Useful when you've run out of other things to do, perhaps because the main activity went much faster than expected and even having stretched it there is still seven minutes to the end of the lesson

Also useful at the start of a lesson particularly when you are waiting for some latecomer

Mid-lesson as a way of changing the pace Can be quite separate from the surrounding

lesson or they might connect in some way Useful as a chance to recycle vocabulary from

earlier lessons Provide an opportunity to work on activities

that have a 'group-building' aim rather than a purely language aim

Ask students to get up and stand in a circle (yourself included). Throw the ball to a student and say your name. The student who catches it says his/her name and throws it to another student. Do twice. Retrieve the ball, this time call out a student's name and throw. The student who catches it calls out another student's name and throws. Do twice. You can do another round but this time giving a piece of interesting information about yourself, e.g. I'm Jean and Iive lived in Perugia for 2 years... Throw the ball and the next student gives some information...

On the board write "During this course I hope to..." Students are given a couple of minutes alone to continue the sentence and write about their expectations. When they finish, they work in pairs to compare their answers. Finally feedback and common elements are written on the board. Once you know their expectations you're more likely to fulfil them. This will also be useful when planning your lessons.

To revise, introduce articles, adjectives, nouns: I packed my bag for alaska and in my bag I put An apple and a book An apple, a book, and a cup An apple, a book, a cup and a doll Suitable for beginner/elementary levels : go round

the class using all the letters of the alphabet. For higher levels get them to put an adjective of the

same letter in front of the noun... it can get tricky! Beware of wrong collocations!

I packed my bag for alaska and in my bag I put An amazing album An amazing album and a beautiful beret An amazing album, a beautiful beret and a chunky

choker

Introduce it as your neighbour’s cat. ‘My neighbour’s cat is an awful cat’ Write the letters of the alphabet on the

board. Students take it in turns to find adjectives in

alphabetical order. my neighbour’s cat ia an admirable cat my neighbour’s cat is a beautiful cat my neighbour’s cat is a cautious cat my neighbour’s cat is a dangerous cat…… This can be accompanied by clapping a beat. This activity is useful after a writing exercise

where the tempo needs to be changed. Besides its validity on its own merits, it can also be used to recycle vocabulary.

1. Teacher writes 3 statements on the board. Two statements are true and one is not.

Eg: I lived in Spain for a year. I met and spoke to Bon Jovi some years ago. I have 8 nieces and nephews.

2. Participants ask questions to determine which statement is false.

Teacher can only give yes/no answers 3. Students vote on which statement is a lie.

Teacher reveals which are truths and which are lies 4. Small groups repeat steps 1-3 5. Students then introduce each other to the rest

of the class

Use this game to facilitate introductions. Instructions: 1. copy a bingo card for each player 2. players circulate to find group members who match

descriptions in the bingo squares 3. when a match is found, the player writes the name

of the individual in the square. 4. different names must be used in each square. When

a player has filled a row with names, she/he yells “Bingo” 5. with the group, check the squares and identify the

individuals described 6. continue the game for a second round, with the

new goal of filling the entire card 7. when a player has filled the entire card, they yell

“Bingo” 8. check the entire card, identifying group members

matching each description