Posted on by karolasenglishblog

FutureMe 

This is a board game activity to talk about Future You and to revise future tenses.

Level: A2+

Objectives:

  1. To practise and/or review the use of future tenses
  2. To review different ways to talk about the future
  3. To help students choose the most appropriate future tense
  4. To develop speaking skills

Materials (Click on the worksheet below to download the PDF file):

futuremeDownload

Procedure:

  1. Write the word EXERCISE on the board and ask students to try and predict what exercise goals you have set for the nearest future. After a few minutes ask them to share their ideas and then write both your own answers on the board as well as your students’. Compare both sets and go through the tenses the students used to talk about your future exercise plans. The examples below are true and I am trying my best to stick to my guns 😉

I am going for a run tomorrow ( Present Continuous for future plans).

I am going to join a running club next week (Going to for something decided in advance).

I think I will go for a run early in the morning tomorrow ( Future Simple for things we believe will happen in the future).

I will be running by the lake at this time tomorrow ( Future Continuous for temporary actions that will be in progress at a certain time in the future).

I will have completed a 10km race by the end of April (Future Perfect for actions that will be completed by a certain time in the future).

  1. Display FutureMe board game on the screen.
  2. In pairs or small groups, one of the students throws the dice twice – the first throw indicates which column they should use, and the second throw indicates which row, to obtain the topic.
  3. All the player (s) write down at least 3 examples related to the topic they have landed on (e.g. Exercise) and using at least 3 different ways to express future plans ( e.g. Going to, Future Simple and Future Perfect). 
  4. The students then share what they have come up with and discuss it in more detail.
  5. Encourage students to ask each other additional questions and give examples and don’t forget to correct and/ or find opportunities to help students express themselves more precisely and accurately throughout the activity.
  6. At the end, ask students to share which of their classmates’ answers inspired, surprised or encouraged them to set new goals for themselves.

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So, what brings you here?

Posted on by karolasenglishblog

Stative noughts and dynamic crosses

This is a free board game to practise/revise stative and dynamic verbs in an entertaining way. Students create sentences using stative and dynamic verbs and if their sentence is correct, they add either an O or an X to the board until they line up 6 symbols in a row.

Level: A2+

Time: 30 – 45 minutes

Objectives:

  1. To define what stative and dynamic verbs are 
  2. To identify stative and dynamic verbs
  3. To practise by creating sentences with stative and dynamic verbs 
  4.  To line up 6 symbols (O or X) in a row

 Materials (Click on the worksheets below to download the PDF files):

stative-noughts-and-dynamic-crossesDownload

 

stative-noughts-and-dynamic-crosses-answersDownload

Procedure:

  1. Elicit some examples of stative verbs vs. dynamic verbs and write them on the board. Ask students to also identify verbs that could be both stative and dynamic.
  2. Divide the students into teams and hand out Stative noughts & dynamic crosses board game to each team or simply display it on the screen for everyone to see.
  3. To see who starts, do rock, paper, scissors.  Whoever wins chooses the square they want to start with. Next the player(s) identifies if the verb is stative, dynamic or both and comes up with a sentence using that verb e.g. expect (both dynamic and stative): I am expecting a baby. I expect you will be on time tomorrow. If the player(s) manage to do it correctly, they add either an O or an X to the board. The first player to line up 6 of their symbols in a row wins. 
  4. Monitor at all times and go through some of the most problematic sentences together at the end of the class. At home, ask students to write example sentences with all the verbs that they did not get to use in the game or the ones that they are still unsure about.

Related posts:

Active noughts & passive crosses

Posted on by karolasenglishblog

A blast from the past

This is A blast from the past board game to practise/revise past simple and past continuous. Students create sentence endings in the past simple and past continuous tense using appropriate conjunctions e.g. while and when and adverbs e.g. just. 

