Teacher Discussion Forums

Hello all,

I'm helping to get a new low-intermediate grammar course off the ground at my school, for adult students. I've got most things planned out, but for an hour and a half class, I feel that we should have a 5-10 minute warm-up at the beginning. I'm not super familiar with warm-up ideas for adult students... does anyone have any suggestions? Something fun, to let them relax a bit. I'm worried that some of the things I do with my younger students may come across as too juvenile for the adults. Ideas would be appreciated!

One idea that I had was to play an appropriate level podcast from one of the many ESL podcast sites... I'm just not entirely sure how I would implement this... just get the students to listen to the podcast and try and see how much of the natural English speech they understood? Focus on certain words and phrases? I don't want it to take too long, as it's just a warm up.

Thanks once again!

Hi Istari,
I find that many of the same warmup activities for kids work just was well for adults. Currently, I like to start my classes by:
- reading aloud to the class the date/activities planned for the class while they listen for my pronounciation, then we read it together chorally, then someone translates it so everyone understands the class activities we will be doing that day
- reading aloud a few pages from our easy reader chapter book (such as Amelia Bedelia), while I pantomime the words/actions in the story and point out any corresponding vocab or grammar structure posters on the class walls that we've previously learned
- a vocab review activity where I show students vocabulary cards one at a time, in a circle, and students can keep the card if they can name the picture correctly- the student with the most cards at the end, wins
- a number/letter card activity where we listen/say the numbers we are currently working on learning and/or the letters of the alphabet

Hope this helps!
Stephanie
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I remember an activity where I made sets of questions of any kind. (What's your favorite_____ and why? What did you eat last night? What do you like to cook? How often do you send text messages?...), say, 20 questions in a set. Each set was in an envelope. I put a letter on the envelope. I had students get in groups of 3, and take turns pulling out one question from the envelope, and asking the other two students the question. I told them to ask a further question after the original question was answered too. I also told them to remember the letter of the envelope, so the next time they could get a different one. That way it can be used many times.

We used to have a quiz on money. The teacher would give us prices orally and we would write them down and then she would reveal the answers she had already written on the board or poster (hidden while we were writing) and we could check. So $1.39 and such. It was good practice for listening when we really bought something.

I usually review the last lesson and try to make a quiz, puzzle or game or hunt or song with the vocabulary from last lesson.

I like to do it in groups as well as people come in to the class in dribs and drabs and you can keep them busy until they are all there.