LESSON 3.

VOCABULARY AND STRUCTURE ACTIVITIES

We’ve already seen what makes a complete lesson plan and what different
types of syllabus are there according to the different learning purposes, levels
and ages.

We also described some of the aspects of a complete communicative activity

for fluency or topic activity.

Now we’ll see what a complete and communicative structure and vocabulary
activity is and how to create them from scratch.

As with topic activities, the more interesting the target language practice is,
the better. In this unit we will also look at some fun games and strategies to
make the activities engaging and amusing.

Finally, we will look at how activities can change according to the specific
purposes of a course. We’ll look at how to write activities for specific purposes
in an engaging and practical way.

CHARACTERISTICS AND PREPARATION OF VOCABULARY ACTIVITIES

Vocabulary activities supply the learners with new lexicon in English, they
provide all the necessary new words and expressions that allow the learners
to broaden their communicative competence. Activities targeted at enriching
students’ vocabulary are not to be confused with learning just lists of words of
the same kind. Learning vocabulary is continuously achieved through
communication in English in general and any kind of activity in particular, but it
is through the vocabulary activities that you specifically focus your attention
on acquiring new lexicon.
When writing vocabulary activities you would like to simplify grammar up to
the extent that it is not an issue for the students. Usually grammar structures
that are used in vocabulary activities are already familiar for the level. That
way both your attention and the attention of your students will be on the new
target language – the right vocabulary with its right pronunciation – and not or
new vocabulary and new grammar structures.

Objectives of vocabulary activities  

When creating a vocabulary activity it is important to always start with the

objective in mind. What is the purpose of the activity? What semantic field are
you dealing with? What level is the activity for? What age? The answer to
these questions will constitute the objective of your activity.

The objective of an activity is a short summary of the learning goals you are
targeting and the means you are using to achieve it.

E.g. your objectives for a vocabulary activity about Outdoor activities can be
something like “Introducing outdoor activities through a fun test and practicing
new target language through a competition game. At the end of this activity
learners will be able to describe what they do in their free time outdoors”.

The objective has to include the what and how to achieving the concrete
learning goal. State also the learning outcomes you expect the students to
achieve through this activity.

Consistency with the issue, the level and the age  

No matter what method you apply, a good activity should be consistent with
the issue it is about. Of course it also has to be consistent to the level and
age group it targets.

Make sure you understand well the issue and subissue your activity is about.
If your not familiar with the vocabulary belonging to it, research beforehand.
The internet is a good resource for vocabulary organized around semantic
fields. This is especially important when you create activities for specific
purposes, as we will see in the part of the unit dedicated to it.

Introduction of the vocabulary activity  

The introduction of the vocabulary activity has to include questions referring to

the issue. What will arise interest for your students? Provide an engaging
information containing some target language items. That way you can check
the previous knowledge of the students about the subject you are about to
introduce.

Activating the target language  

How can you activate students’ usage of the vocabulary target language?
Your first choice has to be the means to provide good practice of it and not
limit the activity to remembering a series of words which you will introduce by
asking “What is this word?” Forget about the “What is this word?” question for
something you ask occasionally and substitute it by some well thought
questions and practices that would assure the learners using the TL you’ve
selected.

The means of activating vocabulary activities TL can be through:

- Questions containing the TL to be answered using the TL
- A word game containing the TL
- A short story including TL items
- Board games
- Role plays
- Situation games
- Total physical response games (motion games)
- Poems, tongue twisters and songs
- Pictures and images
- Etc.
When writing an activity, keep instructions straight to the point and simple.
This will make them user-friendly.
Mind the layout and presentation of your activity. Bullet points and other
markers are used to bring easiness of reading.

Remember: a good activity is the one which you can read and
understand easily in 30 seconds!

Always provide examples in use of your TL.

You can split the activity part into two sections: one for a guided practice and
another one for a freer usage.

If you are going to include questions or visual stimuli, make sure you have
enough examples for all the participants of the class. We recommend
including between 8 to 10 different questions or visual stimuli which you can
eventually repeat with the students.

We learn better if learning is fun! No matter what our age is, try to make the
activities fun through a game. There are loads of examples of word games or
board games you can use from the net. All text books include them as well in
their resource packs.

