ChatGPT in the ESL Classroom: A Guide to Generating Custom Activities

In our hyper-connected world, the demands on English language educators seem to increase each year. Finding time to craft engaging lessons that cater to each learner’s individual needs can be a significant challenge. One potential support for busy teachers like us is ChatGPT. It offers a helping hand for efficiently crafting tailored learning activities. It’s not about shortcuts but rather about enhancing your teaching practice with smart technology so that you can dedicate more time and energy to direct engagement with students.

In this blog, I’ll share prompts you can use to generate activities that will round out your lesson plans. These prompts aren’t intended to be used by learners as they require your special teacher touch to really come to life.

Understanding ChatGPT Prompts

Crafting a ChatGPT prompt is like providing detailed guidance to a skilled teacher's aide. You must be precise and clear when outlining your expectations and the desired outcomes for the lesson. This specificity guides ChatGPT, enabling it to produce materials that align with your educational objectives. Just as a teacher's aide relies on clear instructions to support classroom activities effectively, ChatGPT requires well-defined prompts to create tailored and relevant learning experiences for your students. This is why it’s so important that the tool be used under the guidance of a skilled educator. 

When creating prompts, I prefer to follow a specific format so that ChatGPT can meet my needs quickly and thoroughly. I use the following template:

When: duration of the activity

Who: target audience and proficiency level

What: type of activity (and title if available)

How: specific instructions on what the activity should include

Standards: If you are targeting a specific standard, it’s helpful to include it here.

Creating Beginner Level Activities

Beginner students need activities that build confidence and foundational skills. Let’s start with a classic scenario: Visiting the Doctor's Office.

Sample Prompt for ChatGPT

When: Generate a 20-minute speaking & listening activity.

Who: This lesson is for NRS level high-beginning ESL students.

What: The activity will be called "Visiting the Doctor's Office."

How: Create a dialogue between a patient and a doctor discussing symptoms during flu season, incorporating a 5-item vocabulary list relevant to the situation.

This prompt directs ChatGPT to produce an activity that is manageable yet challenging for beginners, incorporating practical vocabulary and an everyday scenario that encourages students to speak and listen actively. Based on the prompt, below is the activity ChatGPT created. To keep this article to a manageable length, I’ll share the results of only this prompt.

Vocabulary List:

1. Symptoms (noun) - The physical or mental features that indicate a condition or illness. "The main symptoms of the flu include fever and cough."

2. Fever (noun) - A temporary increase in body temperature, often due to an illness. "If you have a fever, you should rest and drink plenty of fluids."

3. Cough (noun) - A sudden, noisy expulsion of air from the lungs. “A persistent cough can be a sign that you need to visit a doctor."

4. Prescription (noun) - A piece of paper on which a doctor writes the details of the medicine or drugs that someone needs. "The doctor gave me a prescription for flu medication."

5. Contagious (adjective) - A disease that can be spread from one person or organism to another, typically by direct contact. "The flu is highly contagious, so stay home if you're feeling ill."

Dialogue Script:

Patient: "Hello, doctor. I've been feeling really unwell for a couple of days."

Doctor: "I'm sorry to hear that. Can you tell me more about your symptoms?"

Patient: "I have a high fever, my whole body aches, and I can't stop coughing."

Doctor: "It sounds like you might have the flu. Have you been resting and drinking plenty of fluids?"

Patient: "I've tried to rest, but I feel so sick. And yes, I'm drinking a lot of water."

Doctor: "Good. I'm going to prescribe some medication to help with the symptoms. You should also stay home from work or school because the flu is very contagious."

Patient: "Thank you, doctor. How soon will I start to feel better?"

Doctor: "If you take the medication and continue to rest and drink fluids, you should start feeling better in a few days. Make sure to go to the pharmacy with this prescription and call me if your symptoms worsen."

Patient: "Will do. Thanks for your help, doctor."

Instructions for the Teacher:

1. Introduce the vocabulary list to the students, ensuring they understand each word and its use in context.

2. Pair students and distribute the dialogue script. Have them take turns playing the role of the doctor and the patient.

3. Encourage students to practice the dialogue multiple times, swapping roles for balanced speaking and listening practice.

4. After the role-play, facilitate a discussion about their experience with the activity and any real-life connections they can make with the scenario.

5. As an extension, students can create their own dialogues using the vocabulary list, which they can then practice with a partner.

As you can see, this is a good start to a dialogue activity for a medical visit. However, I would make some minor changes – especially to the definitions of the vocabulary words. Depending on context, some words used in the definitions are likely above level for this student population. The goal of using ChatGPT to craft an activity is to save you time and precious energy. It’s not likely that you’ll receive a perfect response, but if you construct your prompt carefully, you should receive something you can tailor with only a few minutes of effort.

Intermediate Level Engagement

At the intermediate level, students can handle more complexity and nuance. A group discussion about community services not only teaches vocabulary but also imparts knowledge about the students’ local environment.

Sample Prompt for ChatGPT:

When: Develop a 30-minute group discussion activity.

Who: This lesson is for NRS level intermediate ESL students.

What: The activity will be titled "Exploring Our Community."

How: Construct a scenario where students discuss the different community services available locally and their importance. Use key terms and phrases related to community services.

This activity leverages the intermediate learners' growing language skills and their curiosity about the community they live in, promoting engagement through meaningful conversation.

Advanced Level Challenges

Advanced students should be prepared for real-world applications of their language skills. A job interview role-play can be an exciting way to do this.

Sample Prompt for ChatGPT:

When: Create a 40-minute role-playing exercise.

Who: This lesson is for NRS level advanced ESL learners.

What: The exercise is "The Job Interview."

How: Formulate a role-play where students practice a job interview for a position in a multinational company, including industry-specific jargon and potential interview questions and answers.

This prompt challenges students to apply their English skills in a high-stakes scenario, encouraging them to think on their feet and articulate complex ideas.

Crafting Your Own Prompts

Creating your own prompts is not just about following a formula; it's about understanding your students' needs and goals. If this feels challenging, here’s a simple framework to start with:

1. Identify the Learning Objective: What skill or knowledge do you want your students to acquire?

2. Consider the Proficiency Level: Adapt the complexity of the task to match the students' language abilities.

3. Choose a Relevant Context: Engage students with topics that are meaningful and relevant to their lives.

4. Incorporate Interactivity: Encourage active participation through dialogue, role-play, or group discussions.

Reflection on Using ChatGPT

Incorporating AI into your teaching practice can seem daunting, but with well-crafted prompts, ChatGPT can become an invaluable assistant. By tailoring these prompts to your students’ proficiency levels, you can ensure that your lessons are as inclusive as they are innovative. Whether you’re guiding beginners through their first English conversations, helping intermediate learners navigate their communities, or preparing advanced students for the professional world, ChatGPT can help you create a dynamic and responsive learning environment. Go ahead, give it a try, and watch your ESL classroom transform before your eyes.

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