Tag Archives: fun

How to Generate a Speaking Board in Seconds.

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Oh, I am so excited to share this with you!Today, I’m going to show you how to create a personalized, professional-looking board game in literally one step using Gemini’s Nano Banana 2. Easy and Free.

Click to See Explanatory Video on Youtube (in Spanish)

Step 1: Let Gemini Build the Content

Go to  Gemini- which is Google’s primary AI assistant- and register for free. Then, ask Gemini to generate the questions you are going to use. For my B2 students working on “Sport” vocabulary, I need short, punchy questions that will actually fit inside a game square.

Prompt Example: “Generate 20 short conversation questions (max 10 words) about sport for B2 English  adult students.”
IMPORTANT: To make sure everything remains readable, we need to keep our questions short and sweet so they fit perfectly inside those game squares

Step 2: Creating the Board Game

We are going to use Gemini’s image generation tool (the famous Nano Banana) to build the entire board—questions and all—in one go.

  • In Gemini, go to Tools,
  • Select Create Image, and if you want the highest quality, don’t forget to
  • Select  Pro (you get 3 of these a day on the free plan!).

Prompt:

Create a printable board game with a winding path of [20] squares. (Board game race style) in English about Sports. Each of the squares will contain one of the questions generated above. Scrupulously respect the spelling of the questions without changing any letters. The questions cannot be repeated in the game. Include a ‘Start’ square at the beginning and a ‘Finish’ square at the end.  All squares are connected to each other in sequence. The squares are not numbered. Colorful design. Put each of these questions in a square and respect the spelling without changing any letters. Title it ‘SPORTS’ and under the title  ‘Created by www.cristinacabal.com‘. Everything must be in English.  [Hand-drawn sketch] style.”

Important: Sometimes, and especially if your questions are too long , there could be some minor spelling errors. Remember that we are using a machine here. If this is the case and you don’t  want to generate the speaking board again, there is something you can do to fix these errors. Go to Canva, upload the image, click on Edit and Grab text to modify it.

And now, the most important thing: HOW TO PLAY.

Put students in groups of three and handthem a standard small die and three individual counters. They roll the small die to navigate the board. When they land on a square, that student has to speak about the topic for exactly three minutes.

Enter “The Grammar Dictator”

Three minutes of fluency practice is fantastic, but I want to push their grammatical limits.  Wanna add to the fun? Use a giant foam dice  to dictate how they must answer the square they selected.

How? You simply assign a grammar rule to each number on the die and write it on the board

  • Roll a 3? They have to build their 3-minute argument  including the connector of contrast Despite

  • Roll a 4? They need to include  a perfect modal.

Vocabulary Revision: A Collaborative Retrieval Vocabulary Race on the Board

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This vocabulary activation game is quick, lively, and takes barely 2 minutes to set up. It’s one of those low-prep routines that instantly wakes up students’ brains before any speaking or writing task. You just need to think of around 10–12 key words you want to revise, and that’s it! Learning+ engagement: no AI this time!

Here is how it works:

1.  I divide the class into two groups and place them on opposite sides of the room, each one with their own board. This small detail is gold. Why? Because they can’t peek at the other team’s answers, so everyone has to really think and retrieve the vocabulary from memory.

Plan B:  if you don’t have two boards on opposite walls, you can simply divide the main board into two sections and assign one side to each team. In that case, I just ask students to turn slightly away from the other group while they write, so they stay focused on their own answers.

2.  I tell them we’re going to revise 10–12 key words related to our topic (in this case, ” City Life”), and someone in their group must write the numbers from 1 to 12 on their board. That’s Step 1 and should be done before the activity begins.

3. Then, each team stands in a line at a reasonable distance from their board.  The first student in line walks to the board, I say a word in Spanish, for example, Number 1.  “las afueras,” and the student writes the English translation. Once they finish, they go to the back of the line. Next word: Number 2  “semáforo.” The following student writes, next to number 2, the words “traffic lights.”

IMPORTANT: First, the student in turn  walks to the board and then you say the word to be translated. This is key and will prevent other members of the team whispering the right translation

4. What happens when a student goes to the board and suddenly doesn’t remember the word? Total panic, right? Well, not in this game. If a student doesn’t know their word, they have a strategic choice.

