Activities to practice descriptions of people in the EFL classroom

1. Describing people
Activities for the EFL classroom

2. The tree personality test.
Do you believe in personality tests? Have you ever done one? Do you think they are reliable?

3. The Use of Tree Drawings in the Modern Day
The use of "tree" drawings were created in the
therapist fields to analyze personality
traits. One of these tests by Dr. Jean
Piaget's was the house-tree-person test.

4. Ready, set, go!
Step 1. Get a piece of paper and a pencil. Draw a tree.

5. Step 2. Identify your tree. Your drawing does NOT have to be exactly the same. Just
find the tree which looks similar to yours.

6. Palm tree
The person who draws this tree:
- may experience either emotional dominance or immaturity.
- tend to blend emotional with mental responses.
- may suffer from "approach-avoidance" syndrome.
- seeks excitement and pictures her/himself as adventurer but when confronted with new
experiences or unusual people, often becomes defensive.
- can hardly be influenced by purely rational arguments, but are ready to accept id eas colored by
emotional or sexual aspects.
- often, doesn’t realize this aspect of her/him personality.
The palm tree person believes that he/she can receive spiritual messages, information, and
inspirations. They actively seek "contact" or create situations where psychic events are likely to
occur.
Fruit tree
If your tree has fruits then you expresses positive feelings about yourself.
For females, the fruit indicates a sense of achievement and you are confident in the success of your
creative activities. Also a specific arrangement of the fruit may represent your children.
Those who work closely with children, or have an interest in teaching will often draw many well
developed fruits in the tree.

7. Weeping Willow tree
You are trying to get away from the past, reminding you of uncomfortable and binding events. You
are a person who is difficult to be approached directly, but some indirect approach to your emotions
can influence you. Others must "get under" the over-hanging branches of your tree to find a way to
touch you.
People from this type of tree may also have fantasies about "divine illumination", precognitive
knowledge or some similar spiritual information. This means that even though you are intelligent,
you may be vulnerable to superstition. By having more mental than emotional approach to spiritual
and superstitious experiences you not always act objective rationally.
Winter tree
If you’ve drawn a bare winter tree then this indicates that you are probably an individual with an
outgoing personality, who moves toward others with confidence and interest.
You are also easily influenced.
Cedar tree
You are ambitious and quite confident of your powers, but when being diversified by your own
activities you are getting not-consistent. You are a person who could do several kinds of work
simultaneously. As you pursue a project for some time with great passion you can suddenly abandon
it in favor of something else. Although you are a great person of ideas and a good initiator, you can
get easily bored when a constant application is needed for the completion of one task.
In emotional aspect, you tend to be invariable, but you may still maintain several commitments at
the same time. While this may seems like a downfall to some people, as you can easily wear
different masks in changing situations and at the same time being capable of keeping secrets, you
can manage those complex personal involvements without serious complications.
You are remarkably buoyant and not easily disappointed person, helped by the fact that your goals
are less definite. Being quick to see new possibilities, approaches or alternative goals, you get
around the obstacles easily.

8. Pine tree
You aremore goal driven, rather than a stubborn person, and you don’t get easily distracted from
your main ambitions. You are person with strong feelings and responses, but you wont express your
feelings openly and stay vulnerable under the reveal of your emotion s. Sometimes you are afraid of
being hurt by others, thus tending to be suspicious. Although it is hard for you to be emotionally
involved if the emotional approach is right your ideas can be successfully influenced.
Under the well prepared layer of self-confidence you may still experience socially inadequate or
emotionally maladapted feeling. If the tree is broader near the top, the person may experience
fanaticism. A slightly open top indicates religious or occult interests and vague or uncertain ultimate
goals.
Cypress tree
You are ambitious and quite confident of your powers, but when being diversified by your own
activities you are getting not-consistent. You are a person who could do several kinds of work
simultaneously. As you pursue a project for some time with great passion you can suddenly abandon
it in favor of something else. Although you are a great person of ideas and a good initiator, you can
get easily bored when a constant application is needed for the completion of one task.
In emotional aspect, you tend to be invariable, but you may still maintain several commitments at
the same time. While this may seems like a downfall to some people, as you can easily wear
different masks in changing situations and at the same time being capable of keeping secrets, you
can manage those complex personal involvements without serious complications.
You are remarkably buoyant and not easily disappointed person, helped by the fact that your goals
are less definite. Being quick to see new possibilities, approaches or alternative goals, you get
around the obstacles easily.

