Conversation Activities

Federico Riva Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas The following activities may be adapted for use as warmers, engage activities, structured practice or free practice style activities. They may also be adapted for level and age. Watch the video about this topic Are you ready to teach English as a foreign language? Related Articles: Check out what our course grads say in our many video testimonials! The first one is really simple but can be one of the best activities to improve grammar. Some students even at the higher levels are lacking automatic habits, which are really important for grammatical skill. Basically this activity is a grammar drill and it is supposed to be used as a warmer or as an ice-breaker activity. The main objective is to help your students automate some grammatical...  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! Here are various discussion topics about traveling to encourage your ESL students to speak.   Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! These are fun conversation cards about experiences. Have your students pick a card, read out the questions and answer them.   Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! These printable conversation cards about Christmas are ideal for classes before the winter holidays.   Print out this sheet and cut out all cards individually and play it with your ESL class. Students take turns picking cards and starting conversations about the questions on the cards. For big classes: Divide the class into groups and hand one sheet / set of cards to each group. Have the students play the conversation cards among each group.   Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! Here are some polite ways to end a conversation in English.   Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! Using speaking cards is a great way to encourage conversations among ESL learners. The cards act as guides to give the students a direction in their conversations. Below you will find conversation cards about books and reading for your ESL classroom.   Let's take a look at all of the questions and possible answers. Possible answer: I recently finished reading the first book of the Outlander series. It's a fantastic book about an English woman from 1945 who travels back in time to Scotland in 1745. The story is very compelling and the characters' personalities are very well thought-through. Possible answer: One of my favorite books is "The Da Vinci Code" written by Dan Brown. Even though it is a fictional story, Dan...  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! These are some fun conversation cards with "Would you" questions for your ESL students.   Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! What is your favorite way to start up a conversation? Whether it's in the English classroom or at a dinner party, it can be very awkward to start talking to people you don't know. The following questions will help you start a conversation and break the ice!   A conversation jar can help you get beyond small talk and start a fun, unusual conversation! It assures that you have a few conversation starters in your back pocket. To create a conversation jar: Striking up a conversation doesn't have to be so hard. Whether you’re trying to meet someone new or just learn more about an old friend, asking out-of-the-box questions is a great way to break the ice and even make new friends!   Register now & get certified to...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas Teaching speaking skills is an important part of an ESL class. Sometimes, entire conversation classes are established that focus solely on speaking. Here are 7 great games for your ESL conversation class. 1. Mystery Party Guest 2. Choose Your Victim 3. Ice-breaker Jenga 4. 20 Questions 5. Apples to Apples 6. Get to Know You Bingo 7. Create A Game Are you ready to teach English abroad? Related Articles: Write down the names and key points about five celebrities and assign them to the same amount of students in your classroom. One by one, a student enters a "party" with another student playing the host. The host must then find out the identity of each guest by having a conversation with everyone. Have your students stand in a circle. Choose a specific...  [Read more]

Linda is a passionate traveler, language learner and TEFL teacher. After spending some time teaching in China, she moved to Korea in 2015. She now calls South Korea her home. Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas Schools are starting again and students and teachers flock back to the classroom. Check out these simple and powerful back-to-school ideas and your students will surely remember this first lesson of yours for a long time! Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas As an ESL teacher, getting your students talking can be one of the most difficult things to accomplish. English learners often lack the necessary confidence to speak openly and freely in English. The following activities are perfect for getting your students out of their shells! Here are 7 go-to activities for your ESL conversation...  [Read more]

  "In this video, our OTP trainee Richard introduces the topic of quantifiers to his students in Florida. He talks about quantifiers and how the related vocabulary is used in everyday conversation. ITTT's Observed Teaching Practice courses (OTP) are ideal for teachers wanting to improve their teaching skills remotely from anywhere in the world." Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken down into concise units that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly structured design means that you can quickly get to grips with each section before moving onto the next. Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! this is the last but...  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! This is a grammar-based ´Getting to know you´ worksheet aimed at practicing the use of correct wh-question words, speaking, listening, asking for clarification, asking to repeat, note-taking and short presentations or talking in front of the class.     Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

