Running dictation

 How do you learners react to the word “Dictation”? Aren’t they enthusiastic about it? Try “Running Dictation”!

This lively useful activity requires students to use all four language skills – reading, listening, writing and speaking.

How to organize it?

• Pair students up. Let them decide who is “a runner’ and who is “a writer” in each pair. (At a later stage they could swap tasks.)
• Short texts (related to what you are studying) are printed out and stuck on the wall, away from the desks. The wall in the corridor can be used, too.
• The texts could include some gaps to fill later or jumbled sentences – lots of possibilities here.
• “Runners” run to the text, read, remember as much as they can and then they return to dictate the text to “writers”. Then they run again. The first pair to finish writing the complete, correct texts wins.
• Follow-up activities with the texts are recommended for later stages of the lesson.

Three DON’Ts for learners:

1. Don’t use your phone cameras to help you “remember” the text.
2. “Runners”, don’t write – dictate, spell the words and tell your partner when they are right or wrong.
3. “Writers”, don’t go to have a look at the text and don’t ask “runners” to bring it to you.