Grammar doesn’t have to over complicate understanding the context, no

matter what level the vocabulary activity is for.

Concept checking  

Any teaching and learning process has to finish with checking the learning
outcomes after the learning process. Concept checking is of extreme
importance before finishing the activity. It has to be conducted through a
series of questions that imply the learners using the new TL actively. You can
do this through:
- Asking for a definition
- Asking for the opposite
- Asking for a description
- Asking to continue the sentence
- Asking to use the TL in context
- Asking for an example
- Asking the student to make a question to a class mate
- Etc.

Wrap up  

The wrap us is the last part of the activity, the one that you do before you
move on to the next one of the class or you finish your lesson plan. It has to
include a summary of what was done in the activity. You can use it to
reinforce some important concepts and again, check knowledge or
pronunciation.
Target language  

The target language is the part of the activity that you first start considering
when starting to create an activity. According to educational psychologists, the
average new items we can learn in one go is around 8, so usually this is the
number of target language items that we include in an activity.

The target language has to be relevant for the level. High level students don’t
need to be stressed words such as president, government, interesting,
exciting, etc. as even though they are long words, they are by no means
difficult enough (semantic or pronunciation wise) for this level of learning.

Target language has to exemplified in its most common context. That way
students will easily remember and associate the context to the TL item. It
helps the learning process by relating the word in its most common context.

Defining the TL has to do again with the level. The simpler the definition, the
better. Avoid long dictionary definitions. Even though they are precise and
accurate, they are not always clear enough. Instead, use synonyms or
antonyms or your own words to describe or define the TL. Context is again a
great ally for you to explain a word. Learners usually guess and remember
words put in their most common contexts.

Examples help students deduct meaning by context, so always make sure

you don’t skip them and have many at hand.

A good online resource for easy definitions is http://www.wordsmyth.net,

which includes easy definitions for children and beginners.

For low levels remember the golden rule that an image is worth a thousand
words. Go for images whenever the TL is a concrete object, or whenever the
idea of the TL can be easily shown in an image or a picture.

If your target language is recorded in a loud and clear way, students will be
able to play the pronunciation as many times as necessary and improve their
pronunciation in an effortless way. If you don’t have a recording program,
have a look at free audio recording programmes online. We recommend that
you use this one: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/

Finally, before finishing, check your spelling and punctuation. Run a spell
check to avoid typos and wrong punctuation. It is very embarrassing if it is
your student who discovers a typo or a mistake in spelling or punctuation.

Attachments  

Usually we use attachments to illustrate our examples and to activate the TL

usage in an activity. A good attachment grants the successful of the activity.
With a little bit of an experience you’ll be able to teach only using the
attachment, if it has a good and clear layout.
Attachments refer to activities and their link has to be made clear for the
teachers. Use the header of the word doc to insert the type and title of your
activity, e.g.
VOCABULARY_Do if yourself.

Here are some reflexions referring to the clarity of the layout:

- Use tables to insert your pictures there
- Center the pictures and make them have the same size
- Mind that sometimes you will print black and white; the pictures
have to be good in black and white too
- For texts, use labels or a table too and a font which is at least 16 pt
- If you have a matching activity, distribute rows equally so that, when
cutting, the students don’t guess the matches by the size of the
labels
- Use capital letters to highlight he TL in the texts or situations. This
will help the students identify them easily

Don’t use gap fill activities. They are not communicative.

Vocabulary Activities’ checklist  

We recommend the following features for a complete and

communicative vocabulary activity:

Objective:

• Corresponds to Issue & Subissue

• Refers to what the student will know and/or will be able to do after
completing the activity
• Describes the means to achieve the goals

Intro:
• Includes questions that somehow refer to the Issue
• Arise interest in the unknown vocabulary

Activity:
• Instructions are simple
• Has markers which use is consistent and teacher-friendly (e.g. numbers for
instructions and hyphens for questions directed to students)
• Has examples to clarify instructions (key for teacher if relevant)
• Includes study & practice of target language: is divided in at least two parts
that are progressively harder and at least one aims at the students
practicing the target language in a free form
• Has enough questions/stimuli for 10 students to participate
• Include engaging and fun part.
1. Explanations of target language are very clear and in context
2. There’s an active practice of vocabulary words (which belong to the stated
semantic field in the Subissue)
3. Grammar doesn’t over complicate understanding the context
4. Include Concept Check questions for the students
5. OPTIONAL: include a video url link for additional practice (not to base the
activity on the video; the video should be an extra element)

Wrap up:
• Refers to target language (what was taught in the activity)
• Doesn’t introduce new info; only extra practice and concept checking
questions

Target language:
• Maximum 8 words
• Includes all words in the activity that are relevant for the level
• Definitions are simple and clear
• Examples help students deduct meaning by context
• Audio
• Image if relevant for word
• Spelling and punctuation: spell check to avoid typos and wrong spelling and
punctuation.

