Tag Archives: grammar

Reporting Verbs in Action and some Engaging Writing Practice

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Looking for some ideas to bring some excitement into your classroom while teaching grammar and writing skills? Well, you’ve come to the right place! This blog is the second instalment in a three-part series where I design a complete lesson for C1 students, covering vocabulary, pronunciation, speaking, grammar, and writing, all centered around the theme of news and the media.

  • Part 1: from headlines to conversations: Building Media Vocabulary
  • Part 2: this is the one you are reading right now
  • Part 3: Writing a News Article: From Theory to Engaging Practice

This post is all about reporting verbs. But why focus on this bit of grammar when discussing the news and media? Typically, when you interview someone and then need to write a news article, you’ll likely want to sum up what they said. That’s where reporting verbs come in handy! So, here we go!

(Would you rather listen to the podcast where the content of this article is discussed? )

Warm.-up: Introducing Reporting Verbs
STEP 1. The Grammar.

First, write two sentences on the board and show them how a B2 student would rewrite them and how a C1 student would do it using a reporting verb.

He said:” I didn’t do it”

  • He said he hadn’t done it (B2)
  • He denied doing it (C1)

He said: “I won’t do your homework”

  • He said he wouldn’t do my homework (B2)
  • He refused to do my homework (C1)
STEP 2:  Half a Crossword

There are many reporting verbs, but I don’t want to overwhelm my students and tell them to study the grammar for the hundred verbs the book offers, so I am going to select a few and stick to them throughout the whole lesson. These are the ones they will have to study.

To introduce the reporting verbs I wanted them to study, I have used this tool that creates half crosswords. It gives you two versions of the crossword puzzle: Student A and Student B. Each version has only half the answers filled in. Students take turns describing their reporting verbs without directly giving the answer. Once the puzzles are filled, students compare answers to ensure everything matches.

NOTE: when you print the crossword, for some reason the numbers disappear. It was not a problem in my class, they just pointed to the blank they wanted to fill.

Manipulative. Reporting Verbs Matching Activity. PDF
Step 1. Matching

Ah, the never-failing traditional methods! Here’s a classic yet super effective activity to get students comfortable with reported speech. Give each pair of students a set of pre-prepared sentences and reporting verbs—yes, this means some cutting and prepping, but hey, these sets can be reused countless times! Their task? To identify and match each sentence with the correct reporting verb. Then, check the matches one by one as a class

Step 2:  Reporting the sentences

For each pair, ask the students to report the sentence aloud using the correct reporting verb. Write the correct reported sentence on the board and focus on the grammar.

Writing Challenge
STEP 1. Writing

Time to recycle spare photocopies!  Cut them into strips of paper large enough to write a long sentence on.

  • Ask students to pair up and give each pair 3 or 4 strips of paper.
  • Display the interactive activity below and ask someone in the class to choose a box
  • In their pairs, they will have about 2 minutes to come up with their best sentence using the reporting verb on display and, in the case of my students, trying to use vocabulary related to the news and the media: this is the lesson we are studying.
  • In the meantime, I will write the reporting verb on display on a post-it note and post it on a visible part of our classroom wall.
  • Once they have finished writing their “advanced” sentence, we will put them up on the wall, surrounding the verb. You can use Sellotape or Blue-tack for this.
  • Open a new box to reveal a new reporting verb and do it all over again. I have done this  5 or  6 times.
    What is your role as a teacher?  Yes, you need to be working, too. Once they have placed their sentences on the walls, you will need to correct their mistakes.
Step 2 Voting
Once the sentences have been written and mistakes have been corrected, instruct students to stand up in pairs and read all the sentences surrounding the nouns. They will now need to vote for the sentence they think is the best in terms of showing a more advanced level, regardless of the mistakes they might have made. To mark the sentence they like best, they will just have to put a tick on the strip of paper containing the sentence.
This has two aims:
1. To help students identify their own and their peers’ mistakes, which is a valuable learning experience.
2. By voting on the best sentence, students come to understand their own ability to distinguish between writing that meets the C1 level and writing that falls short.

 

And finally, the photocopy

PDF

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ChatGPT Dicey Discussions: A Grammar and Conversation Challenge

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Welcome back, everyone! I’ve missed connecting with you and sharing ideas. Another year of sharing my classroom experiences with you all—20 years publishing and still going strong! I’m just as pumped about it, even though I barely have time to write. Al least, not as much as I’d like. Over the summer, I’ve been busy testing new ways to make the most of AI in our classrooms. I can’t wait to dive in and explore these exciting possibilities together!

Remember when we used to spend hours crafting conversation games? Well, those days are over! This prompt will save you tons of time while sparking lively discussions in your classroom. Plus, it’s a breeze—just roll a die! The best part? It also sneaks in some essential grammar practice during conversations.

OPTION 1. THE TRADITIONAL TOUCH I AM SO FOND OF.

