While completing authentic test questions is important because it allows students to familiarize themselves with the content and layout of the TOEFL reading section, making a game out of a reading passage helps change the pace of a class and keep students engaged. The teacher can hand out a photocopy of a TOEFL reading passage and tell students that they have 90 seconds to skim the reading and answer one question only: what is this passage about? When time is up, brainstorm ideas that students come up with, write them on the board and give time to talk about unfamiliar vocabulary. Then, give another 90 seconds, only this time ask the students to answer the wh- questions: who, what, when, where and why. Again, brainstorm and write answers on the board. At the end of these three minutes, students will discover that they have an excellent idea about the main ideas of the passage and are more than ready to delve into the details of the passage. This also helps students learn about the need to manage time while taking the TOEFL.
A quick read of the day's news stories on National Public Radio will give a teacher some ideas of a story that may be of interest to her students. An interesting activity could involve having the students complete a cloze activity, in which the teacher hands out a transcript of the radio broadcast with some names, dates and specifics blanked out. The students then have to do their best to fill in as many of the details the first time they listen to the broadcast in class. After one listen, having the students gather in groups or pairs to discuss their answers is a good way to integrate speaking and listening skills into this activity.
The speaking section poses a huge source of anxiety for many students because on the TOEFL, test-takers speak into a computer, not to an examiner as they do on a test such as the IELTS. In a study conducted in 2012, researcher Fengyang Shi suggests that the strangeness of speaking to a computer increases anxiety amongst test-takers. One way to alleviate this anxiety is for students to practice timed speaking activities. A teacher can start the class with a rapid-fire type speaking activity in which instead of just taking roll, a teacher calls a student's name, then asks a TOEFL-type speaking question, such as: "If you had to live alone on an island for one year, what one possession would you bring with you and why?" The student then has 15 seconds to give a short response. Going around the room and having each student give a brief answer is an energetic way to begin class and a good way to bring some levity to the TOEFL speaking section.
Few things are more tedious than writing an academic essay. One way to make essay-writing practice more fun as well as provide important grammar practice for students is to create jigsaw puzzle activities at the sentence and at the paragraph level. For example, a teacher can take a complex sentence such as: "Before covering the structure with leather, the tribespeople would first have to build a lattice framework that would stand up against strong winds." On the board before class, the teacher can write the individual words up on the board in no particular order. As students arrive to class, they can sit at their desks and write out the entire sentence in the correct order. The same activity can be completed at the paragraph level, in which entire sentences are written on the board in no particular order. This can help solidify organizational aspects of academic paragraphs such as thesis statement, body sentences and concluding or linking sentences.