Picture-speaking

Use pictures, pupils choose a partner, when the pictures appear they need to have a dialogue of 1 min as the characters in the picture.

Speaking in groups- important notes for teachers!

Assign roles:
- time-keeper- certain amount of time for each to speak
- language watch- checks that English is used
- leader- checks that everyone can speak
- ... (any other role: praising others...)

Spider-web speaking

Needed: A roll of string
Takes about 30-50 sec per person.
People-pupils standing in a circle, the teacher helps to spread-divide the string across the circle here and there, people holding the string a web appears.
Then the person holding the roll of string starts speaking (any topic can be used) as long as reaching another person.
Sometimes some "crawling" and "climbing" needs to be done to get the string going... :)

An ambitious city architect

A group activity with setting posing each other as sculptures, some speaking can be added according to the level of participants.

It would be good to start this game with the line-up:
Who's the strongest starts the line, who thinks he or she is not that strong to the end of the line.
Participants can either just decide how strong they are or compete with minor activities like arm-wrestling or pulling forefingers, but mostly just by looking at each other, miming and just deciding.
(It is necessary, because the first participants have to be able to stand in different positions for longer time and they shouldn't be complaining...)

Introduction:
Once upon a time there was a nice city, and in this city there as a nice park with a statue (the first player comes and stands like a statue / sculpture)
In this city there was a very ambitious city architect (the next player comes in) who didn't like this statue, and decided to change it. (the next player sets the "statue" into a new position)
And as this architect was very ambitious, he/she also wanted to have his/her own statue to be in this park (the "architect" poses next to the statue as a new statue)
A new architect was hired in this city, and he/she was also very ambitious. He/She didn't like those statues and decided to change them...

Activities repeated- new architect changes the poses, then stands near them as a new statue, a new architect comes and changes...

Speaking added: depends on the level of learners- gives a name to the set of statues, explains what is the set of statues about, or explains while setting the statues into new poses who they were and why are they standing here like this etc

Examples of statue sets performed at the IPC drama course in Exeter are as follows...

Stories behind the story

Everybody knows a story about Cinderella or Snow White or Little Red Riding Hood.

But when something happens, and people are asked to tell about it, the versions don't always fit.
And when asked from different participants of the story- it might become even more exciting to find out their views, reasons etc

So-

* pick a known story (or event)

* put down some characters in it, think of more who might be involved in it... 

* let every participant to think of and present their version of the story 

Could presented in be either spoken, written or performed way, just as you wish or need :) 

This method was presented by Lorena from Italy. Thanks a bunch!! 

Who am I?

Mingle speaking activity in a group.
A label with the name of a profession is attached to your back.
You will walk around and ask questions about your profession to guess who you are, 

i.e. Do I work outside? Do I work with other people? Do you have to be strong?
If necessary, some smaller comments can be added to Yes/No-answers, but not telling the word itself. 

Here I am- a drug dealer...
who would have guessed that could be my job ? haahaaa!