Atom X!
Here's a great activity to enliven students of any level any time you need to form groups or pairs. I got it from "Drama Techniques in Language Learning" by Maley and Duff, published by Cambridge.
Play some lively music, then stop the music and yell, "Atom 3!" (or 2 or 7 or 11, but never a number larger than the actual size of the class), and the students join together with those nearest them to form the requisite number.
After this has been done a few times, you call out the number required for the group or pair activity to follow (e.g. "Atom 4!"). Groups are then ready-made for tne next activity, whatever it may be.
Submitted by Doug Schwyn, Saltillo, Mexico.
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