The activities listed below are a combination of ideas that are physically and/or mentally stimulating. Games such as ‘What’s The Time Mr. Wolf?’, ‘Basketball’, ‘Volleyball’, ‘Can You …?’, ‘Stand Up Please’ and ‘Blindfold Obstacle Course’ all encourage the students to use English while moving about. They are great for getting the students using English while expending their energy in positive ways. Activities such as ‘Odd One Out’ and ‘Mastermind’ are mentally stimulating and are excellent ways for the students to use and think about the language creatively. The majority of these ideas have a competitive element to make them more exciting and they can be completed in a short amount of time to ensure students don’t get bored by the end of the...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas Having to organize and hold a winter camp is a daunting task, especially for new teachers who haven't done it before. For these kinds of English camps, teachers typically create up to 10 lesson plans for the duration of the camp. Winter camps can last anywhere between one week to a month or even longer. The main goal of an English camp is to have a fun and memorable time with the students while practicing their English. Listen to this blog post: It's all About Fun… and Props! Making Sock Snowmen! Making Christmas or New Year's Cards Have Handouts Ready Powerpoint/Computer Games Board Games When Your School Doesn't Have a Budget or Supplies Are you ready to teach English abroad? Related Articles: Check out what our course grads say in our many video...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas 5 activities with flashcards it's one way to make a class more interesting especially when teaching kids. 1. Missing card 2. Jump over 3. Tower building 4. Sit on the flashcard 5. Pass the flashcard 6. Hide and seek Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Manling Z. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. This activity you will have to teach first the words and make sure the kids know the words and when they see the picture they can be able to identify what it is, so what you have to do is spread all the flashcards on the floor and tell them to look carefully if possible you can read with them the words one...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas When teaching young learners, it's important not to spend too much time on any one activity as they can soon lose interest. It is also a good idea to have activities that give younger learners the chance to move about and use the boundless energy they have at that age. Below we present a list of short activities suitable for young and very young learners of English. Listen to this blog post: What's the Time Mr. Wolf? Telephone Basketball Volleyball Bingo Can you …? I Spy Odd One Out Stand Up Please Mastermind Blindfold Obstacle Course Are you ready to teach English abroad? Related Articles: Check out what our course grads say in our many video testimonials! This is a good activity for practicing time with small classes. Clear a space in the center of...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas You will find the web full of ideas for teaching vocabulary and, although most of them are undoubtedly good activities, some are only suited to a particular level. Here are some tried and tested activities that can be adapted to suit any level of student and a variety of class sizes. Listen to this blog post: 1. Hot seat 2. Beat the clock 3. Crosswords 4. Board games 5. Slow Pictionary 6. Vocabulary tennis 7. Pelmanism ("Concentration") Are you ready to teach English abroad? Related Articles: Check out what our course grads say in our many video testimonials! This is a great activity that can be used as a warm-up at the beginning of a class, or as a game at the end of a lesson. It's suitable for any class size over 4 students and requires minimal...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Teaching Ideas In a previous post, we looked at various teaching ideas for future simple and here we're going to describe some fun ideas for teaching three other future tenses. There are a wide variety of usages for future tenses and it's always important to make sure your activities focus on the usages that you've taught in your lesson. For example, future continuous can be used to talk about an ongoing action at a point in the future, a fixed future event, polite enquiries or to predict the future or the present. Predicting the present is one that students often have trouble conceptualizing, so we might as well start from there. Listen to this blog post: Predicting the present Ongoing action at a point in the future Expected achievements at a point in the future...  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! Here are four fun Easter activities for ESL students.   Grab this printable ESL worksheet with four Easter-themed activities for your ESL students.   Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! This worksheet is designed to practice some common daily actions. There are 28 pictures and students must match them with the correct actions.   Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! This is a fun worksheet to practice talking about daily routines in English.   Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! This worksheet contains 18 conversation cards and two vocabulary matching exercises (one with pictures). The cards can be cut out if desired and be used as conversation questions.   Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

