Total physical response

Activities

1. TPR Storytelling Session.

A TPR story should use a good mix of the students’ native language and the target
language. Especially for beginners, a healthy dose of the students’ native language
might be used, with a peppering of the target language.

And because the story is a vehicle for teaching meaning, repetition of key phrases and
their attending movements are the order of the day. You should really focus on key
phrases you want to teach the class, not the story itself. The plot, the twists and turns of
the story come second to the meaningful and memorable words and phrases you want
your wards to integrate into their long-term memory.

2. Simon Says with a Twist.

A vocabulary-oriented game like Simon Says is analogous to the process that takes
place as children acquire their first language. Adults often give instructions to kids, like
“throw the ball” “come here” or “eat your chicken.” (By virtue of repetition and
validation—and gesturing—children are able to figure out what mommy wanted done.)

In this activity, you organize the class into two groups. You can go boys vs. girls
(always a hit!) or any grouping you want. Each group sends a representative for every
round. They stand at the back of the class, near the wall, with their eyes fixed on you.

You will play “Simon” and come up with creative commands and actions with which
your students would then have to perform. So in a French class you might say, “Sautez
trois fois!” (Jump three times) or “Pleurez!” (cry). The student who gives the correct
response gets to take a step forward towards the “Finish Line.” Reaching the finish line
first wins 1 point for the team. The team who gets 5 points first wins the game.

Not everyone gets to play each time, but spectators will not only get to cheer their team,
they’ll also learn the target language in the process.
Play this game often and you will have natural rivalries arise. And that’s also when the
learning really heats up.

3. The Amazing Race.

Group the class into four or five teams. Each team would ideally be composed of three
to four players. The tasks that you choose to give your students are only limited by your
imagination—but instead of writing out the tasks, give them verbally.

For example, one task can be a “bring me” scenario and you can tell the teams in your
Spanish class to bring you an amarillo (yellow) object. Or you can ask the class to
“gritar” (shout) their favourite colour.

You can, also, go outside the classroom for this activity and have it in the schoolyard.

4. TPR Theatre

This one’s for those a little bit advanced in the target language since “TPR Theatre” has
some improv added into the mix. It is, for all intents and purposes, an impromptu play.
Your role as the teacher is to narrate and move the story forward by telling the
characters in front of the class what they need to do.

5. Action Songs for the Whole Class

6. Mime activities

This one’s all about total physical response. Your poor student has completely lost their
voice! They’ll be assigned a partner who has to determine what they need, but they
can’t say a word. You’ll give them a task or phrase they need to make their partner say.
For example, “You’re looking for your dog.” The mime student must convey this
entirely through their actions, and the partner must guess the target sentence.

This is a great way to test your student’s understanding, as they will have to remember
the vocabulary off the top of their heads. This is also a great activity for large
classrooms, as you can pair off students and have them race for first place.
Sources:

https://bilingua.io/9-total-physical-response-activities-for-language-learning
https://www.fluentu.com/blog/educator/total-physical-response/