Additional Strategies and Activities
A note on activities, and games in particular:
Tell the students why you are doing the activity or playing the game. Otherwise they
might think the activity is not serious and be hesitant to participate.
Vocabulary Flash Cards
Put the word in English on one side, and the word in the student’s language on the
other side. (Have the student do the writing for practice writing.) The student might first
practice by placing the English word face up, and name the word in his language.
Then place the native language face up, and name the English word (considered
more challenging).
One source of online flashcards (to print or practice online) is Quizlet at
www.quizlet.com.
Variation: Place a picture on one side of the flashcard. Make a game of the flashcards
by keeping track of time to identify them correctly, or number identified correctly.
Substitution Drill
Start a pattern, and have the learner continue the pattern.
It’s a chair (table, door, …). I’d like a banana (coffee, donut, …). The boy is going to
the store (playground, library, …). I’m (you’re, we’re) sitting. Mary is running (walking,
standing, …). Where is the book (exit, door, …)? He’s wearing a hat (coat, shirt, …).
Practice with Phonemes
Phoneme isolation: Recognize individual sounds in words:
Tell me the first sound in paste.
Phoneme identity: Recognize the common sound in different words:
Tell me the sound that is the same in bike, boy and bell .
Phoneme categorization: Recognize the word with the odd sound in a sequence of
three or four different words:
Which word does not belong in bus, bun, rug? bus, bun, rug
Phoneme blending: Listen to a sequence of separately spoken sounds and combine
them to form a recognizable word:
What word is /d/ /o/ /g/?”
Phoneme segmentation: Break a word into its sounds:
How many sounds are there in ship?
Phoneme deletion: Recognize what word remains when a specified phoneme is
removed:
What is smile without the /s/?”
(s)mile
Make a Chart
Combine listening, speaking, and reading of practice with phonemes in chart form.
Consonant Vowel Consonant = Word
Variation: Make a chart for phoneme segmentation, or phoneme deletion.
1
Using Letters and Sounds to Segment Words
Beginning Middle
Final
Letter
Letter
Letter
Sound
Sound
Sound
Word
How
many
letters?
How
many
sounds?
Finger Tap
Add actions to the listening. Hold your (learner’s) hand above the table. Put down a
finger for each sound in a word. Cat /c/ /a/ /t/ has three taps. Tea /t/ /e/ has two
taps. Shout /sh//ou/ t/t has three taps.
Do this also for syllables in a word.
Variations: Place a marker on the table for each sound.
Body / Coda Blending
This is considered easier to master than onset/rime blending. The body is the beginning
sounds and the codas are added.
sa:
sat
sad
sap
sam
be:
bet
bed bend
Onset/Rime Blending
Learners use parts of words they already know to identify unfamiliar words by word
patterns. The onsets are the beginning consonant sounds, and the rimes are the ends
of words.
ack: back sack tack
at:
bat
sat
rat
Practice Syllables
Emphasize reading lists of words that follow the same pattern, rather than trying to
remember the patterns.
Syllable types
C – closed = hap py
L - _le = lit tle
O – open = pa per
V – vowel teams = con geal
E – Vce = ig nore
R – r controlled = con sort
Intonation Fun http://iteslj.org/games/9918.html
Use this activity to underline the importance of intonation if your students talk like robots.
Get them to say ‘Hello’ in the contexts that follow:
- to a friend
- to a friend you haven't seen for 3 years
- to a neighbor that you don't like
- to a 6 month old baby
- to someone you have just found doing something they shouldn't
- to someone on the phone when you're not sure if they are still on the other end
2
Listening Practice
Plan with the learner to listen/watch the same TV/radio broadcast, such as the news or
weather. Discuss it at the next session.
Prepare a chart for the learner to complete with the predicted/day’s weather.
Provide audio recordings of a passage. Discuss it at the next session.
Teacher says names of two items in a newspaper ad. Student scans to find the items.
Ask questions for which the answer sounds like another word. Would you rather eat
soup or soap? Does a key lock or luck your door? Do you put food in your mouth or
your mouse? Do you feel or fill your glass with milk? Do you scratch your itch or each?
