Perhaps because some of our students never go beyond mastering the verb "to be", we need to devise some simple creative exercises and free writing activities in order to get to know ourselves better. Here are 3 examples:
1) I AM..... (YOU JUST LIST EVERYTHING YOU THINK YOU ARE).
I AM A STUDENT, A MAMMAL, A SON, A DAUGHTER, AN UNCLE, AN AUNT, A NEPHEW, A NIECE,A CITIZEN, A EUROPEAN, A SPANIARD, AN ANDALUSIAN, A HETEROSEXUAL, A HOMOSEXUAL, AN ARTIST, A RIDER, A DRIVER, A COMPUTER USER, A COOK, A GARDENER, A BOYFRIEND, A GIRLFRIEND, A MUSICIAN, A FOOD LOVER, A CYCLIST,
A WRITER, AN AUTONOMOUS LEARNER, A REBEL, A PACIFIST, A TEAM MEMBER, A FAMILY MEMBER, A GROUP MEMBER, A BELIEVER, A LOSER, A WINNER, A TOY BOY, A PROPHET, A REVOLUTIONARY, A GHOST, A GUMMY BEAR, A STEREOTYPE, A PSYCHO, A BULLY, A DRUG ADDICT, A GOOD CANDIDATE/FRIEND, A PIRATE, A FOOL, A STAR, A TOURIST, A MANIAC, A SINGER, A DANCER, A WOLF, A RAINBOW, A SKY FULL OF STARS
A ROCK, A MESS, A SINGLE MAN/WOMAN, A CONSUMER, AN ALBATROSS,A VEGETARIAN, A VEGAN, A BOOK LOVER, AN ANIMAL LOVER, A SOCIAL REFORMER, A HYPOCRITE, A SOCIALIST, A CONSERVATIVE, AN ANIMAL, A COWARD, A HERO, A ZERO, A FAN,
FUN, MYSELF, COLD, HOT,INCREDIBLE,SOCIABLE,THIRSTY, THIRTY, THRIFTY, IN A HURRY,ECCENTRIC, DIVINE, SASSY, ORIGINAL, SPONTANEOUS,IN LOVE, DIVINE, DANGEROUS, CHARLIE HEBDO,etc..(LIST TEN MORE )
I AM ALL THAT ABOVE.
I AM.... THEREFORE I THINK.
(inspired by Brian Eno´s diary A Year with swollen appendices.)
2) MAN IS THE ONLY ANIMAL THAT......:.
BLUSHES or NEEDS TO (Mark Twain)
CAN REMAIN ON FRIENDLY TERMS WITH THE VICTIMS HE INTENDS TO EAT..( Samuel Butler)
HAS CHILDREN ON PURPOSE(P.J.O´ROURKE)
CREATES PROBLEMS THEY CANNOT SOLVE
LIES AWAKE IN THE DARK AND WEEPS FOR THEIR SINS( W. WHITMAN)
IS DEMENTED BY THE MANIA OF OWNING THINGS.
KNEELS TO ANOTHER OF HIS KIND WHO LIVED THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO.
CAN LAUGH AND WEEP AT THE SAME TIME.
CAN BE BOTH PEDANTIC AND PRETENTIOUS.
CAN EAT AND DRINK WITHOUT BEING HUNGRY OR THIRSTY.
(Inspired by ADVANCED BANTER)
3) When the students have developed some form of abstract thought; they can fill in the following sentence:
HUMAN..................................... IS ENDLESS/ INFINITE/UNFATHOMABLE.
I¨ve come up with the following:
STUPIDITY, FOOLISHNESS, GENEROSITY, EVIL,CRUELTY, RUDENESS, IMAGINATION,GOODNESS,STUBBORNNESS, GRACE, FUN, FOLLY; COMPASSION,GULLIBILITY, FAITH, HOPE, DESPAIR, FEAR, HUNGER
EDUCATION, RESOURCEFULNESS, LEARNING ABILITY,ARBITRARINESS,
CREATIVITY, ORIGINALITY, FAILURE, TRIUMPH, IDLENESS, DISASTER,ECCENTRICITY,PUSILLANIMITY,DETERMINATION,
AMBIVALENCY,.ARGUMENTATION,DESTRUCTION,DIVERSIFICATION...
( In your humble opinion what other abstract nouns would fill the gap?)
