Need some fun autumn activities ESL students will love? Then let me tell you what you can do! There’s lots of stuff you can do in autumn that has to do with the season but also with the start of the school year that can help students learn English in a fun way!
I personally think autumn is a great season! It’s a fresh start for everyone, students are meeting their new classmates, summer has ended and the new season is upon us. I love all the colors of the fall, and there’s so much we can do with students that has to do with holidays that will teach them about English speaking countries as well. Let me tell you what autumn activities I have in store for my students!
Lesson plans for fall: introduction and the season
Lessons for fall should definitely include some getting to know you activities for students. I enjoy getting them to play introduction games like Find Someone Who, where they have to find classmates that have certain characteristics. That way they get to know each other quickly and by using the target language. I really love getting them to write something about themselves as well, because it helps them put into words who they are and those words are in the target language! A great way to do that is with this cute flip book.
Learning about autumn
Then of course we want students to learn about the season in some autumn language activities. Ideally, students apply all the language skills or at least practice them, so I want them to read about autumn, listen to videos or audio about it, speak about it, and finally write about the fall. Another great activity is of course for them to learn some fall vocabulary, so what are the words that are important in the fall season? I spend some time on this using fall worksheets, And I’ve got quite a few games to practice my newly acquired vocabulary.
For reading activities, I love Wonderopolis since they’ve many articles that are suitable for different age groups. ReadWorks has a couple of them too if you do a search, and National Geographic Kids has some fun stuff for the little ones. Nat Geo is also great for videos and practicing listening skills. There’s lots of great videos on YouTube as well if you search for ‘autumn’ on there. Or, better, get the kids to choose a video they want to watch!
A fall lesson is not complete without some speaking and/or writing about the season! You can ask students all kinds of questions about it, like: ‘What do you like most about autumn?’ and ‘What type of foods are typical fall foods?’ I use my discussion cards for speaking activities, when I really want students to discuss in small groups what they think. And I use these same questions in the form of writing prompts with lined sheets, so they can put their thoughts onto paper. Speaking and writing are excellent activities to gauge if students are understanding everything you taught them!
Fall vocabulary
Teaching students some important words in the fall season is super fun too. It helps them talk about what they’re seeing for themselves in the world this time of year. We practice the words with a worksheet and then we revise using matching games, like dominoes, memory and bingo, in which students have to match the words with the pictures. This visual element works great to reinforce vocabulary in an effective way that sticks.
Autumn activities ESL students love: talk about holidays
And then of course there are the fall holidays that you will want to teach your students about! It’s essential for students to learn about the celebrations of English speaking countries because it will help them learn about this new culture. Discussing Thanksgiving, Halloween, Diwali and the Autumn Equinox is super fun, as you can even do themed things in the classroom. Can’t miss out on those!
Wanna be set for the entire fall with fun activities for your ESL learners? This bundle contains all that I have in my store for the autumn season. It’s not cheap, but then you will be covered with all the fun you could possibly need!
So these are all the autumn activities ESL students love that I do with mine! I hope I’ve been able to inspire you with some fun ideas for your own lessons! If you need any help or have any questions, please let me know below in the comments!
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