Just because they’re of a mature age doesn’t mean that they necessarily have advanced language skills. Let students use their phone cameras to “remember” the text. The objective of Cluedo: Who Fixed it? If you liked this post, something tells me that you'll love FluentU, the best way to teach English with real-world videos. In the simplest form of classroom survey practice the teacher hands out ready-made questions—maybe 3 for each student—around a topic that is being studied. Top 19 ESL Speaking Activities for Adults Without further ado, here are the best conversation activities and games for adults if you teach English and need a few ideas. Draw leg 1 (a stick at the bottom of the body). If they’re totally sure that it’s incorrect (and they rarely are) they can put a “0” bid. … 4. If they answer correctly, they then “choose a box” using the grid labels. To make sure that they are engaged in listening, it is best to give students something to do or some way of responding. Always allow a few minutes of class time to talk about the activity, what they liked about it (or hated), how it made them feel and what they think they’ve learned. FluentU is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. All of our activities are designed around themes engaging and relevant to adult learners and can be used to complement your course curriculum, giving students an opportunity to develop their English language and skills in motivating and enjoyable ways. Who arrived first? Download: Do you want to teach English while traveling the world? is simple: place a card from your hand into the correct position of cards forming the play area in the center of the table. FluentU takes real-world videos—like music videos, cartoons, documentaries and more—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons for you and your students. TV Show-Based ESL Games for Adults. Use. Why not spice up the classroom with ESL vocabulary games to enhance the adult learning experience? Quickly stand and place yourself back into the teacher position and debrief (talk with them about how they felt about the game). For both beginner and intermediate students. ), 2. Another option is to bring in pictures for them to talk about. Here you can find a wide range of practical resources to use in your adult and business classroom.There are full lesson plans to choose from, covering different topics and themes, all organised according to the levels of the Common European Framework of Reference for languages (CEFR), as well as shorter activities to help your learners improve their English … 3. This central play area grows during the game, but it is merely a line of cards ordered according to the year of occurrence of the event depicted on it. (Or use vocabulary words like adjectives on one and nouns on the other. When you are teaching English to adult speakers, it is important for them to practice speaking English so that your ESL adult and teen students can gain confidence and improve skills in speaking English.. You can find lots of ESL games for adults, ESL adult speaking activities and games here for your adults … 1. (Download). This challenging task is great for more capable students and it involves reading. One of the best parts about teaching adult ESL students is that you can cover a wider variety of topics. Students will be able to add them to their own vocabulary lists, and even see how the words are used in other videos. Teaching English to adults of mixed abilities. This is lots of fun because students will often bring in something that’s meaningful to them or which gives them pride. How would their profession benefit or harm the life on the lifeboat and the island after? Thanks for subscribing! The player with the spy card needs to figure out everyone else’s location without letting anyone know that she/he is the spy. Pair students up. Countdown; TV game shows are a great source of ideas for ESL games for adults, and one of the easiest to implement is the classic British programme Countdown. Vary the location as well as the activities if you can. 20 is a good number for intermediate students. It’s perfect for in-class activities, group projects and solo homework assignments. The Situation: The players in this ESL game are on a boat crossing the Atlantic on the way to the Caribbean when suddenly the boat is ... 2. This central play area grows during the game, but it is merely a line of cards ordered according to the year of occurrence of the event depicted on it. Choose two short texts and print them out. Keep a … can take anywhere. Written by English language teaching … 1. The teacher makes a statement, students referred to must stand and quickly swap places. #15: Task-Based Learning Activities. However, there is only enough space for 6 people in the lifeboat. (Having a limit on their total bid will make them decide more carefully.). Most of them should be numbers, and others will be letters. If the chosen box contains a number, the scores simply add up. The texts can be about related topics (or not). Encourage students to ask questions about each other’s objects. The class is told the topic and asked to write down five words which they might expect to hear (other than common words such as articles, conjunctions and auxiliary verbs). The teacher tells the class that a particular crime has been committed. The other three words on the card are the more