This is a speaking activity to practise a variety of language. You can do it anytime during New Opportunities Elementary Module 13 (Volunteers).
Materials: None.
Time: Five minutes per student over a series of class lessons.
Preparation: Find an interesting photo of yourself. For example, it may have been taken at a special event or at a special time in your life. Enlarge it on a photocopy machine or scanner if you can.
Step 1: The best way to explain the activity is to give a demonstration yourself. Hold up your photo then pass it round the class. Talk about the photo. Say who took it, when it was taken, what occasion it was, what you were doing, what you remember about it, how you felt, any other details or interesting information, etc. The talk need only be couple of minutes. At the end of your presentation, the class can ask you questions about the photo and the occasion.
Step 2: Ask the students to find an interesting photo of themselves to use for a class presentation. Decide when students will give their presentations. It’s a good idea to fix a timetable for this, for example, six students in Tuesday’s class, another six in
Thursday’s class, etc.
Note: While a student is giving his/her presentation, ask the others to listen carefully and try to think of a question to ask, for example, “How did you feel?”, “What did you do after that?” etc. Use the opportunity to assess the students’ speaking level.
© Michael Harris, David Mower & Anna Sikorzynska.
Example presentation from a co-author of New Opportunities
In this photo I was about five years old, I think. There was a big shop in the town centre and on the top floor, in the toy department, was Father Christmas. There was an enormous queue of children waiting to talk to him. I think you had to pay some money. I waited patiently and had a word with him. He asked if I was a good boy and what present I wanted for Christmas. I can’t remember what I asked for. He gave me some sweets and a little plastic car. After I saw him, we bought this photo. I told my mum and dad that Father Christmas was called George. They asked me how I knew. I told them that while I was talking to him, a shop assistant gave him a cup of tea and said:
“Here’s your tea, George.”
David Mower
MODULE 13
NOTES FOR THE TEACHER WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO?
With this grammar activity you can revise be going to used for intentions. It can be done after finishing Module 13 of Opportunities Elementary.
Materials
A set of situation cards.
You are sleepy.
You are very hungry.
You have no more classes today.
You are very angry with your brother/sister.
Your dog is sitting in front of the fridge.
You have a maths test tomorrow Your trousers have oily spots on them.
There is nothing to eat at home.
You feel cold.
You feel hot.
It's your best friend's birthday tomorrow.
Your room is a mess.
You feel depressed.
Your little brother/sister is crying.
Time
5 to 10 minutes Step 1
Prepare the situation cards (see Materials).
Step 2
Divide the class into groups of three. Put the situation cards upside down in the middle of the group. Students take turns to draw one and react to the information by saying what they are going to do about it.
Example:
You feel tired.
Æ
I'm going to have a long bath.Alternative
You can do this activity with the whole class if you want control the language students use.
© Michael Harris, David Mower & Anna Sikorzynska.
MODULE 14
14 NOTES FOR TEACHERS
This is a speaking activity in the form of a board game to play in groups. Students have to speak spontaneously and practise a wide variety of grammar and vocabulary they have learned throughout the year. They can play the game after New Opportunities Elementary Module 14 (Shopping)
Materials: One photocopy of the board game per group; a dice and four counters per group.
Time: Thirty minutes.
Preparation: Photocopy the board game (one per group). If you haven’t got dice and counters in school, ask some students to bring in dice to play the game. You can use coins as counters.
Step 1: Divide the class into groups, ideally four students per group.
Step 2: Explain the game. Students take turns to throw the dice. When they land on a square, they have to talk about the topic for an agreed period of time, for example, 15 seconds - the others in the group will time this meticulously! If they stop talking, or repeat themselves, then they miss their next turn. The game continues until one student reaches the last square.
Step 3: Students play the game. While they are playing, walk around and listen. If you wish, use the opportunity to assess your students, or a selected few of them.
Alternatively, you could listen for mistakes which you could go over later in the class;
don’t just be negative, though – point out to the class examples of good English that you heard and praise the students.
Note: Board games are easily prepared for any age or level. They can encourage practice of particular structures or freer speaking practice. Squares could contain sentences with errors for students to correct, or sentences to transform into another structure (e.g. active to passive). Squares can contain simple topics such as ‘My family’
for younger students, or more complex topics such as ‘The drug problem’ for older students, and you can ask students of higher levels to take longer turns.
© Michael Harris, David Mower & Anna Sikorzynska.
MODULE 15
NAME: ___________________________________________ CLASS: _____