Professional Documents
Culture Documents
BOARDS Scott
6
Pictures
That
Tell
A
150
Exercises
Story
FAQ
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Printed in Canada
Canadian Resources for ESL
15 Ravina Crescent Toronto Ontario Canada M4J 3L9
tel 416-466-7875 toll free 866-833-9485 fax 416-466-4383
www.eslresources.com email thane@eslresources.com
ISBN 978-1-894799-43-0
Storyboards are great because they are just the starting point. Use the storyboard with the class and
elicit the story. Then brainstorm and make a list of vocabulary; start with nouns and verbs, then add
adjectives. Storyboards are also great for multi-level classes: the lowest level can write nouns and
verbs for each frame, the intermediate level can write sentences, and advance level can write a
detailed story. Below we have included 20 ways to use the storyboards for various levels.
1. Cut out the pictures and have your students put them in order. Then they explain why they have
chosen that order.
2. Add more empty frames; the students draw the pictures in them to make the story more complete.
4. Students make their own version of the sequence based on the theme and present it to the class.
5. Students physically demonstrate the activity in the picture and explain what they are doing.
6. The teacher writes the story in the present tense and students rewrite it in the past or future tense.
7. Use the first three pictures as a story starter and have students finish their own story.
8. As a class, make up simple sentences based on each picture. Then, the students improve the
sentences and story by adding adjectives, better verbs, details etc.
10. Make a list of noun vocabulary for each story. Say a word and have students point to it in the
picture.
1. Write a process paragraph (how to...) to describe one of the activities. Write an opening sentence
that introduces the topic. Add four or five supporting sentences that start with transition words. Write
a closing sentence that sums up the process.
2. Give an oral presentation about one of the activities. Write the necessary details in proper
sequence - give a copy to your instructor. Choose one person to introduce you and another to thank
you. The class can ask questions about the procedure.
4. Choose one of the picture-frame stories and write about each frame using the simple past verb
tense and some adverbs and adjectives. e.g., He woke up reluctantly at seven a.m. He stretched
and yawned lazily. Next he treated himself to a leisurely shower with warm water and scented soap.
Then he got dressed in a freshly laundered shirt. After he had buttoned up the shirt, he combed his
thick, black hair carefully. He did not shave because he is letting his beard grow longer. When he
had finished cleaning and flossing his teeth thoroughly, he was ready to enjoy his breakfast. His
eggs and toast tasted good, but his coffee tasted great!
5. Choose one of the picture-frame stories and write about each frame using the simple present
passive construction. e.g., Two slices of fresh bread are taken out of the bag and placed on a plate.
Next, mayonnaise is liberally spread on one slice. Then mustard is evenly spread on the other slice.
After that, four or five slices of cold meat are placed on the bread. A cheese slice is added to top it
off. The delicious sandwich is quickly devoured. It isn't even cut in half!
6. Practise using indirect question formation. Choose one of the stories and write an indirect
question about the activity. e.g., I wonder why the father and child are carrying a long, heavy board.
I'd like to know why the father is sawing it into pieces. I really need to find out why he is drilling a
large hole in the board. I 'm trying to figure out how they created a birdhouse so quickly. Can you tell
me what colour the child is painting the birdhouse? I am interested in knowing what kind of birds will
live in the birdhouse. I will ask whether he fell off the ladder because it doesn't look very steady to
me!
7. Each six-frame story shows a different activity. Choose one frame and tell why you would never
do that activity. e.g., I would never go on a picnic because: a) I don't like sitting on the hard ground
on a blanket. b) I prefer to eat inside at a table. c) I don't like insects and they always want to share
the food at picnics. d) I don't like packing lunches. e) I think picnics are boring. f) It might rain.
8. Choose one of the stories and pretend that you were doing the activity. Everything went wrong.
e.g., I decided to return my books to the library. I forgot to take them with me. I was hurrying home
when I fell and scraped my knee. I arrived home and discovered that I was locked out. I climbed
through a window, but ended up breaking the glass and cutting my finger. I bandaged my wounds,
gathered up my books and ran back to the library. Unfortunately, it was closed for the day. I said
words that I didn't learn in ESL class!
