Here’s a fun and engaging activity that takes two or three lessons to complete.

Students collaborate on an ‘ABC Book’ of a chosen topic. The broader the topic, the easier it is for lower-level students to think of words. The class brainstorms and decides on a topic (my class chose to make The ABC Book of Our Senses – not what I had expected). Each student then chooses a letter of the alphabet. Their task is to think of a word beginning with that letter which is connected (even loosely) to the chosen topic and then create an explanation page on A4 paper for that word, breathing life into it with illustrations, photos, pictures from magazines, poetry and prose. The word itself should be written clearly at the top of the page and they should leave a wide margin on the left for stapling or hole punching the book together. Collect the students’ pages and make copies for everyone in the class. (My students didn’t mind collecting money for colour photocopies.) The students then collate the pages and assemble their books. They can add a Contents page listing the letters and putting the names of the contributing students next to them. If there is time, they can make covers for their books. Each page expresses the individuality of the students and it gives them something they can look through and be proud of for many years to come.