Trusty fall-back

Because I've had several people ask me about resources I've used to teach ESL, I thought I'd start blogging about different lessons that I've tried- what has worked...and what SHOULD have worked but didn't.

One activity that has not failed me yet-no matter what proficiency level or what topic we're covering- is Tic-Tac-Toe. Sounds too simple to be true, but alas, it's true.

Here's the basic idea:
1. Cover material. I've used this successfully with basic, beginner vocabulary all the way up to advanced classes that are covering idioms.

2. Divide class into two teams. People love competition.

3. Before each team can choose the location for their mark, ask them a question about material covered. If they answer correctly, they can choose where to put the x or o.

4. Play until they're bored or until you've run out of material. For a twist, have the students take turns creating the question.

Two examples:
In one of my beginner classes, we covered clothing and jewelry. Tic-Tac-Toe clues included: piece of jewelry worn around the neck. When the students guessed "necklace," they chose where to put their x.

In one of my advanced classes, we discussed different idioms. Clues included: "means 'to sleep'". The answer was "to catch some z's."

Works like a charm. The only materials necessary are a board and marker/chalk. If need be, you can probably go more primitive and use paper and pencil.