TELC Module 4 Packet

MODULE 4: Choosing Activities that Work with Large
Classes
Table of Contents
MODULE 4: Choosing Activities that Work with Large Classes......................................................................................1
Module 4 Task 1: Module 4 Overview and Teacher Support Circle Video ....................................................................2
Module 4 Task 2: Module 4 Vocabulary ........................................................................................................................5
Module 4 Task 3: Activities in Your Class (Optional) .....................................................................................................6
Module 4 Task 4: Activities That Work ..........................................................................................................................8
Module 4 Task 5: Activities that Work with No Movement ........................................................................................11
Module 4 Task 6: Activities that Work with Minimal Movement ................................................................................30
Module 4 Task 7: Activities that Work with Some Movement ....................................................................................50
Module 4 Task 8: Project-Based Learning ...................................................................................................................70
Module 4 Task 9: Classroom Activities Quiz ................................................................................................................72
Module 4 Task 10: Teacher Tote Discussion (Optional) ..............................................................................................73
Module 4 Task 11: Module 4 Checklist ........................................................................................................................77
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Module 4 Task 1: Module 4 Overview and Teacher
Support Circle Video
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WELCOME TO MODULE 4
We hope you enjoyed the focus on organizing groups, building management into your lesson planning, and giving
instructions in Module 3 and that you have added some new ideas and resources to your Teacher Tote.
Module 4 provides both principles and activities to increase student talk time and meet student needs in large
classes with multiple language levels and varied interests. The example activities can be used repeatedly, filled
with different content, and used in classes of young learners, teens, or university students.
After reading about three principles, you will explore activities that require no movement for students, activities
with minimal movement, activities with more free movement, and projects that are suitable for large or multi-level
classes. We hope you enjoy the many activity ideas included in this module.
MODULE 4 OBJECTIVES
By this end of the module, you will be able to:
● Choose and adapt activities that allow you to meet course outcomes, differentiate instruction, and
mitigate a heavy teaching load.
● Choose and adapt activities that increase student talk time and engagement through group or pair work.
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MODULE 4 TEACHER SUPPORT CIRCLE VIDEO
A Teacher Support Circle is a group where educators come together to share experiences, ideas, and challenges to
help each other in their teaching journey. In this video, join three teachers as they discuss different types of
activities in large classes.
As you watch, consider what issues you would have shared with the group if you had been there.
Creating Practical Activities for Large Classes TSC Transcript
Theme music and animation for TSC: 5 seconds
Mike: Hi, Mary. Hi, Madeline. Are we ready for the Teacher Support Circle?
Mary: Yeah!
Mike: Me too! I'm so glad we're sharing our ideas. It's improved my teaching. It's made my life easier.
Madeline: I agree. My students seem happier and they're using more English, but I'm still having some
challenges with the textbook. It's not a bad thing, but the author of the textbook doesn't know me or my
students, and I know how much practice my students need and what topics that they're interested in.
I'm looking for ways to make the text more relevant for the students so that they can have the right
amount of support and practice.
Mary: Hmm, right. You know, I like to think of myself as the co-author of the textbook. You know, like
you said, the authors don't know your students, and they don't know us. They don't know our
philosophy of teaching, our style, right? What we think about teaching and learning. And they also, they
don't know our context or our students, but, but we do. So I think we have to be brave and, and be able
to kind of adapt the textbook, so that it's more relevant to our students and to ourselves.
Madeline: So how can we change the textbook?
Mike: We can do little things like we can skip certain parts, or we can complete the chapters in different
order. Uh, we can add content from our context to supplement the textbook. Uh, we can even change
or add activities or readings that's not in the textbook.
Madeline. Yeah, adding activities to make the textbook come to life isn't too hard and that would help.
Um, do you have any specific ideas on how to do that?
Mary: Well, there are a lot of different type of activities. Like you have... whole class activity, large group
activities, small group, pair, and even individual activities. What I think is important is that you have a
good combination of groupings in each class.
Madeline: I can see how changing the groupings of students and activities can help keep the students
active and learning. Um, but what do you find works especially well for you, Mike?
Mike: Well, students in a large class can respond physically to the prompt of a teacher by holding up
cards that says yes or no, true or false. And when the class is too large for total physical response, TPR,
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we can use hand TPR. In a large class, it's hard for 70 students to walk to a window and to close it. But
what they can do is use their hand gesture to walk to the window and then close it. It's called hand TPR.
It's kind of like a sign language.
Mary: You know, that would work really well in low tech context. So, I got an email from a friend
recently, and she's teaching in a really challenging context. Like us, she has lots of students in every
class, and at all different levels. But, in her situation, she only has one textbook for every three students,
and she doesn't have any electricity. So, do you have any ideas?
Madeline: I think a lot of teachers work with little to no technology, and we as well should always be
ready with a plain B.
Mary: Hmm, or maybe C, D, or E, because sometimes the technology breaks, or the electricity goes out.
You know, often I find in low resource contexts that teachers are forced to be really creative. Like asking
students to use a stick to write in the sand. Or asking the community to help develop materials you
would use. Like teaching vocabulary through short stories and using big books. So, big books are about
like a meter high, and you can use the back of an old poster or cardboard, and you write the text really
large at the bottom and have community members illustrate them for the children. We use that in
refugee camps with large groups, and it worked pretty well.
Mike: And some low tech activities can be made high tech if all the students have access to a
smartphone. For example, without technology or electricity, students can do cartoon stories. But if they
have access to a phone, they can do digital stories, uh, taking pictures from the community and then
using them. Uh, and if photocopies are expensive, then students in groups can copy different paragraphs
and then share with each other.
Fade out . . .
PREPARE FOR THE MODULE

Read the questions below and think about your answers as you prepare for Module 4.
1. Am I able to state principles for choosing activities for large and multi-level classes?
2. Do I have a number of activities that work when students are unable to move around the classroom?
3. Do I have a number of activities that work when students have some ability to move in the classroom?
4. Am I able to create task-based or project-based lessons?
TO-DO LIST
In order to successfully complete Module 4, please do the following:
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1. Read an introduction to the module and view the teacher support circle video. (20 minutes)
2. Complete a self-check. (20 minutes)
3. Join your colleagues in an optional group discussion about activities that work with your
students. (30 minutes)
4. Read about guiding principles for selecting activities. (20 minutes)
5. View videos and read about classroom activities that work with no movement of students around
the classroom. (30 minutes)
6. View videos and read about classroom activities that work with minimal movement. (30 minutes)
7. View videos and read about classroom activities that work with more movement. (30 minutes)
8. View videos and read about classroom activities that work with complex movement. (30
minutes)
9. Complete a quiz on classroom activities. (20 minutes)
10. Select at least three items from Module 4 to place in your Teacher Tote. (30 minutes)
11. Share the selected items in an optional Teacher Tote discussion. (30 minutes)
12. Complete the module checklist. (5 minutes)
*You must score at least a 70% on all graded quizzes to receive your digital badge and certificate.
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Module 4 Task 2: Module 4 Vocabulary
MODULE 4 VOCABULARY
Module 4 will feature the following key vocabulary words. You can return to this page to review as needed. These
words may appear in quizzes throughout the course.
Attention span (noun)
Definition: the amount of time one can focus on one activity
Critical thinking (noun)
Definition: thinking that includes analyzing, evaluating, interpreting, information, not just memorizing
Discrete point listening (noun)
Definition: listening for individual sounds and words
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Explicitly (adverb)
Definition: in a clear, detailed way
Innovator (noun)
Definition: a person who introduces new methods or ideas
Manipulative (adjective)
Definition: using dishonest ways to control other people’s behavior, especially through words or psychological
pressure
On task (prepositional phrase)
Definition: focused on doing a job; paying attention to an assignment
Reluctant (adjective)
Definition: not willing to act; slow to act because one is not sure something is a good idea
Scaffolding (noun)
Definition: support that helps students use English to complete a task
To transfer skills (verb)
Definition: to use skills one has learned in a new and different context
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Module 4 Task 3: Activities in Your Class (Optional)
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ACTIVITIES IN YOUR CLASS DISCUSSION (OPTIONAL)
During this course, you can participate in optional discussions with teachers from around the world.
Select two activities that you use in your classroom and tell about the two activities. Be sure to provide enough
information about the activities and the context in which you use them that others can make a good decision
about using the activities in their classrooms.
Read other participants' introductions and respond to at least one of their posts. When you respond, try to
comment on what your peer(s) said, add additional information, and/or ask a question. If you have time, reply to
the responses on your own post.
Discussion Board Instructions (Optional)

Respond in the discussion below. You may use the template below.
My name is name . I teach in (country) .
I am going to share two activities that I often use in my classroom.
Activity 1:
Activity 2:
Below is an example of how teachers may post to this discussion board.
Hi! My name is Lilimar and I teach in Venezuela.
There are many activities that I often use in my classroom, but here are my two favorites
Activity 1: The Word Guessing Game - I split my class into two or three teams. One member, a representative from
each team, stands at the front of the class and faces their team. I then choose a noun (a person, place, or thing) for
the representative to guess and place it behind them so they cannot see it, while the rest of the class can. Each
team communicates what this noun is to their representative without saying the actual word, and the
representative has to make a guess. The team that guesses the correct word first is the winner. My students love
this game, and tend to get very involved and excited.
Activity 2: The "Telephone" Game - In this activity I split my students into two groups. Each group has to make a
straight line facing forward. I pick a word or a silly sentence and whisper it to the first person in each line. When I
say "go" the first person in each line turns around and whispers that same word or sentence to the person behind
them, and then that second student turns around and whispers the same time to the third person in line. This
continues until the very last student in line has heard the word or sentence from the person in front of them.
When the last person is ready, they shout out the word or sentence. Whichever team shouts the most accurate
word or sentence to the original one wins. If both teams shout it correctly, the winner is the team who said it first.
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Read other participants' introductions and respond to at least one of their posts. When you respond, try to
comment on what your peer(s) said, add additional information, and/or ask a question. If you have time, reply to
the responses on your own post.
Netiquette
Netiquette reminds us how to politely interact in online forums, like this discussion. You can read about netiquette
in the Syllabus and Lesson 5c: Discussion Tips for MOOCs.
How to Post
Click the Reply button and then type your reply in the box. When you finish typing your post, click Post Reply.
>>>> Please note that this discussion can only be completed in Canvas <<<<
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Module 4 Task 4: Activities That Work

ACTIVITIES THAT WORK
"Untitled" by Mario Heller is licensed under the Unsplash License.
This module will provide you both with activities that you may want to choose for your classes and with principles
for deciding which ones to use.
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The activities in this module are ones that teachers of large classes have used successfully and that can be used,
with different content, in classes of young learners, teens, or university students. These activities have four goals:
1. They can help you achieve course objectives.

