The bedroom by Vincent Van Gogh

 

                                    https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archivo:VanGogh_Room.jpg

Running picture dictation: The bedroom by Vincent Van Gogh

Shared by Ruth Sánchez:

Skills: Reading/speaking/writing/listening

Time: 10-20 minutes (depending on running space)

Level: 1 ESO

Logistics: Pairs

Materials: Printed images for each pair, blu-tack, white paper and colour pencils.

A Running dictation requires a bit of prep before students arrive. Ideally, you will have two areas: one for the sentences to be posted, and another for the “secretaries” to sit and draw. Runners can only describe their pictures, they cannot write for the secretary.

You need to emphasize to the runners that they can only whisper to their partners and not speak in a normal voice. If you let students speak in their normal voices, they will start shouting from across the room. I have a one-strike policy—any voice above a whisper and the game is over for that team. (Covid19 variation: Use the playground or gym if available so as to allow enough space to separate teams so they can raise their voices a little now that they're wearing a face mask)

Students should be divided into two main groups: runners/dictators and secretaries. The runners will find the images, and will memorize as much as they can.

Then, they will run back to their secretary and dictate what they remember. They will repeat running and dictating until they have correctly described the entire image. In case they forget their image while still running, they are allowed to run back to read them again. The first team to finish should raise their hands to indicate the teacher they're done and the other teams should continue until they finish. Then they should raise their hands too. The activity is over when all the students have finished dictating and drawing their pictures.

Then, they have to check with the teacher to make sure it’s correct. (I usually have a prize for the first, second and third teams in this dictation exercise.)