Describe …
Here are some activities you can use when teaching descriptions.
Characteristics:
Agree on a list of 5 people known to students
Dictate words and phrases which describe the people chosen
Students write the descriptions you dictate beneath the name of the person they think is referred to.
Rights/ Wrongs
Choose something to describe.
Tell students to divide a piece of paper into 3 sections as right, wrong and neither right nor wrong
Dictate a number of short statements.
Students write each short statement beneath a suitable heading.
Running picture descriptions
Divide the class into groups.
Place a picture on your desk or on a wall.
Student A from each group goes to the picture to look at it carefully then goes to his group and dictates what he sees. He can go to the picture as many times as he wishes.
My dream holiday
Display 10 postcards of holiday destinations.
Tell students to walk around and choose a postcard.
Tell them to return their seats and write a short letter to a friend telling their visit.
Ideal Holiday Destination
Display 10 postcards of holiday destinations.
Tell students to walk around and choose two postcards.
Tell them to return their seats and write a short letter to a friend telling which will be an ideal destination for their next holiday.
Thanks for the ideas, Eva!
I saw your newspaper clipping and remembered how I used it once.
I wrote an “article” about the next day’s lesson mentioning all the students and describing what they did and what didn’t do, deliberately making fun and giving details about the students’ behaviour – of course, the lesson had not taken place yet.
The following day at the end of the lesson I showed them the article and asked them to correct the “mistakes” of the reporter. It was great fun.
Hi Eva
I love your ideas for Describe activities. Thanks so much for sharing them! I like Baiba’s activity as well!
The Newspaper article Generator is such a versatile tool and I sometimes use it to give feedback on lessons I have done. I also get students to write short stories with this for fun. They always like the end result.
Hi Eva,
My name is Brianne Woods and I am a student at the University of South Alabama. I am currently enrolled in EDM310 and for the next two weeks I will be reading your blog post and summarizing what I have learned on my blog. Here is the link to my blog: http://woodsbrianneedm310.blogspot.com
I really enjoyed reading your blog post. I thought the activities you mentioned on describing were very fun and creative. I really like the activity “Ideal Holiday Destination.” I feel that it would be a great activity to do in the classroom around Christmas time. I believe that it would allow to students to think, be creative, and have fun at the same time. Thanks for the ideas!
Hi Brianne,
just visited your blog and loved it. I’m glad that you have chosen my blog to read and summarise. hope you will enjoy it.
Eva