2. They can help motivate and engage students.
3. They can reduce the amount of teacher talk and increase students’ use of English. (We all know students
will not learn to speak English if they don’t spend time speaking English!)
4. They can support all students, at multiple language levels and with varied interests and personalities.
Below are principles that will help you choose activities for your teaching situation. These principles speak to:
1. Your teaching context.

2. Strategies for introducing new forms of learning.
3. Increasing student language use.
PRINCIPLES TO CONSIDER WHEN TRYING NEW WAYS OF TEACHING
Principle One: As you think about introducing activities into your classes, first think
carefully about your context.
1. What is the physical setting of your classes?
Teaching a class of eighty students in a room with eighty chairs is different from teaching a class of eighty students
in a room built for forty. Teaching in a room with movable chairs is different from teaching in a room with benches
attached to the floor. The activities listed in this module are grouped by the amount of movement required of
students so that you can more easily make workable choices.
2. What is the age of your students?
Individuals are different, of course, but usually young learners like to have a consistent pattern in their classes and
also need to change activities frequently. Young learners often have short attention spans, which means they have
trouble focusing on one activity for a long time. For adolescents, peer relationships are usually very important, so
they need opportunities to connect with other students and to feel successful in front of their friends. Young adult
learners usually need opportunities to think and talk about important ideas and values. Almost all learners become
more engaged and cooperative when they can see that they are truly learning a new, useful skill.
3. What expectations about learning and school do your students have?
Think about your students’ familiarity with different ways of learning. If in all their other classes your students are
expected to listen to long talks by teachers or to stand and recite answers to questions when called on, they
probably don’t know how to participate in the kinds of activities that are included in this module. You will need to
teach them how to participate well.
Principle Two: Plan your strategies for introducing new forms of learning.
The following ideas will help you introduce new ways without losing control of your classroom.
1. Teach your quiet signal.
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Teach your students your signal for becoming quiet and focusing on the teacher before you begin using new
activities. If after a week or two students become slow in obeying the signal, stop and teach it again. Some
suggestions for good signals can be found in Module 3.
2. Start small.
An excellent pattern to begin with is Think-Pair-Share. Think-Pair-Share was invented by Frank Lyman (1981), who
was not a language teacher. He simply thought students in the United States weren’t doing enough thinking in
most of their classes and wanted to increase thinking time. He said that when we teachers ask a question in class,
we should wait five seconds before allowing anyone to speak so that all students spend a few seconds thinking
about the question. If you have students who rapidly raise their hands and perhaps say, “Call on me, Teacher. Call
on me,” introducing ‘Think’ may be a big first step for your class. Tell the class that after you ask a question, they
must remain silent and not raise their hands until you give a signal. Wait five seconds! (It will feel like a very long
time.) Then call on a student as usual.
When your students can follow a quiet signal and wait until it is their time to speak, they are ready to begin doing
pair work. If your students haven’t done much pair work before, you should again start small. Explain to the class
which way to turn to find their partner. (If pairs are very hard to form, you may need to use groups of three.) Ask a
question that doesn’t require a lot of discussion and wait five seconds. Then tell students to turn to their partner
and decide on an answer. After a minute or two, bring the class back together with your quiet signal. Call on a few
pairs to give their answers so that students know you are checking on their work. Checking is important or
students may decide that pair time is free time.
As students become comfortable with doing pair work, increase the complexity of your questions. For some
questions, you may want to say that each person has one minute to talk and give a signal (perhaps a small bell
sound) when it is time to change roles.
After your students are well-trained in how to do pair work, you can introduce different kinds of small groups.
Again, if your students are not used to group work, start small. Explain the level of sound that is appropriate for
your class. (Perhaps, “Use your inside voices.” or “Use soft conversation voices.”) At first, have students form small
groups without changing seats. After a pair discussion, two pairs can talk together about their responses to the
question. Eventually, your students will be ready to form groups of many other kinds, based on tasks you assign or
choices that they make among options you give them.
You know your students. Perhaps these small steps are unnecessary with your group. Wonderful! However, if you
are a creative teacher who is doing new things (an innovator) or if you teach in a school with very strong
expectations about student behavior, using small, controlled steps may be very important.
Principle Three: Always think about increasing your students’ use of language.
To illustrate this principle, let’s look at Think Pair Share. Frank Lyman wasn’t a language teacher, but Think-Pair-
Share is a wonderful pattern to use in language classes for several reasons. The principles it uses can help guide
your choice of other activities.
Think: This allows students to plan what they will say. Language learners need a little planning time when they try
to use a new pattern or vocabulary item. Shy students will be less afraid to speak if they have a little time to
prepare.
Pair: This allows all students to speak English while using a short amount of class time. If you have sixty students in
your class and you have them speak one at a time, it will take over an hour for everyone to get one minute of
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speaking practice. If you use pairs speaking at the same time, you can give every student one minute of speaking
practice in three or four minutes, including the time you use for giving instructions. Students will also not get
bored listening to other students recite their answers.
Share: This allows students to “say the same thing again.” We become better at saying something when we can
say it again to a new listener. There are also multiple ways of sharing, such as drawing and explaining a picture,
creating a role play, or writing a Jazz Chant, so you will be able to give small groups or individual students options
for using their English to share their responses to prompts in ways that use their strengths.
Think-Pair-Share for the most part uses oral skills, including fluency, vocabulary, and syntax. Other activities may
focus on writing, pronunciation, listening, reading, or creative use of language. Our favorite activities as teachers
are activities that, while focusing on one or two skills, give practice in multiple skills at the same time.
Reference
(This content is copyrighted, and cannot be adapted in any way, or distributed after the end of this course. It is not
Public Domain or Creative Commons-licensed, and therefore not for public use.)
Lyman, F. T. (1981). The responsive classroom discussion: The inclusion of all students. In A. Anderson (Ed.),
Mainstreaming digest (pp. 109-113). University of Maryland Press.
"Video" by Azusa Pacific University is licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Module 4 Task 5: Activities that Work with No

Movement
ACTIVITIES THAT WORK WITH NO MOVEMENT
In this section, we will look at four teaching activities that can be done with the whole class. Students don’t need
to change their seating. These activities create active engagement for students and provide practice with multiple
skills. The activities listed here use very few resources, nothing more than a chalkboard, paper, and pencils.
HAND TPR
Total Physical Response (TPR) is a language teaching method that was developed by Dr. James Asher (2009) based
on the ideas that we learn language best when we hear things that we can understand (comprehensible input) and
that responding physically helps us learn. In a TPR lesson, students begin by obeying commands such as “Stand up”
“Turn around” and “Sit down.” TPR is a very helpful teaching method, and if you would like to learn more about it,
you can find more information on the American English website. However, sometimes we cannot use regular TPR
because we have too many students and too little space. In these situations, we can use “Hand TPR,” a technique
which is demonstrated in the following video.
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Hand TPR Video
Hand TPR Transcript
Sometimes, we can't use regular TPR because we have too many students and not enough room. I first
tried using hand TPR when I had a class of 60 students in a room for 40. There were desks and benches
bolted to the floor, and on each small bench there were three students. The one in the middle could not
stand up. So I tried using hand TPR, and I found it really beneficial. I've used it in many places since, and I
find it a good technique to know.
So I'll demonstrate a lesson that I often use. For this lesson, I usually introduce two items to be sure they
have the vocabulary words, a towel and a bar of soap. Then, I tell students, in this lesson, your job is to
listen and do, not listen and speak. Do what I do when I give the directions.
“We’re going to wash our hands.”
Turn on the water. [The speaker gestures turning on a water tap.]
Pick up the soap. [The speaker gestures picking up a bar of soap.]
Wash your hands. [The speaker gestures washing her hands.]
Put down the soap. [The speaker gestures putting down the soap.]
Rinse your hands. [The speaker gestures rinsing her hands.]
Turn off the water. [The speaker gestures turning off a water tap.]
Pick up the towel. [The speaker gestures picking up the towel.]
Dry your hands. [The speaker gestures drying her hands.]
Put down the towel. [The speaker gestures putting down the towel.]
After we've done the sequence two or three times, I begin giving the directions without doing the
gesture. Turn on the water. Pick up the soap. And I watch to see if students are able to follow the
commands without seeing the gesture. If some students are having trouble, well, then I start gesturing
again. Turn on the water. Turn off the water. After the sequence seems well established, I start "making
mistakes." I might say:
Turn on the water.
Wash your hands.
Oh, I forgot to pick up the soap.
These "mistakes" are actually a way for me to check to see if students are doing what the command is or
if they're just following the sequence. After we've practiced for maybe 10 minutes, we go on to some
other part of the lesson, but we'll come back and do the sequence again the next day.
You will need to write sequences that are appropriate for your students. Students who are too young to
drive cars often enjoy driving all over town and stopping to do errands. You might want to climb a
mountain outside your village or town. You might want to feed a baby who spits up and needs a clean
shirt. Or you might like to light a candle and then burn yourself when you forget to blow out the candle.
Notice that hand TPR is really useful for teaching phrasal verbs. Turn on, turn off, pick up, put down,
blow out.
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I've also found that TPR is helpful in teaching students with disabilities. One student who had limited
motor control used a wheelchair, couldn't speak clearly, told me that he really liked this way of learning.
He could watch, listen, approximate the gestures, and he learned a lot of English. Another student who
had cognitive problems because of a severe head injury and who rarely spoke even in his first language,
did hand TPR classes with me, and a group, and then began to surprise us all by using English words
appropriately.
So because Hand TPR can be used with any size class, uses no materials, and is helpful for students with
disabilities, I really like Hand TPR.
Reference
(This content is copyrighted, and cannot be adapted in any way, or distributed after the end of this course. It is not
Public Domain or Creative Commons-licensed, and therefore not for public use.)
Asher, J. J. (2009). Learning another language through actions (7th ed.). Sky Oaks Productions.
Additional Resources
An overview of TPR with an introduction from Diane Larsen-Freeman: Comprehension Approach/TPR
An article about TPR:
Linse, C. (2005). The children's response: TPR and beyond. English Teaching Forum, 43(1), 8-11.
https://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/05-43-1-b.pdf
JAZZ CHANTS
Jazz Chants are a way of teaching the stress and intonation patterns of English that students enjoy greatly. In fact,
after practicing Jazz Chants in class, students often decide to write a few chants in English themselves. Using Jazz
Chants usually works quite well in a large class.
Using Jazz Chants Video
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Using Jazz Chants Transcript
Slide 1
Welcome to this short video on using jazz chants in English classes.
Slide 2
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Jazz chants are carefully written rhythmic chants and poems for teaching English and are a fun way to help
students learn pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar patterns. Developed by Carol and Graham, 1979, they
have remained popular with teachers and students ever since. They can be used in classes of any size and with
learners of any age. Adults, as well as children and teens, enjoy using jazz chants. With them, students learn
pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar in a fun, memorable way.
Slide 3
The stress pattern in a jazz chant is the stress pattern used when speaking in normal conversation. The natural
stress patterns of English are not changed or distorted. Instead, the natural patterns are emphasized. Lines of
natural English are arranged so that there are four or two beats or claps per line. Because English speakers usually
keep a regular rhythm of stressed syllables, emphasizing the natural patterns of English reduces the chant.
Slide 4
The following simple chant uses the natural patterns of stress in spoken English.
Do You Like It?