9. PERSONALITY TEST:
YOUR SECRET PERSONALITY
Everyone has got two personalities —the one that they show to the world and their secret, real
personality. You don’t show your real personality when you are awake because you can control your
behaviour, but when you are asleep, your sleeping position shows the real you. In a normal night, of
course, people frequently change their position. The important position is the
one that you go to sleep in.
Look at the four sleeping positions:
a) Which position do you usually go to sleep in?
b) Find at least one person in the class that sleeps in one of these sleeping positions
On your backOn your back On yourOn your
stomachstomach
Curled upCurled up On your sideOn your side
You are veryYou are very
openopen
You areYou are
secretivesecretive
You are veryYou are very
nervousnervous
You are carefulYou are careful
You trust peopleYou trust people You worry a lotYou worry a lot You areYou are
defensivedefensive
You are outgoingYou are outgoing
You are laid-You are laid-
backback
You are aYou are a
dreamerdreamer
You lackYou lack
securitysecurity
You take thingsYou take things
as they comeas they come
You are veryYou are very
confidentconfident
You’re veryYou’re very
stubbornstubborn
You’re so shyYou’re so shy You say what youYou say what you
thinkthink
c) Each sleeping position is associated with particular personality
traits. Before reading which traits correspond to each position, talk
to your partner about your sleeping position and your personality.
Then, check your opinions with the following survey carried out by
US psychologists. Do you agree with them? Why/Why not?

10. More personality tests
These are great warm-up
activities

12. What do you carry with you?What do you carry with you?
●
This is a great activity for learners
of different ages. Show these photographs with the contents
of these people’s bags. How do those objects reflect their personalities?
Ask students to empty their backpacks/handbags/wallets…and the class
will have to make connections between such objects and their personality

13. You are what you eat
This is a similar activity to the previous one. The
teacher shows students different photographs of
fridges for them to guess who the owner is.
Students can do the same, taking photos of their
fridges with their cell phones or ipads and sharing
them in class.

15. Aquarius
(Jan 21 – Feb 18)
You are a hard-working person and responsible. You like spending time with family
and friends.
Pisces
(Feb 19 – Mar 20)
You have a strong personality and are individualistic. You are bossy and stubborn. You
do not like listening to people but you love being the center of attention
Aries
(Mar 21 – Apr 20)
You are selfish and self-centered. You care about yourself and do not like helping
people.
Taurus
(Apr 21 – May 21)
You are kind and generous. You are romantic and sensititve. You love hanging out
with friends.
The horoscope
 Read the
following text aloud
without telling your
partner the name of
the horoscope.
Then ask him or
her which one he or
she feels identified
with.
Aquarius
(Jan 21 – Feb 18)
You are a hard-working person and responsible. You like spending time with family
and friends.

16. Gemini
(May 22- June 21)
You are intelligent and very brave. You love traveling and meeting new people. You
enjoy adventures and you hate routines.
Cancer
(June 22- July 22)
You are shy and very sensitive. You like being at home and hate going out to
parties.
Leo
(July 22- Aug 23)
You are extremely romantic and passionate. You love spending time with your
friends and sports.
Virgo
(Aug 24- Sept 23)
You are nice, friendly and generous. You love helping people and you always try to
make your friends and family happy.
 You have 5
minutes to look
for 3 people
within the class
of each
horoscope.

17. Libra
(Sep 24 – Oct 23) You are very energetic and creative. You have a
balanced life and you love working and also spending time with your
friends.
Scorpio
(Oct 24 – Nov 22)
You are smart and hard-working. You are a positive person. You like
listening to music and reading.
Sagitarius
(Nov 23 – Dec 21)
You are shy, serious and sometimes bad-tempered. You like spending
time alone.
Capricorn
(Dec 21 – Jan 20)
You are extremely sensitive and need your friends and family. You are
stubborn, but friendly. You like doing handcrafts.
 Now
compare your
answer with
your partners.

18. Your name reflects yourYour name reflects your
personalitypersonality
Write down your name
Come up with an adjective beginning with each letter of your name to describe yourself

19. Adjective Games
Alphabetical Adjectives
Start at the beginning of the alphabet, and have
your class brainstorm as many adjectives as they
can that begin with each letter.
Musical Adjective Games
Have each student bring in a CD that features one of their favorite songs – tell them to write down the
author, song title, and track number so you can play it easily in class. Before playing the game, make sure
that the song is appropriate for the classroom without any words or themes that are not appropriate for
young kids.
Have the student describe the music aloud with lots of adjectives – loud, quiet, happy, sad, fast, slow…
even more creative adjectives, such as scary, smooth, and silly can be used – encourage your students to
listen creatively!
Variations:
•You can also search for a song you know on YouTube that has a lot of adjectives in the lyrics, and then
you can ask students to write down as many adjectives as they can hear, or have them raise their hand
each time they hear an adjective.
•Another option is to have them stand up and sit down each time they hear an adjective, like when
singing “My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean.”

