Teach English in Zhenglou Zhen - Suqian Shi

Flashcards can be a valuable and relatively inexpensive resource for any EFL classroom. A teacher can create flashcards specific for the English language proficiency level of the students and specific to the topic, theme, vocabulary, or grammar lesson being taught. A flashcard can be a word on an index card, a word with a definition or picture on the back, a fill-in-the-blank sentence, a phrase, or an idiom. The options are endless. Here are five activities using flashcards that go beyond the traditional drill. Heads Up - This is a game I was just recently introduced to when I was visiting relatives with school-aged children. While their version was played using an app on a cell phone, it could easily be adapted to use flashcards and a two-minute timer. The class would be divided into teams of two. Each team would have a set of flashcards placed face-down with targeted vocabulary words, pictures or phrases. One team member would pick up the top flashcard and, without looking at it, hold the flashcard up to his forehead so that his teammate could see. The teammate would give clues (in English, of course) to get the flashcard holder to guess what is on the flashcard. Once the student guesses correctly, he would take the next flashcard from the deck and repeat the process. When the two minutes were up, the student would keep the cards he guessed correctly, and the stack of unseen flashcards would move to his teammate. The winner of this class activity would be the team that had correctly guessed the most flashcards in the time allotted. This flashcard activity would work well with adult language learners. It would be a fun way to review familiar vocabulary and provide an opportunity to practice descriptive language. Build a Story – This activity is suitable for students of any age and can be leveled by using flashcards with vocabulary, pictures, or phrases that fit the lesson topic. Students sit in a circle. Have the first student pick a flashcard from the prepared deck. The student makes a sentence using the word/phrase on the flashcard. The deck is passed to the next student who draws a card and uses it in a sentence to continue the “story.” This process continues until all students have had a turn to add to the story. This flashcard activity incorporates vocabulary reinforcement, pronunciation, comprehension, and grammatical structure. Guess the Word – This activity gets the students up and mingling. A flashcard is placed on each student’s back. Students must go from person to person asking only yes or no questions until they are able to identify the flashcard. This activity reviews and reinforces vocabulary and can also be used to practice question structure such as “Am I an animal?” or “Can I jump?” This activity could also be adapted for students to do seated in small groups using the flashcards in a familiar game of 20 Questions. Choose 3 – Working with a partner, students choose 3 flashcards. Partners create a story using those three flashcards. This activity is suitable for students advanced enough to be able to put their stories in writing. Students then share their stories with the class. Charades – Flashcards with pre-taught vocabulary, phases or actions are used as the basis for the subjects to be acted out. One student chooses a flashcard and acts it out for his teammates to guess. This can be done as a whole class activity, but students may be less intimidated to act and will have a greater opportunity to verbalize their guesses if the class is divided into smaller groups to play. Varying the use of flashcards in the EFL classroom can provide a livelier and more engaging way to motivate students to learn English.