Exciting news! I’ve just released a new book on Amazon, 39 ESL Warm-Ups: For Teenagers and Adults. Warm-Up Activities are awesome, if you didn’t know that already. They get your students active, engaged and speaking English right from the beginning of the class.
In case you’re the type of person who likes to try before you buy, here is an ESL warm-up activity from that book. This small talk ESL warm-up is a great way to get your students having fun while speaking English.
Small Talk ESL Warm-Up Activity
You can use this activity for high-beginners to advanced students, but you’ll have to adjust the length of the conversations. Print off this grid, one per every 4 students.
Put students into pairs, with 2 pairs in one group (4 students total). The first pair chooses a topic such as “this morning” and must talk about it for 2 minutes (advanced), 1 minute (intermediate) or 30 seconds (beginner). The other team is the “timer” and can use their cell-phones to do this.
If the team can keep up a conversation about this topic for the full time, they get to mark that topic on the board with either an “X” or “O,” with the goal being three in a row, which equals one point. If they can’t do it, there is no penalty but they don’t get to mark that square on the board. The game is essentially S-O-S/Tic-Tac-Toe. Then, the next team chooses a topic and the game continues.
For a short activity, the winner can be the first team with one row of three squares.
For a longer game, continue for a certain amount of time (10 minutes is good) and the winner is the team with the most rows.
Procedure for Small Talk ESL Speaking Activity:
1.Print off the small talk grid, one per every 4 students.
2.The first pair chooses a square and must talk about that topic for a set amount of time. If successful, they mark the board with an “X” or “O.” The game continues with the next team choosing another square (or the same one if the other pair was unsuccessful).
3.The goal is to get three squares in a row or the most rows, depending on how long you want to play.
Get 39 ESL Warm-Ups on Amazon Today
- Jackie Bolen, Jennifer Booker Smith
- Kindle Edition
- English
If you liked this ESL warm-up, you’re going to love this book: 39 ESL Warm-Ups: For Teenagers and Adults. There are enough ESL warm-up games and activities to try out a different one before every single class that you teach in a semester. There are review activities, get to know each other activities, as well as just a few fun ESL games in there too. Mix things up and keep your class fresh and interesting for your students by using an ESL warm-up.
The book is available on Amazon in both digital and print formats. The cheaper digital copy can by read on any device by downloading the free Kindle reading app. Have top-quality ESL warm-ups at your fingertips anywhere that you go.
Keep a copy on the bookshelf in your office to use as a handy reference guide when you’re doing your lesson plans. Or, take a copy with you on your phone or tablet for lesson planning at your favourite coffee shop.
Check out the book for yourself on Amazon. It belongs on the bookshelf of every single ESL teacher, but only if you want some more ESL awesome in your classes:
Why Do I Need to Use a Warmer in my TEFL Classes?
Do you know that it’s a fact that many of your students probably haven’t spoken a single word of English since your last class. Yes, it’s not ideal but it’s also the reality.
If you jump right into the heart of the lesson, many of your students will struggle. Instead, take a few minutes to do one of these activities or games to help ease students back into it.
They’re also perfect for reviewing material from previous classes. This is especially important if you’re building on this prior knowledge in your upcoming lesson.
Additionally, they allow some time for the latecomers to get to class and get settled without causing too much of a disruption.
Try out a warmer in your classes and see how it goes. Leave a comment below and let us know!
Have your Say about these ESL Warm Up Activities
What’s your go-to ESL warmer? Leave a comment below and let us know what you think.
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Last update on 2019-07-17 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API