Listening or Speaking Game
Find pictures depicting words with sounds that need practice. (/th/ /t/ - thorn/torn,
thread/tread, three/tree, thug/tug) (/i/ /ee/ - sit/seat, mitt/meat, fit/feet) (/b/ /p/ bill/pill, bat/pat, bear/pear)
Have the learner choose the correct picture when you say it or pick a card and
pronounce it, or make the pictures into a bingo game or memory game. Write or say a
sentence with a blank; the learner says the word that fills the blank.
Ways to practice English outside of class.
Public libraries often have audio- and videotapes for English learners.
Some libraries have ESL books and English language conversation groups.
Students call each other and talk for five minutes a few times a week.
Call toll-free retail outlet phone numbers and request catalogs.
Listen to English on television, radio, and the computer, and repeat what is said.
Help the learner find a phone buddy- a volunteer who will talk with him/her.
Question and Answer Practice
Assembling an ESL Teaching Toolbox, produced by ProLiteracy Worldwide for use on www.thinkfinity.org
Beginning students need to understand and respond to different types of questions.
The questions in this list get progressively harder to understand and answer, since they
require more language to answer and they become more abstract.
Yes/No questions
Is it a man? Do you like to swim?
Choice questions
Is it night or day? Do you prefer coffee or tea?
Information questions
Who? Where? When? What? How? What do you like to
do on Sundays? Where do you usually buy your groceries?
Open-ended and opinion questions
Why is he doing this? What do you think?
Use a set of prepared questions with a picture as a quick assessment of understanding.
Have the student form questions to ask you about a picture as an assessment of
speaking ability and question formation.
Any time there is a communication block, consider the type of question you may have
asked. Re-phrase using a different question type.
Vary the question types to check comprehension. Avoid asking “Do you understand?”
since students will generally say they do.
Listening and Questioning Practice
Say a short statement, such as “My family went on a trip this weekend.” The learner
asks you questions related to your statement: who, where, when, what, why, how. Then
switch roles.
3
Listening Exercise (Song Puzzle) http://iteslj.org/games/9927.html
For this exercise you will need the lyrics of a song in English. (Try http://www.lyrics.com/
or http://www.lyrster.com/. ) Cut the lines of the song into strips. The student will try to
put the lines of the song in order. Play (or sing) the song as many times as necessary.
Choose the song based on the level and interest of the learner.
Practice Following Directions
Try to incorporate vocabulary into instructions.
Ex: right, left, upper, lower, next to, below, above, inside, outside.
Write the date in the upper right hand corner of the page.
Write your name on the left hand side of the page.
Draw a box. Inside the box write your child’s name.
Practice with Gestures
Gestures and body language can be as important as words spoken in conveying
meaning. Take turns making common gestures and saying what they mean.
http://www.docstoc.com/docs/25537063/Gestures is one listing of gestures.
Ask Questions
Put vocabulary words (for example) on index cards. Place the cards face down. Ask
the student to turn over a card, then make up a question using that word. If the student
asks a question correctly, he keeps the card; if incorrect, the card goes into a different
pile.
Play Jeopardy
Choose headings and choices, then cover them with amounts of $100 to $500 down
each category. The student chooses a category and an amount, the word is
uncovered, and the student asks a question, using words such as how many, how
much, some, a little, too much, a few, some any. Play for highest total score, or how
many tries it takes to reach a set score. Adapt the suggested question styles to the
vocabulary list.
Fruit
cherries
apples
fruit
orange
banana
Vegetables
onion
beans
chili pepper
potato
squash
Meat
fish
hot dogs
beef
chicken
sausage
Dairy Products
yogurt
milk
butter
ice cream
cheese
Miscellaneous
pasta
turkey
green beans
rice
hamburgers
Technology
Videos allow learners to hear and see English being spoken.
Audiotapes or videotapes allow learners to hear and see themselves speaking English.
You might audiotape yourself reading a passage so the learner can listen or read along
at home.
Internet translation programs allow learners to translate written information that they
cannot yet translate themselves.
Internet programs teach ESL through information, games, and other methods.
