Are you looking for a stimulating and entertaining method to increase your vocabulary and communication abilities in English? Take a look our ESL taboo card games below!
ESL Taboo is a frequently played game that’s designed for teams of two or more players. The goal is to get your teammates to guess a particular word or phrase without uttering a series of taboo words or phrases that are closely linked to the target word. For instance, if the target word is “banana,” the taboo words could be “fruit,” “yellow,” and “peel.”
Using ESL taboo cards in your classroom is an excellent method to stimulate your students’ minds and broaden their vocabulary range. It’s also an ideal opportunity to develop communication skills like expressing ideas with clarity, actively listening to others, and providing feedback.
To play, split your class into teams and give each group a pack of taboo cards. One member of each team draws a card and attempts to get their teammates to guess the target word without using any of the taboo words or phrases. If their teammates guess correctly, the team earns a point. If they use a taboo word or phrase, the other team earns a point.
ESL taboo cards can be used to practice various topics and themes, such as food, travel, hobbies, and more. You can also generate your own cards based on your class’s specific needs and interests.
So why not add a dash of spice to your ESL classes with a game of Taboo? It’s an amusing, effective, and engaging way to improve your students’ English language abilities while having fun in the process. And who knows, you might even learn a few new words and phrases yourself.
In today’s digital age, online games have become a popular and effective tool for teaching various skills, including English as a second language. Interactive ESL online games, such as digital escape rooms, scavenger hunts, critical thinking games, and media literacy games, are not only fun and engaging but also provide students with unique opportunities to improve their language skills.
In this article, we will explore the benefits of using interactive games for language learning, and discuss how these games can help students achieve their language goals.
1. Enhanced Engagement and Motivation
Interactive games provide a dynamic and interactive environment that makes language learning more enjoyable and memorable. This can lead to increased engagement and motivation for students to continue learning.
2. Real-Life Practice
Many games simulate real-life situations. This allows students to practice their language skills in relevant and practical ways.
3. Improved Critical Thinking Skills
Games that teach critical skills, such as spotting fake news and hoaxes, and media literacy, help students improve their critical thinking and media literacy skills. These skills are essential for success in today’s digital world and will help students in their personal and academic lives.
4. Customizable and Convenient
Interactive games offer customization options, allowing students to tailor the game to their language level and learning goals. With the ability to play these games on a variety of devices, students can access language learning opportunities from anywhere and at any time.
5. Measurable Progress
Interactive ESL online games provide students with immediate feedback, allowing them to see their progress and identify areas that need improvement. This helps students stay motivated and track their progress.
Here’s a list of 10 interactive ESL online games you should check out:
The Bad News Game is all about spotting fake news and hoaxes. You’ll be presented with news articles and videos and have to figure out what’s real and what’s not. It’s a fun way to improve your critical thinking skills and learn to be a media-literate person. Get ready to be challenged and have a blast doing it!
This game is similar to the Bad News Game. It will challenge you to think critically and evaluate information sources, helping you become a savvier news consumer. So, get ready to flex your brain muscles and have some fun!
Interland is a free, online multiplayer adventure game created by Google that teaches digital safety, security and citizenship skills to children. Players explore four fantastical lands, completing challenges and quests while learning how to protect their online privacy, spot fake news, and be good digital citizens.
The digital escape rooms at Madison Library are a fun and exciting challenge. These online puzzles will test your problem-solving skills and critical thinking as you try to escape a virtual room within a limited time frame. Immerse yourself in a world of digital elements and clues, to make the most of your escape room experience. With a variety of themes to choose from, there’s always a new challenge waiting for you and your friends.
Escape Team is an online interactive game that challenges players to solve puzzles and complete tasks within a limited time frame in order to escape virtual rooms. Players must work together to find clues, decode messages, and complete challenges in order to escape each room before time runs out.
Reality Check teaches you to find truth online by locating the source of a story, comparing it to other sources, and using fact-checking tools and reverse image searches. Each mission presents a story from your social network feed, true, false, or in-between. Find out by clicking on magnifying glasses on the page, then decide how reliable it is and how to respond.
Spent is an online game where you play as a low-income worker trying to survive a month with limited money. You must balance daily expenses and make tough decisions that affect your finances. It’s a thought-provoking game that gives players a glimpse into the challenges faced by those living in poverty.
Trivia Crack is a fun online game to test your knowledge of different subjects. Play against others by answering trivia questions and spinning a wheel for categories like history, science, art, sports, and more.
Elevate is a fun online brain-training app with daily challenges to improve your memory, attention, and processing speed. Personalized to your progress, it’s perfect for students, busy professionals, or anyone looking for a mental workout.
This game teaches players about the effects of cyberbullying and how to stop it. Players will have fun while they learn to identify and handle cyberbullying in different digital scenarios. The game is designed to encourage positive online behavior and help players become responsible digital citizens.
Interactive ESL online games are a valuable tool for language learning. With their ability to engage and motivate students, provide real-life practice, improve critical thinking skills, and offer measurable progress, these games can help students achieve their language goals and unlock their full potential. Try incorporating interactive ESL online games into your language learning routine today and experience the benefits for yourself.
If you’re an ESL teacher, you know that getting students to practice speaking is a top priority. One way to do this is by using future conversation questions that focus on future tenses (future simple, future perfect, and future continuous). In this blog post, we’ll dive into why using these types of questions can be a game-changer for ESL students and the overall importance of speaking activities.
Practicing the future tenses, especially in conversation, can do wonders for students’ ability to express their plans and predictions and understand what others are saying. Using conversation questions in class gives students the chance to put their knowledge of the tenses into practice in a natural setting. This helps them improve their fluency and confidence when speaking.
Another perk of using conversation questions is that it helps with vocabulary acquisition. As students discuss their future plans, they’re exposed to new words and phrases that they can add to their vocabulary. Plus, it’s a great way for students to see the tenses in action and understand how they’re used in real-life situations.
Using future conversation questions also promotes critical thinking and problem-solving skills. Students have to think about their plans and predictions and make decisions about what they’ll say. This type of practice helps prepare them for real-life conversations where they’ll need to think on their feet and respond to new information.
But the benefits of speaking practice go beyond just the future tenses. When students are speaking, they’re actively using the language and this helps solidify their understanding of grammar and vocabulary. Plus, speaking activities give students the chance to hear native speakers, which can improve their listening skills and accent.
Overall, using the worksheet Future Conversation Questions is a fantastic way to get students to speak and improve their language skills. But it’s important to remember that speaking activities should be used in combination with other methods like reading, writing, and listening activities. And it’s important to create a comfortable and safe environment for students to speak in, where they feel encouraged to take risks and make mistakes.
Want to make learning English more fun? Try role-playing! It’s a great way for ESL students to practice their conversation, grammar, listening, reading, and writing skills. We’ve got a ton of cool role-play activities, games, scripts, and ideas for you to use in the classroom. Whether you’re a teacher or a student, our resources will help you bring role-playing into your English language class and improve your language skills.
Role-playing in the ESL classroom is a game-changer! As an ESL teacher, I’ve found that these activities are a fun and effective way to help my students improve their language skills in a natural way. It also gets my students excited and engaged in their English studies.
By putting students in realistic scenarios, role-playing allows them to practice using the language in a communicative context. It helps them develop their communication and problem-solving abilities, and it builds confidence and fluency in using the language.
There are so many role-play activities ESL teachers can use in the classroom! And, the best part is that you can always customize them to fit the needs and interests of your students. This way, they can practice language specific to all sorts of topics and scenarios.
I highly recommend incorporating role-play English scenarios in your lessons. Travel is one of my favorite topics to use, it’s always a hit with the students. Also, a restaurant role-play is a great way to bring some fun to the classroom.
Yo, there are so many role-playing activities English teachers can use in the classroom! And, the best part is that you can always customize them to fit the needs and interests of your students. This way, they can practice language specific to all sorts of topics and scenarios.
You will find more new engaging roleplays on different topics below. Give them a shot, and let me know how they go. I’m always curious to hear how they worked out for you and your students.
Roleplay 1: Family
Student A: You and your sibling are arguing over your shared bedroom. You are the older sibling, and you are very interested in fashion and design. You have recently started following some interior design blogs and Instagram accounts, and you have been inspired to redecorate your bedroom. You want to add some bright colors, modern furniture, and trendy wall art to the room.
Student B: You and your sibling are arguing over your shared bedroom. You are the younger sibling, and you are more practical and comfortable in your tastes. You have always enjoyed the traditional and cozy feel of the shared bedroom, and you don’t want to change it too much. You like the current furniture and decor, and you don’t see the need for a major overhaul.
Student A: You are a first-year student, and you are very excited to be living in the dorms. You have made many new friends and you want to spend as much time as possible with them. You want to have people over every weekend to hang out, watch movies, and play games. Talk to your roommate.
Student B: You are a first-year student focused on your studies. You want to do well in college and you need a quiet and peaceful environment to study in. You are worried that having people over every weekend will be too distracting and disruptive. Talk to your roommate.
Roleplay 3: Education
Student A: You are a teenager who believes that the government should have a minimal role in education and that schools should be run independently. You believe that this would lead to more innovation and better outcomes for students.
Student B: You are a parent who believes that the government should have a strong role in education in order to ensure that all students have access to quality education. You also believe that government oversight is necessary to hold schools accountable for their performance.
Roleplay 4: Housing, Finances
Student A: You are the older sibling who is currently living in the family home. You have just graduated from college and are planning to move out soon. You believe that it is important to sell the family home so that the money can be split among all the siblings.
Student B: You are the younger sibling who is still living at home with your parents. You feel that the family home is an important part of your childhood and you would like to keep it in the family. You are feeling frustrated because Student A seems to only be thinking about their own financial gain, rather than the sentimental value of the family home.
Roleplay 5: Housing, Relationships
Student A: You are a resident of a suburban neighborhood. You are very proud of your lawn and garden and take great care to maintain them. You believe that the shared driveway should be maintained equally by all of the neighbors.
Student B: You are also a resident of a suburban neighborhood. You have just moved in and have not had time to work on your lawn and garden yet. You feel that Student A is putting too much pressure on you to keep the shared driveway looking perfect. You are feeling frustrated because you believe that Student A should be more understanding of your situation.
Roleplay 6: Health
Student A: You are a high school student who is an advocate for mental health awareness and de-stigmatization. You believe that mental health is just as important as physical health and should be treated with the same importance. You have personal experience with mental health issues and have seen the impact of a lack of access to resources and support.
Student B: You are a school counselor who works with high school students. You believe that mental health is important and support the use of therapy and medication in treatment. However, you believe that some students may be overdiagnosed and overmedicated and that other forms of support and intervention should also be considered.
Roleplay 7: Travel
Student A: You are a high school student who has always wanted to go on a trip to Europe. You have saved up enough money to finally make it happen, and you have planned out all of the destinations you want to visit. However, your best friend, Student B, has a different idea for where the two of you should go. Your role in this argument is to convince Student B that Europe is the perfect destination for your trip and to explain why you have been dreaming of going there for so long.
Student B: You are a high school student and the best friend of Student A. You have always wanted to go on a trip to Asia, and you think that it would be a more exciting and unique destination than Europe. Your role in this argument is to convince Student A that Asia is the better choice for your trip and to explain why you think it would be a more memorable experience.
Download the role-plays: Role plays Ideas for English Classroom
This is an excellent speaking activity for students when engaged in a conversation about travel, as well as for adult students in any program or one-on-one lessons. Travel words on the list include – journey, flights, destination, trip, license, accommodation, backpacking, international, leisure, and countries.
The free discussion worksheet for the topic of travel is anything but boring, and it’s guaranteed to pique your students’ curiosity. They may be inspired to go on vacation or organize group trips, especially when cheap flights are easily available on reputable websites such as sa.wego.com.
Students should be placed in groups or pairs, and they should take notes on what their partners say and answer.
Travel ESL Conversation Questions
Have you ever been abroad?
Where have you been?
Are you planning on going anywhere for your next vacation?
If so, where?
Who with?
How long will you stay?
Are you afraid of going abroad alone?
Do you have any tips to get cheap flights?
Could you live in another country for the rest of your life?
Describe the most interesting person you met on one of your travels.
What was your best trip.
What was your worst trip.
Did your class in high school go on a trip together?
If so, where did you go?
How long did you stay?
