I asked them to pretend they were in Pompeii just before the eruption when everything was dark, and to imagine what they would see, hear, smell, feel, and think. After two minutes l said that they had survived the volcano, and to open their eyes. The assignment was to write down their thoughts during their imagination period to tell a story. Students' responses varied, but all reflected their feelings. Not only do students need to write their decisions, but they also have to explain their reasons.
Picture talking Sometimes the teacher needs to provide visuals for the class.
After showing a picture for one or two minutes, the teacher can ask the class to tell what they see in the picture, or to make up a story, or to list as many adjectives or adverbs as possible that can be used to describe the picture. Seeing the picture helps students to retell a story, and at the same time, the teacher can see whether the students understand the text correctly or not. This also helps to expand students' vocabulary. All responses showing that the students understand the story were acceptable. When they returned to class, they all had different endings.