How to Facilitate Roleplaying

If you’re teaching an oral communication type of class, then your goal is to get your students to speak as much as possible.

That’s why we’ve created 10 dialogue worksheets we like to use in our classes. Like all of our worksheets, they are free to use for any purpose.

1. Multi-purpose Items

The teacher gives the class an object, any object. What are the different uses for that item?

For example, you can use forks to eat food, comb your hair, open cans, mix ingredients, and clean pans.

Not so bad for a simple fork. The key to this activity is to be creative!

2. Pushy Salesperson

Have your students sell something that nobody wants to buy. There are tons of ideas in the worksheet.

First, you can start this activity by showing any infomercial from your home country.

Then, you can lead by example and try to sell a product to your students. Finally, it’s your students turn to become a pushy salesperson.

3. Celebrity Interview

Shine the spotlight on your class with this celebrity-style interview.

Take turns giving each other interviews.

Students guess which celebrity their partner is.

4. Group Charades

Charades works for outgoing classes. But for introvert classes, it can be an epic failure. However, in groups suddenly introverts become extroverts… and they’re much more likely to be more relaxed. Rather than one person acting out, the entire group acts it out and one person guesses.

5. Famous Foreheads

In this activity, all players sit in a circle. Give each student a post-it note and a pencil. Each player writes down the name of a famous person and passes the note face-down to the player on the left. Each player sticks the note on his/her forehead and everyone takes turns asking “Yes” or “No” questions to find out who they are. The first player to guess the name on his/her forehead is the winner.

6. No Subtitles

Turn any English movie on mute. In groups of two, have your students re-enact the voices. When the movie stars move their lips, so do the students. They can say anything. It’s tough to keep up.

7. Green Screen

It’s amazing what a green screen can do in an English class or club. I brought one into class. All of a sudden, students were making up their own English movie ideas. And the ideas were pretty awesome with one taking place at the Eiffel Tower!

8. Comic Book Creation

Every kid loves comic books. But what if they didn’t have any words in them? Let’s fill in these speech bubbles with an interesting story.

9. 101 Free-Talking Topics

Maybe, the easiest thing to do is to just get them talking about what they are passionate about. That’s why we’ve compiled a list of 101 free-talking topics. Print them off. Cut them up. Put it in a hat. Select a topic at random and let your students talk in pairs or as a classroom.

10. Text Message Translation

Students write a typical text message of two casual friends or a married couple. First, start by filling in the text bubbles. But there’s no need to stop just here.

Dialogue Worksheets

So using roleplaying and dialogue worksheets can really open up your students and classes in a whole new way.

For example, thinking of sales techniques or multi-use items can really spark imagination and creativity in students.

We’ve also included some of the classics like charades, comic books, and movie-related dialogue activities.

What type of dialogue activities do you use in your oral communication classes? Please let us know in the comment form below.

ESL Activities For the Classroom

Fun, relevant, and engaging ESL activities are the nitrous of every successful lesson. Through hundreds of successful ESL classes, we know what does and does NOT work.

ESL exercises are a controlled way to practice a particular language aspect. Instead, ESL activities engage in discussion and communication focused on a goal.

For example, you can cut our ESL discussion topics into bite-size papers and have them communicate in pairs. And this is just 1 of 17 ideas waiting for you to build these ESL activities into your classes and to perfection,

Ready to get started? Let’s jump in.

1. 101 ESL Discussion Topics: Free-Talking

Need to spark lively discussions in your ESL classroom? Try our tested free-talking topics! Print the worksheet, cut out the topics, and put them in a hat.

Have students pick randomly and start chatting in pairs or as a group. With 101 diverse conversation starters, there’s something to get everyone talking.

If you’re looking for the whole package, here are 101 ESL conversation topics. Like an open microphone, there’s something in this list that will break the classroom silence.

2. Reverse Jeopardy: Formulating Questions

Let’s flip the quiz show format. Students create questions instead of answering them. Set up 5 categories, each with 5 cards of increasing difficulty and point value.

In groups of 4, students choose a category and point value. When a card is flipped, the fastest group to raise hands creates a question.

This game gets super competitive as points add up, and it’s a guaranteed hit every time you play it.

3. Lost in Kansas: Asking for Directions

It’s time to navigate through Wichita, Kansas. Students pair up and practice giving directions using a city map.

