Giving and Receiving Directions (beginner/intermediate level)

Being able to follow directions or even give them, is a great boost of confidence for the new language learner.  This blog post will provide the ideas to practice giving and receiving directions.

Vocabulary

• Locations:
• Grocery store
• Bank
• Police office
• Bakery
• Pharmacy
• Barber/beauty salon
• Park
• Restaurant
• Gas station
• School
• University
• Prepositions:
• In front of
• Behind
• Next to
• in between
• across from
• diagonal from 
• Directions:
• North, south, east, west
• Straight, turn around, go back
• Left, right
• _______ blocks from
• Sentence Structure:
• Excuse me, where is the _______________?
• Could you please tell me where the _________________ is?
• It is ___________________.
• Walk _____________.

 Warm Up Ideas

Give Directions in 1^st language

• Procedure: Have students give directions to a well known spot from the class in their first language to each other.

Mirror

• Procedure: Students are in pairs facing each other.  One student is the mirror (who mimics the other persons movements) and the other is the person looking in the “mirror”. 
• Modification: Students who are not in the pair give commands to the person looking in the “mirror” to do.  (This practices body parts as well as giving basic commands)

Draw a Map

• Procedure: Have students draw a map of the school, town, or other area. (can use for practice or production activities)

Practice Ideas

Giant Map

• Procedure: Students create a map of the town, school, or other area on the classroom floor (if it is a tile floor a whiteboard marker can be used to draw the map OR students can create small-scale 3D models of the town, area, etc.).  The goal is for students to be able to walk on the “road” of the map.  Once map is made, students work in pairs to give directions to go from Point A to Point B on the map.

  

  You can make the map smaller and of a town, school, or room.
  But make it big enough to walk through.

  Source found here

What is Missing? Map

• Procedure: In pairs, students are given a copy of the same map.  However, while the maps are of the same place, each map has different buildings or rooms labeled while others are not labeled.  Using a prompt, students ask each other where are the missing buildings or rooms. 

Obstacle Course

• Procedure: Divide students into pairs and with in the pairs decide who will close their eyes and who will give the directions.  The students that are closing their eyes need to go out of the classroom (and have another assignment to work on) while the partners that will be giving the directions arranges the desks into an obstacle course for the others to walk around with their eyes closed.  Once room is arranged (give students 2 minutes to arrange the room), have them call their partners in one at a time (staggering them though).  The partner giving directions must safely get their partner from the door to Point B without touching them or running them into anything. Then they switch roles. 

Production Ideas

Give Directions

• Procedure: Students must write or tell directions on how to get from Point A to Point B in a well known area (school, town, classroom). 
• Modification: Students can actually have someone follow their written or verbal directions. 

Draw A Map

• Procedure: Students are given written directions of an area (school, town, park, restaurant, etc.) and they must draw a map of the area according to the directions.
• Modification: Students are given a copy of What’s Missing map and must finish according to some written directions.

Basic Personal Information (Beginner Level)

The year is flying by!  I can’t believe we are at the end of May.  While this blog has taken a backseat to other projects I have going on, I hope to focus on it more now and as we begin the second half of the year.

A huge portion of successfully speaking in your second language, is being able to convey information about yourself.  Today’s post will provide the basic grammar and some activity ideas to do just that. 

Vocabulary

• Months of the Year
• January
• February
• March
• April
• May
• June
• July
• August
• September
• October
• November
• December
• Numbers
• 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
• 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17,18, 19, 20
• 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30
• 31
• Directions
• Street
• Road
• Drive
• Corner
• North, South, East, West
• Greetings and Leave Takings (formal and informal)
• Good morning, Good afternoon, Good evening
• Hello, Hi, Hey
• How are you?, What’s up?
• Fine, Doing Well, Thank you
• Good bye, Bye, See you later
• Nice to meet you, Pleased to meet you
• Self Statements
•  My name is __________________.
• My phone number is ________________________.
• I am _______________ years old.
• My address is ________________________.
• I live ________________________.
• My birthday is _____________________.
• Questions:
•  What is your name?
• How old are you?
• What is your phone number?
• Where do you live?
• When is your birthday?