Do you like it? (clap) Yes, I do.
Does he like it? (clap) Yes, he does.
Does she like it? (clap) Yes, she does.
Do they like it? (clap) No, they don’t.
No, they don’t. No, they don’t.
Notice that this chant helps learners practice question forms, subject verb agreement, and contractions, all in a
fun and easy to remember way.
Slide 5
Here is another chant that practices many of the same skills.
Going to Paris
Do you want to go to Paris? (clap)
No, I don’t want to go to Paris.
Do you want to go to Rome? (clap)
No, I don’t want to go to Rome.
Do you want to go to London? (clap)
No, I don’t want to go to London.
I want to stay at home!
Slide 6
As you work with chants, you will find that in many chants, it is easy to use two main stressed beats instead of
clapping for all four.
Do you want to go to Paris?

No, I don’t want to go to Paris.
Do you want to go to Rome?
No, I don’t want to go to Rome.
Do you want to go to London?
No, I don’t want to go to London.
I want to stay at home!
Slide 7
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However, we need a second verse for this chant.
Do you want to go to Paris?

Yes, I want to go to Paris.
Do you want to go to Rome?
Yes, I want to go to Rome.
Do you want to go to London?
Yes, I want to go to London.
Then I want to come back home!
Slide 8
Students will enjoy a variety of ways of practicing chants. With this chant, it is easy to have one half of the room
ask the questions and the other half answer. Then switch sides for more practice. After students know the chant
well, you might have a pair of students lead the class in asking the questions and then pointing to certain students
to respond. Some of your students may want to create jazz chants themselves, a great way for students to use
English creatively.
Slide 9
You will find much more information about using jazz chants and about the principles of English stress and
intonation in the resources listed for this module.
References I
The chant Do You Like It? is from the webinar Teaching With Jazz Chants, Shirley Thompson, on
AmericanEnglish.state.gov.
American English Webinars | American English (state.gov)
References II
(This content is copyrighted, and cannot be adapted in any way, or distributed after the end of this
course. It is not Public Domain or Creative Commons-licensed, and therefore not for public use.)
Graham, C. (1979). Jazz chants for children: Rhythms of American English through chants, songs and
poems. Oxford University Press.
Additional Resource
American English Webinar on Teaching with Jazz Chants
ROUND-ROBIN WRITING
Round-Robin Writing is a technique that allows students to work together writing a story or other text without
needing to move into small groups. In Round-Robin Writing, the paper moves but the students don’t. Read about
Round-Robin Writing here.
Round-Robin Writing
Round robin is a name for activities in which every person has a turn to participate. When the name is
used as an adjective, it is spelled round-robin. One example of a round robin is a sports contest in which
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every team plays every other team. We can use round-robin writing in class in order to give every
student an opportunity to add to a piece of writing. The students do not move, but the paper does, and
each student has an opportunity to use their imagination while also fitting their work into a
A simple basic, round robin

This activity works well for students who need practice writing and punctuating complete sentences.
Have students count off in groups of four (Students A, B, C, and D).
Have each student write their name at the top of a piece of paper.
Have each student then write this sentence: A young man went into a forest. You may want to
remind students to begin the sentence with a capital letter and end it with a period.
Ask, “Why did he go into the forest?” Have each student write a one-sentence answer to the
question. If the students need more support, give them the sentence stem, “He wanted to . . . .”
Student A gives their paper to Student B. Student B gives their paper to Student C. Student C gives their
paper to Student D. Student D gives their paper to Student A.
Say, “The young man saw something frightening. What was it?” Have each student write a one-
sentence answer to the question and then pass their paper to the next person.
Have each student silently read the story they received and then write a one-sentence answer to
the question, “What did the young man do?” Pass the papers again.
Have each student silently read the story they received and then write a one-sentence answer to
the question, “What happened then?”
The papers have now been passed to every person in the group of four. Students return the papers to
the person whose name is on the paper. Tell each student to “Finish the story.”
Students can then trade papers with their neighbor and read the complete stories or pass the papers
around the circle so that everyone reads all four stories. You might want to choose a few different
stories to read aloud to the class or post all of the stories on a class bulletin board. The stories are often
surprising, and students often feel proud of the work that their team created.
In a week or two, you may want to repeat the activity, choosing different prompts. Instead of a young
man, it might be an old woman, two students, or a cat who went into a desert, a village, a shopping
mall, or a sports arena. Perhaps they saw something beautiful, or very unusual, or magical. The options
are plentiful.
Using a round robin with advanced or multi-level students

In a multi-level class, each student can be given the opportunity to write more sentences if they feel
ready to do so. The directions could be, “Write ‘A young man went into a forest.’ If you finish quickly,
add one more sentence to describe the forest or to describe the young man.” If you give a sentence
stem, for the more advanced students it could be “He wanted to . . . because . . . .” After stating what
the young man saw, advanced students can write another sentence describing it more fully, and they
can give a longer description of what the young man then did or of how the story ended. Their
additional sentences will add to the simple statements that their less fluent neighbors have added to the
story, but will not disrupt the story in any way.
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With a class of more advanced students, you can discuss the narrative elements of this simple story. The
stories that the class has written have all the main elements of a good narrative.
Setting (a forest)
Character (a young man)
Motivation (what the character wanted to do, the goal)
Obstacle or challenge (what the character found in the forest)
Action to overcome the obstacle (what the character did)
Resolution (what happened as a result)
In a writing class, these elements could then be used to produce a personal narrative on a prompt such
as “A Problem I Have Solved” or “One Success in My Life.” In a reading class, students could look for and
identify these elements in a story they are reading.
A class of more advanced students might add paragraphs instead of sentences to the story. An
advantage of round-robin writing is that no student has to think of the whole story. Reading what the
previous student wrote and then continuing the narrative gives each student an interesting new prompt
for their section of the narrative as well as providing the challenge of making sure the parts of the story
fit together well.
It is also possible to use Round-Robin Writing to produce texts other than stories. For example, students
might enjoy writing a business letter in response to a customer complaint.
First student: Write

Dear Ms Kim,
We have received your complaint and understand that you are upset because. . . .
(Complete the paragraph with a description of the complaint. Make it funny if you
would like to.)
Second student: Explain why this is not what your customers usually experience.
Third student: Tell what your company will do (or not do) in response to this complaint.
Fourth student: Finish the letter politely.
A round-robin grammar practice activity