Now, this is the prompt I’ve written on ChatGPT. I have used ChatGPT, but you can use any of his friends-Gemini, Bard, Claude, Llama…etc.

Create a conversation game using a die, where each number corresponds to [six] questions. The questions should cover [advanced] grammar points such as [conditionals, relative clauses, modal verbs, passive voice, reported speech], and other [complex] structures. Some other questions should explore a variety of semantic fields such as [emotions, travel, relationships, work, and technology]. Group the questions under each dice number according to the grammar points or to the semantic fields.

Now, let me walk you through how to use this in your classroom:

  1. Go to ChatGPT and paste in the prompt. (Easy peasy, right?)
  2. Watch in awe as it generates a full set of questions grouped by die numbers.
  3. Copy the results and print them out. (Or go paperless and display them on your smart board)
  4. Grab a die and roll it twice for each conversation. The first roll picks the category, and the second roll selects the question students will answer.
  5. Put your students in pairs and let conversations flow.
  6. Add movement: after about 5 minutes, have students stand up and switch partners, roll the dice again to get a new question and keep the discussions lively and engaging. It’s a simple and effective way to spark interaction while reinforcing key grammar points!
  7. Wanna add to the fun? Then, use a giant foam dice and let students roll it!!! Have a look at mine!

Note: These questions have been created by ChatGPT with the input of the prompt above. You can modify the prompt to fit your students’ needs.


Click here to go full screen. Roll the die and answer the question by cristina.cabal

OPTION 2. INTERACTIVE AND TECH-POWERED

If you can think it, you can probably make it happen! Tech has never been more accessible. Everything’s at your fingertips—you just need to know where to look.

So guess what? I’ve taken the game above and given it a fresh, interactive twist! We’re talking paperless, more engaging, and way more fun. Imagine the same game, but now it’s fully interactive and tech-powered.

This is the prompt I have used  to feed the amazing website Websim. https://websim.ai/c/nXmnW5OcZ7UNFCbWN

Create an interactive page with this prompt. Create a conversation game using a die, where each number corresponds to [six] questions. The questions should cover [advanced] grammar points such as [conditionals, relative clauses, modal verbs, passive voice, reported speech], and other [complex] structures. Some other questions should explore a variety of semantic fields such as [emotions, travel, relationships, work, and technology].  The questions should be grouped by grammar category or semantic field. State which grammar point or semantic field each number corresponds to and include a text “www.cristinacabal.com” which will link to this website. The background should be light red.

And this is what I got. Well, what do you think?

Now, I know what you’re thinking. Isn’t AI taking over our jobs?” Fear not! This is where our expertise comes in. We can use the AI-generated questions as a starting point, then tweak and personalize them to fit our students’ needs and interests. This is really the perfect blend of efficiency and personalization!

We are not replacing our teaching skills; we’re enhancing them. We’re eliminating the tedious prep work so we can focus on what really matters – connecting with our students and creating those “aha!” moments we live for.

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Back to Basics: Conditional Sentences with Two Decks of Cards

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Imagine being asked this question: If you were abducted by aliens, would you tell anybody? or this one, If you could switch lives with someone for a week, living their experiences and routines, who would it be and why?   Imagine being prompted to use an alternative to IF in your answer like, for example, as long as or provided.

Fun, challenging and …. grammar-oriented

When preparing a lesson, I normally try to design activities that help students reinforce what we have been working with; more often than not, they have a communicative approach, as I firmly believe in giving students ample opportunity to put into practice what they’ve been studying.

And if there is one thing that clearly defines the way I teach is how I try to keep a balance between traditional teaching and the latest technology. These last weeks were all about AI; and today, we are going for traditional. The very traditional cards.

Materials:
  1. Questions. One deck of cards featuring engaging and entertaining conversation questions, each formulated as a conditional sentence. These questions include prompts like:
  •  If you were abducted by aliens, would you tell anybody? Why?
  • If you could have a conversation with your younger self, what advice would you give?
  • If you were granted two wishes, what would be your choices?
  • …etc

provided by ChatGPT, if I may say so.

2. Alternatives to IF: one set of cards containing alternatives to IF: provided (that), on condition that, supposing, as long as… etc.

Before the class, prepare a set with both types of cards for each group of 4 students.

Get the PDF here

Condtional Prompts by cristina.cabal

How to go about it
  • Put students into groups of 3–5 students and give them a set of cards with questions and a set of cards with alternatives to If.
  • Instruct students to place the cards face down on the table
  • Ask each student to draw a Question Card and an If-Alternative Card, and allow them some thinking time.
  • Emphasize the importance of elaborating on their answers rather than providing brief responses. In their answers, they will have to try to use the words in the If-Alternative card and speak for about 2 minutes, at the end of which they should pose their question to the members of their group.
  • Rotate turns, repeating the procedure for each student.
  • With my students, we have done two rounds of questions

Talking Avatars and Cleft Sentences? Yes, please!!!

