Finding things in common. Tell the class a few things about yourself (I like…, I don’t like, I can …, I have…, etc). Either with a student or your counterpart teacher model finding things in common. For example: “Do you like ice-cream?” “Yes.” “Oh, me too!” and write “ice-cream” on your list of things that are the same. Model the same with “Do you like snakes?” “No.” “Me, either!” You may also want to model how to respond when you and your partner are different (“Oh really?”). Have the students work in pairs for 2 – 3 minutes finding things and writing key words. Change partners and do it again. Wrap up by pairs reporting things in common to the class., Names of five people you know (or places you’ve been, things you own, etc.) Write five people you know (friends and family members) on the board. Let students ask you questions (ex. Who is Jenny? Where does she live? How old is she?). Answer students for a few minutes and then have them write their own list of people. In pairs, have them show their papers and ask questions. Change partners after a few minutes., “I can”. Circle Students form a circle. Start by making a statement (ex. I can ride a bicycle.) The next student in the circle then either says “I can ride a bicycle.” or if they can’t they must say “I can’t ride a bicycle but I can play the piano.” and the direction changes. After, have students work in pairs and remember each other’s skills. They can then ask follow up questions to find out more. You can then have them report to another partner about the first partner., Pictionary or Charades. Have students brainstorm words related to a topic. They write them on slips of paper. Divide the class into teams. Each team has a drawer who runs up to the teacher and looks at the word on the slip of paper drawn. They run back and draw it for their team. The first team to guess it gets a point. The game then continues with a different drawer. Options. 1. Have them mime the word instead of drawing or use a combination of drawing and miming. 2. Give students phrases, expressions, proverbs or simple sentences instead of words, Four pictures. Give students a paper with four squares. Have them draw a quick picture in each square. (Ex. hobby, background, pet peeves, a good day you had recently, favorite activity, etc). Students then get in pairs and guess what each picture is and ask more questions. Options. 1. Change partners several times. 2. After talking with one person, exchange papers and explain the pictures to a new partner., Sell a vacation to your hometown (or a place they’ve been to). Students individually brainstorm and write all of the good things about their hometown or favorite vacation spot. They then talk with a partner and try to convince that person that their spot is ideal. Note that they’ll probably need to ask the other person what type of things they like to do to better ‘sell’ their spot. Students note down the place name and give it a score of (1-10). Students change partners several times. In the end have students share where they would go and why either with a new partner or with the class. Note they cannot choose their own spot., Find someone who. Make a list of find someone who statements. Ex. Find someone who can play the piano. Find someone who has been to Europe. Have students read through the questions individually and note their own answers. Clarify any unknown vocabulary. Then have students move around the room asking their classmates Ex. Can you play the piano? Have you been to Europe? Have them write the name of classmates that say “Yes.” Later, have them sit in groups and ask more follow up questions about “yes” answers. Option. 1. Make it a competition to see who can get the most names. 2. Limit the interaction so that each person can only write another student’s name once., Proverbs/Quotations. Write some proverbs or quotations on pieces of paper and put them in the center of the room. Have students come up and choose one. Have them talk to a partner about what it means, whether they think it is true, and examples of it from their own lives. Option. 1. Provide some individual think time for students to write. 2. Choose proverbs that relate to a particular theme. 3. Do the same with famous quotations (www.quotegarden.com)., Ranking/Prioritizing. Choose a topic and then give students a list of things/qualities that they might value. Have them rank them and explain their choices. (Ex. What do you look for in a job? What qualities are most important in a spouse? Deciding which country to go to?). Students should be encouraged to justify their answers. (Option: report to another student how you and your first partner were similar or different), Would you rather... Give students a list of “Would you rather…?” questions, such as “Would you rather live by the ocean or in the mountains?” or “Would you rather be able to fly or be invisible?” Have students work in pairs or small groups to take turns asking and answering the questions, giving reasons for their choices. Encourage the use of connectors like “because,” “but,” and “so” to explain their opinions. After a few rounds, have groups share interesting answers or disagreements with the class. Option. 