put the peanut buttered side and the jellied side ON THE OUTSIDE and the two plain sides together.  Yes, very messy, but they get hysterical and really enjoy this. Ultimately, we get to enjoy our snack. The students pitch in and make up sandwiches for everyone.

While we eat, we are brainstorming some ways we could have given directions to be more specific. You model the sentences on board or overhead that will ultimately become a paragraph.  Depending upon your lesson objectives, this could be a sequential writing task with 3 to 5 paragraphs: an intro, body, and a clincher or closing sentence or two.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Activity:  Descriptive Writing

Materials:  Reese’s peanut butter cups
                  Milky way or another goody of your choosing
                  Data collection sheet (graphic organizer)
                      -create a data collection chart to include the senses, e.g.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Students should already be familiar with adjectives; perhaps give them a megalist of adjectives to find to describe their experience of the chocolate.
Remember, TASTE is last.  All of the other categories must be filled in before they eat!  Discuss with students that descriptive writing is about creating a picture for the reader and is primarily concerned with visual details and other physical characteristics of the object to be described.

Students write a paragraph describing their object; using the data they have recorded on the graphic organizer.
 
 
 

Activity:  Reading comprehension in content area using technology
           Take an online quiz after seeing a slide show and reading
             information about penguins
           Label a world map; continents and “oceans”
           Use the map to track penguin habitats and migratory routes

Materials:  Computer with internet access to the following address:
                  Blank outline map of the world

 http://www.siec.k12.in.us/~west/proj/penguins/slide3.html

Students can work in pairs to read the data and view the slide show.
Taking notes should be a skill they are fairly comfortable with, so that they can jot down information as they read.

Students use this page,
http://www.siec.k12.in.us/~west/proj/penguins/species.html,
to access a world map; click on a continent and find out about the penguins that live there.  Use the map to complete a blank outline map with the names of continents and “oceans.”

Students can take the online quiz; self-assess and if they wish, take the quiz again after locating correct or unknown information.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Activity: Solving geometric puzzles

Materials:  Graphic organizer (chart), with 24 sections, 4 up and down by
                  6 across)
                 Set of tangrams
                 Website: http://mathforum.org/trscavo/tangrams/contents.html

Students work together in small groups or in pairs to make each of five shapes – a square, a rectangle, a parallelogram, a trapezoid, and a triangle –
With the three small triangles , the five smallest pieces, and all seven tangram pieces.

Students make their own charts using a teacher model.  Solutions are recorded by tracing around the pieces they have made in the appropriate box.

After all groups have completed their charts, discuss the strategies which they used.  Trial and error strategy? What did you learn about the way pieces go together?

   Have pictures of the geometric figures on your chart, which students draw
  from models.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Activity:  Simulation of Plate Tectonic Theory

Materials:  Outline map of the world, large enough to cut out
                  the different continents
                  Art materials (construction paper, glue, scissors)
                  Models of continent formations over millions of years
 

Discuss with students the theory that the continents were not always where they are now.  Over many millions of years, the crust of the Earth has shifted and moved so that over time, the placement of continents is very different from what it originally was.  Have illustrations of plates, volcanoes, earthquakes, etc. for visualization.
 

Model for students with overhead pieces prepared beforehand just how the continents have moved position over hundreds of millions of years.  Students cut out their continents, label them and simulate plate movement.  Ask them to make a model of Pangea with their pieces on the construction paper.  Make sure the Pangea model is readily available for them to use.

Students create the model and quick write a caption to explain the process which is  illustrated.

Information to implement this activity can be found at a science site. Simply research “plate tectonics” or “Pangea”.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Activity:   Goop, Ooze
           Students experience matter in three states
           Describe characteristics of solids, liquids, and
           a non-Newtonian liquid (better known
           as “ooze”, “slime”, or “goop”)

           Here is the website with recipe and complete directions:

          http://www.exploratorium.edu/science_explorer/ooze.html

This experiment could be an opening or culminating activity for a unit of chemistry.  Either prior to or after this activity, students should be familiar with the characteristics of the primary states of matter:  liquids, solids and gases.

Students make “goop” and try to define which state of matter it represents.  It is neither a liquid nor a solid.  When compressed, it is a solid.  When held in the hand, it slowly turns to a liquid. The chemical dynamics of this change are explained at the website above.   Students love to add food coloring, especially red, so that the mixture looks like blood and is totally gross.  Great fun for fifth graders!

Warning:  Students will want to take their ooze home, so bring plastic baggies for them to store the ooze in transit.

Additional Warning:  This is quite messy, but they will never forget making
the slime at school with you; additionally, we hope they learn about the states of matter!!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Activity:  Writing   Genre:  Acrostic Poetry
 

Materials:  Art materials
                  File folders
                  List of adjectives of personality (if possible)
                 Magazines for cutting up and removing pictures

Students make a personal writing folder which will be used as one of many organization tools for their work.  Discuss adjectives and elicit responses to practice recognizing and generating adjectives.

Model how to write an acrostic poem.  Best way is to write one for yourself.
For example, if your name is David, your acrostic might look like this:

          Dad

      Acute

      Voracious reader

      Intelligent

     Determined

Students generate adjectives for the letters of their names and select pictures to illustrate these qualities from magazines.  The pictures can then
be glued into the folder or on top and perhaps laminated for long wear. This is a natural for group or paired work.  Students love looking through the magazines and talking about things they like or would like to have.
 
 

Activity:  Writing  Genre:  Poetry, Cinquain

Materials:  Overhead transparency or handout with cinquain model

Many teachers of poetry don’t like to use formulaic strategies.  However, kids seem to really enjoy this and it is a great starter for students who would not be able to generate a poem without this structure.  Always model the process; have students suggest a topic and work with you.

