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Shop Have you bought Business Photo Cards and are wondering how to use their potential in your classes in the most interesting way? Here are a couple of specific examples of games that will add variety to your classes while making the most of what our cards have to offer. Check out the examples and choose the right ones for your students!
And if you don’t have your copy yet, please visit our shop. Link below:
Business Photo Cards - Games
Spark curiosity
RECOMMENDED LEVELS: B1, B2
OBJECTIVE: to stimulate curiosity about the subject
WHAT DOES THE TRAINER DO?
He shows a selected photograph and asks the following questions:
1. “What first comes to your mind when you see this photo?”.
2. “What do you think we are going to talk about today?”.
3. “What business area would you say this photo represents / refers to / is linked to?”
WHAT DO THE STUDENTS DO?
They look at a photograph and guess what subject they associate the photograph with.
Map of associations
RECOMMENDED LEVELS: B1, B2
OBJECTIVE: to introduce new vocabulary from the card
WHAT DOES THE TRAINER DO?
The teacher writes the main topic of the card on the board. He/she says:
“I have a list of words and phrases connected with the subject here. Your task is to guess as many items as possible’. As students give words, the teacher writes them down in mind map form.
At the end, the trainer sums up how many words the students managed to guess.
WHAT DO THE PARTICIPANTS DO?
Their task is to guess as many words as possible. If they have difficulty doing so, the teacher can give them the definitions of the words to guide them.
Chain history
RECOMMENDED LEVELS: A2 – B2
OBJECTIVE: warm-up or practice of selected grammar topics
WHAT DOES THE TRAINER DO?
He/she says:
“We are going to create a story in Past Simple using the photos. Each of you gets one photograph and needs to create one sentence related to the photo in Past Simple Tense. “
The trainer hands out random cards to the participants and one to himself. He shows the students his card and starts the story himself, for example:
“Last week Frank had a difficult board meeting”. He then indicates the next participant to continue the story.
WHAT DO THE STUDENTS DO?
The students take it in turns to tell the rest of the story, using the photograph.
Questions in pairs
RECOMMENDED LEVELS: B1 –C1
OBJECTIVE: Warm-up. To increase students’ speaking time.
WHAT DOES THE TRAINER DO?
He/she says:
“You are each going to get a photo card. Please ask each other the questions which are on the other side of the card.”
The trainer hands out the cards from the key or randomly and listens to the work in pairs and corrects mistakes.
WHAT DO THE LISTENERS DO?
They ask themselves the questions which are on the back of the cards.
Guessing with words
RECOMMENDED LEVELS: B1 – C1
OBJECTIVE: Guess the main topic of the card by the words without showing the card
WHAT DOES THE TRAINER DO?
Says:
“You are going to get a card. Don’t show it to anyone. Cover it up. Read the words which are on the other side. The others are to guess the main topic of the card.”
The teacher ‘secretly’ distributes the cards to the students.
WHAT DO THE PARTICIPANTS DO?
Without showing the card, listeners are asked to read the vocabulary on the cards. The rest of the group tries to guess the main topic of the card that the participant is holding face down.
Five-card guessing game with words
RECOMMENDED LEVELS: B2 – C1
OBJECTIVE: To guess which card the student has chosen from the 5 cards revealed. To practise the vocabulary from the card.
WHAT DOES THE TRAINER DO?
He/she says:
“Take 5 similar cards each. Choose one of them but don’t tell which you have chosen and don’t show anyone. Write down the words from that card into your notebook. “
To the group: “The group – you just listen and look at the cards. At the end you can bet on one picture.”
To the student: “Now read the words to the group.”
WHAT DO THE STUDENTS DO?
The learners are asked to choose 5 similar cards. They decide on one and transcribe the vocabulary from it. They read out the vocabulary and the others wonder which card of the five they could have chosen. The one who has made the most bets and hits the most cards wins.
Sentences with words
RECOMMENDED LEVELS: B1 –C2
OBJECTIVE: To practise the vocabulary of the cards.
WHAT DOES THE TRAINER DO?
He/she says: “Find and take 5 similar cards. Choose one of them but don’t tell others which. Select one vocabulary item from the card and create a sentence with it.” The teacher hands out the cards.
WHAT DO THE STUDENTS DO?
Students choose five pictures and have to create a sentence for the picture they have chosen with a word from one of the cards. The rest of the group has to guess which card the listener has created a sentence for.
Sentence or grammatical question for a photograph
RECOMMENDED LEVELS: A2 – C2
OBJECTIVE: To practise a grammatical topic in conjunction with a picture.
WHAT DOES THE TRAINER DO?
Introduces a grammar issue, spreads the cards on the table in front of the students and asks them to come up with a sentence, question or negation in a given tense, mode etc. He says: “Please create a sentence in Present Perfect on the basis of a photo which you choose.”
WHAT DO THE STUDENTS DO?
They are to create a specific sentence, negation or question (e.g. in the conditional or some tense) linked to a photo they choose.
Grammar questions with vocabulary
RECOMMENDED LEVELS: A2 –C2
OBJECTIVE: To practise a grammatical topic in combination with business vocabulary from the card.
WHAT DOES THE TRAINER DO?
Ideally, the lecturer should match the cards to the issue in advance. For example, if you need to practise the conditional mode. The trainer selects cards to which the learners can make up such a sentence.
The trainer distributes the cards in front of the learners and instructs: “Please select any photo card you want and create a question with it in the 2nd conditional.”
