Quick Guide
- Keywords: Procedure, imperatives, pictures
- Learner English Level: Intermediate
- Learner Maturity: High school, university
- Preparation Time: 5 minutes
- Activity Time: 1 hour
- Materials: Writing document (see Appendix A), picture templates (see Appendix B), blindfolds (optional), drawing and writing materials
This activity can be used to practice imperatives by following a procedure, and can be used to practice ordinal numbers, adverbs of sequence, prepositions, and shapes. Learners will first write a procedure on how to draw a rudimentary image and will then read their procedure to other students who must listen and draw the image as accurately as possible.
Preparation
Step 1: Make copies of the writing document (Appendix A) and the picture templates (Appendix B) and prepare drawing and writing materials if needed.
Step 2: Write an example procedure using one of the picture templates.
Procedure
Step 1: Pre-teach the necessary vocabulary such as shapes, prepositions, ordinal numbers and adverbs of sequence, and pre-teach the grammar about how to write imperative sentences.
Step 2: Depending on the size and level of the class, make small groups of learners. If their level is sufficient then they can work individually.
Step 3: Provide each learner with the writing document and one of the picture templates. Make sure that learners cannot see any of the other groups’ templates.
Step 4: Choose one of the templates and read an example procedure to give learners an idea of useful language that they can use. Learners should draw the picture in one of the boxes on their worksheet.
Step 5: Instruct each group to collectively (or individually if proficient enough) write a procedure for how to draw the picture on their template. They should use imperatives, prepositions, ordinal numbers, and adverbs of sequence (for example, First, draw a circle; Next, draw two squares on top of the circle). The procedures will have about seven or eight steps.
Step 6: When each group has finished, make new groups of learners. Organise the new groups so that each member has a different procedure.
Step 7: Learners take turns to read their procedure and the other learners must listen, follow the instructions, and attempt to draw the picture as accurately as possible. Learners should then guess what they think the image is.
Variation
A variation of the activity is to provide blindfolds for each learner when listening and drawing the picture which produced positive results according to a study by Harpia et al. (2020). This will enable learners to listen more carefully to instructions and improve their vocabulary retention and will also ensure that learners cannot see and copy the pictures drawn by other learners. The use of blindfolds also gives the activity an extra layer of enjoyment which often causes raucous reactions when learners remove their blindfolds and see the drawing that they have produced.
Conclusion
This activity provides an enjoyable way to practice multiple language skills through writing, reading, speaking, and listening. It is a quick and effective activity to prepare and will last for an entire class.
Reference
Harpia, Mujahidah, & Ahdar. (2020). The implementation of blindfold game to improve students’ vocabulary mastery. Inspiring: English Education Journal, 3(1), 37–48. https://doi.org/10.35905/inspiring.v3i1.1308
Appendices
The appendices are available below:
