Mixed Bag 1-Sample Pages

The Mixed Bag
Volume 1
A Collection of
Activities for ESL Classrooms
Canadian Edition
Elizabeth Ganong
Dan Ingram
The Mixed Bag Volume 1 2004 eslresources.com 866-833-9485
Photocopiable by Purchasing Teacher
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ISBN 1-894799-17-8

Introduction
In May 1995, the first monthly issue of The Grab Bag was circulated. Five years later, we
thought it was time to gather some of those ideas shared over the years and add some new ones
to create a book that was indeed a true grab bag. We hope that the activities complement what
you are doing in the classroom.
About the Authors

Dan Ingram and Elizabeth Ganong met while teaching adult ESL at the Canadian Cooperative for
Language and Cultural Studies (CCLCS) in Toronto in 1992. It was within this LINC and teachertraining environment that the idea of sharing teaching materials formed. In 1995, they started The
Grab Bag, a newsletter of ESL teaching ideas. Over the past few years they have facilitated
workshops at numerous conferences, including TESL Toronto, TESL Durham, TESL Niagara, TESL
Ontario and TESL Canada.
Dan had his BRE and M.Miss when he was introduced to ESL in Ecuador. When he returned from
this overseas experience he got his TESL Certificate from CCLCS and started teaching in the LINC
program at CCLCS. Dan is currently teaching at CCLCS.
Elizabeth had her B.A. when she started working at Humber College in 1985. There she was
introduced to ESL. After receiving her TESL Certificate from Humber, she taught ESL as a part-time
and sessional instructor. She also has experience working with Humbers Summer Language
Program, and extensive experience with LINC at CCLCS. Elizabeth currently teaches with the Peel
District School Board. In addition, Elizabeth has her B.Ed, M.Ed, and ESL Part 1.
Acknowledgements
We would like to acknowledge those who subscribed to The Grab Bag during the first five
years of its publication. Their support of our ideas made this book possible.

Contents
Introduction... i
Formation by Colour
Beginning Quotes
Story Create
33
Pass the Picture 2
Canada Match
Adding Details
Canadas Culture
Plural Pronunciation Practice
32
34
35
An Activity Thats Suspect
Alphabet Introductions 4
Computer Dictation
Holiday Share 4
Sentence Separation
Used To 5
Complaint Talk
38
Relative Comparisons 6
I Need Change
39
Family Talk 7
Turning Your Wheels
Be a Good Sport
A Driving Interview
Batter Up 10
Seeing the Sites
Housing Hunt
11
37
37
40
41
42
Abbreviation Answer
44
Tourists Guide 12
At Home with Words 45
Map Find 14
Lucky That Time 46
Travelling Advice 15
Place Match
Directional Dialogue
16
36
47
Environmentally Speaking 48
Letter Writing 17
Where in the World
Are These True? 18
Verb Find
51
Second-Hand Treasures 20
Job Name
52
Objects Around the School 22
Interview Ask 54
Tool Time 24
Excuses! Excuses! 55
To Lend or not to Lend 26
Who Says What to Whom
Heartfelt Quotes
Reading Labels 57
27
50
Youre Going to Love this Game .28
Label Ease 57
Correct It! 30
Whats Cooking in Idioms
I Starts 31
Fruit Find
56
58
59

I Only Have $10
60
Cats and Dogs
95
Food Fun
61
Seasonal Poem
95
Time Flip
62
Strategic Verbs
96
Day by Day
64
Word Part
What Time
65
Revision Decisions
How Often
66
Shopping Around
Whats the Date

Clue In
67
97
Try These
68
99
101
Catalogue Seek
Object Match
69
Line-ups
Neighbourhood Walk
At the Library
69
70
All These Words

Money Find
Future Predictions
106
108
Coming to Canada Questions
72
Money Talks
102
104
Starting Out
71
98
Thematic Nouns
74
111
Paragraph Review
Shopping Clauses
75
Interview by Me
112
113
Whats the Weather
76
All About You
Seasonal Exchange
77
Monday Morning Match-up
Cause Its Hot
77
78
Sequential Stories
Past Pairs
80
82
Rolling Advice
Brrr
84
A Spring of Words
Canadian Words
Summer Plans
A Sticky Situation
116
Seasonal Groupings
117
118
Find Someone Who