They’ll learn to say “turn left,” “go straight,” and count blocks or intersections. One student asks how to reach a destination, while the other gives directions.

This activity helps students master essential travel vocabulary and direction-giving skills. It’s a fun way to prepare for real-world situations when exploring new cities.

4. Let Me Introduce Myself: Self-Introductions

Let’s turn introductions into a fun classroom activity. Have students create personal business cards using our template.

In the next class, they’ll use these cards to practice self-introductions, mingling with classmates. This exercise helps students break the ice and improve their social skills.

As a bonus, teachers can quickly learn names and faces. No photo? No problem! Students can draw self-portraits instead.

5. Timeless Timelines: History Exploration

This activity explores history with a timeline activity. Students arrange famous people and inventions in chronological order.

The teacher then reveals the correct sequence. For example, paper predates the printing press by 1300 years.

After reviewing answers, encourage discussion: Who else should be on the list? What other important inventions are missing? What future inventions might we add?

6. Einstein’s Riddle: Detective-Style Logic Activity

This is Einstein’s famous logic puzzle! Students must deduce each homeowner’s nationality, pet, drink, color, and hobby using a series of clues. 

This brain-teaser, supposedly created by young Albert Einstein, will challenge even your brightest pupils. It’s a great exercise in logical thinking and deduction.

We’ve provided answers, but encourage students to tackle it with just the clues first. Ready to put those detective skills to the test?

7. Cultural Dictionary

In this activity, you ask students to write down one significant cultural item from their country. Encourage volunteers to share their choices with the class.

Collect all responses and create a “culture exchange dictionary” to keep in the classroom. 

This activity promotes mutual learning because students share their cultures while learning about others.

8. Group Charades: Action Verbs

Let’s change up “Charades” so everyone can join. Split the class into teams (e.g., 6 groups of 5 for a class of 30).

Instead of solo performances, the whole group acts out while one member guesses. This twist makes shy students more comfortable participating.

Our worksheet provides plenty of fun ideas to get started. It’s a fresh take on a classic game that gets everyone involved and laughing together.

9. The Classroom Movie: Dialogue Practice

Bring Hollywood magic to your classroom with a simple green screen. This tool sparks creativity by allowing students to write their own movie script. 

Suddenly, they’re transported to the Eiffel Tower or anywhere their imagination takes them. When students take charge of their learning like this, their English skills skyrocket.

Empower learners using a green screen. It makes English practice feel like a thrilling adventure in moviemaking.

10. Your Dream Job: Job Interview Practice

Students pair up and ask each other questions, tallying “YES” answers to discover their ideal profession.

Next, they’ll prepare for a mock interview using our job interview worksheet. They’ll write answers to common interview questions for their dream job.

Finally, students can practice these interviews with each other. This activity helps students think about their futures and prepares them for real-world job hunting scenarios.

11. Multi-purpose Items: Informative/Explanatory Writing

Time to get creative with everyday objects. The teacher presents a simple item, like a fork. Students then brainstorm as many different uses for it as possible in a few minutes.

They might suggest using a fork to eat, comb hair, open cans, or clean pans. Afterwards, everyone shares their ideas.

This “Multi-purpose Items” activity encourages creativity and improves explanatory writing skills. Students think outside the box, while learning English.

12. Rhyme Time: Activity Sheet

Let’s play ‘Rhyme Time”. Divide students into groups and hand out activity sheets.

Set a timer and challenge them to come up with as many rhymes as possible for each word group. The team with the most rhymes wins.

Afterwards, review the rhymes together. Finally, discuss where we encounter rhymes in daily life, like in songs or poems.

12. Simon Says: Imperatives

This activity is the classic “Simon Says”. Students only follow instructions that begin with “Simon says.”

If you just say “Touch your nose,” they shouldn’t move. But “Simon says touch your nose” means everyone should do it.

Our worksheet offers plenty of fun commands like jumping or running in circles. Listen, follow instructions and just importantly is have fun.

13. Pushy Salesperson: Advertisement Ideas

Become a creative salesperson. Give them an everyday object and challenge them to sell it like a pushy advertiser.

First, they brainstorm multiple uses for the item (like using a fork to eat, comb hair, open cans, etc.). After a few minutes, students share their imaginative ideas.

