Resources

Each day for half an hour before lunch, our summer camp groups get together to learn to sing and dance to a song that ties into our camp theme. For the fairy tale themed camp, this song matches perfectly and is so catchy and fun. After getting comfortable with the words, we teach choreography that highlights the meaning of key phrases and practice staging so we can impress family and friends with a performance at the end of camp show.

Here are the lyrics and 3 fun worksheets to help the students learn the words and dance moves.

Have students design an invitation to a superhero's party. Include time, date and location, as well as a drawing of the costume they choose to wear.

Superlative adjectives are used to describe an object which is at the uppermost or lowermost limit of a quality (the tallest, the smallest, the fastest, the highest). They are used in sentences where a subject is compared to a group of objects.

Superlatives are formed by adding +EST to the end of an adjective.

• Tallest

• Softest

• Shortest

• Thinnest

• Strongest

For adjectives with three or more syllables, modify the adjective by writing 'most' before it.

• Most beautiful

• Most intelligent

• Most important

In some cases, the entire adjective changes.

• Best

• Worst

• Farthest

Some adjectives have a spelling change in the superlative form. If the adjective has a 'consonant' + 'vowel' + 'consonant' spelling, double the last letter before adding +EST

• big - biggest

• fat - fattest

• sad - saddest

If the adjective ends in 'Y', the 'Y' changes to an 'i' before adding +ER

• happy - happiest

• lazy - laziest

If the adjective ends in 'E' simply add +ST

• large - largest

the definite article 'the' comes before a superlative in a sentence.

• Elephants are the biggest animals.

• My sister is the shortest in the family.

Have students answer the following questions:

If you could have one superpower, what would it be? Would you be a bad guy or a good guy? What is an example of someone who is a superhero in real life?

A synonym is a word or phrase that can be substituted for another word or phrase in a particular context.

Some common and useful synonyms are:

• angry - mad, furious, enraged

• amazing - fantastic, wonderful, incredible

• beautiful - lovely, pretty, gorgeous

• big - enormous, huge, colossal, giant

• begin - start, initiate, commence

• bright - shiny, gleaming, sparkling

• calm - quiet, peaceful, still

• dark - shadowy, gloomy, dim

• delicious - tasty, delectable, mouthwatering

• good - excellent, amazing, superior

• interesting - fascinating, engaging, captivating

Discuss the digital revolution and the ongoing rapid changes in the technological world and their impacts on our lives. Ask the student about the importance he/she places on technology and what type of role it plays in their life. Ask the student to make a prediction of a possible technological advance ten years from now.

Divide the class into two teams. Have the students write words (can be adapted for adjectives, verbs, nouns) on small pieces of paper and return them to the teacher. One student from team 1 must choose a piece of paper. They have one minute to describe the word to their team without using the word itself. Play until one team reaches the winning number of cards. (To be determined by the teacher.)

A game to practice paraphrasing and build vocabulary.

Take turns choosing everyday objects or activities to describe, without using the name of the thing. The other person must guess. E.g. (tennis) A game you play on a court, with a racket. You hit a ball over a net...etc.

Begin by telling a short story to the class about something that happened yesterday. e.g. I was walking down the street and a thief stole my bag. Elaborate until the story has a clear beginning, middle, and end. Have each student re-tell your story, paraphrasing the situation and using synonyms/antonyms.

Discuss technology. Have students answer the following questions:

What do you think is the most useful device that has been invented in the last 10 years? Do you think technology reduces or increases stress? Why? What jobs do you think might be replaced by robots in the future? How has technology changed the way we communicate with each other?

The student is to choose a significant event in the technology world that has taken place in recent times (e.g the launch of the first iPhone, artificial intelligence, artificial embryos). Once she/he has chosen an event, they are to write a newspaper report on the event imagining they are a journalist who has been asked to cover the occasion.

Have the students stand around the room in a big circle. Tell a sentence to the first student, who must whisper the sentence to the next student in the circle. The sentence should travel all the way around the circle, and when it arrives at the last person, they will say it out loud. If the sentence is correct, give the class one point. You can adjust this game to make sentences related to whatever grammar topic your students are working on.