Round-robin writing can also be used for some kinds of grammar practice. It works well, for example,
when practicing descriptions and comparisons. Here’s one enjoyable way to do so if you want to
practice writing comparisons with “like.”
Again, have students count off in groups of four (Students A, B, C, and D) and have each student write
their name at the top of a piece of paper.
Tell the students that something very strange has happened. Yesterday, a spaceship landed in our town.
A space alien got out of the ship, and some people saw it, but no one got a photo. Maybe the space alien
is very kind, but no one knows. The police need a picture.
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Write the names of four animals on the board, perhaps:
A horse A snake A mouse A hippopotamus
Tell students to write a sentence describing the alien’s body, using the word ‘like’ and one of these
animals. “It has a body like a . . . .”
Have the students fold back their paper so that the next student cannot see what they have written and
pass it to the next student. Student A gives their paper to Student B. Student B gives their paper to
Student C. Student C gives their paper to Student D. Student D gives their paper to Student A.
Write the names of four more animals on the board and tell students to write a sentence about the
alien’s head. Perhaps use:
A lion A sheep A rabbit A donkey
pass it to the next student.
alien’s ears. Perhaps use:
A monkey A donkey A cat An elephant
pass it to the next student.
alien’s feet. Perhaps use:
A cow A dog An alligator A tiger
Have students return the papers to the person whose name is on the paper. Give the homework
assignment: Draw a picture of this alien. Bring the picture to class tomorrow so that we can help the
police find this alien!
Of course, you might prefer to ask students to write a sentence about the alien’s teeth or eyes or legs. If
you are working with other patterns of description, you might want sentences with “is bigger than a” or
“taller than a” “is more beautiful than a” or “is as tall as a” or “is as fat as a.” You might also use objects
instead of animals so that the alien “is as big as a house, car, bicycle, book” for example.
One advantage of this activity is that it makes students laugh. Another advantage is that it gives students
who are good at drawing (and perhaps not strong in English) a chance to show their skills to their
classmates. Each time that we help a student feel skilled and successful, we increase their desire to
participate well in class.
Additional Resource
Round-Robin Writing: This Forum article includes several useful activities; the final activity in the article is an
example of round-robin writing.
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Benucci, H. (2014). Classroom activities. English Teaching Forum, 52(3), 47-52.
https://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/etf_52_3_47-52_classroom_activities.pdf
LISTENING GRIDS
Finally, Listening Grids provides a way for students to practice both vocabulary and discrete point listening in a
game-like way. Watch the video here.
Listening Grids Video
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Listening Grids Transcript
Slide 1
Welcome to this short video on using Listening Grids.
Slide 2
This Listening Grids activity is based on a listening exercise developed by Joan Morley (1984). It is easy to
do in a large class, uses very few materials, and can be adapted for learners of all levels to practice both
focused listening and vocabulary.
Slide 3
For this activity, have students draw a grid on a piece of their own paper. The size of the grid depends
on the level of the students. Four squares is a minimum, nine squares is often a good starting point, and
25 squares is the recommended maximum for advanced students. Then teach the vocabulary needed to
describe locations on the grid. Teach phrases of the pattern "the middle column, bottom row," or "the
left column, middle row." On a large grid for advanced learners, the phrases will include next to the left
column, "next to the top row," and similar phrases.
Slide 4
After the grids have been created and the vocabulary has been explained, give directions for filling the
squares. Repeat each sentence twice, speaking slowly and clearly. When you use this activity for the
first time, choose simple vocabulary.
In the left column, bottom row, draw a tree. In the left column, bottom row, draw a tree. In the right
column, top row, draw a flower. In the right column, top row, draw a flower. In the middle column,
middle row, draw a flag. In the middle column, middle row, draw a flag.
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At this point, I usually stop and show the class what the partially filled grid should look like, checking to
see that everyone understands what the directions mean. Then I complete the grid and have a student
or two show their completed grids or draw a correct one on the board.
Slide 5
Once students have learned how to do this activity, you can begin including other kinds of vocabulary,
such as punctuation marks or math symbols that your students need to use. In the left column, middle
row, put an exclamation mark.
In the left column, middle row, put an exclamation mark. In the middle column, top row, put a square
root sign. In the middle column, top row, put a square root sign. In the right column, middle row, put a
plus sign. In the right column, middle row, put a plus sign.
Slide 6
You can also use this activity to practice hearing difficult sounds. In this world, there are many beautiful
ways to speak English, and there is no need for you or your students to sound just like me. However,
when one learns a new language, there are usually sounds that are difficult to hear and difficult to
pronounce. Students want and need practice. You can use this activity to practice hearing sounds in
minimal pairs.
In the right column, bottom row, draw a ship. In the right column, bottom row, draw a ship. In the left
column, top row, draw a sheep. In the left column, top row, draw a sheep.
Slide 7
And to complete the grid,
in the middle column, bottom row, write the word hello. In the middle column, bottom row, write the
word hello.
This activity is very engaging. If you set it at the right level for your students, not too easy and not too
hard, There is something that makes our brains want to follow the directions correctly. One teacher told
her students that she'd learned a new game and then did this activity with her class. Later, during their
break time, when students could relax and get a snack, she found her students, ten year old boys, sitting
on the floor in the hallway playing this new game with each other. When we find a learning activity that
students will do on their own time just to have fun, we have a winning activity.
Slide 8
(This content is copyrighted, and cannot be adapted in any way, or distributed after the end of this
course. It is not Public Domain or Creative Commons-licensed, and therefore not for public use.)
Morley, J. (1984). Listening and language learning in ESL: Developing self-study activities for listening
comprehension practice. Language in Education: Theory and Practice, 59. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich
International.
Module 2, Section 5 also has ideas for activities that can be done with the teacher leading the whole class.
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Module 4 Task 6: Activities that Work with Minimal
Movement
ACTIVITIES THAT WORK WITH MINIMAL MOVEMENT
In this section we will look at ideas for pair work, an important way for students to use the new language they are
learning. While students are working in pairs, they use English for real communication. The help students give each
other is a form of scaffolding through which they help each other learn.
Your students may already understand how to work in pairs effectively. If not, you will need to teach them how to
form pairs based on the seating arrangement in your classroom and then give them very short pair-work activities,
such as answering one question together, until they are able to form pairs, complete a task, and return their
attention to you when you give a signal. You may want to review Module 3 on Classroom Management for help
with this process.
Pair work is usually more successful if students are asked to complete a task rather than just talk to each other. If
the pairs have a goal, such as answering a question or completing a puzzle, they are more likely to work rather
than waste time. If you have a textbook which includes questions about readings or grammar lessons, you may
want to use these for pair work because working together will increase students’ use of English for
communication.
For example, reading comprehension questions can be turned into a game for pairs; students first write answers
to the questions about the reading and then take turns stating their answers to a partner who says whether the
statements are true or false.
HIDDEN GRIDS AND HIDDEN PICTURES

The following video shows two game-like tasks that can be completed in pairs. The tasks can be made easier or
more difficult for different pairs of learners by changing the size of the grid or the complexity of the pictures, and
the activity can be repeated over the weeks of a course.
Hidden Grids and Hidden Pictures Video
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Hidden Grid and Hidden Drawing Activities Transcript
Slide 1
Welcome to this video on two kinds of activities, hidden grid and hidden drawing.
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Slide 2
After your students have become comfortable with getting into pairs, completing a simple discussion
task, and then obeying your signal to return their attention to you, there are many activities that can be
done in pairs. Pair activities give students practice with using English for real communication. In the
activities we'll talk about in this video, one student gives, and a second student follows, oral directions
to write, draw, or place something on a grid. These activities work best if the students cannot see what
the other student is writing or drawing. In a crowded classroom, this can be difficult to achieve. So we'll
look at some examples of simple barriers students can create to hide their work from each other.
Slide 3
For a hidden grid activity, the teacher creates and photocopies small cards with simple pictures or
slightly vague shapes on them, one set for each student. It's good to keep each set together with a
paperclip and put them in an envelope. At the end of the activity, students can replace the paperclips
and return their sets to the envelopes, so that the cards can be easily used again.
Hidden grid activities are simpler if the pictures are of clearly identifiable objects -a flower, a face, a
chair. And more challenging if the pictures are of somewhat vague shapes. In the latter case, the
descriptions need to be creative, and more dialogue between the two students is likely. "It looks a little
bit like a leaf." "Do you mean the one that looks a little bit like a cloud?" For a quite simple version, cut
pieces of colored paper into geometric shapes.
In a multi-level class, you could have pairs choose whether they want to use the easier or the more challenging set
of cards.
Slide 4
The teacher shows a nine, or perhaps twelve, square grid drawn on the chalkboard or a large piece of
paper and teaches the words "row" and "column," two words that are very useful vocabulary for anyone
who uses a computer. Students draw a grid on their own paper.
Slide 5
The teacher distributes two identical sets of cards to each pair. Student A places one of the pictures on
A's grid and then gives Student B oral directions for doing the same thing. For example, "Place the
picture of a tree in the top row, left column." Student A continues giving directions until all the squares
on the grid are filled. Then the two students show each other their completed work, hoping that their
grids match. The students collect their cards and repeat the activity. This time with Student B giving the
directions.
Slide 6
Because students need to hide their work from each other, you may need to have them create a barrier.
Some simple ways to do this are to put two file folders together with a paperclip or staple, or two
portfolios,
Slide 7
or perhaps best of all, two pieces of cardboard from empty cereal boxes.
Slide 8
For hidden drawings, using the same cards or other sets created for this purpose, students can do
dictated drawings. Student A chooses a card and tries to give Student B a very accurate description of
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the drawing so that Student B can create the same picture. For example, "It is a flower that looks like a
daisy. The center is a circle and there are eight petals around the circle. The stem is straight and has two
leaves. The leaf on the left is lower than the leaf on the right." Again, students can use the barricade to
hide their work from their partner. For advanced students, the pictures can be more difficult to
describe, such as line drawings of facial expressions. Like many pair activities, these activities also work
well in small groups of four to six students.
INFORMATION GAPS
An information gap activity is one in which each student has some of the information that is needed to complete a
task, but not all of it. The students need to work together and share information in order to complete the task. The
next video gives examples of information gap activities that can be done in pairs.
Information Gaps Video
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Information Gap Activities Transcript
Slide 1
Welcome to this short introduction to using information gap activities.
Slide 2
In an information gap activity, students must communicate with each other in order to successfully
complete a task. Each student has some, but not all, of the information that is needed to do the activity.
As a result, these activities provide opportunities for real communication between pairs of students.
Slide 3
Information charts are paired information gap activities in which each student has some information
that the other student does not. An easy way to organize an information chart gap activity is to create a
chart and then photocopy two handouts, one for all the student A partners and a separate one for all
the student B partners. If this is not possible, it may be possible for students to arrange their seats so
that everyone who will take the role of student A is facing one wall and everyone who will take the role
of student B is facing the opposite wall. The needed information can then be posted on large pieces of
paper on the two walls.
Slide 4
The teacher prepares two versions of a chart of information on a topic that will be interesting to the
class. Each student chart has half of the information. This completed chart has information about the
make, country of origin, price, and first production of four kinds of cars.
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Make: BMW Volvo Toyota
Country of origin: Germany Sweden Japan
Price: Luxury Mid -range Affordably priced
First produced: 1928 1927 1936
Slide 5
Student A's chart could have six empty squares:
Make: BMW Toyota
Country of origin: Sweden I missed
Price: Mid -range
First produced: 1928 1936
Slide 6
Student B's chart then has six different empty squares:
Make: Volvo
Country of origin: Germany Japan
Price: Luxury Affordably priced
First produced: 1927
Slide 7
Students work in pairs, do not show their charts to each other, but take turns asking for and giving the
information needed to complete the chart. The teacher may want to give support by reviewing question
forms first. For example, "What make of car comes from?" Possible topics for an information gap grid
might include facts about amazing animals, popular movies, champion athletes, or ancient civilizations.
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Slide 8
Sort Out the Story is another kind of information gap activity. For this activity, the teacher writes the
sentences of a simple story as a list of sentences. Here's an example of a very simple story.
Slide 9
Jim saw his friend Tim at home.
Tim was searching for something.
Jim said, “What are you looking for?”
Tim said, “I’m looking for my phone.”
“Where did you lose it?” asked Jim.
“At school,” said Tim.
“Why are you looking here?” asked Jim.
“Because school is closed now,” said Tim.
Slide 10
Photocopy the story, cut each sheet of sentences apart, making sure to keep all the sentences of each
copy together with a paper clip or in an envelope. Each student in a pair takes a mixed half of the
sentences. The students do not show the sentences to each other, but instead read the sentences aloud
and work together to put the story in order in a logical way, practicing their speaking skills.
Slide 11
One more information gap activity is Picture Dictation. To prepare students for this activity, draw a
picture on the board of a sight or scene that expresses happy imagination. For example, the perfect
place for a vacation, a great recreation or game room, the floor plan of your dream house. Review
useful vocabulary for describing the picture.
Slide 12
Then have each student draw a picture on the same topic. Students do not show each other the
pictures. Instead, Partner A tells Partner B how to draw a copy of Partner A's picture. Partner A should
be able to see what Partner B is doing and give additional information, but Partner B should not be able
to see the original picture.
Slide 13
After students have had time to complete the pictures, they show each other the two versions. Then,
they trade roles and do the activity again.
Information Gap Activities: The first link gives information about how and why to use information gap activities.
The links give directions for gap activities that can be done in pairs or small groups.
● Teacher's Corner Speaking Information Gap Activities
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● Information Gaps: Drawing Dictation
● Information Gaps: Graphic Organizers and Oral Clues
● Information Gaps: Visual Prompts and Oral Clues
DICTOGLOSS
A dictogloss (sometimes called a dictocomp) gives students practice with multiple skills while using very few
resources. Follow this link to read about how to create and use a dictogloss.
Using a Dictogloss
A dictogloss is a very useful pair activity for practicing multiple language skills, including listening,
writing, editing, grammar and vocabulary. It uses very few resources and does not require students to
move around the room. One of the first to publish this idea was Ruth Wajnryb (1990).
Materials
For students, all that is needed is something to write on and something to write with. For the teacher, it
is helpful but not absolutely necessary to have a chalkboard or large piece of paper on which to write
the final text or a way to project the final text so that the class will be able to check their work easily.
Procedure
Select a short reading passage, perhaps three to five sentences long, at the approximate reading level of
your class. A few sentences from a chapter of the course textbook that the students have not yet
studied might be perfect, or you might like to use some sentences from a previous lesson as a review. If
materials are available (a large sheet of paper or a projector and screen), prepare a copy of the text, but
do not show it to the students yet.
Introduce the general topic of the reading. This is important because it gets students to start thinking
about the topic and the things they already know about it. Activating background knowledge is an
important step before beginning to read or listen to new information because it increases
comprehension of the new material. A good way to activate background knowledge is to ask a few
general questions about the topic. Introduce and discuss any important new vocabulary words that are
in the text.
Have students form pairs.
Read the text to the class twice at a normal speaking speed. During the first reading, students simply
listen. During the second reading, they take notes, but because the reading is at normal speaking speed,
they cannot write down everything they hear. This is important because in the next step students must
use their knowledge of English to fill in the parts that they couldn’t write down.
Have students work in pairs, using their notes, to try to write the passage so that it is complete and has
the same meaning as the original. They will need to use their knowledge of grammar, vocabulary, and
English organizational patterns to help them. The goal is to write the same meaning. It’s not necessary
to write exactly the same words.
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If you have time after students have completed their work, have a few pairs read their work aloud,
noticing the differences. Then show the class the original text or read it aloud slowly. Let students ask
questions about whether or not their version has the same meaning as the original.
Although this activity uses very few materials, in completing a dictogloss, students use English
communicatively in their pair work, practice listening, speaking, writing and reading, and use their
knowledge of both grammar and vocabulary. It is truly a multi-skill activity for developing English skills.
Reference
Wajnryb, R. (1990). Grammar dictation. Oxford University Press.
Additional Resource
Koçi McLeod , A. (2023). Beyond grammar teaching: Dictogloss strategies for improving literacy. English Teaching
Forum, 61(3), 26-32. https://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/4_61_3_beyond_grammar_teaching_p26-
32_1.pdf
ADDITIONAL GAMES
The final reading in this section explains three simple games which can be used to give students practice in both
vocabulary and spelling.
Three Low-Resource Games for Pair Work