4
Field Trips
Once students have some basic language, take them on a field trip to apply it. Field
trips are opportunities to practice asking directions, writing simple thank-you notes,
looking at bus schedules to plan the trip.
After learning the names of fruits and vegetables, visit the grocery store to find them.
After role-playing buying stamps, go to the post office.
Visit the library to get a library card, and ask the librarian about books of interest.
Vocabulary ABC Game
Give the students an ABC sheet and have them write a word for each letter of the
alphabet in a particular category such as fruit, vegetables, animals, countries, things
you can buy at Walmart.
Try it from memory first, then try to find suitable words in a dictionary.
Variation: Give the students several categories, such as a piece of clothing, an animal,
a country, a type of food, a color. Then give a letter, and the students have to find
something in that category starting with the letter.
Variation: Provide a sentence (The _____ is outside.); the student must provide a word
that fits the sentence for each letter of the alphabet.
Adjective / Adverb Game
Provide a sentence with the adverb or adjective blank: The girl next door is _____.
The student thinks of an adjective or adverb for every letter of the alphabet.
The girl next door is attractive, big, clever, etc.
The girl next door speaks angrily, badly, etc.
Variation: Provide the sentence with the noun or action word blank.
Vocabulary Practice
Draw a grid 3 x 3 and provide themed pictures sized to fit the spaces. Ask the learner to
place the table in the upper left, the lamp in the center.
Word Pyramid
Give the student a letter (use a vowel). The student must keep adding one letter at a
time to make a new word.
i
it
pit
spit
spite
stripe
Drawing
Ask the student to draw something from a description. The more ridiculous the
directions are, the better.
The alien had a large round body with five short legs underneath. He had no head but
three big eyes in the middle of his body. Above two of the eyes he had a small pointed
nose. On parts of his body he had short spiky hair.
5
Make Word Patterns Hands-On: Make a Card Slide
Teaching Adults: An ESL Resource Book
Fold an index card and cut a window in one side. Write the word
ending next to the window. On a separate card held vertically, write
the beginning letters so that they can be seen through the window.
Pull the vertical card through the folded card and read each word as it
appears.
Variation: See the picture. Visit
http://abcteach.com/directory/teaching_extras/word_slides/
for suggestions to copy or print.
Four Letter Words
http://iteslj.org/games/9928.html
Choose a four letter word. Take turns generating new words from the first word by
changing one letter. time – dime – dome – come - came
You can decide that the same letter cannot be changed two turns in a row. (You
could not play: time – dime – lime – mime.)
Do Puzzles
Build a word search for your vocabulary lists at DiscoveryEducation’s Puzzlemaker page
at http://puzzlemaker.discoveryeducation.com/.
Find pictures to illustrate the words (www.clipart.com is one source).
Vocabulary Games
Use games (bingo, memory, old maids, go fish) to reinforce vocabulary.
Match (or name from memory) male/female counterparts (boy/girl, niece/nephew,
groom/bride), opposites (tall/short, slow/fast, up/down), family members (father’s father
/ grandfather, brother’s wife / sister-in-law, aunt’s son / cousin), pronouns and
possessive adjectives ( I / my, he / his).
Match words and pictures of a specific theme (kitchen, bedroom, classroom).
Variation on Word Patterns: Using Words You Know
Lori Forlizzi, from Phonics They Use by P. Cunningham, 2005.
Pick three or four words that the student can read or spell and that have many rhyming
words that are spelled the same way. It’s fun to use brand name products to use in this
activity: Cool Whip, Bold, Shout, Cheer, Kit Kat, Gold Fish, Kool Aid, Pop Corn, Taco Bell,
Burger King, Pizza Hut, Coke.
Write the words on a piece of paper or on the board. ice cream cool whip
Show the rhyming words on cards and have the students place the card or write the
words under the sample word.
Then have the student say the known word and the rhyming word.
Say a rhyming word, then have the student say the word and write it under the sample
word.
Progress to longer, multisyllable words. Sacrifice; mainstream; preschool; spaceship
Picture Dictionary Hunt
Give the student a picture dictionary and then give him clues to find certain things.
