Practice Activities
Students need oral practice more than any other type of practice. Some of this needs to involve free speaking but a lot of it - particularly with lower levels - needs to be the oral practice of specific vocabulary and grammar items. Most students also need practice of specific pronunciation areas. To be really productive and economical, most of this practice needs to take place in pairwork, monitored by the teacher.
Below you will find a number of oral practice worksheets for use with students working together in pairs.
_____________________________________________________________________
Info Gaps
The following worksheets are information gaps ("info gaps"). With these, one student has some information while the other student has other information. The students exchange the information by asking each other questions. These activities only work if each student cannot see each his/her partner's worksheets. So get the students to sit back-to-back to complete the tasks.
Note:
If your students aren't familiar with info gaps, you'll need to give them very clear, demonstrated directions the first time you use one in class. I would suggest that you start by using a very simple info gap, such as the ones featuring furniture, fruit, vehicles or clothes.
Below you will find a number of oral practice worksheets for use with students working together in pairs.
_____________________________________________________________________
Info Gaps
The following worksheets are information gaps ("info gaps"). With these, one student has some information while the other student has other information. The students exchange the information by asking each other questions. These activities only work if each student cannot see each his/her partner's worksheets. So get the students to sit back-to-back to complete the tasks.
Note:
If your students aren't familiar with info gaps, you'll need to give them very clear, demonstrated directions the first time you use one in class. I would suggest that you start by using a very simple info gap, such as the ones featuring furniture, fruit, vehicles or clothes.
What's Happening? info gap
Present Progressive/Continuous: What's he/she doing? What are they doing? He's/She's eating, walking etc. They're eating, walking etc.
| whats_happening_info_gap.pdf |
"What Was Happening at 2:00 Yesterday?" info gap
Past Progressive/Continuous: What was John/Linda doing at 2:00 yesterday? He/She was eating, doing the laundry etc. What were Mr. and Mrs. Brown doing? They were watching TV etc.
| what_was_happening_info_gap.pdf |
"Where's Jenny Going...?" Info Gap
The "going to" future: Where's she going on Monday etc. morning/afternoon? To the dentist/mall/grocery store etc.
| info_gap_-_going_to_places.pdf |
House Rental Info Gap
Questions in Present Simple (be/have) and house vocabulary (yard, appliances, A/C etc.)
| info_gap_-_house_for_rent.pdf |
Furniture Info Gap
What's number 1, 2 etc? It's a chair, lamp etc.
| info_gap_furniture.pdf |
Fruit Info Gap
What's number 1, 2 etc? It's a pear, pineapple etc.
| info_gap_fruit.pdf |
Vehicle Info Gap
What's number 1, 2 etc? It's a car, bus etc.
| info_gap_vehicles.pdf |
Clothes Info Gap
What's number 1, 2 etc? It's a shirt, dress etc. They're pants.
| info_gap_clothes_1.pdf |
Clothes/Prices Info Gap
How much is/are the ---? It's/They're $19.50 etc.
| info_gap_price_clothes_1.pdf |
Mixed Info Gap
What's number 1, 2 etc? It's a lamp, guitar, camera etc.
| info_gap_mixed.pdf |
Mixed Prices Info Gap
How much is the camera etc? It's $19.50 etc.
| info_gap_price_mixed.pdf |
US States Info Gap
Where's New Mexico etc? It's west of Texas etc.ther the location of other states, they must do this by relating them to the underlined states.
| info_gap_us_states.pdf |
Texas Towns Info Gap
Where's Edna etc? It's 60 miles southwest of Houston etc.se names are underlined. So when they tell each other the location of other towns, they must do this by relating them to the underlined towns.
| info_gap_texas_towns.pdf |
Simple Street Directions
Where's the library etc.? It's on First Avenue etc.
| info_gap_simple_streets.pdf |
Street Directions with Prepositions
Where's the library etc? It's on Main Street next to the drugstore etc.
| info_gap_streets_prepos.pdf |
Describing Weather (US Cities)
What's the weather like in Denver etc? (Or What was the weather like in Denver etc. yesterday?)) It's (or It was) cold etc. and sunny etc.
| info_gap_weather_us_cities.pdf |
Describing Weather (World Cities)
What's the weather like in London etc? (Or What was the weather like in London etc. yesterday?) It's (or It was) cold etc. and sunny etc.
| info_gap_weather_world_cities.pdf |
_____________________________________________________________________
Info Gap Templates
In case you would like to make info gaps of your own, I'm adding below simple two simple templates as WORD documents. (The first for nine items, the second for twelve.)
If you open each document in WORD, you can add pictures of objects by using the Insert tab. You will probably need to re-size any picture you insert.
If you open each document in WORD, you can add pictures of objects by using the Insert tab. You will probably need to re-size any picture you insert.
| info_gap_template_1.doc |
| info_gap_template_2.doc |
__________________________________________________
Other Activities
Oral Grammar Practice: should have
The "Dead Rat Cafe" worksheet can be used to provide controlled oral practice of "should have + past participle" at Intermediate (or High Intermediate) Level.
| deadratcafe.pdf |
Oral Grammar Practice: can, can't, have to
A worksheet for oral practice of You can/can't/have to + verb at Elementary/Pre-Intermediate levels.
| can-cant-haveto.pdf |
Oral Grammar Practice: Comparative Adjectives
A worksheet for cooperative oral practice of comparative adjectives at Beginner/Elementary levels: Ann is taller than Sue etc.
| comparative_adjectives.pdf |
Anna's Room - Oral Grammar Practice
This picture provides cooperative oral practice with the Third Person Singular of the Present Simple: She drives a Ford. She eats pasta etc.
| annasroom.pdf |
Flowchart Role-Play
This is a simple role-play between a tenant and landlord about problems with a rented property.Th
| role_play_-_flowchart.pdf |
Vacation Items - Oral Grammar Practice
The file below contains a worksheet for students to use to practice He/She/They + Past Simple or "going to". The items shown on the worksheet represent the items that Bill and Anne took (or are going to take) on vacation. Depending on whether you tell students the vacation already happened or is about to happen, they cooperate to produce sentences such as "She went fishing" or "He's going to play golf".
| vacation_items.pdf |
Oral Grammar Practice: There is/are + classroom objects
Language practiced: Tell me about the picture". "There is a computer. There's an eraser. There are three books" etc.If
Then Student B holds up his/her picture for Student A to remember and talk about.
Then Student B holds up his/her picture for Student A to remember and talk about.
| in_the_desk_picture_a.pdf |
| in_the_desk_picture_b.pdf |
Oral Grammar Practice: There is/are + people and park objects
Language practiced: There's a man. There are three trees. etc.
This activity operates in the same way as the previous one, except this time the pictures show park scenes.
This activity operates in the same way as the previous one, except this time the pictures show park scenes.
| in_the_park_picture_a.pdf |
| in_the_park_picture_b.pdf |
