Read what a teacher says about this activity:
‘Even my shy learners can express themselves in this simple activity. It gets learners out of their seats, gives them energy, increases confidence and encourages creativity. It can be used for different topics, e.g. talk about your weekend or discuss your favourite food.’
Stage 1: Prepare
Greet the learners in a lively way. Say: ‘Good morning, learners! What a wonderful day!’
Allow the learners to respond. Then greet them again in a sad voice.
Ask: ‘Which greeting did you prefer?’
Say: ‘We are going to practise greeting people in different ways.’
Stage 2: Explain
Say: ‘You are going to walk around the room. When I say “stop” you must freeze and listen to my instructions, e.g. “Say hello and shake hands”.’
Say hello to the person nearest you and do the action.
Say: ‘We will then repeat the game with a different instruction.’
Stage 3: Model
Model a greeting and action with one learner. For example, say: ‘Greet someone as though you really like him or her.’
Say hello and shake hands in a friendly way.
Stage 4: Play the game
Say: ‘Stand up and get ready. When I say “go”, start walking around. When I say “stop”, listen to the instructions and do the action.’
Some suggestions you can try:
- greet someone as though you are afraid of them
- greet someone angrily
- greet someone happily
- greet someone like you have a secret
- greet someone like you are a king or queen.
Stage 5: Share and discuss
Ask: ‘What did you enjoy most about this activity? What did you enjoy least? Why do you think we did this activity?’
Discuss how the way we speak can affect the way we feel.
Adapt this activity by using different topics, e.g. what you did at the weekend or different foods.
For example: ‘Tell your partner what you did at the weekend that was boring/exciting, etc.’ or ‘Show your partner how you feel when you eat sweets/spinach/meat, etc.’