Brainstorming can be great fun and a great way to start your class.
I usually use it for review at the beginning of class in order to prime some language for the day’s language target.
Example:
Language target: Describing the location of objects in a room.
The main target language will focus on prepositions of location, but in order to practice, we will need to know some ancillary vocabulary that will allow us to practice.
Example procedure:
- On the board, draw a house.
- Ask students what rooms are in the house, then as a class, brainstorm some of the things you might find in each room.
- As a way of subtly introducing the lesson’s target language, you can also say some of the prepositions as you write/draw objects on the board.
- DON’T teach the language at this point, just use it naturally.
- You can even ask questions like ‘Is there a chair in the bedroom?’ ‘There is a cat in the lounge. Is it on the sofa, or under the table?’ Use gestures as you say this and it will help with introducing the key language later on, too.
- Once you have this vocabulary on the board, leave it there and come back to it when it’s time to drill the target language. This is when planning your blackboard beforehand can come in really helpful!
