This document discusses using interaction and games to create meaningful input for language learning. It proposes that the goal is to help students and teachers get to know each other better through authentic interactions. A variety of interaction activities and games are described that can be used to focus on different language skills and build human connections in the classroom. These include information gap activities, games that use personalized questions, and technology-assisted activities. The document emphasizes that the focus should be on natural language interactions, not just the activities, and that activities can be adapted based on students' levels.

1. Interaction, the Soul of
Classes
Ping Wu
pwu@columbusschoolforgirls.org
Record the session & evaluation

2. Goal of My CI-Inspired Class
Comprehensible Input Inspired Teaching: Through meaningful materials
for discussions, asking personalized questions and authentic
interactions with the students, I will
Know my students better
Help my students know themselves/each other better
We all will know the world better.
Human
Connections/Relevance

3. The key to engagement:
Teach the STUDENTS,
not the content

4. Set-up
Interaction
Follow-
up

6. Input-driven Personalization
Information
Gap
Movement

7. LISTEN
READ、
SPEAK
WRITE

8. SUMMATIVE
1. Imposter https://www.slideshare.net/WuPing/impostor-game-questions-
in-chinese
2. Phycologist https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-sRhx9hFIA
3. Weekend Chat with Music Chair (周末做的事、你跟兄弟姐妹的比较，
等等）
4. Who is the SPY (vocab/descriptions)
https://www.slideshare.net/WuPing/who-is-the-spy-2020-pictures
5. Paper Ball “Who is the most likely to…?”
https://www.slideshare.net/WuPing/who-is-the-most-likely-to-paper-
ball-activity
6. Reverse Questions

9. Reverse Questions (team building, information from student survey, etc.)
• Liam
• Noah
• Logan
• James
• Oliver
• Elijah
• Benjamin
• William
• Lucas
• Mason
• Selena Gomez
• Dwayne "The Rock"
Johnson
• Kim Kardashian
• Kylie Jenner
• Beyoncé
• Leo Messi
• Neymar
• Taylor Swift
Theodore Roosevelt
Woodrow Wilson
Herbert Hoover
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Jimmy Carter
Bill Clinton

10. SUSPENSE
1. The Unfair Game on Quizlet https://quizlet.com/450035194/the-
unfair-game-team-keea-flash-cards/
2. Wheels of Fortune https://wheelofnames.com/
3. Blind-eye Drawing
Credit: Ideas for No. 1 and 2 are inspired by the Comprehensible Classroom’s posts.

11. VOCABULARY
1. Sixth Sense
2. Telephone Sentences https://www.slideshare.net/WuPing/zoom-
telephone-sentences-read-my-lips
3. Word Sneak (One Word Story)
https://www.slideshare.net/WuPing/stone-soup-one-word-story
4. Word Impressionist
5. Tech-assisted Activities

13. Tech Activities

14. Use phrases in the
stories as vocabulary in
the Bingo grid.
Ask students to
sequence the story
based on images.

15. Picture Strips
Matching with
text

16. Main Take-aways
1. Activities and games are not the main point. The soul is to create naturally
induced, teacher controlled, compelling language input for students and to
communicate and interact with students in the process.
2. Through activities and games, students will know each other better and
the teacher will know the students better. The human connections made will
enable more meaningful and engaging input in the future.
3. Almost all of the activities and games can be adapted for different levels.
Change the language, not the format.
More activities and games at
https://www.tes.com/lessons/Fn662YlE7_ZIUQ/

17. Reminders
Balance different language skills
Design more authentic context for interaction
Keep it in the target language
Be happy and enjoy the moments with students

18. Less is
more
Rooted
in
students
Do it
gradually
Adapt
with
time