Food (all learners)

Teaching food vocabulary is essential for second language learners.  Whether they plan to visit another country or just to carry on an informative conversation, food vocabulary is needed.  Here are a few activities to enlighten the students.

Vocabulary:
-meat                    -milk                                -napkin
-beef                     -bread                              -cup
-turkey                 -wheat                             -plate
-chicken               -rice                                 -bowl
-lettuce                -beans                              -fork
-tomato               -sugar                              -spoon
-onion                  -salt                                 -knife
-broccoli              -pepper                           -pot
-potato                 -avocado                        -pan
-carrot                  -grapes
-apple                   -watermelon
-banana                -pear
-strawberry         -peach 

Grammar: 
-Do you like ______________?
-Yes, I like _________/No, I don't like ___________.
-What would you like to drink?
-I would like ___________ to drink.
-What would you like to eat?
-I would like to eat _______________.
-Can I please have ______________?
-The check, please.

Activities: 

• Role play/Skit/Drama:
• Procedure: In small groups, students create a short (2 minute) interaction at the grocery store, market, or a restaurant.  Make sure each student uses a set amount of vocabulary words and grammar structures.  
• Modifications: Students can use props in their skits.  Students can act out a prewritten script instead of writing their own.  Students can be stopped at anytime during the skit and told to act like a certain genre type (drama, action, romance, soap opera, etc.) Students can record the skit.  Students can make a commercial trying to sell a certain type of food or restaurant.  
• Cracked Dialogue:
• Procedure:  Students are paired up and given a Ziploc bag with a dialogue or story cut up.  The pairs race to put their dialogue in the correct order.  
• Modifications:   Each person in the dialogue has their own color (to make putting the dialogue together more easier).  Pair students up by level or put a lower student with a higher level student 
• What Am I?
• Procedure: Tape a picture of food on each student’s back.  Do not let the students see which food they have.  Students walk around and give one another verbal clues in English to help them discover which food they are.  Instruct students to ask yes or no questions about their own food (example: Am I a fruit?)  Animal noises or gestures are not allowed.   
  After 5-10 minutes, have students form a circle and one by one guess their animal out loud. 
  
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• Likewise:
• Procedure:  Students are put into groups. Each students has their own mini white board, maker, and eraser.  Each group will be given cards.  The students read the card and then secretly write a word on their mini white board.  They students want to write a word that they think other students in their group will write.  After everyone has written a word (or a set time), all students reveal their secret word.  The students that match with another student get a point.  First person to get 10 points wins the game.  
• Modifications: Students have to write a complete sentence using the vocabulary word.  Students can draw a picture and write the vocabulary word.  

Sports (All Learners)

Sports are topic that learners can get excited about.  Many learners, especially males, are highly involved in one sport or another.  Hopefully students can be easily motivated to learn the vocabulary and grammar with these activities.  

Vocabulary:

• football
• soccer
• baseball
• basketball
• volleyball 
• tennis
• track
• golf
• ball 
• helmet
• glove
• tennis shoes
• court
• bat

Grammar:

• Do you like _____?
• Yes, I like _____/No, I don't like_____.
• Do you play _____?
• Yes, I play _____/No, I don't play ______.
• What equipment does _____ need?

Activities for vocabulary and grammar:

• Board Game:
• Procedure: Students are in small groups and each player has a game piece (piece of paper with their name, small trinket of their own, etc.).  The youngest player picks the top card and must answer it correctly to move to one space.  If they do not answer it correctly, they cannot move up one space.  The card is then placed in the discard pile.  The player on the left is next and picks the top card to answer it correctly.  This continues until a player reaches the finish.(example: when playing basketball, what two things do you need, what sport needs a bat, gloves, and a ball?)  
• Modifications: Students make their own questions and answers (must be first checked by the teachers) to use for the cards.  Students roll a dice to see how many spaces they can move if they answer the question correctly.  

A blank game board template

Ed Games

Blank board game card templates

DonnaYoung.org

• Dominos: 
• Procedure: In small groups, students get 4 dominos (the rest is part of the draw pile).  The oldest student starts by putting one of their dominos in the middle.  The student to the left has to match the picture of the 1st domino with correct vocabulary word, if they cannot the must take one from the draw pile.  If the draw pile domino matches they can play, if not it is the next person's turn.  This continues until a player has played all their dominos.  
• Modifications: The vocabulary words and pictures are on multiple dominos so that students can make their own line of dominos (and be the first to finish) instead of one line for the whole group.  

