20 Creative ESL Role Play Ideas
By Montana Rogers
For students who are reluctant to talk, these role play ideas collected by Rogers could get them started. Each of the suggested ideas includes instructions for the targeted age, number of students involved, key vocabulary and phrases to pre-teach, roles for the students, and how to monitor the activities.
Here are some examples:
1. Time to Eat! – “Goal: Students will master typical vocabulary and phrases used in a restaurant by understanding and responding appropriately to prompts.” Students alternate roles between servers or patrons.
5. Let’s Go Shopping! – “Goal: Students have the opportunity to utilize common vocabulary and phrases that arise when shopping.” Students take on the various roles of people in a grocery store.
7. Bizarre Job Interviews – “Goal: Students think outside the box in an interview setting and prepare to respond spontaneously to less common interview questions.”
12. Let’s Get Down to Business – “Goal: Students practice going over an agenda, running a meeting or giving a business presentation.”
14. Driving Directions Improvisation – “Goal: Students will learn how to make and follow driving directions.” An element of fun for this activity is that one student’s role is to give incorrect directions.
15. International Space Station – “Goal: Students practice identifying, discussing and resolving problems and conflicts using various methods and language skills.” The instructions include some quirky situations that might occur in space.
17. Eating Out at the Freaky Fast Food Joint – “Goal: Students will learn how to discuss unfamiliar food and cuisine, and learn how to talk about [items that are] potentially unappealing.”
Rogers ends the list with basic instructions for setting up and adapting the activities, including modeling and watching videos that demonstrate the roles.
The authors open with statistics citing the superior effectiveness of visuals in learning. The activities listed for using a picture dictionary are suggested for students in K-8 classes although some could even be used with newcomer teens and adults. They recommend introducing the vocabulary, and having discussions to build on students’ experiences with the topics.
