Numbers: Small Talk Cards for the English Classroom

The small talk cards get learners talking in English about numbers – a playful speaking activity on the topic of numbers in primary school English lessons. Most of the questions are about their own lives, such as their age, favourite number or house number. Taking turns, they draw a card and answer the question on it.

What is included in the material

• Small talk cards with open-ended English questions about numbers in everyday life, for example about siblings, countries visited or phone numbers
• Short instructions on how the cards work and what they are suitable for

Tips for using the material

• It is recommended to use the cards as a warm-up at the start of a lesson: this gets learners talking and allows them to use vocabulary they have already learned.
• For pair work or small groups, the cards can be placed face down in a stack.

These skills are promoted

• Free speaking: answering in English without preparation
• Listening: following the answers of others
• Formulating: forming and justifying their own answers, for example when asked about their favourite number
• Vocabulary: using and expanding known words and numbers

To complement this, there are the conversation questions as a board game, a question-and-answer game about numbers and a poster with number words.