This interactive set of ESL speaking cards is an engaging way to help students practice critical thinking, problem solving, giving suggestions, and offering advice. Each card presents a real-life scenario or everyday problem for one student to read aloud. Classmates must then respond with their advice and ideas, creating a lively, collaborative speaking activity. Perfect for Pre-Intermediate to Intermediate ESL/EFL learners, these cards encourage creative thinking and help students develop fluency in authentic communication.
Before You Play
Prepare your students with useful sentence starters such as: “How about…”, “My suggestion is…”, “Have you thought of…”, “You could…”. These expressions give learners the tools they need to respond naturally and confidently. The activity works well as a warm-up, small-group practice, or full-class discussion.
What’s Included
- 32 unique conversation scenario cards that encourage advice-giving
- Student-friendly prompts designed for creative and meaningful answers
- Color and black-and-white printing options for flexibility
- Reusable format – print, cut, and laminate for years of classroom use
How to Use
These conversation cards for ESL can be used in many ways: pair work, small group speaking activities, or whole-class discussions. Students take turns reading a scenario card and classmates respond with advice. Teachers can extend the activity by encouraging follow-up questions or asking multiple students to share different perspectives.
Why Teachers Love Them
- Promotes student-centered learning and active participation
- Encourages critical thinking and problem solving in English
- Versatile for ESL, EFL, and ELL classrooms
- Great for conversation practice, speaking fluency, and exam prep
Pair It With
For even more speaking practice, pair this set with the Conversation Question Cards – ESL Speaking Activity . Together, these resources create the perfect toolkit for building fluency, confidence, and critical thinking skills in the ESL classroom.