Most language teachers find that there is a bit of dead time during class. This may occur at the beginning of class, as the students are arriving; at the end of class, as they are thinking about leaving; and right in the middle of class, when transitioning from one lesson to another. During this dead time, the best option is to spend five or ten minutes on a short, interesting activity, like watching videos.

Set up

Acquire music videos (can be taped from TV5 or Disney sing-alongs on video from Quebec).

Activity

Watch and discuss in class.

Activity

Type up the lyrics for each student, with words missing that they can fill in, and/or ask questions about the language used.

Useful for

• listening practice
• fill-in-the-blank worksheets

What kind of warm-up activities work best in your language classes? Let us know!

More warm-up activities