Teacher Discussion Forums

I'm a foreigner (Canadian) teacher here in Taiwan. I've been here for 10 months now and have 2 months left. Now I'm only working part-time with 2 one-hour classes, 1 two-hour class and 2 30min classes per week. I'm getting dry here on ideas and the kids (age 9-11) are getting tired of my activities/games. I've just been offered the 2, 30min classes (Conversation) which I will start today. They both have 10 students. 1 class are 10/11 year olds while the other class are 13-15 year olds. I was told "no games" for the older kids, but I don't know how to teach this 30min class with no games. Any suggestions, please? I even don't know how to teach "Conversation" to either age group at all. I've Googled for Conversation esl lesson plans and they all seem to be aimed at a higher 20+ year old level.

The games that I have been playing so far:
Teacher Says
Bingo
Pictionary
Charades
Pyramid Spelling
Unscramble - board game
Lip Reading
21 (Blackjack) with dice
Various relay races to the board
Whisper Relay
Around the World
Behind the Back (pin wordcard to shirt of 2 students)
Hangman & Tic Tac Toe
Face Off (wild west type of show-down)

Thanks.

For conversation classes to work with any age group, students need to have something that they actually can or want to talk about. Here's one idea you might want to try.

First select a story book in English with pictures which you think the students will like and which is not too long (since you're going to photocopy it). It could even be a story the students have never heard before. Then learn it yourself. It should have a central moral concern. Photocopy sets of the book according to the number of groups (or pairs) you want in the class.

At the whiteboard write up the title and ask the students to guess what they think the story is about. Help them little by little adding a few choice key words. Then explain to them briefly that you are going to mime the story. You then do this and follow it up by asking the students again to describe what the story is about. Give the copies out to the groups and ask students to arrange the pages in the right order (don't forget to tippex out the page numbers). Next you give students a timed period in which to memorise the story. Reassure them (if necessary) that they don't have to remember it all by themselves since as a group they are going to tell it with one member miming. At this stage you can allow them to write their favourite bits of the story out and draw corresponding pictures. This allows you to go round to each group and ask questions, stimulate discussion. When they are all ready you ask each group to present the story with mime, dialogue and naration. If they need to they can't have cue cards with words on to help remember the story.

This is all what would technically be called 'guided practice' since students are not talking freely about something they've chosen themselves. However the lesson will give a large body of vocabulary by which you can stimulate discussion jumping off from the story. For this you can prepare questions. You could also ask students to come up with their own dialogues for the characters, writing speech bubbles for the drawings they make.

I would also suggest that you regularly give students little quick vocabulary tests and spead the activities across several sessions.

Chok dee krap!

Peter

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I've done something similar that was fun for JHS students here in Japan.

I took the book "Where the Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak and photocopied just the pictures (without text.) I gave the pictures to the students in order and asked them to think up a story to go along with the pictures. They did this in groups of 4 . I tried to limit the number per group because you end up with too many cheifs or too many indians.

They had a good time and I got a lot of interesting variations. Once they had finished, I read the real story to them. This will work for any story book as long as the pictures lead the reader in some obvious direction.

I hope that helps or inspires..

Mark

Do surveys by having kids ask questions from a premade form containing the grammar element you want to practice.

Do info gap exercises.

Do pronunciation practices. Choral repetition to encourage confidence in speaking.

Go here for lots of links to FREE activities and games:

http://www.geocities.com/allhou/lessgames.htm

Learn a few new games every week.