Introduction:
These are two board game activities to talk about shopping. I live in Spain where the winter sales usually start around the 7th although certain cities like Madrid bring them forward to 1 January. For that reason I thought it was just the right time to talk about shopping and reflect on our spending habits, on how much we consume and how much of it is done on impulse rather than consciously and intentionally.
Both games are about shopping and spending but I would suggest Shop till you drop for younger learners and adults with an intermediate level of English. Add to cart, on the other hand, is more suitable for advanced or proficient learners and ones that are quite talkative and love debating challenging topics.
Do not forget to feed students new vocabulary throughout the activity and obviously do not forget about correction. You could also prepare a thematic vocabulary list and send it to your students before the class or ask them to research the topic themselves and then teach others new words they have learnt.
As always encourage students to ask each other questions and comment on each other’s responses.
Level: A2, B1, B2 (Shop till you drop)
Level: C1, C2 (Add to cart)
Objectives:
- To practise speaking about shopping habits
Materials (Click on the worksheets below to download the PDF files):
A die (use an online dice roller)
Procedure:
- Give students a copy of one of the board games or display it on the screen.
- The teacher (or students if they are working in small groups or pairs) throws the dice twice – the first throw indicates which column they should use, and the second throw indicates which row, to obtain the question.
- The players then answer the question in small groups or pairs and in as much depth as possible. Encourage students to ask additional questions and ask for clarification and further explanation. At the end, ask students to tell you which questions or comments made by their classmates made them rethink their spending habits.
Related posts:
Karola' s English Blog 