Warm-up activities as an essential part of EFL lessons

It is of the utmost importance that the lesson achieves all of the desired outcomes; therefore, it is essential that a suitable warm-up exercises are  incorporated into the lesson plan. Such activities may include tongue-twisters, proverbs, and games.. The following sections present a selection of warm-up activities that  I  successfully use  in the teaching process.

Pop quizzes

When I teach listening, we require our students to listen to the BBC or watch films with subtitles in their spare time. Before each lesson, the students are given the task to write two statements about current events, and I ask them to write on a piece of paper whether the statements are true or false. Each correct answer earns one point. Because the students want to earn the two points each time, they continue to listen to the CNN or BBC. In this way, the students gradually get into habit of listening to the news and even enjoy the pop quizzes. By the end of the semester, all our students had greatly improved their listening abilities.

Plot imagination

In the context of teaching geography or country studies, students are invited to engage in a process of visual imagination. I request that they close their eyes and  see in the mind’ eye that they are in the place of  destination, for example, Australia. Thus, the students are encouraged to engage in imaginative exercises, whereby they imagine themselves in the environment, surrounded by kangaroos, bushes, or Aboriginal people, or at the very least, to feign what they would see, hear, smell, feel, and think. Following a period of two minutes, the participants are instructed to open their eyes. The objective is to have the students record their thoughts and impressions during the imaginative exercise, which they are then to use as the basis for a narrative. As a rule, the responses of the students are diverse, yet each one reflected a personal emotional experience.

Picture taking

Sometimes the teacher needs to provide visual aids for the class. After showing a picture for one or two minutes, the teacher can ask the class to tell  what they see in the picture, or to make up a story, or to list as many adjectives or adverbs as possible that can be used to describe the picture. Seeing the picture helps students to retell a story, and  at the same time, the teacher can see whether the students understand the text correctly or not. This also helps to expand students’ vocabulary.

Alternative ending

Using “alternative endings” as a warm-up activity helps students express their ideas. For example, when I taught The  Big Buffallo Bass by Weldon Stone I wrote on the blackboard, “If I caught a fish …” and asked our students to complete the story in five minutes. All responses showing that the students understand the story were acceptable. Such tasks compel students to draw upon their imaginations and experiences when attempting to interpret the text. Furthermore, it provides an opportunity for students to engage in creative writing activities.

Saying/proverb questions

When we use this kind of warm-up activity, we write the first part of saying, like “Genious is one percent inspiration and …,” and leave the last part for the students to complete, like “ninety-nine percent perspiration.”

Sometimes we write a proverb on the blackboard and ask if there is a similar proverb in Kazakh. This activity teaches students some sayings and proverbs, thereby increasing the students’ knowledge of the culture. Also tongue twisters can be a good phonetic drill as it improves their pronunciation and gives a cheerful atmosphere.

We believe that these kinds of activities will simulate students’ interests and challenge them to use their imaginations. They train students to express their own ideas that will definitely enhance their English proficiency.

Arailym Abylkasova,

Foreign Language Department