Get your ESL students talking with this whole class speaking activity.

This is a good activity to practice a short dialogue with many different partners in a short time. It works well with teens and adults. It’s adaptable to every level.

Adding clear structure to a mixing activity removes the social and decision-making friction that can leave students hiding in the corners of the room.

Pair Work

Begin with pairs. Give the students a topic to practice. For example:

Think about something you do now that you didn’t used to do. Tell your partner about it. Use “used to” or “didn’t use to”.

Students practice as you move around the room to monitor. When they finish, give feedback to the class. Then, choose a pair of strong students to do their conversation for the class.

Example:

A: What did you do in the past that you don’t do now?

B: I used to do aerobics at the gym.

A: So what do you do now?

B: Now, I play badminton every day in the park.

A: I didn’t use to exercise much.

B: And now?

A: Now, I go running after work. It helps me relax after a busy day.

After they finish, give any additional feedback.

Whole Class

Ask half the class to stand up. Wait until they do. Tell them to make a circle. Tell them to make a small circle. Tell them to turn around. They are the Sun. Then tell the other half of the class to stand up. Tell them to find a partner. They are the planets.

The partners will do the dialogue together. When the dialogue finishes, the planets move to their left and start again with a new partner. The group on the inside doesn’t move. Monitor the pacing and if necessary you can call out “Change” to move the students along. One orbit around the Sun and the activity is finished. When most or all of the students have finished talking to their last partner, ask them to return to their seats.

Variation

This structure can be easily adapted to practice a list of questions. One group asks and the other answers. After one cycle, the groups can switch roles and go through another cycle. Make sure that you have enough questions for everyone in one group. It’s helpful to display the questions on the board for weaker students. You can hide/cover them after students have time to complete a couple of turns.