Warm+up+Ideas

This page is reserved for warm up ideas. How do you get the class going? What level is this idea suitable for? How could it be modified?
I like using pictures from the "Our Canada" magazine. I will put some on the tables and have the students talking about them. For lower levels, it could be as simple as "I like this picture because...." If you want to extend the activity, you could have the students collaboratively choose one picture and all take turns writing about it. ~ Heather

"Speaking with pennies". Give each student 10 pennies, they walk around the classroom and ask each other questions to get the "Yes" answer. If they get a positive answer, they get to collect the other person's coin. The winner is the student with the most coins. (Level 3) ~Alla

I like "On the Wall Outside" from Zero Prep for beginners. The students have to read and speak clearly while their partners listen and write what they hear. It has best results if they know the purpose before they start or they will copy sentences, help partners write, etc. It can be used for any level depending on the sentences you put outside. ~Lisa

Give one die to each group of 3-4 students. 1 = weather; 2 = sports; 3 = movies; 4 = music; 5 = family; 6 = hobbies. Roll the die and whatever number it lands on is what that person must speak about for 1 minute. It is to promote "small talk". Length of time could be longer for higher level students. ~Heather

I like playing a game called 2 Truths and 1 Lie. On a piece of paper each student writes 3 statements about herself or himself. Two of the statements must be true and one must be false. When all students have their statements prepared, they "mingle".... Walk around and share their 3 statements with one student at a time. Students try to guess which one of the three is a lie. This helps students practice writing, speaking and listening. Also, they learn about each other. ~Ryan

LINC 3: Conversation Line-ups: I like starting the class with line-ups. Students form two lines facing each other. They have one question to ask the person facing them, and to respond to (I vary the question according to the theme I'm teaching, or use the activity to re-connect after a long weekend away). It might be "What kind of work did you do before you came to Canada?" or "What is your idea of a perfect house?" After a couple of pairs have exhausted the topic, or at a set time (like three minutes), I give them a five-second warning, tell them to say "thanks, nice talking" to their partner,a nd then one line moves down while the other line stays put. The student on the end goes to the other end. Now they are facinga new partner and will get a new answer to their question, and a chance to build fluency in their own reply. I love how it gets them talking! We do about five rounds. ~ Anna W.

LINC 3 & 4 Cocktail-party style BINGOS: I like creating social BINGOs for the students. They have to record a classmate's name beside a question or statement that is true about that student. I use it for weekend activities, likes and dislikes, family information, information about their homes (nothing too personal). It gets everyone milling around and talking. The first person to finish two lines gets a reward and the last person has to do some chore like washing the dishes or wiping down the board. That way everyone is motivated to finish the activity even after someone has "won". Note: they can't repeat a classmate's name in the same row, and they have to spell everyone's names correctly to achieve BINGO. ~Anna W

LINC 3& 4 Surveys: I like surveys for warm-ups. Every students is assigned (or devises) one yes/no question or preference question and polls his/her classmates. Once everyone has asked his/her question, they take turns reporting the results to the class (for example, "My question was: which is better for you, to live in a condo or in a mobile home? Six people said a condo, and four said a mobile home."). ~Anna W.

"Blind portraits". I just tried this one with my 4s. I think I got it from English Teaching Professional magazine. Students work in pairs and draw each other's portrait without looking at the paper. It doesn't take much time, doesn't require any prep, but breaks the ice and makes everyone laugh!!! To connect it to English, students compared the portraits, since we were working on Comparative and Superlative adjectives.~Alla

I tried a new one on Friday with my Level 4s and it went quite well. It's called Group Bingo. I'm not sure where it's from, just that it's not from my own head. Each group of 3 or 4 students gets poster paper and a marker. I had drawn grids with 25 squares on the paper prior to class, but of course you could have the students draw the grids and make them 16 or 9 squares. I wrote the vocab words randomly on the board and each group filled in their own bingo card with whichever words they chose (each word being used only once). Then I drew the words out of a pile and said the meaning aloud. The students worked in their groups to find the correct word and mark it with an X. First group with a line won. The students were on their feet, talking, and very engaged. . . and there was no arguing! :-) ~Carol

I used this idea from Anna, who can't recall where it was taken from. In any case, you can start by putting on the board this statement "Writing is just speaking on paper." You can encourage the students to recall what they talk about to their students, what kind of questions they ask, etc. The next time, I said that the students could not talk, but they could ask their classmates questions about their weekend (I used this on a Monday). So, for 15 minutes, everyone just wrote out their "conversation." If the students had questions, I responded with writing. I used it for my Level 3 class and I think it was quite successful. ~ Heather

I tried Heather's "Writing is just speaking on paper" activity with my level 4. I put students in pairs on Monday morning and they had to tell each other about their weekend in writing. Then, I collected students' "conversations" and gave them hints about where their mistakes were. Made copies, so that each student had a copy of their written work and asked them to correct their errors to the best of their knowledge. Next day, when I had a volunteer, I took time with each pair of students and discussed the spots that needed improvement. They loved it very much because they learned a lot from their own mistakes. Thanks, Anna and Heather :-) ~ Alla

"Unscramble". I got the idea from the conference and tried it in class. Write sentences or questions in a mixed order on a sheet of paper. Hang them around your classroom. Step 1: Students walk around, pronounce the words, think about the correct order of words and how to unscramble them correctly. Step 2: Students write them down. Step 3: students share with a partner and correct their sentences if needed. Step 4: check with the class. This activity went well with my Level 2 class. I prepared easy sentences for students who need more time, and more difficult ones for those who need challenge. It was a very interactive and engaging activity.~ Alla