A selection of English ESL warm up questions printables

Warm-up activity for any level. The teacher asks trivia questions, students try to answer them as quickly as they can. 

For example, Who painted MonaLisa? and etc. 

25 Trivia questions

Every person should be given 4 card to fill. Then the teacher collects all the cards into a hat (or ....). Each person should take one card at a time and ask their groupmates questions to find the one who wrote the card. The winner is the student who got the largest number of cards

Warm-up

Warm up tasks for kids, like jokes and interesting questions

Warm up

Students make pairs and ask each other the warm up questions. It can be timed to see who is the fastest pair!

Warm Up Q & A

Students ask each other the warm up questions in pairs. The pairs are timed to see who is the fastest!

Simple Warm Up

These activities can be used as a warm up on the first lesson, but also at any time.- In the first activity, the teacher should cut all the sentences and place them face down on the table.- Each student chooses one of them saying if the sentence is true for them, or give the correct information about themselves, adding as much information as possible about the topic.- It´s also a good idea if their partners ask questions related to it (for example if the student chose "I´m interested in music", partners can ask "What kind, how often do you listen to it, do you ever go to concerts, and so on).-

In the second activiity, each student should be given the worksheet and complete each prompt with two true sentences and a false one.- After that, they have to read their sentences to their partners, having their partners to guess what´s the false piece of information .- The student who had the more guesses is the winner.-



WARM UP - SPEAKING

There are speaking cards on the topic Pocket money. It's a good exercise for warming-up at the beginning of the lesson. These are questions which can be answered in several questions.

Warming-up: Pocket money

warm-up and self-intro questions can be modified to your liking and students preference. Students roll the dice and answer the question corresponding to the number on the die.

Introduction and warm up

This is a warm up/ice breaker activity created in order to develop speaking skills and also to get to know better your students. It can be used with at least a Pre-Intermediate level student.

Warm Up Class - Getting to know your students!


This is a very basic conversation-starter activity that's designed to deal with students who say "My hobby is listen to music" and then go "huh!?" when you ask them what genre they like.


It was designed to work as a taster lesson at an Open Campus, but can be expanded to a full lesson or used as a warm-up or revision exercise. A Slideshow and Lesson Plan have been uploaded as separate documents that include additional scaffolding and activities.


The most basic activity that can be done with these is to pass out handouts, making sure students Students only look at the side with genres. Class practice saying what genres of music they like.


Have class turn over their handouts. Tell them that they’re going to put everything they’ve learned today together. Remind them that this is a conversation class, so they need to talk to each other. Class ask the questions to their partners and complete the back of the handout.


"Music I Love!" Talking about genres, bands and songs (2/3 HANDOUTS)


This is a very basic conversation-starter activity that's designed to deal with students who say "My hobby is listen to music" and then go "huh!?" when you ask them what genre they like.


It was designed to work as a taster lesson at an Open Campus, but can be expanded to a full lesson or used as a warm-up or revision exercise. The handouts and Slides have been uploaded as separate documents.


Slide 2: Overview of lesson aims


Slide 3: Students are paired up, set volunteer to work with student if there is an odd one out. Students introduce themselves to each other. Short call and response activities to lower affective filter and make students more comfortable.


Slide 4: Ask whole class: “Do you like music?” and have a show of hands. Show class simplistic conversation (get volunteer to demonstrate) and showcase awkward silence.


Slide 5: Explain to class that they need to say what kind of music they like in English.


Slide 6: Pass out handouts. Make sure students Students only look at the side with genres. Class practice saying what genres of music they like.


Slide 7: Explain the difference between artist and singer.


Slide 8: Class practice saying what artists they are fans of, use the description on the screen.


Slide 9: Brief explanation of what a song is and what an album is.


Slide 10: Have class turn over their handouts. Tell them that they’re going to put everything they’ve learned today together. Remind them that this is a conversation class, so they need to talk to each other.


Slide 11: Provide an example of your own really quick. Volunteers should go around the class and make sure students are talking to each other.


