Here is a highly productive and engaging way of getting the most out of a reading passage. The idea is for the students to first read and understand the passage as whole individually and in silence. This can take place in the classroom or you may decide to assign a reading passage as out of class work. Clarify meaning, highlight focal vocabulary and interesting bits … Continue reading from reading passage to interview
Here is a very minimal preparation activity for Basic learners of English that focuses on reviewing common adjectives for the language level. At the same time they can revise basic nouns that they know. I compiled a list of common adjectives and grouped them into sets of six: Display this image on the board or write down the adjectives. You can also dictate the adjectives … Continue reading common adjectives
Memory is the process by which we encode, store and retrieve information. When we have conversations our short term memory is activated to remember what the speaker has said and to respond coherently. We also activate our long term memory to use the language we know that is stored in our brains. As the old saying goes, “use it or lose it”. Memory is quintessential to … Continue reading the -irregular- year I was born in
The year is coming to an end and KIS Activities will be taking a two-week break. It is very comforting and encouraging to have seen this blog grow exponentially this year. In the meantime, here are the three most visited blog posts in 2018: At number three: Articles in English. Students do some practice on definite and indefinite articles from songs you play in class. … Continue reading top three posts of 2018
Here is an alternative way to check answers after you have played a listening extract to your class of students. Find a listening extract from your current textbook series. Play it (twice) and have the students check understanding by letting them compare their answers to the questions. Here is a task for a listening exercise from English File Third Edition Upper-Intermediate (page 20). Listen and … Continue reading prove me wrong: checking answers from listening passages
This is the second blog post on using mini whiteboards in the language classroom. In my previous post, Mini whiteboards 1, I talked about using them as a space to view lexical items and build collaborative stories. I also provided a few links with some more creative ideas from other Internet sources. This time I am looking at mini whiteboards for students to provide and … Continue reading mini whiteboards 2
It’s easy enough to welcome state-of-the-art technology, if our school can afford it. Whether the technology is used or used wisely is up to us. I have been using interactive whiteboards for well over ten years now and I find them an incredible tool for any language teacher. I talk and write far and wide about the kinds of benefits they bring. Today, however, I … Continue reading mini whiteboards 1