Here is the formula:

CINQUAIN

1ST LINE                          NOUN
2ND LINE                        ADJECTIVES
3RD LINE                        VERBS  (“ing” words)
4TH LINE                        WORD PHRASE OR SIMILE
5TH LINE                        NOUN (SYNONYM FOR 1ST LINE)
 

Examples:                       FRIENDS                        1 noun
                                      Dependable, considerate             2 adjectives
                                      Loving, laughing, playing               3 verbs
                                      People special to me                    4 word phrase
                                                 Companions                       1 synomym
 

                                                   FOOTBALL
                                        Rough, aggressive
                                        Running, throwing, tackling
                                        Many bumps and bruises
                                                    Sport
 

There are also syllable cinquains; but this particular formula is great for reviewing parts of speech.  You might enjoy teaching haikus as well.
 
 

Activity:  Community Building

Materials:  Chart paper, one for each group
                  Markers
                  Model of chart called “Group Favorites”

Great “ice breaker” and provides students with an informal way of getting to know each other, especially at the beginning of the school year.  Ask students about some of their favorite things; they will love to talk about their favorite music, food, etc.  After introducing the goals of the activity, and establishing cooperative group rules, give students chart paper to generate a group chart.  The chart could look like this:

To discuss and/or present:
Which group members like the same food________________?
Which group members like the same sport_____________-?
Which group members like the same programs___________?
 
 

Carol
 

Game:  Concentration
Age:  Any
 

Lay out cards face down(any category, i.e. animals, body parts, etc.)

Students are looking for two matching cards.
Have students turn over two cards to see if they match.
See if they can say the words on the cards.  (If not, prompt them.)  Students take turns looking for matches until all of the cards are gone.  The student with the most matching sets “wins.”

If an individual student is playing, he or she “wins” if they are able to reveal all the pictures under the cards.

This game can be played on the computer as well.  Go to www.westcoastexpress.com.  Next, go to top right and click “Kids.”  This will give you the option of playing the Concentration game on line.

Game:  Concentration
Age:  Any
 

Lay out cards face down(any category, i.e. animals, body parts, etc.)

Students are looking for two matching cards.
Have students turn over two cards to see if they match.
See if they can say the words on the cards.  (If not, prompt them.)  Students take turns looking for matches until all of the cards are gone.  The student with the most matching sets “wins.”

If an individual student is playing, he or she “wins” if they are able to reveal all the pictures under the cards.

This game can be played on the computer as well.  Go to www.westcoastexpress.com.  Next, go to top right and click “Kids.”  This will give you the option of playing the Concentration game on line.
 
 
 
 

ESL Activity III
Game:  Scrabble or sentence stip Scrabble
Age:  Any
 

Play Scrabble with the student(s).  The difficulty of the words made would depend on the level of the student.

The teacher or student (depending on the level) can write sentences on sentence strip paper or poster board.  The strip with each word on it can be cut apart and then scrambled up.  Students can rearrange their words to make the original sentence or swap with another student and rearrange their strips to make a correct sentence.
 
 
 
 
 

ESL Activity IV
“Behind the Screen”
Level:  Elementary

Before Class:
Revise the following key vocabulary needed for the game:  verbs such as hold, stand, sit, use, wear and adverbs such as every day, once a week, during the day plus adverbs:  inside/outside.  Then on four separate pieces of paper or card write the following in large letters:

leisure                  school                 looking                household
activity                 activity                  after                     activity
                                                          yourself
In Class:

1. Explain to learners that in this game, they must ask questions to try and discover a simple activity that someone is doing, based on the categories above.
2. Divide the class into Teams A and B.  At the front of the class you need to make some kind of screen for one learner to sit behind, so that he/she is not visible to the rest of the class.
3. The aim of the game is to find out, by asking questions, what the learner behind the screen is doing.
4. At the start of each round, ask a player from one team to sit behind the screen and one student from the other team to stand beside the screen, so that the latter is visible to the rest of the class.  The player standing beside the screen (Team B) should then hand the player from Team A (the one sitting behind the screen) one of the four cards.  The player from Team A then has to mime a simple action related to the type of activity on the card, so that the player from Team B understands what he/she is doing.  For example, if the player is handed the “looking after yourself” card, he/she might mime “washing my hair”.

The player from Team B then shows the general activity card to the other members of Team B and they have to find out what the member of Team A is doing by asking questions.

Learners initially ask questions about what the person is doing now.  The question must be of the type that requires a yes/no answer.  For example:   Is he/she holding something?  No, he/she isn’t.

As soon as the team gets a yes answer, however, members can ask one habitual question about the action:  Does he/she do it every day?  (Ans.  yes or no)

The game then continues with more  “is doing now” questions.  A team can only ask three habitual questions in each round.  After that, team members should be allowed one more question to guess the action before the round is stopped.  Teams take it in turns to mime.
5. Scoring:  if a team guesses the mime with its questions, it scores a point.  If it does not, the other team scores two points.

Activity from The Grammar Activity Book  by Bob Obee.
 

ESL Activity V
Oral Communication
Listening/Speaking/Writing
Level:  Beginners

This activity can be used after learning body parts and introducing the five senses.
1.  Teacher selects some items to hide in a shoe box or a bag that represent each of the five senses.  Examples might be:  candy, bell or whistle, cotton or sandpaper, a picture of a rainbow, and perfume or cinnamon.
2.   Gather students together in front of the teacher.  Ask students if they can name the five senses.  List the five senses on chart paper and draw a picture symbol next to each word, i.e., sight (eyes)  touch (hands), etc.  Show the items in the box one at a time, discussing each item’s characteristics.  Pass objects around so that students may have a hands-on experience with each one.  Then ask students to suggest which items from the box best matches the five senses on the chart.  Use masking tape to attach the real objects to the correct positions on the chart.  Have students read the chart and locate their own sense organs on their body.
3. Introduce the book My Five Senses by Aliki.  Discuss the cover.  Encourage the students to predict what the boy in the story will do.  Read the story.  After reading, refer to the five senses chart, and ask students to think of examples from the book to match to each one of the five senses on the chart.
4. Distribute white drawing paper to each student.  Have them select one of the five senses from the chart.  Instruct students to copy the word of the sense they have chosen onto the top of their papers.  Next, instruct students to draw a picture under the word to illustrate the sense they have chosen.  The teacher then circulates the room to see if students have copied the words correctly and made correct representations for the senses chosen.  When students have completed the assignment, have a sharing time so each student can tell about his/her drawing.
 