Slide 12: Show the variation of the last slide. Elicit volunteers to share their answer to the question Do you like music? Give students chocolate for volunteering answers.


Slide 13: Thank students for coming! Tell them to enjoy the rest of the Open Campus event.

"Music I Love!" Talking about genres, bands and songs (1/3 LESSON PLAN)

I've used it as a warm up/introduction for the lesson about religions. Each student answers 4 anonymous questions. Then the teacher collects the questionaires and puts the results on the big version of the questionaire. It might be a starting point of a discussion. 

Religions lesson warm up questionaire

Culture, intercultural communication, cross-cultural communication

Adjectives to describe feelings, emotions

Adjectives to describe personality and character

Adjectives: Gradable / Non-gradable adjectives

Articles: Definite or indefinite article (a, an or the)

BE + infinitive structures (e.g. he was to become famous)

Clauses of contrast (e.g.  although, while)

Clauses of purpose (e.g. in order to, so that, so as to)

Clauses of reason (e.g. because, because of, due to, as, since)

Cleft sentences (e.g. It's Joey we're looking for)

Comparison: Comparative adjectives and structures

Comparison: Superlative adjectives and structures

Conditional 2 (second conditional) - would

Conditionals: Conditional phrases (e.g. unless, provided that, as long as)

Conjunctions (aka connectives, e.g. and, but, or, so, then)

Contractions (shortened forms, e.g. don't, aren't, etc.)

Determiners (words that can come before nouns)

Formal and informal English (politeness or colloquial language)

Future perfect continuous (progressive) tense

Future perfect simple and continuous (progressive) tense

Future phrases (e.g. be about to, bound to, likely to, due to, set to + INF)

Homonyms (two words with the same pronunciation - homophones and homographs)

It as preparatory subject (e.g. it's raining, it's nice of you to)

Linking verbs (aka copulas, e.g. I am a student)

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how to accuse somebody of something in English

how to apologize, say sorry, forgive and express regret in English

how to ask for information and make inquiries in English

how to ask for something, make requests in English

how to blame somebody for something in English

how to defend yourself from criticism in English

how to deny or admit something in English

how to describe things or people in English

how to emphasize important things in English

how to encourage or discourage people in English

how to evaluate people or progress in English

how to express agreement /disagreement in English

how to express approval and disapproval  in English

how to express cause and effect in English

how to express interest in something in English

how to express likelihood, probability in English

how to express likes and dislikes in English

how to express sequence and chronology in English

how to express shock and disbelief in English

how to express sympathy and condolences in English

how to give permission, authorization in English

how to inform somebody about some news in English

how to interpret what was said in English

how to keep a conversation going in English

how to make guesses about something in English

how to make, accept and refuse offers in English

how to order or make a booking in English

how to persuade, convince people in English

how to praise people and express appreciation in English

how to reassure somebody of something in English

how to refuse and object to something in English

how to remind people of something in English

how to rephrase, paraphrase what was said in English

how to say thank you, express gratitude in English

Nouns: Collective nouns (team, class, family, committee)

Nouns: Proper nouns (names of people, cities, companies)

Oxymorons (phrases with words of contradictory meaning, e.g. living dead)

Participles: Past participle (e.g. HAVING DONE)

Participles: Present participle (e.g. DOING)

Parts of Speech (aka word classes, e.g. nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs)

Past perfect continuous (progressive) tense

Phonetics (pronunciation, IPA, phonetic symbols)

Plural nouns: regular plurals with S ending

Prefixes (e.g. A, UN, IM, DIS, MIS, EN, etc. )

Prepositions vs adverbs (e.g. before me, saw him before.)

Prepositions: Double prepositions (e.g. out of)

Prepositions: Participle prepositions (e.g. pending, concerning)

Prepositions: Phrase prepositions (e.g. by means of)

Present perfect continuous (progressive) tense

Present perfect simple or present continuous tense

Present simple tense: S for third person singular verbs

Present simple vs continuous (progressive) tense

Pronouns: EACH OTHER, ONE ANOTHER (reciprocal pronouns)

Pronouns: Possessive pronouns (e.g. my, mine)

Pronouns: Reflexive pronouns (e.g. myself, yourself))

Pronouns: SOMEBODY, ANYBODY, EVERYBODY, NO ONE, NOTHING, etc.