On page 58: Who is wearing a hat? On page 55: What do you wear on your finger?
6
How Many Things
Set a short time limit and ask the student to think of things in a certain category.
This could easily be adapted to the vocabulary that a student wants to learn, such as
work related, food/shopping related, family/school related.
How many things can you think of that are bigger than a plane?
How many things can you think of that are long and thin?
How many things can you think of that people enjoy viewing?
How many things can you think of that are in a classroom?
How many things can you think of that are in the dairy case at the grocery store?
Tracking
Insert dots between units of thought. Swing a pencil from dot to dot as you read.
Last night . the divers . were practicing . in the cove.
Progress to longer sentences, paragraphs, longer phrases between dots.
Determine Readability
There are several websites on which you type or paste text to check its reading level, or
you can check a passage in Microsoft Word (highlight it, click on Spelling and Grammar
under Review). To students suggest the five finger rule. As they read, put down a finger
each time they encounter a word they don’t know. If they put down five fingers before
the end of the page, it probably is too difficult for easy reading.
Use Graphic Organizers to Increase Comprehension
Try a KWL organizer.
What I know
What I want to know
What I learned
Try a concept map or web.
For suggestions for graphic organizers visit http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lessonplan/graphic-organizers-reading-comprehension or
http://aim.cast.org/learn/historyarchive/backgroundpapers/graphic_organizers.
Wanted Pictures
Cut pictures of various people out of magazines. The more you have the harder the
game is. Give the students a wanted poster and have them find the outlaw.
Wanted Dead or Alive
Crazy Daisy Malone
$10,000 reward!
Last seen in Carlisle Pennsylvania
Youngest member of the Malone Gang
4 ½ feet tall, Freckles and red cheeks, Shoulder length, red, curly hair.
For higher level students, give an eyewitness report of a crime with a partial description
of the criminal. Then they decide which picture shows the criminal.
Sentence Unscrambling
Write the individual words of a sentence on cards. Give the cards to the learner to
rearrange into a sentence. (I bought fruit and vegetables at the store.)
Ask questions to encourage the learner to write a longer and longer sentence.
7
Crazy Stories
Give the student three completely unrelated pictures and ask him to make up a story
that uses the information from all three pictures.
For higher level students try giving each person a picture, then have him/her make up a
run-on story where each student adds a new part to the story, based on their pictures.
Keep a Dialog Journal
Assembling an ESL Teaching Toolbox, produced by ProLiteracy Worldwide for use on www.thinkfinity.org
This is a conversation between you and the learner on paper. Students respond to a
simple prompt or question written by you. Journals are not generally corrected, but
correct language can be modeled in your responses. Persistent errors can be noted
and addressed in separate lessons.
Part of Speech Practice
Copy an article of interest, for example sports, travel, or food. White out the part of
speech you are studying (example all prepositions). Read aloud the entire article to the
student. Then read the article again, omitting the prepositions, and having the student
supply them. If it’s a beginning student, have a list of prepositions available. Have the
student write in the correct words. You can do this with nouns, verbs, adjectives, or
other grammatical forms.
Variation: Work from a Mad Libs book, or an online equivalent (try Wacky Web Tales
http://www.eduplace.com/tales/ or Mad Glibs http://www.madglibs.com/).
Writing Practice Examples
Write a three word sentence. Rewrite the sentence, adding one word. Continue until
no one can think of anything else to add.
Write an autobiography about a meaningful time or event.
List related ideas about a particular subject and then develop an outline for an essay or
narrative.
Write a description of neighborhood or workplace.
Write a newspaper article about a current event.
Cut out cartoons and whiteout the dialog. Write your own dialog.
Provide a half-completed sentence for students to finish.
Real Life Applications for Writing
The following are reasons for which adult learners may be motivated to write:
 Write checks, pay bills.
 Make a grocery list.
 Write a telephone message.
 Leave a note to someone.
 Write a letter to teacher, friend, relative.
 Fill out an application.
 Complete a medical form.
 Request information.
 Write appointments or birthdays on a calendar.