Activity from website:  www.glc.k12.ga.us
 
 
 
 

ESL Activity VI
Adjective Practice
Level:  Any

The purpose of this game is to give students the chance to practice using adjectives.  Lower level students can make up simple sentences and higher level students more complex ones.

The teacher can have a long list of alphabetized adjectives, and nouns or students can use nouns from the ‘word wall’ or from a noun list in their notebooks.

Student A starts off with a name that the teacher calls out to him/her.  For example:  Albert or Alice.  The student puts a verb with it.  An example would be:  Alice likes......  Then the student must come up with an adjective and a noun (object) from the list that begins with the letter “a”.  An example might be, “Alice likes awful apes.”
 

Activity from:  www.eslgames.com/edutainment/games.html
 
 

ESL Activity  VII
Flip Books
Level:  Beginners
 

The teacher reads a story to the students from a favorite children’s book.
The teacher needs to emphasize that it’s important to remember details of the story because the students will be asked to do an activity about the story later.

Students are given a sheet of construction paper.  The construction paper is divided in half in a “hot dog” shape, i.e. long ways.  Vertical cuts are made in the back fold about every three inches or so, but only to where the fold is and not all of the way to the end of the paper.  The title of the book is printed on the “front” of the flipbook.  Inside the flipbook, on each of the three-inch sections, the student can illustrate action or scenes that happened in the book (preferably sequentially.)

Activity taken from an inservice/workshop on graphic organizers.
 
 

ESL Activity VIII
Word Association:  Fast Word
Level:  Beginner to Advanced

The teacher starts the game by saying a word, such as “hotel”.   The first student says a word which relates to the word “hotel” such as bed, or room.  Each student, in turn,  says a word that relates to the last word said.  Practically any association is okay.

If a student can’t answer in (5-10 second limit) then he or she must stand up.  The last student standing is the “winner.”

If the association is not obvious, the student is asked to explain the association.
 
 

Activity from:  www.eslgames.com/edutainment/games.html
 
 
 

ESL Activity IX
Fast Words
Level:  Any

The class is arranged into rows.  The first person in each row is given a piece of chalk.  The blackboard is divided into section.  No more than six teams.

The teacher calls a letter and the students must write as many words as they can beginning with that letter, in the alloted time.  Their team-mates
can call out hints (this can get noisy.)

Next, the second member gets the chalk and goes to the board and the teacher calls out a new letter.

The team with the most correct words is the winner.
 

Activity from:  www.eslgames.com/edutainment/games.html
 

ESL Activity X
Using the newspaper
Level:  Advanced Intermediate
 

By using the local newspaper, a teacher can develop basic English and math
skills.  Older students can find jobs that are available, what is for sale and where to get a used car or even clip coupons.

For teaching reading and math skills, a unit on comparison grocery shopping could be developed using ads from different grocery stores.  Have students look through different ads to see who has the lowest prices on staples for the home like milk, bread, eggs, cereal, etc.  Then, using the student’s math skills, or a calculator, a student can figure out how much money can be saved.  Students could also do comparison shopping for used cars,  furniture, etc.
 
 

Activity from:  www.gatesol.org/AJC/ajc.htm
                          According to this article, The Atlanta Journal will provide
                          free newspapers for teachers who work with ESOL classes.

ESL Activity X
Using the newspaper
Level:  Advanced Intermediate
 

By using the local newspaper, a teacher can develop basic English and math
skills.  Older students can find jobs that are available, what is for sale and where to get a used car or even clip coupons.

For teaching reading and math skills, a unit on comparison grocery shopping could be developed using ads from different grocery stores.  Have students look through different ads to see who has the lowest prices on staples for the home like milk, bread, eggs, cereal, etc.  Then, using the student’s math skills, or a calculator, a student can figure out how much money can be saved.  Students could also do comparison shopping for used cars,  furniture, etc.
 
 

Activity from:  www.gatesol.org/AJC/ajc.htm
                          According to this article, The Atlanta Journal will provide
                          free newspapers for teachers who work with ESOL classes.

ESL Activity XI
Slapjack or Slap
Level:  Beginning to intermediate
 

Teacher secures a deck of cards with common symbols on them like a pencil, house, car, etc.  Shuffle the deck and leave face down in the palm of your hand.  Tell the students what picture you are looking for. As you take the cards off your hand one at a time, lay them face up in the middle of the table. The student with the quickest reflexes and the knowledge of what the word looks like will “slap” his/her hand on top of the card picture.  If  he or she is correct, he/she gets to keep that card plus all of the cards underneath it until the game is over.  The student with the most cards at the end of the game wins.

Activity:  I played this game as a child with playing cards, but was recently reminded of it by a member of our ESL class.

ESL Activity XII
Jigsaw Mischief              
Level:  Intermediate-Upper intermediate
 

Before class:  Make one complete set of Jigsaw pictures (see p. 59 of The Grammar Activity Book:  Cambridge University Press 1999) for every group
of four learners.  Cut each picture up along the jigsaw lines and keep the pieces of each picture together with a paper clip (or in an envelope.)  Cut out the sentence strips and keep these with the appropriate jigsaw.

Give three jigsaws to one pair and three different jigsaws to the other pair they are playing against.

In class:
1. This is a game where players take turns to slowly reveal the truth of a situation to other players.  The latter must work out as quickly as possible what is happening.