1. Have students create their own “Would you rather…?” questions. 2. Turn it into a movement game where students move to different sides of the room depending on their answer., Category Race. Write 4–6 category words on the board (e.g., animals, countries, things in a kitchen, hobbies). Put students into teams of 3–4 and have them list as many words as they can under each category in 3–4 minutes. Then, go over answers together, awarding 1 point per correct word that no other team wrote. Option. 1. Add a letter constraint: all words must begin with the same letter. 2. Give bonus points for longer or more unusual words., What’s in the Bag? Place 3–5 small classroom objects (or printed images) in a bag. One student pulls out an item without showing it and describes it to the group without naming it. The others guess what it is. Rotate roles so each student gets a turn. Option. 1. Use only vocabulary from a recent unit. 2. Allow yes/no questions from the group to guess more actively., Picture Dictation. Pair students and give one of them a simple image (or let them draw one). That student describes the picture while the other listens and draws it based only on the description. After a few minutes, they compare pictures and switch roles. Option. 1. Focus on prepositions of place and descriptive language. 2. Turn it into a team competition for most accurate drawing., Minimal Pair Mingle. Prepare a set of minimal pairs (e.g., ship/sheep, bit/beat, pen/pan). Give each student a card with one word from a pair. Students must mingle and find their “sound partner” by saying their word and listening carefully to others. Once everyone has found a match, they practice saying the pair together. Option. 1. After matching, have pairs create a short sentence with each word. 2. Use pairs that practice a sound contrast relevant to your learners' L1. Minimal pair suggestion: bit & beat, ship & sheep, cat & cut, bat & but, bad & bat, zip & sip, think & sink, thick & tick, wine & vine, ship & chip, van & fan, seat & sit,, Pronunciation Basketball. Choose 5–10 target words or sounds (e.g., /θ/, word stress, or intonation patterns). Students take turns “shooting” by tossing a ball (or paper wad) into a bin—but they must first pronounce a target word correctly. If correct, they get a chance to shoot for points. Classmates can act as judges or coaches. Option. 1. Use words that review recent vocabulary. 2. Let students take turns leading the game and modeling pronunciation., Four Corners. Before the activity, prepare four clearly labeled areas in the room—each corner with a word, image, or number representing a response choice. Pose a reflective prompt or statement related to your lesson topic, and ask participants to think about it silently. Then display the four response options (on a slide, poster, or cards) and invite everyone to move to the corner that best matches their answer. Once in their groups, participants share with each other why they chose that corner, discussing their reasoning and listening to different perspectives. After a few minutes of small‑group sharing, reconvene the whole group and debrief by asking volunteers from each corner to explain their choice, or comment on what they noticed about group sizes and reactions. Option. 1. Use images or emojis instead of words to simplify or adapt for language learners. 2. Turn it into a debate by having opposing corners defend their views or ask questions of other corners., Give One, Get One, Move On (Go, Go, Mo). Give students a prompt and have them write down 1–2 ideas, answers, or experiences related to the topic. Then have students stand up, find a partner, and share one thing from their list while listening to and receiving one idea from their partner. After both students have given and gotten an idea, they say thank you and move on to find a new partner, repeating the process. Continue for several rounds so students collect a range of ideas and perspectives. The activity ends with a whole-group reflection or brief share-out. Option. 1. Use it to exchange vocabulary, strategies, or personal examples. 2. Challenge students to speak to at least five different classmates before sitting down. , One-Word Whip Around. Pose a reflective question or prompt related to the topic or experience (e.g., “What’s one word that describes how you’re feeling right now?” or “One word that stood out to you from today’s lesson?”). Give students a moment to think silently, then go around the room and have each person say just one word aloud, without explanation or discussion. Everyone listens respectfully to each word shared, creating a quick group check-in or reflection. Option. 