ESL ACTIVITIES Alphabet Writing Relay Divide and line up the students into two teams.

Divide the board into two halves and have one student from each team run to the board, write 'A', then run to the back of the line. The next student writes 'B', etc. The first team to finish wins. Alphabet Erase relay As 'Alphabet Writing Relay', but this time, write the alphabet on each half of the board and have each team race to erase the letters in order. Charades Divide and line up the class into two teams. The first student from each team comes to the front. The teacher whispers a word or shows a flashcard to the two students and they act it out. The first team to call out the correct word gets a point. E.g. sleeping, eating, playing soccer... Conversation Relay Line up the students in two teams and have the last student in each team tap the shoulder of the student in front and have a conversation E.g. "What's you name?", "How are you?". The student answering then starts the same conversation with the student in front, and so on. When the conversation reaches the front, the student at the front must run to the back and continue the procedure. The first team to get all the students back in their original positions wins. Crazy Train Students line up behind the teacher in a choo choo train line. Give commands such as "faster", "slower", "turn left", and "stop". Gestures Use western gestures in your class. Expressions Gestures Hello Goodbye It's cold It's hot No! Come here Me! OK wave wave put arms around shoulders fan your face with hands shake your head "no" move your index finger Touch your chest make the OK sign

I don't know pull shoulders and hands up Shhhh Stop Stand up Sit down index finger in front of mouth hand up, palm out raise hand slightly, palm up lower hand slightly, palm down

Jeopardy Make a jeopardy grid on the white board as follows: Jeopardy Fruit Sports Animals Body 10 20 30 40 50 _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______ _______

Listen and Order Put the students into pairs and give them number cards (1-10). Call out numbers (out of order) and have the students put their cards in that order. When finished, have the students chant the numbers in the order you gave them. Magic Finger Print a letter of the alphabet on the board. Instruct the students to stand and face the board. Raise your 'magic finger' and trace the letter in the air. Be silly and use other parts of your body to trace the letter, e.g. elbow, foot, nose, tongue. On My Back Line up the students in two teams and have them face the front. Show an alphabet flashcard to the student at the back of each line and have them use their finger to draw the letter on the back of the student in front. The next student draws on the next student and so on. The student at the front of each line then writes the letter on the board. Pass The Secret Have the students sit in a circle. Show them that they have to whisper to the person next to them. Start the secret by whispering it to the student next to you, e.g. "It's Windy." Have the students pass the secret around the circle. The last student says the secret out loud. Compare how close it

is to the original secret. If necessary, write the original secret on the board. Quick Peek Cover a flashcard and quickly show it so the students get just a quick peek. Reward the student who can guess it correctly. Run And Get It Divide the class into two teams and have them stand in two lines facing each other. Assign each team member a number from one to four. Place a few flashcards in the middle of the two teams. Call a number and a flashcard, e.g. "Student three - rabbit". The students assigned that number must run into the center and touch the flashcard and shout "rabbit". The member who touched and called first can take the flashcard to their side. Scrabble Write a selection of letters on the board. Explain to the students that they have to make up as many words as possible from the given letters. Model one or two examples on the board for them. Give them a time limit. Ship In The Fog Make an obstacle course, put a blindfold on a student and have the other students verbally help him or her through the course. For example: Take 2 steps, turn left, one small step, etc. Simon Says Play Simon Says as a review using "touch" body parts, classroom objects, etc., or with actions. E.g. "Simon says touch your toes" = Students touch their toes. "Touch your eyes" = Students don't move. When a student makes a mistake, he/she must sit out until the next round. Spelling Bee This can be done with the whole class or in two teams. The first player on team one is given a word to spell orally. The teacher writes the letters on the board as they are spelled out loud. If correct, the team gets a point. If you do a class competition, line the students up and give them words one by one. When they make a mistake they must sit down. The last student standing is the winner. Spelling Game Put a name or word on the board and have teams or individuals make as many words as possible from those letters, e.g. Brad Pitt = bat, rat, bad, at, etc.

Tongue Twisters Use these tongue twisters with older students. They work well as an extension activity. 1) She sells seashells by the seashore. 2) Rubber baby buggy bumpers. 3) Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. 4) How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? Topic Tag Give a topic, e.g. fruit. The students must run around the room trying to avoid the teacher's tag. If the student is tagged, he/she has five seconds to name a fruit. If no fruit can be named or the fruit has already been said, that student should sit out until the next round. What Time Is It, Mr. Wolf? Have the students line up against the back wall. The teacher should stand with his/her back turned to the class. The students must ask the teacher "What time is it, Mr. Wolf (or teacher's name if easier)?". The teacher answers with a random time, e.g. "It's four o'clock" - the students take four steps toward the teacher. The students should move the corresponding number of steps. If the teacher says "It's lunch time!", the students must run to safety at the back wall. The teacher chases the students and if tagged, the student must sit out until the next round.

SONGS / NURSERY RHYMES Brother John Are you sleeping, Are you sleeping? Brother John, Brother John? Morning bells are ringing, Morning bells are ringing. Ding Ding Dong, Ding Ding Dong.

Hickory Dickory Dock Hickory dickory dock, The mouse ran up the clock. The clock struck one, The mouse ran down, Hickory dickory dock.

Five Little Monkeys Five little monkeys jumping on the bed, One fell off and bumped his head. Mama called the Doctor and the Doctor said, "No more monkeys jumping on the bed!" Four little monkeys jumping on the bed, One fell off and bumped her head. Papa called the Doctor and the Doctor said, "No more monkeys jumping on the bed!" Three little monkeys jumping on the bed, One fell off and bumped his head. Mama called the Doctor and the Doctor said, "No more monkeys jumping on the bed!" Two little monkeys jumping on the bed,

One fell off and bumped her head. Papa called the Doctor and the Doctor said, "No more monkeys jumping on the bed!" One little monkey jumping on the bed, He fell off and bumped his head. Mama called the Doctor and the Doctor said, "Put those monkeys straight to bed!"

Itsy Bitsy Spider The itsy bitsy spider Climbed up the waterspout Down came the rain And washed the spider out. Out came the sun And dried up all the rain So the itsy-bitsy spider Climbed up the spout again!

The more we get together (sung to "Have you ever seen a lassie?") The more we get together, together, together, the more we get together, the happier we'll be. 'Cause your friend are my friends, and my friends are your friends, the more we get together the happier we'll be!

Ten little Indians

One little, two little, three little Indians Four little, five little, six little Indians Seven little, eight little, nine little Indians Ten little Indian boys. Ten little, nine little, eight little Indians Seven little, six little, five little Indians Four little, three little, two little Indians One little Indian boy.

London Bridge is falling down London Bridge is falling down, Falling down, falling down. London Bridge is falling down, My fair lady. Build it up with iron bars, Iron bars, iron bars, Build it up with iron bars, My fair lady. Iron bars will bend and break, Bend and break, bend and break, Iron bars will bend and break, My fair lady. Build it up with gold and silver, Gold and silver, gold and silver, Build it up with gold and silver, My fair lady.