Ideas for the first day of class. Easy English! Countries, Nationalities and Adjectives

How can we engage our students in conversation?
How can students start talking to each other?
Level: all levels
Materials: Computer and screen.  For TASK  Number 1a, you also  need soundcard

Where on earth to do they speak...? (see link in 1.b)

Task 1

1. a. The great language game.

• Students listen to people speaking  different languages and try to identify them.This is great if you have a multicultural classrooom. Students will identify languages such as Urdu, Ucranian, Dinka etc.

• If students do not know where a languaga is spoken, they need to write down the name of the langage on their notebook (for task 1.b) 

Click HERE to access the great language game

1.b. If students want to know where a certain language is spoken,  you can go to Where on earth do they speak that language by clicking HERE

When you click  the name of the language you  access a map that shows where the language is spoken and  provides general information about the language:

• Number of speakers: 
• Language code (as for Internet) : 
• Alternate names: 
• Where  it is spoken: 

Why not have students guess the information before you offer it?  What other languages do students know? How much do the know about them?
Tip: encourage studetns to use full sentences  

• In ..., people speak...
• ... is spoken in ....
• People in... speak...  

Task 2

 On A Steel Cable. The Rio Negro River, Colombia

• Ask students the question: How do you come to school?

 Zhang Jiawan Village, Southern China

• Show students pictures of the 25 Most Dangerous and Unusual Journeys to School in the World . See link next to pictures below. 
• Encourage students to describe pictures. If their language level is very low, provide them with a list of possible adjectives. The adjectives at the end of the list are more advanced. You may want to project this list on the board for the students to copy before they start the task.

You can see these pictures and more by clicking HERE 

This is /it is/they are:

This isn't/ it isn't/ they aren't

Incredible, impossible, ridiculous, ugly/beautiful, crazy, adventurous, dangerous/safe, difficult/easy, scary/fun, weak/strong,  fair/unfair, backbreaking, unprivileged/priviledged, deep,  barefoot, crowded, smelly, fit, breathtaking, wet, able, out of question, demanding...  

You can see these pictures and more by clicking HERE