Campus Directions (Novice-Intermediate)

Practice on Your Own

• Practice pronouncing words used for giving directions, such as street/road, turn left, turn right, go straight, cross the street, next to, across from, rotary, and traffic light. Listen to audio recordings and repeat after the speakers to practice pronunciation. Read the materials available to you on the topic.
• As you walk to various places on campus or to the store or any other places, practice saying the words for directions according to what you are doing, such as turning right, crossing the street or walking straight ahead.
• Practice saying how you can get to school from your hometown by car, train, or on a bus. Say which roads and exits to take.
• Imagine you want to visit your friend at another one of the Five Colleges. This is your first visit and you will travel by bus. Plan the questions you will ask your friend.
  • How long is the trip?
  • What bus should you take?
  • What bus stop should you get off at when you arrive at your friend’s school?
  • How can you walk to your friend’s dorm from the bus stop?
  • What is the name of your friend’s residence hall, the floor and the room number?
• Practice this conversation keeping in mind the possible answers to your questions.

Practice in Conversation Session

• Be prepared to tell your conversation partner and fellow students the directions you take when traveling to school from home and the directions you take from your dorm to class. Say this in the language you are learning and see how your fluency is. Your conversation partner and fellow students may follow up with questions asking you whether the directions change depending on the mode of transportation. They may also ask you directions to different places on the campus such as from your room to the library, to the dining hall, to the gym, to the lab and to your friend’s dorm.
• Be prepared to role play situations in which you will be visiting your friend on a different campus. Your conversation partner will play the friend you are visiting. After greetings, ask your friend to tell you which bus to take, tell you how long the trip will be, the bus stop to get off at and give you directions to get to their hall and room. After role playing the conversation, you can switch roles and repeat the conversation.
  • This conversation can take place either in person or over the phone. Are there differences between talking in person and talking on the phone?
• After the role play(s), ask your conversation partner to give directions from home to school and ask each other directions from one place to another on the campus.