2. Put learners into pairs and seat one pair with another pair against whom they are going to play.  Explain to them that you are going to give them different jigsaws, which when complete show a teenager who has obviously been getting into some kind of mischief.

3. The object of the game is to guess what mischief the character has been getting up to with as few jigsaw pieces as possible.

4. At the start of each round, give one pair in each group of four (Pair A) a jigsaw together with the appropriate sentence strip.  Pair A should conceal the jigsaw and the sentence strip from Pair B.

Explain that Pair A start by laying down one jigsaw piece.  Pair B now have one guess at what the character in the picture has been doing, e.g. Have you been chasing a cat?  or one question that might help them to guess in a subsequent turn what the mischief is, e.g. Have you been in someone’s garden?

Pair A answer yes or no.  If the guess was incorrect, they then lay down another piece of the jigsaw.  The players lying down the jigsaws pieces should try to give away as little as possible each time.  They can do this by putting down jigsaw pieces with the most peripheral information.  They may also lay down non-adjacent pieces of the jigsaw.
 

5. At the end of each round, pairs should note down the number of pieces a pair were given before they guessed correctly.  At the end
of the six rounds, the pair of students with the lowest score are the winners.
 

Activity from:  Obee, Bob.  The Grammar Activity Book, Cambridge University Press.
 

ESL Activity XIII
Songs/Music Cloze
Level:  Any

Songs are a good way to teach vocabulary because they incorporate all the language skills:  listening, reading, writing, and speaking.

>A song sheet (or a poem) is handed out to the students.

>The teacher reads each word and the students repeat.  This is done at least twice.

>The tape is played twice in a row, with the students trying to fill in the blanks.

>The students are invited to discuss it with their classmates(or this could be done in pairs.)

>The song is played again and students complete the missing words.

>The teacher calls out the correct word and the students correct their papers.

Adjust level of song or poem to appropriate level.  At a higher level, complete sentences could be deleted for the students to fill in.
 
 

Activity from:  www.eslgames.com/edutainment/games.html
· Several sample songs (written with words deleted)
are available for teacher use at this website address.
 

ESL Activity XIV
Oral Charades        C. Perry
Level:  Intermediate
 

Write occupations and emotions on slips of paper.  Put slips of paper into separate “hats”.  Have students draw one slip from the emotion “hat” and one slip from the occupation “hat” and act out that combination.

Examples:

Emotions:  Happy, sad, frustrated, angry, disgusted, fearful, etc.
Occupations:  Mailperson, teacher, doctor, lawyer, secretary, restaurant worker, etc.
 

Activity from:  www.eslgames.com/edutainment/games.html
 
 

Rita

Activities Selected by Rita McGrath for EDUC 7783, July 6, 2003

Source:  www.eflweb.com

Activity  # 1
This activity is a good vocabulary builder and can be used as part of a content-based or  theme-based lesson. (R. Mc)

Pairs – all levels

A version of the famous card game useful for practicing vocabulary. Cut up some pieces of paper to make cards and write the target vocabulary on one side. You may need to make several sets depending on the size of your class. Divide your students into small groups. They can play the game individually or in pairs. The first player(s) turns over two cards. If the cards are a pair, they can keep them and have another go. If the cards are not a winning pair, they must turn them back again and wait for their next turn. The winning student is the one who has accumulated the most pairs at the end of the game. You could play this game with opposites, phrasal verbs and their meanings, irregular verbs and the past participles of whatever you have been studying in class.

Activity  # 2
This is a valuable daily activity for developing writing skills. (R. Mc)
The Word Box
One of the best sources of warmers and fillers is something that you and your students can create yourselves. Take a tin or box into the classroom and make this your word box. At the end of every day, one student is nominated to write down on separate pieces of paper the most important vocabulary and phrases from the day's lessons (you can let students decide as a class if you like). Your word box can then be used for many different vocabulary games to fill in 5 minutes at the beginning or end of class and is also an excellent source of revision material for your students.
Activity  # 3
This is an excellent activity that promotes better comprehension and usage of words and phrases. (R. Mc)

Explain the Word
Divide your class into 2 teams. One representative from each team takes a word or phrase from you. They must try and explain this word to their own team without saying the word and the first team to shout out the correct word gets a point. Keep score on the board. This can get very noisy but is great for class dynamics! Use this game to lead into an activity, revise previously learnt vocabulary or just to energize your group.
Source: http://www.english-to-go.com/
Activity # 4
Prepares students to better understand and use idioms. I would also try to find literature where these idioms are used. (R. Mc)

Title: Idioms – True and False – Heads and Hearts
Level:  Upper-Intermediate and above
Language Aims:  Learning idioms and discussing and sharing ideas.
Time:  10 - 15 minutes
Preparation:  Take list of idioms below to class.
Procedure:
1. Hand out idioms or write them on the board.
2. Ask your class to work out the meanings of these idioms. Encourage them to be imaginative and to avoid using a dictionary. Get them to work out the meanings individually.
3. Place students in pairs to compare their answers and choose the one that they both think is right for each idiom.
4. Then put the students in bigger groups - groups of four if possible - and tell them that two of the ten idioms are not real idioms, they are made-up phrases with no idiomatic meaning!
5. Ask the groups to work out which are the false idioms, and agree on the meanings of the true idioms.
6. At the end get them to use their dictionaries to find out the answers. (Note: 'a flowering heart' and 'cut your head' are not idioms.)
Idioms:
a bleeding heart; eat your heart out; a heart of gold; a flowering heart; cross my heart; bury your head in the sand; come to a head; cut your head; have your head in the clouds; off the top of your head.
 