Warm Up

Video Clip

• Procedure: Watch a short clip from a well known movie where people introduce themselves and give personal information

Greeting Race (in 1^st language)

•  Procedure: Give students a set amount of time (no more than 3 minutes) and have them greet and ask one question to as many students as they can.  Once time is up, ask each students how many people they met and what they learned about each person. *This is done in their 1^st language*

Greetings at the Door

•  Procedure: Teacher or student greets everyone in the 2^nd language at the door before the class starts.  Change up the greetings as each person comes in. 

Sing a Song

• Procedure: Teach them a song that has to do with greetings and giving person information.

Practice

Dialogue

• Procedure: Students read a prewritten dialogue in pairs.

Board Game

• Procedure: Students play a board game in small groups.  When it is their turn, the students roll a dice to see how many spaces they can move if they can correctly respond to the question correctly.  Personal information questions are written on different cards, after a student rolls they pick up a card and answer the question (the correct prompt is on the back).  If they can correctly respond to the question, they move their game piece the amount of spaces the dice says, but if not they cannot move their game pieces.

I don't know the source.
If you do, let me know.

I also can't remember the sources for this one either.  

Click here for FREE download

Hot Potato

• Procedure: Students plan Hot Potato like normal but when the Potato is stopped the student must answer a personal information question. 

Who Am I?

• Procedure: Teacher tapes the names of famous people on each students back without the student knowing who is on their back.  In order for students to find out who is on their back, they must ask the following questions:

o   How old am I?

o   Am I a man? 

o   Am I a woman?

o   When is my birthday?

o   Where do I live?

Created by sticky notes and notebooks

Click HERE for free download

Signature Scavenger Hunt

•  Procedure: Students are given a paper with the following statements on it:
•  Someone who is the same age as you
• Someone who lives in the same town/neighborhood as you
• Someone who has a birthday in the same month as you
• Someone who has a birthday on the same day as you (can be in a different month)

Created by sticky notes and notebooks

Click here for FREE download

Production

Dialogue

• Procedure: In pairs, students write a dialogue introducing two famous people, two teachers, themselves, etc. 

Interviews

• Procedure: In pairs, students will interview one another like they do on television.  One students is the interviewer and the other is the interviewee.  Then they present their dialogue to the class (the rest of the class is the audience).
• Modification:
• Students pretend to be famous people.
• Audience can ask questions after the interview

Poem

• Procedure: Students write a poem about themselves

Sharing Ideas

Hello again!  The month of April flew by with the completion of two conversation clubs, training the new TEFL Peace Corps group, seeing the US President, and sharing our house with the trainees.  Now we are in the middle of May!  When did that happen?

I wanted to have my first post after my break be about the ideas I learned from the teachers I worked with in the conversation club.  I love learning new things from these wonderful people.  

I hope you enjoy these as much as I do!


Warm Up idea: 

 Mirrors 

• Procedure: Students are put in pairs facing each other.  One is the person and the other is the mirror.  The person starts moving and the mirror must do the same action while facing the person (like a mirror reflects).  Students can vote on who is funniest and what not.  created by: Ileana and Everardo (topic: locating people and places)

Practice Idea: 

Commands

• Procedure: Student or teacher gives other students commands (stand between Maria and Jose or sit in front of Brandon) created by: Ileana and Everardo  (topic: locating people and places)

Who Am I?

• Procedure: Students write a short (2-3 sentences) description of an occupation without saying what it is.  Then they read their description and classmates guess what occupation. created by Mariela and Yirlen (topic: occupation)

Missing Song Lyrics

• Procedure: Students listen to a song one time without doing anything else.  The second time they listen to the song, they have to fill out a worksheet that is missing some of the words of the song BUT they have to fill in the word that means the opposite.  The third time they listen, they sing with the words they wrote in.  created by Daubin and Sheila (topic: antonyms and synonyms)

Tips:

• When making a slideshow to teach new vocabulary include pictures, vocabulary word, questions/answered that will be needed about that topic, and an example sentence for each vocabulary word.  from Mariela and Yirlen
• To encourage more student participation, use Random Name Selector (and other options)!  This website picks a name from your class list (can make one for each class) so the pressure is off you choosing students.  from Sheila and Daubin
• Use a top or small spinner with an arrow drawn on it to help choose students to answer questions or do a specific job in a small group.  from Warner

And to thank the wonderful participants that shared with me in the first conversation clubs of the year...a collage of pictures.  