 Write entries in an address book.
 Write words on flash cards to learn as sight words.
 Create a personal dictionary of words to remember.
8
Creative Techniques Applications for Writing
The following are more creative reasons learners may be motivated to write:
o Write a journal
o Create a written dialogue
o Write language experience stories
o Design an advertisement
o Write an advice column
o Create a bedtime story
o Give directions
o Write down a dream
o Create a humorous exaggeration
o Predict a weather forecast
o Free write
o Paraphrase
o Write a letter to the newspaper editor
Three-line Stories Can Build Students’ Writing Confidence
From Better Teaching Elementary Edition Newsletter, www.teacher-institute.com
Source: Susan M. Glazer, “Story Prompts,” Teaching K-8, February 2004, www.TeachingK-8.com
To help learners start producing text, give them a structured framework and gentle
verbal prompts.
For the framework, tell students to write a story in three lines. The first line identifies the
main character and setting. The second tells of a problem. The third gives a solution.
A student’s story might read:
1. A mouse (character) was in the house (setting).
2. The mouse was being chased by a cat (problem).
3. The mouse escaped through a hole (solution).
Now use conversation prompts to help expand the text. Have a student read the story
to you. As appropriate, interject words like “and”, “so,” “but,” or “because.” When the
student reads “A mouse was in the house,” prompt with “because... .” Ask, “How do
you know that?” or “Why?” Have the students add the response to the story.
Sound Flash (Auditory) (The ESL Teacher’s Book of Lists)
Ask students to listen carefully to the beginning sound of the word you are about to say,
then to listen to the beginning sounds of other words. Have the students hold up either
a “yes” or a “no” response flashcard after each word to show whether it has the same
beginning sound as the target word. After students can recognize the target sound in
the initial position, repeat the activity for the sound in the final and medial position.
Same or Different? (Auditory) (The ESL Teacher’s Book of Lists)
Ask students to listen as you read pairs of words and to indicate whether the words are
the same or different. Begin with large differences, and work to minimal pairs.
Sound Switch (Auditory) (The ESL Teacher’s Book of Lists)
Ask students to pay attention to the beginning sounds of a series of words that you will
read to them. Tell them to raise their hands when they notice that you switched to a
word that begins with a different sound. Read at least four words with the same sound
before introducing one with a different initial sound.
9
Imposter
(Auditory)
(The ESL Teacher’s Book of Lists)
Have students listen as you say groups of three words, two of which are the same, and
one differs by only one sound. Ask students to show which word was different by
holding up a flashcard with the number 1, 2, or 3 on it.
Rhyme Time (Auditory) (The ESL Teacher’s Book of Lists)
Have students listen to and repeat pairs of rhyming words; then have students suggest
additional words that rhyme with the original pair.
Speed Recognition Game (Auditory) (The ESL Teacher’s Book of Lists)
The object of the game is to hear the target initial sound each time it is used. Say the
target sound, then read a list of twenty-five words with the target words randomly
interspersed. Students may make hatch marks on paper to keep track.
Hide and Seek
(Auditory) (The ESL Teacher’s Book of Lists)
Present a target sound and groups of three words, one of which contains the target
sound in the initial, medial, or final position. Ask students to indicate which word has the
target sound.
Close Calls (Auditory) (The ESL Teacher’s Book of Lists)
Give students a worksheet of word pairs for problem contrasts. Have students listen as
you read one of the paired words and have them circle it on the worksheet.
Starts with … (Auditory) (The ESL Teacher’s Book of Lists)
Say a word aloud, and have students respond with the letter used to spell the initial
sound of the word. Repeat the activity for final sounds.
Show Me a Pen
(Aural) (The ESL Teacher’s Book of Lists)
Give students sets of twelve concept cards that show pictures of words having problem
contrasts, for example ramp and lamp, rake and lake. Tell students to arrange the
cards face up on the desk, and ask them to point to the picture of the objects you say.
What’s It All About? (Aural) (The ESL Teacher’s Book of Lists)
Tell students to listen as you read a story. Read a brief passage of about five sentences,
then ask students to listen and to pick from four choices the word that best tells the
topic of the passage.