How did you get there?
Do you have a driver’s license?
Do you like to travel with children? Why or why not?
Do you like to travel with your mother? Why or why not?
Do you prefer summer vacations or winter vacations?
Do you prefer to travel alone or in a group? Why?
Do you prefer to travel by train, bus, plane or ship?
Do you prefer traveling by car or by plane?
Have you ever been in a difficult situation while traveling?
Have you ever been on an airplane?
How many times?
What airlines have you flown with?
Have you ever been to a foreign country?
Have you ever gotten lost while traveling? If so, tell about it.
Have you ever hitchhiked? If so, how many times?
Have you ever taken a package tour?
How do you spend your time when you are on holiday and the weather is bad?
How many countries have you been to? How many states?
How many times have you traveled abroad?
How much luggage do you usually carry?
If you traveled to South America, what countries would like to visit?
If you went to ___(Insert a country name)__, what kind of souvenirs would you buy?
If you were going on a camping trip for a week, what 10 things would you bring? Explain why.
What are some countries that you would never visit? Why would you not visit them?
What are some things that you always take with you on a trip?
What countries would you like to visit? Why?
What countries would you most like to visit?
What countries would you not like to visit? Why?
What country do you most want to visit?
Why?
Do you think you will ever go there?
What do you need before you can travel to another country?
What is the most interesting city to visit in your country?
What is the most interesting souvenir that you have ever bought on one of your holidays?
What languages can you speak?
What place do you want to visit someday?
What was the most interesting place you have ever visited?
What’s the most beautiful place you’ve ever been to?
When was the last time your traveled?
When you are on a long car journey do you play games or sing songs to occupy your time?
What kind of games?
What songs?
Where are you going to go the next time you travel?
When are you going to go?
Who are you going to go with?
How long are you going to go for?
What are you going to do there?
What kind of things do you think you will buy?
Where did you go on your last vacation?
How did you go?
Who did you go with?
Where did you spend your last vacation? Your summer vacation? Your Christmas vacation?
Where will you go on your next vacation?
Would you like to take a cruise? Where to? With who?
Do you prefer traveling on a hovercraft or a ferry?
Would you prefer to stay at a hotel/motel or camp while on vacation?
Would you rather visit another country or travel within your own country?
Would you rather go to a place where there are a lot of people or to a place where there are few people?
Do you find more fulfillment from your leisure activities including vacations than from your job?
Do you think the type of vacation one takes reflects one’s social status?
What are popular tourist destinations in your country?
Have you been to any of them?
Which would you recommend if you could only recommend one? Why?
Do you prefer active or relaxing holidays? Why?
Which is better, package tour or a tour you organize and book yourself?
Why do you travel?
Why do people travel?
Would you like to go back to the same place?
Did you find anything of particular interest? / Did you get attracted to anything special?
What are some benefits of travel?
Why do people travel?
What is your favorite mode of travel?
Have you travelled in business class?
When you were a child did your family take a vacation every year?
Do you prefer a budget or first class hotel? Why?
Do you travel with a lot of baggage or do you like to travel light?
What is your favorite method of travel at your destination? Train? Bus? Boat? Bicycle? Backpacking?
What is the best kind of holiday for different ages of people? Children? Teenagers? Adults? Elderly people?
Do you think it is a good idea to travel with friends, or alone? How about with your family?
If you had $100,000, where would you go on holiday? How about if you had $10,000? What about $1,000?
Which countries have you travelled to?
Do you prefer hot countries or cool countries when you go on holiday
Who makes the decisions when your family decides to go on holiday
If you could choose one place to go this weekend, where would it be?
How do you browse for the best deals on flight tickets?
Has the airline ever lost your luggage? What happened?
On long flights do you usually walk around the plane to avoid health problems?
Have you ever read an interesting question in an in-flight magazine? What was it?
Is there any difference between young tourists and adult tourists?
I’m slowly getting into the Christmas mood, and nothing says Christmas more than music. Although I love listening to festive music mostly when I’m wrapping presents, planning a holiday lesson isn’t that bad either.
So grab a cup of tea or mulled wine, enjoy the music and let the creative juices flow. Or try these ESL Christmas activities.
Secret Santa
You know how this works, don’t you? Every student will become a Secret Santa to a classmate whose name they draw. The catch- they will not give each other sweets or other small gifts. The gifts these Secret Santas will be giving are a personalized poem or a short story for the lucky recipient.
Baked Goods Party
If possible, have the students bake something at home and take pictures of the process. The next day, everyone will bring what they baked and the students will take turns describing what and how they baked it. Think of it as a show and tell Christmas Edition. Plus, there will be sharing and tasting.
Charity Auction
Let the students choose a charity they want to contribute to. The next day, they will bring stuff they don’t need or don’t use for the auction. Decide on the starting price and minimum bid. Each student will describe the product they are selling. The students love outbidding each other and the will learn about helping others.
Christmas Taboo
Taboo is a classic vocabulary activity. You can download the Christmas version below.
Each student chooses a country and will prepare a presentation about the Christmas traditions of the chosen country (or any major holiday if the country doesn’t celebrate Christmas)
ESL Christmas activities
Christmas Movie and Discussion
Why not watch a short Christmas movie? Or download our Advent Activity Calendar for even more activity ideas.
Find a couple of popular Christmas songs, copy the lyrics, erase some words and you’ll have a nice Christmas listening activity. And an earworm!
Christmas Charades
Prepare small slips of paper
Put the students into groups of three or four
Let them write vocabulary related to Christmas on the slips of paper(or use the Christmas taboo cards)
The groups exchange the vocabulary piles
In groups, they take turns and draw one paper slip at a time. They have to act out the word or expression for the group to guess
Bucket List
Depending on the age of your students, tell them to think about the things they would like to achieve by a certain age( 15,18,25,30). Have them write a list containing ten things they want to achieve, do, experience before that certain age. When they complete the list, put them into groups of three to discuss their choices.
Christmas Postcards
Cut drawing paper into postcard-sized pieces. Students first draw a Christmas postcard and then write a short holiday greeting to a member of their family or a friend. They’ve probably never written a postcard before. If you want, you can arrange for the postcards to be sent. It will be a nice Christmas surprise.
I hope you liked these ESL Christmas activities. Share your favorite ideas in the comments!
Another set of popular vocabulary game based on Taboo. This time, Christmas vocabulary. You know the drill, download, print, cut, and let your students have some fun while learning.
It’s almost here! Our students’ favorite holiday! Halloween!
Ok, not everyone loves Halloween, but it’s a perfect opportunity to have a little fun in the classroom. There are plenty of various activities online and for those who don’t like crafts and are not particularly artsy (as myself) I’ve put together this cute Halloween vocabulary activity based on even cuter video by TedEd, which is by the way one of my favorite sources for educational videos.
Despite the animated video, the topic and vocabulary are perhaps not suitable for younger students (younger than 12). Watch the video beforehand to make sure it’s appropriate for your class.
Halloween activity based on video from TedEd.
WARM UP
1. What is your favorite holiday/festival?
2. Do you celebrate Halloween?
3. What traditions do you celebrate in your country on Halloween?
4. Do you like scary stories?
5. What costume would you like to wear for Halloween?
VOCABULARY
1. Match the halves of the expressions
1) spindly a) grounds
2) rusted b) gardens
3) crumbling c) tops
4) solitary d) trees
5) blooming e) catacombs
6) burial f) grounds
7) head g) gate
8) crowds h) stone
9) mountain i) yard
10) subterranean j) water
11) church k) mourner
12) ground l) of people
VIDEO
1. Watch the video and check your answers.
2. Complete the sentences with the expressions from Ex. 1
1. The ________________________are very extensive and hold numerous galleries and graves of different types.
2. Adding a ___________________ to a gravesite or memorial is one of the most common ways to commemorate a loved one once they are gone
3. The old ____________________ is bent and battered, but it holds a lot of memories for our family.
4. Large parts of the northern _______________________ were destroyed in order to make space for the basements of the new building
5. There are fears that _____________________ might become contaminated
6. The fate of endemic birds of eastern Brazilian _________________ in the face of climate change.
7. __________________________ watched the fireworks.
8. Americans had always buried their dead, but did so in churchyards, town commons, or municipal __________________
9. Seven years before our story begins Scrooge is seen, as a _________________, at the funeral of his business partner Jacob Marley.
10. Making sure that no one was looking, I touched the ___________________. Sand grains accumulated in my hand.
11. The island’s west side slopes into terraces and cultivated __________________.
12. Some tall, _____________________need to be cut at the top in order to produce new twig or branch growth.
DISCUSSION
What information from the video surprised you the most?
Would you be scared if you were in a graveyard at night? Why?
How did people bury their dead in the past?
How do you think people will bury their dead in the future? Why?
ESL personality questions based on reading activity and 20 conversation questions with personality adjectives.
1 Warm up. Watch the video and do the personality test. Do you agree with the result?
2 Read the text and answer the questions below.
Personality is the characteristic patterns of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that make a person unique. It is believed that personality arises from within the individual and remains consistent throughout life.
Examples of personality can be found in how we describe other people’s characteristics. For instance, “She is generous, caring, and a bit of a perfectionist,” or “They are loyal and protective of their friends.”
The word “personality” comes from the Latin word persona, which refers to a theatrical mask worn by performers in order to either take on different roles or disguise their identities.
Personality Types
One theory suggests there are four types of personality. They are:
Type A: Perfectionist, impatient, competitive, work-obsessed, achievement-oriented, aggressive, stressed
Type B: Low stress, even-tempered, flexible, creative, adaptable to change, patient, tendency to procrastinate
Type C: Highly conscientious, perfectionist, struggles to reveal emotions (positive and negative)
Type D: Worrying, sad, irritable, pessimistic, negative self-talk, avoidance of social situations, lack of self-confidence, fear of rejection, appears gloomy, hopeless
Research on personality can provide us with fascinating insights into how personality develops and changes over the course of a lifetime. This research can also have important practical applications in the real world.
For example, people can use a personality assessment (also called a personality test or personality quiz) to learn more about themselves and their unique strengths, weaknesses, and preferences. Some assessments might look at how people rank on specific traits, such as whether they are high in extroversion, conscientiousness, or openness.
Other assessments might measure how specific aspects of personality change over time. Some assessments give people insight into how their personality affects many areas of their lives, including career, relationships, personal growth, and more.
Personality type can also have an impact on your health, including how often you visit the doctor and how you cope with stress. Researchers have found that certain personality characteristics may be linked to illness and health behaviors.
New class, new faces, new names – a mess. This back to school activity has saved me multiple times. You can learn 30 new names in minutes, kids have fun and they painlessly learn new adjectives. Start by explaining how difficult it is for teachers to learn students’ names and that you need their help. At the end of the activity let them test you- they will be thrilled. Students need to introduce themselves by an adjective that starts with the same letter as their first name. You start by giving an example: My name is Al, so I am Artistic Al. The first student has to repeat your name after you – You are Artistic Al, and add their own – I am Hilarious Hannah. The second student repeats the previous names and adds their own, and so on. At the end of the round, ask the first student(who had the easiest task) to say all the names backward. Finally, say all their names quickly(with or without the adjectives). Congrats, you’ve learned your new students’ names!
2) Oh, really?
Put the students in pairs and tell them they will have a conversation. The first student has to start with a short sentence, like this:
Student 1: I play tennis.
The other student responds: Oh, really?, and adds extra information( aword or a phrase).
So it should be like this: Oh, really? I play tennis every day.
Student 1 continues: Oh, really? I play tennis every day with SerenaWilliams.
Student 2 responds: Oh, really?I play tennis every day with Serena Williams in Monaco.
Student 1 responds: Oh, really?I play tennis every day with Serena Williams in Monacowhile feeding dolphins.
And so on. Can they keep up?
The student who will form the longest grammatically correct (and at least a little bit coherent) answer wins.
3) Questionnaire
Have your students write a questionnaire. Chose a subject(summer holiday, school, hobbies, general personality questions) or let them decide. After that, students circulate the classroom and ask their questions. They should talk to 4-5 people. When they finish, ask them to share any interesting answers, it usually leads to lively discussions.
Unfinished sentences ESL speaking activity is great for revising grammar, as a warm-up or a conversation starter.
It can be used with groups of various sizes as well as in one to one classes.