  • They can either write the word they are given  to translate
  • Fill in any missing previous translations
  • Carefully look at their team’s board and correct a spelling or translation mistake that someone else has already written.

But — and this is the key rule — they can only choose one option.

Meanwhile, the students waiting in line are far from passive. They can quietly discuss possible mistakes or check the vocabulary already on the board. However, they are not allowed to communicate with the student who is at the board, which keeps the retrieval process individual while still encouraging collaborative thinking within the group.

5. Once the game has finished, I tell groups they have the possibility to go to their board and correct two mistakes. More discussion. More learning.

6. At the end, I quickly go over both boards, correct the answers, and award one point for each correct word. It’s fast, energising, slightly competitive, and pedagogically powerful.

GOLDEN RULES: Recap

  1. Before the activity starts, one member of each group writes the numbers from 1 to 10–12 on the board. This should be ready in advance so everything runs smoothly.

  2. Don’t reveal the word to be translated until the student whose turn it is has stepped away from their group and is standing next to the board. This helps prevent teammates from whispering the answer.

  3. If a student doesn’t know their word, they need to make a strategic choice. They can choose one of these options:

    • Write the word they were given to translate.

    • Fill in any missing translations from earlier turns.

    • Check their team’s board carefully and correct a spelling or translation mistake already written.

I hope you give it a try and see how it works with your students.

Tic Tac Toe Writing Challenge, Cristina’s Style

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This project is a perfect example of what I love most: blending the latest AI tools with good old-fashioned participation and creativity. It’s simple, it’s fun, and it gives every student a voice.

In class, we rarely have enough time for long writing tasks. Between listening activities, speaking practice, and vocabulary reviews, written expression often gets pushed to “maybe next week.” But what if we could sneak writing practice into something short, fun, and completely engaging? That’s exactly what we did this week!

I am currently working on personality adjectives, so I decided to create a Tic-Tac-Toe game using the Canvas option in Gemini.

Canvas option in Gemini?  Yes, this is an option where you create an app using natural language — no programming degree required! I simply typed something like, “Make a tic-tac-toe game I can edit,” and voilà! In seconds, we had our very own interactive Tic-Tac-Toe app, ready to play and personalize. I have made it editable, so you can easily adapt it to your own classes.( Aside note: I give webinars teaching all about it 😆 )

In my case, each square on the grid contained an adjective like embarrassed, confident….. If these words mean nothing to you, click on the Edit button,change the words and click on Save.

 

Tic-Tac-Toe Writing Challenge – Classroom Instructions
  1. Divide the class into two teams: Noughts (O) and Crosses (X). Within each team, students work in pairs, since they’ll be writing together.
  2. The Noughts team starts. They, as a team, choose one square on the tic-tac-toe board.

3. All pairs (from both the Noughts and Crosses teams) must write one sentence using the word in that square.

    • The sentence must be at least 12 words long.
    • Give them about 1–1.5 minutes to write

4.Divide the classroom board (whiteboard) into two halves: O and X.

5. When time’s up, choose one student from each team at random to come to the board and write their sentence on their side of the board. Remember, though they might be Os or Xs, they have been writing their sentence in pairs.

6. Next, ask the rest of each team to read their sentence on the board carefully and look for errors.

    • If someone finds a mistake on their team’s  sentence, they stand up, underline it on the board, and wait for the teacher’s confirmation.
    • Once confirmed, he/she corrects the error.

7. The teacher checks both sentences, gives final corrections if needed, and decides which one is better.

    • The “winner” can be the most accurate, complex, or creative sentence.
    • The winning team claims that square on the Tic-Tac-Toe board

8. Then, it’s the Crosses’ turn to choose a square and repeat the process.

9. Continue until one team wins the tic-tac-toe game or the board is full.

My tip: If you’re looking for a way to turn writing into an active, competitive, and collaborative task, this game is a gem. It keeps every student involved and sneaks in grammar, vocabulary, and peer correction all at once.

