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1. Picture This – Paraphrase It!

   In: Activate Games for Learning American English: Picture This Format(s): Text

   Paraphrase It! provides students with practice saying the same thing in a variety of different ways by paraphrasing. This game works best in groups of 3-4 students

2. Picture This – Simple Switches

   In: Activate Games for Learning American English: Picture This Format(s): Text

   In Simple Switches, students ask each other questions that they have altered from the original question on a Picture This card.

3. Global Topics, Local Teaching

   In: American English Webinars Format(s): Text, Video

   This webinar, "Global Topics, Local Teaching," explains how to develop service learning activities in the classroom.

4. Classroom Activities

   In: English Teaching Forum 2014, Volume 52, Number 3 Format(s): Text

   This section presents three stand-alone English language-learning activities related to dogs.

5. Classroom Activities

   In: English Teaching Forum 2014, Volume 52, Number 4 Format(s): Text

   This section presents three stand-alone English language-learning activities related to fish.

6. Requesting the Main Point in the Classroom

   In: Teaching Pragmatics Format(s): Text, Video, Website

   This lesson in Teaching Pragmatics aims to help students learn how to request the main point.

7. Picture This – Pass It On

   In: Activate Games for Learning American English: Picture This Format(s): Text

   In Pass It On, students use the vocabulary words on a Picture This card to create a story. Download cards and instructions.

8. Reading to Speak: Integrating Oral Communication Skills

   In: English Teaching Forum 2009, Volume 47, Number 1 Format(s): Text

   Although students want to practice speaking English, they do not have many opportunities to do so in the Chinese EFL system. This often results in something called 'mute English.' This article suggests a greater integration of skills through reading to speak activities. The author includes activities for reading to act, reading to debate, and reading to interview. These activities move students away from a focus on form, allowing students to be creative and build fluency.

9. Classroom Techniques: Counseling and Oral Communication

   In: English Teaching Forum 2003, Volume 41, Number 3 Format(s): Text

   This article addresses a social divide that occurs between university students who have attended English secondary schools and those who have not. The lower proficiency students tend to be from lower socio-economic status and hesitate to speak because they fear humiliation. This article reminds instructors that low-proficiency learners need a safe place to make mistakes and build confidence. As an icebreaker, students discuss what hinders them from speaking to an audience. They then give speeches introducing themselves. Finally, they give a formal speech.

10. From Passive Participant to Active Thinker

    In: English Teaching Forum 2005, Volume 43, Number 3 Format(s): Text

    This article discusses how, through materials development, teachers can help students think critically and feel comfortable enough to be active participants in class. The author suggests adapting materials to be more relevant to the interests and needs of students in a particular context. Another suggestion is to create materials that help students connect their thoughts and feelings to the language they are learning. The author includes techniques to promote critical thinking and learner autonomy.

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