ESL Warm Up Activities – Simple ESL warm up Activities

Mooncake English
4 Sept 201906:14
EducationalLearning
32 Likes 10 Comments

TLDRIn this engaging video, Jema Perry shares three innovative warm-up activities for ESL classes to enhance student engagement and prepare them for their English lessons. The first activity, 'Yes-No', involves a semi-circle formation and flashcards with vocabulary, prompting students to jump to either side of a divided board and vocalize their answers. The second game, 'Speed', is a fast-paced drilling game that can focus on speaking or listening skills, with students quickly articulating words or touching the correct flashcard. The third activity is a simple, interactive tune for younger students, involving physical actions and chants to review themes like body parts, animals, or transportation. These activities are designed to be fun, attention-grabbing, and easy to implement, making them ideal for ESL teachers looking to energize their classroom.

Takeaways
  • 🎓 **Warm-up Importance**: The first five minutes of class are crucial for engaging students and preparing them for the lesson.
  • 📚 **Activity Requirements**: Simple materials such as board markers and flashcards are all that's needed for the warm-up activities.
  • 👥 **Class Arrangement**: Positioning students in a semi-circle is a common setup for these activities to facilitate interaction.
  • 🏃 **Active Participation**: Students should stand and physically move to indicate their answers, promoting active learning.
  • 🗣️ **Oral Expression**: Encouraging students to say their answers out loud helps with language retention and confidence.
  • 📈 **Level Adaptability**: The complexity of questions can be adjusted based on the students' language proficiency.
  • 🔁 **TPR and Chants**: Using Total Physical Response and chants can enhance engagement and memory retention.
  • 🏁 **Speed Game**: A fast-paced game that can focus on either speaking or listening skills, using previously taught vocabulary.
  • 👂 **Listening Focus**: In 'Speed', students can practice listening by quickly identifying and touching the correct flashcard after hearing a word.
  • 🎵 **Singing and Actions**: For younger students, using a simple tune with actions can be an effective and fun way to engage them.
  • 🤗 **Interactive Chants**: Chanting with actions can be used to review themes like body parts, animals, or transportation in a playful manner.
  • 👍 **Feedback Encouraged**: The presenter asks for feedback through likes, shares, and comments to gauge the video's effectiveness and helpfulness.
Q & A

  • What is the purpose of a warm-up activity in an ESL class?

    -The purpose of a warm-up activity is to engage students and prepare them for their English lesson. It should be fun, grab students' attention, and be easy and simple to execute.

  • Who is Jema Perry and what is her role in the video?

    -Jema Perry is the presenter of the video and has been working and living in China as a teacher, manager, and recruiter for the past eight years. She provides ESL teaching tips and strategies.

  • How can one subscribe to more ESL teaching tips from Jema Perry?

    -To receive more ESL teaching tips, viewers are encouraged to subscribe to the channel and hit the notification bell.

  • What is the first warm-up game suggested in the video?

    -The first warm-up game suggested is called 'Yes-No', which involves using board markers, flashcards of previously taught vocabulary, and a semi-circle formation of students.

  • How does the 'Yes-No' game work?

    -In the 'Yes-No' game, students stand in a semi-circle facing a board with 'Yes' and 'No' written on it. They jump to the corresponding side based on their answer to a yes/no question related to a vocabulary word shown on a flashcard.

  • What is the importance of students saying their answer out loud in the 'Yes-No' game?

    -Saying the answer out loud helps reinforce the language, encourages active participation, and is especially beneficial for lower level students to practice basic vocabulary.

  • What is the second warm-up activity presented in the video?

    -The second activity is a drilling game called 'Speed', which uses flashcards of previously taught vocabulary and can focus on either speaking or listening skills.

  • How does the 'Speed' game differ when focusing on speaking versus listening skills?

    -When focusing on speaking skills, students must quickly say the word on the flashcard pointed to by the teacher. For listening skills, the teacher says the word, and students must quickly touch the corresponding flashcard.

  • What is the third warm-up activity suitable for younger students?

    -The third activity is a simple tune-based interaction that involves waving hands and saying 'hello' and 'bye-bye', followed by a chant related to a theme such as body parts, animals, or transportation.

  • What is the key to making the 'Speed' game engaging for students?

    -The key to making the 'Speed' game engaging is to play it at a fast pace, quickly switching players and maintaining a high level of energy and interaction.

  • How can TPR (Total Physical Response) be used in the ESL classroom?

    -TPR can be used to help students stay engaged and remember language quickly by incorporating physical actions or movements that correspond to the language being taught.

  • What is the final call to action for viewers of the video?

    -The final call to action is to give the video a thumbs up, share it with fellow teachers, comment 'helpful' if it was, and subscribe to the channel for more weekly ESL teaching tips from Mooncake.

