Humans love to speak about dreams. They enjoy sharing their stories, finding common elements and looking for meanings that may apply to their lives. In the ESL classroom the added component of implications of dreams in other cultures is intriguing.
Interpreting Dreams in ESL Lessons
What makes a lesson on dreams really entertaining is that there is no limit to imagination. In these lessons nobody is expecting any kind of professional interpretation of dreams. Dreams that people have are so varied that the stories themselves open the lesson to new vocabulary, original themes and thoughts.
Students express not only what they have experienced but also discuss the opinions regarding what the dreams could mean in their lives. Each student has the chance to tell his or her own story with no interference or correction from others; it is each one’s own dream.
Conversation Starters About Dreams
Simple or complex questions may be asked; here are some straightforward ones:
- Do you have a recurring dream?
- What is the best dream you ever had?
- Speak about a nightmare you have had
- In your culture, what do specific dreams mean? For example, dreaming of pigs in the Korean culture means the dreamer will be getting a lot of money.
- How often do you dream?
- Do you dream in color? What language do the people in your dream speak?
Readings About Dreams and Their Interpretation
Many articles can be found on the Internet on the theme of dreams. As a homework or class assignment, advise that each student is to read an article of their choice about dreams. They are to summarize the content and prepare to give an oral summary in front of the class.
Writing Topics About Dreams in Language Lessons
Here are some ideas for writing topics about dreams in the classroom.
- Write about your dream/nightmare. Tell the story in the third person.
- Look up the meaning of dreams in an encyclopedia or on the Internet and write an essay about it.
- Write a dialog between a dream-teller and client
Drama Acts About Dreams
- In language or drama class situations, have groups of students act out the story of a dream
- Using props (strange masks, items of foods, toys, hats) prompt the students to make up a play about a dream
My Dream – What does it Mean? Oral Presentation for an Audience
Have students prepare an oral presentation about their own dream. They can be told to prepare a visual such as a costume, drawing or PowerPoint presentation on the subject. The presentation can be made of three parts: telling the story of the dream, personal interpretation of the dream and a question and answer forum with the audience, the class.
Themes of Dreams in the Classroom
Conversation and writing topics can also be divided into themes such as humorous, sad, scary and repetitive dreams. If the class is large, the speakers can be divided so that a separate class can be dedicated to each of the themes on different days. Furthermore, movies with dream themes, such as Alice in Wonderland, can be used to enhance an assignment on dreams.
The topic of dreams can expand into art, music and drama classes. Both the teacher and the students will find the theme a great platform on which language lessons and practice can be based.
Lucille Lever - Creative teaching ideas can be incorporated into any kind of lesson. As a teacher of ESL and creative drama for more than 30 years, in a ...
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