4) Unfinished sentences
Unfinished sentences ESL speaking activity is great for revising grammar, as a warm-up or a conversation starter. It’s a perfect back to school activity.
It can be used with groups of various sizes as well as in one to one classes.
Finish the sentence. Tell your story.
1. I was very surprised when__________________________________________________.
2. What I value most about my friends is_____________________________________.
3. I really regret_______________________________________________________________.
4. One of my favourite childhood memories is_______________________________.
5. I could never_______________________________________________________________
5) Find someone who
You can easily find tons of these worksheets online or just put together a couple of ideas.
Find somebody
-who doesn’t like chocolate. -who is vegan. -who has a tattoo. -who speaks more than 2 languages. -who’s never flown before. -who wants to be famous. -who has a special talent.
6) Vocabulary race
This is probably more suitable for younger kids. Put them into two teams, divide the board into two sections, give them a topic and let them run a relay with the marker to write as many words on the topic they know.
7) Get physical- Gordian knot
This activity doesn’t involve any language practice but it is great for kids who don’t know each other, to break the ice and create a positive atmosphere. It also shows you how the students communicate, who is a natural leader and how they deal with problems, so it’s quite useful.
You need an even number of students for this. The students stand in a tight circle. Tell them to close their eyes. Then they put their left hand in front of them and try to grab any free hand they can find. Eyes still closed. Repeat the same with the right hand. Eyes open. They should be intertwined – hence the Gordian knot. Without letting any hand go, they should untangle the knot and form a circle. Sometimes there are two or three smaller circles when they grabbed a hand right next to them. That’s ok, they will work it out after a couple of attempts.
8) Conversation questions
This speaking activity contains 50 ESL conversation questions for teenagers and adult learners. (16+, B1+). It is best for small groups or as a pair-work.
This is a very simple, no-prep activity. In pairs, students give each other a topic to talk about and they have to talk uninterrupted for a minute. It is more difficult than it sounds, especially with dry topics such as door, socks, or air. If your students lack imagination, you can use these ideas: One Minute Talk Cards.
10) What do they have in common?
This is mostly an activity you can use with new students, but it can be also used in larger classes where the students don’t know each other that well. Put students who don’t know (or don’t know well) each other into pairs and tell them to find out 3-5 things they have in common and 1-2 things they don’t have in common. Let them talk to more people. After that, discuss with the whole class what surprising or interesting things they’ve found out about their classmates.
These conversation questions are more suitable for more advanced students as the questions are hypothetical, so it requires a knowledge of conditionals and a certain level of creativity. These can be also used for online classes.
A timer, fifteen questions and a lot of fun. A classroom appropriate variation of speed dating. Arrange the desks so that two students sit at one desk facing each other. Give each a set of “speed dating” questions. You can download a set here. Set a timer for a couple of minutes, and when the time’s up one student moves and another sits in their place.
15) Mini presentations
ESL conversation topics for intermediate and upper intermediate students. You can use the slideshow and share your screen on Zoom or other app when teaching online. Just click on the full screen option in the top right corner of the slideshow.
It’s June, the most wonderful month. For students, but mostly for teachers. We really need that break. Here are a couple of end of school activities that will help with that,
But before you start sipping that cocktail by the pool, have some fun with your students if you can. In some countries, students returned to school at the beginning of June to wrap things up. Use the last couple of days to connect with your students and enjoy your time together. Here are some quick and simple end of year activities and games for ESL classes.
No-prep end of school activities
Picture dictation
Students work in pairs. One has a picture (any picture from a textbook, their own photos on phone, whatever) and describes the picture to their partner who has to draw the picture as accurately as possible. Entertaining activity for future artists.
Picture description
A variation of the previous activity. Students choose a couple of photos(appropriate) from their phones and describe it to each other. Works great as a quick warm-up.
Write a survey
Tell the students to each write 10 questions for a class survey. Give them a topic (summer holidays, hobbies, habits, future, etc). When they have written the questions let them survey each other and report their results at the end of the lesson. They love to talk about themselves! Who doesn’t, right?
Dictionary game
Tell the students to use a dictionary(an app, online, or paper) and find a couple of words they don’t know. For each of the words they need to write down the original definition of the word and make up two more definitions that are false. Thy then work in groups of three or four and read their definitions to their classmates who have to guess the right definition. They get a point for every correct guess. This is a fun guessing game that is also great for learning new vocabulary.
Draw a giraffe
This is another activity for aspiring artists. Two students sit with their backs to each other. Each will have a paper and a pencil/pen. Their task is to draw a giraffe or any other animal or an object, but each of them has to draw only a half of the final image. They can’t see what the other one is drawing so they have to communicate, how to draw it. It’s a lot of fun and the students can have an exhibition of the finished drawings and comment on them.
So cute.
Plan a holiday trip
Put the students in pairs and tell them they have to plan a trip for the summer. They have to plan the whole itinerary and come with a budget for that trip. Hiking in the French Alps? A cruise in the Caribbean? Everything is possible!
Guess who I am
You’ll need a self-stick pad and a pen. Put the students in groups of four. They will write a name of a famous person or literary character(on anything else) on the self-stick note and stick it onto the forehead of a person sitting next to them so nobody know what is written there. They have to ask yes/no questions to guess the personality. A classic!
Prince William plays post-it note game on charity visit. Source: The Telegraph
Mini presentations
Give each student two slips of paper. Tell them to write down a topic they would like to discuss. When they are done, take ale the slips of paper, put them in a bin or a hat and have students each draw a slip. Tell them that they will have to give a short presentation on the topic. Give them 2 minutes to think about the topic, then put them in group of four. They will have each five minutes to present their topic. If there is time at the end of the lesson, have them ask follow up questions.
Print and play end of school activities
One minute talk
This is a very simple, no-prep activity. In pairs, students give each other a topic to talk about and they have to talk uninterrupted for a minute. It is more difficult than it sounds, especially with topics such as egg yolks, armpit hair o or shoe laces. If your students lack imagination, you can use these ideas: One Minute Talk Cards.
Role plays
Role-plays are fun, educational, great for shy students, creative, fun, and did I mention fun? You can create your own, look for some online or download these:
Balderdash is a word bluffing game in which you write definitions for weird words. The definitions may or may not be correct. You will find more about the game and a free PDF in this link.
Discussion questions
Another classic activity. If you don’t want to waste time googling, you can download this 120 Conversation Starters activity.
Picture description
I’ve mention no-prep picture description activities above, for this activity you can download my free PDF resources:
This activity is a cross of telling a story, inventing your own and acting. I use famous stories with three or more characters so the kids can work in small groups. Then I assign the story and let them draw a card with a specific genre. You can download the activity with my stories here or prepare your own, using stories well known in your culture.
Everybody knows Jeopardy. So far, I was able to find any grammar or vocabulary revision quiz I needed. Lots of quizzes on many topics, but beware as the quality varies. You can create your own Jeopardy quiz and you can also assign your students a topic and let them create their own quiz to test their classmates’ knowledge.
Baamboozle
I use this site mostly with my younger learners as it doesn’t have many higher level grammar or vocabulary quizzes. My tip: put your students in teams (max number of teams is 4), choose a quiz and let them play the Classic mode with the power up, it’s much more fun!
Quizizz
My favorite online quiz tool can be used to assign homework (this works great) or do solo practice. Very useful during lockdown, but also anytime. Assigning homework online in just a few clicks? The system checks it? The students see and track their progress? It gamiefies the learning process? What’s not to love!
If you don’t know Kahoot, you should definitely start using it. Right now! Kahoot is widely popular and it’s good to know that its creators made Premium available for free for the rest of the academic year. Try it out!
Here you can find plenty of simple, family-friendly games. I mostly use the Word Generator for charades, pictionary and other games. The great thing is I only need my laptop and I project the words on the whiteboard, so the students don’t need computers.
This speaking activity contains 30 ESL conversation questions for ES lessons. Great for teens and adult learners. (16+, B1+). It is best for small groups or as a pair-work.
The slideshow can be used as a resource for online teaching, just share your screen on Zoom or another app when teaching online. You can use it for a group discussion or if you want to use the activity in smaller groups, assign your students into breakout rooms and send them the PDF with the conversation questions before your lesson. During the lesson, pop into the breakout rooms to listen in and observe.
You can use the video below – How to Never Run out of Things to Say – Keep a Conversation Flowing! as a warm-up.
Conversation Questions for ESL Lessons
Describe your worst travel experience.
What was the most important chance meeting you’ve experienced?
How would you describe a good life?
How did going to school shape you as a person?
How important do you think self-improvement is?
What will the future of transportation look like?
What strategies do you use to make big decisions?
What are some of your plans for the future?
How would you explain the idea of love to an alien?
What policies could the government implement to improve people’s health?
What was the scariest dream you’ve had?
What life hacks have you found to be particularly effective?
If you could design a reality TV show, what would it be like?
What combinations of flavors do you like, and why do they taste so good?
How have standards of beauty changed in your lifetime?
What is your best school story?
Why do some words sound funny to us?
What are the best and worst things about your favorite restaurant?
How would your country change if children were allowed to vote?
What experiments would you like to run if time and money weren’t an issue?
25 for and against essay topics that can be also used for class debates.
For and against essay topics: layout.
• The first paragraph should be the introduction. Include a thesis statement, which summarises the main issue.
In the past, most people lived with their parents until they got married. But in the modern world, it is more common to leave home and share accommodation with friends. This choice has both positive and negative aspects.
• The second paragraph should focus on the advantages. Include at least two arguments, if possible. Give examples where appropriate, introduced by phrases like For example or For instance.
There are several advantages to sharing with friends. Firstly, it gives you the opportunity to spend time with your friends and to build strong relationships with them. Secondly, it allows you to develop some of the practical skills that you will need as an independent adult. For instance, you will learn how to manage household bills, how to shop and cook, and so on. And thirdly, it makes living in your own home more affordable, and the more people who share, the more cost-effective it is. For instance, a shared house for six people is far cheaper than two houses for three people.
• The third paragraph should focus on the disadvantages. Include at least two arguments, if possible. Begin the third paragraph with a phrase like On the other hand or However,.. to express contrast with statements in the previous paragraph.
On the other hand, sharing a home has its disadvantages. Sharing a house can often cause disagreements. For instance, housemates often argue about household chores. What is more, it can be difficult to have time alone when you need it. And finally, the houses which young people share are sometimes in poor condition and landlords are not always good at repairing appliances when they break down.
• The fourth paragraph should be the conclusion. State your own opinion and decide whether the arguments for outweigh the arguments against the thesis statement or the other way around.
Although sharing a house with other young people is not always easy, the advantages definitely outweigh the problems. It is certainly something I would like to do in a few years’ time.
Conversation questions for practicing comparative and superlative adjectives.
1. We use comparatives to compare two things (or people).
This movie is more interesting than the one you chose.
Susie is smarter than her brother.
2. Superlatives are used, however, to show the difference between more than two things or more than two people.
This is the best ice cream I’ve ever had!
He is the fastest runner in this group.
One-syllable adjectives
If an adjective has only one syllable, we add –er to make the comparative form.
quick – quicker
nice – nicer
warm – warmer
cold – colder
We add –est to make the superlative form. Don’t forget that we use the definite article thewith the superlative.
quick – quicker – the quickest
warm – warmer –the warmest
cold – colder- the coldest
There are some spelling changes with one-syllable adjectives. If there is one vowel followed by one consonant at the end of the adjective, we often double the consonant.
hot – hotter – the hottest
big – bigger – the biggest
thin – thinner – the thinnest
If the adjective ends in y, this often changes to i.
happy – happier – the happiest
If the adjective ends in e, we don’t add another e, just r.
fine -finer – the finest
nice – nicer- the nicest
Two-syllable adjectives and adjectives with more than two syllables
For two-syllable adjectives, we use more or most.
careful – more careful – most careful
bored – more bored – most bored
Some two-syllable adjectives can take –er or –est.
clever – cleverer – cleverest
quiet – quieter – quietest
Adjectives with two syllables that end in y usually can add –er or –est. We can also use more or most.
dirty – dirtier – dirtiest
pretty – prettier – prettiest
happy – happier – happiest
Some adjectives are irregular. There is no rule, we have to learn their forms.
good – better – the best
bad – worse – the worst
far – further – the furthest
little – less – the least
much – more – the most
Conversation questions superlative and comparative adjectives
Are you happier now than you were a year ago?
