Student Skills Group 1: Basic greetings, alphabet, pronouncing words

1. Role play a situation in which two people meet for the first time and introduce themselves using the basic greetings. They are expected to greet each other using simple vocabulary associated with basic greetings. These include “hello” “my name is” “how are you?” “I am fine” “what is your name” and “goodbye.” If the book does not offer the expressions/vocabulary for “my name is” and “what is your name” you may write these on the board and ask students to repeat your pronunciation of them.
    
2. Role play a situation in which a professor and student meet for the first time. In this greet each other using simple vocabulary associated with basic greetings within a formal context.
    
3. Bring in pictures of different famous people you may have found on the internet or in the magazine. Include famous people with whom one would use formal address such as a president or famous writer. Also choose images of people who would be considered a student’s peers such as teenage pop stars or images of young children. Ask student(s) to address each image deciding whether to use a formal or informal address. This is used to practice formal vs. informal context.
    
4. Create a set of imaginary identities using flashcards. On each flashcard simply write the name of the person along with their profession or age. Ask student(s) to role-play using their identities and greet each other for the first time. Student(s) will need to decide whether to use informal or formal language.
    
5. Bring in a set of flashcards containing the letters of the alphabet. Practice the pronunciation of each letter with the group. After you have practiced the alphabet together, show one letter at a time and ask for its pronunciation.
    
6. Create a list of vocabulary words that reflect the different sounds the student(s) has/have studied. You can choose words that may be illustrated by a picture, for example a picture of an apple to emphasize the pronunciation of the word “apple.” You can use these pictures by first showing the student(s) the picture and writing out the word on the blackboard. Ask for the pronunciation of the word after you have pronounced it. Follow-up this activity with a quick drill in which you show each image and ask for the word in order to practice pronunciation.
    
7. Bring in very simple and basic advertisements in your language. Ask for a simple pronunciation of the letter combinations and words seen. It is not important that the student(s) understand what is being read, but rather it is important that they are able to handle the pronunciation of different sounds. It also lets the student(s) see what an advertisement or basic ad looks like in the target language.
    
8. Reenact a dinner party in which you each take turn playing the host and each person needs to address the host and introduce him/herself. This activity can be done with two people who need to role-play different identities simultaneously.