Why?

The Five Whys

This is a useful technique to get to the root of the problem, as demonstrated in the poem above, for an example closer to work we could ask why someone doesn't do their homework. Here is the method explained on wikipedia

Slamina!

Can you define these words and use them in a sentence? Secondly, each of the words rhymes with an animal. Can you work out which animal?

1, fat

2, coat

3, carrot

4, word

5, house

6, break

7, scare

8, park

9, course

Now can you make a two line poem (a couplet) using the word and the animal it rhymes with?

an example: In my house / there is a mouse

These ones are a bit harder:

1, legal

2, iron

3, socks

4, deep

5, towel

6, relevant

7, chunky

8, trail

9, plough

Misplaced

There each two words misplaced in are sentence. Find them correct and the sentence. 

1, I later thinking of going to the park was.
2, Is England English in spoken
3, They said us would help they with the work.
4, was the party, everyone after tired
5, this time we week next will be in Madrid
6, I have my friend cut by a hair
7, We’ll have a swim it long as as doesn’t rain
8, She got into of her car and went out the house

9, Would you like a coffee sugar in your little?

Inspiration from A Journey in TEFL

Numbered Sentences

This activity was taken from Borja Uruñuela at The ACEIA Conference in 2013. It has been a favourite and I still use it today. Each word in a sentence is given a number. After seeing and memorising the sentence a few times, hide it from view and ask yourself or a partner: What's number 4? cars What's number 9?

The Individual

Let's think of an individual. Someone we all know, maybe someone famous or an animal or somebody we all read about. Now, let's work on these questions:

1, What is this individual best known for?
2, What other people / objects / developments are connected to this individual?
3, What things do you have in common with this individual?
4, What questions / wonders can you form about this individual? 

5, Imagine you are the individual, tell us something that you enjoy(ed) doing.
6, Create a question where the individual is the answer.

Based on the individual spotlight idea by Kate Jones (Twitter)

Drawing by Ana

Vowel Categories

7 to 1

Write a dialogue between two people

However,

The first line must be 7 words

and then each line is one

word less until you get

right down to just 

a single word

it's that

simple

Here it is visually:

A: (7 words)

B: (6 words)

A: (5 words)

B: (4 words)

A: (3 words)

B: (2 words)

A: (1 word)

From my C2 class. They had to include the words ALL OF A SUDDEN.

Hello, do you know what happened yesterday?

I do not. Please enlighten me.

Forgotten... all of a sudden

Do you have amnesia?

I probably do

A pity

Yep

The Colbert Questionert

Questions to ask people - taken (and slightly adapted) from The Colbert Questionert.

Apples or oranges?
What is the best sandwich?
What is the most used app on your phone?
What is your favourite / least favourite smell?
Window or Aisle?
Have you ever asked someone for their autograph / a selfie?
What is you favourite movie (at the moment)?
What number am I thinking of?
What's one thing you own that you really should throw out?
Exercise: worth it?
You get one song to listen to for the rest of your life: what is it?
What is the scariest animal?
Describe the rest of your (week / life) in 5 words.

Hey!

What's stopping you?