Level: A2+

Time: 50 minutes

Objectives:

  1. To revise the past simple and past continuous tense.
  2. To use appropriate conjunctions e.g. while, as and when and adverbs e.g. just with the past simple and past continuous tense.
  3. To complete sentences using the correct form of the past simple or past continuous tense.

Materials (Click on the worksheet below to download the PDF file):

a-blast-from-the-pastDownload

Procedure:

  1. Hand out A blast from the past to each team or simply display it on the screen.
  2. The teacher or a student throws the die twice – the first throw indicates which column they should use, and the second throw indicates which row, to obtain the sentence half. 
  3. The player now tries to come up with an appropriate ending for the sentence half they have landed on e.g. He was playing a computer game … while I was playing with the cat. He was playing a computer game … when someone knocked on the door. He broke his leg … when he was playing pool (a dangerous sport). To make it more entertaining I would turn this game into a mini competition and maybe award points for the most ridiculous, crazy and creative sentences.
  4. Monitor at all times and go through some of the most problematic sentences together. 

Related posts:

Before and after

Simply perfect

A trip down memory lane

Summary of past or recent events

Double Decker

Best birthday ever

Posted on by karolasenglishblog

Never have I ever…

Introduction:

Never have I ever … board game is a great game that incites stories with players sharing what they’ve done and haven’t done which helps classmates get to know each other better. The activity can be easily adapted to different levels and I am sure you have played this game yourself more than once, although I would guess you played it in an entirely different setting 😉

I have also included a Never have I ever … Travelling edition board game if you fancy doing something related to summer holidays. Perfect timing.

Level: A2+

Time: 30 minutes, but it can vary depending on the number of students and of course on how talkative and engaged they are or how engaged you make them 😉

Objectives:

  1. To answer Never have I ever questions…
  2. To recount stories from the classmates’ lives 
  3. To get to know other better 

Materials (Click on the worksheets below to download the PDF files):

never-have-i-ever…Download
never-have-i-ever…-travelling-editionDownload

Procedure:

  1. Hand out Never have I ever… board game to each team/pair or simply display it on the screen.
  2. Before you start the game, ask students to take two pieces of paper and write Yes, I have on one and No, I have never on the other and tell them you are going to ask them ALL a question which they have to answer by raising one of the pieces of paper they have prepared.
  3. The teacher then throws the dice twice – the first throw indicates which column they should use, and the second throw indicates which row, to obtain the phrase/question e.g. Never have I ever cut my own hair. 
  4. Ask students to explain their answers. I deliberately chose not to take score or drink (like you would in a traditional version of this game) as I wanted to concentrate on speaking more than anything else, but if you think it could work with your younger learners (not the shots of course but playing with points) go for it. Depending on the group I do this activity with, I choose whether to join in or just manage the game instead which allows me to monitor more effectively. This too depends on the relationship you have with your students.
  5. Of course as always, correct mistakes and feed students new vocabulary. 
  6. At home, ask students to choose 3 things from the board they haven’t done but would love to try and ask them to briefly explain their reasons in writing.

Posted on by karolasenglishblog

Can you see the error of your ways?Threequel

Introduction:

This is an activity for (lower) intermediate students to review some of the most common mistakes they make. The students correct the mistakes individually, write sentences that are true for them and interview their partners. The mistakes in the exercise are genuine  mistakes made regularly ;( by my own students.

Level: A2/B1

Time: 60 minutes

Objectives:

  1. To identify and correct common mistakes made by (lower) intermediate students.
  2. To practise changing statements into questions.
  3. To develop fluency and confidence in speaking.

