IT WORKS IN PRACTICE

More tested lessons, suggestions, tips and techniques which have all worked for ETp
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Macmillan have kindly agreed to be sponsors of It Works in Practice for this year.

Vocabulary practice How well do you

Here are two activities which I use for improving group dynamics in my classes: know me?
Musical words By the time we have learnt and
This activity is good for reviewing ● After the 30 seconds, start the practised tag questions, I find that I
and/or reinforcing vocabulary which music again and ask them to know something (sometimes quite a
has been studied previously. continue walking around the lot!) about each of my students and,
room. Then pause it again and tell naturally, they have learnt something
● Play a song or a piece of music and
them to work with the person who about me, too. When it comes to
ask the students to walk freely around
is now nearest to them. This time revising tag questions, I say to the
the classroom. Pause the music and
they have to say as many words as students, ‘You know me very well,
ask them to work in pairs with the
possible in a different category, don’t you?’ and then get them to
person nearest them.
for example vegetables. write down a couple of tag questions
● Tell them they have around 30 seconds to ask me, using things they think
(you decide the time according to the ● You can repeat the procedure with
they know about me but are not 100
level of the students) to say as many any number of further categories,
percent sure about, or things they
words in English as possible in a given such as English-speaking countries
want to find out about me. I do the
category, for example adjectives. or action verbs.
same for them (it’s a good idea to
prepare your own questions before
Black magic the lesson, especially if you have a
This is another nice activity for ● Ask the other students to choose large class, to ensure that everyone is
practising vocabulary, which is good an object in the classroom. asked a relevant question).
for both beginners and higher-level ● Bring the volunteer back into the We then take turns to ask and answer
students. classroom and start asking questions. When they are asking their
● Tell the class that you are going to try questions, such as Is it the window? questions, I remind them to use
a little magic. One student will stand Is it my desk? to see if they can proper intonation, depending on
outside the classroom while the guess the object. The rest of the whether they are certain or not about
others choose an object. That student class will be amazed when the my answer to the question. At the
will then come back in and try to volunteer is able to identify the end I say ‘Now you can be sure that
guess the object. object straight away. you know me well’.
● Ask for a volunteer to stand outside ● Higher-level students can then Personalising what you’re teaching in
the classroom. Make sure it is clear to discuss in English how they think such a way is not just an effective
everyone that the student can’t see the ‘magic’ was done. Lower-level teaching/learning tool, it also helps
or hear the rest of the class, but students can have the discussion in to develop a good rapport with your
while you are arranging this, secretly their own language. students, which is essential to any
tell this student that the object will successful learning process.
be the one you ask about after you Nataliya Potapova
Ronaldo Adenilton de Lima
have asked about a black object. Recife, Brazil Uzhhorod, Ukraine

34 • Issue 82 September 2012 • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • www.etprofessional.com •

 Friday fun Conjugation command
When you teach students every day, the last lesson of This is a kinaesthetic and audio-lingual activity for the
the week can often be rather tiring for everyone. You revision of conjugation, which is suitable for elementary and
may also have completed all of your week’s objectives pre-intermediate students. It can be used at the beginning
and may be in the mood for revision, or just something of a lesson – and is particularly useful for waking the
different. Here is a selection of tried and tested ideas students up when the lesson takes place first thing in the
you can use or adapt: morning!
Prepare a list of verbs that you want your students to revise.
1 Activity tables
Ask the students to stand in a horizontal line at one end of
Ask the students what they would like to revise or work on
the classroom; you stand at the other end. Tell the students
and put them into groups, sitting around tables. Give
that you are going to say some verb forms which may or may
each group a task, monitor them and at the end have
not be correct. What they have to do is to move a step
them make presentations to the rest of the class on what
forward and repeat the conjugation if they think it is correct.
they have done. The students can also swap tables when
Any student who makes a mistake must step aside, and the
they have finished, and this can even be a timed game.
last three or five students (the number is up to you) who
2 Student-generated quizzes stay in the line are the winners. Demonstrate the activity
beforehand to make sure the students know what they are
Get pairs or groups of students to make a quiz about the
supposed to do.
week’s work or a related theme. It’s also fun if they
incorporate what their classmates did or said into the I have used this activity with students and also with trainee
questions. They can also write some questions to test you. teachers. I use a military training style and tone when
calling out the verbs and ask the students to move forward
3 Student news discussion smartly with a firm step, as soldiers do, which really adds an
Ask one pair of students to bring in either a news article element of fun.
or a video clip (or, for the more creative, to write and/or
This activity requires quite good coordination between the
record their own). They present this to the rest of the
mind and the body, so expect some fairly slow kinaesthetic
class and it is used as the basis for a class discussion.
responses from some students – and be tolerant of these.
4 Review of learning objectives Mohammed Arroub
Homs, Syria
Put the students into groups and ask them to discuss
what their learning objectives are, how they are improving
and what they can all do to get better. You can then give
further ideas and practice strategies.

5 Class project IT WORKS

To keep up motivation throughout a course and to develop
class rapport, it is nice to have an ongoing project which
the students can work on once a week in or after class. It
could be anything from a class/school blog to a formal
IN PRACTICE
Do you have an idea which you would like to contribute to
entry for a competition.
our It Works in Practice section? It might be anything from
6 ‘Dress down’ Friday an activity which you use in class to a teaching technique
Use Fridays as a time to break down routines. You might that has worked for you. Send us your contribution, by post
try showing part of a film, not using your coursebook or or by email, to helena.gomm@pavpub.com.
having the students bring in something to eat or drink All the contributors to It Works in Practice get a prize! We
from their country, city or area. Even just making them a especially welcome joint entries from teachers working at
cup of English tea changes the atmosphere into one more the same institution. Why not get together with your
conducive to conversation.
colleagues to provide a whole It Works in Practice section of
Phil Wade
La Réunion, France your ideas? We will publish a photo of you all.

• www.etprofessional.com • ENGLISH TEACHING professional • Issue 82 September 2012 • 35