Here's a 25 minute activity that worked really well in my conversation class. The students are mostly intermediate and a bit higher though there is a mix of high beginners as well.This activity works well for all of these levels.
This fun activity is called 4-3-2. I got the idea from Paul Nation. Easy set up and no prep required.
Get class to stand up and form two lines. Each person is face to face with one partner. Line A and Line B.
Line A has to speak about one topic for 4 minutes - no stopping. Line B partner is quiet. This is not a dialogue; it's a monologue. Teacher uses the stopwatch on his/her cell phone.
Now repeat for Line B for 4 minutes.
Next, the last person in Line A comes to the front and everybody in Line A shifts down one person. So everybody has a new partner. Now, Line A people repeat their monologue but they have only 3 minutes.
After 3 minutes, Line B people speak.
Finally, shift Line A one more time. New partners again. Repeat monologues for 2 minutes.
Why do this? My students become progressively better at making their speeches. They paused less frequently, spoke faster and more clearly.
A little noisy for a class of 30 students. But it is an effective fluency builder and some students were surprised at how well they could speak. Oh, no dictionaries.
Enjoy and thanks to Paul Nation for this great activity.
Cheers,
PS for more ideas, check out my site at
www.eslwriting.org
