Party lesson, social-gathering language
Beginner level
Description
Materials
Main Aims
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To provide practice in party or social-gathering language.
Subsidiary Aims
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To provide a revision of social expressions and introductions.
Procedure (37-49 minutes)
T asks students to close their eyes, T plays party music for a minute and asks student to imagine where the music like that would be played. Teacher fishes for the word 'party'. When the students get it right, T asks the students which kind of parties they have been to and what they did at those parties.
Students watch a video titled 'starting a conversation at a party'. T asks them to listen and record what people are talking about and how they start their conversations.T gets feedback. T asks students what they normally talk about at parties. T asks the students what they think are appropriate topics and inappropriate topics to talk about at parties. T writes them down and leads students in to a brainstorm session of what to talk about and how to ask follow-up questions using topics that students deem appropriate.
T issues out the party role cards to students. Each student gets a role card. T focuses the students on expressions used when you meet someone for the first time as well as different types of party vocabulary. T writes them on the white board (alternatively projects a power point presentation) to get ready for the language analysis session to follow.
T uses the highlighted vocabulary/language items to clarify meaning , form and pronunciation. T uses visual cues, elicits or CCQs to clarify meaning and drills students to provide proper pronunciation. For example; (Eliciting) this is a party that a man has before he gets married. Only men are invited to this party. If the students do not suggest the correct word, T gives the word/phrase 'stag party' then solidifies the meaning by asking CCQs. 1. Do women go to this party? No 2. Does a man have this party before he gets married? Yes
T asks the students to fill up the blanks on the role cards with any appropriate word of their choice. T observes and helps when necessary. T tells the students to imagine they are going to attend the event on the invitation, but they have to find it first. They should mingle until they’ve found the other student(s) attending their event. Then they should imagine they’re at the party, and introduce themselves using the information on their role cards. T plays the video again to remind students how people start and carry out conversations at a party.
After they’ve had a few minutes to play the characters on their cards, T tells students that they are now all at a New Year’s Eve party. (T plays music, at a low volume)T tells the students that they are going to take the role of their first partner, talking about the party they have just been to: they should tell their partner whether the party was good or not and if not why.etc. T tells students that they will switch partners every minute or so. T observes throughout the exchanges. To wind down the activity, T (along with the students) start a New Year’s countdown (10… 9… 8… 7…) and shout ‘Happy New Year!’. Students sit down for a feedback session.