Interactive lessons have become standard practice in classrooms across the nation. The shift from lecturing to student-driven learning is now commonplace. In the ESL classroom such learning strategies are even more important. According to a study by E. Carol Beckett and Perry Kay Haley, as reviewed by Karen Pellino on the Acton-Agua Dulee Unified School District website, "Cooperative learning encourages the use of language in a social manner. Positive social interaction can help students perceive the classroom as a comfortable and friendly place, where they will feel safe using their new language skills and where they may find intrinsic motivation for communicating in English." Providing your ESL students with the means to share information, test their knowledge and advance their learning by directly engaging other learners is vital to an effective classroom.

Missing Words Reading Activity

Select a short reading passage that uses vocabulary words you are trying to teach. Use a word processor to copy the passage, but remove as many words from the passage as you have students in your class. Leave an underlined area for the missing words in the passage. Make a copy for each student. Make sure you do not delete words that make it too difficult to understand the passage. Place the deleted words onto separate index cards; one word per card. Keep a full copy of the passage without deletions for your use.

Provide one passage copy and one index card to each student. Have the students take turns reading aloud each sentence in the passage. When a student comes to a deleted word ask all of the students to look at their index cards and determine if they have the correct word. When the correct word is found they should all write the correct word in the underlined space. If more than one student feels he has the correct word, the class should discuss it as a group and decide which word they feel is correct.

Naming Body Parts

Create a series of flash cards with body parts written on them, such as head, ear, elbow and ankle. The number of body parts used should depend upon the age and experience of the students. Place your ESL students into small groups, providing each with a roll of tape and a set of body part flash cards. Have the students choose one person in their group to be the "mannequin." As a group, they should read the words on their cards and place them on the appropriate body parts of their "mannequin." Each group takes turns demonstrating their "mannequin" to the class and reciting the body parts. At the end of the activity the class should discuss any words they found confusing or difficult.

Vocabulary Charades

Write words on strips of paper that reasonably can be acted out, such as scared, driving, swim, play, weep, poor and teach. Place the strips in an envelope. Have a student draw a strip from the envelope and then act out the word to the class without speaking. Explain that she cannot make any noise but must use body language and expression to help her fellow students guess the word. Use a timer and limit each attempt to less than two minutes. If the class cannot guess the word the strip goes back into the envelope. Each student should take a turn until all the words have been guessed.

Balloon Game

Break your ESL class into groups of five or six students. Give each group a balloon. Everyone in the group holds hands while trying to keep the balloon in the air. Each time the balloon touches a student he must shout out a word in English. Use a timer. Set it for two or three minutes so that when the timer goes off the students can switch to create new groups. To make it more interesting you can establish a theme for the groups, such as food or animals; when the balloon touches a student he must shout out the name of a specific food or animal.

Mingle, Mingle

Remove tables and chairs and create a large space in the classroom. Have the students gather in the space and chant in unison "mingle, mingle, mingle" as they move about the room. Then shout "Stop" and have them shake hands and say "Hello" to the closest person. Restart the activity by shouting out a verb such as "Hop," and have all the students hop about the room and say "hop, hop, hop" as they go. Repeat, using a variety of verbs, such as dance, swim, crawl and jump. In between each verb activity, shout "Stop" and have them say "Hello" and shake hands with another student. At the end of the game, have them return to moving normally around the room chanting, "mingle, mingle, mingle." This activity is especially good for young ESL students and as an ice-breaker for older students.