To check for understanding, after reading a story or a passage in an ESL class, students usually answer the questions that the textbook provides. This is not a bad thing, since the questions usually hit all areas of understanding. Students will become bored with this activity if you do it the same way every time you read. The following activity allows you to use the questions provided by the book, but in an interactive way, so that all students are involved.

First, read the passage as a class like you usually would. When it is time to answer the comprehension questions, tell the ESL students that they will be working with their row to get this done. Students are to close their books and you write the questions on the board. Before answering the questions, one person in the row is to get a blank piece of paper out and he is to number the paper according to how many questions there are. Give them a minute or so to invent a name and to get their paper ready. Once you give the signal, the first student in the row will answer the question to the best of his ability. Now, the paper is passed back and the next student answers number two. The paper gets passed down the row until all of the questions are answered.

Before starting this ESL activity, inform the class that the first row to hand in a paper with all of the questions answered correctly is victorious. Make sure students understand that every question must be answered correctly. No student is allowed out of his desk and the handwriting must be legible. If a student can not answer his assigned question he can turn around and ask the person behind him. If this student doesn’t know the answer he can ask the student behind him and so on. The student in front of the struggling student can also help, as long as nobody gets up. The different teams will be reluctant to scream out the answers because nobody wants to help the other groups.

Most students will really enjoy this ESL activity. All students will be actively engaged so they don’t let down their teammates. You can decide if there is a prize for the winning group. From experience I know that the class will get a little loud with this game. Once you finish assign some individual work so everyone can quiet down a bit and get focused.