A funny improvisation game. Take turns giving really awful advice to the other person, who has to try and politely respond.

For example:

You should....

Get a tattoo on your face

Study for maths instead of history in case the teacher surprises the class with a maths test.

Sell all of your clothes and wear plastic bags to school

Tell your teachers they are boring you

Choose a category with heaps of different nouns to choose from. For example Animals, Sports, Food, Countries or even sports teams or pop stars. Brainstorm nouns for that category then assign 1 per student. Have them label themselves clearly, with a paper headband, sash, flashcard*, sticker or similar.

Explain that they need to all link into 1 long chain, but to make each connection they need to form a sentence using a comparative.

For example:

• Elephants are bigger than lions
• Lions are stronger than cats
• Cats are smarter than Giraffes
• Giraffes are taller than pigs
• Pigs are dirtier than dolphins‍

‍Help them with adjective ideas if needed but encourage them to form the complete sentence to make the comparison, as they will have studied in class.When they're in a line, have them say their comparative 'link' sentence out loud. Or, as a fun twist, have them take turns walking along the line and guessing the linking expression between the other pairs.If they have already studied superlatives too, then have the last person in the line come up with a statement with a superlative to declare at the end. For example "and Puppies are the cutest animals in the world!".

Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

Divide the class into two teams. Assign each team a position on the topic. Ask each team to develop an argument, then have the teams debate.

If + simple present + will/can/going to + infinitive.

The first conditional is used to talk about things that will probably happen in the future.

• If the weather is nice, I will go for a bike ride.

• If I have time, I can go to the market.

• If Rome wins the championship, I will have a party.

Divide class into groups of two. Give each group a small object (fruit, candy, school supplies, etc), and have them make a list of as many adjectives as they can to describe the object. Give students fifteen seconds to create the list. Tally up their lists to see which group has the most adjectives. Have the winning group share their adjective list with the class.

If + past simple, would + bare infinitive

The second conditional is used to talk about a future situation that is not likely to happen or a present situation that is not true because it is not happening. In many cases, it is a situation we wish could happen.

• If I were rich, I would never go to work.

• If I had a pie, I would throw it at your face.

• If I had a dog, I would name it hotdog.

Tell your students to Imagine there is a new kid at school, and they have been asked to show them around. Ask them what advice they would give to the new student about the school. What recommendations could they give the student to help them feel more comfortable?

If + past perfect, would + present perfect

The third conditional is used to talk about unreal actions or things that, if they had happened, would have had a consequence.

• If I had been born in Italy, I would have spoken Italian.

• If we had won the lottery, we would have bought a new boat.

• If I had woken up on time, I would have eaten breakfast.

One student describes a hypothetical problem to the class. The students then take turns giving the funniest or most ridiculous advice they can think of. The student with the hypothetical problem then chooses the winner to think of a new problem.

Introduce your students to useful time vocabulary with our set of 19 easy-to-use flashcards. Perfect for teachers, these cards showcase a variety of times in both digital and written word format, making them an ideal tool for classroom activities. The clear, colourful labels aid in comprehension and retention, and are suitable for learners of various levels. These cards are great for interactive games, memory recall exercises and reinforcing vocabulary in a lively, engaging manner. Whether you're leading a classroom or guiding small groups, these cards are a practical and enjoyable resource to enhance your teaching toolkit and spark enthusiasm in your English language lessons.

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If + present simple, present simple

The zero conditional is used to talk about things that are always, or generally, true. It is also used to talk about scientific facts.

• If you heat ice, it melts.

• If you don't eat, you get hungry.

• If you gamble, you lose money.

Is time travel possible?

Split the class into two teams, and assign each team a position. Have the students develop arguments to support their position, and then have a debate.

Discuss traditions the student may have and follow - family occasions, religious holidays, food etc. Discuss how traditions vary in different countries and talk about positive and negative aspects of tradition.

Have students create a timeline for a fictional character. Mark the years of important events or activities within the characters life. Then, have students ask each other questions about the other characters using the present perfect. (E.g. Has your character ever travelled to a different country? Has your character ever won a competition?)

