As described above, they can also practise basic comparatives by comparing their drawing to the original.Īnother very important element is something many students struggle with, prepositions of place. For example, beginner students can practise there is/are when listing the objects in the picture. However, there are also a number of different language elements you can focus on. The Picture Dictation ESL activity is often just done as a fun warmer. Tip: To stop students from gesturing and pointing to different parts of the picture when describing, ask them to sit on their hands! Target Language Swap the student roles and repeat with a new picture.

The tree is bigger in my picture, The ball is closer to the tree etc.). An optional extension if you want to practise comparatives is to ask the students to come up with five sentences comparing the original and their drawing (e.g.Comparing the drawings is a fun moment for everyone! When the students have finished drawing (normally around five minutes), tell them to now look at the original picture.The students who can’t see the picture draw what is described as accurately as they can.The student who can see the picture describes the picture in detail to their partner/the class, using the target language.Project an image on the board (remind the students not to turn around first!), or show the student at the front a picture.The students who can’t see the picture will need a piece of paper/notebook and a pencil. You could also model this by describing one yourself the first time. If not, one student will come to the front and describe the picture to the rest of the class. Ask the partners to sit opposite each other, with one student facing the board, and the other facing away from it. If you have a projector, you can group the students into pairs, with one student describing the picture projected on the board to their partner (better because more students get the opportunity to speak). multiple people doing different things, features/objects in the foreground and background etc – but still be achievable in terms of drawing! You should also be aware of matching the vocabulary in the picture to the level of your class. These pictures should have many different elements – e.g. You will need at least one or two suitable pictures for students to describe (either on the computer or on a piece of paper).

Esl wishes activity