Federico Riva Destinations TEFL Information Alumni Experiences In this insightful blog post, we'll explore the essence of grammar, examining various approaches to its teaching, offering a comprehensive understanding of this linguistic foundation. What is Grammar? Preparation Grammar Practice Activities and Games Grammar Quiz Memory test Miming an action Ready to teach English as a Foreign Language? Related Articles: Check out what our course grads say in our many video testimonials! For decades, mastering grammar stood pivotal in students' perception of language learning. However, contemporary perspectives vary widely on what constitutes essential learning for learners and the most effective teaching methodologies. Here are some key questions concerning teaching grammar: Prepare some...  [Read more]

Federico Riva Teaching Ideas Let us imagine. How if English teachers only conduct English lessons inside the class? Will the students have fun all the time? Many English teachers reflect on that so, in reality, they try to conduct English lessons not only inside the class but also outside the class. They think that conducting English lessons outside is also needed and important. Therefore, English teachers use some outdoor activities to help when teaching English. By doing so, English teachers believe that they can help their students to increase motivation. They also believe that outdoor activities can give students fun and joy. Here are some interesting activities that English teachers can use to teach English outside the class. Principles of Motivation What I can do Look around and...  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! This is a great speaking activity to talk about daily activities. Your students roll the die twice to find a question to talk about. The first roll determines the number on the top and the second roll determines the number on the left.   Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Flashcards can be great tools for eliciting vocabulary, but teachers should not overlook the numerous other uses for these great tools. Flashcard games can add excitement to young learners' classes. The following activities are aimed to drill the vocabulary in the second study phase of the lesson, after the elicitation of vocabulary. 1. Game for liars 2. Get on the other side of the bridge 3. Memory challenge 4. Keyword race 5. More for listening skills Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Kiyomi Ann H. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The liar game is a flashcard activity that can be used to...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Flashcards on its own is an easy method to apply when teaching beginners, teenagers even adults because they can match the words to the pictures and it's an easy way to remember new vocabulary. I think this is the best way of acquiring a new word of a second language because identification and recognition is the key. 1. Ask, Guess and Answer Materials: 2. Display Flashcards on the Floor Materials: 3 From Here to There Materials: 4. Rhyme Concentration Materials: 5. Puzzling Words Materials: Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Sombong V. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The whole class can take...  [Read more]

Register now & get certified to teach english abroad! This worksheet contains 18 conversation cards, a matching exercise, and some quotes. The cards can be cut out if desired and be used as conversation questions. This can be used with both young learners and adults (pre-intermediate to upper-intermediate).   Register now & get certified to teach english abroad!  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas People say that language is a tree and the vocabulary is the leaf of that tree. Therefore teaching vocabulary items are indeed an essential part of any English learners' growth. Especially for younger students, who are motivated to learn the basic words, they need to get by in the language. There are many different ways to teach vocabulary. Using flashcards is one of the most suitable media in teaching vocabulary. Because learners can easily memorize and understand the meaning of vocabulary through flashcards. I am going to share with you my 5 favorite and effective activities with flashcards: 1. Spin the Bottle: 2. Rope Jump: 3. Roll the Dice: 4. Picture word match race: 5. Over-under: Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Outdoor games and activities can be motivating and fun for English language learners. According to my research, there are many different activities that teachers can use to practice and develop students' English language skills. Outdoor learning has many benefits: Students can be highly motivated and energized by being outside. When a class has become boring or the students disinterested, going outside can help students return to the classroom refreshed and more focused than before. Furthermore, being in the new surroundings opens up unique, memorable ways to teach English in the great outdoors. ESL Community Experience Choice of Activities Game Ideas Scientific Research Do you want to teach English abroad? Take a TEFL course! Related Articles: This...  [Read more]