Do you agree with the following: ‘The more expensive, the better quality.’
Do you think vegetarianism is healthier than eating meat?
Is it better to be poor and happy or to be rich and unhappy?
Why is lying sometimes easier than telling the truth?
What would be more difficult for you, to spend a night alone in the woods or to give a speech in front of hundreds of people?
Does educated always mean more intelligent?
What is more dangerous, boxing or skiing?
Are teenagers lazier than they were 20 years ago?
What job is more demanding, a nurse or an engineer?
Which job is the most gratifying?
Describe the best holiday you’ve ever had?
What is the most surprising thing that has ever happened to you?
What’s the most difficult decision you’ve had to make?
When did you feel the proudest?
What is the scariest thing that has ever happened to you?
Describe the most delicious dish you’ve ever eaten.
Who is the smartest person you know?
Who inspires you the most?
What is the weirdest present you’ve got?
Download the conversation questions superlative and comparative adjectives here.
This speaking and listening activity consists of a video warm-up activity and food conversation questions.
As a warm-up activity watch this video on the 15 best foods around the world. Have students take notes on each food as they watch.
What is it made of?
How was it prepared?
Where does it come from?
Have you ever tried that?
After you watch the video, put students in groups or pairs, and have them compare notes and discuss what foods from the video they’ve tried or would like to try.
A tip, whenever I need my student to work in pairs or teams, I use Random Team Generator. It’s super easy and convenient.
Food conversation questions
Do you eat to live or do you live to eat?
Which food did you hate as a kid?
Which food did you love as a kid but hate now?
If you could only eat three meals for the rest of your life what would you eat?
What kind of sweets do you like?
What is your favorite snack?
What do you think about cooking shows?
Do you think it’s important to know how to cook?
What is your favorite fast food?
What food would you choose to eat as your first meal after a year abroad?
What food would you choose as your last meal?
What is your favorite condiment?
What food do you eat in your country when celebrating something or during holidays?
Who are better cooks, men or women?
What is your favorite cuisine? What do you like about it?
What is the strangest thing you’ve ever eaten?
What is the most delicious thing you’ve ever eaten?
If you’re an ESL teacher, you know that speaking is a difficult skill for students to master. Plus, speaking can be intimidating. It’s one thing to write and another thing entirely to perform in front of others. That’s why these 60 questions for ESL conversation based on Vogue’s 73 Question series, in which celebrities quickly answer random questions, is great for practicing speaking skills with your students.
You can start this activity by watching Adele’s take on 73 questions. After that, put your students in pairs so they can play out their version of the interview. To do that, download the worksheet60 Questions for ESL Conversation.
The worksheet contains 60 questions divided into 2 sets. This is a pairwork activity, so students can both ask and answer the questions.
Allow the students 5 minutes to read the questions and to make sure they understand and look up any unfamiliar vocabulary.
Explainthat they have to conduct the interview in the style of Vogue’s 73 questions, so they have to quicklyask and answer the questions.
Decide how long it should take and tell them, I would allow 5-10 minutes based on the level of the group.
As a variation of the activity, they can record each other’s responses to create a similar video to the one below.
60 Questions for ESL Conversation Activity
STUDENT A
What’s the best thing that happened to you this month?
2. What is something you’re tired of?
3. What is something that recently moved you?
4. If you could teach one subject in school what would it be?
5. What’s your favorite beverage?
7. What is your favorite cake?
6. What is your favorite movie?
7. What is something you can’t do?
8. What is one habit you wish you could break?
9. What makes you laugh no matter what?
10. What does creativity mean to you?
11. What are your favorite lyrics of all time?
12. What is something you’ve always wanted to try but you’ve been too scared to do?
13. What did you want to do with your life at age 12?
14. What is something you will not be doing in ten years?
15. What is an important life lesson for someone to learn?
16. What is one goal you are determined to achieve in your lifetime?
17. Would you ever live anywhere besides where you live now?
18. What is your favorite dessert?
19. Is there a dessert you don’t like?
20. It’s brunch! What do you eat?
21. Who is your favorite artist?
22. Favorite Disney animal?
23. What is a book you are planning on reading?
24. What did you read most recently?
25. Favorite solo artist?
26. What’s your favorite board game?
27. What’s a city you wish to visit?.
28. Where does one go on a perfect road trip?
29. What do you do on a rainy day?
30. What’s your favorite exercise?
STUDENT B
1. What is your worst subject in school?
2. What do you usually eat for breakfast?
3. What do you usually eat for dinner?
4. Favorite baked good?
5. What is something you wish you could be good at?
6. Skiing or Surfing?
7. Cooking or Baking?
8. Most recent celebrity crush?
9. What’s your favorite clothing brand or store?
10. How do you manage stress?
11. What do you do to relax?
12. Favorite fashion trend of all time?
13. Best fashion advice you’ve ever received?
14. Trend you would like to see disappear forever?
15. What is your spirit animal?
16. Television show you’ve binged on recently?
17. Who do you turn to when you’re sad?
18. Name one thing you’ve learned the hard way?
19. If you could make a documentary about anything, what would it be?
20. What is your Kryptonite?
21. What are you most enchanted by?
22. What is your biggest strength?
23. What is your biggest weakness?
24. What are 3 words to describe living where you live?
25. Cutest thing on planet earth?
26. Most important advice you’d give your future children?
27. Best first date idea?
28. What do you first notice about someone when you meet them?
I’ve decided that you deserve a little treat. Read on and find all about it. It’s almost Christmas after all and you’ve been working hard.
We love stories. We have always loved them.
When our ancestors sat by the fire they told stories of mighty warriors, immortal gods, or wicked witches.
Stories are fascinating. And they are a powerful teaching tool.
This storytelling activity will save you tons of prepping time!
Storytelling Cards can be used as a fun and imaginative speaking activity for groups or for creative writing assignments.
There are thousands of possible variations and no two stories will be the same. The recommended level of English is A2-B1 and it is suitable for students aged 12+.
With Storytelling Cards they will be able to create hundreds of wonderful stories.
The aim of the game is to tell(or write) a story using the prompts on the cards. There are five types of cards:
12 Character cards
12 Activity cards
12 Object cards
12 Place cards
12 Problem cards
I’ve mentioned a treat before, haven’t I? Well, you deserve one. So here you go. You can get the Storytelling Cards with a 25% discount.
Click below to reveal the discount code. The code is valid until December 24th.
Practice modal verbs with conversation questions, watch video explanation and study example sentences.
What are modal verbs? According to Merriam-Webster, a modal verb is a verb (such as can, could, shall, should, ought to, will, or would) that is usually used with another verb to express ideas such as possibility, necessity, and permission.
Modal verbs and their meanings.
Modal verbs
Meaning
Example
can
ability permission
She can speak play several musical instruments. They can work on the project now.
could
polite request past ability suggestion possibility
Could you help me, please? He could climb trees when he was a kid. You could focus on the problem now. This could be the solution we need.
may
possibility permission
This may help us save the environment. You may leave.
might
possibility
These numbers might be wrong.
will
future polite request
The prices will go up. Will you open the door for me?
would
offering, inviting polite request
Would you join us for dinner? Would you check this report for me?
should
advising, suggesting expectation
You should stop smoking. It should start raining soon.
must
obligation, necessity conclusion
You must submit the application by Friday. This car looks luxurious. It must be very expensive.
mustn’t
prohibition
Passengers mustn’t talk to the driver.
I also recommend this wonderful video by Khan Academy. You can assign it as homework, it explains modal verbs in a very approachable and enjoyable way.
Practice modal verbs with Quizlet.
(Choose Flashcards in the Study mode in the bottom right corner, and click on the arrows above it to switch between front and back sides.)
Modal verbs conversation questions
1) Is there anything you can’t do and would like to learn?
2) What are the three things you can do best?
3) Name three things you may do this weekend.
4) Name three things you may not do at school.
5) Should students be allowed to eat during lessons? Why or why not?
6) Name two things you must do every day.
7) Name two things you mustn’t do at home.
8) What activities couldn’t you do last year because of the pandemic?
9) Name three things you could do when you were younger but can’t do anymore.
10) Is there anything you can do better than your parents?
One of the most common struggles of every English learner is the struggle to speak fluent English. We all strive to speak confidently and naturally and fluency plays a major role in achieving this. Many times learners of English even prefer fluency to accuracy. Students often don’t mind making a few errors while speaking as long as they can maintain a fluent flow of speech. Accuracy versus fluency have been fighting an eternal battle in ESL classrooms for a long time and we will deal with our take on this in another article. Today, we are going to talk about fluency and how to achieve it.
So what does it mean to be fluent in English?
According toEnglish Teaching professional, fluency refers to the measurement of the ability one has to speak smoothly and freely without the need to pause and think about the grammar, vocabulary, or pronunciation one needs to communicate.
I would like to emphasize the ability to speak smoothly and freely without the need to pause. How important are grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation if we want to achieve this? One might argue that it is necessary.
But is it?
If the speaker constantly worries about the right grammar, colloquial expressions or pronunciation, or even accent, do they have time to maintain fluency? Of course, this might not be a problem for more advanced learners, but what about those who have yet to achieve that level of accuracy? Are they doomed to aim for accuracy before they can become fluent?
I disagree.
I believe fluency comes before accuracy. Ithink it gives the learners confidence to speak and express their ideas and opinions without worrying about grammatical errors. So how can you improve fluency and at the same time expand your vocabulary and improve grammar without even trying?
Let’s have a look at these tips on how speak fluent English.
1. Whatever you watch, watch it in English
Binge-watching favorite TV shows? Looking for a new recipe on Youtube? Watching news? Watch it in English with English subtitles. Make it a habit. Do it now. I can’t emphasize this enough. Even if you don’t do anything else from this list, do this. And #2 as well.
2. Find a speaking partner
Practice, practice, practice. You can practice speaking best by speaking. Shocking, I know. The good news, you don’t need a native speaker for that. It can be your classmate, a friend, colleague. Nowadays, you can easily practice online. There are plenty of platforms where you can find English-speaking partners. Most of them are paid, but you can also find some that are free. For example, Speak Peak offers a free and a premium subscription. The free subscription limits the conversation time to 40 minutes, which I think is still enough. The premium version offers unlimited conversation time and some statistics and your partner’s feedback. The registration takes 10 seconds and you can choose your speaking partner’s level of English, from A1 to C2, which is a great feature. If you’re not sure what to talk about, try these conversation starters.
3. Read in English
It may sound counterintuitive, but reading can help your speaking. How? By learning new vocabulary and getting certain phrases and expressions under your skin. After some time, you will use phrasal verbs, colloquial expressions, and certain grammar structures automatically. Of course, if you want to achieve this you have to read the right books. Contemporary fiction books with lots of dialogues are perfect. Books such as Elements of the Nature and Properties of Soils, not so much. Extra tip: Combine books with their audio versions. Read and listen at the same time, you don’t have to do it all the time, but doing so occasionally can benefit you immensely.
4. Google in English
Around 50%-70% of the Internet is written in English. If you’re not looking for specific information that is only available in your native language, google it in English. From now on, whatever information you need, look it up in English.
5. Self study
While watching anything and everything in English helps, sometimes you have to work a bit harder to improve your fluency. Video lessons are great for this. Watch shorter clips on topics you like and then study vocabulary and even discuss the video with a partner. There are plenty of video lessons online, if you have Netflix, you can try this resource ESL Video Lesson Based on Netflix Docuseries “The Mind, Explained” or you can try lessons based on TedTalks.
6. Improve your vocabulary
While you will improve your vocabulary when watching and reading content in English, you will also need to supplement it with more targeted approach. This depends on your goals. Why are you learning English? What do you want to achieve? What subjects do you expect to be talking about? Choose your reading material and watching content accordingly. Do yu want to improve your presentation skills? Watch TedTalk videos. Do you want to be able to negotiate? Practice negotiating. If you are a visual learner, you could try Visuwords a visual dictionary which shows a visual map of connected words. If you prefer a more classical approach you could try vocabulary quizzes, for example Englishclub has quizzes on many different topics.
What do you think about these tips on how to speak fluent English? Have you tried any of them? Have you tried any other methods that worked for you? Let us know in the comments.
