This classic game is a favorite for all students but it can get boring quite quickly. This game is best used for 5 minutes at the start to warm the class up or 5 minutes at the end if you’ve got some time left over. It works no matter how many students are in the class.

- Why use it? Warming up / winding down class

- Who it's best for: Young learners

In case you've never played, here's a quick rundown.

- Think of a word and write the number of letters on the board using dashes to show many letters there are.

- Ask students to suggest a letter. If it appears in the word, write it in all of the correct spaces. If the letter does not appear in the word, write it off to the side and begin drawing the image of a hanging man.

- Continue until the students guess the word correctly (they win) or you complete the diagram (you win).

This activity can be used in a number of different ways and for a number of different tenses. I have used it to practice using there is / are and the present continuous. However it’s up to the teacher or students to decide on this.

Materials: Paper and pencils or a selection of ‘scene’ pictures for each member of the class. (The pictures should contain a number of different aspects such as people ‘doing things along with vocabulary related to the scene’) Examples of these can be found in many teaching resource books particularly those aimed at young learners. The activity itself can be used at all levels.

Procedure:

- Draw or find a picture of a landscape or scene. Make sure you fill the picture with people doing things and vocabulary related to the scene.

- Give out blank pieces of paper and pencils. Describe your picture and ask the students to draw a picture based on your description. Students then describe their pictures to each other and compare results. At this point don’t allow them to show each other their pictures. After they have described the pictures the students can then show each other their pictures and compare drawings. You can then show your picture in order for students to compare. 

- Ask the students to draw a picture similar to the example. They should be encouraged to choose different scenes such as in a park. At the fun fair. At a sports event. At a concert etc.