ANSWER:  Here is a suggestion "In This Situation, What Would You Say and Do?"--a guided group work writing and speaking activity, in which intermediate level learners have the opportunity to write exchanges and short dialogues--appropriate to specific social situations.  There is minimal preparation and the entire 'double' activity should take approximately 20 minutes.

PREPARATION OF MATERIALS:

1. Prepare three sets of cards:   

ANSWER:  Certainly. Especially if these learners have not had any previous using-the-dictionary training by their teachers. And even if they have, the activities discussed here help them practise more.

Answer:  Dice Discussions is an activity for intermediate to advanced learners to help them develop fluency and confidence in using topic-related vocabulary items in a light, game-like situation.  This group work activity requires some writing before the Report Back stage.

PREPARATION:

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QUESTION:

When I attempt to hold whole class discussion, even though class size is not large, I encounter problems in engaging most learners to participate.  There are three major problems:  1) not all learners speak because certain individuals dominate, 2) no matter how familiar the subject, there seems to always be a vocabulary “shortage” and 3) most learners want to talk only to the teacher. . .or better yet, listen to the teacher.

ANSWER:  To promote selective reading and fact finding for elementary and pre-intermediate learners,  you can create information-centered tasks in which your learners will read with the purpose of fact gathering.  Hence, they will scan for specific information in order to complete the task you design for them. 

Here are some guidelines for and an example of "Writing Search Tasks":

WHAT? 

A. Well written tasks which will serve as a 'structured guide' for the learners' information search and note-taking.

ANSWER:  Using  brainstorming activities is one of the best ways to help our learners generate ideas in writing. We use such activities often, as it is indeed difficult for most of us to think of ways to discuss a subject even in our mother tongue. 

Brainstorming activities work like field practice in class. Learners need to do such activities as often and as many as possible over a period of time in order to get used to generating ideas on any given topic. 

So many moments, all come together,

like a big train, to form what we call life...

And strangely so many lives,

coincidentally come together, to form

what we call a moment.

Ashutosh Mishra

Wishes for many memorable moments of love, friendship and harmony,

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Here is a pairwork speaking activity titled:  ‘We’re the interviewer and interviewee’.  It provides oral practice on question formation and proper preparation for Exam Interviews. 

PREPARATION OF MATERIALS:

1.  First, prepare one set of Question Cards with question beginnings like the ones pictured below: