What's in your bag?

Balls

A ball can be a useful tool in the classroom. It helps to randomise feedback and bring variety.

Feedback tennis

Put students into two teams with an imaginary net in between. Ask students to throw the ball across the room and whoever catches has to give an answer. (Give them a time limit). If they don't give an answer in that time limit, don't give a correct answer or duplicate an answer the other team wins the point.

The Ball's a Bomb

Play a game of pass the parcel with the ball. As the ball goes round each student needs to give an answer. Set a timer for 1 minute, the person who has the ball when the timer goes off is blown up.

Translation Ball

Throw the ball to students - say a word in English and the students say it in Czech, or say the word in Czech and the students say it in English. (great for struggling students. )

Newspapers

Newspapers can be useful even if they are in Czech. You can use the pictures in the newspapers to discuss, label etc.

Here is what I asked you to do.

Find an article on the subject you are discussing in class, read it, discuss it with their partners. Swap partners and discuss the articles they have found.

Rewrite the articles in their own words.

Even if this is in Czech it is useful. It can be a real life skill that students need to take information in one language and process it in another.

Pictures.

Pretty easy to find and keep, and loads to use in class.

Find your partners

Cut some pictures in half, give them out to the class. Tell them not to show their pictures.
Ask students to describe their pictures to each other and try to find their other half.

Create a persona

Give out a picture of a person (make sure it's anonymous) ask students to come up with a name, age, job, where they live etc etc for that person.

Find 3 things in common

Give out random pictures to the students, ask them to wrok in paris and describe their pictures, they need to try to find 3 things they have in common.

Write 3 words

Put students in pairs, give each pair a picture and 3 pieces of paper. Ask them to write 3 words on the pieces of paper. Collect the papers in but leave the pictures. Shuffle the papers, and redistribute them randomly around the class. Ask the students to walk around and decide what pictures match their words. They will put down the words on the pictures. Then once all the words have been put down, they can see if the words have been matched to their original pictures.

Who would listen to what?

Put three pictures of people on the board. Play 3 pieces of music ask students to listen to the music and decide who would listen to which track. Discuss with their partners.

Mobile Phones.

Has your mobile got a camera, a voice recorder, a music player, or access to the internet?

Can you use these in the classroom?