There are many details involved in planning a party. Planning a party as a group gives students the chance to discuss what type of party they would like to have. Split the students into groups and give them each a portion of the party to plan. They will have to discuss decorations, what food to serve, what music to play and how the invitations will look. The teams will have a chance to express their ideas to each other about the planning. You can also let the students execute the party at the end of the class term.
One of the interesting things about teaching ESL is the mix of cultures under one roof. Each student has a story to tell about their background and their country. Get the conversation going by having each student bring in a dish from their country or culture. Have a covered dish dinner during your class. The students will discuss the dish they cooked. Have them tell what it is, how it is made and what ingredients they used. The students will also tell the class about the significance in their dish, such as if it is a dish usually prepared at a celebration or holiday, or a personal story about why they like it. After each student has presented, have a feast.
Play a game of “Who Am I?” in class. Make cards of famous figures. Give each student a card. Do not let them see what is written on the front of the card. Help them stick the card to their forehead with a piece of tape. Each student must walk around asking others yes or no questions about who they are. For example, a student could ask “Am I from the United States?” or “Am I a man?” At the end of the exercise, the students will guess their identity. This activity will force the students to ask questions while also answering questions for others.
This is an activity designed to challenge the students’ creativity as well as their vocabulary. Sit the class in a circle. Start the activity by telling the first part of a fictional story. Instruct each student to add to the story. The student to your right will elaborate on the story that you told and add his own information. See what kind of crazy story the students come up with. You can limit how much information each student can contribute if you have a large ESL class. Limiting each student to two sentences will keep the story moving quickly. Do not let students lag in between turns.