Beginning an English Lesson for Non-Speakers
Icebreaker Activity: "Speed Chatting"
Objective:
To warm up the students and encourage them to use basic conversational English in a relaxed environment, allowing them to practise speaking and listening skills.
Setup:
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Materials Needed:
- Two sets of conversation starter cards (one for each student),
- A timer (or a phone with a timer feature),
- Chairs arranged in two circles (one inside the other) or movable chairs for pairings.
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Time Required: Approximately 15-20 minutes.
Instructions:
1. Introduction (5 minutes):
- Greet the students warmly and explain that today’s lesson will focus on basic conversational skills. Emphasise that making mistakes is a natural part of learning.
- Introduce the icebreaker activity, "Speed Chatting," which is designed to get everyone talking.
2. Forming Pairs (5 minutes):
- Have students form two circles: an inner circle and an outer circle, where each student in the inner circle faces a student in the outer circle. If there’s an odd number of students, one pair can share.
- Each student in the inner circle will ask the student opposite them a question from the conversation starter cards.
3. Conversation Starter Cards:
- Distribute a card to each student. Examples of questions could include:
- “What is your favourite food and why?”
- “Where did you grow up?”
- “What hobbies do you enjoy?”
- “What is something interesting about your culture?”
- Encourage them to keep their answers brief to allow for more exchanges.
4. Activity Execution (10 minutes):
- Set the timer for 2 minutes. During this time, the students in the inner circle will ask their partner a question from the card.
- After 2 minutes, signal for the pairs to switch: the inner circle rotates one place to the right (or left), and the outer circle remains.
- Repeat the process with the new pairs for another round of questions, continuing until each student has had a chance to respond to at least three different questions.
Wrap-Up:
- Once the activity is complete, bring the class back together.
- Ask a few students to share what they learned about their partners. This fosters a sense of community and helps students feel more comfortable using English conversationally.
Conclusion:
- Highlight the importance of conversation in learning English and express your enthusiasm for the journey ahead. Reinforce that practice is key, and every conversation is a step towards fluency.
By starting your lesson with an engaging activity like "Speed Chatting," you create an interactive and supportive atmosphere for adult learners to practise their conversational English skills right from the start!