8 Warm-Up Activities for 1st Year Bac English Classes in Morocco

Prepare a list of more specific, opinion-based statements than the classic beginner version (“Find someone who thinks social media does more harm than good,” “Find someone who wants to study abroad”). Students mingle, ask each other, and note names — genuinely getting to know classmates’ actual views, not just surface facts.

In pairs, students have 90 seconds each to interview their partner on a topic you assign (favorite subject and why, a place they’d like to visit, a skill they want to learn). Switch partners once or twice for variety.

Read a statement (“Homework should be banned”) and have students physically stand along an imaginary line from “strongly agree” to “strongly disagree.” Ask a few students at different points to briefly explain their position.

Use more mature dilemma questions than the standard version (“Would you rather have a job you love with low pay, or a job you dislike with high pay?”). Students choose a side, form small groups, and defend their choice.

Prepare a set of topic cards (a hobby, a place, a skill). Students draw one at random and speak for one uninterrupted minute — no notes, no stopping. A genuinely good confidence-builder for spontaneous speaking.

Each student writes down one genuine daily habit. In small groups, they take turns reading habits aloud while the group guesses whose it is, asking follow-up yes/no questions before guessing.

Start with a word from the current or previous unit. Each student says a related word building off the last one — but every word must connect logically to the one before it, not just be a random association.

Give a simple, low-stakes debate topic (“Cats are better than dogs,” “Mornings are better than evenings”). Split the class into two sides and give each side 60 seconds to prepare one argument before a very short, informal exchange.