Horoscopes

Setup

Depending on your target language, you can ask students to discuss the personality traits for each zodiac sign, the horoscope predictions for each sign, or both (as described below). The following resources can be used for each option:

– Zodiac Sign Personality Traits
– Horoscopes

Divide the class into small groups of two, three or four students.

Conversation

1. Start by asking the students what they know about zodiac signs. Do they know their sign? What do they think about horoscopes? Have they ever read one?
2. Write/project the personality traits for each zodiac sign on the board.
3. In their groups, students discuss how well they think their sign description matches their personality. They then talk about if they know anyone with each zodiac sign, and whether those people’s personalities match with their sign descriptions.
4. Each group feeds back to the whole class on how well the traits matched them and the people they knew.
5. Next, dictate a horoscope for each sign represented in the class. Each student makes notes for their sign. Alternatively, if students have smartphones, they could look the information up themselves (using the link provided above).
6. The students take a moment individually to think of some predictions for themselves using their horoscope. They should try and link the horoscope to things happening in their lives as much as possible.
7. They then summarise their horoscope for a partner and explain their predictions about they what they think will happen to them in the coming days/weeks.
8. The partner listens, and suggests further predictions about what might happen.
9. Optionally, the students can then feed back to the whole class on their partner’s horoscope and predictions.

Target Language

The Horoscopes ESL conversation is a fun discussion topic for any intermediate or advanced class. However, it fits well with two language topics in particular.

The zodiac personality traits part is great for practising describing people vocabulary. Students are required to understand the traits given and should suggest use synonyms and antonyms of those words when comparing them with real people. If you’re looking for an extension to practise this language, consider discussing Chinese birth years as well.

Another common language focus is the future simple. In this case, place  the emphasis on the horoscopes and the predictions made from them.

Aside from these two main topics, the Horoscopes ESL conversation can also work well if you link the horoscopes to a discussion on the topic of love. The link provided above has an option for this.