86
87
88
90
91
92
120
Talking About Him
122
Likes and Dislikes
124
Snowflakes
125
Answer Key
126
Canadian Language Benchmarks Index

General Index
128

115
116
Start Speaking
Reflecting on Quotes
Fall Words
114
Newspaper Warm-up
A Nervous Pumpkin
110
127
Other Titles in the Grab Bag Series

The Grab Bag of Socializing (2000)
The Grab Bag of Telephone Activities (2000) (Second Revised Edition)
The Grab Bag of Canada (2001)
The Grab Bag of Health (2003) (Second Revised Edition)
The Grab Bag of Work (2004) (Second Revised Edition)
The Mixed Bag Volume 2 (2004)
The Grab Bag of America (2004)

Beginning Quotes
Instructions:
Read the quotes below. Discuss them with your group. What do they mean
to you? Which ones are the most meaningful? Why? What other thoughts do you have about
beginnings? (e.g., How do beginnings make you feel?)
Who begins too much accomplishes little.

~ German Proverb ~
The world is round and the place which may seem like the end
may also be only the beginning.
~ Ivy Baker Priest ~
When ambition ends happiness begins.
~ Unknown ~
Start slow and taper off.
~ Walt Stack ~
Every oak tree started out as a couple of nuts
who decided to stand their ground.
~ Unknown ~
The man who goes alone can start today, but he who travels
with another must wait till that other is ready.
~ Henry David Thoreau ~
How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment
before starting to improve the world.
~ Anne Frank ~
Vitality shows in not only the ability to persist
but the ability to start over.
~ F. Scott Fitzgerald ~
Fear not that thy life shall come to an end, but rather
fear that it shall never have a beginning.
~ John Henry Cardinal Newman ~
There are two kinds of people, those who finish
what they start and so on.
~ Robert Byrne ~
A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.
~ Lao-Tsu ~

Pass the Picture

Activity:
Divide the class into three or more groups. Give each group a picture. Instruct them
to describe the picture. Encourage them to write as many sentences as possible about the
picture. Give them about 15 minutes.
Have the groups exchange pictures and the papers that have the groups sentences on them.
Instruct the groups to read and correct the sentences and to write any additional sentences. Give
them about ten minutes. Next, have each group use the sentences to write questions. The level
of the class will dictate the kinds of questions written. Give them about 15 minutes.
Have them pass the picture and the questions (b
but not the sentences) to the next group. Collect
the description sentences to be used in the final exercise. Have the groups answer the
questions. If a group finishes quickly, have the students write some more questions of their own.
Give them about 15 minutes.
Finally, return the picture, descriptions, questions, and answers to the group they started with.
Have them spend a few minutes seeing what happened to their original work.
Variation:
Take the pictures and cut them into puzzle pieces. The number of pieces is based
on the number of students in the class. Mix the pieces up in a bag. Have each student draw one
piece and find the members of his or her group.
Adding Details
Divide the class up into groups of four to six students. Ask one student to start by telling the
group something he or she did last night or last weekend. For example, the student could say, I
went shopping. After, the other students in the group need to add details. For instance, You
bought a pair of shoes and You went alone.
When each student in the group has provided a sentence, the student who started tells the
group which details are true and which ones are false. The students really listen carefully to one
another because these are details about their lives. Then, another student can share something
he or she did, and so on.

2
Pronunciation Practice
Plurals
Instructions:
Use the rhythm pattern from 1 potato, 2 potatoes, 3 potatoes, 4, 5 potatoes, 6

potatoes, 7 potatoes more to practise singular and plural pronunciation. In the plural, practise
the s, z and iz sounds. The i is really the schwa sound. Substitute household vocabulary
where you would say the word potato. Be prepared to give the next word in order to keep the
rhythm and the drill moving. Begin by using several words from one sound group. Then, move on
to the next. End by mixing them up.
iz
mat
broom
dish
lamp
bed
watch
desk
fan
glass
cup
tub
vase
pot
rug
box
rope
stove
brush
sink
sofa
garage
mop
table
bookcase
toilet
mirror
couch