Blank domino pieces 

• Bingo:
• Procedure: Teacher provides bingo cards with words and/or pictures of the sport vocabulary to each student along with a method to cover the different spaces.  The students then cover each vocabulary term mentioned as the teachers calls them until they have a bingo (five in a vertical line, horizontal line, diagonal or four corners or black out)
• Modifications: Students are given a blank Bingo card and they fill in the empty spaces with sports vocabulary.  

Bingo Card Printer


• Charades:
• Procedure: Students are put into two teams.  Each team is given a set of cards with sport vocabulary on it.  The oldest player is the first to act out a card.  The actor secretly reads the vocabulary word, and then acts it out without using any sounds.  Then the next player acts, and continues until a team correctly guesses all the vocabulary on the cards.  The first team to complete it, wins.  
• Modifications: Students can draw the vocabulary instead of act it out.  Students can only speak of words describing the vocabulary word (without saying any part of the secret word).
• Journal Prompt 
• Procedure: Students write a few sentences, a paragraph, or start writing a story about a journal prompt about sports.  (for example: What is your favorite sport?,  What if you were a famous soccer player?, etc.)
• Modifications: Students can dictate what they want written to another person instead of writing it themselves.  Students can do a chain journal, where they write one sentences and then pass it to someone else to write the next, and then someone else writes the next, etc.  

Identifying Family Members (beginner and intermediate learners)

Identifying family members as a second language not only includes the vocabulary but also some grammar structure.

Vocabulary: 

• mother/mom
• father/dad
• sister(s)
• brother(s)
• aunt(s)
• uncle(s)
• cousin(s)
• grandmother/grandma
• grandfather/grandpa 

Basic (but not all) grammar items:

• Who is _____?
• He is_____/She is_____/They are_____/We are _____ 
• How old is/are _____?
• How many _____ do you have? 

Activities to incorporate vocabulary and grammar:

• Interviews:
• Procedure: Students work in pairs and interview each other (whether from a prepared sheet from the teacher or creates their own questions).  They must ask about the students family.
• Modifications: Students as other English speakers at the school, in the community, or a pen pal.  

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• Guess who?:
• Procedure: Students are in pairs and each have a set of the same pictures or drawings of people with the bottom labeled what part of the family they are.  The students secretly choose a picture and put it to the side.  The other person is trying to guess what family member their partner secretly chose.  They can only ask questions that have a yes or no answer. For example: Is your person a man?  Is your person part of the immediate/nuclear family?
• Modifications: Students have a labeled taped on their back and they are trying to find out what family member is taped on their back.  They ask each other yes or no questions. For example: Am I a man?  Am I part of the immediate/nuclear family?   
• Tell a funny story:
• Procedure: Students tell a funny story about their family to a partner, small group, or whole class.  They must include who it is, how old they are, and what they did.  The people listening must ask a question related to the story, summarize, or answer comprehension questions afterwards.
• Modifications: Storys are acted out and students must guess what is going on in the story.  The teller must still include who it was, how old, and what. 
• Compare families around the world: 
• Procedure: After watching a Families of the World video from youtube, students will compare Tico families to the family depicted in the video or two families from two videos using a Venn diagram.  
• Modification: Students can write in complete sentences the differences of two families, students can give an oral report on the differences, students can illustrate and describe the differences of the two families.

This image from here

• Describe a family photo:
• Procedure: Students can bring in their own family photo or teacher can provide a photo from a magazine, on line, etc.  The students are put into pairs and must describe the family in the photo.
• Modification: Students can create a story from looking at the photo.  They can write down the descriptions or story.  Students can give an oral report.  

Socializing: Days of the Week, Months of the Year, and Weather (beginner learners)

Songs

Students can sing songs to memorize days of the week, months of the year, or weather vocabulary.

Days of the Week lyrics

Days of the week (clap, clap)

Days of the week (clap, clap)

Days of the week, days of the week, days of the week (clap, clap)

There's Sunday and there's Monday

There's Tuesday and there's Wednesday

There's Thursday and there's Friday

And then there's Saturday 

Days of the week (clap, clap)

Days of the week (clap, clap)

Days of the week, days of the week, days of the week (clap, clap)

Days of the week Video

Months of the Year lyrics
January, February, March, and April
May, June, July, and August 
September, October, November, December
These are the months of the year (repeat 3 times)
Months of the Year Video

Weather Lyrics 
Sunny, Sunny, Sunny, Sunny 
It is sunny in the sky
S-U-N-N-Y, sunny
It is sunny in the sky 

Cloudy, cloudy, cloudy, cloudy 
It is cloudy in the sky
C-L-O-U-D-Y, cloudy
It is cloudy in the sky 

