SPEAKING PRACTICE ACTIVITIES Maja Hadzic, Belgrade, Serbia

MY FAVOURITE SUBJECT Level: Intermediate+ Aim: to practice fluency; to practice word order; to revise vocabulary Tim: 20 minutes or more Language skills: speaking (in variation writing, reading Types of learners: auditory, kinest!etic, visual Ma erials for !e s uden s: none (in variation material needed for t!e presentation Ma erials for !e eac!er: none "lassroom managemen : group"pair work #rocedure: #$ %sk students w!at t!eir favourite sc!ool sub&ect is$ '!ey s!ould give t!e reason, too$ 2$ (roup students according to t!eir answers, i$e$ all c!emistry lovers will form one group$ If t!ere are too many students in one group, t!ey can break into pairs$ )$ %sk t!em to recall w!at t!ey !ave learnt or found interesting about a topic done recently (e$g$ *limate of +out!ern ,urope $ -$ ,ac! group prepares and presents t!eir topic orally for t!e rest of t!e class$ .ou are free to decide !ow long and t!oroug! t!e presentation s!ould be, depending on t!eir level of ,nglis! and time you !ave in t!e class$ $aria ion: #$ +tudents (t!e w!ole class, a group or a pair can prepare t!e presentation of t!eir topic in advance$ /ost of t!e students find it easier and more interesting to use pictures, maps, course books, encyclopaedias, and ot!er resources w!ic! are easily available$ 2$ '!e teac!er can write down w!at !e"s!e !ad found interesting in students0 presentations and ask t!em compre!ension 1uestions later$ )$ '!e students can write compre!ension 1uestions on pieces of paper$ ,ac! group (e2cept t!e presenters takes it in turn to give answers$ '!is can be a competition or a 1ui3$ %o e: %dvanced students can be given !omework 4 to put in writing w!at t!ey were talking about in t!e class or to pick anot!er group0s interesting topic and write about it$ Maja Hadzic, Belgrade, Serbia ASK ME LATER Level: ,lementary + Aim: to practice forming 1uestions; to practice fluency; to practice word order; to practice vocabulary " grammar Time: #5 minutes or more Language skills: speaking, writing Types of learners: auditory Ma erial: one blank %- s!eet of paper per group "lassroom managemen : in pairs " groups #rocedure: #$ (roup students in fours or fives$

2$ %sk one student in every group to make up a sentence imagining t!at it is an answer to a 1uestion (e$g$ 0%t t!e bus stop0 or 06ecause it was cold0$ $ '!ey must keep t!e sentence to t!emselves$ 2$ 7ow in t!eir groups eac! student tells !is"!er 0answers0 and ot!ers give possible 1uestions$ '!ey write it on a paper$ )$ In t!eir groups t!ey come to a decision w!ic! 1uestion is t!e best or t!e most appropriate$ '!ey read it to t!e class$ -$ 7ow some ot!er student makes up an answer and t!e activity goes on until eac! student !as made up one answer$ %o es #$ 8uring t!e activity, t!e teac!er monitors t!eir work and writes down incorrect 1uestions for later discussion$ 2$ .ou can practice some specific grammar points in t!is way (tell t!e students to use only present tense $ Maja Hadzic, Belgrade, Serbia WHAT A SILLY THING TO SAY! Level: ,lementary + Aim: to practice word order; to practice specific grammar points; to practice vocabulary Time: #5 minutes or more Language skills: speaking, writing, reading Types of learners: auditory, visual Ma erial for !e eac!er: one blank %- s!eet of paper per group "lassroom managemen : in pairs " groups #rocedure: #$ (roup students in fours or fives or ask t!em to form pairs$ 2$ 9rite t!is table on t!e board$ %sk t!em to tell you ) items in eac! of t!e categories$ :or e2ample: %ame 6ob %lice ;ane $erb play watc! go &'bjec ( a pen a bunc! of roses trousers #lace on a bus in a drawer under t!e bed Time every nig!t last winter now

)$ 9rite numbers #,2,) randomly ne2t to eac! item$ %ame 6ob 2 %lice ) ;ane # $erb play 2 watc! ) go # &'bjec ( a pen # an armadillo ) trousers 2 #lace on a bus ) in" into a drawer # in a s!op 2 Time every nig!t # last winter 2 now )

-$ 7ow ) sentences can be made: ;ane goes into a drawer every nig!t$ (all number # 6ob played wit! trousers in a s!op last winter$(all number 2 %lice is watc!ing an armadillo on a bus now$ (all number ) 5$ 7ow t!e students get toget!er and make t!eir tables$ 'ell t!em to pay attention to t!e concord of verb form and time preposition$ <ne more t!ing t!ey s!ould be careful about is t!e necessity of an ob&ect (intransitive verbs do not !ave an ob&ect , but t!ey are allowed to add prepositions if needed (e$g$ play )i ! trousers in number 2 $ $aria ion:

