Strategies for New Arrivals

Barrier Exercises

Using two slightly different pictures as a barrier exercise

• The students work in pairs.
• Each member of a pair is given a picture, which the other member cannot see because of a barrier such as a low cardboard screen on a desktop which is put between the two students.
• The partners then talk to each other to determine differences and similarities between the two pictures.

These tasks allow students to practise: new vocabulary, new sentence structures and the asking of questions.

• Formatting a bibliography
• Gene matching
• Ionic Compounds
• Volcanoes

Using a crossword as a barrier exercise

Adapt a crossword so that each student has some of the answers and some of the clues and each student must find the missing clues/answers by asking their partner.

• Transport
• Sexual Reproduction in Plants