Dynamic activities

for teens

Academic consultant:
Brad Bawtinheimer
Self(ie) Interest
• Who ?
• What ?
• When ?
• Where ?
• Why ?

@YOREMAHM
© Cambridge University Press
Workshop goals

To reflect on teenage learning

To learn and practice different games:
• As a warm-up/icebreaker
• For grammar
• For vocabulary
• For skills
• With technology.
© Cambridge University Press
 Ice breaker: think
like a teen
A good teacher... Very much Agree Undecided Disagree Totally
agree disagree
1. Cares a lot about his/her teaching
2. Controls the class firmly
3. Treats his/her students with
fairness and respect
4. Is warm and friendly towards
students
5. Will change the lesson plan and do
something else if that is what ss want
6. Makes sure ss have fun in lessons
7. Gets ss to work hard
8. Always gives interesting lessons
9. Finds time to talk outside the class
10. Is interested in each student as a
person
© Cambridge University Press
Think like a teen:
Results
1. It is important for a
teacher to care a lot
about his/her teaching
VERY MUCH AGREE
Professional commitment
is clearly communicated
through everything we do

Adapted from “A Course in English Language

Teaching” by Penny Ur
© Cambridge University Press
 Think like a teen:
Results
2. A good teacher controls
the class firmly
VERY STRONGLY AGREE
They are relieved if you are
constantly firm with them.
Bossy vs Firm

Adapted from “A Course in English Language

Teaching” by Penny Ur
© Cambridge University Press
 Think like a teen:
Results
3. A good teacher treats
his/her students with fairness
and respect.
VERY STRONGLY AGREE
4. A good teacher is warm and
friendly towards students
UNDECIDED / DISAGREE
It is more important to be
respectful than a friend
Adapted from “A Course in English Language
Teaching” by Penny Ur
© Cambridge University Press
 Think like a teen:
Results
5. A good teacher will
change the LP and do
something else if that is
what ss want.
UNDECIDED / DISAGREE
Adolescents expect you to
make decisions BUT take
their opinions into account
Adapted from “A Course in English Language
Teaching” by Penny Ur
© Cambridge University Press
Think like a teen:
Results
6. A good teacher makes sure
students have fun in lessons.
AGREE
7. A good teacher gets
students to work hard.
VERY MUCH AGREE
Students judge us by how
much they learn from us, not
by how much they enjoy our
lessons. Adapted from “A Course in English Language
Teaching” by Penny Ur
© Cambridge University Press
Think like a teen:
Results
8. A good teacher
always gives
interesting lessons.
VERY MUCH AGREE
But BE REALISTIC

Adapted from “A Course in English Language

Teaching” by Penny Ur
© Cambridge University Press
Think like a teen:
Results
9. A good teacher
finds time to talk
outside the class
AGREE
You have to make
sure students learn
English.

Adapted from “A Course in English Language

Teaching” by Penny Ur
© Cambridge University Press
 Think like a teen:
Results
10. A good teacher is
interested in each student
as a person.
AGREE
They want you to identify
and relate to them, but
not too interested.
BUT It´s dangerous
territory, be careful. Adapted from “A Course in English Language
Teaching” by Penny Ur
© Cambridge University Press
The Teenage Learner

© Cambridge University Press

 Why is it so hard?
• Adolescence is a time
of great changes.
• Characteristics of a
teen:
• usually fast learners,
• moody,
• lacking in concentration,
• dynamic
• aggressive towards the
teacher, try to test limits.
© Cambridge University Press
The beauty of working
with adolescents lies in
understanding, accepting
and guiding them.

© Cambridge University Press

 Why should you
play games?
• Game: an activity which is
entertaining and
engaging, often
challenging in which
learners interact with
each other.
• Games can be used as a
warm-up, additional
practice or as a review.

© Cambridge University Press

 Why should you
play games?
• Students learn through the process
• Games provide a context for engaging practice
• Games provide stimulating ways to practice a variety of skills.
• Students develop connections with the content and form
positive memories of learning
• Games grab students´ attention and actively engage them.

© Cambridge University Press

Some typical
games:
• Bingo
• Pictionary
• Charades
• Simon Says
• Hot Potato
• Chair games

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Activites: warmers and
icebreakers

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 Find someone
who...

