Tag Archives: warmers
Surrealist definitions
This is a great “game” which can encourage students to access their creativity. It could be used as a quick warmer or a filler game at the end of class. Students can use any language they feel comfortable using, so it could be used with various levels. I think the game comes from a book of Surrealist […]
Using pictures to study Sentence Transformations
It doesn’t matter how often I go to Cairo, I´m always struck by the beauty of the Pyramids. No matter how many times I go to Cairo, I´m always struck by the beauty of the Pyramids. Some people say that there’s no place for an exercise like Sentence Transformations in an assessment of English ability, but there […]
This is a…
What is it if it’s not a pipe? Could it be an elvish golf club, a tiny unfinished old-fashioned periscope, a fancy straw for drinking ale, part of a faucet, a teensy weensy watering can? Course it could, if you can forget the boring, sensible, conventional use and think sideways. This little warmer requires students […]
Pas Cap (A spelling game)
I loved this game when I was learning French at school (probably because I was really good at it) and was delighted to be able to use it in class yesterday. I know it as Pas Cap (short for Pas Capable?), and I’m sure it has a name in English but I don’t know what […]
Classroom Dynamics: Practical tips on creating a successful group
The IH Andalucia conference was held last Saturday in Seville. I gave a talk on this topic to a dynamic group of teachers. Some of the things that I researched were pretty useful so here’s a post on the subject. I first started to think about classroom dynamics earlier this year when I got my […]
Say something nice
This warmer is appropriate for a class that already knows each other quite well. In essence, the students to greet each other, and pay each other a compliment. Getting so many compliments in such a short space of time feels good, even when the compliments are contrived. It also feels a bit silly, which allows […]
Assassin
I finally found an opportunity to play this silly warm-up game. I’d played it with friends at a comedy improv night, not knowing what would happen, and it resulted in lots of laughter, a successful night of (very amateur) comedy improv (where teamwork is a necessity), and some strong group bonds being made, so I […]
One Voice
This is a quick, no-prep warmer which can really help students to settle in to class and concentrate. I have a class of adult FCE students who find listening exercises quite difficult. Added to that, their class is at the end of the day so they’re often quite tired. I decided to find a warmer […]
Me too!
This is a great speaking activity that can be used as a warmer or as a short speaking activity to practise a grammar point or some vocabulary or anything. I got it from colleague in a sharing session after the ACEIA conference, where it was one of the activities presented by Teresa Bestwick (see her […]
Vocab Swap
This is a short activity you can use to practise or revise vocabulary. All the students are involved in speaking and actively listening and it can be used as a warmer, a game or a filler. When my adult FCE students had arrived last night and we were about to begin the lesson, I asked […]
A Hive of Activities 