No Screens, Just Smiles: Icebreaking with “If I Were…” with a Little Twist

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I’ve honestly lost count of how many Septembers this little blog has come back to life after the long, deserved 🙂  summer rest. But here we are again—new school year, and yes… another bunch of students I get to welcome into my classroom!

This time, though, there’s a twist. After years and years of teaching C1 students, I’m stepping into B2 territory. And let me tell you, it feels both exciting and a little bit like moving into a new neighborhood. Same language, different rhythm!

The first days are always a bit awkward, right? Everyone is nervous. Students don’t know me yet, I don’t know them, and there’s that extra pressure of speaking English and hoping people understand. And of course, on my side, there’s the little voice saying: “I really want them to like my classes.” I am sure you have all been there.

This year I’ve prepared a nice little activity to break the ice. You know me—I’m always the “techy” one, the teacher who loves mixing AI, gadgets, and good old tradition. But this time? Surprise! No technology at all. Just the students and me. A real, human moment. Honestly, it feels like a nice break after so much AI talk everywhere. Here we go.

Title: The Definition of Me

This activity invites students to think in a creative way about who they are. It makes them play with language, stretch their vocabulary, and build longer, more complex sentences to share a bit about themselves—just the kind of challenge a B2 learner needs.

Step 1: Warm up with the second conditional.

Before we jump into the activity, let’s do a quick review of the second conditional “If I were…, I would…”. So, I write on the board

If I were a country, I would be… 

  1. Spain
  2. Great Britain
  3. Norway

and ask them to guess which one is true for me. Once they’ve made their guesses, I tell them the real answer—and then, I explain why my choice is Spain. I share a few personal reasons and show them how to build a longer answer with the second conditional: they see the structure in action, but also get a little glimpse of me as a person, which is the point.

“If I were a country, I’d be Spain because….”

Do a second example, if necessary

If I were a kind of shoes, I would be…

  1. Boots
  2. High-heeled shoes
  3. Flip-flops

Can you guess which one is true for me?

Step 2.Their turn.

On the board write or display a few starters and ask students to choose two (see below). They will have to complete their sentences using the second conditional and giving three options; only one of them is  true for them. Allow them some time to write their sentences and think about how to explain their choices.

“Pedro , spot on. If I were a kind a shoes, I’d be flipflops because I value comfort above everything else, especially in the summer. I hate anything that makes me feel restricted or overheated, so I prefer something light, simple, and easy to wear.

Step 3: Sharing and having fun

Now comes the best part—they share their sentences in groups of 4.  Each student reads their sentence, and the others try to guess which option is the “true” one. Then the student explains their choice, using the second conditional to give reasons and add detail. Each student does two rounds, covering both of their sentences.

These are some examples of sentence starters

  • If I were a superhero, I would be…
  • If I were a dessert, I would be…
  • If I were a song, I would be…
  • If I were an animal, I would be…
  • If I were a movie character, I would be…
  • If I were a colour, I would be…
  • If I were a weather type, I would be…
  • If I were a piece of furniture, I would be…
  • If I were a type of shoes, I would be…
  • If I were a social media app, I would be….
  • If I were a vegetable, I would be…
  • If I were a cartoon character, I would be…
  • If I were a holiday, I would be…
  • If I were a school subject, I would be….
  • If I were a type of weather, I would be…
  • If I were a city, I would be…
  • If I were a book, I would be…
  • If I were a language, I would be…
  • If I were a season, I would be…
  • If I were a sport, I would be…
  • If I were a type of music, I would be…
  • If I were a time of day, I would be…
Follow-up: The Little Twist Game

Once the groups have finished, I like to add a little twist to bring the whole class together. Here’s how it works: each group writes the letters A, B, and C on three separate pieces of paper.

Now, one brave volunteer from a group stands up, reads their sentence, and gives the three options. The other groups listen carefully debate a little, and when I say the magic word… everyone has to raise their card—A, B, or C—to show their guess.

If a group guesses correctly, they score a point. Then, the volunteer reveals the answer and explains their choice (which always leads to some fun and unexpected stories!). We keep going round by round so every group has a turn, and then I usually throw in a second round.

I hope you have enjoyed this icebreaker! It is simple and  it is fun.  It is nice to be blogging again!

