49 ESL Conversation Games & Activities - Jackie Bolen 2020

Show and tell
English conversation games and activities for lower level students

Skills: Speaking/Listening

Time: 4-6 minutes per student

Level: High beginner to Intermediate

Materials Required: Objects from home (or pictures)

This is a classic activity from way back in elementary school but it can work well in ESL classes too. Tell students a few days before the “show and tell” class that they need to bring an object from home that is meaningful to them. If it's something really big (a piano) or something that doesn't transport easily (a cat), then they can email you a picture to put up on the screen instead.

Students give a short presentation, talking about the item and why it's meaningful to them. The audience can ask a few follow-up questions. In order to make the question time go more smoothly with shy classes, put students into teams of 4-6 and each team has to ask one question.

Teaching Tips:

This activity is an excellent way to get students doing presentations in a low pressure way. If they have something familiar to hold on to, they'll feel less nervous than standing in front of the class with nothing. In addition, almost everybody likes talking about themselves!

Instead of doing this activity in a single class, consider doing it over the course of a semester with one or two students going at the beginning or end of class; assign specific days to each student.

Procedure:

1. Tell students to bring a meaningful object from home, or send a picture if bringing the object isn't practical.

2. Students introduce the object in a short presentation of 1-2 minutes, depending on the level.

3. The other students listen and can ask some follow-up questions.