#$ .ou can add or remove categories$ 2$ .ou can practice specific grammar point in t!is way$ )$ +tudents w!o draw well can draw a picture based on t!e sentence made$ '!e ot!er students can try to form a sentence$ %o e: I noticed t!at t!is activity is useful not only w!en practicing specific vocabulary or grammar$ It !elps s!y students speak t!eir own minds, co4operate in a team, boost self4confidence$ %nd everybody !as a good !earty laug!= Maja Hadzic, Belgrade, Serbia

A FOUR-WORD STORY Level: ,lementary + Aim: to revise vocabulary or grammar; to practice word order; to practice fluency Time: #5 minutes or more Language skills: speaking, writing, reading, listening Types of learners: auditory, visual Ma erial: an %5 blank piece of paper for eac! group "lassroom managemen : group work #rocedure: *+ 8ivide t!e class into groups of four or five$ 2$ (ive eac! group an %5 blank piece of paper$ )$ 'ell t!e groups to elect t!e student w!o will start t!e activity$ -$ '!is student writes down an ,nglis! word t!at first comes into !is"!er mind w!en you say 0start0 (it is not association on t!e verb 0start0, but any ,nglis! word !e"s!e can t!ink of at t!at moment $ 5$ '!e student sitting to !is left side writes t!e ne2t word w!ic! comes into !is"!er mind, but w!ic! starts wit! t!e last letter of t!e previous word (e$g$ race elep!ant $ >$ 9!en eac! student !as written a word, t!ey prepare to tell a s!ort story containing words from t!e list$ ,very student in t!e group must say at least one sentence$ $aria ions #$ 8epending on t!e level of knowledge of t!e class, you can !ave students write a story or use t!e words from t!e list in t!eir story in alp!abetical or some ot!er e2act order$ 2$ .ou can give points (e$g$ one point for every word $ +tudents0 attention is at a !ig! level !ere, because t!ey all !ave different words, t!us different stories$ 9!at0s more, advanced students tend to make t!eir stories funny, so you can all !ave a good laug!= )$ 9!en t!e group tells t!eir story, ot!er students try to guess w!at were t!e four initial words$ %o es +tudents can revise some grammar points by using specific elements in t!eir stories (e$g$ use two comparative forms, one past simple and one 1uestion tag $ Maja Hadzic, Belgrade, Serbia AS GOOD AS A NEW COMPARISON Level: ,lementary + Aim: revising 0as$$$as0 comparisons; revising vocabulary; revising ad&ectives

Time: Language skills: Types of learners: auditory, visual, kinest!etic Ma erial: 7one (if you want t!em to write a blank %- s!eet of paper per group " pair $ "lassroom managemen : (roup " pair work$ #rocedure: #$ %sk students to tell you about #0 ad&ectives$ 2$ .ou write t!em on t!e board, in a column$ )$ (roup students into fours or fives or tell t!em to form pairs$ -$ ,ac! group " pair picks one ad&ective$ '!ey make a comparison (e$g$ big 0as big as a plane0 , orally or write t!em down$ 5$ +tudents read only t!e last part of t!e comparison (0as a plane0 $ >$ '!e ot!ers try to guess w!at ad&ective t!ey !ave c!osen$ %o e :or t!e kinest!etic learners you can !ave students act out instead of read " say t!eir sentences$ $aria ions #$ .ou can practice ot!er grammar categories in t!is way (e$g$ )ri e 0I wrote a poem0 in w!ic! case t!ey would read only 0a poem0 $ 2$ .ou can practice r!yming pairs (e$g$ fine 0nine0 $ )$ .ou can practice almost anyt!ing= Maja Hadzic, Belgrade, Serbia EAVESDROPPING Level: ,lementary + Aim: to practice forming sentences; to practice vocabulary or grammar points Time: #5 minutes or more Language skills: speaking, listening, reading, writing Types of learners: auditory Ma erial: none, or you can prepare some sentences before t!e class "lassroom managemen : in pairs " groups #rocedure: #$ 8ivide students in pairs " groups$ 2$ +ay a sentence t!at sounds like taken out of a dialogue, e$g$ 06ut t!is is all I0ve got=0 )$ +tudents make up s!ort dialogues imagining a situation in w!ic! a person mig!t say somet!ing like t!at$ -$ '!ey act " read t!eir dialogues for t!e w!ole class$ $aria ions #$ +tudents can be asked to make up a dialogue concerning specific topic, e$g$ sports$ 2$ +tudents can be asked to make up a dialogue using superlatives, adverbs, ordinal numbers, etc$ Maja Hadzic, Belgrade, Serbia