1. TALK FOR A MINUTE

The key is to emphasize creativity over correctness. What the student says can be a bit chaotic, humorous, or even absurd – the focus is on generating language, thinking quickly, and staying engaged. This activity works well as a warm-up, a speaking challenge, or even as a game to reduce speaking anxiety. You can find examples for this type of activity HERE. 

2. STORYTELLING

This activity expands on the “Talk for a Minute” idea by working with a series of pictures, allowing students to create a more extended narrative. In a more challenging version, you can require students to include specific vocabulary or grammar structures as part of the storytelling task, reinforcing language learning in context.

I particularly like when students work collaboratively, building the story together: one person starts, the next continues the thread, and so on. To make it even more engaging, students can draw a new picture from a pile just before their turn – this adds an element of surprise and can stir up emotions, inspire creativity, and provoke humorous or unexpected twists in the story. Storytelling in this way develops fluency, encourages risk-taking, and makes the classroom dynamic and interactive.

3. THOUGHT-PROVOKING PICTURES

The main point here is to provoke discussion and encourage students to share their own interpretations. Visuals can be a powerful tool to spark curiosity and get learners talking, especially when the image is open to more than one meaning. I recommend the works of Polish designer Pawel Kuczynski, whose art deals with various contemporary problems such as social media, consumerism, politics, or environmental issues. His illustrations are often ironic, surprising, and even uncomfortable, which makes them perfect for initiating debates in the classroom. A single picture can be used as a warm-up, a prompt for group work, or even the basis for a full lesson where students practice describing, hypothesizing, agreeing and disagreeing, or supporting their opinions with arguments. 

4. SPECULATION/PREDICTION

… about how the person in the photo ended up in a given situation and what may happen later.

This activity focuses on encouraging students to think creatively and practice language related to guessing and predicting. Ask learners to speculate about how the person in the photo ended up in a given situation and what might happen next. The weirder or more unusual the photo, the better, because it sparks imagination and motivates discussion.

During this activity, you can practise modals and expressions such as may, might, could, must (have done), will (probably), or the be going to structure. For example, students can guess past actions (“He must have missed the bus”) or make predictions about the future (“She might be going to meet someone soon”).

You can use a photo as a quick warm-up, pair or group activity, or even a writing prompt for follow-up exercises. Visuals create context, make speculation more natural, and give students a reason to use the target language.

5. VOCABULARY BANK

This activity is perfect for introducing or revising vocabulary in a fun and interactive way. Choose a picture that contains many items or details you would like your students to learn. The more objects in the image, the better, because it encourages learners to notice and name as many things as possible. Students can use a dictionary if necessary, which also reinforces independent learning skills.

To quickly find suitable images, try googling “messy X” (where X could be kitchen, living room, desk, etc.). Pictures of cluttered or busy environments naturally contain lots of vocabulary items and provide a playful context for learning.

Once students have identified objects, you can expand the activity into a storytelling session or a “talk for a minute” exercise, where they create short narratives or describe scenarios using the vocabulary they just revised. This not only reinforces word recall but also encourages fluency, creativity, and the ability to use language in context.

6. WHAT’S WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE?

If a photo intrigues you, it can serve as the basis for a highly engaging lesson. You can find an article explaining the context or story behind the image [HERE].

The activity involves showing students pictures of everyday objects in unusual or absurd places (for example, a toaster in a bathtub full of water). Students’ task is to identify what is wrong with the situation and explain it using appropriate language. This is an excellent way to practise modals such as should, shouldn’t, must, can’t, and mustn’t.

For instance, regarding the toaster:

• “It shouldn’t be in the bathtub full of water.”

• Or, for humor: “It should be in the bathtub full of water if your mother-in-law is just having a bath!”

This activity encourages critical thinking, creativity, and humor, while simultaneously reinforcing the correct use of modals in context. It can be done individually, in pairs, or as a whole-class discussion, making it versatile and highly engaging.

7. VISUAL TABOO

I’m pretty sure you know taboo! My version is based on photos. Students draw a picture from the pile, they describe it, and the group tries to guess what it represents. I created 3 categories for this game: painting, film and famous people. If you want the game, please post a comment HERE starting with #game and the number of the method you like most (e.g. #game 3), and you will get the link via Messenger. You will find the rules of the game in the file (feel free to modify them to suit your needs!) (Please let me know if you don’t get the message with the game). The QR codes are clickable, so you can check them out before the class.