Packing for a Trip - Group Activities for the ESL Classroom
Speaking Activities for ESL Students
Speaking can be a difficult skill to get your students to practice and engage in when studying in a second language classroom. It is often the skill that students are most reluctant to use or most daunting to attempt. Fun and engaging group activities can help language learners feel more at ease when practicing their speaking skills. These seemingly small group activities can build students’ confidence and set the groundwork for successful communicators later on. Additionally, it is often challenging to find ESL materials that focus on group activities or speaking activities relevant to classwork (i.e., not fillers or games). To bridge that gap, FLOW Speak provides materials that directly relate to real world tasks which can be used as a central part of ESL lessons.
Free ESL Speaking Materials
FLOW Speak provides ESL teaching materials to help teachers supercharge their lessons and facilitate new speaking activities in their classroom. These pre-made materials include the instructions and content needed to engage your students in fun speaking activities. These activities are great for adult and young adult English language learners. Aligned with FLOW Speak’s mission, the activities will bring more practical conversations into their English learning journey.
To help teachers incorporate more conversation skills and activities into their lessons, these materials are free and accessible. They include delivery instructions, the necessary materials, a note indicating the enabling objectives, and suggested homework related to the activity. The enabling objectives explain what vocabulary or grammar skills are necessary for the activity and can assist in lesson planning. The suggested homework shares related FLOW Speak lessons that can be assigned after that activity for individual speaking practice after class.
Group Activity: Packing for a Trip
The “Packing for a Trip” group activity includes minimalistic itineraries for up to eight groups that learners must use to create a packing list for their vacation. Each itinerary includes a location, a trip duration, the weather forecast, and three activities that the students will partake in during their vacation.
How to Implement ‘Packing for a Trip’ in Class
Students are challenged to pack weather-appropriate items for the number of days they will be traveling. They must work in groups of 2 to 4 and create one list together. This activity will require teamwork and discussion as students decide what to bring and explain why. It would work well in a unit about travel, weather, or clothing and is ideal for learners with a high beginner level of English or A2 according to the CEFR.
The teaching materials include a page of instructions for teachers as well as the handouts for students. The ‘Teacher Instructions’ page includes information on delivery, necessary materials, enabling objectives, and suggested homework. The suggested homework shares related FLOW Speak lessons that can be assigned after that activity for individual speaking practice after class. The related lessons in ‘Packing for a Trip’ include the ‘Packing for a Trip’ Listening Lesson, the ‘Schedule’ Expression Lesson, and ‘The to-do list’ AI Talk Lesson. These lessons target the same competencies as the group activity and can be used to reinforce the progress made during class. If you are interested in learning more about using FLOW Speak lessons in your classroom, contact achieve@flowspeak.io.
Download the materials
FLOW Speak Activity - Packing for a Trip - Imperial.pdf
FLOW Speak Activity - Packing for a Trip - Metric.pdf
