My Dad’s Rules on Love

Okay, quick foreword is that these are not exactly my dad’s rules on love, at least not all of them. Some of them, though, absolutely! And they have served me well. I think. This Valentine’s Day activity is a really fun way to practice love and romance verbs and vocabulary. It can be used as a discovery or practice tool for students who have just approached the subject, or it can be used as a review and discussion tool for your more advanced students. Even for advanced students, however, I believe there will be some discovery. This activity can be completed in pairs to give students the most speaking opportunities.

Put students in pairs to answer the question “What do you think of my dad’s rules on love?” On the worksheet is a smattering of different rules on the subject using various structures for expressing obligation. Students can work through those together, deciding which are good rules and bad rules and why. This can take plenty of time, so don’t stop them from talking too soon! Once you are ready, tell your students that they will now come up with their own rules on love using the vocabulary and structures found on the worksheet. Give them a time limit to do so. Once they finish, each group can present their rules to the class. Put them on the board, in the chat or on the whiteboard. Correct the mistakes as you go along.

Now your students have a fresh list of rules! Repeat the first procedure in pairs or as a class. If you are doing it as a class, students can raise their hands to say if it is a good or bad rule. Call on individuals to explain their reasoning.