Van Gogh? (Aural) (The ESL Teacher’s Book of Lists)
Tell students to follow your directions to complete a drawing. Give simple directions,
focusing on lines, space, shape, dimensions, and position words. Example: Draw a
triangle. Draw a long line over the top of the triangle. Be sure the line and the triangle
touch. What did you draw? (a seesaw)
What Do You Think? (Aural) (The ESL Teacher’s Book of Lists)
Tell students to listen as you read them sentences and indicate whether the sentences
are true or false.
10
Getting the Facts
(Aural) (The ESL Teacher’s Book of Lists)
Have students listen as you read a passage, then ask them questions about details in
the passage. Answers can be multiple choice, yes/no, or short statements.
Information, Please (Aural) (The ESL Teacher’s Book of Lists)
Read a passage aloud to the class and have the students ask you questions about the
action or information in the passage. Alternative: Have students write questions about
the passage.
News Report (Aural) (The ESL Teacher’s Book of Lists)
Read a narrative passage that describes an event. Tell students to listen and complete
a sheet with the who, what, where, when, why, and how of the story.
Cadence Drills
(Oral)(The ESL Teacher’s Book of Lists)
Give students lists of words having the same stress patterns. Model the correct stress
pattern for the first few words, then have students read the words with you, then by
themselves.
Sentence Tunes
(Oral)( (The ESL Teacher’s Book of Lists)
Have students read a series of similar sentences: statements, open questions, yes/no
questions, etc. Model the correct stress pattern.
Poetry (Oral)( (The ESL Teacher’s Book of Lists)
Use nursery rhymes, limericks, short poems, proverbs, song lyrics as practice for
intonation patterns.
Show and Tell
(Oral)( (The ESL Teacher’s Book of Lists)
Ask students to bring something to class and give a brief presentation about it.
Twenty Questions (Oral)( (The ESL Teacher’s Book of Lists)
Find pictures of nouns in the students’ vocabulary. The student picks a picture and you
ask questions, or you pick a picture and the student asks questions to identify the object
portrayed. The questions should require a yes/no answer.
Simon Says (Oral)( (The ESL Teacher’s Book of Lists)
Use this children’s game to review vocabulary, gestures, active verbs.
Headlines
(Writing) (The ESL Teacher’s Book of Lists)
Have students rewrite newspaper headlines into complete, correct sentences.
May I?
(Vocabulary) (The ESL Teacher’s Book of Lists)
Collect addresses of government agencies, businesses, and other groups that offer free
information booklets or samples. Have students write letters asking for an item they
would like to receive. Teach letter format and address components.
How Do I Get There?
(Vocabulary) (The ESL Teacher’s Book of Lists)
Have students write directions from home to school, favorite stores, restaurants, parks.
Stress direction vocabulary, sequence, and proper names.
11
News Flash (Vocabulary) (The ESL Teacher’s Book of Lists)
Have students write a news flash when a special or unusual event occurs. The event
could be personal, local, national, or global. This could be done as a language
experience approach exercise.
Word Maps (Vocabulary) (The ESL Teacher’s Book of Lists)
Introduce sets of related vocabulary, defining each word as you present it. Discuss the
relationships of the words, and create concept maps with them to show the
relationships by placement and connecting lines.
Mix-Up
(Vocabulary) (The ESL Teacher’s Book of Lists)
Give students several pairs of mixed-up sentences and have them repair and rewrite
them. The errors should belong to the same part of speech.
I was so hungry I went to sleep. I was so tired I had dinner.
Want Ads
(Vocabulary) (The ESL Teacher’s Book of Lists)
Present job-related vocabulary by presenting job titles with job descriptions and lists of
qualifications s they would appear in an ad.
Wanted: Auto mechanic to tune engines, change oil, change filters, and fix flat
tires. Must know how to use a jack, socket wrench, gauges, and other tools.
