This is a series of pictures and comments about a boy's day to reinforce the present simple - what he normally/usually/sometimes does etc.. There is reading, sequencing, match up (sentences and pictures), true or false and a gap fill activity. Thanks to my colleague Sophia in Ukraine for the template. I&'ve done this for my EAL class, but it may suit younger pupils.

I ask my students to comment on each picture and make inferences. Then they have to prepare a 5 minute talk on whether they are for or against the death penalty and why. It's still a useful debate and can be linked to &'Of Mice and Men&'; and many other works they study.

I made this for a year 9 group doing Employability. The first topic was 'Punctuality.&' There are some EAL beginners in the group, so a few slides have got exercises they can access.

A passage about a boy making new year resolutions, with exercises. Can be used as a preliminary before students think up new year's resolutions for themselves. The template is by Baiba.

Here are some ideas for starter activities that require little or no preparation. They can be adapted to different subject areas.

Two sheets of practice with the 'wh&' words and that honorary wh word - how. Nice pictures on the template.

The first sheet is to practise past simple and to explain 'embarrassment&'. The second one is a follow up story, past simple or past continuous? After the exercise, you can cut the pictures out for sequencing. Ask the students to put the story together using time connectives, &';First, then, after that' etc.. You could practise making questions by having the students prepare qs for Jake, using the &'wh&'; words and build this into a hotseat activity.

Get your students involved and thinking, right from the start of the lesson! Turn the objective/title/'learn&' - however you refer to it in your school, into an interactive exercise. Fifteen suggestions. I hope you find them useful.

Saltaire is a charming village in West Yorkshire. This is a little bit about Sir Titus Salt, who had it built and some exercises.

A nice picture, with activities. Will suit beginners and early intermediates.

This is a play with 9 parts (easily adaptable). I am doing a topic on fairy tales, leading on to Shrek. I acted this out with my EAL students.

Who was Richard III? Where and how was he found? Where should he be reburied?

Survivors are interviewed and asked, 'What were you doing when the ship hit the iceberg?&'

Here are some starters/short activities on the language of Maths.

All about trees. Where do we find trees? What lives in trees? What can they do? An activity that you can do off the cuff.

A great picture, with activities to practise the present continuous tense.

This is a heart warming, short ghost story with exercises: a true/false, match-up activity and comprehension questions.

A fun sheet to colour, with some activities including scrambled words, true or false and past tense exercises.

A few ideas for introducing the past simple - on the second sheet. On the first sheet is a little worksheet with exercises based on a street scene.

Some facts are presented to promote discussion about McDonald's. Good for EAL students in Business Studies.