Walking Cars*)
Level: Beginner
Time required: 5 minutes (or more)
Goals: To provide learners with common vocabulary describing the movement of vehicles; to practice listening skills; to energize and refresh learners
Materials: chalk and blackboard, or whiteboard and markers
Background: The controlled movements students practice can enhance classroom management. Repetition of commands, reinforced by physical movement, makes remembering the vocabulary easy and fun.
Preparation:
1. Write “Walking Cars” on the board. Ask learners what they think “Walking Cars” might mean.
2. Tell them that in this activity, they will be the Walking Cars. But they will be walking in place.
3. Demonstrate walking in place: lift your feet and swing your arms as if you are walking—but without moving forward.
4. Write the following Action Commands on the board and demonstrate the movements:
go straight – walk in place at a medium pace
slow down – walk in place in slow motion
speed up – walk in place very fast
stop – hold your exact position, even in the middle of a stride
5. Practice these four Action Commands with the class.
Procedures:
1. Have learners stand up—beside their desks, in the aisles, in the front or back of the classroom— wherever there is room.
2. Give commands to the class. For example, if you say “Go straight,” the class will walk in place at medium speed. If you say “Speed up,” the class will walk in place faster.
3. Students will follow whatever instructions you give. When you say “Stop,” all students should
freeze.
4. Gradually add more Action Commands—on the same day or the next time you play:
turn left – turn counterclockwise 90 degrees and continue walking in place
turn right – turn clockwise 90 degrees and continue walking in place
make a U-turn – turn around 180 degrees and continue walking in place
honk your horn – make a beep sound
Variations
1. Allow a student to give the commands. After students have played several times, they will be able to call out the commands themselves. Not only can this make the activity more fun for students, but it also gives them speaking practice and allows you to pay more attention to their pronunciation and comprehension.
2. Do the activity with students in smaller groups. Divide the class into groups of five or six. Allow students to take turns being the one to call out the Action Commands. This will add speaking practice and student autonomy to the task.
3. You can turn Walking Cars into a game. However, you will need open space because students will actually walk forward instead of walking in place. It’s possible to play in a classroom if you have enough room, but think of playing outside, too (e.g., on a playground or sports field). Students form a line to start, as in a race, so that they are roughly equidistant from you. You should stand a reasonable distance from them, facing them. Students move forward, or back, or to the right or left, according to the Action Commands you give. When you “catch” a student—for turning the wrong way or for moving after a “Stop” command, for example—that student must go back to the starting line. Other students continue to advance, and those who reach you (or a predetermined goal, such as a fence or a tree) are winners.
Extension
You can advance the language of the activity by adding Action Commands or mixing in synonyms. This activity can provide challenging listening practice if you continue to add commands, such as those listed below.
Additional Action Commands
park – sit down in your seats
pull out – get out of your seats
back up – walk backwards (can be used if you play Walking Cars as a game)
floor it – walk very fast (can be used if you play Walking Cars as a game)
Synonyms for Action Commands
turn left = take a left; hang a left
turn right = take a right; hang a right
go straight = drive; go straight ahead; continue; keep going
speed up = accelerate; step on it
slow down = reduce speed
stop = hit the brakes; red light
honk your horn = beep your horn; honk
*) Developed by Kevin McCaughey & adapted from English Teaching Forum number 2, 2013, pp.49-50.
Level: Beginner
Time required: 5 minutes (or more)
Goals: To provide learners with common vocabulary describing the movement of vehicles; to practice listening skills; to energize and refresh learners
Materials: chalk and blackboard, or whiteboard and markers
Background: The controlled movements students practice can enhance classroom management. Repetition of commands, reinforced by physical movement, makes remembering the vocabulary easy and fun.
Preparation:
1. Write “Walking Cars” on the board. Ask learners what they think “Walking Cars” might mean.
2. Tell them that in this activity, they will be the Walking Cars. But they will be walking in place.
3. Demonstrate walking in place: lift your feet and swing your arms as if you are walking—but without moving forward.
4. Write the following Action Commands on the board and demonstrate the movements:
go straight – walk in place at a medium pace
slow down – walk in place in slow motion
speed up – walk in place very fast
stop – hold your exact position, even in the middle of a stride
5. Practice these four Action Commands with the class.
Procedures:
1. Have learners stand up—beside their desks, in the aisles, in the front or back of the classroom— wherever there is room.
2. Give commands to the class. For example, if you say “Go straight,” the class will walk in place at medium speed. If you say “Speed up,” the class will walk in place faster.
3. Students will follow whatever instructions you give. When you say “Stop,” all students should
freeze.
4. Gradually add more Action Commands—on the same day or the next time you play:
turn left – turn counterclockwise 90 degrees and continue walking in place
turn right – turn clockwise 90 degrees and continue walking in place
make a U-turn – turn around 180 degrees and continue walking in place
honk your horn – make a beep sound
Variations
1. Allow a student to give the commands. After students have played several times, they will be able to call out the commands themselves. Not only can this make the activity more fun for students, but it also gives them speaking practice and allows you to pay more attention to their pronunciation and comprehension.
2. Do the activity with students in smaller groups. Divide the class into groups of five or six. Allow students to take turns being the one to call out the Action Commands. This will add speaking practice and student autonomy to the task.
3. You can turn Walking Cars into a game. However, you will need open space because students will actually walk forward instead of walking in place. It’s possible to play in a classroom if you have enough room, but think of playing outside, too (e.g., on a playground or sports field). Students form a line to start, as in a race, so that they are roughly equidistant from you. You should stand a reasonable distance from them, facing them. Students move forward, or back, or to the right or left, according to the Action Commands you give. When you “catch” a student—for turning the wrong way or for moving after a “Stop” command, for example—that student must go back to the starting line. Other students continue to advance, and those who reach you (or a predetermined goal, such as a fence or a tree) are winners.
Extension
You can advance the language of the activity by adding Action Commands or mixing in synonyms. This activity can provide challenging listening practice if you continue to add commands, such as those listed below.
Additional Action Commands
park – sit down in your seats
pull out – get out of your seats
back up – walk backwards (can be used if you play Walking Cars as a game)
floor it – walk very fast (can be used if you play Walking Cars as a game)
Synonyms for Action Commands
turn left = take a left; hang a left
turn right = take a right; hang a right
go straight = drive; go straight ahead; continue; keep going
speed up = accelerate; step on it
slow down = reduce speed
stop = hit the brakes; red light
honk your horn = beep your horn; honk
*) Developed by Kevin McCaughey & adapted from English Teaching Forum number 2, 2013, pp.49-50.
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