Speaking Activities
Faceoff
1. Two students stand with their backs to each other and the teacher hands each a vocabulary card.
2. The teacher says “1,2,3” and the students turn around to face each other and look at the other player’s card.
3. The first student to say the vocabulary word on the other player’s card earns a point for their team.
Monster
1. One student holds the vocabulary cards including a “monster” card across the room from the other students. The teacher or student asks the learned question.
2. Students respond by saying the learned sentence and vocabulary held by the student three times.
3. Students take a step toward the other student and repeat this for each vocabulary card.
4. When the “monster” card appears the student holding the cards runs and tags another student. This student will hold the cards during the next game.
Around the World
1. The teacher has students sit in a circle then chooses one student to start.
2. The student walks and stands behind the student on their left.
3. The teacher says “1,2,3” then shows students a vocabulary card (add older vocabulary cards for review. The students race to say the word first, earning a point for their team.
4. If the student standing answers first they continue going around the circle.
5. If the student sitting answers first the standing student returns to their seat and the student sitting stands and starts.
What's Missing?
1. The teacher lays vocabulary cards on the ground and two students study them before turning around.
2. The teacher removes one of the vocabulary cards.
3. The teacher says “go” and students turn around and the first to say the missing vocabulary word earns a point for their team.
Whisper Race
1. The teacher lays vocabulary cards on the floor across from students. (For sentences containing two vocabulary words lay cards in two areas.)
2. Two students stand across from the vocabulary cards while their partners go outside with the teacher.
3. The teacher whispers a different sentence to each team containing the vocabulary word(s).
4. The two students race to their partner and whisper the sentence into their ear.
5. The first player to slap (for one vocabulary word) or carry the first card to the second card (for two) earns a point for their team.
Charades Ladder
1. The teacher whispers a word to two students while their teams wait in lines facing the opposite direction.
2. Students run and tap their teammate on the back then give an action, without speaking, to describe the word. Students cannot turn around until their teammate taps them.
3. Each student taps the person in front of them and performs the action.
4. When it reaches the student at the front of the line they guess the word. The first team to guess first earns a point.
Timed Race
1. The teacher starts their timer and says one of the vocabulary words. The first student from the team races to find that word and bring it to the teacher.
2. The student brings the card to the teacher and uses the vocabulary word in the learned sentence.
3. The student runs and high fives the next member of their team. This continues until all members of the team have spoken to the teacher.
4. The teacher stops their timer after speaking to the last student on the team and writes their time on the board.
Shoop Shoop Race
1. The teacher places vocabulary cards in a straight line while two teams line up on different sides.
2. The teacher says “go” and students race down the line speaking the vocabulary word on each card.
3. When the students meet they play rock, paper, scissors.
4. The winner continues down the line and a player from the losing team starts over. This continues until one player reaches the end earning a point for their team.
Pictionary Race
1. The teacher whispers a vocabulary word to both teams and hands them the markers.
2. The students race to draw the word on the board. The first team to guess correctly earns a point.
Circle Race
1. Students sit in a circle and the teacher hands out two balls. One color is “ask” and the other is “answer.”
2. The teacher starts playing music and students pass the balls as it plays.
3. When the music stops the two students holding balls ask and answer the learned sentences depending on which color ball they have.
Pick a Stick
1. The teacher explains to four students that the two red sticks mean to sit down, the blue stick means to ask, and the green stick means to answer then places the sticks in a bag.
2. The teacher says “go” and the students reach into the bag and select their stick without looking.
3. The teacher says “go” and the students look at their sticks. The two students with red sticks sit down with their teams.
4. The student with the blue stick asks the learned question and the student with the green stick answers, each earning a point for their team.
Bonus: Add a ball toss at the end for the students with blue and green sticks to earn an extra point.