These three games do not require much preparation and use no special resources. They can be played in
just a few minutes, while engaging students in real communication in English. As a result, they are a
useful activity for any day when a lesson goes more quickly than expected and you, as the teacher, need
to fill an extra five or ten minutes in a productive way.
Twenty questions
This game practices vocabulary and yes/no question patterns and, very importantly, helps students
develop their analytical thinking skills. In an English language class, the game gives learners practice with
question patterns while enjoying a game and engaging in real communication. Because the game uses
no equipment or supplies, it is in the United States a popular way to keep children (or adults) busy on
long car rides or while waiting for an appointment.
The rules are simple. Player One thinks of an object and announces that it is an animal, vegetable (a
plant or a kind of food), or mineral (an object that is not alive). Player Two tries to guess the word by
asking questions, but only questions that can be answered “yes” or “no” are allowed. Person Two may
ask up to twenty questions. At any point, Player Two may ask, “Is it a . . . ?” and this counts as one of the
twenty questions. If Person Two doesn’t guess the answer by question twenty, Player One is the winner.
When you introduce the game, review yes/no question forms and short answers.
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Is it a . . . ? Yes, it is. No, it isn’t.
Does it . . . ? Yes, it does. No, it doesn’t.
Can it . . . ? Yes, it can. No, it can’t.
Beginning players, especially young ones, often begin by asking questions such as, “Is it a cow?” “Is it a
bear?” An answer of, “No, it isn’t” gives very little information. Students soon learn to think about
classification categories and start to ask questions such as, “Does it have four legs?” and “Does it live on
farms?” Learning to think about categories is an important analytical thinking skill, both for future
scholars and scientists and for any nation’s ordinary citizens.
Sadman
This game practices vocabulary and spelling patterns. The traditional name for the game is Hangman,
but that is perhaps not a good word to explain and use in class, so we will call it Sadman here.
Player One chooses a word, keeps it secret, and writes a blank for each letter of the word on a piece of
paper. If the word is “parade,” the paper will look like this:
__ __ __ __ __ __
Player Two guesses a letter and asks, for example, “Is there an E?” Player One says yes and writes the E
in the correct place.
__ __ __ __ __ E
If Player Two asks, “Is there an A?” Player One says yes and writes all the A’s in word.
__ A __ A __ E
If Player Two next asks, “Is there an I?” Player One says no and draws a circle. This circle will become the
head of a man.
If Player Two next asks, “Is there a T?” Player One says no and adds a line that will become the body of a
man.
Player Two continues guessing letters. Player One puts any correct letters on the correct blanks, but
adds arms, legs, and facial features to the Sadman for incorrect guesses. If the Sadman picture is
complete before the word is guessed, Player Two loses.
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A Sadman with a head, body, two arms, two legs, two eyes, one nose and a mouth gives Player Two ten
wrong guesses before losing the game. The number of guesses allowed can be increased by allowing
other features, such as hair or ears, to be added before the Sadman is declared complete.
Words Inside A Word

This game gives students an opportunity to identify and spell correctly short English words that they
know. It will work best if the teacher has done a little preparation, but it uses only paper and pencils and
can be completed in five or ten minutes whenever students need a short, quiet activity.
In preparation, choose an English word that is seven to ten letters long and contains several vowels. If
you have time, make a list of the English words that can be spelled using two or more of those letters.
Have students work in pairs and write their answers as one list on one piece of paper, to encourage
communication between the two students. Write your chosen word on the board and tell students that
they are to find as many words as possible that can be spelled using the letters of the chosen word.
For example, if the chosen word is “automobile,” then both “auto” and “mobile” are English words, but
so are “mat,” “tab,” and “bat.” A letter may be repeated only if it is repeated in the original word. In our
example, “boom” would be allowed, but “ball” would not.
Set a time limit (five or ten minutes), and have the students work. When time is up, have the pairs with
the longest lists read their lists aloud. (At this point, it is helpful to have access to a dictionary or an
internet connection so that any questionable words can be checked for accurate spelling. If none is
available, save the word and have a student report the next day on whether the word is accurate and
give its meaning.) After a list or two has been read, ask if any other pairs have a word that hasn’t been
said yet. Declare the pairs with the most words the winners.
The word “automobile” makes possible the following sixty-five words, in addition to “auto” and
“mobile.” There may be others.
About, Ail, Aim, Bail, Bat, Beam, Beat, Belt, Bile, Bit, Blame, Bloom, Boat, Boil, Bolt, Boom, Boot, Bot,
Bout, Built, Bum, But, Eat, Lab, Lamb, Lame Late, Let, Lit, Loam, Lob, Loom, Loot, Lot, Lout, Lute, Mail,
Malt, Mat, Mate, Meal, Meat, Melt, Met, Mile, Mite, Moat, Mob, Molt, Moot, Mule, Mute, Oil, Out, Tab,
Tail, Tame, Team, Tile, Time, Toil, Tomb, Tool, Tub, Tube.
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These sites provide complete directions on how to play many different games as well as the materials needed to
play the games. Downloadable.
● Activate Games for Learning American English: Board Games

● Guess What? cards and games
● Picture This cards and games
Module 4 Task 7: Activities that Work with Some

Movement
ACTIVITIES THAT WORK WITH SOME MOVEMENT
After students have learned to work well in pairs, they will be ready to try working in small groups. Small group
work will, like pair work, be more productive if there is a well-defined task to complete. The ordinary meaning of
the word task is a piece of work to do, but in English language teaching theory, not all kinds of work are tasks. In an
English language learning task (sometimes called Task-Based-Learning, TBL), students must use English for real
communication, so doing a grammar practice exercise or completing a worksheet would not be called a task
because there is no real communication happening.
A task always has a goal; learners produce something while completing a task. If the directions are “Discuss this
question,” students may not know how to keep the discussion going, and the activity may become quite short. If
instead there is a goal such as playing and completing a game or creating some kind of “product,” the activity will
usually lead to much more language use. Products could be, for example, a solution to a problem or puzzle, a list of
ideas, a plan, a role play, or a report of information gathered in a survey. Tasks such as these help students stay
focused and give the group a reason to work together.
You may want to review Module 3 for ideas on classroom management while doing group work, as well as the
previous modules for ideas on tasks such as Jigsaw and Conversation Cards.
This first reading gives suggestions for ways to help students learn language that will help them work successfully
in a group.
TEACHING LANGUAGE FOR DISCUSSIONS

Holding a productive group conversation is not an easy task. Students who have not frequently worked
in groups may not have the skills and language they need for group work even in their first language.
Some education systems or traditional forms of instruction do not allow much discussion between
students, and as a result, students don’t develop their discussion skills. Distance learning also reduces
students’ opportunities to practice discussion skills. The difficulties that students face become even
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greater when they are working in a new language. Small group work becomes more satisfying if we help
students learn specific language for creating successful discussions.
Useful Language for Discussions

Listed in the chart below are specific phrases and sentences that English speakers frequently use in
group discussions. Using phrases and sentences like these is part of becoming fluent in English. Teaching
them explicitly is a form of scaffolding that will help our students participate productively in small group
work in class and in conversations in English speaking contexts. In each list, the first phrase is one that
may be easier for lower-level speakers to use.
Function Useful Phrases

