Tag: 10 minutes

vocabulary

Vocabulary: Dictionary race

Astrid van Houwelingen

Nowadays many of us resort to an app or the internet when we want to know the meaning of a word. This is all fine as long as you are not in an exam setting. Because my students are sitting exams in a few months I would like to make sure that they know how to use a dictionary quickly and correctly. And what better way than to make a race out of it?

The Basics

Level: A1-C2 (Elementary, Pre- Intermediate, Intermediate, Upper-intermediate, Advanced)
Focus: Learning new vocabulary, using a dictionary
Time: 10-20 minutes
Materials: Cards with words (2 or 3 sets), markers (2 or 3), whiteboard, dictionaries (2 or 3)

Aim

Students learn to use a dictionary with speed. Students learn some new vocabulary items or revise words from their vocabulary lists.

The task

Before you start you need to make sure students know how to find words in a dictionary quickly. You could do a practice round by giving the class a word to look up and to let the student who knows first raise their hand and read the right definition to you.

  1. Prepare two or three similar stacks of cards with words from the dictionary on them.
  2. Divide the class in two or three groups.
  3. Put two (or three) tables in front of the room a couple of metres from the whiteboard. On the tables you should have: one stack of cards, one dictionary and one whiteboard marker.
  4. Let the groups of students line up behind a desk.
  5. Explain that they are to take one card from the top of the stack and look up the word as quickly as they can. Once they have found the definition they race towards the board and write down word and definition as quick as they can. When finished, they return their marker to the desk to pass on to another student and join the back of the line.
  6. Set the timer to the required amount of minutes and yell ‘GO!’.
  7. The group with the most correct answers in a limited amount of time wins.

Additional ideas

If you do not want the bustle of the race but do want to make a game out of it you could have the students sit at a group of tables with the stack of words and a couple of dictionaries and have them write down their answers on a piece of paper. Once they have gone through their stack they raise their hands and wait for your approval. First group that is done wins.

If you have a larger group I would advise to use the grouped table method described in the previous paragraph.

If you want the students to have their spelling on point you could decide to only give the point if their spelling is correct.

An alternative way of playing this is to not set a timer, but to allow all groups to work through the same amount of words. The fastest group wins.

If you want students to revise their vocabulary you could use words from their wordlists for this race.

Over to you: Do you ever let students race each other? How does that work in your classroom?

Have fun teaching! ^_^

Love,

Astrid

Geen categorie, vocabulary

Vocabulary: Hot seat

Astrid van Houwelingen

In the past few weeks this site has featured a number of ideas on how to revise vocabulary. Here is one to add to that list: The Hot Seat. It is a game which students enjoy as it is the right mix of frustration and victory. It is a tightrope we are walking but the victory is that much greater when you succeed.

The Basics

Level: B1-C2 (Intermediate, Upper-intermediate, Advanced)
Focus: Revising vocabulary, listening, speaking
Time: 10-20 minutes
Materials: Vocabulary list, a large screen or large sheets of paper, seat facing the classroom (teacher position)

Aim

Students revise their vocabulary. This can be done either before a test or after you have set some vocabulary revision homework.

The task

A Hot Seat is a situation in which you put a student in front of a class, where they perform an act or share their knowledge in one way or another. In this case however, the student in the Hot Seat is the one who needs to figure things out.

  1. Prepare a slideshow or a set of papers with one word of the vocabulary list on each slide.
  2. Put one volunteer in front of the room with their back towards the screen or the paper signs.
  3. Instruct the class that they will have to allow the Hot Seat student to guess the vocabulary item by using descriptions, synonyms, antonyms and any other ways they might think of. They are, however, not to use the word itself, nor are they allowed to use parts of it.
  4. If the student in the Hot Seat guesses correctly a point is awarded.
  5. Repeat with another vocabulary item for as long as you want.

Additional ideas

If you want to add an element of competition you could put two or even three students in front of the room and divide the class into two or three competitive groups. The group that has the first correct guess wins the point.

If you want the students to have their spelling on point you could give them a piece of paper to write their answers on. They will only get the point if their spelling is correct.

If you want to discourage using the native language you could subtract points for each word or instruction used in the native language.

If you want to sit back and relax you could ask one student to select and hold up the vocabulary item to the class and another to be the ‘referee’. 😉

Over to you: There are many other ways in which Hot Seat could work in a classroom. Have you made use of it in the past? If so, how?

Have fun teaching! ^_^

Love,

Astrid

speaking

Speaking: No more School!

Astrid van Houwelingen

We all have days in which we fantasise about what life would be like when we would no longer have to do that one thing that drains our energy. Or we imagine what we could do with our days when we are no longer required to attend that one meeting or class that feels superfluous.

Our students are no different. They are required to attend a certain amount of lessons, most of which are obligatory. Motivation for these lessons can easily dwindle and you are left with a group who spends their time waiting for the bell to ring.

It is at those times that it can be useful to introduce a chance to reflect on the question ‘Why do people have to attend school?’. What better way to do this than by incorporating a speaking activity which allows students to fantasise about a life without school. What would they do with their time? What if no-one went to school? What would the effect be on society? Consequently, what is the use of school?

The Basics

Level: B1-C1 (Intermediate, Upper-intermediate, Advanced)
Focus: Reflecting on motivation, arguing an opinion, speaking
Time: 10 minutes
Materials: None

Aim

Students reflect on their motivation for the class they are attending or the use of school in general. They voice their opinion and support it with arguments.

The task

Using the powerpoint below you can encourage students to reflect on their personal motivation for school. Allow them some time to discuss the questions in pairs or little groups. When they have discussed the questions, invite them to show how useful they find school by doing what I call a ‘body vote’.

A ‘body vote’ is a useful tool to quickly see student’s opinion on a debatable issue. You invite the students that agree with the statement (or in this case find school very useful) to move to the left of the room. The students that disagree with the statement (in this case the ones that find school a waste of their time) go to the right. Students who are conflicted can move to the middle and anywhere from left to right on the scale depending on their opinion.

Once everyone is positioned in accordance with their opinion you can invite students to share and argue in the target language. You can choose to moderate and give turns or allow students to react to each other directly.

Surprising outcome

When I asked my least motivated class about whether or not school was useful, I was a little surprised to find all of my students had moved towards the ‘School is useful’ side of the room. When they argued their opinion it was just as informative for me as it was for them. They shared some of their frustrations about non-existing learning goals and teachers who did not seem to know either why they were studying poetry.

This activity has reminded me that a clear learning goal is key to motivate your students. It doesn’t hurt to consider this while planning our lessons and don’t forget to share it with your students! Learning is not a teacher’s secret.

Additional ideas

You could ask your students this question about any aspect of society. This is especially interesting if you want them to reflect on news events or big questions such as the use of democracy, affordable health care and other political issues.

You could ask students to extend their ideas and write an essay on the question arguing for and against. Students could also write an opinion column on the subject, arguing their opinion more thoroughly.

Over to you: Do you ever struggle with student motivation? How do you deal with this?

Have fun teaching! ^_^

Love,

Astrid