This document outlines 8 language activities to develop English proficiency through critical thinking, creative thinking, and speaking skills. The activities include introducing objects, describing pictures, roleplaying conversations, brainstorming words related to communication skills, guessing identities, creating stories from prompts, analyzing newspaper articles, and solving crossword puzzles. The instructor's role is to correct mistakes, suggest synonyms and antonyms, and point out errors. The expected outcomes are improved language proficiency, communication skills, confidence, participation, thinking skills, interest in learning English, and additional knowledge beyond the syllabus.

1. Activity Based Practices for
English Language Proficiency
LANGUAGE GAMES
Saish S. Nayak Dalal
Assistant Professor
VPCCECM – Parvari - Goa

4. What is important to develop language
Proficiency
Critical Thinking
Creative Thinking
High language proficiency means the ability to effectively put
forward your ideas in creative ways without ambiguity.

5. Traditional method
• Grammar Method
• Translation Method
• Direct Method (show objects and teach)
These methods are useful for new learners of English. When
dealing with students of school level it becomes un-interesting/
boring and the goal remains un-achieved.

6. Activity Based Practices

7. ACTIVITY 1: Introduce the Object (Extempore)
Skills: Speaking
Objectives: To enhance students speaking skills.
Procedure: Students are given 5 minutes to prepare themselves and they were
asked to come to the front and introduce the object placed in front of them,
initially simple objects can be kept like ( Chair, Table, Fruit, Vegetable etc) . The
mistakes committed were corrected there and then by explaining the cause of
mistake and the correct way to say it.
the task can be made interesting by adding funny challenges like (introduction
should be funny, or do not use the original characteristics of the objects etc.)

8. ACTIVITY 2: Tell us What you see
Skills: Speaking
Objectives: To enhance students Speaking skills.
Materials: Pictures
Procedure: Students are taken in the open and asked to describe what they see
in the surrounding in 50 words. The students can be taught about perspectives
in describing a picture. Front to back, left to right focus background etc. the
students were taken out of class in the open and asked to describe what they see.
This develops their analytical skills and creativity.

9. ACTIVITY 3: How would you do it?
Skills: Conversation, Speaking
Objectives: To enhance students inter-personal communication, creative thinking.
Materials: Scenario
Procedure: Students are grouped in twos or threes for this activity. Each group is given a
situation/ scenario ( Fruit seller and customer/ bank manager and businessman). They have time
of 15 minutes to work out a conversation of not more than 5 minutes that would take place
between the given characters and present it .

10. ACTIVITY 4: North East West South
Skills: Speaking Writing, Reading
Objectives: To enhance students writing and speaking skills
Material: - chart paper, sketch pen
Procedure: four chart papers were placed in 4 corners of the classroom and each of the
communication skill was written on each chart. The students were divided in groups and were
placed near each chart. At every 20 seconds a whistle was given where in the student moved
from one chart to the other. They had write anything that crossed their mind regarding the skill
that was written on the chart.

11. ACTIVITY 5: Who Am I ?
Skills: Questioning, Critical and Creative thinking
Objectives: To enhance students thinking and analysis skills
Procedure: The class is divided into 4 groups. A student is chosen from each
group (one at a time) and is given a name of (person, place, thing, animal , plant
etc.) the remaining members of his group has to ask that student question one by
one to figure out who that person is. The selected person can only answer in Yes
or No.

12. ACTIVITY 6: Let’s see What you think?
Skills: Critical and Creative thinking, language skills.
Objectives: To enhance students thinking and analysis skills
Procedure: The class is divided into 4 groups. A list of words are given to
them.( A Jeep, Forest, 4 friends, Tiger, Presence of Mind, Return Home) use the
given words and create a story of your own. Give them 20 minutes to work in
group and ask one member from each group to come and narrate the story in not
less than 7 minutes.

13. ACTIVITY 7: Mark it Up
Skills: Reading
Objectives: To enhance students reading, observation and Critical thinking skills
Material: - News paper cut out, Pen/ highlighter
Procedure: divide the students in pairs and pass a newspaper cut out to each pair. Ask
the students to mark (all the Nouns/ Adjectives/ Conjunctions/ describing words etc.)
students work in pairs to complete the given task. Same activity can be used by
changing the task to develop grammar or linguistic competence among students. start
with simple task and move towards more complex tasks like identifying proverbs etc.

14. ACTIVITY 8: Crossword Puzzle
Skills: Writing, Reading
Objectives: To enhance students observation and Critical thinking skills
Material: - Crossword puzzle.
Procedure: this task can be performed by students individually. A crossword
puzzle is designed and clues are provided which should focus on one aspect of
language proficiency. The students take help of the clues and try to solve the
crossword puzzle. This activity can be developed to enhance understanding of
grammar topics, literary areas etc.

15. Task of the Instructor
• Make amends when a student commits mistake
(grammatical or pronunciation)
• Suggest appropriate synonyms and antonyms as and when
possible.
• Point out when students commit mistake in framing a
sentence.

16. Expected Outcomes
• Improvement in Language proficiency.
• Better inter-personal and intra-personal communication
skills.
• Increase in confidence to speak in public.
• Increase in classroom participation.
• Rise in level of critical and creative thinking skills.
• Develop interest towards language learning.
• Become aware of current happenings and additional
knowledge beyond the prescribed syllabus.

17. THANK YOU
Saish S. Nayak Dalal
Assistant Professor
Vidya Prabodhini College of Commerce, Education, Computer and
Management – Parvari - Goa