 
 
 
 

Activity # 5
This is an excellent activity that is fashioned after an “advice” column. It can be especially useful in explaining difficult grammar concepts or usage. (R. Mc)
Expert advice on difficult grammar issues.
Title: “Except” and “Except for”
Levels: All levels
An Anna Grammar Page
Dear Anna,
I would like you to help me out here. I have trouble explaining the difference between 'except' and 'except for', and I do not seem to find many examples. I would appreciate your help.
Martha
Argentina
Dear Martha,
When except is followed by a verb, we usually use the infinitive without “to”.
For example:
You can’t do anything except hope and pray.
He’ll do anything except work.
NOTE: “but” can be used too.
Except is also used with... that…
For example:
In general she was happy, except that she couldn’t spend enough time reading.
When except is followed by a thing or a person, it is usually followed by “for”.
For example:
They enjoyed the whole recital except for the last song.
The party was great, except for the shortage of ice.
I hope you are satisfied, with no exceptions.
Kind regards
Anna Grammar
Activity # 6
A very good activity for vocabulary building and usage. (R. Mc)
Title: The Weather Game
Level: Elementary-Adult
Mode: Small Group
Time: 35 min. +

Playing a game while practicing weather words in past, present and future tenses.
   In groups of four, students are each dealt five cards. Each card has a weather condition (sunny, cloudy, rainy, snowy, windy, stormy or partly cloudy). Each card also has one of the following cities illustrated on it: London, Paris, Sydney or New York. Each card is titled Today, Yesterday or Tomorrow.
     The students will be so busy playing this card game that they probably won't realize they are speaking English. And the more they play, the smoother they get!

Activity # 7
Building vocabulary, promotes thinking, guessing, and negotiating. (R. Mc)
Title: Occupation, please!
Skill: identifying and discussing occupations
Group Size: 4 to 20
Prep Time: > 20 minutes
Playing Time: 5-20 minutes
Interest Level: ages 5 to adult
Ability Level: beginning to lower intermediate
 Paste pictures of people engaged in various occupations on 4 x 6 or larger cardstock, or write occupations on cardstock (if students can read).
Select student to begin. The student draws a card and must assume that occupation shown. Other students ask yes/no questions in order to guess occupation. Sample questions might be...
· Do you work inside?
· Do you treat sick people?
· Do you work with children?
· Do you work in an office?
· Do you travel a great deal?
The first student to guess the correct occupation draws the next card
 
 
 
 

Activity # 8
Teaches children to follow directions, learn new words, count, and use the city map. (R. Mc.)
Title: In the City
Skill: Following oral directions to arrive at a specific locations
Group Size: 4-12
Prep. Time: 5 minutes [ready-made map]-1 hour [teacher-made map]
Time: 10-30 minutes
Interest Level: ages 3-adult
Ability Level: beginning
Materials: two identical city street maps listing sites such as school, post office, department stores, hospital, churches, police stations, etc. (may be teacher created); two Matchbox cars
Game: Divide students into two groups. Student from each group places his car on map at a prescribed location. Teacher gives directions to destination. (Example: "Turn right on to Main Street. Go four blocks. Turn left at the church. Turn right onto the next street. Cross the railroad tracks. Take the next left. The supermarket is two blocks down on your right.") Other students should monitor to see that driver follows prescribed route. (In one class, I gave each student 10 tokens at the beginning of the game. Observing students were highway patrolmen who could fine driver one token for directional violations. Students got to exchange tokens for M&M's at the end of the game.)
 

Activity # 9
This activity also teaches children to follow directions, learn new words and their usage, count (money), and use the city map. (R. Mc.)
Shopping Spree
Level – Elementary-Adult
Group Activity
Time: 55 minutes
Shopping Spree is an outrageously fun (and funny) activity for the whole class; any age and any level of proficiency. Groups of students "role-play" their way through a city, the problem is, they are "new to town" so they don't know where any of the stores are or what any of the street names are. They have to ask "people" for this information so they can find the streets and stores.
     Before starting the game, groups of students decide upon five items, which they want to purchase. Then, with each group taking turns (three minutes each), students direct their course through the city while the teacher role plays all of the pedestrians, store clerks, police officers, telephone operators, etc.
     Eventually, students will learn the names of the streets and some of the stores. Since the teacher directs this activity, the pace can easily be adjusted for higher-ability or lower-ability students. Bring in a little play money for practice and/or review while role-playing a purchase.

Activity # 10
Title: The Scavenger Hunt
Level: Elementary-Adult
Mode: Group
Time: 15 min. +
Building vocabulary of common objects; asking for information and favors; negotiating.
    There is one main worksheet for this lesson, and for younger or lower-ability level students, there are two additional worksheets to assist the students.
    In small groups, students have a list of 34 common items that they will have to collect in a given amount of time. To do this, they will need to ask other students in class if they can borrow an item. This request may involve a little trading, and since the groups are competing against each other as well as against the clock, there's going to be a lot of activity (and noise) for a while.
    This lesson is guaranteed to bring any class to life and it only takes about 25 minutes

Activity # 11
This and several of the following activities associated with food, are designed to promote better understanding of a healthy life style and to help children become better informed consumers of food. (R. Mc.)
Title:  Making Choices About Which Food Is Better
Objectives:  To help students to apply knowledge of the food pyramid to their own food choices.  To help students analyze their own food purchases.  To empower students to take control of their own health and nutritional needs.
Materials:  Poster or large picture of the food pyramid.  Software to print pictures of food or cut out pictures of food from periodicals and glue on paper.  On the top of each card write "Which of these is better for you . . .."
Make up cards with the following comparisons:
 - soda vs. juice
 - fruit drink vs. fruit juice
 - whole milk vs. skim milk
 - one-percent vs. two-percent milk
 - egg & bacon on muffin vs. cereal with milk and juice
 - regular coffee vs. decaf.
 - coffee vs. fruit juice
 - canned vegetables vs. raw
 - soda vs. mineral water
 - French fries vs. baked potato
 - hot dog vs. turkey sandwich
 - ice cream vs. frozen yogurt
 - ham vs. turkey
 - red meat vs. fish
 - donut vs. whole wheat bread
 - hamburger vs. bean & cheese enchilada
 - apple pie vs. fresh apple
 - cookies vs. pretzel
 - onion rings vs. popcorn
 - potato chips vs. celery with peanut butter
 - brown bread vs. white bread
 - etc., etc.