Create a timeline from when a fictional character (super hero, famous person, yourself) was born until the present. Label 7 important events that happened in their life. Then, write sentences describing these important moments and using the past simple.

Using the zero conditional, have students work in pairs to write 3 true facts and 3 false ones. Have the students trade lists with their classmates and decide which ones are true and which are false.

Split the class into teams of two. Each team must hide a 'treasure' and write a list of step-by-step instructions on how to find them from a specified starting point. They should focus on using appropriate prepositions. The teams will then switch treasure maps and follow the directions to discover the treasure.

Sit in a circle. Begin with the first student. The teacher will ask 'truth or dare'. If the student says 'truth' they will be asked a question that they have to answer. If the student says 'dare' the teacher will give them a silly dare to do. (Focusing on verbs and prepositions).

Have students answer the following questions:

What is your favourite way to travel? What do you think the most efficient way to travel in a city is? What are some of the differences in travel options between people who live in a city and people who live in the country?

Have a student tell three stories or facts about themselves where two are true and one is false (or the other way around if they prefer). They will tell them to the class and then each student guesses which one was the lie.

Each student must write three facts about their habits using an adverb of frequency. (e.g. I always play basketball on Tuesdays.)Two of the facts should be true, and one of the facts should be a lie. Have the students try to identify the lies.

Compile a list of unusual holidays your students probably aren't familiar with. Write down each one on a small piece of paper, including the date and the reason for the holiday. Each student chooses one paper and keeps it a secret. They then have to write three sentences: one with the correct date and reason for the holiday, and two with the correct date but made up reasons for the holiday.

March 17th is the day where people wear green and celebrate Irish heritage.

March 17th is the day that people celebrate professional car racing.

March 17th is the day that people remember WW2.

Each student then takes turns reading their sentences to the class. The other students try decide which sentence is true.

We use 'used to' to talk about something that was true in the past but is not true now.

• There used to be a park here, but now there’s a shopping centre.

• My grandmother used to have blonde hair, but now her hair is grey.

You can also say 'used to' to talk about states (things that were true for a long period of time) or repeated actions (things that happened several times):

• I used to live in Denver. (True for a long period of time)

• I used to go to the park every Friday. (A repeated action)

Write adverbs before used to:

• I always used to cycle to school.

• I never used to eat vegetables.

You can use 'would' in a similar way to used to. It describes things that were true in the past but are not true now:

• When I was a child, my dad would read to me every night.

Would CANNOT be used to talk about states. It can only be used to talk about repeated actions.

• There would be a park here. (wrong)

• There used to be a park here. (correct)

Introduce your students to the world of verbs with our set of 80 easy-to-use verb cards. Perfect for teachers, these cards showcase everyday actions like "walk," "eat," "ski," and more, making them an ideal tool for classroom activities. The clear, simple visuals aid in comprehension and retention, suitable for learners of various levels. These cards are great for interactive games, sentence building exercises, and reinforcing verb tenses in a lively, engaging manner. Whether you're leading a classroom or guiding small groups, these cards are a practical and enjoyable resource to enhance your teaching toolkit and spark enthusiasm in your English language lessons.

Split the students into two teams. Have each team brainstorm a list of simple past verbs. The goal is to remember as many as possible. After a few minutes, compare lists. Team 1 will read a verb from their list. If team 2 also has this verb, both teams will cross it out. If team 2 does not, team 1 circles the verb and receives 1 point. Continue the process, alternating teams until the lists are completed.

Have a debate based on the following topic: Some people believe that we shouldn't eat meat. Do you agree or disagree with this belief? Do you eat meat? Have you ever considered being a vegetarian?

Follow up:

1. Which lifestyle do you think is healthier, that of a meat-eater, or that of a carnivore. Why?

2. Do you consider yourself to have a healthy diet? What foods do you eat most often?

One student or the teacher has a whiteboard and chooses one letter (preferably not a vowel). That letter is forbidden to use for the students. The teacher or chosen student then asks a question to a student that would be easily answered by using the forbidden letter. (ex. letter is S: What is your favourite reptile?) If the students make it through one round, the teacher adds another letter.