Adding Ideas I have an idea.
Let me add this idea.
That makes me think of . . . .
We can build on that by adding . . . .
You made a good point. Another one is . . . .
May I add here that . . . .
And what’s more…
Agreeing I think so, too.
I would agree with that.
Your point is well taken.
I’m in full agreement with you on that point.
Disagreeing I understand you, and another idea is . . . .
That’s one possibility. Another is . . . .
You may be right, but I see things differently.
What about this instead?
I respect your opinion, but I have another idea.
Checking for Do you understand me?
Understanding Did I explain my idea clearly?
Does this make sense?
Do we all know what to do next
Are we sure we understand what we need to do?
Making Yourself I’m trying to say that . . . .
Clear What I mean is . . . .
What I’m trying to say is . . . .
Let me put it another way.
Or in other words, . . . .
Paraphrasing I think you said that . . .
Is this what you mean?
If I understood you correctly, you think (or said) that . . .
What I heard you say was . . . .
Asking for Do you mean . . . ?
Clarification Can you say that again in a different way?
Can you clarify that?
Could you explain your idea in another way?
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Is this the point you are making?
Are you saying that . . . ?
Can you give me an example of what you mean?
Encouraging (Name) What do you think?
Contributions (Name) I’d like to hear what you think.
Does anyone have anything to add?
Is there something we’ve left out?
What else might be important in this discussion?
Would anyone who hasn’t spoken like to add something?
Checking for Do we all agree now that . . . ?
Agreement, Let’s review the points we’ve agreed on.
Summarizing Shall we agree to disagree on this point?
Is this an accurate summary of our discussion?
Could someone summarize our discussion?
Expressing Great idea!
Appreciation Well done!
Thanks for listening to me.
Your ideas are a real help.
It’s a pleasure to work with you.
I’m glad we’re in the same group.
I’m glad you are my partner today.
Asking for Help I don’t know the English word for . . . Do you?
How do you say . . . in English?
Can you help me?
I’m not sure how to do this. Can someone help me?
Would you mind offering me a hand?
Some Teaching Ideas:
Phrase of the Day

Write one function and a useful phrase or sentence for that function on the board before class begins.
While waiting for class to begin, students can copy the phrase or sentence into their notebooks and
think about how they might use it. Early in the lesson each day, take three minutes to discuss the use of
the phrase or sentence and encourage students to use it in the day’s work. Students can give each other
a high-five or other positive gesture when they hear it used or one of the roles of one of the group
members can be to monitor the group to see if anyone correctly used a phrase.
Posters
Divide students into groups and assign each group a conversation function such as expressing
appreciation, disagreeing, or adding an idea. Have each group create a list of useful phrases for
expressing their assigned function. These might be chosen from the ones listed here or ones that they
create themselves at their language level. Check the lists for accurate grammar, vocabulary, and spelling
and then have each group make a poster of their phrases. Hang the posters on the classroom walls as a
visible reference for use during discussions.
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Phrase Cards
Photocopy or have students copy twelve different function phrases or sentences onto separate cards
(like vocabulary cards). Before groups begin a discussion, give each group a set of cards. Have each
member of the group take an equal number of cards. While the group completes their discussion task,
each person tries to use the phrases and sentences that are written on their cards. When one is used,
the card is returned to the center of the table. When all cards are used, the cards can be re-mixed and
distributed again to continue the challenge.
BOARD GAMES
Board games are a very enjoyable way for small groups to use English for real communication. This video gives
information on finding and using board games. In the resources section of this module, you will find a link to the
games mentioned in the video.
Board Games Video
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Board Games for Learning English Transcript (and making a fun spinner)
Slide 1
Welcome to a short video on board games.
Slide 2
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Board games are games that are played at a table or desk on a printed board, often made of paper.
Chess is an example of a board game that is both ancient and played worldwide.
Slide 3
Board games can be an excellent way for small groups of students to practice English, and many board
games have been created to help learners practice speaking in English in an enjoyable and natural way.
After your class has learned how to move into and work comfortably in small groups, they will enjoy
playing these games. Games that are designed to help students practice specific English skills, are not a
waste of class time. One good collection of these games can be found at AmericanEnglish.state.gov.
Finding these games using the search bar on the site can be a little difficult, but if you use the search
term, "Activate Games for Learning American English: Board Games," you will find a good collection of
board games. The site also has links to webinars on how to use the games and suggestions for creating
your own games.
Slide 4
Board games often suggest using dice to decide how many squares a player should move forward. But
using dice may be a problem. One problem is that dice may be hard to find and buying enough for a
large class may be expensive. One solution is to make paper dice. There is a pattern available in
Activate.
Slide 5
Sometimes, however, paper dice don't work really well. And another problem is that in some
communities, dice are culturally inappropriate. Here are two possible solutions.
Slide 6
You or your students could number small pieces of paper and place them in a bag or envelope. Players
then pull out a piece of paper, to see how many squares they should move.
Slide 7
Or, you and your students can make a fun little spinner. You will need a piece of paper, a paper clip, and
a pen or pencil.
Slide 8
First, draw a circle on a piece of paper and divide it into four or six wedge shaped sections. Mark a black
dot at the center point. Number the sections. Next, lay the paper flat on a desk or table and place a
paper clip on top so that the paper clip is over the black dot.
Slide 9
Next, hold the point of a pencil on the center dot. Flick the paper clip so that it spins around the point of
the pencil. It will spin quickly and stop on one of the numbers.
Slide 10
Of course, this spinner is just a fun addition to a board game. No matter whether you use dice, draw
numbers, or spin this little wheel, board games can be an effective way of getting learners to speak
English for real communication.
Slide 11
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U.S. Department of State. (n.d.). Activate games for learning American English: Board games. U.S.
Department of State. https://americanenglish.state.gov/resources/activate-board-games
QUESTION CHARTS AND LOGIC PUZZLES

The next video describes a Question Grid task for small groups. It also suggests using logic puzzles. Links to several
articles about logic puzzles can be found in the resources section of this module.
Question Charts and Logic Puzzles Video
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Question Charts and Logic Puzzles Transcript
Slide 1
Welcome to this video on using Question Charts and Logic Puzzles.
Slide 2
Students in a small group discussion often stay on task better if the group has a specific task and must
create a product. This product might be a list, a solution to a problem, a plan for action, or an answer to
a question that they can all agree on.
Slide 3
One task that is easy for a teacher to create is a question chart, in which students write information
from other students. For this small group task, students need a copy of a grid. They can copy the grid
from one drawn on the chalkboard, or the teacher might provide photocopies.
Slide 4
On the grid, the left column is for questions. There should be as many empty columns to the right as
there are students in the small group. Each student writes the names of the other members of the
group at the top of the columns.
Slide 5
The questions in the left column might need very simple yes/no, or one-word answers, but it is good to
also include a question that asks for more information. If students in your class don't know each other
well, questions about personal interests may be appropriate. Questions such as, "Do you like to play
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sports?" A question that asks for more information could be, "Which sports?" Or, "How often do you
play?"
Slide 6
Other good questions may come from the topic of a textbook lesson. If the lesson is on health, perhaps a
question could be, "How many colds have you had this year?" Or, "Have you ever been injured?" A
question that asks for more information might be, "When?" If the lesson is on media, perhaps a
question could be, "What is your favorite film?" Or, "Who is your favorite actor?" A question that asks
for more information might be, "Could you please tell me one reason why?"
Slide 7
Group members can then work, first in pairs, asking a partner the questions and writing the answers in
the chart. Then the group can work together. Each person reports what their partner answered. "Pam
likes sports. She plays volleyball once a week." Each member of the group completes their chart. If class
members are good at staying on task, the group could complete one chart together to give to the
teacher. If some of your students like to let other students do all the work, you might collect a chart
from each student and give credit for completion of the task.
Slide 8
Another good small group activity is solving puzzles. Because the group needs to produce a final
product, a solution to the puzzle, students often stay on task well while they try to find a solution. There
are many kinds of puzzles you might choose, but one useful type that students enjoy is a logic grid
puzzle. Puzzles help students develop their thinking skills as well as their English skills.
The following resources include logic puzzle and question chart examples.
An English class logic-grid puzzle. (2022). English Teaching Forum, 60(4), 40-41.
https://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/60_4_ibc_w_answer_lighter_side.pdf
Goode, R. (2020). Using question grids to scaffold, monitor, and evaluate communicative practice. English Teaching
Forum, 58(3), 32-37. https://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/etf_58_3_pg32-37.pdf
Listening and logic. (2015). English Teaching Forum, 53(1), 45-52.

https://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/53_1_try_this_listening_logic.pdf
Young, G. (2022). Turning logic-grid puzzles into a communicative activity. English Teaching Forum, 60(4), 41-48.
https://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/60_4_pg41-48_try_this_logic_grid_puzzles.pdf
Math: Thinking logically. (2022). English Teaching Forum, 60(4).

https://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/july_teachers_corner_week_4_final.pdf
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ASKING GOOD QUESTIONS
One of the most important skills we can help students develop is the ability to ask good questions. Asking good
questions is a very important part of critical thinking and very necessary in our modern world in which false
information circulates on the internet. If we teach students to ask good questions about the texts they read and
discuss in their English class, they can transfer skills to the work they do in all their classes. The reading here
explains a small group task that will increase students’ skills in asking questions.
Asking Good Questions

One of the most important skills we can help our students develop is the ability to ask good questions. In
many traditional education systems, only teachers ask questions. The role of students is to give correct
answers. In these schools, the goal of education is to preserve knowledge by passing information from
the teacher to the student. This transfer of knowledge is definitely important; students need to learn the
wisdom of previous generations. However, old information teaches us how to solve old problems, and in
the world today we need to solve many new problems. Students who can ask good questions become
the thinkers, scientists, innovators and leaders who will help us solve new problems.
English language teachers are often leaders in helping students develop this important thinking skill.
One of the reasons for this is that learning how to ask questions is a natural part of learning to speak a
new language. A second reason is that memorizing and repeating information does not build language
fluency. English learners need to use English to communicate their own ideas, their own thinking, and as
a result, good language teaching includes giving assignments that encourage thinking.
A Question Creating Activity