All Sorts
(Vocabulary) (The ESL Teacher’s Book of Lists)
Select twenty vocabulary words from a single group and four appropriate descriptive
categories. Create a chart using the categories for column headings and the
vocabulary words for rows. Tell students to put a check in each category that
describes the vocabulary words. Example:
Vocabulary
Categories
male female
old
young
father
+
girl
+
+
child
+
grandmother
+
+
Create Comics
Adapted from Make Beliefs Comix
This site allows students to select cartoon characters to represent themselves.
Then they fill in blank talk or thought balloons.
Pronunciation Bingo
http://iteslj.org/games/9931.html
Make a bingo game of words with same spelling but different pronunciation. Examples:
prógress-progréss
présent-presént
prótest-protést
cóntract-contráct
désert-desért
rébel-rebél
súspect-suspéct
cónsole-consóle
cónflict-conflíct
récord-recórd
cónvict-convíct
ínsert-insért
pérmit-permít
12
It Happened Last Week (Listening Comprehension)
(Listening and Speaking Activities for Adult ESL Learners)
Review question words: who, what, where, when, why, how, how long, how
many/much. Make a one or two sentence statement about something you did the
previous week (My family went on a trip last weekend.). Have the student ask you
questions about what you said. Switch roles.
20 Questions / My Favorite Gift (Listening Comprehension)
(Listening and Speaking Activities for Adult ESL Learners)
Explain you once received a gift that has become a favorite. The learners ask questions
to get the details about your gift. When finished (prompting questions if needed),
describe the gift in full. Switch roles.
Minimal Pairs (Listening for Details) (Listening and Speaking Activities for Adult ESL Learners)
Help learners distinguish between similar sounds at the beginning of words, in the
middle of words, and at the end of words. Make lists of minimal pair sets (examples at
http://www.englishclub.com/pronunciation/minimal-pairs.htm). As you say two words
that are similar, or say the same word twice, student indicates whether they are the
same or different, possibly by holding up index cards that say same of different.
Variation: Say three words, two the same and one different. Learner indicates which
one is different.
Dictate (Listening for Details) (Listening and Speaking Activities for Adult ESL Learners)
Dictate words, phrases, or sentences for the learner to repeat or write.
CLOZE (Gapped) Dictation (Listening for Details) (ListeningSpeaking Act Adult ESL Learners)
Find appropriate text. Prepare a copy for the learner, either whiting out certain words,
or printing a copy with blanks. Read the complete text. Give the learner the gapped
copy. Read the text again, while learners fill in the gaps. Read as many times as
necessary, including a final time for the learner to check his work.
Picture Description – That’s Not Right! (Listening for Details) (ListeningSpeaking ActAdult ESL)
Find an interesting picture with a fair amount of detail. Pre-teach any necessary
vocabulary. Give the learners a few minutes to study the picture. Explain to the learner
that you are going to describe the picture, but you will be making mistakes. When you
make a mistake, the learner should say “That’s not right,” or hold up a card with those
words. The learner then says a corrected statement, first saying “I think you meant to
say …” or “Did you mean to say …?”
Just the Facts (Listening for Details) (Listening and Speaking Activities for Adult ESL Learners)
Find appropriate text from a newspaper or source book. Prepare fact sheet of five to
ten questions that can be answered from listening to the text as the tutor reads it. Read
the article, give the student the questions, then read the article again. Read the article
again for the student to check answers.
Variation: Practice clarification strategies, such as “Will you repeat that, please?” “How
do you spell that?” “Did you say ___ or ___?”
Variation: Provide multiple choice answers for each question, similar sounding words.
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Flashcards (Vocabulary) (Listening and Speaking Activities for Adult ESL Learners)
Put the vocabulary word to be learned on the front; the reverse contains the translation into the
first language, an illustration, or a definition.
Vocabulary Journal (Vocabulary) (Listening and Speaking Activities for Adult ESL Learners)
Prepare a page for key words they are learning. Entries include: word, definition in English,
translation into first language, a sentence using the word in context, multiple forms of the word
(noun plurals or verb tense forms), idiomatic phrases using the word, related words in the family
(verb, noun, adjective, adverb), an illustration depicting the word, synonyms or antonyms, etc.
