Story CirclesByRussellAge Range:5 to 11I've tried sitting students in a big circle and giving them each a personalized number (the students pick a number randomly from scraps of paper with a number on them). I started off by calling a random number and that student must come up with a word, and before he/she sat down, she must also shout out the next number. Once we have 3 words, then the 4th student being called out would have to come up with a story based on the 3 words. They were allowed 10 seconds to think of a word and 30 seconds to come out with a story, if otherwise, then they would have to carry out some "fun punishment" such as singing out loud, do some dance or run about shouting some slogans. The teacher can restrict the words to certain topics, or just let their creative juices run wild by not setting any topics.

Besides numbers, I've also tried passing 2 balls in different directions in the circle. The balls were passed around until the allocated time was up. The students who held on to the balls were then asked to give a word each. Once we had 6 words, the next 2 students who had the ball had to compete to see who can come up with a story 1st. The slower student was then asked to do a forfeit.

Describing PicturesByMark WarnerAge Range:5 to 11For this activity, one child (the "describer") is given a piece of paper with a picture on. These pictures are not of any particular object, but should be strange, involving lots of shapes, letters and numbers, and they should be hidden from all children apart from the describer. This child then has to describe the picture to the rest of the class, who have to draw that picture by following the instructions given. When the description is finished, the child who most accurately reproduced the picture takes a turn at describing.The activity encourages the describer to look carefully at every detail of the picture, forcing them to explain clearly what they can see, and taking into account the needs of the audience. It also encourages the rest of the class to listen carefully to the instructions being given, so that they can reproduce the picture on the paper as accurately as possible.Some examples of pictures which might be used for this activity are shown below. Pictures of this type will encourage the children to think about the different shapes, letters and numbers used, and explain where they are in relation to each other (above, below, to the right / left of etc.) and how big they are in relation to each other.

If there are enough coloured pens and pencils for everyone, the pictures could use different colours (as in two of the pictures above). This will add another aspect which the children will have to describe.

Speaking NonsenseByKelseyAge Range:7 to 11Public Speaking is a critical part of our children's education. So why not make it fun, and a little interesting, too!This game, called "Speaking Non-Sense," is a great way to get kids' bad speaking habits out of the way, and good ones in!Here is what you do:1) Choose a student.2) Give them a topic: It can be anything from Spam to the Holocaust. Things that you are learning about work great as topics.3) They must talk for 2 minutes straight about their topic. They cannot say "Um", etc. or use the word "and" more than twice. They must also keep eye contact with the audience at all times and use all public speaking skills.4) The winner or winners are those who can complete this task using all the rules.Fizz W has suggested this variation:This is a really good idea for more confident children, but how about the same game along the lines of the BBC radio programme 'Just a Minute'? The winner is still the one who talks for longest 'without hesitation, deviation' or saying 'umm' but if they are with several class mates at the front, then the less confident are not so on-the-spot. The rest of the class has to listen carefully for any mistakes. Perhaps there could be a scoring system for correct challenges?

Now Who's the Teacher?ByKelseyAge Range:7 to 11This is a great activity to use to figure out if the students really have been listening in class.Teach the class on Monday through Thursday as usual. Each Thursday the teacher will announce three students who will teach the class on Friday.They will need to plan something that reviews everything that they learned that week. It can be a skit, a game show, a mural, a song, or whatever they can come up with.It's not only a fun way to finish the week, but it keeps the students on their toes!

InterviewsByMark WarnerAge Range:7 to 11Interviews can take a variety of different formats, with children interviewing or being interviewed. Interviewers should prepare their questions beforehand, and may wish to record the interview in some way (written notes, audio recording or video recording), and the interview should take place in a suitable (preferably quiet) place. The whole class may take part, or the interviews could be conducted in small groups. Below are some ideas for the settings for interviews:Interviewing School Staff- Ask a few members of staff (e.g. headmasters, teachers, secretaries, cleaners) if they would be willing to be interviewed. The children can ask them what their job entails, and what they like / dislike about their job.Interviewing the Teacher- The children could interview their teacher about his or her job, and why they like being a teacher.Interviewing the Class- The teacher could interview children in his or her class. The children could also interview each other to find out about each other (e.g. hobbies, family, like / dislikes).Interviewing other Children- Children from other classes in the school could be interviewed. This would give your class an understanding of what younger and older children are interested in, and how they feel about school etc."Hot Seating"- The person being interviewed should take on a character's role (e.g. a famous person or a character from a story). A few suggestions are listed below:1. Alexander T. Wolf (from "The True Story of the Three Little Pigs" by Jon Scieszka) could be interviewed about what really happened to those three pigs!2. The Trunchbull (from "Matilda" by Roald Dahl") could be asked her opinions of children and school.3. Babe (from "The Sheep-Pig" by Dick King-Smith) could be interviewed about his achievements.4. Tony Blair could be asked about his job as Prime Minister, and about how he is intending to improve education in Britain.5. A survivor of the Titanic could be asked what it was really like to be on the sinking ship.Almost any character / person can be used for this activity, but it is best to choose one which the children know well. In order to answer questions, the interviewee will need to have a good background knowledge of the character / person, so they should choose someone that they are familiar with.