Rainy, rainy, rainy, rainy
It is rainy in the sky
R-A-I-N-Y, rainy
It is rainy in the sky 

Windy, windy, windy, windy
It is windy in the sky
W-I-N-D-Y, windy
It is windy in the sky 

Snowy, snowy, snowy, snowy
It is snowy in the sky
S-N-O-W-Y, snowy
It is snowy in the sky 
Weather Song

Changing the Date

•  A student writes the date (day, month, and year) on the board
•  Students write the date on all papers they have
•   A student can mark the days that have been completed on a calendar
• A student can always write the weather condition for that day 

Charades

•  Students can act out what they do for that day of the week
• Students can act out what they do, what they wear, or what holidays they celebrate in a specific month
• Students can act out what they wear or do during the type of weather

Happy Birthday!

• Students line up according to the month they were born in, starting in January and ending in December
• Students can race to line up according to their birthdays (see if they can beat their last time)
• Students line up when you say the month they were born in. 

Socializing topic: Greetings, Introductions, and Leave Takings (older beginner learners)

Drama/Skits
Students write their own drama/skit in pairs which will include greetings and leave takings.  

Writing Prompt

• Students can write about meeting their idol or someone famous.  The writing must include how they will greet them, introduce themselves, and say good bye. 
• Students start writing a story, that will continue all year, to introduce the characters. 

Songs
Students can write and perform a song using the vocabulary of greetings, introductions, and leave takings.

Text Message
To include their technology, students can text each other or you messages on their phones that introduce themselves and greets the other person.

Pen Pals
Contact another teacher in your area or from the country as your target language to start up a pen pal correspondence.  In the letters students must greet their reader, introduce themselves, and say bye.  

Comic

• Using a comic strip with blank space for the characters' speeches, students can write a comic with greetings, introductions, and leave takings.  
• Students draw their own comics and write the script or trade comics with a partner and the partner writes in the words.
• Have students write introductions for two people from a picture (your own, from a magazine, etc.)

Socializing topic: Greetings and Leave Takings (young beginner learners)

Songs/Chants
Have students listen to a song or chant and then have the students sing/chant along to learn greetings.  Have them get up and dance to it.  Have specific movements for vocabulary words mentioned in the song. 

Good Morning!
by Richard Graham &
Will Jasprizza


Good morning,
Good morning.
Good afternoon,
Good afternoon.
Good evening,
Good evening,
Good night!

Hello, hello, hello, hello.
Hello, hello, hello, hello!

Hello, hello, hello, hello.
Hello, hello, hello, hello!

( Repeat Chorus)

Hello, hello, hello, hello.
Hello, hello, hello, hello!

Hello, hello, hello, hello.
Hello, hello, hello, hello!

GenkiEnglish

Read a Book
The teacher reads an easy reader book to the whole class or tells their own story.  Students can repeat the greetings or do a special movement when they hear the greetings (for example, wave).   Always ask comprehension questions afterwards.  

Hello World by Manya Stojic
Say Hello by Rachel Isadora


Video
Have students watch videos where greetings are used in real life.  Always ask comprehension questions afterwards.  


Draw
Students can draw a scene in which they use the greetings (Good morning, Good afternoon, Good night, Hello, Goodbye, etc). 

Greet Students Everyday
Greet students as they come in, at the door, or at the beginning of class.  Always have students answer back whether as a whole group or individually.  

Students Greet Each Other
As part of your regular routine, you can have students greet each other every day at the beginning of class.  You can challenge them to greet a specific amount of students or the whole class (or even another teacher)!

Encouraging Participation

Getting students to talk in their second language is a difficult task, however, it still needs to be done.  Here are a few methods that can help make students talk more in class.

Think-Pair-Share 

Teacher asks a question to be answered by a student to the whole class.  Before asking for someone to say their answer, the teacher gives 30 seconds to 1 minute for students to turn to a student sitting next to them to share.  In this sharing time, BOTH students take turns saying what they think the answer is and summarizing the other person's answer.  When the time comes for the answer to be shared with the whole class the student has the confidence from sharing with their partner.  The teacher can use any of the other methods to choose a student to speak to the whole class. 

The Ball Method 
The ball is gently thrown to students after a question is asked.  Students HAVE to catch the ball if it is thrown to them.  Once they have the ball they are to give their answer.  Then they throw the ball back to the teacher. 

The Stick Method
The stick method uses popsicle sticks or slips of paper.  The students' names or numbers are written on sticks.  The teacher chooses on at random and calls on that student to answer.  