Attachments:
• Top-left header: VOCABULARY_Title
• Pictures and word lists are included in tables (pictures are centered,
maximum 2 columns wide; lists maximum 4 columns)
• Pictures are good quality and are clear enough in black and white
• Font is at least 16pt and preferably serif (easier to read)
• If matching activity: rows are distributed equally
• Target language in bold

CONCEPT CHECK QUESTIONS  

• The objective of Vocabulary activities is:

Students to learn lists of new vocabulary
Students to say something meaningful
Students to enrich and practice their lexicon through targeted
activities for that purpose
•
• Vocabulary activities need to be prepared according to:
Sstudents' preferences
The issue and subissue of the given semantic field which is
previously established in the course syllabus (OK)
The teachers' criteria
•
• Concept checking of the vocabulary items has to be done:
Every time we introduce new target language (OK)
Only when we think students haven't acquired it properly
Once in a while
•
• The number of target language items is determined according to the
following principles:
 The more the better
Number is irrelevant, it is the quality what matters
The target language is a consequence of our learning goals and
objectives and is established according to the activity content.

Unit  3.2  Structure  Activities  

CHARACTERISTICS AND PREPARATION OF STRUCTURE ACTIVITIES

Structures activities build accuracy in students’ communicative skills. It is not

just words what students are learning when acquiring a second language.
Unless words are dressed up in structures, their knowledge has a little
practical effect when communicating. It is worth focusing then on how to
produce good activities for structures accuracy.
Following with the idea of one new thing at a time, when creating structures
activities, we base them on an already familiar vocabulary. If the vocabulary is
known, the students will focus better on the complexities of the new structure
and will not have to worry about understanding too many different things at a
time.

We will go through the different parts of the structures activities and how to
produce successful and communicative ones without boring the students.

Objectives of the structures activities  

As in vocabulary activities, it is imperative that you don’t deviate from the
issue and subissue of the structure. If you are not quite certain about a
structure, you’d rather check what it consists on in a reference book or online.
Make sure you understand its usage, function and formation. Only that way
you’ll be able to prepare a good activity about it.

Describe in a concise way the learning goals you target and the means to
achieve them. State the learning outcomes you expect to have from students
on the activity’s completion.

Introducing new structures  

Base your introduction on a question containing a structure the students
already know and then introduce the new structure.

For instance, if you want to teach the future tense to low level students, make
sure you start with something that happened in present. That way you
establish a parallel between them and introduce the new structure in a logical
way.

Don’t throw a question using the new structure. Instead, write an example that
models the new structure first, then ask a question to be answered in a similar
way, using it.

• E.g. I go to the cinema every week.

Next week I will watch ... film.
What will you do next week?

Provide several examples of how the structure works (structure in use).

You might want to provide a brief and functional explanations for it.
• E.g. We use I will to talk about future events.

You can also test prior knowledge asking some concept check questions that
will give you the clue whether the students are already familiar with the
structure.

Avoid technical grammar terms and find a functional explanation of the

structure.
• E.g. In order to express ..., we use ...

Don’t announce the structure, elicit it.

• E.g. Instead of “Now we are going to learn the future with will” choose an
engaging to introduce your activity.

Activating new structures  

As in vocabulary activities, make instructions simple and clear. This will help
with the level of difficulty and will make the activity teacher friendly.

Provide a brief explanation of the structure for the teacher, if necessary (we
do that with more complex and less common structures, such as the passive
voice, subjunctive, inversion, etc.)

Simplify vocabulary to the already known items so that they don’t over
complicate the structure content acquisition.

Again, you can include two parts of the activity, one for a guided practice and
another one for freer usage of the structure. The activity for freer usage can
be again a game.

