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Random subjects (SPK or WRT for int. or adv. Ss)
This is game jointly developed by a fellow teacher and myself. It can be used as a speaking or writing game to allow for fun and creative language use.
First we made a list of enticing subjects and objects, such as "My monkey" and "English, respectively. About 5-10 pairs of subjects and objects is good for one lesson. With these the Ss make sentences, the crazier the better. Here are some responses:
My monkey is the most famous English teacher.
My monkey is able to speak English at home.
My monkey goes to Minami-chyu to study English. (Minami-chu is the school I teach at.)
Other good subjects include famous sports personalities (like Akebono, a famous sumo wrestler here in Japan,) or movie characters (like Luke Skywalker, who everybody in the world seems to know nowadays.)
Good objects are foods like octopus, or restaurants like McDonald's, etc etc.
Allowing Ss to use English creatively is the strength of this game, and Ss respond to this. Also, the game can be varied by having advanced Ss try to connect the sentences into the craziest of stories. In this case I alternated from providing a subject-object pair in one sentence to providing a verb for the next. The verb I used for the sentence after "My monkey" and "English" was "escaped," and it seemed to work well.
Good luck and have fun!
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