Activities

I Spy: A student will select a person or object in the classroom. They must give
the class clues about the person or object by stating I Spy with my eye something
or someone that is [insert appropriate quality]. The class must guess the person or
object. The person who guesses correctly will select the new person or object. Five
rounds should be plenty.
Pictionary: One student will draw an object on the board and ask a question to the
rest of the class to elicit a response based on the drawing. The first student to guess
correctly draws the next picture and gets a point for their team. Variations can
include time limits or limits to the number of guesses each team can have.
Simon Says: The teacher will be the first leader of the activity. He or she will
begin by saying Simon says [insert an action]. Student should only complete the
action if the action is preceded by Simon Says. If the teacher does not say Simon
Says and simply states a command, students should not move. If a student moves
on a command he or she is out. A student can then be selected to play Simon.
Students will learn body parts, clothing items, and object names. Students will work
on their listening abilities in a fast paced environment
Yesterday I: A student (S1) will begin by stating something that he or she did
yesterday. The second student (S2) must state what he or she did yesterday and
what S1 did yesterday. The third student (S3) must state what he or she did
yesterday and what S1 and S2 did. This continues until all students state what they
did yesterday. This game improves memory and students ability to list things
properly.
Call My Bluff: Place students into groups of three or four. Select one student to
come to the front of the room and give the student a dictionary. He or she must tell
the real definition of a word they select and two made up definitions. Each team
will have a chance to select the definition they think is correct. A point is given to
the team or teams that select the correct definition.
Adverb Charades: A student is selected to begin the game. The teacher whispers
an adverb to the student. The class gives three commands (one at a time) to the
selected student. The selected student must act out the commands using the
adverb he or she was given. The class must guess the adverb.
Telephone: Ask the class to create a circle. Whisper a phrase or sentence into a
students ear. That student must then whisper what he or she heard to the next
student, and so on, until the sentence moves around the entire circle. The last
student says what he or she heard out loud. The class can hear how different the
sentence ended from the original version.

Group Story: Each student begins with a blank sheet of paper. They must write
the first two lines of a creative story. After two minutes, the papers rotate and they
write one sentence related to the story on the new sheet of paper in front of them.
The sheets of paper rotate until everyone has their original paper. Students can
read the stories and a few students can be selected to share with the class.
Get Into Order: This game teaches students superlatives and teaches nonverbal
communication. Students must arrange themselves in order by the topic given
(tallest to shortest, oldest to youngest, first name alphabetically, etc.) They may
not speak to each other. Time limits can be put on this game to speed up the
process.
Hangman: Use this game to instill new vocabulary. You can choose to have
students guess letters of the word or guess letters of the definition. For each wrong
guess a body part will be draw. Student must guess before all the body parts are
draw on board of the hanging man (head, body, arm, arm, leg, leg, foot, foot, eyes,
and mouth). There are many variations that can be used to suit your needs.
I Love and I Hate: This activity helps students use gerunds correctly. Students
can go around the room listing things that they love and the second round they list
things that they hate. Students must use gerundsActions that end with ing.
Example phrases might be I love swimming, but I hate running.
Marooned: Students are split into teams and given the scenario that they have
been stranded on a deserted island. Each team must decide what 5 items they wish
they had with them. As a group students must offer items, defend the item, and
convince others that their item is necessary for survival. The teacher could choose
to put a time limit on the activity.
Spirit Animal: Students must select an animal that represents them based on
shared qualities. Have students present to the class. If time permits, you can have
classmates try to guess the students spirit animal before the information is shared.
Around the Alphabet: Students are given a topic (countries, cities, sports,
adjectives, candy brands, social challenges, etc.). Students must think of words
from a to z related to the given topic. This can be modified into a race against time
or a race between teams.
The Hot Seat: One student sits in a chair facing the classroom with their back to
the board. The teacher writes a word on the board (adjective, noun, job title,
celebrity identity, etc.). The student in the hot seat can ask 20 yes or no questions
to the class to guess the word on the board. Once the word is discovered, a new
student can take the hot seat.

