Movers and Shakers

This activity is easy, takes very little preparation, requires no materials, and gets students up and moving. It’s great for kinesthetic learners and for an energy break to wake students up.

Preparation

Prepare some questions related to the topic (e.g., personal information) or grammar point (present perfect). E.g., Are you 16? Do you have a brother? Does your last name have the letter “a” in it? Have you been to X city? Have you ridden on a motorcycle? Have you made a cake?

Procedure

1. Tell the students that you are going to ask them some questions or read some statements. 2. If their answer to the question is “yes,” they should stand up.

If the answer to the question is “no,” they should sit down.

If using statements, students should stand for a true statement and sit down for a false one.

Variations

1. Read statements aloud. If the students agree with each statement, they stand up. If they disagree, they sit down. 2. Another variation is to say, “If you’re wearing jeans, move to another chair. If you have blonde hair, move to another chair…”

The students who meet your description need to stand up and trade places with the other people who meet the description and have stood up.

When to Use It

• To review vocabulary • To check listening comprehension • To energize a class • To add a kinesthetic component

Level

Skills

Practice

Materials

None

Preparation Time

5 minutes; enough time to prepare questions/ statements or look around the room to tailor statements to students in the room

Activity Time

5–10 minutes