Objective: to ask and

answer questions to get
information about their
classmates
• Ask students to find
someone who... Likes
the same food they
do.
• Students stand up and
look for a person
which fits the
statement.
• Variation A: prepare a
handout for students.
© Cambridge University Press
 Question mixer

Objective: to guess
somebody´s character
• Choose a topic: e.g.
authors.
• Ask teens to write
down the name of that
person on a post it.
Monitor to avoid
repetition.
• Ask them to paste it on
a classmate´s back.
• Students can only
answer Yes/No
© Cambridge University Press
questions.
 A matched set

Objective: to get students to

know each other better
• Give students 3-5 individual
post-its. Ask them to write one
fact about them on each of
them.
• Write each students´ name on
the board.
• Ask students to come to your
desk and leave their post-its
(you can choose to put them
on the board or on your desk)
• Ask students to grab 3-5
post-its (not theirs) and put
them under the person´s
name.
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• Go over the results.

Activities for grammar

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 Lawyer

Objective: to review
questions
• Arrange students into a
circle (or close to it).
Explain that no question
can be repeated.
• Begin by pointing at
someone and asking a
question.
• That person must point
at someone else and give
another question.
• DO NOT ANSWER ANY
QUESTIONS.
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 Tic-Tac-Toe

Objective: to Have Can Could

practice/produce/review a
grammar structure.
to
• Divide class into two teams.
• Draw a tic-tac-toe grid on
the board, fill with prompts
of chosen topic. Might May Should
• Students choose a square
• All the students in the team
must provide you with a
sentence using the word (or
tense) in the square for it to May Can´t Should
be marked.
• Variation A: using a ball (can
not not
be a paper ball) students
have to University
© Cambridge hit the Presssquare they
want.
It´s your turn

can could shouldn´t

should can´t have to

don´t have
would may / might
to

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Changing the pace of the
class

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Student’s
Attention Span

During the
first 10-15
minutes of
the class
students
absorb new
information
best.

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Student’s
Attention Span

Student’s
attention
starts to
decline

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Student’s
Attention Span

Their
attention
increases

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 Fruit salad

Objective: to change the pace

of the class, to rearrange
students
• Arrange students in a circle
• Go around the circle
naming students: apple,
pear, banana.
• When you call out
“banana” all the students
who are “bananas” have to
change places; the same
with “apples” and “pears”.
When you call out “fruit
salad” ALL students have
to© change places.
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Activities for vocabulary

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 Board race

Objective: to write as many

words as they can about a
topic. Spelling and legibility
count, set a time limit.
•Divide your class in two
teams.
•Variation A: students make
two lines in front of the WB
•Variation B: students remain
in their places and one person
writes (stealing is allowed)
•Variation C: one by one
students come to the front and
write.
•Variation D (advanced):
students have to write a word
that begins with the same later
the ©last oneUniversity
Cambridge ended. Press
 Lost your voice

Objective: to review
functional language
• Set the scene, one is a
person who is
experiencing problems (a
guest) and the other is a
person who is trying to
solve them (e.g. a
receptionist)
• Set problems. Remind
the “guests” that they
cannot talk.
• Students mime to each
other what their
problem is. Press
© Cambridge University
 Pictionary

Objective: to review vocabulary

and meaning
• On pieces of paper write down
the words for the chosen topic.
• Divide your class into two
teams. Explain that they have to
draw the word on the paper on
the board.
• The teams choose one person
to draw and have a minute to
guess. The other team may
steal points after the time is up.
• Variation A: both teams send
one person to the front.
• Variation B: add papers for
“without lifting marker”, “with
eyes closed”, “with your left
© Cambridge University Press
hand” to increase difficulty.
 I touched your
shoulder

Objective: to review vocabulary and

meaning
• Divide your class into teams of no
more than 10 people.
• Arrange them into circles and
choose a topic. Assign words to
students (e.g. ss A is jiraffe, ss B is
crocodile, ss C is elephant, etc.)
• Choose a person to be in the
centre of the circle. Students give
instructions (crocodile-jiraffe) and
the person in the centre touches
the other person.
• The person whose shoulder was
touched, comes to the centre.
• Instructions can be changed by
the nominated before the
shoulder is touched.
• Before changing places, the last
person to be in the centre has to
give an instruction
© Cambridge University Press BEFORE sitting
down.
 Taboo

Objective: to review
vocabulary and meaning
• Divide your class into
two teams. Students
have to guess the word
that is being described.
• On cards, the word at the
top is the word that has
to be guessed, the rest
are words that can´t be
used when describing
the other words. Miming
and making sounds is not
allowed.
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It´s your turn!

