除发挥自身的特长外，教师还可以利用一分钟左右的英语笑话、谜语来打破沉闷的课堂气氛，同时培养学生用英语思考的能力。比如，通过谜语：I have a neck, but no head, arms but no hands, waist but no legs. (谜底：T-shirt)，学生会恍然大悟，原来neck, arms, legs, waist等表示人体部位的单词，还可表示衣服的相应部位： 领口、袖子、裤腿、腰部等。
再如，下面一则谜语能帮助学生了解英语“一词多义”现象：Why is a room empty when it is filled with married people? (答案：Because there's not a single person in it.)这个回答将英语单词 “single” 的两个含义 (“仅一个的”和“单身的” )巧妙地结合在一起。
类似“脑筋急转弯”的英语游戏也能帮助学生拓展思维，例如teaser: Eugenia drove her car from her hometown of Eugene, Oregon, to Eustis, Florida. She had a flat tire for the entire trip, but she never knew it. How is this possible? （答案：Eugene's flat was on the spare tire in her trunk.）回答这个问题时，教师可以鼓励学生通过辩正的逻辑思维得出结论。
此外，教师还可以组织学生进行绕口令比赛，如：Fried French fries fresh from France fit for fifty-five families. 这样的绕口令不仅能锻炼学生的口语，也可改善沉闷的课堂气氛。