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A talking avatar + cleft sentences? Yes and yes!!! It only got better when one of the  available options was a Santa Claus. Lucky chick!

The words “artificial intelligence” have become a constant hum in the background of our teaching world. But let’s get real – AI isn’t a magic wand. It might help you capture the interest of the students the first time you use them, but if they don’t learn anything from it, the interest will quickly fade.

Playing around with AI can be a blast, but the real payoff comes when learning and enjoyment are combined. Talking avatars are not new in the class and I have been using them on and off to spice up my lessons for a long time ( remember Voki or ChatterPix)  but now…, now they have reached a new level. Our options are limitless when it comes to what we can do with them and how they can benefit students.

Let me share with you how I am going to use talking avatars with my students today.

In my C1 class, and in the last two sessions, we have been working with Cleft Sentences. Remember Cleft Sentences? Yes, those we use to emphasize or correct information.  Well, so let’s ask a Santa Claus male and a Santa Claus female to help us with an exercise on Cleft sentences. Are you in? Follow me, then.

What I did and how I did it
  • Think about your previous lesson with the specific class you are going to give the exercise to; think about things you or your students did or said and then, feed the talking avatar with some wrong information. For example:

Information to feed the talking avatar. I have highlighted the inaccurate information so that my students can create cleft sentences.

On Tuesday, Cristina, our English teacher, decided to wrap up Unit 4.  We revised Conditional sentences and then talked a bit about unusual people in our Spanish homes. Cristina invited Aisha to leave the class because he was not feeling very well. The class finished with a listening exercise.

  • Now go to  D-ID and sign up to create your talking avatar.

Note: I have gone the extra mile and used Canva.com ( I am a Canva Addict) to put together a more beautiful exercise, but don’t follow me here if you don’t feel like it. Creating the avatar should be enough.

Revising C1.1B CLEFT SENTENCES by cristina.cabal

  • Done!!!! Use the computer to display the avatar and have the students generate the cleft sentences, correcting the information.
  • Note: Although students might be tempted to correct more than one piece of wrong information at a time, instruct them not to. You want 5 cleft sentences.

For example: It was on Monday that Cristina decided to wrap up the lesson ( not on Tuesday)

More fun? Yes!!!!
  •  I created a QR code with the URL generated in D-ID of the avatar. I use this one
  • I asked students to form groups of three or four and asked one student in the group to scan the code.
  • Groups listened to the talking avatar and generated 5 cleft sentences, correcting the information.
  • The winning group is the first to get them all right. The rest of the groups will have two more minutes to complete the exercise. Add a bell for more fun – and more noise.

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Threeish in a Row with a Twist for Learning

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Super fun activity loaded with learning, a nice tad of competitiveness, and team work for the last post of this school year? Yes, please!

Preparation

What do we need for this activity?

  • Different coloured whiteboard markers or post-it notes. How many colours? As many as teams in the class.
  • Task cards with content to revise. In my case, a combination of sentences to translate and rewriting exercises. Ideally, the cards will be digital so that you can easily show the exercise to the whole class. (I have used one of the digital flip cards templates on Genial.ly and made it reusable. See it in the last section of this post)
In Class
  • On the board, draw a 5×6 grid
  • Divide the class into teams of 3/4 students and assign each team a different coloured white board marker or, in my case, a different coloured post-it note. It will be used to claim their square on the grid.
The rules
  • In this game, all teams participate simultaneously in completing the task. However, establishing an order for the teams becomes important, especially when they need to claim a square to achieve a three-in-a-row formation. In each exercise, the order of teams claiming a square rotates. Team 1 goes first for one task, followed by Team 2 for the next task, and then Team 3 for the subsequent task. This ensures fairness and equal opportunities for all teams to claim a square.
  • Explain how three-in- a row is going to work in this game:

The goal of each team is to form a straight line of three of their assigned colours, either horizontally, vertically, or diagonally, i.e., a winning line can be formed horizontally, vertically, or diagonally by having three of the same colours in a row. As long as the assigned task is successfully completed, any team has the opportunity to claim a square on the grid.

Let’s start playing
  • Each team names a secretary who will be responsible for writing the answer to the exercise on the digital task card.
  • The teacher displays a task card and all the teams complete the exercise in written form. The secretary will write the answer on a piece of paper. The time allotted for each task card will vary depending on the difficulty of the exercise.
  • The teacher asks each team to provide their answer and verifies if it is correct or incorrect. This can be done in different ways, but the simplest one is for the teacher to quickly approach each team and check their answer.
  • The teams that have a correct answer stand up and claim a square on the grid that is displayed on the board. They can choose any square they want, as long as it has not already been taken by another team.
  • Repeat steps two to four until all the task cards have been used. The game does not end when a team gets three in a row. Instead, the game continues until there are no more task cards left.
  • Teams can block other teams from getting three in a row by marking a square that interrupts their line. The winner is the team that has the most three in a row at the end of the game.

Ready to play?

 

I hope you have liked the game!!!