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

Related posts:

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

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

 

Posted on by karolasenglishblog

How well do you know your folks?

IMG_20200323_184632

Introduction: 

This is a board game for A2+ students to review present simple and see how much they really know about their parents☺. You could send the game to the students beforehand to give them a chance to gather some information about their parents before the class. Students answer questions about BOTH parents and move around the board based on the grammatically correct answers they give.

 

Level: A2+

Time: 45 minutes

Objectives:

  1. To review present simple affirmative and negative forms.
  2. To answer questions about students’ parents.
  3. To beat other players, of course, by reaching the end of the game first.

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

  1. How well do you know your folks board game

Procedure:

  1. How well do you know your folks? is played by 2 to 4 players.
  2. Give students a copy of How well do you know your folks board game or display it on the screen if you are using Zoom.
  3. To see who starts do rock, paper, scissors.  If you have more than three players do rock, paper, scissors until there is only one person left. Whoever wins answers the first question first: Do they often arrive home late? Example answer: My mother never arrives home late. She arrives home at the same time every day. My father arrives home at different times, sometimes at 6 and sometimes at 8. All the players must answer the question from that square but DO NOT correct any sentences until all the players have finished. The players get one point for each correct sentence (one about the mother, one about the father). If the player receives two points they move 2 spaces, if they receive 1 point they move one space only, but if they have made mistakes in two sentences they stay on the same square and answer the same question in the next round. Encourage learners to give you a slightly different answer to the same question to avoid mindless repetition e.g. She arrives home  just after lunch, whereas my father doesn’t arrive until 8. The only requirement is for the learner to use the verbs in affirmative and negative sentences correctly. Of course take this opportunity to correct other mistakes too and “feed” students new vocabulary. When I did this activity with my students, I introduced some compare & contrast linking expressions e.g. as well as, too, also; but, however, while. You could give students an extra point for using one of the linking expressions correctly e.g. My mother arrives home after lunch , but my father doesn’t arrive home until 8.
  4. The winner is the player who reaches “End” first.
  5. At the end, ask the students to choose three questions and elaborate on them in writing.

Related posts:

Triple Treat

Zooming it

Brace yourselves. Phrasal verbs r bk

Single and ready to mingle

And the Oscar goes to…(Joaquin Phoenix pretty please)

Triple treat makes a comeback

Time to keep up with the times

So, what brings you here?

Also have a look at one of my activities that has recently been published on onestopenglish 😉

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

P.S. This post is dedicated to my mother Bogumiła and my father Robert. Kocham Was.

 

Posted on by karolasenglishblog

So, what brings you here?

Introduction: 

This is a board game that could be used to assess your learners’ needs or to simply do a review of tenses. Students answer questions in pairs or small groups of three and the teacher closely monitors to determine what the learners are struggling with. I have deliberately chosen the questions that hopefully only evoke positive 🙂 emotions from learners to make them feel good throughout the activity especially if is their first class and they don’t know the teacher and/or the classmates.

Level: B1+

Time: 45 minutes

Objectives:

  1. To assess the learners’ needs.
  2. To review past, present and future tenses etc.
  3. To answer questions containing the target language whilst playing a board game.

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

  1. So, what brings you here board game and one die per group of 3.

Procedure:

  1. Put the students in groups of 2 or 3, and give them a copy of So, what brings you here? board game and a die.
  2. Players take it in turns to throw the die twice – the first throw indicates which column they should use, and the second throw indicates which row, to obtain the question.
  3. When a player lands on a square all three players must answer the question from that square in as much detail as possible. Encourage students to ask each other additional questions to obtain more information.
  4. The game continues in the circle going left.
  5. At the end, write down the mistakes students made during the activity and ask them to correct them in their teams.
  6. Check together as a class.
  7. Ask students what they found out about their classmates.

Recommended reading:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/amberjohnson-jimludema/2018/03/29/for-a-high-performing-team-ask-positive-questions/#46af16781ddf

Related posts:

Do you believe in ghosts?

What would you do if…?

Brace yourselves. Phrasal verbs r bk

 

 

Posted on by karolasenglishblog · 2 Comments

Can you see the error of your ways?

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.

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:

  1. Can you see the error of your ways worksheet, one per student

Procedure:

  1. On the left hand side of the board, write I have 2 childrens. Explain the sentence is incorrect and in pairs, or groups of three, ask students to highlight the error and correct the sentence, e.g. I don’t have any children, I have 3 children, etc.
  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 in a column on the board. Go through them together as a class and ask which statement is true for them – underline it on the board.
  3. Then, in their pairs, ask the students to change the statement from the first column into a question, e.g. Do you have any children? How many children do you have? Write on the board in a column to the right of the correct sentences.
  4. Clarify understanding and explain any incorrect suggestions.
  5. Give each student a Can you see the error of your ways… worksheet and individually ask students to circle the mistakes in sentences 1 to 12.
  6. When they have finished, they check the answers with a partner.
  7. Individually, students then write a correct sentence in the second column, making the statement true for them, as per the example.
  8. When they have finished, they check the answers with a partner.
  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 using the correct structures.
  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:

Bid it 2 Win it FCE Sentence Auction

Bid it 2 Win it Sentence Auction

My favourite mistakes card game

P.S. Thank you Alex.

 

Posted on by karolasenglishblog

Award-winning routines

Introduction:

This is a fun lesson plan for intermediate + students to practise asking and answering questions about daily routines. Students interview each other and then write a short article using the information they’ve gathered.

Objectives: 

  1. To talk about daily routines and rituals.
  2. To interview another student.
  3. To write a short article.
  4. To peer edit another student’s article.

Procedure:

  1. Put students in pairs.
  2. Individually, students divide a piece of paper in their notebooks into three parts: morning, afternoon and evening.
  3. Students write questions for their partners about their daily routines – 4 questions for each section of the day, e.g. What’s the first thing you do when you wake up? Do you usually have a nap in the afternoon? Do you have a bedtime ritual for better sleep?
  4. Students work in pairs and answer each other’s questions, making notes on each answer.
  5. When the students are finished, they must imagine the person they’ve just interviewed is a celebrity whose strict and weird routine has led to their success.
  6. They must write a short article (140-190 words) describing their interviewee’s rise to stardom, thanks to their unchanging routine.
  7. When the students have finished, they swap articles with their partner and edit them according to the following success criteria:
  • The article has an eye catching headline, e.g. Can’t keep up? Don’t settle. Have some invigorating nettle.
  • The article has an interesting introduction, e.g. Ever wondered why you never had ‘A’s at school, why you never got that dream job or the guy you fancied? Well, the answer might lie in something as inconspicuous as nettle tea.
  • The writer gives specific examples, e.g. The A-list celebrity I’ve had a chance to interview never leaves the house without indulging in a cup of lovely nettle tea. In fact, she keeps on drinking gallons of nettle tea throughout the day and swears by its superpower qualities.
  • The article is divided into paragraphs, with an inspiring final paragraph to motivate the reader into making a small change in their lives which may lead to super success!