Have students discuss whether or not voting should be mandatory and whether the voting age should be lowered, raised or kept the same. Discuss any motives individuals may have for abstaining from voting.

Handy reference card that can be reconstructed together with students as an anchor chart. It could also be printed and displayed as a poster in class, laminated and used as reference card or even handed out to students to take home. We've provided an overview of the main verb tenses in English with visual aids to illustrate them on a time line.

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Have students answer the following questions:

What did you do last weekend? Do you often do the same activities on the weekends? Do you prefer to see your friends or spend time with your family?

Split the class into two teams and have them write a weird news story. Students will write all the verbs in the simple present. Then, teams will change stories. The students must change the verbs to the past. The team with the most correct changes is the winner! Then, have the students read/act out their story.

Split the class into two teams. Give each team a different help card with many people doing different activities. Ask the students to write 5 sentences describing what the people are doing in each photograph using the present continuous.

Put some objects on the table and have the students remember them. Get them to turn around and then remove one of the objects. They turn back around and then guess what is missing.

Have the students stand in a circle. The first student starts miming an action. The next student turns to them and asks "What are you doing?"

The first student must reply, in a complete sentence using the present continuous tense, describing any action that is NOT what they were miming. At which point the second student must start miming whatever the first person said. This continues around the circle in a chain.  After a few rounds to get used to the pattern, start 'eliminating' students who can't think of an action to describe, repeats an action already described, or (depending on levels) doesn't form the sentence correctly.

For example:

Student 1: mimes brushing his hair

Student 2: What are you doing?

Student 1: I'm walking my dog

Student 2: mimes walking a dog

Student 3: What are you doing?

Student 2: I'm eating an ice-cream

Student 3: mimes eating an ice-cream

.... and so on around the circle

It's a great way for students to show their sense of humour as they realise they can make their classmates act out silly things. It also motivates them to think of a wide variety of interesting verbs. Best of all, it repeats the present continuous structure over and over without being boring, and connects it to the purpose of why it's used.

Brighten up your classroom with this colourful, eye-catching poster. "What's up ...with Prepositions" is the perfect encouragement to help get your students excited about learning prepositions.

Sit in a circle and say 'Hello' to each child. Teach them to respond to the question 'What's your name?' by using examples.

Have the students stand in a circle, with the teacher standing in the middle. The teacher points to a student and says a verb in the simple present form. The student who has been pointed to ducks to the ground, and the students on either side must correctly change the verb to the simple past. The student who says the correct answer first stays and the other student is eliminated. Play until there are two students left. Have the final two students do a cowboy style shoot-out to determine the winner. (Stand back to back, walk three steps, the teacher says a verb, and the students turn and say the correct answer. The student that says the correct answer first is the winner.)

The teacher gives the students an age, such as '5'. The students must write a sentence beginning with 'when I was 5,' followed by something that is true from when they were this age. After the students understand the activity, practice the future tense. 'When I am 20, I will...

Have students say the name of the habitat of the animal names listed. Have them use full sentences to write about each animal and its habitat. "The snake lives in the jungle" etc.

Two students are given a situational prompt. They must then create a dialogue using relative pronouns and auxiliary verbs to ask each other questions about the situation. P1: You are in a park, and a dog passes by on a skateboard.

S1: 'Did you see that?' 'It was incredible! S2: That's the coolest thing I've ever seen!'

P2: Someone has stolen a school bag. S1: What happened? Where did my school bag go? S2: Who could have taken it? It was right there!

Using several objects, place them in, on, under, or in different positions in relation to one another. Then say the sentence "Where is the pen?". Students should respond: "The pen is under the box."

As students close their eyes, the teacher hides a rubber or other classroom object in plain view. Students then open their eyes and, without moving, try to find it. If they find it, they must use complete sentences to describe its position (depending on level).

Place some school objects in the middle of the table and ask the students to cover their eyes. One at a time each student will take an object, this is done in secret. When everyone has an object they take turns guessing who has what using "he/she has got a rubber".