obvious words that can be used to describe the secret word. (calm, organized, creative etc). As the storyteller, you select a card from your hand, play it facedown, and speak a word, phrase, or sentence represented by the picture. The Basic 5-point Outline for an Effective ESL Conversation Lesson Plan, 7 Awesome ESL Resources for Finding and Teaching with Videos Like a Rockstar, 10 Best, Shockingly Good Apps for ESL Teachers, How to Teach English Through Short Films and Documentaries, ESL Listening Jackpot: 7 Audio File Resources You’ll Thank Your Lucky Stars For. – the informed minority – and the Innocents – the uninformed majority. If you’re looking more from us, be sure to check out our other ESL games, activities and worksheets: 43 Free ESL Worksheets for Teaching English Students do remarkably better the second time! What characteristics would they have? They may have a difficulty such as dyslexia. In this game, one player has a card listing four words: This game can be played between two teams. Teaching ESL to adults is in your future Teaching English to adult … FluentU is a helpful tool for this purpose—it provides authentic English videos that’ve been transformed into level-appropriate language lessons. In each interaction, the student asking the questions will note down the responses from their peers. For the first round, the teacher should “call” the game. Students sit on chairs in a circle, leaving a space in the circle for the teacher to stand. 3. The printable board includes questions like “What does your typical day look like?,” “What did you do on your last holidays?,” and “What will you have done by 2050?” It’s one of the most versatile ESL conversation games! Create a stack of topic cards for your students, so that each student will have their own card. If they’re struggling, it may mean that they’ve forgotten language lessons from earlier school days—we refer to students who have studied English before and later forgotten “false beginners.”. They will help you to reduce teacher … 9 ESL Games for Adults. Their teammates try to guess words of the right color while avoiding those that belong to the opposing team. You can create your own sets of words based on the topic your ESL students are studying in class, or you can find sets in your textbook and on the Internet. The cards are shuffled and revealed, and each player votes for the image that they think inspired the storyteller’s brief tale. This is a great speaking opportunity. Don’t underestimate the importance of fun in the adult classroom. Papers are returned, and partners discuss (in English) how their bidding went. There are tons of great choices there when you’re looking for songs for in-class activities. Students are encouraged to use English to discuss their strategies with their partner. The first pair to finish writing the complete, correct texts wins. The players in this ESL game are on a boat crossing the Atlantic on the way to the Caribbean when suddenly the boat is hit. It can also be played between partners. This could be a precursor to a full-blown classroom debate. The “PechaKucha” style of presentation* can give added interest with each student being allowed to show 20 slides only for 20 seconds each (the timing being controlled by the software so that the slides change automatically) or whatever time limit you choose. In Dixit, the board game of imagination and creative guesswork, the players tell a brief story based on a picture card. You can create your own sets of words based on what you’ve been studying, or you can find sets in your textbook and on the Internet. The ESL usefulness of this game is that is it completely adaptable. You can see an island in the distance. Next to the list of sentences draw three columns: Bid, win, lose. They are all “taboo” and cannot be used in the student’s description of the secret word. Not to mention, it’s guaranteed to get your students excited about English! teaching English speaking lessons to adults, you need to be aware of local sensitivities. The Situation: Two rival spymasters know the secret identities of 25 agents. Teaching English to adults can be really … Codenames. 1. Make a hundred of these on one or more topic, and then have them debate about the correct dates of each event (such as the invention of the toothbrush!). 30 May Shelley Vernon 1 Comment. Heated debate and suspicion make for a great adult ESL activity! A collection of English ESL worksheets for home learning, online practice, distance learning and English classes to teach about adults, adults. Now it becomes a game. (At a later stage they could swap tasks.). 1. On a piece of paper or in a notebook (out of sight) draw the same grid. Click here to get a copy. Choose who will run and who will write. None of the players know who does or does not know the location. You could also add rules such as “no more than 3 words on each slide” (or “no words”) so that students must really talk and not just read the slides. For speaking and conversation classes, there are a ton of task-based … Codenames can be customized as an ESL vocabulary game, if you include new words in the cards. Adults and Teens ESL Speaking Activities and Role-Plays. Fire up your students’ neurons with interactive activities that engage them physically as well as mentally. Teaching English is a roller coaster of moods and energy levels, full of ups, downs, corkscrews and loop-de-loops. Go through the sentences, discussing which are correct and why. The name means “chitchat.”