ceciliafelsenstein Need a quick ELA activity for your high school students that requires little or no preparation? These 10 no-prep ELA activities are designed for secondary English classrooms and can be used as bell ringers, early-finisher activities, lesson fillers, or even as the main activity when you need something ready to go.
As a teacher, I know that sometimes you need an activity you can pull out at the last minute without spending another 30 minutes preparing materials. These activities are simple, flexible, and designed to keep high school students thinking, writing, speaking, and interacting.
At a Glance
| Activity | Time | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Literary Devices Game | 20–25 min | Grades 8–12 |
| Six-Word Memoir | 10–15 min | Grades 8–12 |
| Communication & Collaboration | 40–60 min | Grades 9–12 |
| 5 Second Game | 20–30 min | Grades 8–12 |
| Vocabulary Activities | 30–40 min | Grades 8–12 |
| One-Minute Debate | 5–20 min | Grades 8–12 |
| Quote of the Day | 45–60 min | Grades 11–12 |
| Just One | 20–40 min | Grades 9–12 |
| Show, Don’t Tell | 5–15 min | Grades 8–10 |
| One-Pager for Books | 40-60 min | Grades 8–12 |
1. Would You Rather? (Literary Devices Edition)
Time: 20–25 minutes
Skills: Critical thinking, speaking
Best for: Grades 8–12
Give your students a phrase from a well-known song which is also a literary device. Have them think and decide which one it is.
Extension: Ask students to write down 5 more phrases from songs they know which are also a stylistic device.Every example comes from a well-known song, so students may recognize some of them immediately. Every example comes from a well-known song, so students may recognize some of them immediately.
Want to make this activity even easier? You can use my Literary Devices in Songs activity with your students.
→ Get the Literary Devices Activity
2. Six-Word Memoir
Time: 10–15 minutes
Skills: Writing, creativity, word choice
Best for: Grades 8–12
Ask students to tell a story about themselves, a character, a book, or a particular experience using exactly six words.
Give them a few examples and then let them create their own. Once they’re finished, have students share their memoirs with a partner or explain the thinking behind their word choices.
Extension: Ask students to turn their six-word memoir into a short paragraph.
You can find this + 2 other FREE activities here
3. Communication & Collaboration Activity
Time: 40–60 minutes
Skills: Problem-solving, non verbal communication and collaboration
Best for: Grades 9–12
Give your students a puzzle and ask them to complete it without speaking.
Extension: Ask students to explain how they managed to do it and to reflect on the difficulties encountered.
Here you’ll find a puzzle with reflective activities, ready to print and use!
4. 5 Second Game
Time: 20–30 minutes
Skills: Advanced vocabulary, grammar rules, speaking
Best for: Grades 8–12
This 5 Second Game is easy to set up, requires no preparation, and works well as a whole-class activity. It is an useful way to encourage participation without putting too much pressure on students. They have just five seconds to answer lighthearted prompts which will be projected.
Extension: Ask students to create some more prompts.
5. Vocabulary Activities for ANY Word List
Time: 30–40 minutes
Skills: Advanced vocabulary, creativity
Best for: Grades 8–12
Sometimes I need a relaxing lesson, and so do my students. When I want them to review vocabulary without doing another worksheet, I give them a choice of creative activities and let them work individually or in groups.
They might create something visual, write something, perform, or use technology to demonstrate their understanding of the words. The best part is that you can use the activity with any vocabulary list, so you can reuse it throughout the year.
Extension: Have groups share their creations with the class and invite classmates to respond, guess, or participate.
Want a ready-to-use version of this activity? You can find my 10 Vocabulary Review Activities for Any Word List here.
6. One-Minute Debate
Time: 5–20 minutes
Skills: Effective communication, active listening, speaking
Best for: Grades 8–12
Whether you need a 5-minute bell ringer, a social-emotional learning (SEL) activity, or a structured tool for oral communication practice, this deck has you covered. Just print the cards and get your students talking for as long as you need to. You can assign time and also swap partners every x minutes.
Extension: Ask students to talk discuss the most difficult prompt they came across and to explain why they found it hard.
Click here to get the deck of 100 cards!
7. Quote of the Day
Time: 45–60 minutes
Skills: Thinking skills, critical thinking, writing, creativity
Best for: Grades 11–12
Give students a quote and ask them to choose one activity to work on it (or assign them yourself). You can write or project a quote and print the activities which are ready-to-go.
- Thinking Skills
- Writing
- Investigating and Reflecting
- Words and Meaning
- Hand-on
Extension: Results can be shared with the whole class.
Want a ready-to-use version? Get the editable resource here → Critical Thinking Activity on Quotes
8. Just One Game
Time: 20–40 minutes
Skills: Thinking skills, critical thinking, advanced vocabulary, creativity
Best for: Grades 9–12
One player is the “Guesser” for the turn. He/she is given a word.
The other players must each write down a one-word clue to help the Guesser identify the mystery word. But there’s a catch! Players must choose their clues independently without consulting one another. Identical cues are disqualified. The Guesser then reviews the remaining unique clues and makes one guess to identify the mystery word.
Cards are ready to print and cut out in my version. You can also project them and make the student sit with their back to the screen. You can click here if you want it!
Extension: Ask students to create more cards with vocabulary learnt.
9. Show not Tell Bell Ringer
Time: 5–15 minutes
Skills: Thinking skills, critical thinking, advanced vocabulary, creativity, writing
Best for: Grades 8–10
Give your students a sentence and ask them to write a description “showing” rather than telling
Extension: Ask students to draw the sentence or phrase in the card.
If you want the already made prompts, check out my “show not tell” resource!
10. One-Pager to Analyse a Book or Story
Time: 40–60 minutes
Skills: literary analysis, writing, creativity, word choice
Best for: Grades 8–12
I’ve used this activity with my own students every year, and it works particularly well after finishing a class novel or during a book club. I usually bring some markers because students rarely remember to bring their own! If you’re looking for a way to assess a book without assigning another traditional essay, this is a great option. You will be surprised by the amazing one-pagers they create and you can also display them in your room or corridors.
Extension: Ask students to explain their choices.
Which Activity should I choose?
Need something quick?
Try One-Minute Debate or Show, Don’t Tell.
Need a vocabulary activity?
Try Vocabulary Activities for ANY Word List or Just One.
Need something for a whole lesson?
Try the One-Pager or Quote of the Day.
Need a speaking activity?
Try 5 Second Game or One-Minute Debate.
Need a creative activity?
Try Six-Word Memoir or Book One-Pager
Looking for more game-based activities? I’ve also put together a collection of ELA classroom games for middle and high school, including vocabulary, grammar, literary devices, and more.
