I love ‘describe and draw’ activities – these are so good to develop both speaking and listening skills. Pupils are in pairs, with one of them looking at something that their partner can’t see. Their challenge is to describe it clearly, so their partner can draw it. The partner has to listen very carefully, asking questions to clarify.
Two examples
1) You can use postcards for this activity – here’s an example of a young student’s attempt to draw one based on actively listening to their partner’s description.
2) Or, use it to get students thinking carefully about a map, diagram, or apparatus. I saw this done really well recently in a KS4 Chemistry lesson – students were in pairs, with one facing the front and one facing the back. The student facing the front had to describe the equipment set up for an experiment. The teacher had displayed key vocabulary, and students had to work hard in pairs to clarify the technical language and be precise.
