Class Level: High-Intermediate

Class Type: Speaking

Topic: Movie Making and Entertainment

Activity 1: Headband Guessing Game

  • Index cards are handed out to each student as they are instructed to write the name of a tv show or movie on them to use for the game. Then coming together as a circle, shuffle the cards and pick one up without looking at it and hold it to your forehead. Then have everyone else help you try and guess the title without saying it using descriptors or saying what happens in the plot of the movie/show. When it is either guessed, or a minute has passed, we’ll move on to the next person so they can guess. Remember to model/show them how first, gauge time to see if a 2nd round is necessary
    • This activity went really well! The students had played a similar game and were able to help teach the students that may not have understood the rules. What was really interesting to see was that some of the students had tried to use the context of materials they had had in class to try and give hints relevant to the cards. Out of the activities I had planned for this class, I believe this is the one that went the best this time around.
  • First students will fill out the worksheet by themselves, and then share their answers with a partner. Once they’ve talked to their partner, each student fills out the rest of the worksheet with their partner’s favourite movie/tv show questions. Once time is up each pair shares their partner’s answers (second page) with the class. Model/show how to fill out the solo side w/ projector.
    • With this activity, I had not prepared a more cohesive worksheet and there was confusion on what to share with the class from the worksheet. If I were to do this activity again, I think I might instead do a worksheet that is only a list of questions. Perhaps even make it so that you have to roll dice and answer the question number on the dice. Looking back, I had more writing within this speaking class than I would have liked.
  • Students will be put in pairs, and handed a worksheet as well as some small cut out pictures. The students then have to pick three pictures to make a story with a beginning, middle and an end. If this goes quicker than anticipated for some, hand out another worksheet to the pair, and get them to make another with either the pictures left over or they can draw their own pictures if they want. Once either time is up, or everyone has finished at least 1 storyboard get each pair to share with the class.
    • With this activity, I realised that I had made too much of a focus on ensuring the students were confident in what it was they wanted to say. As a result, with this activity being the majority of the class time, it was spent mostly writing opposed to speaking. Overall, the class was more or less executed as planned. There were a few students missing, and as a result I ended up changing the pair work of this final activity into solo work. If I were to do this activity again, I think I would like to perhaps have one large pile of pictures to choose from, or even let the students draw their own pictures for the storyboarding. Instead of writing out what was happening in their stories, I would have them simply tell a partner or the class what their stories are.