Saturday 18 October 2014

Things I Do at the End of Classes

It's been a while since I wrote anything about teaching; the subject of what to do at the end of classes has been on my mind lately, so I thought I would share a few activities that I find useful and interactive; my students like these activities too!

Often I find that I finish a lesson and have 3 or 7 minutes until the class ends.

I want to continue on with useful English language vocabulary, so sometimes I do these things:

1. Bingo: It is a wonderful tool to use for reviewing vocabulary + classroom language.

To start, I will draw on the whiteboard 3 lines by 3 lines (a grid) so that students understand what to draw on the 1/2 sheet of recycled paper that I give them.



Next, I write on the whiteboard the pages in their textbook that they need to look at to take the vocabulary from: p. 8, p. 18., p. 28.

I say, "Write 16 words from the 3 pages in your textbook," and then I show them.

OR

I write on the whiteboard

   *8 animals

   *8 foods

The students write the words and then we start the bingo game.

They practice using language such as:

   *Whose turn is it?   *It's my turn   *It's your turn   *That word is finished   *Can you repeat that?


2. Last Letter/First Letter:

When I only have a few minutes left, this is the game I use.  I say, "Last letter, first letter, animals.  My animal is octopus."

The next student has to think of an animal that begins with "s".

That student says "snake".

The next student has to think of an animal that begins with "e".

That student says "elephant".

And so on.

Animals and foods are good categories for every level, maybe verbs for higher levels.


3. Memory Game:

This one takes a bit longer, but can be shortened or lengthened (as with the last game).

I write the beginning of a sentence on the whiteboard:

   "I want to eat _______"
Or
 
   "Yesterday I _______"
Or

   "Tomorrow I will ____"

I start out, "I want to eat pasta."

The next student says, "I want to eat pasta and cake."

The next student says, "I want to eat pasta, cake, and steak."

And so on.

These are all useful games for learning vocabulary, and they have the added benefit of students leaving the classroom with a positive attitude . . . even if the students have studied hard for 45 minutes with me, they can finish refreshed and happy:)

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