The following small group activity is one that will help students develop both language skills and thinking
skills.
Preparation
Prepare lists of question stems like the ones in the list at the end of this reading. Cut them apart so that
they can be distributed to small groups of students.
Procedure
Complete a reading from a textbook or review a folk tale that the class is familiar with. Explain to the
class that they will be writing questions about the reading, but these should not be questions that have
right or wrong answers or answers that everyone agrees on. These should be questions that people can
discuss and not always agree on an answer. Demonstrate the kind of questions that are needed, using
one or two of the question stems.
Have students form small groups. Distribute three to five question stems to each small group. Each
group works together using the question stems to write questions about the reading. The goal is to write
a good question; answering the question is not required. Sometimes creating a good question requires
as much or more thinking than answering it does.
Call the class together and have groups report the questions that they have written. Save the questions
and choose appropriate ones for a later writing, journal, or discussion assignment on the text.
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Example
In the story of Cinderella, a poor girl is invited to a big party at a palace. Her stepmother and stepsisters
will not let her go with them to the party. A fairy godmother gives Cinderella a beautiful dress and turns
a pumpkin and mice into a coach with horses to pull it. At the party, the prince dances with Cinderella
and wants to know all about her. At midnight, Cinderella must run home because the coach and horses
become a pumpkin and mice again, and her dress becomes rags. She loses her shoe, and the prince uses
the shoe to find her. He marries her, and they live happily ever after.
Example questions stems and possible questions about this story:
What are the qualities of ___? What are the qualities of a good prince?
How could you explain ___? How could you explain why the stepsisters didn’t like
Cinderella?
How could we find out more about ___? How could we find out more about the history of this story?
How would you define ___? How would you define “happily ever after”?
What experiment could we do to ___? What experiment could we do to find out how many mice it
takes to pull a pumpkin?
Extended Use
This example uses a children’s story as the text for the question-making activity, but the process teaches
skills that students will use in the more important contexts that they face every day. After students
understand how to do the activity, repeat it occasionally with other material. When students learn to
ask good questions, they can ask important questions about the things they read or hear in their English
class, in all their other classes, in newspapers, on television, or over the internet.
Some possible question stems:
How is ___ What are the qualities of ___?

like ___? What is your opinion about ___?
How is ___ What conclusion can you draw from ___?
different What would happen if ___?
from ___? How could you explain ___?
How would What does ___ make you think of?
you define What experiment could we do to ___?
___? How could we find out more about ___?
How would How could you simplify ___?
you How could you summarize ___?
describe
___?
What are
the causes
of ___?
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How does
___ affect
___?
What are
the positive
and
negative
aspects of
___?
What is
more
important
___?
What does
___ mean to
you?
What is the
relationship
between
___?
Key Questions For All Learners

Today all students need to develop skills for separating good information from fake or manipulative
material, especially on the internet. Here are four questions that even young students can learn to ask.
As they develop the habit of asking these questions, their thinking skills will increase and they will be
less likely to believe deceptive writing, videos, and web pages.
1. Who wrote or created this?
2. What was their purpose?
3. Did the author or creator use good evidence?
4. How can we know that their evidence is true?
A FEW YEARS LATER

The final reading in this section gives directions for another small group activity in which students increase both
their use of English and their thinking skills.
A Few Years Later

In this activity students work in small groups to create a list of ideas in answer to a question that is relevant to their
age and context. All group members contribute to their group’s list, and groups compete to create the longest list.
The structure of the activity allows students to think about both the possible positive and the possible negative
results of a decision.
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Preparation
Choose a decision topic that is relevant to the members of the class. In many rural settings, this might be deciding
to move to a big city, so we’ll use that for this example.
Procedure
Have the class divide into small groups. If you choose moving to a big city as the topic, draw a simple sketch of a
happy family on the board or on a large sheet of paper. Have the class choose names for the people and tell the
class that these people are very happy about a decision they have made. In our example, “This family is very
excited and happy because they have decided to move to our capital city. What are the reasons they feel happy
about this decision?”
Explain that each small group is to use one sheet of paper and create a list of as many reasons as they can think of
for why the family is happy about moving. (Using one sheet of paper helps ensure that participants talk with each
other.) Give a signal to begin, and after a set time, perhaps ten minutes, call stop. Have groups read their list to
the class. To reduce the time this takes, ask each group to add only those reasons from their list that previous
groups have not mentioned. The group with the most reasons is declared the winner.
Now change the happy faces to sad faces. Some years have passed, and these people are no longer happy about
their decision. Have the groups work with a new sheet of paper and think of as many reasons as possible for why
the family is no longer happy with their decision. Again, have groups read their lists to the class and announce the
winner, the group with the longest list.
Variations
If there is not enough time available for groups to read their lists to the class, you might skip this step, but because
learning the ideas from each group is important, consider posting the lists on the classroom walls so that students
can read them when they have time. Alternatively, you might have two groups look at their papers together and
see which ideas are the same and which are different.
Ideas For Topics

The topic you choose should be relevant to the lives of your students.
For children, the topic might be something children are usually excited about doing, such as getting a pet or joining
a sports team, or it could be something that makes them nervous, such as moving from primary to secondary
school. In the latter case, teams first list all the reasons students might feel nervous, and in the second round list
all the reasons the students are happy in their new school. For late teens or young adults, the topic might be
deciding to get married, borrowing money to buy a car, or quitting school in order to take a good job.
Events in your community may also provide good topics such as a decision to build (or remove) a park or sports
arena or to host a big event like the Olympics or a Grand-Prix race, or to create a new national holiday. Your
textbook may also have topics that provide a good prompt for looking first at the potential benefits of a decision
and then at the potential, and perhaps less obvious, problems that may come as a result.
As students work together in this activity, they increase both their use of English and their thinking skills.
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Module 4 Task 8: Project-Based Learning
PROJECT-BASED LEARNING
In the previous sections, we have looked at tasks for pair and small group work. Language teaching theory defines
a difference between this Task-Based Learning (TBL) and Project-Based Learning (PBL). Tasks can usually be
completed in one class period or less. Projects, on the other hand, are more complex and take longer to complete
than tasks do. Just as in Task-Based Learning, in Project-Based Learning, students use English for real
communication and produce a product of some kind. The product, however, is larger. It might be a video, a drama
production, a digital story, a book of recipes, a tourist guide to the local area, or a report on possible solutions to a
local environmental problem. Often students choose their own project, and groups may need to work on their
project outside of class. At the end of a project, students show their work to an audience, perhaps an audience of
other students or perhaps parents or members of their community.
Because Project-Based Learning requires more time, more independent work from students, and often more
space, teachers of very large classes may be reluctant to use it. This is understandable. Simply telling eighty
students who have never done group work that they should “get into groups and make a video in English,” will not
go well. However, if our students have developed an appropriate level of group-work skills and have clear
guidance on the steps necessary to complete the project, Project-Based Learning can be done in large classes.
(Again, remember the suggestions in Module 3.)
Although PBL requires additional preparation and organization, there are excellent reasons to use it. Students’
motivation increases greatly when they can use their creativity or research skills to produce something that is
personally meaningful to them and present it to an audience beyond their classroom. In the process of completing
a project, they use multiple skills in English both in presenting the product and in communicating with each other
while completing it. Their confidence in using English and their sense of its usefulness grow.
Although Project-Based Learning is often suggested for learners who are at a low-intermediate level or higher,
even young learners with beginning English skills can complete projects. One creative teacher had her young
learners color and cut out pictures of the fruits and vegetables their parents bought and sold in an open market.
They also made paper play-money in the local currency. The children practiced numbers and phrases such as “How
many . . . ?” and “How much . . . ?” Then they held a market on the sidewalk in front of their school. Teachers and
administrators from the school came to the market and bargained, in English, to buy the fruits and vegetables. It
was a very successful (and cute) example of Project-Based Learning for beginning level young learners.
AN EXAMPLE OF PROJECT-BASED LEARNING

American Teens Talk is a collection of interviews with ordinary American teenagers in which they talk about what
they have been doing in the previous week. The collection includes downloadable recordings and written copies of
the interviews as well as photos and discussion questions. Watch this video for an example of a language learning
project using American Teens Talk.
● Building Intercultural Competence Through Project-Based Learning
If you would like to learn more about American Teens Talk, the first link includes the interviews and recordings and
will take you out of Canvas. The second link is the American Teens Talk book.
● American Teens Talk
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On page nine of this article from Forum, Ramin Yazdanpanah tells how he created a project with his university
students using American Teens Talk.
● Exploring and Expressing Culture Through Project-Based Learning
If you would like to learn more about Project-Based Learning, the list below includes several articles by teachers
who explain how they led their students in completing specific projects and advice on ways that teachers have
dealt with multi-level learners when organizing projects.
Reference
Yazdanpanah, R. (2019). Exploring and expressing culture through project-based learning. English Teaching Forum,
(57)3, 2-13. https://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/57_3_02-13.pdf
A Resource List on Project-Based and Task-Based Learning

