FREE PRACTICE Topic Template Method: T or SS choose a situation based on a topic, for example: Topic: Situation: Cars Selling a car The Human Body Having plastic surgery Christmas Choosing Christmas presents T elicits various elements for each situation to create a table Note: at this stage, it is important that each SS in the class has the same table Example #1: Selling a car: Make Model Price Year Colour Mileage Jeep Nissan Hyundai etc Selling Points Drawbacks Outcome etc Result etc Example #2: Having plastic surgery: Person Pippa James Jane etc Part to Change Reason Price Procedure What Friends & Family Think Example #3: Choosing Christmas presents: Recipient Age Relationship Present Mum Dad Lucy etc Price Store How Long Wanted Reason Outcome etc SS work in pairs to complete information in the table T monitors, checks, and corrects SS are free to use as much imagination as they possess! SS find a different partner and sit back to back with them One SS talks about their situation as if it has happened to them or to somebody they know, using the information they have written The other partner listens, asks questions, and makes notes For example, in the ‘selling a car’ activity: Student A: Student B: Student A: I’m selling my Jeep What year is it? 2010 You Are The Course Book – Lesson Plans 93 .and so on T reminds SS that they should use full sentences, rather than simply listing what is in each box of their grid Then the second SS talks about their situation – again, as if it has happened to them – while the other listens, asks questions, and makes notes Or, this activity could be done as a straightforward information exchange: SS fill in the table separately, then ask each other questions to find out the information in their partner’s table For example, in the ‘plastic surgery’ activity, above, SS could ask: Student A: What procedure is Pippa having? Student B: Botox Student B: What is the reason for Jane’s procedure? Student A: She’s unhappy with her nose and so on SS could note down the questions they had to ask to get each piece of information Group feedback: T asks some or all of the pairs to present their work – or extracts from it – for the whole class T writes down errors and elicits corrections and improvements from the class Tips: • The more entries in the vertical column on the left, the longer the activity will last For a short activity, SS should work with only one entry, e.g one car, in the first example, above • The success of this activity will be determined by the quality of the situation that T and/or SS choose initially Primarily, it should be something that is of interest to and relevant to the SS • SS could develop their ideas into: o o o o • role plays dialogues ‘gossip’ monologues (see p.83) short stories (for homework) See also You Are The Course Book 2: In Practice 1, pp.316-317 Purland, Matt You Are The Course Book 2: In Practice Ostróda: English Banana.com, 2013 Hardback Available for free download: http://englishbanana.com/resources/free-books/teacher-training/you-are-the-course-book-2-in-practice/ You Are The Course Book – Lesson Plans 94