Save time preparing your ESL conversation lessons, try these funny conversation starters. Need a warm-up activity? Looking for something different and fun? No problem, share your screen if you teach online or use a projector when teaching in the classroom. You can also download the PDF and print the questions.
This extensive list of funny conversation starters was compiled from varioussources and not primarily targeted at ELT learners. The questions are authentic, not taken from a textbook, and enable students to have real, authentic conversations.
60 Funny Conversation Starters for ESL Students
1 What is the worst advice you have given?
2 If you were in a circus, which character would you be?
3 Have you ever stalked someone on social media?
4 What is the best part about taking a selfie?
5 What is your favorite celebrity scandal?
6 What is one thing you should never say at a wedding?
7 What is the worst pickup line you have ever heard?
8 Did you have an imaginary friend? What was his/her name?
9 Have you ever had a dream where everyone was in their underwear?
10 Who’s your favorite comedian?
Funny conversation starters
11 Have you ever been on a blind date?
12 If you could only store one type of food in your pocket, what would you carry?
13 What is the worst present you have ever received and why?
14 If you were a farm animal, who would you be and why?
15 What is the worst first date you have ever been on?
16 If you could do anything illegal without getting caught, what would you do?
17 What is the weirdest food combination you’ve ever tried?
18 Do you remember what you were doing on the 21st of December, 2018?
19 Tell me an embarrassing, yet funny story.
20 What is the funniest joke that you know?
21 What would your dream job combination be? Mine would be a space-cowboy!
22 What’s the weirdest smell you have ever smelled?
23 What is the weirdest thing you are afraid of?
24 If animals could talk, which animal would be the rudest?
25 If a squirrel could talk, do you think it would have a really high voice or a really low voice?
26 What would be the absolute worst name that you could give your child?
27 What movie completely changes its plot when you change one letter in its title?
28 What is something that hasn’t happened yet, but would certainly break the internet?
29 What is the silliest way that you’ve been injured?
30 What quote or saying do people often say, but you believe is complete trash?
31 What was the funniest thing you’ve seen recently online?
32 What makes you laugh?
33 What is the weirdest thing that you have ever eaten?
34 What is a funny excuse that you have given to leave a party early?
35 What old person tendencies do you have?
36 What did you think was cool as a kid, but isn’t actually cool now?
37 What makes you smile without fail?
38 What is the craziest dream you’ve had?
39 Do you think you’d survive a zombie apocalypse? Why or why not?
40 What was your worst fashion disaster?
41 If you had to change your name to something totally new, what would be your new name?
42 If you had to name a chapter in your life right now, what would it be called?
43 What would the book about your life be called?
44 What was the last thing that you did for fun?
45 What part of a kid’s movie completely scarred you when you were younger?
46 What’s the weirdest thing that a guest has done at your house?
47 If you could start a secret society what would it be called?
48 What movie should be made into a musical?
49 Which animal would be super cool if it was made into the size of a horse?
50 If you could design a new ice cream flavor what would be in it?
51 What would you name your boat if you had one?
52 If the color blue had a smell, what would it smell like?
53 What is a magical power that you wish you had?
54 If you had an extra part of your body what would it be?
55 If you were a candy bar what candy bar would you be?
56 What is something that you love that everyone else thinks is gross?
Here is an extensive list of my favorite English games to play with my students.
Board games
Cards Against Humanity: Family Edition
Yes, you read that right. Cards Against Humanity. But! This is a family edition, so it’s clean. You can download if for free and print, but, make sure you feel comfortable using it, there are some cards that may still be perceived as inappropriate for school.
Free print and play games
I’ve only recently found a website where you can find free board games. My favorite is Dixit which is great for imagination and creativity.
Dominoes
This is a very versatil game that can be used to practice vocabulary (phrasal verbs, prepositional phrases, compound nouns and adjectives, etc.) and grammar (conditionals, participle clauses, etc.) You can create your own or try these and these vocabulary dominoes or this great resource.
Scrabble
Every classroom should have at least a couple of boxes of this amazing game. This game is a must. That’s all I’m going to say.
OrganAttack
This is a medical-themed card game which was created by Nick Seluk, the author of my favorite The Awkward Yeti comic. I liked the game so much that I even backed it on Kickstarter! It looks great, the organ cards are super cute and hilarious, the game itself is fun and easy to learn. Your aim is to remove your opponent’s organ before they remove yours. It is perfect for learning and revising medical-related vocabulary.
ESL board games
These are simple, usually one sheet board games used to practice isolated grammar structures or vocabulary. You can also create board games with different conversation questions. You can try this one with a vide range of questions.
Taboo
One of the most popular English games. Revising vocabulary is always a good idea. There are plenty of different topics you can choose from. You can try our free games on the topic of Media or Business. Other topics include Health and Food.
Online games/apps
Oatmeal’s free word game
In this game you unscramble words and use them to destroy your opponent. You can get the free game here.
Baamboozle
I use this site mostly with my younger learners as it doesn’t have many higher level grammar or vocabulary quizzes. My tip: put your students in teams (max number of teams is 4), choose a quiz and let them play the Classic mode with the power up, it’s much more fun!
Merriam-Webster
Merriam-Webster is a dictionary but they also have free games and quizzes that are great for learning vocabulary.
The Game Gal
Here you can find plenty of simple, family-friendly English games. I mostly use the Word Generator for charades, pictionary and other games. The great thing is I only need my laptop and I project the words on the whiteboard, so the students don’t need computers.
No-prep games
Vocabulary revision
This activity does not require absolutely no prep from the teacher, everything is done by the students. You only need to give them a couple of sheets of paper and they will cut it or you can give them already cut into small pieces. Detailed instructions can be found here.
Alphabet game
Students write the letters of the alphabet in a column. Give them a time limit and a topic(e.g. food, classroom items, animals, etc) and tell them to write one word for every letter in the alphabet. When they’re done, put them in groups so they can compare their words.
The best thing about these fun ESL activities is that the variations are endless. You can either find some or have your students create their own. It’s more fun and they also learn more. Just give them a topic, have them write 10 questions and after that, they circle the class and interview as many classmates as possible. Finally, they inform the class about the results. Topics may include Environment, Hobbies, Books, Travel, Science, History, Media, Celebrities.
One minute talk
This is a very simple, no-prep game. In pairs, students give each other a topic to talk about and they have to talk uninterrupted for a minute. It is more difficult than it sounds, especially with topics such as egg yolks, armpit hair o or shoe laces. If your students lack imagination, you can use these ideas: One Minute Talk Cards.
Icebreaker questions are a great speaking activity that can be used not only at the beginning of the new school year but whenever there is a need for a warm-up activity, group speaking activity, pair work, or a quick fun speaking activity.
This speaking activity contains 20 icebreaker questions for teenagers and adult learners. (16+, B1+).
The slideshow can be used as a resource for online teaching, just share your screen on Zoom or other app when teaching online. Click on the full screen option in the top right corner of the slideshow and your whole group can discuss or if you want to use the activity in smaller groups, assign your students into breakout rooms and send them the PDF with the conversation questions before your lesson. During the lesson, pop into the breakout rooms to listen in and observe.
If you don’t live in a cave you know what’s happening in Afghanistan right now. If you don’t know, you can find out here.
No matter what your political preferences are, or what do you believe in, I’m sure you agree that education is important. What is happening in Afghanistan right now will have tremendous negative consequences on the education of Afghan girls. Watch the Ted Talk. Discuss it with your students. You can also help here, or here.
This Ted Talk education ESL video lesson is based on a talk by Shabana Basij-Rasikh. She is an educator from Afghanistan, humanitarian, and women’s rights champion. She grew up under the rule of the Taliban, which banned education for women so she had to dress as a boy to attend a secret school.
This is her story.
Level: Intermediate, Upper-Intermediate
Time: 45min.(video 10min.)
Skills: speaking, listening, reading
Topic: education, human rights
Taliban Take over Afghanistan | Ted Talk Education Lesson Plan | Dare to Educate Afghan Girls | Shabana Basij-Rasikh
WARM-UP
Discuss the questions
1. Do you think education should be free? Why? Use arguments to justify your opinion.
2. What was your parents position on your education? How do you think it has influenced your life? What is your position on your education?
3. Can you imagine being denied higher education based on your gender or religion? How would it influence your life?
These conversations topics and questions will help any learner practice and master speaking English. Age or level of English doesn’t matter, what matters is practice, practice, practice.
So here you go, find a speaking partner, choose a topic and have fun!
Starting a conversation
1. Current situation
How are you doing?
How’s the job?
How’s the family?
How was your weekend?
2. Job / Work
What do you do?
How long have you worked there?
Do you like it?
How are your coworkers?
What’s the best / worst thing about being a (their job)?
3. News
What do you think about (current news story)?
Did you hear about (news story)?
How much do you follow the news?
What do you think doesn’t get enough news coverage?
What gets too much attention in the news?
How do you get your news?
4. Sports
Do you like (sport you like)?
What teams do you follow?
What was the last game you went to?
What do you think about (popular player / team that is doing well)?
Do you play any sports?
Who do you think will win the (major sports event)?
5. Not too distant future
What are your plans for the weekend?
Where are you planning to go for your next vacation?
Do you have anything exciting going on this week?
Getting to know someone
1. Free time
What do you do in your free time?
How much free time do you have?
What do you wish you had more time for?
2. Music
What kind of music are you into?
What music did you like when you were younger?
What’s your favorite band / singer?
Have you been to any concerts recently?
What’s your favorite album?
3. Movies
What type of movies do you like?
What’s your favorite movie?
Who’s your favorite actor / actress / director?
What’s the last movie you saw?
4. Food
What’s your favorite food / ethnic food / restaurant / thing to cook / seasonal food?
Do you like cooking?
How do you usually find good restaurants?
What weird foods have you tried?
5. Books
Do you like reading books?
What types of books do you like?
What’s the last book you read?
What’s your favorite book?
What book is overrated?
Are there any books you would really recommend I read?
6. TV
What shows do you watch?
What do you think about (popular TV show)?
Have you seen (TV show you like)?
What are some shows that ended that you were really into?
What show do I really need to check out?
7. Travel
Where have you been on vacation?
What did you like / dislike about (place they traveled)?
Where do you wish you could go?
What place do I really need to see?
What’s your favorite place you’ve been?
8. Hobbies
Do you have any hobbies?
How long have you been doing them?
How did you get started?
What common misconceptions do people have about your hobby?
What hobbies did you have when you were younger?
9. Learning / Studies
What kinds of things do you pick up easily?
What subjects were hardest for you in school?
What kinds of things are you interested in learning more about?
Talking about personal stuff
1. Where they grew up
What was your hometown like?
Did you enjoy where you grew up?
How much did where you grew up shape you?
What were some of the best and worst things about where you grew up?
2. Things they were into
What games did you play as a child?
What kind of hobbies did you have when you were growing up?
What cartoons or shows did you watch when you were a kid?
What fads or interests were you really into when you were younger?
3. Friends
Do you stay in touch with your old childhood friends?
What do you usually do when you hang out with your friends?
Do you prefer having a lot of friends or just a few close ones?
How long have you known your best friend?
How did you and your best friend meet?
4. Accomplishments
What accomplishment are you most proud of?
What awards or trophies have you won?
What is the next big thing you want to accomplish?
5. The distant future
What do you think life will be like in 10 / 25 / 50 / 100 years?
Do you think humanity is headed in a good direction?
What discovery could be made that would completely change the course of humanity?
I don’t know about your corner of the world, but here in Central Europe summer has arrived with full force. It’s scorching hot. I finally understand the 3-hour siesta they have in some countries. Who would want to move, or think in this heat? So I cut my students some slack, we play scrabble and have fun. The testing is over, the school term ends in a few days, field trips have been canceled because of Covid-19, there is not much left to do. And did I mention it’s boiling hot and our building doesn’t have AC? Right, so let’s have som fun.
This speaking activity contains 25 fun ESL discussion questions for teenagers and adult learners. (16+, B1+). It is best for small groups or as a pair-work.
The slideshow can be used as a resource for online teaching, just share your screen on Zoom or other app when teaching online. Click on the full screen option in the top right corner of the slideshow and your whole group can discuss or if you want to use the activity in smaller groups, assign your students into breakout rooms and send them the PDF with the discussion questions before your lesson. During the lesson, pop into the breakout rooms to listen in and observe.