If you are interested in using Project-Based Learning with your classes, the resources listed and linked here will
give you both ideas for projects and very specific guidance on using Project-Based Learning successfully. All of
these resources are available on the American English website.
1. The webinar Scaffolding Project-Based Instruction: Supporting Student Success includes principles and a
step-by-step guide to using project-based instruction. A project for creating a Taste of Our Town
cookbook is featured and several other examples of possible projects are given.
● Scaffolding Project-Based Instruction: Supporting Student Success
2. The article Service Learning and Community Engagement for English Classes in Forum describes the
value of service learning projects and gives examples of successful projects completed by the author and
her students.
● Service Learning and Community Engagement in English Classes
3. An article in Forum following up on the article above gives detailed guidance on how to create a service-
learning project for one’s own community.
● Teacher's Corner: Service Learning in the English Classroom
4. The Forum article Exploring and Expressing Culture Through Project-Based Learning gives complete
directions for completing four projects: A video project on challenging cultural stereotypes, a poster
presentation on the same topic, an analysis of commercials and culture, and Teens Talk.
● Exploring and Expressing Culture Through Project-Based Learning
5. The Forum article Stimulating Writing Through Project-Based Tasks describes using a project-based
approach to writing a problem-solution essay. Students researched the topic of poverty and wrote
suggested solutions for poverty in their country.
● Stimulating Writing Through Project-Based Tasks
6. The Forum article Student Documentaries: A Language Learning Tool gives a detailed description of the
steps followed in implementing a successful media project with upper-intermediate learners.
● Student Documentaries: A Language Learning Tool
7. The webinar Getting Started with Project-Based Learning in STEAM gives ideas and directions for projects
with a STEAM component, starting with planning a birthday party on a budget. The presenter specifically
mentions using PBL in multi-level classes.
● Getting Started with Project-Based Learning in Steam
8. The webinar Implementing Peer Assessment in Project-Based Learning discusses ways of getting students
to help each other with good feedback while working on projects. The presenter gives advice on grouping
in multi-level classes.
● Implementing Peer Assessment in Project Based Learning
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The following three resources describe successful project-based courses for English learners.
1. The webinar Becoming a News Reporter: A Case Study in Project-Based Learning gives information on a
six-week course, two sessions a week, in which students created television style broadcasts about a
problem in their community.
● Becoming a News Reporter
2. The Forum article Creating Meaningful Web Pages: A Project-Based Course gives a step by step
description of how a nine week course on creating useful webpages was organized and run.
● Creating Meaningful Web Pages
3. The Forum article Individualizing Learning Through Self-Directed Projects reports from a university where
all students are required to complete a self-directed project of their own choosing. These projects include
writing reports, preparing resource guides, entering speaking contests, and more.
● Individualizing Learning Through Self-Directed Projects
The following two webinars focus on Task-Based Learning.
1. "Developing Grammar Proficiency Through Communicative Activities" explores key principles associated
with communicative grammar instruction. Participants will learn how to apply these principles in the
classroom, and consider how to create and evaluate grammar activities that will enhance your students’
ability to use English for real communication.
● Developing Grammar Proficiency Through Communicative Activities
2. "Task-Based Language Teaching for Designing Grammar-Focused Communicative Activities" examines
how task-based language teaching (TBLT) creates opportunities for students to use and develop language
skills in the course of authentic communication. In this webinar, participants will learn how to plan
grammar-focused communicative tasks using TBLT principles.
● Task-Based Language Teaching for Designing Grammar Focused Communicative Activities
Module 4 Task 9: Classroom Activities Quiz
Quiz
Take the Learner Differences Quiz for Module 4. You can take the quiz as many times as you need. It is set up to
keep the highest score. As you take the quiz, you may refer to your notes if necessary. Be sure to read the
feedback after you submit your answers. Please note that you must score at least 7 out of 10 points to move on to
the next module. Good Luck!
>>>> Please note that this quiz can only be completed in Canvas <<<<
"Quiz" by Azusa Pacific University is licensed under CC BY 4.0.
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Module 4 Task 10: Teacher Tote Discussion (Optional)
YOUR TEACHER TOTE

Remember that the Teacher Tote is a portfolio that you add to each week. Try to choose at least three activities to
add to your Teacher Tote this week. Of course, you can always add more! At the end of the five weeks, you will
have at least fifteen activities that you can use with your students and share with others.
You can choose:
● Activities from the course. You may want to select activities from the following modules:
○ Module 4 Task 4: Activities That Work
○ Module 4 Task 5: Activities That Work with No Movement
○ Module 4 Task 6: Activities that Work with Minimal Movement
○ Module 4 Task 7: Activities that Work with Some Movement
○ Module 4 Task 8: Project-Based Learning
● Activities you have used in the past with your students, and
● Activities you find online. One place where you can find resources that are free to use with your students
is the American English Website.
To create your own Teacher Tote, you can write on your own paper or notebook or download the Teacher Tote
template.
TEACHER TOTE TEMPLATE

SHARING PLAN
Who? Which people can you share

with weekly and/or after the course
is complete?
How? How can you share the

information? (e.g., on social media, at
school, presenting to teachers)
TEACHER TOTE ACTIVITIES
Module 1
Name of Activity Explanation of Activity
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1
Module 2
Module 3
Module 4
Module 5
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3
Continue building your tote now by following the steps below.
1. Think about all the activities included in this module.

2. Select the three that you want to add to the Module 4 section in your Teacher Tote.
3. Fill in your Teacher Tote Template for Module 4.
TEACHER TOTE DISCUSSION (OPTIONAL)

In the optional Teacher Tote sharing discussions in each module of this course, you have the opportunity to share
your favorite activities with other teachers from around the world.
In the discussion below, share the three activities you added to your Teacher Tote this week and why you chose
them. If you have used the activities with your students, you can also share a few details about how they
responded to the activities.
You can also return to your Backward Design Template from Module 1 and add learning activities that will help
your students to achieve their goals. Share one of the activities that you added in the discussion.
Discussion Post Template

Dear TELC Colleagues:
My name is name . I am from country . I have chosen three activities for my Teacher Tote.
Activity 1
Explanation.
Activity 2
Explanation.
Activity 3
Explanation.
Backward Design Template Activities
I added three activities that will help students to meet the goals and perform well on the assessments. They are...
75
Below is an example of how teachers may post to this discussion board.
Dear TELC Colleagues:
My name is Lilimar, and I am from Venezuela. These are the three activities that I have chosen for my Teacher
Tote.
(1) Round-Robin Writing
I plan on using the Round-Robin writing activity with my students. I noticed that when I had my students splitting
up into groups, sometimes the classroom would become too loud and distracting. When working on group writing
assignments, using this kind of technique might minimize the distraction. I will ask the students to pass around
their papers to their classmates in order for them to add onto it, instead of everyone getting up to move
themselves. The first time I try out this technique I'll have students in groups of two. If this is successful, I will try
larger groups to see how they respond to the activity, and evaluate if the level of distraction has decreased.
(2) Information Gaps
I would like to try a group activity that uses Information Gaps next. I plan to have students grouped in pairs. Each
student will have a piece of the information needed to complete their task. If a student is hesitant to work with
their partner, they won't have the information they need to complete the assignment. The goal will be to
encourage students to exchange information and communicate what they know in order to complete the
assignment together. I'm hoping that this will grow teamwork skills between my students and they can learn how
to collaborate well.
(3) Asking Good Questions
I really like the idea of encouraging my students to learn how to ask good questions. Asking questions in class or in
real life can be intimidating. Sometimes my students feel afraid to ask a question they have because they don't
want anyone to think that they aren't smart or that they can't keep up with the class. I think that teaching my
students about the importance of asking questions and more specifically how to ask good questions would be very
beneficial in my classes.
Backward Design Template Activities
I added one activity to my Backward Design Template from Module 1 - Question Charts and Logic Puzzles. I believe
this will be very beneficial in helping my students achieve their goals.
Discussion Post Checklist

● I shared the three activities I added to my Teacher Tote.
● I shared the reason I chose the three activities.
● I shared one of the activities that I added to my Backward Design Template.
● I asked a question for others to answer.
● I followed the netiquette guidelines.
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Netiquette
Netiquette reminds us how to politely interact in online forums, like this discussion. You can read about netiquette
in the Syllabus and Lesson 5c: Discussion Tips for MOOCs.
How to Post
Click the Reply button and then type your reply in the box. When you finish typing your post, click Post Reply.
>>>> Please note that this discussion can only be completed in Canvas <<<<
"Teacher Tote," "Discussion," and "Checklist" by Azusa Pacific University are licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Module 4 Task 11: Module 4 Checklist
MODULE CHECKLIST
>>>> Please note that this quiz can only be completed in Canvas <<<<
Congratulations on reaching the end of Module 4! Let’s check to make sure you completed all of the tasks. Look at
the list below and see if you completed each of the items.
● I read the introduction to the module and viewed the teacher support circle video.
● I read about guiding principles for selecting activities.
● I viewed videos and read about classroom activities that work with no movement.
● I viewed videos and read about classroom activities that work with minimal movement.
● I viewed videos and read about classroom activities that work with more movement.
● I viewed videos and read about classroom activities that work with complex movement.
● I selected at least three items from Module 4 to place in my Teacher Tote.
● I added learning activities to my Backward Design Template.
● I completed the quiz with a score of 70% or higher.
If you completed all of the tasks, choose “yes” to move to the next module.
"To Do List" by Azusa Pacific University is licensed under CC BY 4.0.
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MODULE 4: Choosing Activities that Work with Large

Creating Practical Activities for Large Classes TSC Transcript

Theme music and animation for TSC: 5 seconds

PREPARE FOR THE MODULE

Module 4 Task 2: Module 4 Vocabulary

Attention span (noun)

Definition: the amount of time one can focus on one activity

Critical thinking (noun)

Discrete point listening (noun)

Definition: listening for individual sounds and words

Definition: in a clear, detailed way

Definition: a person who introduces new methods or ideas

On task (prepositional phrase)

Definition: focused on doing a job; paying attention to an assignment

Definition: support that helps students use English to complete a task

To transfer skills (verb)

"Vocabulary" by Azusa Pacific University is licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Module 4 Task 3: Activities in Your Class (Optional)

Discussion Board Instructions (Optional)

My name is name . I teach in (country) .

I am going to share two activities that I often use in my classroom.

Below is an example of how teachers may post to this discussion board.

Hi! My name is Lilimar and I teach in Venezuela.

"Discussion" by Azusa Pacific University is licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Module 4 Task 4: Activities That Work

"Untitled" by Mario Heller is licensed under the Unsplash License.

1. They can help you achieve course objectives.

1. Your teaching context.

PRINCIPLES TO CONSIDER WHEN TRYING NEW WAYS OF TEACHING

2. What is the age of your students?

3. What expectations about learning and school do your students have?

1. Teach your quiet signal.

"Video" by Azusa Pacific University is licensed under CC BY 4.0.

Module 4 Task 5: Activities that Work with No

An overview of TPR with an introduction from Diane Larsen-Freeman: Comprehension Approach/TPR

An article about TPR:

Using Jazz Chants Video

Do You Like It?

Do you want to go to Paris?

Do you want to go to Paris?

American English Webinar on Teaching with Jazz Chants

A simple basic, round robin

Using a round robin with advanced or multi-level students

First student: Write

Fourth student: Finish the letter politely.

A round-robin grammar practice activity

Listening Grids Video

"Video" by Azusa Pacific University is licensed under CC BY 4.0.

HIDDEN GRIDS AND HIDDEN PICTURES

Hidden Grids and Hidden Pictures Video

Information Gaps Video

Country of origin: Germany Sweden Japan

Price: Luxury Mid -range Affordably priced

First produced: 1928 1927 1936

Country of origin: Sweden I missed

Price: Mid -range

First produced: 1928 1936

Country of origin: Germany Japan

Price: Luxury Affordably priced

First produced: 1927

● Teacher's Corner Speaking Information Gap Activities

Have students form pairs.

Three Low-Resource Games for Pair Work

How is _ What are the qualities of _?