Divide into two teams

Play Taboo!

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Activities for skills

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 Bombing
Questions

Objective: to answer
questions logically
• Choose a student and
ask them to come to the
front. Set the time limit
to one minute.
• Other students start
asking him/her
questions.
• The student has to
answer truthfully and
logically without using
any form of Yes/No.

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 Solving Problems

Objective: to find a
correct answer, activity
for all topics
• Choose a situation
and divide your class
into teams.
• Each team must
solve the problem as
best they can, then
present it to the
class.

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 Story telling

Objective: to write a story

• Divide your class into teams of
about 5 people.
• Write story openings on the
board:
• Once upon a time there was a man
who..
• It was a cold and stormy night when
I heard knocking...
• I was looking for nothing and
found...
• Ask students to complete the
sentence on a piece of paper
and pass it to the right.
• Students then continue the
story and pass it to the right
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again.
 Story telling 2.0

Objective: to write a story

• Ask students to fold a
piece of paper into 8
pieces vertically (like a
fan).
• Everytime they write
they should fold it
backwards and then pass
it to the right.
• Fold 1 (time)
• Fold 2 (place)
• Fold 3 (male character) met
• Fold 4 (female character)
• Fold 5 He said...
• Fold 6 She said...
• Fold 7 The consequence
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was...
• Fold 8 and...
 Guess the movie

Objective: to practice
describing
• Divide your class into
pairs and have them
arrange / sit back to
back. One must be facing
the TV / projector.
• The student facing to the
front is going to describe
what is being shown on
TV.
• Remind students not to
use names, instead
describe the person and
the scene.
© Cambridge UniversityNo
Press sound

should be played.
Your turn!

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Your turn!

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Your turn!

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Your turn!

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Activities with technology

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Basis for using
mobile devices
• Teens already use mobile
technology as part of their
lives
• Set rules for their use: “take
out your phones”, “put them
away”, “no internet”
• Limit mobile phone time
• Ask them to change the
phone´s language to English
© Cambridge University Press
 One-Minute
Mobile
Introductions

Objective: learners
introduce themselves
in one minute
• Students decide
what to share with
their classmates
• Rehearse
• Record
• Present
© Cambridge University Press
 One-Minute
Description

Objective: to describe
pictures
• Ask students to
choose a picture
from their gallery (or
their Instagram) and
sit in pairs
• Student A must
describe the picture
to student B and
they have to guess.
© Cambridge University Press
 Kahoot!

Objective: to answer
online
• Kahoot is an online
tool for any kind of
topic.
• Teachers can create
their own
questionnaires,
surveys

© Cambridge University Press

 Rally

Objective: to foster
cooperative work
• Divide your
classroom into
sections and your
students into
teams
• Each team must
complete each
section before
moving on.
Fastest
• © Cambridge team
University Press wins.
 Example
Team 1
1. Take a body-alphabet picture spelling a word, section 1 and 2
2. Make a photograph sequence of you flying from section 1 to 2

Team 2
1. Record a 1-minute video of a famous movie scene @ section 3
2. Record the same famous movie scene in slow motion @ section 4

Team 3
1. Record a 1-minute video of a famous movie scene @ section 5
2. Record the same movie scene in super speed motion @ section 6

© Cambridge University Press

Useful links

For technology:
https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/learning-e
nglish/games-social/

© Cambridge University Press

Final Questionnaire
In pairs, answer:
1. Why are teens so difficult to teach?
2. How can we improve our classes with
teens?
3. Which activity are you more likely to use in
your classroom? Why?
4. Which activity wouldn´t you use? Why?
© Cambridge University Press
Questions? Comments?

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Thank you!
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To receive an acknowledgement of participation in this session please go
to:
https://es.surveymonkey.com/r/CAMBRIDGEMX

Presenter: Brad Bawtinheimer

Workshop: Dynamic Activities
for teens
Deadline: 00/00/0000