Alphabet Introductions
Use this interactive approach to help students introduce themselves to their classmates.
Provide each small group with a page that has the alphabet written vertically on it. Ask the
students to talk about and record sentences about themselves. They record a sentence
beside each letter of the alphabet. The first letter of any one of the words in the sentence
must correspond with the letter the sentence is recorded beside. In addition, a verb can
only be used once (or twice depending on the level and/or the class).
For example:
Li is an artist.
Mohammed lives in a bachelor apartment.
Carlos immigrated from Chile.
Li drank two cups of coffee this morning.
After a set amount of time or when the first group finishes, have each student share
something with the class.
Holiday Share
Tell the class one thing that you are going to do during the holidays. For example, I am
going to go tobogganing. In groups, the students prepare (could be written) five questions
to ask you about your plans. You could give them some question starters (e.g., who, what,
where, when, why, how long, how many, have, do). After, they ask and you answer their
questions.
Pair the students up. They tell each other one thing that they are going to do during the
holidays. Then, individually each student prepares five questions to ask his or her partner
about his or her plans.
Variation:
This could be done after the holidays to talk about what you did during the
holidays rather than what your plans for the holidays are.
It would also be effective as a follow-up to sharing plans. The students would be interested
to hear how the plans turned out.

4
Used To
Instructions:
Provide each small group of students with a set of question strips. The first student takes a strip and asks the question. Everyone in the group should respond before the next
student takes a strip and asks that question. Continue until all the questions have been asked
and answered.
Extension:
Have each group write four questions. Have them exchange their questions and answer the questions. Then, they could pass them onto another group to answer.
Did you use to have a pet? What did you call it?
Name a sport that you used to play. Who did you play with?
Did your parents use to read to you when you were young? What books do you remember?
What did you use to do with your friends after school?
What used to be your favourite food? Why isnt it your favourite now?
Where did you use to go for holidays? Who did you go with?
Do you remember a teacher you used to like? Why did you like her/him?
What used to be your favourite toy? Who gave it to you?
Where did you use to go almost every Friday or Saturday night?
Where did you use to work? Name one thing that you liked about your job.
Name one thing that you never used to do that you do now.
Name one thing that you used to do that you dont do anymore.
Relative Comparisons
Who is your
brothers son?
Who is your
Who is your
mothers sister? uncles daughter?
Who is your
aunts husband?
__________
__________
__________
Who is your
sisters daughter?
Who is your
fathers son?
__________
__________
__________
__________
Who is your
fathers wife?
__________
Who is your
father-in-laws
son?
__________
Who is your
mothers
husband?
_________
Who is your
mother-in-laws
daughter?
__________
Who are your

fathers parents?
Who is your
sons sister?
__________
__________
Who is your
mothers
daughter?
__________
Who is your
daughters
brother?
__________
__________
Who is your
Who is your
brothers wife? husbands brother?
Instructions:
Copy and cut the above into squares. In pairs or small groups, have the
students write the answers to the questions in the spaces. Following this, put each set of
squares into a bag. One student in each pair or group should select two squares. Using his or her
own family, the student then compares the two. If a student selects brother and doesnt have a
brother, he or she should choose another square.
Extension:
Write a paragraph comparing any two family members.

6
Family Talk
Are there
any adopted
children in
your family?
Do you
have any
children?
How many?
Are you an
uncle or
aunt?
Where
do your
relatives
live?
Are your
grandparents
alive?
Where do
they live?
Are you
single?
How many
sisters do
you have?
Are you a
grandparent?
Do you have
the same
first name as
anyone in
your family?
How many
brothers do
you have?
Are you
married?
Are there
twins in your
family?
Do you have
any halfbrothers or
half-sisters?
Do you live
with your
parents?
Is your
family big
or small?
Who is
Move ahead the oldest
two spaces. child in your
family?
Who is
your
favourite
relative?
Are there
triplets in
your
family?
What family
members
live with
you?
Who is
the youngest
in your
family?
Start
Instructions:
Are your
siblings
married?
Do you
know your
cousins?
Where do
they live?
Move back
three
spaces.
Move around the board and answer the

questions. The other players can ask you for more
information. For example, if you say you have one sister,
another player might ask, Where does she live?
Finish
Where
do your
parents
live?
Do you
have a stepmother or
stepfather?
Do you have Is anyone in

a stepyour family Move ahead
brother or
a foster
one space.
stepsister?
parent?

