Seven easy to prepare communicative tasks

Level: Indicated before each activity. The level of tasks goes from easier to more difficult.
Materials: Strips of paper/pieces of paper/ or nothing

Game 1: Ask the teacher some questions
Level: students should be able to write basic questions

Students write questions for the teacher on strips of paper. The teacher answers (for higher levels, only if correctly formed) for about 15m by going round the classroom. Then students work in groups to write the teacher’s biography with one untrue fact. Groups take turns reading their bios and figuring out what is false.
Game 2: Passing notes
Level: students should be able to write basic questions

Teacher hands students several slips of paper, on which they write their name in the lower left corner and the name of someone they want to exchange notes with in the upper right. They write a note, asking at least one question, and then deliver it. Students answer notes and pass them back.

Game 3: What's the number?  
Level: students should be able to write simple sentences in present

Teacher gives small groups of students a number 0-10. Students write 3 riddles or sentences that hint at number on a piece of paper (e.g. a dog has this number of legs). Groups exchange papers and add two similar sentences. Repeat. Discuss favourite riddles, hang up on wall, etc.

Game 4: Conversation with an object
Level: students should be able to write questions. Vocabulary depends on chosen object but this tends to be more complicated than previous tasks. Eg. If you speak to a sock, you may want to use words such as “sweaty” or “wool” .

Teacher tells students to think of an everyday object (e.g. tea kettle, a sock, a pen..). Then students should write a conversation with that object without stopping their pens. Teacher lets students write for 3-5m. Students can exchange papers, ask questions.

Game 5: Blog on paper
Level: students need to contribute points of against or in favour of a statement. This requires somehow higher skills

For 20 students the teacher prepares 5 papers with different leading question at top (e.g., The driving age should be raised to 22. Agree or disagree? Why?). Make 4 copies of each paper and distribute. Students have 5m to respond, then exchange papers and reply for 5m.

Game 6: I yelled at my teacher  (or mother,  boyfriend... you name it!)
Level: students should be able to write sentences in the past/future and use the connectors you provide
 Teacher gives pairs of students a paper with "I yelled at my teacher"(or other person of your or the student's choice). in the middle of the page. Students take slips of paper with connectors (then, so, after that, before +ing, etc.) from bag and must build story above or below the sentence.

Game 7:  Connecting the Top 40
You MAY want to use  a projector for this task  
Level: higher as the titles of the top 40 songs may be difficult

Distribute and review list of the current Top 40 song titles. If you don’t want to use a list on paper, just type “top 40 BBC” in the search engine (google or other) and project the list on the board.

Working alone or in pairs, students write a short narrative using 10 of the titles (unchanged). E.g., One day while hiking, I went Off the beaten path. I ended up getting very lost and couldn't find my way out of the forest. Finally, at 8:18, I heard...

Attention: the week of the 30 of September, hit number one was “Talk dirty”. If your students are underaged, check the list before projecting it.

Thanks to Kirk Moore, speaker at the British Council workshop on September 2013 for sharing these ideas, which he has compiled from different sources.

I have adapted Mr. Moore's talk for my blog and therefore I hold responsibility any mistakes or omissions that may appear.