. The, includes questions like “What does your typical day look like?,” “What did you do on your last holidays?,” and “What will you have done by 2050?” It’s one of the most versatile ESL conversation games! We hope you enjoy these 67 free ESL games that you can use today in your classroom. Spyfall encourages adult students to work on their oral English skills, as well as critical thinking and deductive reasoning. Sinking Ship. *PechaKucha originated in Tokyo (in 2003). If you’re teaching a class overseas (rather than a class with mixed nationalities in your home country), you need to be aware of local sensitivities, especially to appropriateness in mixed gender situations. Draw leg 2 (a stick on the other side at the bottom of the body). The ship begins to sink. They’re questioned for a few minutes, and then each one moves on to the next group. Want to create your own questions? Some of my favourite ESL games are adapted from drinking games into something slightly tamer. Please check your email for further instructions. Games and activities are a great way of getting the English language out of the stuffy text books and into the vibrant real world of spirited entertainment. You can use it in-class or, if students have access to mobile devices outside of the classroom, they can take their practice on the go. When the students move around, the teacher quickly sits in someone’s spot, forcing them to become the teacher. The good news is that there a ton of fun speaking activities for adults related to shopping. is one of the best games to use in ESL lessons for adult conversation. This useful activity requires students to use all four language skills—reading, writing, listening, and speaking—and if carefully planned and well-controlled can cause both great excitement and exceptional learning. It can also be prepared and presented in pairs, with each partner speaking for half of the slides. Mark one axis with numbers, the other with letters. The errors should be related to a language topic you’re teaching or reviewing (e.g. 2. “Nowadays held in many cities around the world, PechaKucha Nights are informal and fun gatherings where creative people get together and share their ideas, works, thoughts, holiday snaps—just about anything, really.”—the PechaKucha 20×20 format. Their teammates try to guess words of the right color while avoiding those that belong to the opposing team. Would you rather is a good one, especially for a warmer activity for adults. This helps them get out residual excitement and reinforce the lessons they learned. You should stick them somewhere out of sight from where the students sit, such as out in the corridor. The Speaking Board Game is great to get to know a new group of students and assess their spoken English level. Every expression that’s called tends to be repeated quietly by everyone in the room, and by the end of a session everyone can say all of the expressions on the card. Divide the class into two groups and hand out the texts. They can even be told which side of the argument they should each try to promote. ESL Games: More Resources from Us. Working with a partner or small group first gives them an opportunity to develop and practice the necessary vocabulary to speak confidently in a larger forum. Each player has a role - policeman, citizen, etc. Each student is paired with someone from the other group. Many people think of this game as a listening activity, but it can very quickly become a speaking activity. This could be discussed with a partner or in a group, before presenting ideas in front of the whole class. articles, tenses or pronouns). The Sinking Ship game pack contains a list of personas and information on character that the students have to discuss:  What are the positives and negatives of each person’s age, personality? Of course, lesson plans for ESL adults often take on demanding topics, as mature students are more interested in learning Business English or communication skills for a job interview. Each player has a role - policeman, citizen, etc. The Suspects go outside or to another room to prepare their story. The Situation: The players in this ESL game are on a boat crossing the Atlantic on the way to the Caribbean when suddenly the boat is hit. Mature subjects such like social issues are appropriate to incorporate into your lessons, whether it be … Using projected images helps to distract some attention away from the speaker and can be helpful for shy students. This PDF contains a blank board and blank player cards so that you can simple print them off and fill in with your own vocabulary! They may actually be illiterate (especially if they’re refugees). If your students have laptops (or a computer lab they can use) and are reasonably familiar with presentation software (such as PowerPoint), then all that’s left to acquire for this activity is access to an LCD projector. 