WHAT DO THE LEARNERS DO?
They ask questions, for example, in the conditional mode, using the selected word/phrase from the card. Example: “What would you do, if you were given a notice?” (question to the word from card 60. employment)
Headlines and articles
RECOMMENDED LEVELS: B2 – C2
OBJECTIVE: To develop students’ writing skills.
WHAT DOES THE TRAINER DO?
The trainer commissions a headline to write an article.
Once the students have written it, the trainer asks them to briefly describe what happened.
For homework or during class, the lecturer asks them to write a short article for a newspaper.
WHAT DO THE STUDENTS DO?
Students create headlines (newspaper article headlines) related to the presented picture. They come up with several ideas and, at the end of the lesson, write a short article for the newspaper as a summary of the discussion of the class topic as homework (or 10 minutes before the end of class).
Dialogue with words
RECOMMENDED LEVELS: B1 – C1
OBJECTIVE: To increase speaking confidence in learners.
WHAT DOES THE TRAINER DO?
Depending on the level of proficiency, asks participants to write or act out (more advanced) dialogues using the vocabulary from the cards.
WHAT DOES THE AUDIENCE DO?
They are asked to create a dialogue that is related to the situation in the picture. When creating, they use the vocabulary that is on the cards.
Vocabulary questionnaire (revision)
RECOMMENDED LEVELS: B2 – C1
OBJECTIVE: Development of definition skills; repetition of vocabulary
WHAT DOES THE TRAINER DO?
Selects cards from which the vocabulary has already been worked through. He says: “Let’s revise the cards we had a couple of lessons ago”. He distributes the cards to the students.
WHAT DO THE PUPILS DO?
They define the words that are on the cards. The rest of the group guesses the word that has been defined.
PROs and CONs - discussion
RECOMMENDED LEVELS: B2 –C2
OBJECTIVE: Speaking freely in a group
WHAT DOES THE TRAINER DO?
He/she selects cards that ask questions about advantages and disadvantages and divides the group into two camps – opponents and supporters of an option. Each camp has to present its arguments. List of cards with questions about ‘pros and cons’:
1. career ladder
12 Sole owners
22 Teleconferencing
26 Working from Home
29) The Board
31st Quality Control
39. sales
In addition, cards can also be used to discuss pros and cons :
18. outsourcing – pro or against outsourcing
Procrastination – good and bad sides 53.
Teamwork – working alone vs. cooperating 68.
Mergers – to merge or not to merge 70.
Real estate – owning or renting a property 70.
WHAT DO PARTICIPANTS DO?
Scenario 1: They are to prepare e.g. 5 arguments for their thesis and present them.
Scenario 2. They are to criticise the arguments of the opposite camp giving examples from life.
Comics or memes
RECOMMENDED LEVELS: B1 – B2
OBJECTIVE: Free construction of questions and answers
WHAT DOES THE TRAINER DO?
Selects cards that represent people or scenes (these are the vast majority). The trainer distributes balloon / cloud shaped cards to the students.
WHAT DO THE PUPILS DO?
On the clouds/smokes, pupils are asked to write questions or sentences which, in their opinion and imagination, could be uttered by the characters in the pictures.
The idea was proposed by: Katarzyna Karolina Kotara
Gradual discovery
LEVELS: A2-C1
OBJECTIVE: to introduce or repeat modal verbs in the expression of suppositions
WHAT DOES THE COACH DO?
TWO SCENARIOS:
1. the trainer gives the trainees the vocabulary to express conjectures in advance, depending on the level of the group (look below).
The trainer prepares a blank white card (can be irregularly shaped), which he covers with a photo card, gradually revealing it. Participants are to use new expressions to conjecture what is in the photo.
2 As in the first scenario, the teacher first introduces the vocabulary. Beforehand, he/she prepares some templates for a specific photo (there can be one with windows), which gradually reveal the relevant elements on the previously selected card.
Expressions according to level:
A2:
I think they are buying something …
I guess they are talking about …
I believe they are satisfied …
B1:
This may be …
They could be … -ing
This might be a meeting …
B2:
I presume this
This seems to be …
I suspect this might be …
C1:
It seems as if they were …
It looks as if this might be…
It seems as though they were …
The game works best with cards:
5. WORKLIFE BALANCE
9. BUSINESS MEETINGS
14. STARTUPS
16. NEGOTIATIONS
25. CRISIS MANAGEMENT
30. PRESENTATIONS
39. SALES
40. INTERVIEW
53. TEAMWORK
59. PROFESSIONAL EXPATS
and others.
STUDENTS:
They try to guess what the picture represents, using the language of conjecture.
Process description
RECOMMENDED LEVELS: A2 – B2
OBJECTIVE: Describing multi-step processes / practising selected grammatical points
WHAT DOES THE TRAINER DO?
Asks:
“What does a typical recruitment process look like?”
The trainer lays out the Recruitment, Correspondence, Interview Job, Employment and Benefits cards in front of the participants. Motivates participants to use the vocabulary from the Useful Words and Phrases section to describe the process.
Alternatively, with participants from B1 level onwards, the trainer explains the use of the passive side in process descriptions and asks learners to use this grammatical issue to describe recruitment.
WHAT DO LEARNERS DO?
One by one, learners list all the stages that a recruitment process can consist of (sending an application, phone call from a company, email correspondence, interview, etc.) using pictures from the cards and pointing to the next person to continue. Students use the construction of the passive side, if introduced.