Students discuss ten things they saw, heard, felt or smelled on their way to the lesson today.

Procedure

  • Ask learners to recall, individually, ten* things they saw, heard, felt or smelled on their way to the lesson today. Then ask them to share these observations / experiences in small groups or with the whole class, and to ask and answer questions in connection with them. For example:

    I saw a man like a statue.

    Where was he?
    What did he do?
    Was he a man or a statue?
    What was he doing?
    What was he wearing?
    What do you mean – 'like a statue'?
  • Depending on the level, you might or might not help or encourage them to use grammar such as 'I saw ..... –ing', e.g. 'I saw someone pretending to be a statue'.
  • Among other things, this activity helps to provide a link between the outside world and the classroom. It can also lead learners to discover gaps in their English;  for instance, they might not know the English word 'statue', and they'll probably be particularly motivated to find out what it is - either from you, from each other, or from a dictionary.
  • * There's nothing magic about the number ten; you could say 3, or 6, or 9, or 11 etc.

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