Metaphor

The topic is WEDNESDAY.

One person writes an adjective to describe it. Another writes a noun they relate to it (or random) without looking at each others. Then you put the two together and ask why? See example below. it might take a few goes to get a good one.

Other good topics: Any Proper or Abstract Nouns - Time is a/an.. Happiness is a/an... English is a/an...

Disappearing Sentence

Read the text. 

One grey and rainy morning in The Big Apple (New York) in the cold and snowy month of January, Fran, a chatty but grumpy taxi driver, ate a very large and tasty breakfast as usual and then drove her passengers around and around the wonderful city that never sleeps.

1, Each time you have read it eliminate five words. Then read again remembering the words you eliminated. Keep going until there is no text to see but it is all in your head. Recreate the text on paper.

Or

2, Look at the text.

Eliminate words in the text so that the text still makes sense. You can eliminate one, two or a maximum of three words in a row on one turn. You receive one point for each word eliminated.

For example in the sentence: One grey and rainy morning you could eliminate 'grey and' for two points or 'grey and rainy' for three.

You may end up with just one word left.

The Alphabet

This is a useful webpage from Lingolex (screenshot below)

Ways I have used it:

Alphabet Share - Tell me something about yourself using a letter.

P - I enjoy painting. Good for getting to know.

What did you do? Use a letter as inspiration to what you did yesterday / last week.

P - I picked up my prescription.

Connect. The topic is TRANSPORT. Can you think of a related word so we can turn all the hexagons from red to yellow?

P - Pilot

Blockbusters - Use all the above as a game, which you might know as Blockbusters.

Is it better? (An A to Z)

Is it better to adopt or buy a dog?

Is it better to brush teeth before or after breakfast?

Is it better to cook with butter or oil?

Is it better to drink cold water or water at room temperature?

Is it better to eat standing up or sitting down?

Is it better to fly at night or during the day?

Is it better to go to university of find a job at 18?

Is it better to have loved and lost than to never have loved?

is it better to ignore or respond to irritating phone calls?

Is it better to jog in the morning or in the evening?

Is it better to keep your phone on or off at night?

Is it better to live in Spain or abroad?

Is it better to make your bed in the morning
or have your bed made by someone else?

Is it better to never eat junk food or occasionally eat it?

Is it better to own a home or rent a home?

Is it better to pop or leave a spot?

Is it better to quit or be fired from a job?

Is it better to roll or fold clothes when packing?

Is it better to sleep with or without a pillow?

Is it better to tuck your shirt in or not?

Is it better to use wireless earphones or not?

Is it better to vape or smoke cigarettes?

Is it better to write notes with a pen or type them up?

Is it better to xbox or to playstation?

Is it better to yawn with your mouth open or closed?

Is it better to zig zag or run straight
when running away from an alligator?

3 in a line

This approach to the game inspired by Chris Roland. So that all squares are used and language maximised it's who gets the most threes in a line. Two variations seen below.

Examples from first game: A shark can't fly or A frog hasn't got wings will get you a O or X.

Interesting Questions

Fill the gaps as you see fit and ask away til you've had enough of it.

1, How much / many ____ would fit into this room /space?

2, What three things would you do to improve this room / space?

3, How many ____ could you fit across this table / space?

4, Can you estimate how many ____ there are in your house / school / town?

5, Can you think of ten words between ____ and ____ in the dictionary?

6, If I gave you €20, what would you do with it today?

7, What things would you do if you didn't have to study / work?

8, Pick an APP on your phone. What are its pros / cons?

9, What is your favourite Google product?

10, If a ____ could talk what would it say?

Fibonacci

A Fibonacci poem is based on the Fibonacci sequence 1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21...

The first and second lines are one word, the third line is two words, the fourth three and so on. You could change words to syllables, which i think is the original way of doing it. Here is an example from my class using words. I provided the first word.

(1) rain
(1) wet
(2) water falling
(3) it's quite cold
(5) I feel like a penguin
(8) I can jump in a very big puddle
(13) my mother: PUT ON 13 COATS! my father: TAKE AN UMBRELLA WITH YOU!

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Can you answer these questions in exactly 7 words?

1, How are you today?
2, What did you have for lunch?

3, What's the weather like today?

4, What do you remember from school today?
5, What did you do last night?
6, Do you like broccoli?
7, What would you do if you won 50 euros?
8, What plans do you have for this weekend?
9, What are you good at? 

Chunks

The topic is BASKETBALL

1) 
Can you use the chunks below to make sentences about it?
Example: One of the best things about basketball is the ball.

2)
Make a sentence about the future, using the chunks to help you answer.

Example: By the end of the year I hope to have won everything in basketball.

Other topics are available.

Image source: Wish I could remember.

Featured artworks by two different Alejandros

The More The Merrier

More from Herbert Puchta

Choose one question. In a couple of minutes how many answers can you think of?

1, What weighs more than it did half a year ago?
2, What looks different when it is cold than when it is hot?
3, What can you do at school, but not at home?
4, What can cats do that people can’t?
5, What can you use to protect yourself against the sun?

