As an extremely talkative person, I am also a teacher who provides a great deal of space for speaking activities. And don't worry - it doesn't mean that I talk all the time :) I just make sure that every learner has plenty of possibilities to develop speaking skills.
What is more, as I mentioned in one of the posts - any opportunity to practice speaking cannot be wasted! Thus, every subject introduced to the class can serve as a base for further speaking tasks.
One may ask: how is it possible? How long can you talk about food?? Basing on my own teaching experience, I can guarantee that it is possible to create various questions using only a few words. Working with the use of direct method has taught me that every word can be a basis for both easy and complicated questions for learners of all levels. For instance a simple word 'apple' can generate the following questions:
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| http://thaom.blogspot.com/2012/11/apple-znowu-pozywa.htm |
What is this? [pointing at the apple or at its picture]
What colour is the apple?
Is the apple red or green?
What colour can the apple have?
Do you like apples?
Does your mum/dad/etc. like apples?
What can you make from apples?
Is an apple a fruit or a vegetable?
Can you imagine not eating apples?
Do you remember what happened with the apple in the Bible?
How can you interpret the picture on the right?
What does an apple symbolize?
Do you have Adam's apple? Can you show it?
What does it mean to be the apple of sb's eye?
And so on and so on... :)
Although the title of present post are food-related speaking games and activities, the questions above were not meant to be part of them. The aim of this task was to show that it's not difficult to create the vocabulary-based questions. Even if it may seem to be time-consuming at the begining, later on you'll become skilled enough to make them up at once.
The following are the exercises that can be used during food-related lesson:
Task 1. Prepare a 5-minute speech including answers for all the questions below.
1. Do you like cooking? Why / why not?
2. Who did the cooking in your family when you were a child?
3. Do you think that it's important to know how to cook well?
4. Do you think that children should be taught cookery at school?
Task 2. Work in pairs. Describe a restaurant that you like to visit. After exchanging opinions, share them with the class. Instead of talking about yourself, talk about your friend's preferences.
You should mention:
- where this restaurant is
- what kind of food it serves
- how often you go there
- and why you like eating there so much.
EXTRA INFO: The activity is excellent to practise Present Simple tense for 3rd person singular and talking about likes/dislikes!
Task 3. In groups of three or four make a poster including all of the ideas below. Afterwards present it in front of the group.
How can we encourage people to eat more healthily?
Do you think people enjoy their food as much as they should?
Do you think cooking is a pleasure or a chore for people who have busy lives?
Task 4. After writing a recipe with our bloggers --> A recipe for good writing., describe all the stages to your friends. While you will be speaking, your friends have to make notes from what they hear and compare it with original recipe.
ADDITIONAL IDEAS: If your students created easy recipes (for example for sandwiches or salads) and it is possible technically, you can organise a cookery class. Some students will be supposed to present the recipe in English while others will be cooking, and the other way round. It would certaily provide a real English learning atmosphere and will give them the feeling that they really understand the language. And, by the way, you will eat something delicious :)
Task 5. Group discussion.
1. What is your favourite food?
2. When do you usually eat that food?
3. What was your favourite food when you were a child?
4. Did that change when you became a teenager? (optional question)
5. Is food important to you?
6. What food do you usually eat?
7. What kind of food do you particularly like?
8. How often do you eat that?
9. When was the last time you ate that?
10. If you had children, what food would you recommend?
11. Do you usually eat the same food every day?
12. Is there any food you don’t like?
2. When do you usually eat that food?
3. What was your favourite food when you were a child?
4. Did that change when you became a teenager? (optional question)
5. Is food important to you?
6. What food do you usually eat?
7. What kind of food do you particularly like?
8. How often do you eat that?
9. When was the last time you ate that?
10. If you had children, what food would you recommend?
11. Do you usually eat the same food every day?
12. Is there any food you don’t like?
Task 6. Analyse the picture below - it is THE HEALTHY EATING PYRAMID. In pairs talk about things that are most important/ the least important for healthy diet. According to the pyramid, is your diet perfect? What can you change?
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| http://dietmdhawaii.com/healthy-diet-plan/food-pyramid-health/ |
Task 7. Play a game 'FIND SOMEONE WHO...". Every student receives a worksheet and is supposed to walk around the classroom and ask his/her colleagues the appropriate questions to find people (and write their names) that do the particular things.
*The teacher should supervise the activity and control the usage of English. If it is necessary, the questions that have to be asked can be prepared before the activity with the help of the teacher.
If you want to find more food-related questions, visit the blog:
https://tefltastic.wordpress.com/worksheets/exams/ielts/ielts-sp/ielts-sp-one-two-three/ielts-speaking-food/ but, above all, I encourage you to create your own questions and teaching materials or ... use mine presented in this post :)
Have fun with speaking :)
Angelika
Great ideas, which can be easily modified according to student's needs...Thanks for inspirations! :)
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