What teaching ideas do you have that you want to share?

Time Out

The months of April and May are crazy busy here.  With regular projects, seasonal projects, and the new Peace Corps group, I am running around.  With that, I am going to take a break from posting on here for a week or so.

So check back in May!  And suggest any topics about teaching English or classroom management that you would like to see on here!

Classroom Management Tip #1: Getting Students Attention

Who has had problems with getting students to refocus after a change of activity, while giving instructions, or presenting new material?  <<raises her own hand>>

We all know that talking over the students talking only adds confusion and questions later on.  Here a few tips to use to get students attention during a presentation or while giving instructions.

{video}

The Clap
The Clap consist of a pattern that the teacher claps and the students must repeat.  The teacher stops talking and claps.  The noise brings the students attention back to the teacher and to show they are paying attention they must repeat the pattern.  The pattern can be the same every time or the teacher can change it up.  

The Whisper
Dropping your voice to The Whisper makes the students stop what they are doing and listen intently hear what you are saying.  This method can be used with just saying what you have to tell them about new material/instructions or be offering a quick reward/praise to those who demonstrate that they are listening the first time.

The Watch the Clock (with the Stance)
The Watch the Clock is a stance that you take without saying anything.  When you notice students not focusing on you, the teachers stops and starts looking at the clock/watch. All you do is take note of how long students take to get ready or refocus and take that time away from them.  Such as in recess/break or after school.  Once the students have refocused, you stop keeping time and go on with the lesson/instructions.  The take time away part can be from the whole class or from specific students.  This is up the teacher's discretion.  

The Give Me (with the Hand Raise)
The Give Me is a count of sort.  The teacher chooses what they want to students to do when they refocus on the lesson.  For example: One finger represents closing their mouth, then Two fingers represent sitting the correct way in their desk, and Three fingers represent putting their hands on top of their desk clasped.  Teachers are encouraged to use three to five fingers.  Teachers show the fingers (in order) and watch until each one is completed before moving to the next one, or they can do the before mentioned things while explaining what is expected.  

_______________________________________
To ensure the success of any of these methods, you must show and tell your students what you expect them to do when you get their attention.  For example: When you clap your hands you also turn to sit correctly in your desk and mouth is closed or When you see me at the front of the room watching the clock you must sit with your mouth closed, eyes on me, and sitting correctly in your seat.  

A good thing to do is as you see students doing what they are supposed to is: Say their name and thank you for sitting correctly in your seat/looking at me/not talking/be ready with _____________.  

Another method to help one or two students focus is look at them specifically and ask or remind them of what they should be doing when you use one of the methods above.


These methods work best after practiced and described multiple times.  Students learn from repetition.  Be consistent!  

Illness, symptoms, and treatments (advanced learners)

Illness, sickness, treatment, disease.  These are things that 10th and 11th grade students in Costa Rica must learn in the second language.  More advanced learners in any country can learn these as well.  These things can be hard to comprehend in your first language, much less your second.  Here are some vocabulary (some specific to Costa Rica), grammar structures, and activities to make learning these topics easier and more fun.

Vocabulary

• Diarrhea
• loose stools
• bloating
• cramping 
• urgent bowel movement 
• rehydrate
• Stomachache 
• nausea
• vomiting  
• Headache
• aspirin 
• cloth soaked in hot water 
• Common Cold
• germs 
• sneezing
• sore throat
• stuffy noes
• coughing 
• Flu 
• virus
• body or muscle aches
• chills
• cough 
• fever 
• headache
• sore throat 
• Dengue
• spread by mosquitos 
• virus
• fever
• joint and bone pain
• nausea 
• vomiting 
• headache 
• fatigue 
• rash 
• not treated with medicine 
• Malaria 
• spread by mosquitos 
• chills
• headache
• high fever 
• treated with medicine 
• Cancer 
• HIV/AIDS
• spread through sexual contact or sharing needles with an infected person
• swollen glands
• flu-like symptoms 
• blood test is used to tell if someone is infected 
• use of condoms can reduce exposure 
• Allergies
• allergic
• sneezing
• stuffy or runny nose
• itching eyes, nose, mouth
• Pneumonia 
• chills
• high fever 
• respiratory illness
• rapid,shallow breathing
• cough
• chest pains
• More illnesses for Costa Rica (click here)

Grammar

• What is the matter?
• How do you feel?
• Have you seen the doctor?
• What are your symptoms?
• You need to _________ (drink more fluids, eat, rest,etc.)