This “Multi-purpose Items” improves persuasive speaking skills. It’s a fun way to practice thinking outside the box and presenting ideas convincingly.

14. Pass the Ball: Vocabulary Brainstorming

“Pass the Ball” needs minimal prep and can cover various subjects from vocabulary to rhyming. The teacher chooses a topic, and students think of related words while music plays.

Players pass a ball, each saying a unique word before passing. When the music stops, the person holding the ball loses.

You might want to make the losing player face a challenge, like speaking for a minute on a given topic.

15. Pronunciation Game: Minimal Pairs Pyramid

During the “Minimal Pairs Pyramid Game”, students listen carefully as the teacher pronounces similar-sounding words.

They start at the top of the pyramid while the teacher says minimal pair words like “glamour” and “grammar.”

They circle the word they hear, moving down the pyramid. There’s only one correct path to the bottom. After everyone finishes, the teacher checks answers and sees where everyone lands.

16. Tongue Twisters: Pronunciation Practice

This activity is all about having fun with tongue twisters! Start by attempting one in your students’ native language – your mistakes will break the ice and show it’s okay to mess up.

Next, introduce an English tongue twister using “repeat after me” drills. Then, let students practice in pairs briefly. Finally, hold a speed competition for volunteers.

This activity makes pronunciation practice enjoyable. It encourages speaking confidence, and often brings shy students out of their shells!

17. Talktastic: The Free-Talking ESL Board Game

“Talktastic” uses a printable game board and typically runs for about 15 minutes. Its aim is to provide a fun way for students to practice speaking and listening skills.

Pair up students and give each duo a game board and dice. Players roll, move, and ask their partner the question on their landing square.

Partners take turns asking and answering until they complete the board. Enforce English-only rules to maximize language practice.

Essential ESL Activities that are Fun, Relevant and Engaging

Engaging ESL activities are one of the most essential elements of teaching an effective lesson.

These ESL activities aim at boosting awareness and increasing English as a Second Language in an effortless, fun sort of way.

Are you ready to take action? These ESL activities are all free to download and print to teach within your class today.

Let me know what you think with a comment below.

Practice Asking Questions

How do you get your students to ask questions? These are the top 10 asking questions worksheets to get your students curious. From game boards to open discussion topics, we have only what’s been tried, tested, and true.

WH- Questions Worksheets: Who, What, When, Where and Why Questions

Who, what, when, where, and why. We all know that you ask questions with WH- questions… But how do you teach it?

That’s why we’ve created 7 worksheets that help practice who, what, when, where, and why questions.

From best to worst, we’ve ranked our WH- questions worksheets based on user feedback.

Like all our activities, they are free to download and are 100% free to use. Enjoy.

1. What Questions Worksheet

Instead of answering questions like in a quiz show, students are making the questions. Each card has a word with a point value. Similar to Jeopardy, you create 5 categories. Each category has 5 questions with harder cards as a higher point value.

In groups of 4, students pick the category and point value. After flipping over the card, the fastest group to raise their hands make a question. Give a countdown for how fast they have to respond. Don’t be afraid to give negative points if they are too slow to respond or make an incorrect question.

Students get quite competitive when you tally points. And this is a good thing.

2. Where Questions Worksheet

In groups of two, students have to go back and forth asking each other “where” questions. According to household items, they have to identify where the items are located.

If you want to practice “WH-” type of questions and household items, the Where Questions Worksheet is ideal.

3. When Questions Worksheet

Starting with famous people, students arrange the timeline according to their birth date and the invention year. From youngest to oldest, the teacher will go through the correct order in the history timelines for kids.

The teacher then helps everyone by giving the correct answers. Further to this, who else belongs on the list? What other inventions are important enough that they should be added? Or what are future inventions you want to see on this list in the future?

There are a lot of discussion topics that can come out of the “History Timelines For Kids” activity.

4. Who Questions Worksheet

Place these cards around the room and have your students remember the birthday and person. They have to race to match all famous birthdays with the correct person.

For these types of social studies worksheets, students get familiar with the concept of time. In addition, they learn how famous people and inventors relate to history by asking “Who was born” on a date.

