Elevator
Elevator is a presentational speaking activity that engages students in short bursts of meaningful communication in partners or small groups. This is a low-prep activity that gives all students multiple opportunities to share their responses to a prompt, and works very well as a preparation for a final check for learning which requires all students to independently produce language to meet the learning targets of a lesson.
Instructions
Students are paired up and designate a Partner A and Partner B.
The teacher displays a question or prompt and gives students a time limit to prepare their own individual responses.
Partner A shares their response while Partner B listens.
Once Partner A has finished sharing, Partner B summarizes aloud everything Partner A has just said.
Partner A and B switch roles—Partner B shares their prepared response, Partner A listens and then summarizes.
(optional) The teacher may randomly select a few students to share either their own or their partner’s responses with the class.
Materials
Speaking prompts or questions
Writing tool (pen and paper and/or tablet or computers)