Presentation Ideas

• Flashcards
• Show flashcards with symptoms on them and label them.  
• Students can draw the picture representation and the words in their notebook
• Translation
• Teachers can use the native language to define the English version of the illness
• Graphic Organizer 
• Students can use a graphic organizer to describe the disease with the causes, symptoms, and treatments 

The illness in the middle. Causes, symptoms, treatments, 1st language translation, and illustration/use in sentence on the sides.

Brainstorming Graphic Organizers

Practice Ideas

• What do I have?
• Procedure:  Students have a illness taped to their back WITHOUT THEM SEEING WHAT IT IS.  Once everyone has an illness they must talk to as many other students as possible to ask YES or NO QUESTIONS to find out the illness on their back.  

Click HERE for free download

 Click HERE for free download

DonnaYoung.org

• Dialogues with the Doctor
• Procedure:  Students write a dialogue that they would have at a doctor's office.  They must tell their symptoms and get the name of the illness with its treatments.  
• Modification: 
• Students can read various dialogues that would be discussed between a patient and doctor.
• Students can read their dialogue to the class.
• Students can read their dialogue to the class while they or other classmates act it out.

Click HERE for free download

• Commercials for Treatments 
• Procedure: In pairs or small groups, students are given a type of medicine.  Students will then write a short (30 seconds to 1 minute) commercial telling the class what this medicine treats or prevents.
• Modifications:
• STudents can make a public service announcement on how to avoid various illness (for example: malaria, dengue, STDS, HIV/AIDS, etc.) 

Production Ideas

• Matching illness with symptoms
• Procedure: Students are given a worksheet with the list of illness on one side and the symptoms together.  The students write the symptoms that go with each illness under it. {MULTIPLE CHOICE OR MATCHING}
• Listing illness with symptoms/treatments
• Procedure: Students will be given a list of illness and they must write out the symptoms and treatment underneath the illness. {SHORT ANSWER}
• Students are the Doctors 
• Procedure: Students are given a scenario of a patient with certain symptoms.  The students then write what they think the illness is and how to treat (as if they were the doctor).  {SHORT ANSWER}
• Comparing
• Procedure: Using a Venn diagram, students compare two different illness. {LISTING}

This image is from here

Teaching Numbers (all learners)

Another post that I cannot believe I forgot to start with, numbers!  Numbers are something any level of learner can start.  It does not need much background knowledge of the language and can used to scaffold with later on in the learning.

Vocabulary

• 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13,14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20
• 20, 30, 40, 50 , 60, 70, 80, 90
• 100, 2o0, 300, 400, 500,

Presentation ideas

• How much is this?
• Procedure: Using flashcards (look here for some), teach each number by point to the amount displayed on the cards and saying the English number. 
• Choral repetition: 
• Procedure: After you say the number have the whole class repeat the number.  You can count up to a certain number using this method as well.

Practice ideas

• Number Line Up
• Procedure: Students are in small groups and each group has a set of cards with numbers that they have learned on them.  Teams race to put the cards in numerical order.  

• Number Scramble
• Procedure: Students are in small groups and each group has a set of cards with numbers that they have learned on them.  The teacher says a number or draws a set amount of circles on the board.  Then the teams race to find that number first.  
• Modification: Teacher has all the numbers learned on the board and students are divided into two/three teams.  Each team is lined up (one behind the other).  The teacher says a number and the first team to cover the number said wins that point.  The first person then goes to the end of the line and the game starts over with the next player.  
• Number Statue
• Procedure: Students work as a whole class or two groups.  The teacher says a number and the class must build the likeness of that number with their bodies.

Only instead of letters, build numbers

Beech Hill Blogs

• Bingo
• Procedure: Students play bingo in pairs or individually.  They match the letter and number called to the letter and number on their card (if they have it).  Students get a bingo by have a line of the numbers called diagonally (/), vertically (|), horizontally (-), or in the four corners 

Production ideas

• You tell me
• Production: Teacher says a number and students write that number on their own paper or draw that number of circles.  
• How many is this?
• Production: Teacher draws a specific amount of circles on the board. Students write out that number in letters and as the numerical representation.