[poppynicholson]

hiya, i really need some help and ideas for teaching chinese high school students! i am finding it really hard to teach them as with their levels of english, which are about intermediate i think, i feel there is very little i can do with them that teenegers are interested in. I can't play the sort of primary aged games like hangman and things like that, which their level is about right for as they are just not interested. i know i can show them movies in english and that they will maybe like that but i can't do that every lesson for the rest of the year. i have tried to get them to write stories and act them out in groups but they are not interested and just don't behave. i really need some advice, i myself am only actually 17 so sometime i am teaching people who are only a few months younger(or older) than me. At the moment with these groups i have been giving them song lyrics, with missing words and i play the songs repeatadley and they have to fill in the words, but this excercise has finished now and i am struggling. i prepared a presentation on a british band for them to look at and take turns to read out loud to the class, but i just can't get them to read loud enough for evryone else to hear, even though they are perfectly capable intelligent children. i am meant to teach them to speak english, which is a problem as although they can all read and write well they can barley speak basic sentences so actually trying to explain thing to them can be a challenge. the girls are all so shy and the boys so bad! any any any advice, games and activities would be greatly appreciated, please help! thanks

[mesmark]

How did you get a visa at 17?

Anyway, don't think so hard. Those 'kiddy' games, hangman, go fish, and more are popular for a reason.. they are fun. And more correctly, they beat a worksheet or grammar lesson by a mile. A lot of it is in the delivery. If you sell it as interesting they'll think it is, especially if you are so close in age but hold a position of authority.

If you say it's cool and fun, they'll just assume it is.

What kinds of content do you think you might offer in your next few classes? (It's much easier to pick vocabulary or a target language and then plan activities around that, rather than plan activities without.)

Don't worry too much. It gets easier as you find your groove (and you will!)

[cavemannz]

I myself am also still a teenager, and am teaching in China also. i have taught high school students and kindergarten, and i find high school much easier!

just be confident about what you do, and do things that would be intersting to you in your classes, you can't go wrong.

[HUE]

You mention that they are fine with reading and writing, but are shy and quiet when it comes to speaking. So give them a lot of time to practice speaking. Drill sentences and give them time to practice in pairs. This builds confidence, and gets the pattern down. Then move to larger group activities. If I were to do an interview BINGO game, it might look something like this:

1. Present vocabulary through pictures. Read, repeat, and understand.
2. Use vocabulary in sentences. Again, read, repeat, and understand. Move on to a drill in which pairs are asking and answering with the sentences just practiced.
3. Switch partners, and repeat questions. This time take notes, and present to a third partner at the end.
4. Interview BINGO.

You'll also notice that after practicing so much, and because everyone is speaking at the same time, people will be less shy. There's also the competition factor, which gets students less concerned about speaking and more focused on winning!