Procedure:
1) Review food pyramid.  Remind students that it's best to eat more breads, vegetables, and fruits.  Eat comparatively lesser amounts of dairy products and proteins.  List some items from the fats and sweets group, which are not necessary for a balanced diet.
2)  Hold up each card and use it as a discussion starter.  For example, discuss the merits of pretzels having less fat (usually) but more salt than cookies.
3) Review the food pyramid.

Activity # 12
A fun activity to teach beginners and low-intermediate students proper word usage. (R. Mc.)
Title: Food
Level: Easy
 

1.A lemon or an unripe apple tastes ___________ (sour)

2.After eating a lot or when something can't have more put in it, we say ___________(full)

3.What word means not having enough water, liquid, or moisture?__________(dry)

4.This word is most often heard when talking of wealth. When a cake or sauce contains a lot of dairy products such as butter, cream or eggs we say it is _______________(rich)

5.When a person wants a drink they are __________________(thirsty)

6.What word is used favorably about cakes and bread and is the opposite of dry?
___________________(moist)

7.The real meaning of this word is to die or suffer from hunger, but we use it colloquially to describe being hungry. This word is ______________(starve)

8.A word used when talking about fruit or meat that means it is juicy and tastes good is ____________________(succulent)

9.Something that taste like unsweetened cocoa or beer is said to be ____________(bitter)
 

10.The opposite of sour and means that something tastes of sugar or honey is ____________(sweet)
 

Activity # 13
Same as activity # 11 plus building vocabulary. (R. Mc.)
Title: Food and Nutrition
Level: Intermediate

1.One of the following does not belong in this food group:
     a. banana
     b. beef
     c. peach
     d. nectarine
     e. prune

 2.The food group in question #1 is:
     a. Meat, Poultry, Fish, Beans, Eggs, and Nuts Group
     b. Fats, Oils and Sweets Group
     c. Fruit Group
     d. Bread, Cereal, Rice and Pasta Group
     e. Milk, Yogurt, and Cheese Group

 3.What food doesn't belong to this food group?
     a. chicken
     b. steak
     c. lamb
     d. crab
     e. kiwi

4.The food group in question #3 is:
     a. Bread, Cereal, Rice and Pasta Group
     b. Meat, Poultry, Fish, Beans, Eggs, and Nuts Group
     c. Vegetable Group
     d. Milk, Yogurt, and Cheese Group
     e. Fats, Oils and Sweets Group

5.What food doesn't belong to this food group?
     a. apricot
     b. squash
     c. zucchini
     d. potato
     e. broccoli
6.The food group in question #5 is:
     a. Meat, Poultry, Fish, Beans, Eggs, and Nuts Group
     b. Fruit Group
     c. Vegetable Group
     d. Fats, Oils and Sweets Group
     e. Bread, Cereal, Rice and Pasta Group
7.What food doesn't belong to this food group?
     a. chocolate milk
     b. cream cheese
     c. eggs
     d. salad dressing
     e. yogurt
8.The food group in question #7 is:
     a. Fruit Group
     b. Dairy Group
     c. Vegetable Group
     d. Meat, Poultry, Fish, Beans, Eggs, and Nuts Group
     e. Fats, Oils and Sweets Group

9.What food doesn't belong to this food group?
     a. cookies
     b. candy
     c. salad dressing
     d. cherries
     e. butter

10.The food group in question #9 is:
     a. Dairy Group
     b. Vegetable Group
     c. Meat, Poultry, Fish, Beans, Eggs, and Nuts Group
     d. Bread, Cereal, Rice and Pasta Group
     e. Fats, Oils and Sweets Group

11.What food doesn't belong to this food group?
     a. noodles
     b. crackers
     c. scallion
     d. macaroni
     e. cous cous

12.The food group in question #11 is:
     a. Bread, Cereal, Rice and Pasta Group
     b. Meat, Poultry, Fish, Beans, Eggs, and Nuts Group
     c. Vegetable Group
     d. Fats, Oils and Sweets Group
     e. Fruit Group

13.The United States Department of Agriculture's Daily Food Guide is in the shape of a
(an):
     a. octagon
     b. square
     c. circle
     d. pyramid
     e. hexagon

Activity # 14
A good exercise for proper usage. (R.Mc).
Title: Expressions
Level: Intermediate

1.The heating ___ last night and we couldn't fix it.
        went off
        turned off

2.He ___ his last chance of being promoted.
        gave away
        took away

3.I'm ___ with your complaints.
        filled up
        fed up

4.Don't ___ his campaign promises.
        fall for
        feel for

5.It took the firefighters many hours to ___ the fire.
        die out
        put out

6.I can't hear you. ___ the radio.
        Put down
        Turn down

7.The meeting had to be ___ until next week.
        put off
        set off

8.She couldn't ___ all the candles on the cake with one breath.
        blow out
        throw out

9. I ___ the letter before throwing it in the trash.
        zipped up
        tore up

10.Are you ___ a place to stay in San Francisco?
        looking for
        watching for
 

  11.The plane will ___ soon.
        leave off
        take off

Activity # 15
A good exercise for improving listening comprehension. (R. Mc.)
Grammar
34 Easy Questions:
Level: Beginning-Intermediate
Time: 15 min. +
1.How often do you play tennis?
     a. On Tuesday.
     b. For two hours.
     c. Almost every day.
     d. With John.

2.Where do you usually eat lunch?
     a. Sandwich.
     b. With Jane.
     c. At 12:00.
     d. In the cafeteria.

3.How long did you study last night?
     a. With Bob.
     b. In my room.
     c. English.
     d. For three hours.

4.What kind of novels do you like?
     a. Yes, I do.
     b. I like spy novels.