Materials (Click on the worksheet below to download the PDF file):

1. can-you-see-the-error-of-your-ways-threequel-1Download

Procedure:

  1. Write I have 2 childrens on the board and in pairs, or groups, ask students to highlight the error and correct it.
  2. When they have finished, ask them what the error was and underline it on the board. To the right of the sentence, ask them to write gramatically correct sentences that are TRUE for them. e.g. I don’t have any children, I have one child, I have two children etc. Go through them together and clear up any doubts.
  3. Then, in their pairs or individually, ask students to change the statement into a question, e.g. Do you have any children? How many children do you have? Write their examples on the board.
  4. Clarify understanding and explain any incorrect suggestions.
  5. Give each student Can you see the error of your ways threequel… or display it on the screen if you are using Zoom and individually ask students to circle the mistakes in sentences 1 to 30.
  6. When they have finished, check together as a class.
  7. Individually, students then write correct sentences in the second column, making each statement true for them, as per the example ( if you are using Zoom ask students to make notes on a piece of paper and when they are finished copy the examples on the board).
  8. Check together as a class.
  9. Individually, ask students to change the statements from the first column into questions and write them down in the third column, as per the example.
  10. Monitor closely. When they have finished, they check the answers with a partner.
  11. Explain any mistakes on the board.
  12. Then, put students into pairs, or groups of three, and ask them to interview each other using the questions.
  13. If students need more practice, ask them to switch pairs / groups and repeat the process.

Fast finishers:

  1. Ask students to write down 4 things they have learned about their classmates.

Related posts:

Can you see the error of your ways? Sequel

Can you see the error of your ways?

My favourite mistakes card game

Make no mistake

Correct me if I am wrong

Bid it 2 Win it FCE Sentence Auction

Bid it 2 Win it Sentence Auction

To err is human

Posted on by karolasenglishblog

Before and after

Introduction:

This is a Before and After board game to practise/revise past perfect and past simple in an entertaining way. Students create sentences in the past perfect and past simple tense depending on the sentence they start with. The idea is to create a character and relate the sentences to each other which can later be used as a foundation for a short writing task.

Level: B2+

Time: 50 minutes

Objectives:

  1. To revise the past perfect and past simple tense.
  2. To come up with sentences related to each other which can be used as an inspiration for a writing task.

 Materials (Click on the worksheet below to download the PDF file):

  1. Before and after board game, one per team.

Procedure:

  1. Hand out Before and after board game to each team or simply display it on the screen if you are using Zoom or any other online platform.
  2. The teacher or a student throws the dice twice – the first throw indicates which column they should use, and the second throw indicates which row, to obtain the sentence. 
  3. If a player lands on a square with a sentence in the past simple tense they have to try and predict what happened BEFORE e.g. After he had managed to finally save some money, he bought a new car.  If they land on a square with a sentence in the past perfect tense, they predict what happened AFTER e.g. He had set up a successful company by the time he was 20. Since the students are working together or in small groups they discuss their ideas first, make their predictions and later write down their examples. Before the activity tell students that all these sentences are about one character and they should try and connect the sentences. This way it is more engaging and the students get more invested in the task. 
  4. Monitor at all times and go through some of the most problematic sentences together. At home ask students to write a short story about the character they have created in class, using some of the sentences they came up with.

Related posts:

Simply perfect

A trip down memory lane

Summary of past or recent events

Double Decker

Best birthday ever

Ir(regular) Xmas

Posted on by karolasenglishblog

A trip down memory lane

Introduction:

This is a fun board game to practise asking and answering questions in the past simple tense. Students ask and answer questions about a variety of topics and get points for each correct question.

Level: B1+

Time: 45 minutes

Objectives:

  1. To practise asking questions.
  2. To answer other students’ questions.

Materials:

  1. A trip down memory lane board game and an online dice roller if you are teaching online 😉

Procedure:

