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An Important Tool? Really?

What has a tomato got to do with English or foreign language teaching? Try this. Take a tomato, display it prominently in front of your English or foreign language students. Now ask them to tell you about it. Ask, What things can relate? If one of your learners asks, Teacher, can I touch it or pick it up or handle it? you should say Yes. Just dont let them eat it. No prop, no class you see.

The idea is to generate the use of the four basic language skills using a known prop or piece of realia. With the exception of Antarctica and possibly the Himalayas, I dont know of any other continent or geographic region where the tomato might not be known. The learners then, must come up with as much tomato-based input as they can. From some individual learners there may not be much, but collectively, the input generated could be considerable.

Brainstormed Tomato Themes

Here are some allowable input themes my learners have brainstormed using this exercise.

Tomato dishes

Allergies, especially food allergies

Cooking methods used with tomatoes

Tomatoes in songs and movies (Remember Attack of the Killer Tomatoes?)

Collocations with tomato

Countries where tomatoes are grown or heavily used

Chemicals and nutrients in tomatoes

History of tomatoes

Tomato-colored objects

Idioms and expressions using tomato

Tomato statistics and records (worlds largest, smallest, etc.)

Famous people who liked tomatoes (like Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis who reportedly put catsup on everything she ate)

Companies that feature tomato products

Tomato stories and anecdotes

Words that can be made using the letters in the word tomato

By now Im sure you get the idea.

The Power of Your mind

Try this visualization exercise right now. Close your eyes. Picture a tomato. Can you see it? In your mind, touch it. Pick it up and move it around in your hands. What does it feel like? Is it warm or cold? Can you smell it now? Describe the fragrance of your tomato. Okay, now you can take a bite. How does it taste? Do you want another bite? Would you like to sprinkle some salt or sugar on your tomato? Go ahead. Help yourself. If youre getting hungry or otherwise reacting during this exercise, great, your learners will too. Even more so with a real tomato on hand.

So try this language-stimulation exercise to get your learners talking and using English or another target language to actively communicate. Its been a great help to me with my learners in generating speech and related topics during language class or Conversation Clubs.

Prof. Larry M. Lynch is an expert author and photographer offering Web Content Writing Services for top-quality articles on: Education, Language learning, Salt and Fresh water fishing, exotic foods, South American travel and culture, Ethnic issues Blacks, Latinos, Indian native tribes, Health, Internet business resources and more His work has appeared in Transitions Abroad, South American Explorer, Escape From America, Mexico News, Brazil magazine and hundreds of sites online. For fr*e*e sample articles and available web content e-mail: lynchlarrym@gmail.com