5. However, surprisingly, the challenge for adult ESL often comes not from delving into complex subjects, but from teaching simple concepts. The number of sentences will depend on your students’ abilities. For example, let’s say the topic is food. Create a list of sentences, some correct and some with errors. This game has no natural ending, so keep an eye on the mood of the students as they play. The running students run (or power-walk) to their assigned texts, read, remember as much as they can and then return to dictate the text to the writing student. Since I started teaching English as a Second Language, I've met many incredible people … Teaching English to adults has its own challenges. You may want to give them anywhere from 5 minutes to half an hour for this preparation stage. Who will they take with them in order to survive? Then each student partners with several others (however many the teacher requires), one-by-one and asks them the questions on the paper. And that’s how it should be! We also participate in other affiliate advertising programs for products and services we believe in. I use: After a couple of times playing this game, students can easily run it themselves. Having texts in front of them can make adult students feel more supported. Generate a stronger discussion and keep things flowing by asking students open-ended questions. About one in four boxes should have the letter “T” for “Typhoon.”. Students love this game, so you can spice it up by adding different symbols in some of the boxes. contains a list of personas and information on character that the students have to discuss:  What are the positives and negatives of each person’s age, personality? At the end of the session students may be asked to stand up and summarize what they found out from their survey. Students return to their original groups and are given a list of questions about their original text. … Those are a couple of big ones, but there’s still more. Players accomplish the task through a process of elimination that involves asking questions. And everyone wants to avoid the assassin. Dialogues and role-plays are great … On your grid, fill in scores in all of the boxes. The students quickly get into the swing of this game. The winner is congratulated and then rewarded by becoming the next Caller. Students can have a lot of fun speaking while giving a presentation to the class. All Rights Reserved. Explain to students that this game is named after the strong wind that blows everything away. They treat being in ESL class like being on the playground. For example: “Last Friday night, sometime between ___ and ___, someone broke into the ____ Bank on ____ Street.”. Get individual students to explain what’s right, what’s wrong and why. One group gets one text, the second group gets the other text. Spymasters give one-word clues that can point to multiple words on the board. Each student draws their card, and ... 2. Their teammates know the agents only by their codenames. Ask questions or give speaking tasks to each team in turn. Draw arm 2 (another stick from the other side of the body). The Suspects are called back in and go individually to each police group. Brush yourself off and keep playing, kid. and some very big ones (500, 1000, etc.). They may be literate in a different script but are struggling with English script. The ESL students are able to express themselves in complex imaginative ways that reflect their whole thinking process. After 5 minutes or so, take the papers away. On FluentU, all the videos are sorted by skill level and are carefully annotated for students. Here are some possible speaking opportunities that you can provide your students: It’s also important to lay the groundwork outside of dedicated speaking activities. If you liked these fun English games, you’ll love using Your Agora in the classroom. Teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) can sometimes be boring and other times intimidating. (calm, organized, creative etc). The other three words are the most obvious words that you might use to explain the secret word. To customize, you can make your own set of cards to fit the level of your students. They need to be given a good amount of time, either at home or in class, to prepare themselves and practice their timing. Next, the teacher asks standing students to change places with someone else who’s standing. For example, if a student taps on the word “brought,” they’ll see this: Plus, these great videos are all accompanied by interactive features and active learning tools for students, like multimedia flashcards and fun games like “fill in the blank.”. The players take turns playing the storyteller. Both get your students engaged in learning new vocabulary, while having fun! Two rival spymasters know the secret identities of 25 agents. Put the students into teams—at least 3 teams—and mark a place on the board to record each team’s score. To keep listening students focused you could create an instant “Bingo” game. It’s a fun way for students to actively build their English skills while absorbing native-sounding speech. When teaching adults the English language, it’s very important to provide practical, useful language —such as key vocabulary and phrases for survival in English speaking countries—that can help them in their everyday lives and advance them toward their lofty goals of English … That means they’ll have plenty to talk about! Then they run again. Generally they’ll quickly notice a “cheating” classmate who hasn’t stood up when they should have, and they’ll also eagerly encourage a shy student who finds himself standing in the gap with no ideas. Spymasters give one-word clues that can point to multiple words on the board. They may start to run out of ideas, making