When including questions, make sure there are enough examples for 8-10
students. Provide the answers or key for the teacher if necessary.

Engage the students. Grammar shouldn’t be boring. Find the way to make the
activity interesting and fun through a competition or including interesting facts.
Concept checking structures awareness  

Concept check questions are absolutely necessary for structures activity

before finish off. One per student is enough to check understanding, so
provide some phrases for that purpose.
Wrap up  
Make a brief summary of what was learnt stressing important functions and
usage.
Target language  
Model the structure in affirmative, negative and interrogative, whenever
necessary (e.g. for tenses).
The formula of the structure has to be present in your TL, but also some
interesting vocabulary if there is a text or a game.

Definitions, examples, audio and images are to be provided according to the

structure you want to illustrate.
For low levels, examples have to be graded and language should be
presented in its most common context.

Attachments  
Your attachment’s header should have the following indication:
STRUCTURES_Title
Don’t write the structure on the attachment, do it in the TL section.
Use a lot of pictures to practice the structure.
Don’t use gap fill activities. They are not communicative.

Here are some reflexions referring to the clarity of the layout:

- Use tables to insert your pictures there
- Center the pictures and make them have the same size
- Mind that sometimes you will print black and white; the pictures
have to be good in black and white too
- For texts, use labels or a table too and a font which is at least 16 pt
- If you have a matching activity, distribute rows equally so that, when
cutting, the students don’t guess the matches by the size of the
labels
- Use capital letters to highlight he TL in the texts or situations. This
will help the students identify them easily

Structures Activities’ checklist

We recommend the following features for a complete and

communicative STRUCTURE activity:

Objective:

• Corresponds to Issue & Subissue

• Refers to what the student will know and/or will be able to do after
completing the activity
• Describes the means to achieve the goal of the activity

Intro:

 Gives examples of how to use the structure

  Tests prior knowledge asking questions about the use of the structure
in context

 Avoids technical grammar terms/definitions

Activity:
• Instructions are simple
• Has markers which use is consistent and teacher-friendly (e.g. numbers for
instructions and hyphens for questions directed to students)
• Has examples to clarify instructions (key for teacher if relevant)
• Includes study & practice of target language: is divided in at least two parts
that are progressively harder and at least one aims at the students
practicing the target language in a free form
• Has enough questions/stimuli for 10 students to participate
• Include engaging and fun part.

• Simple vocabulary; simplifies other structures that are not object of teaching
(e.g. don’t mix tenses in low level activities)
• Considers difficulties that students might have related to issue & subissue
(e.g. regular and irregular verbs/plurals;
• As structures seem more boring, include an engaging part: a game or some
practice to have fun
• Include Concept Check questions for the students
• OPTIONAL: include a video url link for additional practice (not to base the
activity on the video; the video should be an extra element)

Wrap up:
• Refers to target language (what was taught in the activity)
• Doesn’t introduce new info; only extra practice and concept checking
questions

Target language:
• Maximum 8 words
• Includes all words in the activity that are relevant for the level
• Definitions are simple and clear
• Examples help students deduct meaning by context
• Audio
• Image if relevant for word
• Spelling and punctuation: spell check to avoid typos and wrong spelling and
punctuation.

Attachments:
• Top-left header: STRUCTURES_Title
• Pictures and word lists are included in tables (pictures are centered,
maximum 2 columns wide; lists maximum 4 columns)
• Pictures are good quality and are clear enough in black and white
• Font is at least 16pt and preferably serif (easier to read)
• If matching activity: rows are distributed equally
• Target language in bold

Characteristics for creating a complete and communicative vocabulary

and structures activity (valid for all levels and ages)  

Here is a brief summary of the most important key points to have in mind
when preparing vocabulary and structures activities.

Activities have to be communicative, to the point and teacher friendly. They

have to include clear instructions and a good selection of the appropriate
target language. If you decide to include a text, it should be short, with the TL
highlighted and included on the body of the activity-it is very difficult to read
upside down in the class. Remember the teacher is the one reading; he / she
is the “listening” of the activity.

To the point means to be according to the objective of the class.