5. Talktastic Board Game

This free-talking board game requires a game board and dice to play. But with a bit of preparation, students will be asking each other questions and answering in no time.

First, the teacher makes groups of two. Next, students roll the dice and move their game pieces. When they land on a square, they’ll ask their partner the question in the box. Accordingly, their partner responds until they go around the entire game board.

Even if you have rules to only speak in English in class, this activity is one of those times you should enforce this. Overall, the Talktastic Board Game lasts for a good 15 minutes and is a lot of fun for students.

6. Dice Questions Game

The dice questions game/activity requires big and small dice and this activity sheet. First, put your students in pairs.

Next, provide dice for each group of students. Each number on the small dice corresponds to a type of question – who, what, when, where, why, and have you ever. The big dice are worth a point value.

Students roll the dice. When the student asks a successful question, they earn that value of points. Keep track of points in hopes this gets them talking.

7. World Monuments: Where in the World?

In this World Monuments Quiz, students have to connect the dot for each historical world monument and the country outline. After this activity, can you recognize the monument and country outline?

In addition, students have to guess where each monument is located in the world? For example, they can practice asking “where” questions in groups of two.

WH- Questions Worksheets: Who, What, When, Where and Why Questions

Now that you’ve got 7 WH- question worksheets to teach with, it’s time to put these concepts into action.

Best of all, students love them because they’re fun and educational.

Do you have any favorite WH- question worksheets?

Please let us know with a comment below.

What’s the Question? How to Make Questions

December 25 – When is Christmas?
Las Vegas – What is the biggest gambling city in Nevada?
January 1 – When is the first day of the year?
Five – What is 3 + 2?
Seoul – What is the capital of South Korea?
Einstein – What is the famous equation that Einstein created for mass and energy?
Microsoft – Which company was Bill Gates the founder of?
Apple – What is believed to fall on Sir Isaac Newton’s head when he theorized gravity?
Circle – What is the shape of the letter “O”?

Related Making Questions Worksheets

If you need more making question worksheets, see our free printable activity sheets below.

• WH- Questions Worksheets
• Quiz Questions: Jeopardy in Reverse
• Talktastic: The ESL Game Board for Free-Talking
• 101 ESL Conversation Topics to Break the Silence
• 10 Best Free Printable Board Games for ESL Classrooms

What’s in the Box? Example Questions

• Is it food?
• Does it smell good?
• Is it foreign?
• Can you buy it at a supermarket?
• Can you write with it?

Related Making Questions Worksheets

If you need more making question worksheets, see our free printable activity sheets below.

• WH- Questions Worksheets (Who, What, When, Where and Why)
• Quiz Questions: Jeopardy in Reverse
• Talktastic: The ESL Game Board for Free-Talking
• 101 ESL Conversation Topics to Break the Silence
• 10 Best Free Printable Board Games for ESL Classrooms

Pass the Ball Vocabulary Ideas

• Words that start with the letters “th”
• Types of vegetables
• Countries in the world
• Words that rhyme with “key”
• Types of sports
• English movies
• Words that end with “th”

Related Active and Vocabulary Worksheets

If you need more vocabulary boosting worksheets, see our free printable activity sheets below.

• 5 Vocabulary Lesson Plans: How to Boost Students Collection of Words
• 10 Brainstorming Activities for Kids, Adults and Anyone
• 67 Free ESL Games to Teach English Like an All-Star

Simon Says Ideas

• Touch your nose
• Jump up and down
• Run in a circle
• Go to sleep
• Close your eyes
• Dance
• Hug the teacher

Related Simon Says Games

If you need more board games like this Simon Says exercise, see our free printable activity sheets below.

• 10 Best Free Printable Board Games for ESL Classrooms
• 13 Free ESL Lesson Plans to Master Your ESL Classes
• Printable Tic Tac Toe Sheets: 2-Player Blank Game Boards
• 67 Free ESL Games to Teach English Like an All-Star
• ESL Bingo Free Worksheet: Stand-Up Bingo

Related Roleplay Activity in the Classroom Worksheets

If you need more roleplay worksheets, see our free printable activity sheets below.

• 10 Dialogue Worksheets: How to Facilitate Roleplaying
• 7 Fun Worksheets with Celebrities, Politicians and Historical Figures
• 67 Free ESL Games to Teach English Like an All-Star