All You Need is Paper (and a little love) ESL/EFL activities

I strongly believe a Mystery Box is an essential item for any teacher teaching kids and teens. It can probably even be used for adults. I might just try it this semester since I do have an adult group on Saturdays.  There are so many ways you can use this box that's why it's so useful. It can be used to introduce vocabulary or sentences on slips, for example, place words in the box that are connected to the unit topic, have each student come and with their eyes closed pick a word, read it aloud, and try to guess what the unit is about. You can write their guesses on the board and then see how close they got to the correct answer. You can place different objects in the box and slowly show parts of the object for students to guess. The answer to a question can be placed in the box and at the end of the class a student can read the answer to see if students answered correctly. People always love a little mystery so this box is a great way to engage students and bring an unexpected...

I did this actvity with my advanced teens group. In one class they had to choose some colors and squirt paint onto a white piece of paper 3 times and fold the paper in the middle so the paint would create different patterns like in a mirror. I didn't tell them what it would be for. I also told them not to write their names on the paper. The mystery made the actvity even more engaging.  The following class I handed the papers out randomly, asking them to hand back the paper if it was their own. Next, they had to use vocabulary words we were studying to write sentences about the person who had made the images. I asked them to imagine they were studying the student's personality through the "painting" they had created.  They had to really use their creativity and also make sure they understood the meanings of each new word they used. They all had fun trying to come up with their sentences and then trying to find out who the paper belonged to. Last, when students got thei...