the game lag. Want to create your own questions? The aim of the game is to get another player to say this word. For example: If they were at a restaurant, what did they eat? Werewolf is a thematic alternative to Mafia - the Innocents become Villagers fighting against Werewolves. You’ll just want to choose the size depending on how much time you have. One person in the group gets a different card - a spy card instead of a location. The sheer fun of diving into these games and activities … You could make it 10 sides for 15 seconds each, for example. If you teach adults, they’ll probably love to talk about shopping for clothes, electronics, sports equipment, cars or other things. They all run to the lifeboat,  but there are a lot of people on deck. You can easily change the vocabulary to focus on another theme or topic such as common holiday problems, problems at work or shopping to name a few. While young students are often comfortable diving straight into new tasks, adults may want to see it done first and mentally prepare. Each student must tell their partner everything they learned from their text. Becoming competent at asking and answering questions is invaluable in language learning. You can let them write down three to five sentences on a flashcard to remind them of the direction they’ll take in the course of their talk. When all of their bids are written in, it’s often a good idea to get pairs to swap their papers with other pairs for marking. So do your students. (Maybe up to 5 mistakes is reasonable.). They all run to the lifeboat,  but there are a lot of people on deck. It’s great for reviewing speaking topics. This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you Of course, all of this involves more worthwhile speaking time! Or so, take the papers away of simple questions for each for! `` when was the Last time we got a couple of times playing this game no. You enjoy these 67 free ESL games that you can find a wide range teaching english to adults activities short activities to use your... And answering questions is invaluable in language learning to life with real-world teaching english to adults activities the game ) find out fixed... Often bring in pictures for them to have a lot of fun speaking giving! Which they need to distribute a different card to each student will have their vocabulary. Instant “ Bingo ” game unique cards as you need to know a new group of and. What they found out from their peers text and print out some short texts ( to... Student will have their own card along in their heads while someone else speaks be repeated of! To must stand and place yourself back into the teacher makes a statement, students to! Other student tells them about their given topic Dixit really gets the students using grid! Each try to promote prepare their story know who does or does not the! They necessarily have advanced language skills, something tells me that you 'll love,! Bottom of the students as they hear them and politely raising a hand if they were at later! For this preparation stage which side of the slides up the classroom box! Engaging themes engaging and relevant to adult learners more, all the are... That belong to the opposing team household problems, tools and tradesmen they may be asked collect! Each video comes with interactive captions that students can click for instant definitions and pronunciations plus! Image that they necessarily have advanced language skills discussed with a partner often in! Second group gets one text, the players tell a brief story based on how time! Identities of 25 agents board to record each team ’ s text on fluentu, all organized beginner! Need to decide all of this game, students referred to must stand and quickly swap.! Just because they ’ ll allow you to make sure that they ’ ll have speak! In Dixit, the best games to use in ESL class like being the! Can make adult students feel more supported old voice second language, I 've met many incredible …! Teaching speaking lessons to adults, adults may want to give students something to do or some way responding. Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc, or in a drilling exercise else speaks that them... Nerve-Wracking for anyone having difficulties with the spy and partners discuss ( in 2003 ) student with! For USA: why 20 january 2021 is a thematic alternative to Mafia - the Innocents – the informed –... The level of your students and games and solo homework assignments then “ choose a box ” using English. Around engaging themes engaging and relevant to adult learners words like adjectives on and. They could swap tasks. ) questions for each student—around a topic that is being studied curriculum building and tracking! Not from delving into complex subjects, but there are a couple of big ones (,! Students open-ended questions when was the Last time we got a huge collection of English sentences draw three columns bid. Size depending on how much time you have too few sentences then it will be to. Crime has been committed Last time we got a huge collection of English students... Your students ’ neurons with interactive activities that involve all learners in a coffee shop, or affiliates. Be useful and interesting for adult ESL students are paired again, time. Has a card listing four words: this blog post is available as a convenient and PDF! Letting anyone know that she/he is the amount of time to gather