9. Choose a few of the stories and write descriptions of the people or things. Use as many adjectives
as you can. e.g., a smiling, friendly librarian; a bearded, curly-haired man; a large, interesting variety
of books; a user-friendly, functioning computer; a clearly-printed, personalized library card; a
fascinating, successful book search.
10. As you look at the activities in the picture stories, you can see several verb-preposition
combinations with the preposition “up.” Make sentences using the phrases. See if some are separa-
ble. Decide whether the “up” is always needed. e.g., He folded the clothes up - or - He folded up the
Dedication
Dedicated to my students and fellow staff at Darwin School in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Thanks to Fran Marshall for her 10 suggestions for common activities for intermediate to advanced
students.
157 ORDERING IN A RESTAURANT Role Playing The Verb Be and Write Six
Pronouns Sentences and
40 Titles
OBJECTIVE
students explain, using the word because, why they choose the things
they do each morning
TIME NEEDED
20 minutes
GROUPING
any size
LEVEL
beginner to intermediate
MATERIALS
sentence starter topics (see directions)
STRUCTURES
I because
I don’t because
VOCABULARY
shower dressed comb brush teeth
breakfast toast juice wake up washing
hair shirt t-shirt jeans pants
dress skirt socks shoes
PRE-TEACHING
review vocabulary words
as a class form sentences about the choices they make each day
students describe the clothes they wore to school today
DIRECTIONS
students tell about the choices they make each morning and explain why they make these
choices
use some of the following situations:
getting up early / late eating breakfast / not
showering / not washing hair / not
having coffee / not listening to the radio / not
reading the paper / not watching TV / not
getting up when the alarm rings / not taking vitamins / not
making a bag lunch / not doing homework / not
exercising / not talking on the phone / not
VARIATIONS
tell or draw what else you do each morning as a part of your morning routine and when you do
these activities
explain the order in which you normally get ready in the morning and why
5. Are you woman? 16. Will you brush your hair today?
10. Did you shave this morning? 21. Did Sam read a book?
OBJECTIVE
students use the past tense to explain what they made or ate for breakfast
TIME NEEDED
20 minutes
GROUPING
whole class
LEVEL
intermediate
MATERIALS
storyboard
STRUCTURES
I cooked I made I ate
I baked I fried I microwaved
I toasted I poured I opened
VOCABULARY
scrambled over easy eggs soft-boiled toast
cereal milk juice margarine jam
bowl frying pan fried bacon plate
toaster ate made cooked opened
PRE-TEACHING
review the vocabulary and make sentences in the past tense about the pictures
DIRECTIONS
ask the students what they ate for breakfast and how the food was prepared
VARIATIONS
1. talk about all the cereals, granola bars, cereal bars and jams that people have for breakfast
2. students compare the traditional breakfast foods of their culture with North American
favourites
discuss the nutritional value and flavours of each
apple Sam
cake
eggs
cereal
rice
cola
noodles
soup
candy
orange
toast
bacon
milk
steak
cookies
fish
B)
B)
B)
B)
B)
B)
B)
B)
B)
OBJECTIVE
students match sentences with pictures to form a sequence of
statements about how to make a sandwich
TIME NEEDED
10 minutes
GROUPING
any size
LEVEL
beginner
MATERIALS
storyboard and sentence strips cut out
STRUCTURES
basic present tense sentences
VOCABULARY
meat cheese plate squeeze bread mustard mayo
butter knife spread add put in bag eat
PRE-TEACHING
review the vocabulary for this activity and practise forming sentences about sandwich-making
DIRECTIONS
students work in pairs to match the sentences with the pictures, then practise reading them
Sentence Strips
Get two pieces of bread. Spread on some mayo on the bread.
Squeeze mustard on the bread. Put some meat on the piece of bread.
Add some cheese. Eat the sandwich.
VARIATIONS
1. add more vocabulary, then the students explain how to make their favourite sandwiches
2. students make their own sequence activities by writing a recipe or demonstrate how to make
their favourite sandwich
3. students explain how to make a sandwich or other food item using the past or future tenses
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