Teacher friendly: the instructions will be direct, clear, easy to follow and
including a key to the activities if necessary. It can be very disappointing when
you have to teach an activity and at the same time trying to figure out what the
doer of the activity wanted to write! So, simple instructions and avoid indirect
questions of the type: ask the student if they know who this artist is. Instead:
Who is this artist?

Appropriacy of TL: this means that of course the TL should be according to

the level. TL refers to items of vocabulary and also grammar points. You
won´t be teaching idioms or phrasal verbs in P2 / P3 or teaching parts of the
house in P5.

Last but not least, activities shouldn´t be too long. You can break your activity
down into points and the teacher will decide whether he / she will use one or
all of them. Bear in mind that structure and vocabulary activities are to be
done in 10 to 15 minutes maximum.

CONCEPT CHECK QUESTIONS  

1. Structures activities are aimed at:
Learning and practicing grammar points to work on students'
accuracy
Reminding students that grammar is important
Revising already known structures so that they are fully acquired
2.
3. The best way of practicing structures activities is through:
Gap fil activities with examples from different context for
diversity
Communicative activities that assure good practice of the
structure in context that we target
Activities to translate from L1 to L2 containing the structure that
we target
4.
5. When creating structures activities,…
You have to keep the vocabulary familiar for the students so that
they don't struggle with it.
You can include difficult vocabulary as well and kill two birds
with one stone.
You can include other structures as well so that learning is more
complete.
6.
7. When introducing the structure, make sure:
You provide a good technical explanation of it
You provide a good translation of it
You provide a good functional explanation of it

Unit  3.3  
Games  in  ESL  Material  
USEFUL IDEAS, TIPS AND GAMES FOR CRATING ESL MATERIAL

There is a wide range of games and activities you can choose from to bring to your
class. Make sure the activity / game is appropriate for the level, contains easy,
simple instructions both for the teacher and the students and can be performed in a
short period of time but, above all, make sure it has a purpose!

Activities:
- We are going to analyse some games that can be used when preparing
lessons. - They can be used as a whole activity and /or as part of an activity
and adapted! - Low TTT is at the heart of the games.
1. Memory game:
- T starts off by saying ''Yesterday, I went to the supermarket and I bought an
apple....'' - SS1 then has to repeat and add one of their own: Eg. SS! -
''Yesterday I went to the supermarket and I bought an apple and a lemon...'' -
SS2 repeats and continues: Eg. SS2 ''Yesterday I went to the supermarket
and I bought an apple and a lemon and coffee......'' - Continue until one
person is left at the end. Ask SS:
-Do you think this is a good game? Why yes / why not? Brainstorm.
-What does it help SS to practice?
- How do you think you could adapt this for other levels or activities? E:G: in
the office items, or more specific for higher levels.
It is good for vocabulary activities, to reinforce structures, practise
 pronunciation and activate fluency.

2. Story game:
- Use attachment ''Story game'' containing a list of irregular verbs. - Teacher
starts off a story by saying: ''Jack saw Jill in the cinema.....'' - SS1 has to
continue the story using one of the verbs on the sheet using the past simple of
the irregular verbs - SS2 then continues the story using another of the verbs
on the table. The story has to make sense.
Ask SS:
- What´s this game good for? To practice any grammar tense or structure.
Brainstorm other uses.

3. Drawing:
- SS draws a picture of a beautiful scene (simple picture - beach, forest, street
etc.) - SS1 then has to describe their picture as accurately as possible. - The
other SS draw the picture described as accurately as possible. - Then each
SS takes it in turn to describe their picture. Ask SS:
-Why do they think this a good game? -What level is it good for? P2/P3; it is
good to practice prepositions, as they are describing, also good to practice
adjectives. ie, on the the left there is a big tree, opposite there is a narrow
river, etc.

4. Call My Bluff (Higher levels):

Rules: Split the class into 2 teams. They take it in turns to describe an
obscure word or definition which their opponents will have to correctly identify.
They will have at least two or three different definitions or statements to
choose from. Only one is true. The team guessing correctly wins a point.

Game 1: Laws.
- T gives a card containing the definitions or statements to each team at a
time. E.G.
''In Canada on Sundays it is illegal to-tie a horse to a lamp post, to
feed street dogs, to walk dogs after 6 p.m. ( the first one is the correct)
Game 2: Word Definition.
Same instructions as above but related to word definition. E.G.:
The word Lionize means to treat a person like a celebrity; to treat a
person rudely. (the first one is correct)
**As this game is intended to be used with high level students, challenge them
using difficult words or statements.

