Last year I changed my classroom arrangement, so my students could easily work in pairs and in groups. At first some of them didn't like it, and their behaviour was disruptive but I was persistent. I wanted them to talk in English, so I tried to prepare attractive speaking activities for almost each lesson.

This speaking activity was inspired by my post "What's in your fridge?" from 2015. This time I gave my students ready-made cards. They were divided into groups of four and each group was divided into two pairs. Each pair was given a picture of a fridge but there were some differences in the content of fridges. The task was to ask and answer some questions, such as "Are there any apples in your fridge?" to find out the differences.

You can download and print my fridges here:

1) front:

2) back:

 

You can use it to practice different grammar structures: to have got, there is/there are, some/any etc.

Do you have any other ideas how to use my printable fridges? Please, share them in the comments.

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I love flashcards! I use them with both young learners and teenagers. That's why I've recently bought a new set of flashcards with all the vocabulary from "Bugs Team 1" by Macmillan. The set contains 110 full-colour cards printed on thick paper (the flashcard sets for the previous editions of "Bugs" that I own are printed on even thicker paper). The thickness is very important - it makes flashcards durable. That's why when I make my own flashcards, I print them on plain paper and laminate them.

Why do I need flashcards? I love to play with them in the classroom. They are perfect to revise vocabulary and to practice speaking. Do you want to know my TOP 5 flashcard games and activities for young learners?

GAME No 5 - MEMORY

Everyone knows Memory. In the 1st grade I usually use pairs of matching pictures, and with older students I use picture - word pairs (up to 12 cards). Randomly selected student points at two cards I should turn over to find a pair. Each flashcard is identified by a letter and a number so that everyone knows what cards were chosen. If the two cards match, they stay uncovered. If they don't match, I turn them back over. I always ask my students to name the pictures in English, when I turn the cards over. The game is finished when all the cards have been matched.

GAME No 4 - TIC TAC TOE

You know it as a paper-and-pencil game but I use my blackboard and flashcards to play it. I divide a class into two groups, usually girls and boys (X and O). I put nine flashcards on the board (face down) and number the spaces. In order to mark a space with their symbol, the students have to choose a space and say its number in English. Then I turn the card from the chosen space over and they have to name the picture in English. If they do it correctly, I remove the card and draw their symbol in the space. The first team to place three of their marks in a horizontal, vertical, or diagonal row wins the game.

GAME No 3 - PICTURE GO!

This game doesn't require a blackboard. It requires some space. What do you need to do? Give each student a check list with words and ask them to write the numbers in the boxes in a random order. Hang the matching flashcards around the classroom. Then tell the students to go quietly eg. to number 5. They have to find the number on their list, quietly read the word and go to the card that matches the word. In this way there will be groups of students standing under each flashcard. Ask one student from each group to name the picture on the card in English. Then tell them to go to another number.

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GAME No 2 - DISSAPEARING CATS

This activity is taken from "Oxford Basics for Children - Starting and Ending Lessons". I draw two cats on the board (or any other creatures or things). One cat belongs to my students, one belongs to me. I usually revise six words with my students, showing them flashcards. Then I shuffle the flashcards and pick one without children to see it. They have to guess which picture I have chosen. If they are correct, I rub out a part of my cat. If they are wrong, I rub out part of their cat. I make the rubbing part very dramatic, eg. "Oh no! My cat lost his eye! He's a pirate now." It usually makes children laugh. They are also very happy, when my cat dissapears first.

GAME No 1 - THE FLY

It's definitely my favourite flashcard game! It's an activity for the whole class or for pairs/small groups. At the beginning, I write directions on the board (up, down, left, right). If we play it for the first time, I have to pre-teach them the words. Then I pin a flashcard with a fly on the board and eight flashcards around it. I choose one of the students to give directions for the fly, eg. "The fly is going up. The fly is going left. The fly is going left.". When they finish, they ask the question: "Where is the fly?" and choose another student to answer it. If the answer is correct, the next student guides the fly.

* BONUS GAME - PICTURE MATHS

When I revise vocabulary with young learners, I often use basic arithmetic operations (such as adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing numbers). I pre-teach words like: plus, minus, times and divided by. I put 6 flashcards on the board and I number them 1-6. Then I ask, e.g. "What is 2 + 2?". My students calculate it quietly and instead of saying the right number they have to tell me what is in the picture. So their answer is "mouse" not "4".

What are your favourite flashcard games? Can you share them in the commnets? Do you like my ideas?

It's Christmas time. Today I had my last lessons before Christmas break. I've prepared a surprise for my younger learners. I've made a large picture sudoku board (60 cm x 60 cm) to teach them Christmas vocabulary (Santa, reindeer, present, sledge).

At first we did the puzzle together, so they could get an idea what sudoku is. Then I devided them into small groups of three and they solved more advanced puzzles with the same pictures.

Here's a printable that you can use with your students.

How to engage students in speaking activities? Let them do a class survey.

The task was meaningful, as the students had to find out how often their friends do different activities. We use it to practice Present Simple, adverbs of frequency and indoor activities vocabulary. My students worked in pairs. Each pair got a chart and a question they had to fill in accoring to the picture. Then each pair had to ask other students the question and to mark the answer on the chart.

Here's the chart template:

What kind of food is countable? What kind is not? To help my students talk about countable and uncountable nouns, I've prepared a speaking exercise "What's in your fridge?"

Each students got a fridge outline to cut, fold and stick into the notebook.

Here you can download fridge front and back. You just have do print it double-sided.

Then I asked my students to choose 10 items from food vocabulary list and to draw them in the fridge. I divided the students into pairs (student A and student B) and one group of 3.

Students A were supposed to ask students B about the items from list A and vice versa. They also had to write down any items that were missing in the fridge.

As you can see, my 5th-graders enjoyed the exercise.

Sitting at the desk for 45 minutes can be really tedious for students. My teacher in secondary school had this saying: "Move your 'bottom' and your mind will follow". Last Thrusday I decided to try running dictation with my 5th-graders. Most of them were very enthusiastic about this exercise. 

I have to admit that I was enthusiastic, too. Running dictation combines: reading, speaking, listening and writing. It also develops vocabulary and grammar skills.

How did I do it?

1. I divided my students into two groups. I asked them to stand in two lines.
2. The first person in each group was the runner and the second person was the writer.
3.  I put two copies of a short text on the wall opposite two desks.
4. The runners in each group had to run to the wall, read the first sentence of the text, run back to the writers and quietly dictate what they remembered. Then they went to the end of the line.
5. When the writer wrote down the sentence, they became the runner and the next person in the line became the writer. 
6. When both teams were ready with the text, I swap their worksheets. They had to check them for mistakes.

We had so much fun with this activity. Next time we will try to do it in smaller groups or we will do it in the hall, so they will have to run.