The Card Method 
The teacher tapes playing cards to the students desk and has a second set of the same cards with her.  When an answer to the whole class is needed, all the teacher does is pull a card and say the shape and number in her hand.  

The Student Number Method 
Each student has a number that identifies them (whether by the school or the teacher).  Each student knows their number and the teacher uses the stick method or number from a bag (or basically anything) to pick a number at random.  The number is called and the student answers.  

All these methods will work for multiple classes or a single class.  Use one or use them all throughout the school year. 

Preparing your class for the first day of school: Part 5 (first day activities)

So your classroom is ready, the rules are set, and you have your procedures down.  Get ready for your kiddos!  Here are a few first day (or week) activities that you can easily do!

The Adjective Race
Each student is given a blank piece of paper and a marker.  They must go around and ask each of their classmates to write ONE adjective to describe them (in target language).  The first one done gets a small reward.  

The Find a Friend Who... Scavenger Hunt

This game requires the students to write down their favorite food, color, etc. (in the target language) and then find other students with the same likes.  First person to find a different person for every like wins a prize.  

Adaptable for older students
Click HERE for free download

For elementary students
Click HERE for free download

Letter to ME!

Have students write a letter to themselves during the first week of school and give it back to them at the end of the school year to see how much they have grown. 

Great for older elementary students 

Click HERE for free download

I have, who has? 

This game gets the students asking questions and remembering vocabulary from last year. One student asks the question on their card, then the person with the answer of the question on their card says the answer, and then asks their own.  

Students can make a line to know who has answered already.  

When making your cards, make sure that every question has an answer and there are no repeated questions or answers.  

The elementary version just has students asking a question and giving a response (the prompt is on the cards).

The high school version has students asking a question WITH a definition and giving a response.  

Elementary card version
Click HERE for free download of the whole document

High School Version
Click HERE for free download of whole document

Journal Prompt

Students can write about they did over break in their journals they keep all year.  

Here are a few prompt ideas to write on the board the first day:

-What I did over vacations...

-What I wish I did over vacations...

-What I liked and disliked about vacations

-What will I do differently this school year?

-Describe myself (physically and emotionally) to my future self

-What will I be doing 5 years from now?  10 years? 20 years?

-How will I be different this year compared to last year?

My Job, Your Job

Have students list what your job and their job is.  This can be used to remind them later in the school year of their own expectations of themselves.  

Draw a line down the middle of your board.  Label one side Teacher's Jobs and the other side Students' Jobs.

Mrs. Hawk's Nest

Time Capsule 

Students create a few things for the teacher to store away until the end of the school year.  Then at the end of the school year, they create the same things and then see how much they have grown.

Items to put in the time capsule:

-a sample sentence in English

-hand print (or their hand traced)

-list of words they know in English 

-self portrait 

Self Portrait 

Students can draw a picture of themselves with their favorite thing, place, or activity. 

Interviews

Students, working individually or in pairs, create questions to ask another student or ask questions from a prepared sheet of questions.  They then take turns interviewing each other.  After the interview is over, the pairs can take turns presenting the others to the whole class. 

Click HERE for free download

Preparing your class for the first day of school: Part Four (Procedures)

To help make sure that the class runs smoothly, all teachers need to have established routines and procedures.  Having these will cut down on transition time (where many behavior problems arise) as well help the students know what to do.

Think about what are the things you do everyday?  Take attendance?  Collect or handout papers?  Deal with students needing to go the bathroom?  Dealing with no name papers?

You could save time and eliminate almost all interruptions and bad behavior, if you implement procedures.

Taking Attendance:

• Have assigned seating and just look for empty seats
• Have a question of the day and write a response on a sticky note
• Have students move their card, stick, or magnet as they come in 

A Cupcake for the Teacher

Collecting/Turning in Papers

• Always have students pass papers in the same way (back to front or left to right)
• Have a labeled, specified spot for students to turn in papers 

Leaving their Seat 

• The Hand signal method
• crossed finers for the bathroom
• pointer finger for getting up
• all five fingers for asking a question

• The card/cup method
• yellow for the bathroom
• blue for throwing something away or getting new pencil
• red for asking for help

Click HERE for the free download

Needing pencils

• Have jars for students to exchange their broken pencil with a new one only when the teacher is NOT talking 

The Sharpened Pencil

• Students raise broken pencil in their hand and the teacher exchanges it without saying anything (from jar)

These are some tips you can use to make things run smoother in your classroom.  If you have any suggestions for these issues or others, comment below.  I love hearing from you.