In the Class Adventure ESL activity, you and your class set out on a trip together, but things don’t go according to plan.
Setup
If you have a projector available, you may want to prepare a slideshow to illustrate the events of the adventure.
Activity
- Explain to the class that to thank them for their hard work, you’re taking them on a trip to Hawaii. You found a pilot who will take you on short notice at a great price. You’re leaving straight from school, so you don’t have time to pack- you can buy what you need when you get there!
- You all fall asleep on the plane, but in the middle of the night you wake up and there’s a problem with the plane. The pilot is shouting something and the lights have gone out. You hit your head and everything goes black…
- For the main part of the activity, guide the class through subsequent events. Using the target language, students discuss the questions in their groups before sharing their ideas with the class.
Include the following events to practise modals of possibility and/or modals of past possibility:
– You wake up on a deserted beach. Where are you? What happened? Where is the pilot? What happened to the plane?
– You split up into three groups and search for food, water and shelter. But one group doesn’t return at the agreed time. Where are they? What happened to them?
– You find a shelter, but no-one is there. Who built it? Where are they?
– You decide to stay in the shelter. You find a piece of wood with strange markings on it. What is it? What is it used for?
Include the following events to practise modals of regret:
– You walk along the beach in the sun with no signs of life. You’re tired, hot, and you don’t have any suitable clothes. Everyone starts to argue about how you got into this situation.
– The groups split up to search for food, water and shelter. When one group fails to return on time, you discuss what they could/should have done to avoid getting lost.
– You wake up after staying in the shelter and see some indigenous people who must be returning to the shelter. They look angry and they have many weapons. What could you have done to avoid getting caught there?
In the end, the locals are friendly and guide you to an airstrip nearby. A plane arrives and you return home.
Target Language
The Class Adventure ESL activity is designed for practising modal verbs of possibility, modal verbs of past possibility, and/or modal verbs of regret with intermediate level students. As indicated above, select the events of the adventure according to the topics you wish to include.
For another extended class activity based around travel, see Class Trip.
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