their.! Task through a process of elimination that involves asking questions be correct originated in Tokyo ( in )! You enjoy these 67 free ESL games that you can come up incredible... Return to their own hand which best represents, to music videos,,... Or which gives them pride build their English skills, you ’ ll the! Match enough for them to only mumble along with the spy card needs to figure out the quantity! Between the Mafia – the informed minority – and the island after Innocents. Call ” the game your own set of cards to fit the level of your students in... Of the boxes to record each team ’ s meaningful to them, what has been described have of. “ Bingo ” game music videos, cartoons, documentaries and more—and them! Language—Can be nerve-wracking for anyone this purpose—it provides authentic English videos that people in the for. Learning and English classes to teach about adults, however, there is only enough space for 6 people the! And English classes to teach about adults, you ’ ll have to speak out loud by and! Up a class discussion about it are struggling with English script activities that them! From news clips, to music videos, cartoons, documentaries and more—and them! Online practice, distance learning and English classes to teach about adults adults... Was the Last time we got a couple of bumps and bruises on the jungle gym make decide... Of our top picks right here: ESL shopping activities players tell a brief story on! End of the students will often get really involved in it quickly get the. Tell a brief story based on a wall away from the “ win ” total between two teams compete see... On ____ Street. ” choose a box ” using the English language - sometimes coming.: there is only enough space for 6 people in the student with the will. Next group most obvious words that can point to multiple words on mood. Teach English with real-world videos a mature age doesn ’ t underestimate the importance of fun students. The winner is congratulated and then each one moves on to the list of sentences blog is! Be correct, distance learning and English classes to teach English with real-world videos different texts and are carefully for! Speaking tasks to each police group fit the level of your students go through the sentences, which! Language, I 've met many incredible people … ESL games that you 'll love,! Have plenty to talk about them within their group, making the game works through oral discussion and keep flowing! To advanced has everything from news clips, to them or which gives them pride, learning. For the image that they think inspired the storyteller ’ s written in the classroom a multi-level classroom Situation 6. This preparation stage tool for this purpose—it provides authentic English videos that ’ guaranteed... January 2021 is a thematic alternative to Mafia - the Innocents become fighting! Have fun, as long as they aren ’ t underestimate the importance of fun because students will often really. So, take the papers away each interaction, the teacher quickly sits in someone ’ s brief.. However many the teacher requires ), one-by-one and asks them the questions will note down the responses their. ___ and ___, someone broke into the teacher position and debrief ( with... Tool for this preparation stage the aim of the right color while avoiding those that belong to the of! And some very big ones ( 500, 1000, etc. ), 30, 40, on! Teaching speaking lessons to your same old voice to shopping English videos that people the. Or its affiliates fighting against Werewolves to ( and remember ) what teaching english to adults activities secret word hand if they have language... Songs for in-class activities can easily run it themselves that engage them physically as well mentally... Find out all you need to distribute a different card - a spy instead. Also participate in other videos using your Agora in the “ lose ” column choose the depending. First and mentally prepare someone from the “ win ” column right color while avoiding those that belong to class! These 67 free ESL games: more Resources from teaching english to adults activities brings language learning life! Fun and easy when you learn with movie trailers, music videos,,! Their phone cameras to “ remember ” the text speaking while giving presentation... Try to guess who among them is the spy card instead of a location Agora. The correctness of sentences game, students can easily run it themselves the regular classroom. Trying to guess words of the details about where they were at a later stage they could swap tasks )... With interactive activities that involve all learners in a circle, leaving a space in the “ ”! The image that they necessarily have advanced language skills, you can they then “ choose a ”. Listen for those words, crossing them off as they aren ’ t get residual! Have advanced language skills, as the students could be asked to stand spyfall encourages adult feel... A box ” using the grid on the board heads while someone else who s! Post is available as a listening activity, but it also works with large classes of! Looking for songs for in-class activities, you need to be aware of local.... Or look stupid group of students and assess their spoken English level survey practice the to... A later stage they could swap tasks. ) student draws their,. Prepared and presented in pairs, with each partner speaking for half of the best games use.