6, What’s your most creative excuse for not handing in your homework?

7, What would you never eat with salt?
8, What stays hot all winter?
9, What are things money can’t buy?

Guess The Year

What is something you like / dislike about the following companies?

What year do you think they were founded?

(Year founded may be open to debate)

(sources: Wikipedia And Steven McGuire Aceia conference 2010)

Baloney

Can you spot the nonsense in each sentence?

1, Always wash a banana before you eat it.

2, They watched the show on the radio.

3, It’s starting to rain. Let’s take a towel along.

4, I used a dictionary to check the meaning of the traffic signs.

5, Spain is further away from France than from Germany.

6, She’s very fit. She never does any sport.

7, We’re both thirsty. Let’s stop playing for a moment and eat some biscuits.

8, She eats a lot of ice cream, even in winter. She just loves hot stuff.

9, It was so cold that people were not allowed to water their gardens or wash their cars.

For this idea and more check out Herbert Puchta.

Wednesday

Can you make a sentence using the letters of a day of the week? or any word?

Sentence DIce 2

1, Roll three dice. (Google has some good ones).

2, The number on the first die relates to column 1. The number on the second die relates to column 2. The number on the third die relates to column three. (see image)

3, Create a sentence using the three! For example: 1, 5 and 5

= Every day John and Paul eat fish and chips.

4, Go bigger! You must use but, because or so in your sentence!

= Every day John and Paul eat fish and chips but today they have decided on roast beef.

5, Adapt to the level of language. Make a note of the sentences!

Words Within Words

From Byrdseed where you can find a list of answers and more great activities.
Artwork by Sandra

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Sentence Dice 1

1, Roll two dice. (Google has some good ones).

2, The number on the first die relates to the words on the left. The number on the second die relates to words on the right. (see image)

3, Create a sentence using the two! For example: 1 and 5

= Yesterday I bought a dictionary.

4, Go bigger! You must use but, because or so in your sentence!

= Yesterday I bought a dictionary because I want to learn more words in English.

5, Adapt to the level of language. Make a note of the sentences.

Missing Letters

TRAN    REGU    GNIF    URIA    URIS     IRTH     FERE    NFIR    RENG

Put the letters above in the spaces below to make words.

Can you define the words or use them in a sentence?

1, B _ _ _ _ 
2, INSI _ _ _ _ ICANT
3, TO _ _ _ _ M
4, EN _ _ _ _ CE
5, RE _ _ _ _ RENCE
6, B _ _ _ _ L
7, CO _ _ _ _ MATION
8, ST _ _ _ _ TH
9, IR _ _ _ _ LAR 

The words are from an FCE word formation activity.

What do you think the original words were (BURIAL - BURY)

What do you think the text was about?

Rhyme Time

Look at the sentences and complete the missing word. The missing word should rhyme with the last word of the sentence before.

example:

I was walking down the street

when I saw my mate had new shoes on his feet

1, When I arrived home at half past ten

my sister was chatting to her best _____ 

2, On Tuesday morning I burnt my leg

while I was cooking a fried _____

3, When I first met you

I was suffering from _____

4, When I woke up this morning at half past eight

My mum was shouting YOU ARE  _____!

5, one boring morning we were driving to school

when my mum said 'oh dear we have run out of  _____'

6, They arrived at the party at half past four

but the party wasn't happening any_____

Now, Can you make some sentences of your own?
(using the same structure as above)

7, ________________ book
________________ cook

8, ________________ sing
________________ king

9, ________________ train

________________ rain

Artwork by Vera

Tic Tac Tell

Example: My sister hurt her leg while playing basketball.

(artwork by Sandra)

Mad Libbing

Mad libs for exam style speaking questions.

Solicit some random words as in the brackets below

(making sure they will work before you use them)

and choose the best.

Then ask some questions with the words.

(plural noun)

What are the pros and cons of _____

(action verb in continuous form)
How important is _____ to you?

(verb)

Do you have much opportunity to _____?

(superlative adjective)

What is the _____ thing in your home town?

(transport)

Why do people choose to travel by  _____? 

Drawing by Daniela

Horror

Two-word horror stories

Can you sum up some horror in two words?

Some examples:

On mute
No coffee
Google translate
Vomit everywhere
Shopping centre
Biology class
No wifi

Drawing by Blanca

 

Scary Things

Here are some things that – according to (some of) my students – are scary.

1, Spoilers
2, Life
3, The shower
4, Mothers
5, A ghost
6, Spiders

Why are they scary? (or not)
Which is the scariest or the least scary?

Drawing by Ádrian

Make a Sentence

CLICK HERE

Owl coloured by Paola

FULL SCREEN Messages

CLICK HERE

Impossible

Here are some things that – according to my students – are impossible:

1, Being a mermaid
2, Living on the sun
3, Flying
4, Never going to school
5, Getting a 10 in Biology
6, Studying medicine
7, Sucking your elbow

Are they actually impossible?
How could they be achieved?
Which would be the easiest / hardest to achieve?

