You will want to prepare ahead of time what activities you are going to use and when you are going to use them during the conversation session. You may have only one or two language learners in the session. Therefore prepare activities that you can use with one person and can adapt them to use with two or more. Dialogues and role-play are particularly useful in creating authentic conversations as well as vocabulary games and activities.
Plan to have one or two activities that can be used at the beginning of the session. It may take some time for the language learner to adjust to speaking in the target language. Make sure these activities are not too challenging and are in keeping with the material the student is covering in his/her syllabus. Warm-up activities may include asking how someone is doing, a small vocabulary game, and maybe practicing different types of greetings (informal, formal). A vocabulary game can be as simple as bringing in a set of pictures that correspond to the vocabulary words and asking the student to tell you the correct vocabulary word for each picture.
Role-play and dialogue activities can include activities such as the examples below. In a conversation session with only one student the conversation partner will need to participate in the activity, whereas, in a situation with two or more students, the conversation partner can divide the students into pairs and work with one student if there is an odd number.
Some activities may need additional props such as pictures from a magazine or the internet, a copy of a country’s map etc. Some number games or vocabulary activities are more effective with visual images. These materials are helpful and reinforce a language learner’s use of the target language. Use what you think will work in helping encourage conversation and speaking.
Be sure when you are reenacting a dialogue or role-play with a student that both you and the student are standing up, greeting each other, and using appropriate body language and gestures to recreate a more authentic context. Act out the dialogues rather than remain seated. Try to establish real conversations.
Identity cards refer to a set of index cards (or sheets of paper) that have information related to different “identities” on the card. These cards are useful in letting language learners practice speaking to different people in different contexts. It builds upon their ability to address people of all ages and social stations. Here is an example of what may be included on an identity card. Keep in mind that, the more the student learns in the language, the more information you can start to add to identity cards.
Sample identity card for a complete beginner:
Name: Rose Thompson
Age: 45
Occupation: teacher
Sample of an identity card for a beginner with more grammar experience:
Name: Rose Thompson
Age: 45
Occupation: teacher
Favorite opera: La Traviata
Hobbies: singing, running, and cooking.
In the second example some more attributes about Ms. Thompson were added because the student is now able to utilize this information correctly in a conversation.
Here you will find a variety of different speaking activities you may use during your conversation sessions. They are divided according to different communicative skills.
Each activity can be used with one person or with more than one person. For those activities that are dialogues, the conversation partner will need to act out the role-play and dialogue with the other person in the session. When doing so, make sure that the roles in the dialogue are switched so that the student has the opportunity to practice both roles. This is to ensure that the person in the conversation session learning the language has the opportunity to practice a variety of different identities as well as both formal and informal registers.
First watch the video examples below. Even though you may not understand the language involved, you can still observe the way the conversation partner and students interact.
Think about these questions, write down your notes, be prepared to talk about them in group discussion. If you are doing this training individually, you will need to prepare written answers to each question and e-mail your written work to the FCCSWL office before scheduling your individual conference.
1. Study the examples of speaking activities and watch the sample videos. Get a sense of the wide range of speaking activities that can be used in a conversation session. What makes each of the videos a good example of a speaking session activity?
2. Carefully look over the very first unit in the textbook used for your language. Make a list of the types of vocabulary and language usage your students learn in the first lesson. Go through the Menu of Speaking Activities and choose three activities that could be used with students studying the first unit. Describe how you would introduce each of these three activities in the conversation session. In other words, how would you give the students instructions for the activity? How will you communicate what you want them to do?
3. Chose any unit in the second half of the textbook used for your language. Go through the menu of speaking activities and select at least three activities that are appropriate for practicing what is covered in that unit. Describe which three activities you have chosen, why you chose those activities, and how you will adapt the generic instructions to make an activity that is representative of your language and culture.