  1. Display the game on the screen and put students in pairs or small groups of 3 or 4.
  2. Students take it in turns to throw the dice and move the numbers thrown.
  3. To obtain a verb for the speaking activity students throw the dice twice. The first throw indicates which column they should use, and the second throw which row they should use to obtain the verb.
  4. Next students write down as many questions as possible related to the expression in the square making sure they use the actual verb in some of the questions. You can set the time limit and tell students they will be racing against other teams/students. If the students land on 2:1 (To argue with a friend) they could think of the following questions: When was the last time you argued with a friend? What did you argue about? Did you reach an agreement? Did you cry/get upset/ shout at each other etc.? How long did you argue for? Who started it? etc. Encourage them to start with Who, What, Where, When, Why and How and not just an auxiliary verb. You could take this opportunity to also revise subject and object questions.  A quick reminder: Subject questions (Question word + verb in simple past in this case +object e.g. Who started the argument?). Object questions (Question word +auxiliary verb + subject + main verb e.g. What did you argue about?).
  5. Go through the questions together and award a point for each correct question.
  6. In their groups, the students then answer the questions in as much detail as possible.
  7. The game continues until you run out of steam or are saved by the bell 😉 Just kidding.
  8. At the end, ask students to write down 4 additional questions for their classmates about a topic that sparked their interest the most.

Related posts:

Simply perfect

Double Decker

Best birthday ever

Summary of past or recent events

Ir(regular) Xmas

Soap Opera

What’s with all the questions?

How well do you really know your place of work?

Also have a look at one of my activities that has been published on onestopenglish where students practise forming questions and affirmative or negative sentences whilst using the time expressions typically used with the past simple and present perfect tenses:

http://www.onestopenglish.com/community/lesson-share/winning-lessons/grammar-and-vocabulary/time-expressions/556365.article

P.S. Happy birthday dad 😉

 

Posted on by karolasenglishblog

To err is human

Introduction:

This is an activity for lower intermediate students to review some of the most common mistakes they make in an entertaining way. The students correct the mistakes in the sentences on the board. If they manage to do it correctly, they add either an O or an X to the board until they line up 6 symbols in a row. The mistakes in the exercise are genuine  mistakes made by my own students on a regular basis.

Level: B1

Time: 30 – 45 minutes

Objectives:

  1. To identify and correct common mistakes made by lower intermediate students.
  2. To line up 6 symbols (O or X) in a row.

 Materials (Click on the worksheet below to download the PDF file):

  1. To err is human board game one per team or display on the screen for everyone to see.

 Procedure:

  1. Divide the students into teams and display To err is human board game on the screen if you are using Zoom. If you have smaller groups students can also play individually.
  2. To see who starts do rock, paper, scissors.  Whoever wins chooses the square they want to start with. Next the player(s) identifies and corrects the mistake in the square they have chosen. There is only ONE mistake in each sentence e.g an incorrect preposition, article or a verb form etc. If the player(s) manages to do it correctly, they add either an O or an X to the board. The first player to line up 6 of their symbols in a row wins. Since I have been using Zoom I have actually inserted predefined icons ( a star and a heart) when I played with my students as it looked cleaner and much cuter on the screen than an O or an X . You can find the stamps in the annotation tools when you start screen sharing.
  3. Monitor at all times and go through some of the most problematic sentences together at the end of the class. At home 😉 ask students to correct the sentences in all the squares without an icon.

P.S. Thank you for your feedback Mr. Potato. As always taken on board.

P.S. Have a look at one of my activities that has been published on onestopenglish this month ;). 

http://www.onestopenglish.com/community/lesson-share/pdf-content/lesson-share-my-bucket-list-worksheet/558308.article

http://www.onestopenglish.com/community/lesson-share/pdf-content/lesson-share-my-bucket-list-teachers-notes/558307.article

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Can you see the error of your ways? Sequel

My favourite mistakes card game

Can you see the error of your ways?

Make no mistake

Correct me if I am wrong

I will make better mistakes tomorrow

Bid it 2 Win it FCE Sentence Auction

Posted on by karolasenglishblog

Sometimes too much ain’t enough

Introduction:

This is a board game to practise too and enough. I have noticed that a lot of my students often mix them up so I prepared a short activity for them to practise both. Students get sentences that they have to react to and the person with the most polite, ingenious, creative sentence wins. If the students are not feeling very creative you can just settle for ( never a good idea, why not push them and demand more) correct responses but I would encourage students to stretch their imaginations a little and come up with some exciting ideas.