Drawing by Alejandra

Teachings

Pangrams

A Pangram is a sentence that includes every letter of the alphabet. For example: The five boxing wizards jump quickly.

Can you make one? Can you make one in the past tense?

Click HERE for a useful tool!

Reminder

Remember: Every day I go to work is an absolute privilege. Because teaching and learning alongside kids is amazing.

Drawing by Sandra

Recipe for Happiness

A poem by Lawrence Ferlinghetti
Try your own recipe for happiness: Start each sentence with One...

What's the Question? (using pictures)

Using a photo (no photo included in this post) create some answers related to the photo (before class or learners in groups with their own):

1, France
2, Late afternoon
3, A house
4, Yes, on the right hand side
5, No
6, A young family
7, They are playing tennis

8, It might have been 1910

9, It could be Spring

Now decide what the questions could be for these answers by looking at the photo:

example 1, Where was the photo taken?

Excuses Excuses

Reasons why they didn't do the homework. A list.

I forgot

I was ill

I was absent

I had to study

My dog ate it

I had a headache

I didn't have time

I did the wrong page

I didn't understand it

I couldn't be bothered

I did the wrong exercise

I can't find my workbook

I left my workbook at home

I didn't come to the last class

I hurt my leg and was in hospital

I know it already so it's a waste of time

I left my bag in my grandparents house

I left my books in my grandparents house

Was there homework?

@theirwordsmyverse

Drawing by Claudia

Preference

A) Do you prefer ____ or _____?
B) ____
A) Why?
B) Because ____

Restlessness

Here are some forms of transport:

1, car | plane | UFO

2, camel | elephant | magic carpet

3, skateboard | train | horse

Choose one group of three words and answer the questions:

1, Which ones have things in common?
2, Which is the (___est / most ___) 
3, If the ___ could speak, what would it say?
4, What advice would the ____  give to its children?
5, Can you create a new transport using two words?
(example magic camel (include a brief explanation))

Respect

1, Here are some reasons you might get into trouble at school:

Not doing homework
Using a mobile phone when you shouldn't
Punching another student in the playground
Insulting another student in the playground
Speaking to friends in class

Can you rank them in order of the one that gets you into the MOST trouble to the one that gets you into the LEAST trouble. Compare and justify your answers.

2, Here are some alternative ideas from The Philosophy Man. A bit more thinking involved. Rank them.

Hitting someone
Hitting someone back
Stealing food from the school canteen
Stealing someone’s lunch
Calling another pupil a bad name
Calling a teacher a a bad name

Spin the Wheel(s)

Spin the wheels and make sentences! These wheels (click on to go to site) show present simple vs continuous. In the screenshot below the expected sentence would be: In the morning I listen to music.

Positive Thinking

What are you good at? (a sport, hobby or subject at school etc.)

Answer these questions

1, What do you enjoy about it?

2, When was the last time you did it?

3, Whose feedback do you need?

4, Who/What stops you from doing it?

5, What advice would you give a beginner?

Present your ideas.

3 Reasons Why...

1, Choose one of these sentences...

it’s a good idea to cook dinner for your family once a week.

it’s a good idea to read for 15 minutes before bed each night.

it’s a good idea to save money each month for something you want.

it’s a good idea to walk or bike to school when possible.

it’s a good idea to go to bed at the same time on school nights.

it’s a good idea to practice a musical instrument three times a week.

2, And using the following structure in your answer – explain why.

(written may be easier first)

Firstly, (give your strongest reason.)

Secondly, (add another clear example or benefit.)

Lastly, (finish with a summary or extra point.)

What is wrong?

 (From Treasure magazine, 1963)

Some more modern stuff on Brightside

Grandparents

How do you feel at their house?

What can you smell / hear / see?

What things do they say?

What do you think?

The results from my class: #theirwordsmyverse
(Poem style inspired by Michael Rosen)

At my grandparents house

I feel happy, loved, bored
I can smell soap, socks, food and air freshener

At my grandparents house
I have to eat lentils

At my grandparents house
My grandad doesn't drink water
he drinks Fanta

At my grandparents house
There are old photos, old films
an old TV and a rocking chair

At my grandparents house
They ask me how things work.
They ask me for my dads mobile number (again)
and they call me by my sisters name

At my grandparents house
I talk about school, do my homework
I think about my future
I think about pizza

Length

What is the longest word you can think of starting with the following letters:

S

E

P

T

E

M

B

E

R

example: S – Salubriousness.

Be Yourself

Be Yourself

Be calm and aware
Be who why and where?

Be the child looking up
Be the team with no cup

Be the road that takes longer
Be the battery that gets stronger

Be the film without a script
Be the chocolate amongst the chips

Be the experiment that fails
Be the fish with no scales

Be the stranger thats kind
Be the stars unaligned

Breathe in. Breath out
Sit straight. Stand tall

Dare to be true
Dare to be you

Clarence Greenway