Telephone

Occasionally it is a great idea to introduce a little fun and laughter into your class. One great way to do it is by playing Telephone.

This game is wonderful because it practices pronunciation and listening, plus it can be adapted to literally any grammar or vocabulary you are working on. On top of that, it is always lots of fun!

Do not worry, because this activity does not require any real telephones. This game works best with larger groups of more than eight people.

Let's assume you are working on the present progressive tense. This activity also works very well as an icebreaker, so we can imagine that this is the first structure you are studying with a new group. Depending on their sentences, this can be a good way for them to learn about each other.

First, give some examples of the tense and review with the class. Your students should always have clear explanations and examples before you ask them to use the tense on their own!
Now have each student write a sentence in the present progressive tense on a piece of paper. They can write examples about what they or their classmates are doing right now, for example.
Collect all the papers. Now, choose a sentence and whisper it into the ear of one student. The rest of the class should not be able to hear you.
The students should pass the message around the room one by one, each whispering the sentence they have heard into their classmate's ear.
The last person in the group to hear the sentence must go to the board and write what they heard. Has it changed? Is it correct?

Once the sentence is on the board, everyone can have a good laugh. Usually, the sentence changes a lot and can be very funny! This is also a great opportunity to check for mistakes and get the class to work together to correct them.

Students will enjoy this activity, and the only limit on its flexibility is your imagination!