In order to create structure in the lessons and make the students feel secure in the routine, WebEnglish.se has a few suggestions for intermediate classes:
Inspirational talks vary from a couple of minutes to a whole hour. They can be used on their own in order to get the class focused or as an introduction to discussions, themes and writing.
Amazing Pictures can be projected on the whiteboard as students come in to invite them to sit down and write down their ideas about and around the picture: What’s happening, why, how, where and when? What has just happened and what’s going to happen then? Various suggestions can be discussed in pairs, groups or in class. The ideas could also be acted or used as story starters for writing.
99 Chinese Fortune Cookies are short aphorisms to be read out by a student, written on the board and discussed at the beginning of the lesson. Price: $2.50 at TeachersPayTeachers
Whether you choose to use the same kind of a starter for every lesson, a different one for the different days of the week or randomly with a surprise factor, they will help to calm down the class and create a nice atmosphere for learning for the rest of the lesson.
For English (ELL) Teachers