Students guess which person in the class is being described from their likes and dislikes. This can be organised many ways. Students write sentences describing what they like, don’t like etc, to be taken in by the teacher, shuffled, and handed out to other students. The student who receives it then reads out the sentences to the rest of their group or the class, starting with the most difficult to guess from, until someone guesses who it is.

The teacher selects one student to grab an item from the table or desk that has various school items on it. While doing so, the other children will have their hands over their closed eyes. Once the student has the item hidden away, they shout: 'What have I got?' The other students must raise their hand to guess what the student has.

Give each student a coloured pencil or marker. Ask the students to memorise who has what colour. Then, have the students put their pencils on the table in a random order. Choose one student to say which colour belonged to which student by pointing and using possessive pronouns. Ex: The blue pencil was hers! The yellow pencil was mine. Etc. (Note: Give two students the same coloured pencil to practice 'theirs' and give the student who is guessing the same coloured pencil as another student to practice 'ours'.

A drama improvisation game that will have your students laughing! Write out (or use Mica flash cards) some common phrasal verbs that your students have been learning. Choose the ones that lend themselves to drama such as: break up, get out, give up, cut back, run into...etc

Give your students a scenario for them to create a scene and hand out 2 or 3 phrasal verb cards per student. Depending on their level and confidence, either have them look in advance at their cards or keep them a secret. Instruct them to act out a scene of their choice and at random times insert their phrasal verb into the dialogue.

Some example scenarios: at a restaurant, at the moon landing, at a zoo, in a supermarket, at school on exam day, at a swimming race etc.

Both 'be going to' and 'will' can be used to predict future events:

In many cases they can be used interchangeably:

• Experts believe that the recession will continue.

• Experts believe that the recession is going to continue.

However, in some cases they are used differently:

Use 'going to' when there is evidence about what is going to happen.

• Look at the time! We’re going to be late!

'Wish' and 'if only' can be used:

1. To wish for an ability now or in the future.

I wish (that) / If only + subject + could + infinitive

- I wish I could play the guitar!

- If only I could dance like that!

- I wish I could go to your wedding next week, but I can’t.

- If only I could see my grandmother more often, but I can’t.

To wish that something could be true at the moment.

I wish (that) / If only + subject + past simple

• I wish I had long hair!

• If only I were taller!

3. To wish that something was happening at the moment.

I wish (that) / If only + subject + were + past continuous

• I wish I was lying on the beach right now!

• If only I was lying on the beach right now!

4. To wish that something kept happening again and again, or to wish it could stop happening.

I wish (that) / If only + subject + would + past participle

- I wish you wouldn’t shout so loudly.

- If only he wouldn’t shout so loudly.

5. To wish that something in the past had happened in a different way.

I wish (that) / If only + past perfect

• I wish I had studied for my exam!

• If only I hadn’t argued with him!

The students work together to tell a story by each adding one word at a time. This activity is for more advanced students.

Discuss some "Would You Rather" questions. Get the students to choose an option and then get them to explain why. There is a help card that goes with this activity.

Take turns asking questions. The person answering must answer without ever using the words Yes or No.

A game to practice was/were:

Have all students except for 1 stand in a random order in a line. Let 1 student look at the line for 10 seconds then close their eyes while the others scramble the line by taking a new position. The student opens their eyes then has to put them back into the original order saying 'You were there, he was there etc'.

Variations:

In the first stage have them strike a pose for 1 seconds doing an obvious action (brushing teeth, playing volleyball etc). The chosen student tries to remember each person's pose 'You were tying your shoelace' etc.

In the first stage the students choose a place in the classroom to stand. Then the chosen student tries to remember each person's position 'You were under the desk' etc.

Brainstorm a list of regular and irregular verbs with the class. Then brainstorm a list of linking expressions. Using the prompt 'Yesterday was a very strange day...' Have each student choose one verb and write a sentence using it in the simple past. The sentences should remain relevant to the prompt. Collect the papers, and have the students decide what order to place them in to describe a series of strange events that happened in someone's day. Work together to use the linking expressions to make the sentences fit together.