 

3 Fun Ways to Personalize, Engage, and Totally Wow Your Students Using Artificial Intelligence

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How cool would it be if your students walked into class and felt like the lesson was designed just for them? Like, not some generic worksheet, but content that feels real, relevant, and totally engaging. Well,guess what? With a little help from artificial intelligence, we can actually make that happen!

Let me walk you through three super fun, highly customizable activities I’ve designed using AI tools — and trust me, your students are gonna love them.

While this example focuses on the topic of crime, the real beauty of these activities is their flexibility. The prompts, tools, and AI-generated content can be easily adapted to suit any topic or level — from beginners learning food vocabulary to advanced students tackling social issues. It’s all about making the content work for your class

Creating  a Personalised Listening Comprehension Text and Questions

We’ve been diving into the topic of crime for the past two weeks, and students have already built up a solid bank of vocabulary: burglary, fraud, suspect, on probation, to be sentenced, life sentence, to sue… you name it. So I thought, why not take it up a notch?

I used ChatGPT to help me craft a fictional news story about a crime happening right in their own region. Yep, something that felt local, real, and instantly relatable. I made sure to weave in the vocabulary they’d been learning — so as they read, they were like, “Wait, I know that word!”

But I didn’t stop there. I also asked ChatGPT to generate comprehension questions — true, false, or not stated — based on the story.

These are the prompts I used.

Prompt 1. Create a piece of news about a crime in Asturias for C1 students of English. Use C1 vocabulary and structures. Include the words: assault, on probation… Length:about 250 words.

Prompt 2. Write 10 True, False, or Not Stated statements based on the text, ensuring you do not copy the exact wording but instead paraphrase or use synonyms. The statements should follow the same order as the information appears in the text and include a balanced variety of true, false, and not stated items. Be careful that the Not Stated sentences are clearly distinguishable from the false ones. For each statement, provide the correct answer (True, False, or Not Stated) and indicate the relevant section or line of the text as evidence where applicable.

PDF: Teacher’s and Student’s

From Teacher to News Presenter — with a Little AI Magic!

This is where things got extra fun — I took a photo of myself (because why not?) and turned it into an AI avatar that read the story out loud in a perfect native English accent. And listen, my English is good… but let’s not kid ourselves — it’s not BBC News-level good!

Did I feel awkward about putting my animated face on a fake newscast? Nope. Not even a little. I mean, I’m clearly past the point of being easily embarrassed — and honestly, it was a hit! I used a  news-style template, added some dramatic music and headlines, and just like that, we had a super realistic, super fun classroom news report.

The students? Mesmerized. It was like watching the 6 o’clock news — except starring their teacher, speaking English they actually understood!

I have used Canva for education to create the video and the avatar

From Teacher to App Creator: Making Vocab Revision Fun with AI

Okay, now let’s talk about Claude, one of my favorite language models (yes, I’m a bit of a fan). I used it to create an interactive app that helped us revise all that juicy vocabulary we’d been working on — and throw in some new words too. And let me tell you, that mix of revision and fresh vocabulary? It made the whole thing way more exciting!

So,  I designed the game for two teams to compete. The rules were simple: each team took turns choosing a square on the grid and picking the correct option. If they got it right, they scored a point automatically and the grid changed to green. If a team got it wrong, the other team could choose that square again and steal the point by answering correctly.

But here’s where the fun kicked in: some of the vocabulary was just revision, while other words were completely new. This added a whole new layer of competition!

This the prompt I have used. I have had to iterate 4 or 5 times until I got what I wanted.

Create an interactive board game using html. I want two Teams. Team A and Team B who take turns answering questions. Each team has its own score counter that updates when they answer correctly. There should be visual indicators showing which team’s turn it is.

The game should include 20 different questions about crime and punishment, vocabulary appropriate for C1 English students. Each of the 20 squares has a unique question. When you click on one square a question about crime and punishment for C1 students will be displayed. When a team answers a question correctly, the corresponding square permanently changes to green.

The background colour should be red and the website link “www.cristinacabal.com” is displayed at the bottom

Finally, can you give me the answers to the questions in the game?

Ready to try them and adapt the prompts to your own context?