Level: A2+

Objectives:

  1. To create sentences with TOO or ENOUGH in response to sentences provided on the board.

Materials (Click on the worksheet below to download the PDF file):

  1. Sometimes too much ain’t enough board game

Procedure:

  1. Give students a copy of Sometimes too much ain’t enough board game or display it on the screen if you are using Zoom or any other platform. If you are not currently using Zoom just follow the instructions of my other board games.
  2. The teacher throws the dice twice – the first throw indicates which column the students should use, and the second throw indicates which row, to obtain the question. 
  3. The player now gets a sentence they must respond to using either TOO or ENOUGH. The idea though is for the players to be as polite as possible or as original as possible and of course correct. If their sentence is correct they receive one point, e.g. if they land on the first square I am not going to eat this soup, the possible answers could be: There are not enough flies in it, the starter was too filling and I couldn’t possibly eat more, the soup is not salty enough, too salty etc. etc.  The sky is the limit.
  4. The player with the highest number of points wins. Since the game could actually go on indefinitely, with students giving different responses to the same sentences, you can decide when to end the game.
  5. At the end, ask students to write down 3 ideas their classmates came up with that made them laugh, surprised them or provoked any other intense positive or negative reactions.

 

Posted on by karolasenglishblog

Can you see the error of your ways? Sequel

Introduction:

This is an activity for lower intermediate students to review some of the most common mistakes they make. The students correct the mistakes individually, write sentences that are true for them and interview their partners. The mistakes in the exercise are genuine  mistakes made by my own students during Continuously present and How well do you know your folks? activities.

Level: A2

Time: 45 minutes

Objectives:

  1. To identify and correct common mistakes made by lower intermediate students.
  2. To practice changing statements into questions.
  3. To develop fluency and confidence in speaking.

Materials (Click on the worksheet below to download the PDF file):

  1. Can you see the error of your ways sequel worksheet, one per student, per pair or a small team.

Procedure:

  1. On the left hand side of the board, write I have 2 childrens and in pairs, or groups of three, ask students to highlight the error and correct it.
  2. When they have finished, ask them what the error was and underline it on the board. To the right of the sentence, ask them to write their correct sentences on the board. Go through them together as a class and ask which statement is true for them e.g. I don’t have any children, I have one child, I have two children etc.
  3. Then, in their pairs or individually, ask the students to change the statement from the second column into a question, e.g. Do you have any children? How many children do you have? Write on the board to the right of the correct sentences.
  4. Clarify understanding and explain any incorrect suggestions.
  5. Give each student Can you see the error of your ways sequel… or display it on the screen if you are using Zoom and individually ask students to circle the mistakes in sentences 1 to 10.
  6. When they have finished, check together as a class.
  7. Individually, students then write correct sentences in the second column, making each statement true for them, as per the example ( if you are using Zoom ask students to make notes on a piece of paper and when they are finished copy the examples on the board).
  8. Check together as a class.
  9. Individually, ask the students to change the statements from the first column into questions and write them down in the third column, as per the example.
  10. Monitor closely. When they have finished, they check the answers with a partner.
  11. Explain any mistakes on the board.
  12. Then, put students into pairs, or groups of three, and ask them to interview each other using the questions.
  13. If students need more practice, ask them to switch pairs / groups and repeat the process.

Fast finishers:

  1. Ask students to write down 4 things they have learned about their classmates.

Related posts:

Make no mistake

Correct me if I am wrong

I will make better mistakes tomorrow

Blah Blah PET Part 1

Can you see the error of your ways?

Bid it 2 Win it FCE Sentence Auction

Bid it 2 Win it Sentence Auction

My favourite mistakes card game