aidemia--modules-lessonstartideas_type	Give a creative idea how to begin a lesson
Which subject	English as second
What age group	Doesn't matter
What topic	tennis related English an eliciting session to reduce teacher talking time (TTT)
Quantity	1
Any other preferences	for ESL students at Jonathan Markson Tennis Camp

Engaging Introduction to Tennis Vocabulary for ESL Students

Objective

To elicit tennis-related vocabulary and phrases from students, thereby reducing teacher talking time (TTT) and maximizing student engagement in a tennis context.

Set the Scene

Materials Needed:

• Tennis Tennis Balls: Several balls for demonstration purposes.
• Visual Aids: Pictures of tennis courts, players, and equipment.
• Tennis Vocabulary Cards: Cards with vocabulary words and images (e.g., serve, rally, net, forehand, backhand).

Warm-Up Activity (10 minutes)

1. Tennis in Action

Start by showing a short video clip of a tennis match. Ensure that the clip is engaging and highlights key plays, focusing on the players' movements and equipment.

Questions to Elicit Vocabulary:

• What do you see in this video?
• Can you name the equipment used?
• What actions are the players performing?

Encourage the students to describe what they see, using any English words they know. As they speak, jot down the vocabulary they mention on a whiteboard. This slight collaborative approach will naturally reduce your talking time, allowing students to take the lead.

Visual Prompt

(Replace with an engaging tennis match image)

Vocabulary Brainstorm (15 minutes)

2. Word Cloud Creation

Using the vocabulary collected from the warm-up activity, divide the class into small groups.

• Provide each group with Tennis Vocabulary Cards.
• Ask them to categorize the words into groups: Actions, Equipment, and Positions.

Examples of Categories:

• Actions: Serve, Rally, Volley
• Equipment: Racket, Tennis Balls, Net
• Positions: Baseline, Service Box, Net

Have each group present their categories to the class, which will further reinforce learning through peer teaching.

Fun Interaction (10 minutes)

3. Tennis Charades

Each student pulls a Tennis Vocabulary Card and acts out the word without speaking, while the rest of the class guesses the word.

• This interactive game encourages the use of non-verbal communication and reinforces the vocabulary learned, creating a fun, memorable experience.

Wrap-Up

Conclude the session by highlighting the vocabulary words learned and encouraging students to use them during the next practical tennis activity at the camp. This encourages real-life application and solidifies their learning, while keeping Teacher Talking Time to a minimum!

Assessment

Monitor students' ability to use the new vocabulary in future conversations, particularly during tennis matches, to assess understanding and retention.