A set of cards requiring students to choose an option and justify it. Interesting mix of subjects: stop warfare or end disease? Give up crisps or chocolate? Be able to fly or communicate with animals...etc. They make great starter activities, practising 'I would rather...' and promoting creative thinking. The template is from eslprintables.

The students decide which comment refers to which character. You could develop this by asking them to back up their decisions/give examples.

There are six shopping lists. What can students deduce about the people's personalities? On page 2, there are some prompts and a gap fill activity as differentiation.

This is a number of great stills, which the students mind map, or think, pair, share. They need to place the pictures in context and say: Who? Where? When? What did...? Why did they...? How did s/he feel? What did they say? What happened just before? What happened afterwards? Etc...

This is a desk-top mat for mainstream teachers with EAL students in the class. It's a short check list and then suggested activities for beginners through to advanced bilingual learners.

Activities which will suit literacy for biology, or general literacy. Or for when you need a few minutes... Brain gym, match-up, true or false, design, discussion, look and remember... I have sourced some of the basics from the net and done exercises around them. Hope it will be useful. I think this will suit years 5,6, 7.

For early learners or for a mixed ability EAL class. The beginners can count and practise 'There is a __&' &';There are __ s'. Also present continuous tense &'What is she doing?&';etc. More advanced students can write about it in the past simple 'The school trip&'. How did they get there? What did they do? etc. Also - good picture for Splat! and Hotseat activitiies. The picture is by Kait Eaton and copyrighted to Duck Egg Blue. I have permission to use it.

A reading comprehension, with language exercises. This follows on from my reading comprehension 'Snow Day&'. This is differentiated - EAL students can put the verbs in the past simple, while more advanced students can tackle the discussion points.

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.

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

This is a great nostalgic picture, with exercises to reinforce the present continuous and past simple tenses for EAL students. I play 'Splat!' and memory games with this kind of thing. I was kindly given permission to use the picture.

A narrative of the famous county Durham legend, with comprehension questions and language exercises.

This is a short narrative in the past simple, with language exercises: true or false, cloze, match up and comprehension questions. It will be useful for years 5, 6, 7 and EAL pupils. My thanks to Ravensburger puzzles for permission to use this great picture. Isn't Flame a beaut?

Some literacy activities for Christmas - 'how many words can you make from...?&' with fly in answers. Jumbled words of Christmas vocabulary and two Christmas pictures for memory games, with questions.

This is a series of contrasting pictures, with questions, for making comparisons. Good 'brain gym&' activity.

This is a picture-based discussion exercise. I give my students some time to look at the sheet. Then , in pairs, they each have to argue one case or the other. Makes a great starter to 'Romeo and Juliet&'.

This makes a good starter or filler activity. The first slide explains the activity and the second models it. Then, give each group a picture and ask them to mind map it. For extension, have them compare any two pictures.

Here is a selection of fun starters/ activities using a grid. Only one needs any preparation; you can just go with the others. Adaptable to most subject matter.

There are forty sentences here, with 90 mistakes to find and correct. A full key is provided. This will make a good starting point for some SPAG activities, or provide a nice little filler activity. ** Note**: it looks a bit strange on the preview, but it’s fine when downloaded.

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.