Read what a teacher says about this activity:

‘Stand up, sit down! is a fun activity that you can use to check how much learners know or understand. It’s a good activity to use at the start of the lesson to energise your learners and review what you did in the previous lesson. You can use it with any subject, not only English.’ 

Stage 1: Prepare 

Prepare 5–8 statements on a recent topic (English or other subjects, e.g. maths, science, geography). These statements should be a mixture of true and false. 

Example sentences: 

  • A pie chart is square (= false; it’s round) [maths]. 
  • A freezer is colder than a fridge (= true) [English, vocabulary]. 
  • A landlocked country has a coastline (= false) [geography]. 
  • We have two lungs (= true) [biology]. 
  • The past tense of ‘shine’ is ‘shined’ (= false; it’s ‘shone’) [English, grammar].  

Stage 2: Introduce 

Say: ‘We’re going to play a true/false game. I will say a sentence. If you think it’s true, you should stand up. If you think it’s false, you should sit down.’ 

Variations: 

1. Jump! If there is space, or if you can go outside: Ask learners to stand in a long line facing you, and jump to the right (true) or the left (false).  

2. Right hand, left hand! If space is limited in your classroom: Ask learners to raise their right hand (true) or left hand (false).  

Stage 3: Check instructions 

Ask: ‘What do you do if it’s true?’ (= stand up). ‘What do you do if it’s false?’ (= sit down). 

Stage 4: Model 

Say: ‘OK, let’s practise. Everybody stand up.’ 

Say: ‘Today is [choose a false day].’ All the learners sit down.  

Say: ‘Today is [say the correct day].’ All the learners stand up.  

Stage 5: Do activity 

Read your sentences. Check all the learners stand up and sit down correctly.  

If a sentence is false, ask learners to make them true or explain why they are false. 

Stage 6: Extend and share 

Say: ‘Work with a partner. Can you remember the sentences? Write only true sentences in your books. You have three minutes.’ 

Say: ‘Check your sentences with another pair. You have two minutes.’ 

Check all groups have the correct sentences. Support where necessary.  

Ask learners if they enjoyed Stand up, sit down! 

Learners can also write true/false sentences to test their classmates: at the end of a topic, a unit or before a test, ask learners to work in pairs or groups to review their books and write sentences.

Glossary

Energise: To make someone feel active or lively.  

Unit: A smaller part of something big (e.g. a section of a book).