5.What kind of work do you do?
     a. I work every day.
     b. I'm a piano teacher.
     c. I worked for two hours.

6.How many hours a day do you watch TV?
     a. About two hours.
     b. In my living room.
     c. I watch the news.
     d. On Tuesday.

7.What is your busiest day of the week?
     a. In the morning.
     b. Every day.
     c. Tuesday.
     d. Last week.

8.My mother is a good cook.
a. I agree with you.
     b. I agree you.
     c. I agree to you.
     d. I agree for you.

9.What does "TV" mean?
     a. For one hour.
     b. Yes
     c. Television.
     d. For one hour.
     e. On Friday.

10. How do you spell "dog"?
     a. No
     b. D-O-G
     c. I don't
     d. Cat.
     e. I have one dog.

11.What did you do yesterday?
     a. I am swimming.
     b. I swim.
     c. I will swim.
     d. I swam.

12.What do you like to drink?
     a. Coffee.
     b. Saturday evening.
     c. Two.
     d. With my friends.

13.What did you eat last night?
     a. At six.
     b. Spaghetti.
     c. With my family.
     d. At home.

14.What are you doing?
     a. I'm eating.
     b. I ate.
     c. I will be eating.
     d. I have eaten.

15.What will you do this afternoon?
     a. I play soccer.
     b. I played soccer.
     c. I'll play soccer.
     d. I was playing soccer.
16.It seems to me that most restaurants are too expensive?
     a. I don't think it.
     b. I don't think.
     c. I don't think so.

17.Where's Mike?
     a. At school.
     b. At eight.
     c. For three hours.
     d. No, he isn't.

18.Where do you do your homework?
     a. With John.
     b. In the evening.
     c. About one hour.
     d. Every day.
     e. At home.

19.When did you go to that restaurant?
     a. Spaghetti.
     b. With Jane.
     c. Last night.
     d. About 30 minutes.

20.When was the last time you took a picture?
     a. A picture of Jane.
     b. Seven pictures.
     c. About four days ago.
     d. With my camera.
21.What were you doing last night at 7:00?
     a. I sleep.
     b. I slept.
     c. I will be sleeping.
     d. I was sleeping.

22.When will you mail that letter?
     a. Last night.
     b. To Jane.
     c. After school.

23.What are you going to do after dinner?
     a. I took a bath
     b. I'll take a bath.
     c. I take a bath.

24.How long have you been playing the trumpet?
     a. About 50 cm.
     b. For four years.
     c. In my room.
     d. By myself.

25.How many hours a day do you sleep?
     a. I have slept 7 hours.
     b. I am sleeping 7 hours.
     c. I slept 7 hours.
     d. I sleep 7 hours.

26.How often do you write letters?
     a. Two pages.
     b. Two times a week.
     c. Two people.
     d. Two hours.

27.Where can I buy beer?
     a. When you are twenty years old.
     b. About two bottles.
     c. With Jane.
     d. At a liquor store.

28.What's your favorite sport?
     a. Swim.
     b. Swimming.

29.When was the last time you went shopping?
     a. Yesterday.
     b. Tomorrow.
     c. Near the Station.

30.How often do you speak on the telephone?
     a. At least once a day.
     b. In the evening?
     c. For about 30 minutes.

31.How many times have you gone camping?
     a. Three people.
     b. Three days.
     c. Three times.

32.When's your birthday?
     a. November two.
     b. November twice.
     c. November second.

Activity # 16
This is an excellent activity that can be used in a social studies class (either content-based or theme-based). It can also help improve the knowledge of geography if a world map is used (countries, capital cities, etc.) (R.Mc.)
Title: Country - Nationality – Language
Level: Beginning-Intermediate
Time: 15 min. +

1.He's from Brazil. He's ___.
     a. Brazilish
     b. Brazilian
     c. Brazilese

2.I'm from Colombia. I can speak ___.
     a. Spanish
     b. Colombian
     c. Colombish

3.She's from Russia. She can speak ___.
     a. Russia
     b. Russy
     c. Russian

4.We're from Italy. We're ___.
     a. Italien
     b. Italian
     c. Italiun

5.My friend is from Korea. He can speak ___.
     a. Korish
     b. Korean
     c. Koreanese

6.Pablo is from Mexico. He's ___.
     a. Spanish
     b. Mexican
     c. Mexian

7.Martha is from the United States. She's ___.
     a. American
     b. United Statian
     c. United Statianese

8.My father is from China. He can speak ___.
     a. Chiny
     b. Chinish
     c. Chinese
 

9.Gloria is from Puerto Rico. She's ___.
     a. Puerto Rich
     b. Puerto Rican
     c. Puerto Riquean

10.Pierre is from France. He can speak ___.
     a. Franchise
     b. Francese
     c. French

Joan

Games:

1)  20 Questions
Description:  One person thinks of something that is an animal, a vegetable, or a
mineral.  The rest of the students take turns asking up to 20 questions about what s/he is thinking of.  The first one to guess what it is, wins.
Value:  Students have to talk and ask questions, and use their imagination, so this activity
builds vocabulary, listening, and thinking skills, as well as providing practice speaking.
Source:  Dave’s ESL Café  (website)

2)  Mystery Box
Description:  Place an object in a shoe box.  One students feels the object in the box,
without looking, and describes the object to the rest of the class.  The other students try to guess what is in the box.
Value: Students have to talk and ask questions, and use their imagination, so this activity
builds vocabulary, listening, and thinking skills, as well as providing practice speaking.
Source:  Dave’s ESL Café  (website)

3)  The Hokey Pokey
Description:  Students will stand in a circle while the teacher sings or plays a tape of the
Hokey Pokey.  Students will follow the lyrics of the song, moving body parts as directed by the lyrics.
Value:  Builds body part vocabulary, and provides a way to practice this vocabulary.
Source:  ?  I just thought of it by myself.