Slideshow
1. What’s the closest thing to real magic?
2 .Who is the messiest person you know?
3. What will finally break the internet?
4. What’s the most useless talent you have?
5. Where is the worst smelling place you’ve been?
6. What celebrity would you rate as a perfect 10?
7. What’s a body part that you wouldn’t mind losing?
8. What is the dumbest way you’ve been injured?
9. Which fictional character would be the most boring to meet in real life?
10. What are the best and worst purchases you’ve ever made?
1. If you had to change your name, what would your new name be, and why would you choose that name?
2. What are some things that sound like compliments but are actually insults?
3. What’s your biggest screw up in the kitchen?
4. What’s the worst commercial you’ve recently seen? Why is it so bad?
5. What is the craziest thing one of your teachers has done?
6. When did you screw everything up, but no one ever found out it was you?
7. What elements of pop culture will be forever tied in your mind to your childhood?
8. If you could know the absolute and total truth to one question, what question would you ask?
9. What’s the most interesting thing you’ve read or seen this week?
10 .What ridiculous thing has someone tricked you into doing or believing?
This activity for adults and teenagers contains five ESL conversation topics and fifty conversation questions. It starts with everyone’s most favorite topic: Tell me something about you. People love to talk about themselves, so let them! You can also watch this interesting Ted Talk about being ourselves. If you love Scottish accent as much as I do, watch also this.
Other included ESL conversation topics are Future, Society, Culture, and Environment.
The slideshow can be used as a resource for online teaching: share your screen on Zoom or other app when teaching online. Click on the full screen option in the top right corner of the slideshow and your whole group can discuss or if you want to use the activity in smaller groups, assign your students into breakout rooms and send them the PDF with the conversation questions before your lesson. During the lesson, pop into the breakout rooms to listen in and observe.
Popular ESL Conversation Topics
You
Use five words to describe who you are. Explain.
What makes you happy?
Who is the most important person in your life?
Name three things you couldn’t live without.
What do you love about your life?
What do you hate about your life?
What would you like to change about your life?
Which character from a book/movie would you like to be and why?
What do you value in other people?
What do you like about yourself?
Future
Do you plan everything or do you like to be spontaneous?
Do you want to study at university? Why?
What would you like to do with your life in 10 years?
How do you think the world will change in 20 years?
Do you think humans will colonize space one day?
If you could know three facts about any specific time in the future, what would you like to know?
Would you rather travel to the future or the past?
What are you looking forward to?
What scares you about your future?
What would you say to your future 70-year-old self?
Society
In your opinion, what are the most serious issues in our society?
How would you describe your community?
How do you imagine the ideal society?
What values are important to you?
How do legal drugs harm our society?
How has society changed in the last 20 years?
Which changes in our society do you dislike? Why?
What is the influence of technology on our lives?
Have you ever broken any rules?
Which laws/rules should be changed?
Culture
How would you define culture?
How is the culture of your country different from the others?
Is there any culture that you admire/like?
Do you think globalization can destroy the local culture?
Which aspects of different cultures can you find in your community?
Which part of your culture is the most important to you? Why?
Which customs and traditions are typical for your culture/region?
Is there anything about your culture that you don’t like?
What do people from different cultures have in common?
Which culture would you like to know more about?
Environment
Which environmental issue is, in your opinion, the most serious?
Can individual efforts make any change to improve the environment?
How environmentally conscious are you?
What can businesses do to behave more eco-friendly?
What do you think about Zoos?
What do you think about hunting?
How do you feel about the future of our planet?
Which industry is the most harmful to the environment?
If you could, what 3 laws would you introduce to protect the environment?
Do you think veganism is more eco-friendly than eating meat?
These interesting and deep conversation starters are not only intended for ESL students but also for everyone who would like to start chatting with a stranger, neighbor, colleague, someone they fancy, partner, friend.
No matter how well you know somebody, these deep conversation starters will help you connect with them even more. You will get to know them better, and at the same time, you will learn something about yourself.
This activity contains 60 questions and a YouTube video, so students can practice listening as well as speaking.
Reccommeded for ages 16+ and B1+
The slideshow can be used as a resource for online teaching: share your screen on Zoom or another app when teaching online. Click on the full-screen option in the top right corner of the slideshow and your whole group can discuss or if you want to use the activity in smaller groups, assign your students into breakout rooms and send them the PDF with the conversation questions before your lesson. During the lesson, pop into the breakout rooms to listen in and observe.
The questions for this activity are used with the kind permission of C.B. Daniels of Conversation Starters World.
30 Deep Conversation Starters
If you could learn the answer to one question about your future, what would the question be?
What smell brings back great memories?
If you opened a business, what kind of business would it be?
Where and when was the most amazing sunset you have ever seen?
What is something you are obsessed with?
What do you do to get rid of stress?
What three words best describe you?
What would be your perfect weekend?
Who had the biggest impact on the person you have become?
What is the most annoying habit someone can have?
Where is the most beautiful place you have been?
What do you do to improve your mood when you are in a bad mood?
What’s your favorite way to waste time?
What do you think of tattoos? Do you have any?
What is something popular now that annoys you?
When was the last time you worked incredibly hard?
Who in your life brings you the most joy?
Are you very active, or do you prefer to just relax in your free time?
What’s the best / worst thing about your work/school?
If you had intro music, what song would it be? Why?
What were you really into when you were a kid?
If you could have any animal as a pet, what animal would you choose?
Are you a very organized person?
What is the strangest dream you have ever had?
How often do you stay up past 3 a.m.?
Which is more important, having a great car or a great house? Why?
What do you bring with you everywhere you go?
If you had to change your name, what would your new name be?
What is something that really annoys you but doesn’t bother most people?
How should success be measured? And by that measurement, who is the most successful person you know?
Another activity you can do with your students is to watch a video with 25 questions similar to the questions above. These, as you will find in the video, are used in therapy and can help you to get to know people on a deeper level.
It’s a ten-minute video and it’s divided into chapters so when you click on a chapter you will see the particular question he is answering and the questions will also appear in the video, so you can pause the video and students can discuss it, either individually or in groups.
Here is another set of conversation questions, this some for more advanced students as the questions are hypothetical, so it requires a knowledge of conditionals and a certain level of creativity. I’d recommend it for 16+ (B1, B2, C1). The questions for this activity are used with the kind permission of C.B. Daniels of Conversation Starters World.
As usual it this conversation activity consists of a slideshow for remote teaching and a downloadable PDF for easy printing.
The slideshow can be used as a resource for online teaching: share your screen on Zoom or other app when teaching online. Click on the full screen option in the top right corner of the slideshow and your whole group can discuss or if you want to use the activity in smaller groups, assign your students into breakout rooms and send them the PDF with the conversation questions before your lesson. During the lesson, pop into the breakout rooms to listen in and observe.
1. If you were a transformer, what vehicle would you turn into?
2. What laws would you abolish if you could? What laws would you create?
3. If extra lives were a thing in the real world, how would you get them?
4. If you were a food, what food would you be?
5. What animal would be way better if it was covered in scales?
6. If you could design a planet, what would your perfect planet look like?
7. What would be your strategy for a zombie apocalypse?
8. If you could be the CEO of any company, what company would you choose?
9. What two animals would you like to switch the sounds they make?
10. Would you want to permanently feel zero pain if given the chance?
11. What cartoon world do you wish you could live in for a week?
12. What do you wish grew on trees?
13. What weird thing would you make socially acceptable if you could?
14. If every time you snapped your fingers, you would instantly be transported to a random point in humanity’s timeline, would you snap your fingers? If so, how often?
15. If you were perpetually surrounded by one aroma (besides your natural smell) which you and everyone around you could smell, what would it be?
16. If you could level up any aspect of yourself (i.e., strength, intelligence, charisma, etc.) but you had to decrease another aspect of yourself by the same amount, what aspects would you increase, and which would you decrease?
17. If humans lost the ability to see all colors except one, which color would you want to survive?
18. If you were a dictator of a small country, what crazy dictator stuff would you do?
19. If you could put wings on any species of animal, what animal would you choose?
20. How would the world be different if zeppelins had caught on and were the dominant form of air travel?
21. Every day 12 things appear in your backyard, they are random, but all start with a letter of your choosing. What letter do you choose?
22. If when you died, you could cease to exist or wander the earth forever, never being able to interact with anything, which would you choose?
23. If you could move anywhere and still have a livable wage, where would you like to move?
24. If you could get a ticket to any show or event, what would you want a ticket to?
25. If you could go back in time and give your parents advice before you were born, what advice would you give them?
26. If everyone was mentally incapable of lying, how would that change the world?
27. If you could be invisible, but it would mean being permanently invisible, would you want to be?
28. If you had to do a dance that had never been done in the history of mankind or be killed, what kind of dance would you do?
29. If you could erase one thing from existence, even the memory of the thing, what would it be?
30. If you were required by law to get a full body tattoo, what would you get tattooed over your entire body?
In this post, you will find role-plays on various topics connected to food. With these role-plays, your students will be discussing the best dishes in the world, ordering food they don’t know, discussing the advantages and disadvantages of delivery and cooking, and choosing the best diet.
There is another restaurant-themed role-play activity I created some time ago, called At the restaurant, where students create their own restaurant menus and than role-play ordering in different “restaurants”, rotating and speaking to more partners. This role-play can be also done online, I did it with my students on Zoom some time ago, but it’s much in a real classroom. And it’s more fun.
But, here we are (some of us) teaching online and in need of a simple, straightforward role-play activities.
Emotional eggs
ESL Role-play Worksheet: Food
A1: Your friend wants to eat healthier and think that they should eat low fat and low sugar foods and drinks and use artificial sweetener instead of sugar. You disagree and you want to recommend another, healthier diet. Think about your arguments. Talk to your friend.
B1: You want to eat healthier and you think that you should eat low fat and low sugar foods and drinks and use artificial sweetener instead of sugar. Think about arguments to support your decision. Your friend wants to talk to you.
A2: Choose five dishes which you think are the best in the world. What are they made of? How do they taste? Describe them to your partner. They will have their own list. Discuss your choices and try to persuade your partner that your list is better. Finally, agree on ONE dish, which will be The Best Dish in the World.
B2: Choose five dishes which you think are the best in the world. What are they made of? How do they taste? Describe them to your partner. They will have their own list. Discuss your choices and try to persuade your partner that your list is better. Finally, agree on ONE dish, which will be The Best Dish in the World.
A3: You love cooking and you don’t understand why your friend refuses to cook at home. Think of five arguments why cooking at home is better than eating in restaurants and ordering delivery. Try to persuade your friend to change their mind.
B3: You don’t cook and you prefer to eat out or order something online. Think about five reasons why eating in restaurants and ordering delivery is better than cooking. Your friend wants to talk to you.
A4: You are on an exotic holiday and would like to try some local food so you go to a local restaurant that doesn’t have an English menu. You don’t know any of the dishes on the menu, so you have a lot of questions about the ingredients, spices, texture. You also have a food allergy(choose one ingredient you’re allergic to). Decide if you like anything and if yes, order it.
B4: You work as a waiter in a small restaurant specializing in local, exotic cuisine. Your next customer is a tourist who has a lot of questions. Describe your most popular dishes in a very appetizing way. Try to sell him as many dishes as possible.
This speaking activity contains 50 ESL conversation questions for teens and adult learners. (16+, B1+). It is best for small groups or as a pair-work.
This activity contains 50 questions and a YouTube video, so students can practice listening to real language and you can also play the game from the video with your students in your classroom. Scroll down for the ESL conversation questions activity, and the video.
The slideshow can be used as a resource for online teaching, just share your screen on Zoom or another app when teaching online. Click on the full-screen option in the top right corner of the slideshow and your whole group can discuss or if you want to use the activity in smaller groups, assign your students into breakout rooms and send them the PDF with the conversation questions before your lesson. During the lesson, pop into the breakout rooms to listen in and observe.
