Quick guide
- Keywords: Speaking, question comprehension, memorization, writing, feedback
- Learner English level: Middle school grade 1 to high school grade 3
- Learner maturity: Middle school to high school
- Preparation time: 15-20 minutes
- Activity time: 20-25 minutes
- Materials: Activity sheet
Two frustrations often faced by English teachers are students not taking the time to read over corrections made by teachers and teachers not having time to correct students’ work. This activity solves both these problems. The speaking component focuses on question comprehension, writing, memorizing, and speaking; it can be adjusted to almost any level. The advantage of this activity is that students have their written work corrected by the teacher, thereby providing immediate feedback. Students can then memorize and produce correct English grammar.
Preparation
Step 1: Decide on a question that is appropriate for your student’s level.
Step 2: Make a dialogue worksheet with the question at the top and four to six lines with A and B listed on each line. For lower level classes, pictures like those from the Eiken Test can be used with the question. In addition, prompts, target sentence starters, or follow-up questions can be used, for example, I think that…, Because/so…, or What do you think… Finally, all sentences should include an answer and supporting information.
Procedure
Step 1: Assign students a partner or have them choose. Groups of three can work if necessary. If you wish to use this activity for every class, explain to the students that they will stay in the same pairs for the whole term.
Step 2: Students are given the handout with a question on the top followed by A-B dialog lines. They make a dialog using the question at the top as a prompt. Encourage students to use full-sentence answers with supporting information, such as, “I like school uniforms because I don’t have to think about what to wear in the morning.” Groups work at a pace they set. While some students are still writing, other groups may be doing the steps below.
Step 3: Once finished, students take their dialog up to the teacher at the front for grammar and spelling correction.
Step 4: Students memorize their corrected dialog. Student A must also memorize the question at the top of the paper.
Step 5: Once memorized, students bring their paper to the front and present their dialog, including the prompt question, to the teacher. Incorrect pronunciation is corrected and students can be told to rememorize their script if it is not memorized properly. The teacher then gives them a score out of two points and gives the students the next speaking test paper. Students reverse A and B roles and start from step one again.
Conclusion
This activity gets students to write, speak, memorize, and develop supporting sentences. Students are also able to get immediate feedback from the teacher, thus enhancing their learning. This activity can also be adapted to any level by adjusting the questions. It can also accommodate class sizes up to 30 to 40 students. The questions are easy to prepare, and this activity can be used as a warm-up for every class over a term.