 
Unit  3.3  ESP  Activities  
CHARACTERISTICS AND PREPARATION OF ACTIVITIES FOR ESP
(ENGLISH FOR SPECIFIC PURPOSES)

English for Specific Purposes (ESP) is based on designing courses / activities to meet learners’
needs. There is a wide range of possibilities within the ESP field: Business English, English in
Law, Medicine, Administration, Hospitality, etc.

General Characteristics  

The general characteristics are the same as the above mentioned for other
activities. The main difference is that the ESP activities will appear in the
particular context of the specific field they refer to.

It is important to understand that the language, the structures and the main
part of the vocabulary belongs to the so called common English as sometimes
students fail to understand that the basis for any activity for specific purposes
is the same English that they use in any other context.

When preparing ESP activities consider the following aspects:

- The main target language will be specific terminology of the specific
field. Still, you may want to reinforce other important vocabulary from
the common language or interesting structures that appear in certain
contexts (e.g. the passive voice in negotiations, formal language in
front desk language, etc.)
- The context for the situations has to refer to the reality of the
specific field. Thus, our English in Medicine course will have most of
its activities placed in a hospital or at the doctor’s office, while our
English for Law course will have different scenarios: at court, in the
police station, in the lawyer’s office, etc.
- ESP activities can provide also specific knowledge of the field they
refer to, different from the purely linguistic one. Research before
preparing the activity.

How to plan ESP activities  

Some of the most requested courses are those aimed at English for business
so we will mainly focus on them.

The steps to follow when creating an activity for ESP is similar to the rest of
activities designed for General English courses but have in mind the following
points:
1. Most business English or other ESP activities are for high levels P3 and
above.
2. In them we have to provide the context for the specific vocabulary to be
present. That means that most of the activities for specific purposes will
be based on situations taken from the specific field the activity is for.
3. Pick a topic, like: taboos at the workplace, interviews and résumés,
globalism, etc.
4. Think about a possible activity you could do for the topic you choose. Then,
think about target language that will easily flow with your activity.
5. Try to avoid matching words with definitions. It's always better to see what
your students know before putting the definitions in front of them.
6. REMEMBER THAT A BUSINESS TOPIC OR ANOTHER ESL TOPIC IS
 LIKE ANY OTHER TOPIC, BUT TARGETED TOWARDS BUSINESS
TERMS OR BUSINESS ISSUES.
7. If possible try to add pictures or some sort of image.
8. Adding a video is an easy way to make an activity because you can base it
on it and use any ''special'' terminology as target language.
Suggested activity to create in class as a group or in pairs:
-Your topic is on GLOBALISM. (see attachment for ideas) -How will you
introduce this topic to your P4 students? What kind of questions will you ask
them? -What activity can you think of that would be good to talk about
globalism? (i.e. Nike, McDonald's, international company chains, etc.) -What
NEW terms will you teach your ss that they don't already know?
-How will you introduce them to your students? (i.e. in questions)

Other suggested activities:

Although Business English students can be more willing to do boring but useful
topics than most students if they need English for their job, just as often Business
students need the same kind of games as other classes get to help them relax
around their colleagues who are also their classmates, get their energy levels up after
a long working day, etc.

Objectives of ESP activities

The activity has to correspond to the issue and subissue and describe the
learning goals, the expected learning outcomes and the means to achieve
them.

Introduction of ESP activities  

Introduce the context in which the ESP vocabulary will be present. You can
select scenarios that the learners will identify easily from their work
environment.

Make the introduction as engaging as possible.

Include some questions to set the scenario and check the students’
knowledge about the subject you are about to discuss.

ESP activity part  

Many ESP activities are based on case studies. It is a good way of activating
the related TL. Case studies can be used for all possible varieties of ESP
areas: Medicine, Law, Accountancy, Finance, Business, Hospitality industry,
Academic purposes, etc.

Very often activities for business related subjects can include a SWOT
analysis, where the students are encouraged to analysis the Strengths,
Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats of a sample company or product and
relate them to their own experience.
A key for the teacher is even more necessary due to the specific information
that is included in the activity.