Pronouns: THIS, THAT, THESE, THOSE (demonstratives)

Pronouns: YOU and THEY to talk about people in general

Quantifiers (e.g. some, many, much, any, few, little)

Questions: WH questions (open-ended questions)

Reported speech: reported questions (indirect questions)

There is / there are / there was / there were / there will be, etc.

Verbs: Transitive or intransitive verbs (words that can or cannot stand with objects)

Working with Paragraphs: ordering, titling

Role play, miming, drama activity or improv game

Pictionary (picture dictionary) or picture matching

Writing an opinion essay (persuasive essay)

Learners who are Pre-A1 have just begun learning English and will first learn how to:<ul><li>Say the letters in the alphabet and numbers</li><li>Say hello, talk about names and age</li><li>Name the colors and dates, express likes and dislikes</li></ul>

Absolute beginners who have begun to learn the letters and numbers

Learners taking the A1 Elementary exam should be able to:<ul><li>Introduce themselves and ask and answer questions about personal details such as where he/she lives, things he/she has, people he/she knows.</li><li>Communicate using very basic phrases as long as the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.</li><li>Main grammar points to know: common adjectives & adverbs of frequency, going to, how much/how many, imperatives, I'd like, 's – possessive, common prepositions of place and time, present simple & continuous, there is/are</li></ul>

A very basic tourist level, which is enough for buying food and a bus ticket

Learners taking the A2 Pre-intermediate exam should be able to:<ul><li>Understand sentences and frequently used expressions (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment).</li><li>Complete tasks that are routine and exchange information about familiar matters.</li><li>Describe matters of immediate need in simple terms.</li><li>Main grammar points to know: countable/uncountable nouns, adverbs of frequency, future will/going to, much/many, present perfect, past simple, past continuous, common phrasal verbs, common modals: can/should</li></ul>

A tourist who can do basic conversations about the past, present and future

Learners taking the B1 Intermediate exam should be able to:<ul><li>Understand points regarding family, work, school or leisure-related topics.</li><li>Deal with most travel situations in areas where the language is spoken.</li><li>Create simple texts on topics of personal interest.</li><li>Describe experiences, events, dreams, and ambitions, as well as opinions or plans in brief.</li><li>Main grammar points to know: question tags, intensifiers: too/enough, future tenses, past tenses, modals, conditionals, wh-questions in the past</li></ul>

Learners who can deal with both familiar and routine situations, in friendly and work contexts

Learners taking the B2 Upper-intermediate exam should be able to:<ul><li>Understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his/her field of specialization.</li><li>Interact with fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without difficulty for either party.</li><li>Produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain an opinion on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options.</li><li>Main grammar points to know: perfect tenses, mixed conditionals, modals in the present, phrasal verbs, reported speech, wish, relative clauses</li></ul>

The level where you can be a tour guide for your foreign friends and talk about a lot of topics, even abstract ones, with ease and fluency

Learners taking the C1 Advanced exam should be able to: Express ideas fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions. Use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes. Understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts. Produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, using linking phrases (=words that connect ideas between sentences). Main grammar points to know: inversion, mixed conditionals, modals in the past, all passive forms, phrasal verbs (all patterns), wish/if only for regrets

Learners who can smoothly communicate in every walk of life, read long texts and write well

Learners taking the C2 Proficient exam should be able to:<ul><li>Understand almost everything read or heard with ease.</li><li>Summarize information from a variety of sources into a coherent presentation.</li><li>Express themselves using precise meaning in complex scenarios.</li><li>Can express him/herself spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in the most complex situations</li></ul>

Get here and you are ready to study in English at university

260 Warm up questions English ESL worksheets pdf & doc