Five Minutes of Fame: Students take on a celebrity persona. The class can ask a
specified amount of yes or no questions to the student. The student who correctly
guesses the persona will then choose a celebrity person for impersonation.
Unfinished Sentences: The teacher will give the class three to five unfinished
sentences for each student to complete. Examples might include If I had one lakh,
I would or If I was president for a day, I would After students complete the
exercise have them select a partner to share their responses with.
Fact or Fiction: In this activity, a student is selected to share a funny story with
the class. The class should also have the opportunity to ask some questions after
the story is told. The class must guess whether the story was fact or fiction.
Open for Business: Students create groups of three or four and decide on a
business they would like to create (ex. Restaurant, clothing store, general store,
etc.). They must then decide on a name, logo, location, list of products or services,
and pricing. Students should decide on six to eight products or services. Students
will then present their business to the classroom.
The class will have the
opportunity to ask about products, services, and pricing. Students should practice
using countable and uncountable nouns, along with improving their use of much
and many.
Who would I Hire?: Students will create groups of two or three and decide on a
business or company they manage. The students will look at a PowerPoint of people
and a list of their skills. As a group they must decide which people they would hire
based on the persons skills, experience, attitude, and appearance. Students will
learn what it is like to be an employer and what qualities employers look for in
candidates. Students will improve their vocabulary related to skills and careers.
Sentence Scrabble: The teacher will write a sentence or phrase on the board. In
teams, students will try to create as many words as they can from the letters in the
sentence or phrase. The team who creates the most words in the allotted time
wins.
Semantics Web: The teacher will put a broad topic on the board (Poverty, United
States, Education, Celebrities, Government, etc.). Students will then brainstorm all
of the words they associate with the topic given. New vocabulary can be introduced
or this can be varied as to practice new vocabulary.
Role Reversal Assignment: For homework, the class must create a lesson plan
that takes up 30 minutes. All students must have a role in teaching the teacher.
The students can choose to teach the teacher anything they choose (within reason).
This activity should teach students organization and utilizing group strengths. At
the completion of the class, teachers and students should have a debriefing
discussion.

My Ideal Mate: As a class, brainstorm personal qualities (intelligence, sense of

humor, beauty, etc.). Students must make a list of five qualities in their ideal mate
and present to the class. After, students should compare their lists to others and
find a mate who has chosen similar qualities.
Double Entry Journals: Give students reading homework. Have students spend
ten to fifteen minutes writing a double entry journalshort summary and then
reflection. Have students get into smalls groups to share their reflections with one
another. Give students questions to generate discussion if necessary.
Conducting a Campaign: Students will vote for a class president, vice president,
secretary, and treasurer. Discuss as a class, the responsibilities of each position and
the skills necessary to perform the responsibilities. Each student must choose a
position they would like to be elected for. After the ballot is created, students must
put together a campaign which includes a slogan and a speech. Students will then
vote.
TV Commercial: The teacher should show clips of various commercials to the
class. Students can discuss what they liked and did not like about the various
commercials. The teacher will then divide the class into four groups. Each group
will select a product or service they would like to create a commercial for. Students
will perform their commercials in front of the class. Students will then vote for their
favorite commercial, but they cannot vote for their own.
Idioms: The teacher will discuss what an idiom is with the class and will offer a
couple examples of idioms. Before the meaning of the idiom is explained, students
will have the opportunity to guess the meaning.
Euphemisms: The teacher will discuss what an euphemism is and will offer
examples to the class. The teacher will list euphemisms on the board and students
must guess what object, event, or action is being referred to.
Describe the Cookie: Students will each be given a cookie. They must create
lists of descriptive words for color, shape, texture, taste, and smell.
Haiku: The teacher will discuss the meaning of syllables, if necessary, with
students prior to the activity. The teacher will discuss Haikus and its structure with
students. As a class, students will read various Haikus. Students will construct their
own Haiku and be given materials to draw a picture representing their Haiku.
Students will then present them to the class, and if possible, display their works
around the campus for viewing.
Share Your Trouble: Students will sit in a circle in the room. Each student will
write a problem that they have (serious, funny, true, or fake). They will crumple the
paper into a ball and the center and take a paper that is not their own. Students

will take turns reading the problem they selected and then offer advice on how to
solve the problem.
Phone Excuses: Students will create two lines facing each other [ >>>> <<<<<
]. The first person (P1) in line one will pretend to knock on the doors and the first
person (P2) will answer the knock. P1 will ask P2 to join them in an activity. P2
must decline and offer an excuse. After P1 and P2 will switch lines and new people
will simulate the scenario. Variations can included students asking about doing the
activity in the present or the future.
Example: P1: Would you like to go swimming with me? P2: No thank you. I
am going to get my haircut today.
Example: P1: Can you go shopping with me tomorrow afternoon? P2: No I
cannot. I will be flying to Delhi tomorrow morning.
Writing to Music: The teacher will play the students a composition without words.
The students will be told to write a story that reflects the tone and emotions of the
song. Students should listen to the song twice. Students can then share their story
if they choose.
Fortunately and Unfortunately: The teacher will begin by explaining the
difference between fortunately and unfortunately. The teacher will start by saying a
fragment such as 'I lost my wallet at the shops but fortunately...'. The teacher will
then point to a student who will finish the sentence (ex. But fortunately I had money
in my pocket). The next student must continue the story by stating an unfortunate
sentence (but it was not enough for lunch). The story continues by alternating
fortunate and unfortunate sentences.