21. WHO IS WHO GAME

22. I look like my dog Activity: Matching game.
Give each student one
card. The owner needs to
find his/her pet by using
descriptions

23. SONGS TO PRACTICE DESCRIPTIONS

24. Tall (1)………………and (2)……………….and lovely
The girl from Ipanema(3)……………. Walking
And when she passes, each(4)…………………she
passes goes-ah
When she(5)………., she’s like a samba
That swings so cool(6)……….. sways so gnetle
That when she passes, each(7) …………….she
Passes goes- ooh
(Ooh) But I (8)………her so sadly
How can I tell(9)…………I love her
Yes, I would(10)……….muy heart gladly
But each day, when she walks to the (11)………………..
She looks straight ahead, (12)……….. at me
Tall and (13)……………. and (14)……………. Lovely
The girl from(15)………… goes walking
And when se pauses, I smil- but she doesn’t
see (dosen’t see)
She (16)……….. see, she never sees me….
The girl from Ipanema
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8TqLmDhOdEc

25. ALANIS MORISSETTE
HAND IN MY POCKET
I’m broke but I’m _____________ grounded
I’m poor but I’m _____________ hopeful
I’m short but I’m _____________ yeah overwhelmed
I’m high but I’m _____________ happy
I’m sane but I’m _____________ healthy
I’m lost but I’m _____________ baby kind
What it all comes down to
Is that everything’s gonna be ___(circle the correct choice below)__
a) fine fine fine b) nice nice nice c) quite alright
‘Cause I’ve got one hand in
a) my pocket b) on my hips c) clasped in front
And the other is giving a _________
a) peace sign b) high five
I fell drunk but I’m _____________ working
I’m young and I’m _____________ sorry
I’m tired but I’m, _____________ yeah gone
I care but I’m _____________ underpaid
I’m here but I’m really _____________ restless
I’m wrong and I’m _____________baby sober
What it all comes down to
Is that everything's gonna be _________
a) fine fine fine b) nice nice nice c) quite alright
Cause I've got one hand in my pocket
And the other one is __________
a)giving a peace sign b) flicking a cigarette c) playing the piano
What it all comes down to
Is that I haven't got it all figured out just yet
Cause I've got one hand in my pocket
And the other one is __(guess what she is doing)_______
I’m free but I’m _____________ friendly
I’m green but I’m _____________, pretty
I’m hard but I’m _____________ baby focused
I’m sad but I’m _____________ chicken shit
I’m brave but I’m _____________ laughing
I’m sick but I’m _____________baby wise
And what it all boils down to
It’s that no one’s really got it figured out just yet
But I’ve got one hand in my pocket
And the other is giving a peace sign
What it all comes down to my friends, yeah
Is that everything’s just fine fine fine
Cause I’ve got one hand in my pocket
And the other is __(guess what she is doing)_______
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hGjaaQAvSTA

26. Key
KEY
I'm broke but I'm happy
I'm poor but I'm kind
I'm short but I'm healthy, yeah
I'm high but I'm grounded
I'm sane but I'm overwhelmed
I'm lost but I'm hopeful baby
What it all comes down to
Is that everything's gonna be fine fine fine
I've got one hand in my pocket
And the other one is giving a high five
I feel drunk but I'm sober
I'm young and I'm underpaid
I'm tired but I'm working, yeah
I care but I'm restless
I'm here but I'm really gone
I'm wrong and I'm sorry baby
What it all comes down to
Is that everything's gonna be quite alright
I've got one hand in my pocket
And the other one is flicking a cigarette
What it all comes down to
Is that I haven't got it all figured out just yet
I've got one hand in my pocket
And the other one is giving the peace sign
I'm free but I'm focused
I'm green but I'm wise
I'm hard but I'm friendly baby
I'm sad but I'm laughing
I'm brave but I'm chicken shit
I'm sick but I'm pretty baby
What it all comes down to
Is that no one's really got it figured out just yet
I've got one hand in my pocket
And the other one is playing the piano
What it all comes down to my friends
Is that everything's just fine fine fine
I've got one hand in my pocket
And the other one is hailing a taxi cab...

29. BEAUTY
Discussion about the topic
of beauty. This will serve as
the pre-listening activity to
the next song.

43. Have a look at the following pictures of a baby. What does he look like?
Use as many adjectives as possible
Do you know the famous person behind this baby photo?

47. This is a really nice activity to do with students (particularly young ones!).
Ask students to get a photograph of the time when they were babies.
Collect the photographs and display them in the classroom for the other students to guess.

48. How do you feel today?

50. When an obsession becomes an illness: OCD Obsessive Compulsive
Disorder.

51. Have you seen this movie?
What is it about?
Watch this clip and comment on the behavior of
Jack Nicholson
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44DCWslbsNM

52. DRAWING DICTATION: Teacher reads descriptions for students to draw

55. Have a look at the following cartoons. What are stereotypes?

56. What are stereotypes?