Ready-to-Go Lesson Plan
Amy Chan

Amy Chan

Preparation time
5 minutes

Intended student population
9-12 grades, intermediate to advanced ESL students

Lesson goals and objectives
Ice-breaker; Teambuilding; Practice story-telling, listening, and retelling techniques

Time limit
15-20 minutes

Materials
M&M candies (or colored index cards), a piece of chart paper with colored markers

Activity instructions
Pass around a bag of M&Ms.  Ask students to take one candy and hold it in their hand. 

Have students sit in groups of three.  Put up a chart paper that has all of the six colors of the M&M candies (red, orange, green, blue, yellow, and brown).  Next to each color, write something that you want the students to share with each other (e.g. yellow – an unforgettable experience, brown – a pet peeve, red – an embarrassing story, etc.)  Each student is given five minutes to share according to the color of their candy.   The others have to practice active listening.  At the end of the sharing, students are asked to tell the class their partners’ stories.

Amy Chan has an M.A. in TESOL from Teachers College and has taught EFL and ESL in Hong Kong and the US.  She enjoys working with people from all around the world and has learned much about other cultures and languages from her students.  Her favorite storybook is "The Horse and His Boy" by C.S. Lewis.  

If you'd like to share your lesson plan, please send it to us at: dialogue@nystesol.org.