Getting Students to Talk
I’ve been doing something that my students really
like. I have told them I have ESP and I call one of
them to the front of the class and hand him a slip of
paper. On it I’ve written a really general statement
in the language we’re studying. Something like:
I did something nice on the weekend. or…
I bought something yesterday. or…
I saw a good movie.
In the summer I’m going to do something great.
I’ll show him the slip and ask if it’s true (and it
usually is!) If not, I switch it for a different one.
(Sometimes I have overheard something about a student
and I use that.) The student reads it out to the
class and the other students have to ask questions. I
sometimes give bonus marks or participation marks or
gummy bears or just an evaluation mark. Sometimes we
get 10 or 15 questions, depending on how interested
the class is. I’ve heard my grade 12 boys say this is
their favourite part of the class.
I like this activity because it doesn’t take any real
preparation, the students get really involved, they’re
practising asking questions, they enjoy talking about
themselves and I love hearing them.
Hope it works for someone else out there. I’ve found
so many good ideas from this list and wanted to share
something that works for me.
Jan in Ontario
