The problem most ESL teachers face mid-lesson is a predictable energy drop that reduces the quality of the second half of the lesson. The mid-lesson energy drop is one of the most predictable phenomena in ESL teaching. Students arrive with energy. They work through the first activity. Around the 25-30 minute mark, attention begins to wander. The quality of pair discussions drops. Teachers who ignore this and push on until the end often get declining returns from the second half of the lesson.
The solution is not to extend the first activity - it's to interrupt with a brief, high-energy reset that brings students back before launching the second main activity. Energizers that work for this purpose share specific features: they're fast (under three minutes), they require physical or social engagement, and they're genuinely fun enough to shift the room's energy without requiring significant explanation.
YapYapGo is a classroom speaking practice tool for ESL and EFL teachers. These energizers work before the second structured pair activity begins. A classroom countdown timer keeps each one to its allocated time.The 10 energizers
1. Stand up if... (60 seconds)
Read a rapid series of statements. Students stand if it applies to them, sit if it doesn't. Go fast.
"Stand up if you walked to school/work today. / If you had coffee this morning. / If you've been to more than five countries. / If you prefer evenings to mornings. / If you're wearing something blue."
No language production - just physical movement and mild social comparison. Changes the physical state of the room immediately.
2. The speed round (90 seconds)
A topic. Students have 90 seconds to tell their partner as many things about the topic as possible - fast, no elaboration. "As many foods as you can think of. Go." Count at the end. The pair with the most wins.
Energy comes from the speed constraint. Lower production quality is fine - this is activation, not practice.
3. The vocabulary sprint (90 seconds)
Five words on the board. Students have 90 seconds to use all five in a paragraph they say aloud to their partner. The paragraph can be ridiculous as long as the words appear.
Vocabulary activation in a playful format. The absurdity that results from forcing five unrelated words into a paragraph is reliably amusing.
4. Change three things (60 seconds)
Students look carefully at their partner for 30 seconds. Then they both turn away and change three things about their appearance (undo a button, move a watch to the other wrist, take off glasses, etc.). Face each other. Take turns guessing what changed.
Zero language production required, but the social engagement and mild competition reset attention levels immediately.
5. Two facts and a gesture (60 seconds)
Students stand. One student says two true facts about themselves while making a gesture for each. Partner must remember both facts and both gestures and repeat them before adding their own two.
Physical movement + memory challenge = complete attention reset.
6. The hot word (60 seconds)
Give the class a word: "ridiculous," "absolutely," "apparently," "somehow." Students have 60 seconds to use this word as naturally as possible in a sentence they say to their partner. Partners judge how natural it sounded on a scale of 1-5.
Vocabulary activation disguised as a game. The judging element adds accountability.
7. A to Z on a theme (90 seconds)
A category. Students go through the alphabet as fast as possible, one word per letter, alternating with their partner. "A food for every letter. A = avocado. B = banana..." First pair to Z wins. Allow 10 seconds thinking on hard letters.
Classic format, but it reliably generates energy because the clock is running and the alphabet is limited.
8. The silent question (60 seconds)
Students write one question they genuinely want to know the answer to - about the lesson topic, about their partner, about anything. Without speaking, they show their question to their partner. Partner answers without speaking (writing or gestures). Then one sentence each.
The constraint of silence makes the subsequent speaking feel like a relief. Shifts the energy by changing the mode.
9. The impossible ranking (90 seconds)
Give pairs an impossible ranking task: "Rank these in order of importance: music, water, laughter, friendship, sunlight." No right answer. Compare with the pair next to them in 30 seconds.
Short, absurd, generates immediate opinions. The impossibility of the task is the point - students have to commit to a position they can't fully defend, which is energising.
10. Gesture telephone (90 seconds)
Student A whispers a sentence to Student B. Student B conveys it to Student C using only gestures. Student C says what they think the original sentence was. Compare.
Physical, social, slightly chaotic. Restores the playful energy that sustained pair work can diminish.
When to use energizers
The optimal moment is when you see the first signs of energy drop - unfocused eyes, shorter answers, more L1 switching, longer pauses between turns. Don't wait for full disengagement. An energizer at 65% energy is easier than a rescue at 30%.
In a 45-minute lesson, one energizer between the two main activities is usually sufficient. In a 90-minute lesson, two or three energizers at regular intervals prevent the sustained attention fatigue that makes the second hour significantly less productive than the first.
A random student picker and this-or-that generator are useful for energizers that involve sharing or performing - the slot machine reveal generates its own mild energy that complements the activity. For more activity ideas across a full lesson, see the zero-prep speaking toolkit and quick ESL filler activities.
Sources:
- Dörnyei, Z. & Murphey, T. (2003). Group Dynamics in the Language Classroom. Cambridge University Press. - Energy management and group dynamics in language classrooms.
- Nation, I.S.P. (1989). Improving Speaking Fluency. System. - The importance of maintaining motivation and engagement for sustained speaking practice.