1. Write all the words on the board or a shared document as they are said. 2. Use it at the beginning for emotional check-ins or at the end for summarizing learning., We See You. Give each student a blank sheet of paper and help them tape it to their back. Then have students walk around the room and write short, positive comments on each other’s papers—things they appreciate, admire, or enjoy about that person. Remind students that their comments should be kind, specific if possible, and anonymous. After everyone has had a chance to write on several papers, students remove the papers and quietly read the messages written about them. Option. 1. Instead of taping papers, prepare a sheet for each student with a hand mirror drawing and their name at the top. Pass the sheets around for everyone to write what they “see” in that person., Hot Seat. Place one student in a chair facing away from the board (the “hot seat”). Write a vocabulary word on the board behind them. The rest of the class gives clues—definitions, synonyms, gestures, or example sentences—without saying the word itself. The student in the hot seat tries to guess the word. Rotate students through the hot seat for several rounds. Option. 1. Divide into teams and give points for correct guesses. 2. Use only recently learned vocabulary for focused review., Slap the Word. Write vocabulary words randomly on the board or on large pieces of paper spread out on a table or wall. Divide students into two teams. Say a definition or synonym out loud, and the first student from each team to slap the correct word wins a point for their team. Option. 1. Use flyswatters or soft props to make it more fun. 2. Let students take turns giving the clues instead of the teacher., Speed Chat. Set a timer for 1–2 minutes. Pair students and give them a simple, open-ended topic (e.g., “your favorite food,” “a trip,” “school memories”). One student speaks nonstop for the full time while the other listens—no interrupting, no helping. Then they switch roles with a new topic. Encourage fluency over accuracy. Option. 1. Let students choose their topics from a prepared list. 2. Use a “random topic spinner” to increase energy and surprise., Word Tennis. Put students in pairs. Give them a category (e.g., animals, things in a kitchen, emotions). They take turns saying one word from that category back and forth like a tennis rally. If someone hesitates too long or repeats a word, they lose the point. Switch partners and play again with a new category. Option. 1. Play in teams and keep score. 2. Add a rule: words must begin with the last letter of the previous word., Dice Grammar Challenge. Write 6 sentence starters on the board (e.g., "If I had a million dollars...") and number them 1–6. A student rolls a die and must complete the sentence using the correct grammar structure (e.g., second conditional). Keep going around the class rapidly to maintain energy. Option. 1. Give bonus points for creativity or humor. 2. Use two dice—one for a subject and one for a verb tense. (If you don’t have a die, you could use https://spinthewheel.io/random-number-1-6), Chain Sentences. Start with a simple sentence, and go around the room adding to it one word or phrase at a time, keeping grammar rules in mind. Example: “I” → “I went” → “I went to” → “I went to the beach” → “I went to the beach because…” Each student must listen carefully and extend the sentence using proper grammar. Option. 1. Set a grammar target (e.g., conditionals, past continuous). 2. Have teams build and write the longest correct sentence they can in a few minutes., Running Dictation. Tape a short text on the wall across the room. One student runs, reads, and memorizes a line, then runs back to dictate it to their partner, who writes it down. Switch roles every few lines. When finished, they compare with the original and correct mistakes. Option. 1. Use a dialogue and have students perform it after writing. 2. Use a jigsaw format where different pairs reconstruct different parts of a story., Picture Story. Give students a series of 3–5 pictures (or draw simple stick figures on the board) and ask them to create and tell a story using target grammar (e.g., past simple, past continuous). They can work in pairs or small groups, then share aloud or write a few key sentences. Option. 1. Provide a word bank to support lower levels. 2. Let students reorder jumbled pictures before telling the story., Sentence Scramble. Prepare sentences with the target grammar structure and cut them into individual words. In small groups, students race to reconstruct the sentences correctly. This helps reinforce word order and grammar structure. Option. 1. After assembling, have students read and explain each sentence. 2. Make it more challenging by including a few distractor words..

Fluency Activities - Examples

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