Slideshow
50 ESL Conversation Questions for Teens and Adults
1. You have to save the world tomorrow, who’s in your team?
2. What is your favorite summertime memory? Why?
3. Who do you think impacted your personality the most? Why?
4. What is your go-to skill in a talent show?
5. When was the last time you did something new?
6. What are you passionate about?
7. What makes you laugh the most?
8. What is best about being an adult?
9. What is best about being a teenager?
10. What is your favorite smell?
11. When was the last time you cried because you laughed too hard?
12. What are you most self-conscious about?
13. If you had 24 hours to live what would you do?
14. What have you started that you didn’t finish? Why?
15. What is your favorite guilty pleasure?
16. Road trip or flying?
17. What is your favorite childhood memory?
18. Who is the one person you can always count on?
19. Sunset or Sunrise?
20. What quote would you tattoo on yourself and where?
Want more speaking resources? Try these role-play activities.
21. What inspires you?
22. What always makes you smile?
23. If you could be any character (book/movie/TV) who would it be?
24. What accomplishment of yours are you most proud of?
25. Where would you live for a year if money were no object?
26. What is your go-to karaoke song?
27. Star Wars or Star Trek…or neither?
28. What weird food combinations do you really enjoy?
29. If magic was real, what spell would you try to learn first?
30. Do you believe people can truly change?
31. What problem are you currently grappling with?
32. What is the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done?
33. What is the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you?
34. Which of your vices or bad habits would be the hardest to give up?
35. Name something that is completely overrated.
36. Is it better to be loved or to love?
37. If you had to choose only one, love or money?
38. What do you miss the most about being a kid?
39. Who do you wish you could get back into contact with?
40. What is the kindest thing you’ve ever done for someone else?
41. What is the first thing you think of when you wake up?
42. What makes you feel really alive?
43. What’s the most spontaneous thing you’ve ever done?
44. What are you thankful for at this very moment?
45. Would you rather be in space or under the sea?
46. What is your favorite family tradition?
47. Where do you want to be in 10 years?
48. What would your friends be surprised you like to do?
49. When was the last time you gazed at the stars?
50. What is the one meal you never get tired of eating?
Watch a video where teens agree/disagree with various statements
In this video, teens express how strongly they agree/disagree with different statements. The statement appears on screen and students indicate their responses by stepping into lanes representing how they feel about the questions. Some of the students are then asked to explain their answers.
You can pause the video after every question and ask your students to answer it one by one, or you can play the variation of the game in your classroom.
Is your teaching style or personality similar to one of the famous teachers? Let’s find out!
Which famous teacher are you? Share your results with your friends!
Maria Montessori
Maria Montessori was an Italian educator and originator of the educational system that bears her name. The Montessori system is based on belief in the creative potential of children, their drive to learn, and the right of each child to be treated as an individual.
Anne Sullivan
Anne Sullivan was an American teacher of Helen Keller, widely recognized for her achievement in educating to a high level a person without sight, hearing, or normal speech.
Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison was an American writer, trailblazer and teacher noted for her examination of Black experience (particularly Black female experience) within the Black community. She received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993.
C.S. Lewis
C.S. Lewis was an Irish-born scholar, novelist and teacher. His works of greatest lasting fame may be The Chronicles of Narnia, a series of seven children’s books that have become classics of fantasy literature.
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a German-born physicist who, before he got famous, struggled to find a job as a teacher. In 1908, he was hired as a lecturer at the University of Bern. A year after he got the position of a lecturer at the University of Bern, he was appointed to the position of associate professor of physics at the University of Zurich. He won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1921.
The focus of this activity is to practice grammar while speaking. These conversation questions with future tenses will help the students better understand when to use various future tenses.
When we want to talk about the future we can use these tenses/structures:
We can use the Present Simple when we want to talk about scheduled events
The movies starts at 8.30 p.m.
We can use the Present Continuous when we want to talk about future arrangements
I’m meeting my friend Jack for beer on Friday.
We can use going to when we want to talk about our plans or intentions, or if we make predictions based on evidence.
I’m going to clean the house on Saturday. (plan)
Be careful, the ice is so thin, it’s going to break. (evidence-based prediction)
We can use will for expressing opinions and beliefs about the future, and to talk about offers and promises
I’m sure I will win this game!
I will love you forever.
Of course there are more structures/tenses we use when talking about the future(future continuous, future perfect, modals), but for our conversation question activity, we will be using only these four future tenses.
ThisStorytelling card game is a fun activity that promotes imagination and speaking
Conversation questions: Future Tenses
What time does your favorite shop open?
When do your final exams start?
When is your next Zoom meeting?
Are you doing anything interesting this weekend?
Are you meeting anyone in person this week?
Are you doing anything on Wednesday?
What are you having for dinner tomorrow?
Are you planning anything special for your next birthday?
How organized is your life? How does your calendar look? Any scheduled events? Arrangements?
Are you going to order take-out this week?
Are you going to cook this weekend?
What are you going to do in the evening?
What is the next show you are going to watch?
What is the first place you are going to visit when it’s possible to travel again?
What are you going to study in the future?
How do you think the world will change in 20 years?
What will you do after you graduate?
How will your life change in a year?
Will scientists ever discover life on other planets?
How do you think technology will change our lives?
Role-play is any speaking activity when you either put yourself into somebody else’s shoes, or when you stay in your own shoes but put yourself into an imaginary situation, also called a scenario!
I put together my favorite role-play scenarios and speaking activities which I used in the classroom and can be easily used on Zoom. Some of them are suitable for more advanced students, for example the science, and environment role-playscenarios. Other can be used with all levels, so they are also great for lower level, or younger students, for example the traveling and negotiation role-play scenarios.
When we use the activity on Zoom I always send the role-play activity to them in advance and when we have our online lesson I also share my screen with the role-play activity, so they can take a screenshot if they haven’t downloaded it. Then I put the students in the breakout rooms and they usually have 5-10 minutes for the pair work activity.
During that time, I always pop in to different breakout rooms to listen in. I correct, help and answer any questions if needed. What activities do you use on Zoom?
Role-play: Traveling
A1: You are a receptionist of a 5* hotel. You are very polite and you can deal with annoyed guests. Try to calm down the guest and solve any issues they have. Try to avoid calling the manager.
B1: You are a wealthy businessman staying at a 5* hotel. You are used to quality service and luxury, but this hotel doesn’t offer it. The room is too small, staff is rude, AC is noisy. You want to talk to the manager.
“A negotiation, simply put, is a compromise. Two or more parties come together, have a discussion, and reach an outcome that addresses the needs of everyone involved.” – Forbes
A1: You have too much on your plate right now and you need help with your English essay assignment which is due on Friday. Ask your classmate for help. What would you be willing to do for them if they helped you? Think of the things you are willing to offer: • • •
B1: Your classmate needs your help with the English essay assignment which is due on Friday. You might consider helping them if they can provide the right incentives. Think of four things you want for helping them(can’t be money): • • • • If they agree with three of the four, you might consider helping them.
A1: You decided not to vaccinate your children. You read articles about vaccination and you learned how dangerous it is. It causes autism and contains lead and other toxic elements. You know what is best for your child and herbal teas and some meditation will work just fine. You are angry that your friend doesn’t support you.
B1: You are a person of science. A rational being. You believe in data, facts, and verifiable experiments. Your friend decided not to vaccinate their children. They believe that vaccination causes autism and that it is dangerous. Try to explain the benefits of vaccination and to disprove those absurd theories.
“The Earth is what we all have in common.” – Wendell Berry
A1: Many of your friends use cars to commute to work even though it is more expensive than public transport. You are concerned about the impact this irresponsible behavior has on our planet. Try to persuade your friend to switch to more eco-friendly transportation.
B1: You drive to work every day. You live in a free country and you don’t feel the need to explain yourself to anyone. Why shouldn’t you drive? Your friend’s been nagging you about it for a while. Talk to them.
A1: You are a project manager who has been assigned to a new project. One of the members of your new team is not co-operating with the other team members. He opposes every idea, causes conflict, and is generally difficult to work with. Talk to him and solve the problem.
B1: You have worked for this company for 10 years and you feel unappreciated. You started to work on a new project with co-workers who are not so experienced as you are and you think your manager is incompetent. You complain a lot because things do not work as they should. Your manager wants to talk to you.
I sometimes watch, or more accurately, watched (because Covid) Netflix with friends. We always use English subtitles, as my friends want to improve their English. Sometimes they ask me to translate a word or a phrase, sometimes I don’t mind and sometimes it bothers me. But my lack of patience with my friends is not the point.
The point is, I’ve noticed one thing all my friends had in common. They often didn’t understand the meaning of a certain phrasal verbs.
ESL presentation topics for intermediate and upper intermediate students. Great as a warm-up or a speaking lesson.
You can use the slideshow and share your screen on Zoom or other app when teaching online. Just click on the full screen option in the top right corner of the slideshow.
I used it with my students during our online lesson and we didn’t even have time to discuss all the topics, because they couldn’t stop talking. I was quite impressed how much they knew and also how well they could express their opinions.
One of the reasons why I love conversation activities is that I learn so much about my students. I think that we often underestimate our students and see them as the stereotypical lazy teenagers. Activities like these can show us that they are much more than that.
You can also download the PDF for easy printing below.
In this food and travel ESL lesson students will discuss their travel experience and plans. They will watch a ten-minute video and learn about different etiquette rules.
We can’t travel anywhere(even if we can, it’s still very limited) because of the current Covid-19 pandemic, however, there are plenty of activities we can do – we can go for a walk, do sports, read books, watch Netflix. Wondering what to recommend to your students?
Try these shows, they are educational, suitable for school but still fun to watch. You can share opinions, start a discussian, revise vocabulary.
So, even if we can’t travel, we can plan our future travels. Traveling and food are very popular topics for students of any age. Your students will enjoy this food and travel ESL lesson and the video – 12 Unexpected Etiquette Rules from Around the World.
Warm-up
Which interesting places have you visited so far?
Which three dream destinations would you put on your bucket list?
When you travel, do you like to taste local food? Why?
What are the etiquette rules associated with food in your country?
Watch the video
Etiquette Rules Around the World – True and False Quiz
This ESL exam speaking task based on picture description and questions will help students prepare for a number of international exams, as well as local school leaving examinations – e.g. Matura.
In many English exams including FCE students will have to talk about/describe pictures. The format varies, the examination paper can contain a pair of contrasting photos, several photos on the same topic, etc.
These two practice tasks are monothematic as they focus on the topic of Places and Jobs, respectively.
The practice exam paper contains two contrasting pictures and description prompts/discussion questions.
ESL Exam Speaking: Jobs
Jobs
Describe and compare the pictures. What do you see? What is happening?
What are the people in the pictures doing? What jobs do they have?
What skills and education do you need for the jobs depicted?
What personal qualities are important to have to be good at those jobs?
Do you need any special tools or equipment for that job?
Do you think those jobs are well paid? Why?
Which job would you choose and why? What is your dream job? What skills and education would you need to get it?
ESL Exam Speaking: Places
Places
Describe and compare the pictures. What do you see? What is happening?
What countries do you think are in the pictures?
Have you ever visited similar places? If not, would you like to? Why?
What could you do in places like that? Would you need any equipment for those activities?
What kind of people do you think live in places like that? Why?
Here are a couple of ideas for online teaching ESL activities and games that can be assigned to students so they can work independently as well as used during your video meeting.
1. Artist in your own home
Students have to take 10 photos of anything they consider beautiful. You can even assign a topic, e.g. envirnment, nature, fashion, architecture, food. They can edit it in any program if they want, create a collage, anything. Ideally they create a PDF booklet with the 10 photos and a description of each photo. You can share the best photos/booklets on school website/social media.
2. Scavenger hunt
It’s a shame I haven’t know Flippity until recently, but never mind, better late than never. Flippity is a site which allows you to change Goggle Spreadsheets in to funny little games, including Scavenger Hunt. It’s really easy, you download/make a copy of a chosen template, change the information into whatever you want, save, publish a share the link to your students.
3. Research&Survey
Assign the students a topic which they will have to research online using reliable sources.They will also have to create a survey and collect data on the topic (they could conduct online interviews with classmates, friends, share the survey on social media, etc). After that they will report their findings in the medium of their choice( an article, a report, a presentation, an infographic, a poster, a video, etc.)
4. Create a Kahoot quiz
Why should you do all the hard work? Have your students create their own Kahoot quizzes. Whatever grammar or vocabulary they are learning at the moment can be reviewed painlessly. The best thing is, they will learn twice. First time, when they create their quiz, and second time when they play their classmates’ quizzes. You can choose one or two quizzes to be played online for the whole group via Zoom or any other software you are using. Assign the rest of the quizzes to be played as a challenge.