Outlines
00:00
😀 Fun ESL Warm-up Activities

Jema Perry introduces three new warm-up activities for ESL classes. The video emphasizes the importance of engaging students in the first five minutes of class to prepare them for the lesson. The activities are designed to be fun, attention-grabbing, and simple to execute. The first game, 'Yes-No', involves using flashcards and board markers to ask yes/no questions, encouraging students to respond out loud. The second game, 'Speed', is a drilling game that can focus on speaking or listening skills, with students quickly responding to vocabulary prompts. The third activity is a simple tune and chant for younger students, focusing on themes like body parts, animals, or transportation to engage them in a non-competitive manner.

05:06
👍 Sharing and Subscribing for ESL Tips

The video concludes with an invitation for viewers to show their appreciation by liking the video and sharing it with fellow teachers. Jema encourages feedback by asking viewers to comment 'helpful' if the video was useful. She reminds viewers to subscribe and hit the notification button for weekly ESL teaching tips from Mooncake. The video ends with a catchy and motivational phrase, 'Yeah English!', repeated to energize and engage the audience.

Mindmap
Keywords
💡Warm-up activities
Warm-up activities are the initial exercises or games used at the start of a class to engage students and prepare them for the lesson. In the video, these activities are crucial for ESL (English as a Second Language) classes to get students excited about learning English. The script mentions three specific warm-up activities: 'Yes-No', 'Speed', and a simple tune-based activity for younger students.
💡ESL (English as a Second Language)
ESL refers to the teaching of English to individuals who do not speak it as their native language. The video is aimed at ESL teachers and provides tips and activities to enhance ESL teaching. The context of ESL is central to the video as it shapes the type of warm-up activities suggested.
💡Flashcards
Flashcards are small cards used in teaching to display vocabulary, phrases, or questions. In the video, they are used in the 'Yes-No' and 'Speed' games to review previously taught vocabulary. Flashcards are a common teaching tool that helps in reinforcing memory and are integral to the activities described.
💡TPR (Total Physical Response)
TPR is a teaching methodology that involves using physical activity and movement to teach languages. The video suggests using TPR and chants to keep students engaged and to help them remember language quickly. An example from the script is the use of physical actions while saying 'Nose, nose, touch your nose'.
💡Chants
Chants are repetitive phrases or rhymes that are used to teach and reinforce language patterns. In the video, chants are recommended for their rhythmic nature which can help students remember language structures and vocabulary. The script provides an example chant for the theme of body parts.
💡Drilling game
A drilling game is a type of language exercise where students practice specific language structures or vocabulary through repetition and quick responses. The 'Speed' game described in the video is a drilling game that can focus on either speaking or listening skills, depending on how it is played.
💡Speaking skills
Speaking skills refer to a person's ability to use the language in speech, including pronunciation, fluency, and the appropriate use of vocabulary and grammar. The video emphasizes the importance of speaking skills in ESL classes and provides activities like the 'Speed' game to enhance these skills.
💡Listening skills
Listening skills are the ability to understand and interpret spoken language. The 'Speed' game also has a variant that focuses on listening skills, where students must quickly identify and touch the correct flashcard after hearing a spoken word, thus practicing their listening comprehension.
💡Body parts
In the context of the video, body parts are used as a theme for one of the suggested chants. This theme is chosen because it can be easily understood by students at various levels and can be acted out physically, aiding in the memorization of vocabulary.
💡Competitive classroom games
Competitive classroom games are activities where students engage in competition to achieve a goal or win a challenge. The 'Speed' game is an example of such a game, which can motivate students and make learning more enjoyable. However, the video also acknowledges that not all students may be ready for such games, leading to the suggestion of a non-competitive activity.
💡Semi-circle positioning
Semi-circle positioning is a classroom arrangement where students are seated or stand in a semi-circular shape around the teacher. This setup is used in the 'Yes-No' and 'Speed' activities to facilitate interaction and visibility. It is a common arrangement in ESL teaching to promote engagement and participation.
Highlights

Jema Perry introduces three new ESL warm-up activities.

The presenter has eight years of experience teaching and managing in China.

Jema Perry emphasizes the importance of the warm-up in ESL classes.

Warm-up activities are designed to be fun, attention-grabbing, and simple.

The 'Yes-No' game utilizes board markers and flashcards for vocabulary revision.

In 'Yes-No', students physically move to sides of the room to indicate their answers.

The game helps students vocalize their answers, enhancing language use.

The 'Speed' game uses flashcards to promote quick vocabulary recall.

Speed can focus on either speaking or listening skills.

The competitive nature of 'Speed' keeps the energy high in the classroom.

The third activity uses a simple tune and actions for young learners.

It incorporates thematic chants like body parts, animals, and transportation.

Jema Perry advocates the use of TPR and chants to help students engage and remember.

A tutorial on TPR techniques is available for further learning.

Jema Perry concludes with a call to action for ESL teachers to try these activities.

Transcripts

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