Concept check questions  

Conduct is as in the general English activities, with a lot of examples

containing the TL specifically selected for the ESP activity.

Wrap up  

Summarise and conclude as in the general English activities.

Target language  

Bear in mind that TL will be very focused on specific terminology and common
vocabulary used in a different way according to the specific field. Don’t forget
interesting idioms as in business, sports, medicine, law, etc. that have
acquired broader usage.

Attachments  
Attachments of ESP activities follow the same format as the general English
activities but can include more graphs, tables, data analysis and charts.
The header should contain the type of activity and its title, e.g. BUSINESS
VOCABULARY_Coca Cola SWOT analysis.

Some examples of Business English Games  

Emailing appointments race Students send short “emails” written on scraps

of paper to each other to try to make new arrangements, e.g. going for a drink
after work or having a meeting. The person who has made the most new
arrangements in 3-5 minutes is the winner of the game.

Definitions race One student tries to explain a business word or expression

without saying it, any part of it, or any variations on it. For example, if they are
trying to explain “marketing executive”, they can say “The first word is like
sales and the second word is like director”, but they can’t say “market” or
“execute”. When someone guesses what they are trying to define, give points
either by how quickly they explained it or just one point to the person who
explained and the person who guessed.

Describing personal graphs Another fun way to make the language of

trends and describing graphs fun is to get students to describe some real data
about themselves, e.g. the number of CDs in their collection. Their partner
listens, draws the graph and tries to guess what it represents. Other fun graph
topics are height, English level, amount of hair on head, number of hours
sleep etc.

Inventions presentations Presentations is another Business English activity

that is motivating but can finish without any clear conclusion. The best general
tactic is to get students to vote at the end of all the presentations on which of
the ideas from the other teams (they cannot vote for themselves) they
preferred. This activity works best when students are presenting their own
ideas with a little help from the teacher, e.g. being given the photo of a real or
imaginary invention and being asked to imagine what it can be used for and
present their ideas.

ESP Activities’ checklist

We recommend the following features for a complete and

communicative activity for a specific purpose:

Objective:

• Corresponds to Issue & Subissue

• Refers to what the student will know and/or will be able to do after
completing the activity
• Describes the means to achieve the goals and the expected learning
outcomes
• Sets the activity in a common context for the specific field

Intro:

• Sets the scenario for the ESP activity

• Check understanding on the specific matter
• Questions are relevant for the topic and are ordered in such a way in which
conversation could logically progress.
• Introduces the activity arguing its relevance; is engaging.
• No yes/no questions.

Activity:
• Includes relevant data, SWOT analysis, graphs, charts, etc. relevant for the
specific context
• Instructions are simple
• Has markers which use is consistent and teacher-friendly (e.g. numbers for
instructions and hyphens for questions directed to students)
• Has examples to clarify instructions (key for teacher if relevant)
• Includes study & practice of target language: is divided in at least two parts
that are progressively harder and at least one aims at the students
practicing the target language in a free form
• Has enough questions/stimuli for 10 students to participate
• Include engaging and fun part.
• OPTIONAL: include a video url link for additional practice (not to base the
activity on the video; the video should be an extra element)

 No offensive content
 If it includes text:
o Text is also included in teacher’s Activity box and is exactly
 the same as for the students
o In teacher’s text target language is in capital letters
o Maximum 10 lines
o Better if the text is fragmented in bullet points
o No more than 1 target language word in a sentence

Wrap up:
• Refers to the specific target language (what was taught in the activity)
• Doesn’t introduce new info; only extra practice and concept checking
questions

Target language:
• Maximum 8 specific ítems, usually terminology or idioms related to the
specific field
• Includes all words in the activity that are relevant for the level
• Definitions are simple and clear
• Examples help students deduct meaning by context
• Audio
• Image if relevant for word
• Spelling and punctuation: spell check to avoid typos and wrong spelling and
punctuation.

Attachments:
• Top-left header: ESP VOCABULARY_Title
• Pictures and word lists are included in tables (pictures are centered,
maximum 2 columns wide; lists maximum 4 columns)
• Pictures are good quality and are clear enough in black and white
• Font is at least 16pt and preferably serif (easier to read)
• If matching activity: rows are distributed equally
• Target language in bold