Odd Word Out (Vocabulary) (Listening and Speaking Activities for Adult ESL Learners) Create a
worksheet with six to eight rows of words, three or four words per row. Two (or three) words in the
row are related to a context; one word is unrelated. (bowl, table, spoon, cup) Alter the position
of the odd word. Learner chooses the word that does not belong, and describe why the two
(three) words are related and the odd word is not related.
Variation: Write the words on index cards; place three related words and one unrelated word in
a row for the learner to remove the odd word.
Sentence Word Order (Sentence Complexity) (Listening Speaking Activities for Adult ESL)
Type questions and statements in large font. Cut apart the words or phrases. Learners put the
words in order for simple (subject-verb-object) sentences. Higher level students work on
subordinate clauses, adverbial phrases. Alter the sentences through substitution (I work in a
hotel. He works in a hotel. He works in a factory).
Which One in Which Square? (Listening and Speaking Activities for Adult ESL Learners)
Find nine small pictures or illustrations (about 2” x 2”). The pictures should all be of the same
concept, but distinguishable (all women, but each with a difference). Make a 3 x 3 grid with
spaces large enough to hold the pictures. With the learner, describe each picture (woman with
brown hair and red shirt; long blond hair and eyeglasses). Ask the learner to find a particular
picture (woman with blue hat) and place it on the grid in a particular spot (upper left). Ask the
learner to find another particular picture (woman with black hair and straight bangs), and place
it on the grid in a particular spot (to the right of the woman with blue hat). Encourage the
learner to repeat the instructions. When all the pictures are placed, ask questions (Where is the
woman with the blue hat? She is to the left of the woman with black hair and straight bangs).
Describe a Picture (Listening and Speaking Activities for Adult ESL Learners)
Find a large, high interest picture. Take turns saying something about the picture.
Which Would You Rather Do? (Listening and Speaking Activities for Adult ESL Learners)
Create a deck of ten to fifteen cards, on which are written pairs of phrases of contrasting things
people do (watch TV – read a magazine; get up early – sleep late; vacation at the beach –
vacation in the mountains). Learner draws a card. Ask the other person “Would you rather
watch TV or read a magazine?” Person responds. Ask “Why?” Switch roles.
The Wrong Word (Vocabulary) (Listening and Speaking Activities for Adult ESL Learners)
Prepare several statements. In each statement, include one word or phrase that is not right for
the context. Read the statement to the learner. Ask the learner to identify the word that is
wrong, and suggest an appropriate word. (I’m going to the dentist yesterday. I went to the
dentist yesterday; I’m going to the dentist tomorrow).
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Create Comics
Adapted from Make Beliefs Comix
This site allows students to select cartoon characters to represent themselves.
Then they fill in blank talk or thought balloons.
 After a student completes creation of a comic strip ask him to read aloud or act
out the dialogue written for his characters. Doing so gives a student an
opportunity and structure to practice public speaking and share thoughts with
others.
 Have learners make comic strips about themselves and their families.
 Have learners make comic strips summarizing the most important things about
their lives, things of which they are proud, special hobbies or talents, their native
lands.
 Have students create a comic strip story using new vocabulary words that are
being taught.
 Having students fill in talk or thought balloons for different cartoon characters
helps students practice conversation and language structure in a meaningful
context.
 Having students fill in talk or thought balloons for different cartoon characters
helps students practice conversation and offers a way to practice language
structure and vocabulary in a meaningful context.
 Create comic scenarios, scripts, or stories for students as a way to teach them
different kinds of social behavior and to read emotions by observing the faces of
the different characters selected for the cartoons.
 Encourage students to use the comic characters as surrogates for them to talk
about and examine their lives, their problems, their challenges and their
anxieties. In effect, students can see themselves in the comics they create. The
comic strips also allow the students to express their feelings and thoughts about
the learning that occurs in the classroom.
 Have student create a comic in which the characters reflect on a particular
experience the student has had. The process of creating the strip provides a way
for a student to think through and resolve these problems.
Pictures
Pictures offer an interactive way to use pictures from magazines, newspaper, ads,
cartoons, etc to generate conversations, stories, debates and vocabulary practice.
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