Be a Good Sport
Preparation:
Get a few pictures of various sports.
Introduction:
Show the students the pictures and ask them to name the sports. Also, have
them name where you would play this sport and what equipment you would need.
Activity:
Give each small group a copy of the game board on the next page. Have the
students roll the die and move around the game board. When a student lands on a space,
have him or her answer a question or a series of questions. Some possibilities are listed
below.
What sport is it?
Where do you play it? Where do you do it?
What equipment do you need?
What is he/she doing?
Have you ever tried it? If yes, do you like it? Why or why not? If no, would you
like to try it? Why or why not?
Do you like watching this sport? Why or why not?
What are three verbs you could use to describe the action in this sport?
What are two adjectives that describe this sport?
Extensions:
Have them brainstorm about other sports. You could set up a time limit and do
this competitively.
In pairs, have them describe their favourite sports. They could also explain one or two rules.
Do the Batter Up activity on the next page.
Generate a list of action verbs.
Discuss the concept of play. For example, you play volleyball but you go hiking or you hike.
Have them look at the various sports and decide if you use play or not. If you do not use
play, have them decide how you would describe your involvement in the sport.
Variation:
You could have a list of six questions. Then, if a student rolls a three, he or she
answers Question #3, based on the picture he or she has landed on. This would provide more
variety for the students, and they would go around the board several times. Otherwise, the
activity can be quite short.

8

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The Mixed Bag

Important Copyright and Photocopy Permission Information

Purchasing Teacher (One Teacher Permission)

Purchasing School (One School/Site Permission)

The Mixed Bag Volume 1 2004 eslresources.com 866-833-9485

About the Authors

The Mixed Bag Volume 1 2004 eslresources.com 866-833-9485

Pass the Picture 2

Plural Pronunciation Practice

An Activity Thats Suspect

Turning Your Wheels

At Home with Words 45

Lucky That Time 46

Where in the World

Are These True? 18

Objects Around the School 22

To Lend or not to Lend 26

Who Says What to Whom

Youre Going to Love this Game .28

Whats Cooking in Idioms

The Mixed Bag Volume 1 2004 eslresources.com 866-833-9485

I Only Have $10

Cats and Dogs

Whats the Date

All These Words

Coming to Canada Questions

Whats the Weather

All About You

Monday Morning Match-up

Cause Its Hot

Find Someone Who

Talking About Him

Likes and Dislikes

Canadian Language Benchmarks Index

The Mixed Bag Volume 1 2004 eslresources.com 866-833-9485

Other Titles in the Grab Bag Series

The Mixed Bag Volume 1 2004 eslresources.com 866-833-9485

Who begins too much accomplishes little.

The Mixed Bag Volume 1 2004 eslresources.com 866-833-9485

Pass the Picture

The Mixed Bag Volume 1 2004 eslresources.com 866-833-9485

Photocopiable by Purchasing Teacher

Use the rhythm pattern from 1 potato, 2 potatoes, 3 potatoes, 4, 5 potatoes, 6

The Mixed Bag Volume 1 2004 eslresources.com 866-833-9485

Mohammed lives in a bachelor apartment.

Carlos immigrated from Chile.

Li drank two cups of coffee this morning.

The Mixed Bag Volume 1 2004 eslresources.com 866-833-9485

Photocopiable by Purchasing Teacher

Who are your

Write a paragraph comparing any two family members.

The Mixed Bag Volume 1 2004 eslresources.com 866-833-9485

Photocopiable by Purchasing Teacher

Move around the board and answer the

Do you have Is anyone in

The Mixed Bag Volume 1 2004 eslresources.com 866-833-9485

Get a few pictures of various sports.

The Mixed Bag Volume 1 2004 eslresources.com 866-833-9485

Photocopiable by Purchasing Teacher

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