For interviews, prepare a list of questions on a topic, and have students question three or more other students. For example, ask about their favorite foods for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, parties and so on. Have students simply talk, or have them record the answers, as you prefer. Surveys can have more structure than interviews. For example, make a questionnaire on how often students do certain activities, such as washing their hair or doing laundry. Include answers such as "every day," "twice a week" and so on. Ask students to make a check in the appropriate space for each answer.
Assign role-play activities on a topic of interest for the age of your students. For example, have students act out shopping for a present for a friend. Use a sample dialog or a list of phrases as a prompt. You can make the activity more realistic by using pictures of possible gifts cut from magazines that students will "buy" with play money. As an alternate shopping role-play, use pictures of food, and have students shop for a special meal or party.
Games fall into the category of communicative activities because students of all ages enjoy them in real life. Use easy board games designed for children, or print out ESL board games from the Internet. ESL Galaxy has a large number of free games, including games about food, adjectives, family and jobs. Party games such as charades, scavenger hunts and concentration also make learning fun. For concentration, show student a tray of objects for a brief time, and then ask them to recall the contents.
In service learning, English students go out into the larger community to perform a useful service function while practicing their English. The teacher or students choose a service project and make arrangements. For example, take students in middle school or higher to a kindergarten or preschool to help with a lesson. Or take them to a residence for the elderly to distribute reading materials, serve meals or converse with residents. Whether your class participates only once or several times, service learning takes English learning to the real world.