5. Quizlet
Quizlet needs no introduction, but besides using it for independent student work, you could also use it for your Zoom classes. I use it to create discussion questions or speaking prompts so I can easily share it on my screen. Students always see only one question/prompt, so they focus more. It’s super easy to prepare and when you are pressed for time, you can use a couple of my discussion sets on different topics.
She asked teachers on Twitter about their worst CPD and got some interesting answers:
A day on packtypes. We all answered questions about ourselves and others to find out what dog we were. The we made bunting to go around school to show our packtypes. I have since read the research behind it but the watered down approach did not communicate anything useful
It was something to do with animals represening different types of learners. The CPD was ten minutes and we were then given a week’s dedline to ’embed the animals in schemes of learning’.
In groups, we had to spend an hour making a 2 minute, creative video about one of the schools values. It was shown to the other staff on the day, but no discernable purpose – even when I asked.
When I say better teacher I mean real-life based, simple, common sense rules, which seem so obvious , yet we often forget about them.
It’s simple – we can be better teachers, when we are better humans.
We often forget to be better humans because we’re too busy, we have plans to follow, homework to check, tests to prepare, not enough time, not enough energy.
In the rush of the day, we forget how to be better teachers.
Here are 10 rules that will help you realize what you already know.
To be a better teacher, you must grow as a person.
1. Lose the ego
This is not about you. Your role is to be as invisible as possible.
It’s not about being liked by your students, or their parents, or even your boss. Its about giving your students as much as you can, but you have to understand, you are giving what isn’t yours.
You are not the best teacher in the world, or even at your school, and you don’t have to be.
You have nothing to prove, only students to teach.
2. Don’t be afraid to apologize
Teachers often worry that they have to be correct all the time, that they have to know everything, answer every curious question and it can be extremely stressful.
Some teachers never realize that they are wrong and insist, and insist, discouraging students and losing their trust and respect.
There is nothing wrong with being wrong. Admit it and learn from it.
Students appreciate honest teachers.
3. Don’t take it personally
Children can be mean. And some of them are mean to teachers. Small kids or teenagers, they sometimes direct their anger or personal issues towards their teachers.
Whatever they do, whatever they say, however it might hurt, don’t take it personally, don’t hold a grudge, don’t write that kid off. You don’t know their home situation, their anxieties, life experience.
Teachers are in a position of power and should be careful about not misusing that. Be a role-model in the way you handle the situation, turn it into a teaching moment.
4. Earn respect, don’t demand it
Let me repeat myself. In the classroom, you are in the position of power.
If you force your authority on your students, if you look down on them, humiliate them, you are never going to earn their respect.
Fear is not respect.
True respect grows organically and for it to happen you need to:
1. Listen and act on the feedback you get
2. Show respect to your students
2. Show your vulnerability
5. Be patient
Patience is one of the most important qualities of a great teacher. You will be explaining the same concepts over and over again.
Students will be distracted, they’ll be asking the same questions again and again. It’ll get frustrating, monotonous and boring.
Every now and then, if you are patient enough, something magical will happen.
They will learn.
6. Listen more, speak less
Imagine the teacher talking for the whole duration of the lesson and students frantically writing down every word – sound silly, right?
That was my childhood. Even at the university, this is how most of the lectures were taught.
Tragically, this is how many teachers are still teaching these days.
Let the students speak. Let them discuss, share ideas, explore and make mistakes.
Don’t talk so much, guide them.
7. Don’t badmouth your students
Teachers complain about students, and that’s normal. It’s a stressful job and it’s a way to decompress.
Sometimes teachers discuss their students when they need help or advice and that’s also fine.
What you should never do, is to gossip about your students’ personal issues, mistakes or embarrassing situations with colleagues.
I’ve had a colleague who loved complaining about her students at lunch. She was a very negative person who found a perverse pleasure in belittling her students. She compared them to their older siblings she used to teach, criticized the way they dressed, talked and behaved.
They were never good enough for her.
Don’t be that teacher.
8. Don’t judge
People judge other people constantly. It’s our nature.
We judge others based on the way they look and talk, we judge them based on their jobs, skin color, religion, etc. It’s a primal instinct, they way our brain is wired.
In education, it’s very important to realize that our judgmental brain hinders us from seeing the potential in our students.
Every student has their own path to success.
9. Don’t be afraid to improvise
Planning your lessons is important. Following those plans not that much.
Even the most well-planned lesson will fail sometimes. You’ll need to adjust, change the pace, improvise.
Planing helps you to to prepare for the ideal lesson, experience helps you to prepare for the real one.
The only way to gain experience is by trial and error. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes, learn from them.
10. Have fun
Teaching is a stressful job, even more so among Covid-19 pandemic. It’s the little things that can help us cope. A cup of coffee in the morning, a walk in the afternoon or a good book in the evening.
People perform better when they like what they do and students remember more when they are relaxed. If you have fun at work, you’ll like it more and when your students have fun while learning, they’ll enjoy it more.
There are certain types of annoying coworkers that can be found almost everywhere. You might be one of them. Do you know which one you are? Take this quiz.
The most frequent types are:
The Gossiper
The Wannabe Boss
The Talker
The Energy Vampire
The Kitchen Slob
These business English roles-plays can help your adult students practice dealing with annoying coworkers and office problems.
A1: You have an annoying co-worker who puts all her/his calls on speaker, spends a lot of time discussing personal problems, invades your personal space, peeks on your computer screen over your shoulder; and jumps into your conversations without invitation. You have tolerated this behavior long enough and now you will talk to your co-worker and make an end to it. B1: You work in an open space office and share a cubicle with an older co-worker. You have a feeling that your co-worker does not like you but you have no idea why. You are friendly, laid back, and chill. You spend a lot of time on your mobile phone, talking to your family, checking your Instagram because you usually finish your work fast and are bored soon afterward. Your co-worker wants to chat.
A2: You are a project manager who has been assigned to a new project. One of the members of your new team is not co-operating with the other team members. He opposes every idea, causes conflict, and is generally difficult to work with. Talk to him and solve the problem. B2: You have worked for this company for 10 years and you feel unappreciated. You started to work on a new project with co-workers who are not so experienced as you are and you think your manager is incompetent. You complain a lot because things do not work as they should. Your manager wants to talk to you.
A3: You are a good employee, you have great results and everybody likes you. The problem is that you think your boss is stealing your ideas and presenting them as his/her own and you do not get the deserved credit. Talk to your boss. B3: You are the department manager of a large company. You have great employees and your department has the best results. You know you could get promoted soon if you keep coming up with great ideas. Your employee wants to talk to you.
A4: You maintain a healthy diet and prepare a fresh lunch for work every day. There is no restaurant near your workplace and you have no time to drive somewhere for lunch during your break. Last week somebody stole your lunch every day. You suspect a certain co-worker. Talk to him/her. B4: You started to work in a new company. There is no canteen and you have no time to drive somewhere for lunch during your break but luckily there are free snacks in the staff kitchen and you helped yourself to a free lunch a couple of times. Your co-worker wants to talk to you.
A5: Your co-worker is rude and thinks that she does not value your opinion. You think that she is irresponsible and unreliable. Talk to her and express your concern. B5: Recently, you have been overworked, your diary is full, and you have no time for personal life. You are about to have a breakdown when your co-worker stops you to have a chat.
Can we teach communicative competence without critical thinking? Is the topic of vaccination or chemtrails too controversial? Try this ESL role-play on science and let me know what you think.
Sometimes I don’t have time or energy to print extra resources or activities.
Some days, like today, the printer in my office runs out of ink, the printer in the common area is jammed and while two colleagues are trying to repair it, I quietly leave to copy some activities out of a resource pack, but the copy machine I wanted to use, the one for students, the one that requires coins (a lot of coins) to operate, is not working.
I have no time, my lesson is about to start. Sounds familiar?
No-prep ESL activities are my life. I need them, I love them. I can’t get enough of them.
Let me know if you have any favorite no-prep ESL activities.
1) Questions? Questions!
This is a silly little game, it’s short and funny, which makes it a perfect no-prep warm up or an energizer. Put the students in pairs and tell them to choose a topic. Then, give them some time (5 minutes) to talk about it. The catch? They have to speak ONLY in questions! Its fun to watch and they can practice question tags.
2) Alphabet games
This is an excellent activity for vocabulary revision. Write the letters of the alphabet on the board, project it on the whiteboard, or alternatively tell students to write the letter down in a column. That is all the prep you need to do. Their task will be to write a word from a certain category/topic for each letter of the alphabet (you might want to omit difficult letters such as Z or X). And this is where the fun begins because this game has so many variations. The topics can include:
food
animals
objects
professions
phrasal verbs
adjectives
travel vocabulary
body parts and health vocabulary
3) Have you ever?
Tell the students to write down 10 questions starting with Have you ever. This activity is great for students that don’t know each other that well, but it works for all students, no matter what age or level. The students can be very original and curious and that can make this activity quite entertaining. When they’ve completed the questions, put them in pairs, and let them ask and answer the questions. At the end of the activity, ask them what have they learned about their classmates.
Have you ever petted a tiger?
4) What has changed?
Choose a student(or ask a volunteer) to have a good look around, then tell them to step outside. With the rest of the students, rearrange the classroom. Call the student back inside and ask them if they can spot any changes. Great for reviewing classroom vocabulary and prepositions.
5) Free speaking
I sometimes do this at the beginning of the lesson as a warm-up activity and sometimes at the end as a “reward”. Put the students in pairs or groups of three and tell them they will have to speak for a minute or two about a certain topic. The topic will be given to them by their classmates and it can be anything from free time to more difficult topics such as volcanoes, nails, moles, or kelp. It sounds easy but it’s not, the task is to speak as fluent as possible, and under pressure, each second lasts much longer. You can find more topics for free speaking here.
6) Acting out
I have a created PDF resource for this activity some time ago, but I’ve recently realized kids don’t know the same stories I do anymore. I am too old now, I can’t keep up. So you can either use my older version or the no-prep version:
On slips of paper, students write famous stories, e.g. Captain America, Titanic, Romeo and Juliet, etc. This is to guarantee that they will know them.
On other slips of paper, they write movie genres, e.g. sci-fi, comedy, horror.
Collect the slips with stories and genres.
Put the students into groups of three or four (depends on the story).
Give each group a story and a genre.
Tell them they have to prepare a short scene from that story, BUT, they have to make the story according to the genre. So the result might be: Cinderella as a horror movie.
Give them time to plan, write and practice their scenes.
Enjoy the show.
Keep on swimming!
7) Picture description
Tell the students to open their textbooks on a random page. In pairs, they take turns and describe all the pictures on that given page.
8) Word explanations
This is a quick no-prep revision I use at the end of every unit to recycle and revise vocabulary. Put students in pairs of groups of four, give them a pile of paper slips(20-40). Tell them to write one word on each slip. They have to work together to avoid duplicates. The words should be from a recent unit/topic, they can use textbooks or other resources. When they are done, they will swap the pile of paper slips with another group. This is when the game begins. They will take turns and draw a paper slip from the pile, explain the word without using the word or gestures. The student who first guesses the word gets a point and keeps the card. The student with most points/cards is the winner.
9) 5-second questions
Fast paced and competitive, no-prep required. Put the students in pairs or if you have a larger class into groups. Tell them they will have to ask each other questions to earn points. Appropriate questions, of course. Sounds easy, right? The problem is, they will only have 5 seconds to ask a question, and it has to be grammatically correct. To make it more stressful, the other student- their opponent can count down the seconds. If they ask a correct question in the time limit, they will get a point.
10) Oh, really?
You don’t say.
This is another simple and no prep activity which students love. Put the students in pairs and tell them they will have a conversation. The first student has to start with a short sentence, like this:
Student 1: I play tennis.
The other student responds: Oh, really?, and adds extra information( aword or a phrase).
So it should be like this: Oh, really? I play tennis every day.
Student 1 continues: Oh, really? I play tennis every day with SerenaWilliams.
Student 2 responds: Oh, really?I play tennis every day with Serena Williams in Monaco.
Student 1 responds: Oh, really?I play tennis every day with Serena Williams in Monacowhile feeding dolphins.
And so on. Can they keep up?
The student who will form the longest grammatically correct (and at least a little bit coherent) answer wins.