4)  Battleship
Description:  Obtain one or more sets of the Battleship game from your local toy store.
In place of a class set, you can have students label grid paper and have them draw in their ships in ink.
Value:  Beginning level- students practice numbers and letters.
Source:  My friend’s teacher used this in his German class.

Speaking Skills:
5)  Show and Tell
Description:  Students will bring something from home that they would like to share with
the class.  They will take turns standing up and telling the class about what they brought.  Then the class will be able to ask questions.
Value:  Students will practice their speaking and listening skills, while getting to know
each other better.
Source:  Everything ESL (website)

6)  The Last Time…
Description:  Have students choose a partner.  Put up a list of 25 “last time” examples.
Each set of partners will choose 10 topics from the examples and will take turns sharing with each other about the last time they did each thing.
Examples:  The last time you…
bought something  heard or told a joke  attended class
wrote a letter   looked up a word  gave a present
went to a movie  shook hands   were surprised
played a game   ate at a restaurant  made a mistake
overslept   rented a movie   went to the zoo
stayed in a hotel  broke a promise  told a lie
were lied to   read a book
went to a concert or theater went to church, synagogue, etc…
Value:  Students will practice their speaking and listening skills, while getting to know
each other better.
Source:  I modified an activity from Recipes for Tired Teachers  (book)

Writing and Speaking Skills:

7)  You Are What You Will
Description:  Have your students think of an animal, plant, or object they would like to be
in another life.  After letting them think for a minute, have your students describe what they are and what they will do.  Have each student share with the class their new identity, and what they have learned about themselves.
Value:  Students will practice their creative writing skills, and their speaking and
listening skills.
Source:  Recipes for Tired Teachers (book)

8) Emotionally Packed Picture
Description:  Make a list of emotions on the board.  Discuss with your students the
meaning of the words for the emotions.  Display a large picture that will evoke emotion, and have your students write about what the picture means to them.  (Make this a free-writing activity, and tell students not to worry about mechanics.)
Value:  Students will practice thinking critically, and writing skills.
Source:  Recipes for Tired Teachers (book)

9)  Headlines
Description:  Present your students with several headlines from a newspaper.  Discuss
with the class what they think the headlines mean.  Have each student pick a headline, and write an article to go with it.  Have each student read their article to the class, then have students compare their article with the real one.
Value: Students will practice thinking critically, and writing skills, as well as reading and
speaking skills.
Source:  Recipes for Tired Teachers (book)

10)  Dear Ann Landers
Description:  Read a letter from an advice column to the class.  Have students write an
answer to the letter.  Discuss the students responses to the letter.  Compare their letters with the columnists answer.
Value: Students will practice thinking critically, and writing skills, as well as their
speaking skills.
 Source:  Recipes for Tired Teachers (book)

11)  Personal Advertisement
Description:  Have each student write a personal advertisement for the perfect date.  It
should answer the following questions:  What will be expected of the date?  What interests or hobbies should the person have?  What do you want them to look like?  What characteristics or personality traits should s/he have:  funny and smart, serious, quite, fun to be with?
Value: Students will practice thinking critically, and writing skills.
Source:  Drama that Delivers:  Real Life Problems, Student Solutions by Nancy Duffy
Hery, Teacher Ideas Press

12)  Advertisement Analysis
Description:  Have students cut out 3 advertisements from magazines or a local
newspaper.  Students then write down their answer to the following questions:  What is the ad trying to tell you?  What type of people are in the ads and what are they doing?  Do any of the ads show a family doing something together?  How is the advertiser trying to convince you to buy the product?
Value: Students will practice thinking critically, and writing skills.
Source:  Drama that Delivers:  Real Life Problems, Student Solutions by Nancy Duffy
Hery, Teacher Ideas Press

Cooperative Learning:

13) Sentence Mobile
Description:  Have each student bring a coat hanger from home.  Divide the class into
groups of 2 or 3.  Show them how to attach the coat hangers to form the top of the mobile.  Supply each group with string and paper squares.  (Students will write each word from their sentences on a piece of paper.)  At the top of the mobile, have the groups attach the first word in their sentence.  All of their sentences will begin with this word.  At each corner, the groups will attach the next word in each sentence.  The rest of the words in each sentence will be attached with the string provided.  Have each group present their mobile to the class, and then hang the mobiles from the ceiling.
Value:  Provides practice for grammar skills and teamwork.
Source:  Modified from Sentence Tree lesson in Recipes for Tired Teachers.
 
 
 

14) Political Campaigns
Description:  Discuss with the class the meaning and purpose of a party platform, using
examples.  Divide the class into groups, and have each group choose or make up a party.  Have each group develop a platform for their party and nominate candidates.  Each candidate will then give a speech describing their platform.  After each speech, allow the class to question the candidates.  Finally, have an election by secret ballot.
Value:  In addition to building teamwork, conversation skills, and critical thinking skills,
students will gain understanding of how platforms are developed by political parties and how they affect elections.
Source:  Recipes for Tired Teachers (book)

15)  Create your Island
Description:  Have your class brainstorm about different types of governments, resources,
transportation, etc.  Divide the class into small groups, and give each group a copy of a blank island map. (Either make copies from the book, or draw your own picture of an island.)  Have each group decide on a type of government and fill in the map of their island showing roads, cities, natural resources, etc.  When they are finished, have each group share their island country with the class.
Value:  Builds teamwork, conversation skills, and critical thinking skills.
Source:  Recipes for Tired Teachers (book)

Elaine

CTIVITIES THE FOLLOWING ACTIVITIES ALLOW STUDENTS TO PARTICIPATE IN SIMPLE TO COMPLEX EXPERIENCES.  IT’S NOT NECESSARY THAT THE STUDENT HAVE MASTERY OF ENGLISH TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN COMPLETING THE TASKS.  THEY ARE ABLE TO USE HIGHER LEVEL THINKING AND PROCESSING.  THESE ACTIVITIES CAN BE DONE BY BEGIN