In a previous post, I wrote about activities that can save you time and focus on learning. Let me show you what I mean by using an activity based on word search puzzles. You can find this activity in ‘My Resources’ on my website – www.learningnaturally.co.uk Here’s the criteria for the activity:

• require few materials,
• are easy to prepare,
• engage all students (mixed ability),
• focus on learning,
• take more classroom time.

  Require few materials  The word search puzzle activity is based on one handout, a blank word search puzzle grid.  I usually made many copies of these at the beginning of the year, as I knew I would be using it with all my classes throughout the school year. Easy to prepare You can make your own grid. I use the same grid with all my students, no matter the level. My grid is included in the activity and you can simply download it. I have always used the same grid for all my students, no matter the level. Engages all students The word search puzzle engages all students at their level of English. Let’s imagine you are using the puzzle to work on vocabulary from your course book.

• All students are using the same language, in this case, the same words. Each student simply copies the words onto their puzzle. However, each puzzle is different because students will write the words in different places.
• When a student is solving the puzzle, they know which words they are looking for. The challenge is finding those words in someone else’s puzzle.

Focus on learning Don’t do anything for students that they can do for themselves. If you make a puzzle for them, they only need to find the words. They will spend less time finding the words than you will making the puzzle. The word search puzzle focuses on learning by having the students doing most of the work – they learn as they make their puzzle and they learn again as they solve another student’s puzzle. I, as the teacher, walk around the room to help students who need it. Take more time in the classroom Activities that take more classroom time usually lead to deeper learning because students spend more time focussing on the language. There are fewer transitions between activities. There is less time spent on explaining the activity. The teacher is free to walk around the room to help those students who need it. In the example of the word search puzzle, it takes time to write each word in their puzzles, time to hide those words with random letters, and then time to find the same words in a friend’s puzzle. This is all time in which students are learning. To download the word search activity mentioned here, click on this link: https://learningnaturally.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/2.-Vocabulary-1.pdf For practical activities to help your students learn naturally, go to ‘My Resources’ on my website – www.learningnaturally.co.uk