Practice
Practice follows on from repetition only when you are confident that the
pupils have spent enough time on repetition. If they haven’t spent enough
time on repetition they will find practice activities too difficult and their
poor pronunciation will hinder their progress.
Practice is the stage where pupils get the opportunity to practise the
language they have learnt under the supervision of the teacher.
During this stage it is very important to make sure that pupils are still
supported with the vocabulary they have been asked to practise i.e. leave
flashcards stuck up or OHP still on etc.
Practice usually involves some sort of pair work or group activity which
the teacher should model to the class before it is attempted. While class
are practising the teacher monitors and can pick up on any problems with
pronunciation. With many practice activities you can start to build upon
“pupil language” and encourage them to use it for a real purpose. They
can be taught “that’s true/false” “that’s correct/ incorrect” “it’s my/your
turn” etc.
At the end of the practice activity the teacher can ask any pupils whom
he/she saw performing the activity well to demonstrate it to the class.
Below is a list of suggestions for practice activities. This list is by no
means exhaustive.
1. The class is divided into 2 equal groups. The groups form 2 circles
with one outside the other. The circles walk in opposite directions
and when they are told to stop they turn to face the person
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Joanne Crease - Dane Court (Practice activities for PL)
opposite them in the other circle and perform a mini role play. This
works well for simple questions such as “What is your name?” “How
old are you?” “How are you?” etc. The role play can also be
extended to have more than one exchange.
This activity works well if you have taught using mimes. Instead of
asking a question when they stop, the pupils take it in turn to mime
and guess vocabulary.
2. Divide class into pairs and ask one to be A and one to be B. B turns
to face away from A. A draws on B’s back with his/her finger a
number B has to say which number it is in French. If B gets it
right it is A’s turn to have to guess. This activity works well with
numbers and letters.
3. Divide class into pairs and ask one to be A and one to be B. A
mimes at B and B guesses the mime if it is correct they swap. This
activity can be extended and works well if there is a question and
answer e.g. Using the context of pets, while A mimes at B he/she
asks “Do you have a pet?” B should not just say the animal which A
has mimed but “I have a … .”
4. Secret choice. Divide class into pairs and ask one to be A and one
to be B. A secretly chooses one of the phrases or items of
vocabulary they have just learnt and B has to guess which it is. A
counts how many turns B takes to guess. When B guesses they
swap. Whoever guesses with the least turns wins. This activity
may be extended into a question and answer activity. For example
if the vocabulary taught had been hobbies. A would ask “What do
you like to do” B would reply “ I like to … “ until B got the right
answer.
5. In pairs pupils take it in turn to mouth the new vocabulary to their
partner, the other partner must repeat aloud what their partner
mouthed. If they get it right they swap roles.
6. In pairs or small groups pupils use finger puppets and invent a short
role play dialogue which they perform to the rest of the class.
They can be encouraged to draw upon previously learnt vocabulary
and include it in their role play.
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Joanne Crease - Dane Court (Practice activities for PL)
7. Os and Xs (Morpion). Give pairs a laminated Os and Xs grid with
the symbols representing the vocabulary you wish to practise.
Before pupils can claim the square with a O or X they must say
what it is in French.
8. Surveys. This can be a simple or as complicated as you wish. For
example, ask five people “How are you?” or “Do you have any
brothers or sisters?” and note your results on a grid.
9. Hot/Cold. Ask class for a volunteer. Volunteer selects an item of
vocabulary, from a list of vocabulary on cards, which the class has
just learnt. Volunteer is sent out of class. The item of vocabulary
is hidden in the classroom. The volunteer is asked to come back in,
the rest of the class start to say the word/phrase. As the
volunteer gets nearer to the word the class repeat it quicker until
the volunteer finds it.
10. Clapping syllables. This can be a whole class, group or pairwork
activity. From a list of vocabulary or phrases which the class has
just learnt syllables are clapped. The audience guesses which
word/phrase the syllables belong to. Once it has been guessed it is
someone else’s turn to clap out the syllables of a different word or
phrase.
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Joanne Crease - Dane Court (Practice activities for PL)