Introduction
In the classroom, students have opportunities to perform some linguistic functions like asking permission, asking for information and making a request. However, these are not the only uses of English in daily life. To enable students to use English effectively for social communication, we need to have them practise performing other functions in English. Some commonly used functions are asking for clarifications, apologising and giving a description. In this unit, we will introduce a few activities to help students develop their skills in performing these language functions.
Unit outcomes
At the end of the unit, you will be able to:
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Outcomes |
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Teacher support information
For students, the preparation for participating fully in social life begins at school. If we look at the classroom as a communication situation, we will see that a lot of language in the classroom is used for asking for permission, giving information and so on. As adults responsible for preparing students to become responsible citizens, English teachers can play an active role in teaching students appropriate language use for other functions such as apologising, asking for clarifications, etc. The teacher has to ensure that students have plenty of opportunities in class to practise their language skills. Rather than following a question-answer mode of interaction, the teacher needs to involve students in peer activities. Activities done in pairs and groups help students feel less inhibited and shy, and give them a real purpose for speaking, as their group mates will have similar interests and lead similar personal lives. It is important, therefore, to use an activity-based approach to teaching, not just in the English classroom, but in other subject areas as well.
Activities
Activity 1: Apologising
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Activity 1 |
We are all aware that in everyday life we use the word Sorry several times a day to apologise for causing any inconvenience. However, Sorry is not the only expression that we use to apologise, and we do not use it only to apologise. For example, we can say Sorry with rising intonation when we want someone to repeat what they have said, or when we want to register our protest at someone’s remarks. In this activity, we provide a few more expressions that students should learn in order to apologise to others in social situations. This activity will involve students devising different communication situations so they can practise using the language of apology. To prepare the students for the activity, play them the video in Resource 1a, and ask them to guess what is happening. Their answer should be: making an apology. Then ask them to watch the video again and to note down the words and phrases used by the people to make an apology, and also how people respond to an apology. For this they will have to fill in the blanks in the worksheet in Resource 1b. If you cannot play the video, read out the transcript like a conversation, and have students complete the worksheet. Discuss the expressions used to apologise, and have the students brainstorm for more such expressions. Also draw their attention to the responses made by Christine in the video, and ask them to think of other ways of responding. Now break the students into groups of five or six and let them choose a situation from the following: at the bookstore/in a relative’s house/at the airport/on a bus/at the shopping mall/at school In their groups, the students should think of a situation for an apology, and write a short dialogue on a conversation like the one in the video. The dialogue should contain expressions of apology and appropriate responses. When the groups are ready, the group members should perform a role play based on their conversation. The other groups should note the expressions used for apologies. At the end of the role play session, you can wind up by discussing once more the different ways of making an apology, and ask students to practise these at home and in social situations. |
Activity 2: Asking for clarifications
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Activity 2 |
In the classroom and outside, one of the most common language functions one needs to perform is asking for and giving clarifications. Sometimes we ask someone to repeat what he or she said because of background noise interference; at other times, the speaker may be speaking too fast or we may not be paying attention. At home, we use fairly informal language to ask for clarifications, especially because we use the home language. |
Activity 3: Giving a description
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Activity 3 |
This activity should provide some strategies to help your students describe an object, another common function of any language. All through our lives, we describe things in our home languages, from what we put in our mouths as children, to describing creepy-crawly creatures lurking in our homes, to the exotic things we see on holidays, objects of beauty around us, and finally, in our old age, we are asked by our doctors to describe what we see with our failing eyesight! In short, we describe hundreds of things around us — people, objects, processes, beliefs (yes, the descriptions can be of non-tangible things!) — and some of these we describe in English. Other modules contain activities describing people and processes; this activity contains strategies for helping your students to describe an object. As a pre-activity exercise, familiarise your students with the language of description by taking them through two tasks. In the first task, have them identify from a set of pictures the object that they will hear being described. (See Resource 3a for the worksheet with pictures.) Give the students, working in pairs with one worksheet to a pair, the worksheet with the pictures of eight objects, and describe them randomly using the descriptions given in Resource 3b, without naming the object. The students’ job is to identify the objects from the descriptions, and number them. This task is to familiarise them with the expressions used for descriptions. The next task is actually a game that could also be played outdoors. In this task, student volunteers are blindfolded and made to describe an object as they touch it. For this task, you will have to bring to the class interesting objects that are not too easy to describe. This task should generate a lot of laughter as the students make wild guesses about the objects. It is also a good activity for practising descriptions. After these preliminary tasks, the students will have had a good exposure to the language of description. However, it might still be useful to have a discussion about some appropriate expressions. You can now distribute amongst the students Resource 3c, which contains a list of useful phrases for descriptions. For the final part of the activity, give students a set of pictures of some differently shaped objects (see Resource 3d) and ask them to describe them. Working in pairs, they should first write out a description using Resource 3c, and one partner should then read it aloud to the rest of the class. The rest of the classes will have to understand clearly which object on the page is being described. Keep a record of the best description, and discuss with the class what made it so good. The rest of the class can practise and modify their own descriptions to match the pictures better. |
Unit summary
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Summary |
This unit aimed to familiarise your students with certain social functions of English. It exposed them to real-life situations where polite expressions are used for apologising, asking for clarifications and giving descriptions. It also tried to help you give your students adequate practice in using the appropriate language forms in conversations similar to those used in everyday life. The unit also gave you strategies to help your students practise these skills in the classroom. |
Reflections
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Reflection |
Are you comfortable with dramatising conversations in English in class? Do you think you have the necessary pronunciation skills to make the conversations sound real? If not, you should listen to audiotapes of lessons for pronunciation practice that are readily available, and practise them privately. As a role model for your students, you should try your best to expose them to the most appropriate forms of English. |
Assessment
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Assessment |
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Resources
Resource 1a: Making an apology (transcript)
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Resource 1a |
Christina: Hey, Ravi! Why didn’t you turn up at my place last evening? Everyone was waiting for you to show up, you know! In fact, we waited till 9:00 p.m. to start! Ravi: I’m so sorry, Tina — I just couldn’t get away from the office! Christina: Well, since you didn’t call to say you weren’t coming, we didn’t know for sure! Ravi: I know, Tina — it was really rude of me not to call — can you forgive me, please? Christina: It wasn’t just me, you know — Suzie came only to meet you, and I had a real problem with the seating arrangement at dinner! Ravi: My sincere apologies once again, dear — I just hope I can make up for it soon! Christina: It’s okay, but you better not repeat this — I don’t know if I can take it one more time! Ravi: Please let it pass this time — I promise this will never happen again! Christina: All right, all right — you’re forgiven! Now buy me an ice cream, or I’ll tell everyone about this! Ravi: Really? Now who’s being mean? Ha ha!
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Video |
Resource file
See in the enclosed DVD a video recording of the activity:
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Resource 1b: Making an apology (worksheet)
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Resource 1b |
Christina: Hey, Ravi! Why didn’t you turn up at my place last evening? Everyone was waiting for you to show up, you know! In fact, we waited till 9:00 p.m. to start! Ravi: ________________, Tina — I just couldn’t get away from the office! Christina: Well, since you didn’t call to say you weren’t coming, we didn’t know for sure! Ravi: I know, Tina — it was really rude of me not to call — ________________? Christina: It wasn’t just me, you know — Suzie came only to meet you, and I had a real problem with the seating arrangement at dinner! Ravi: ________________, dear — I just hope I can make up for it soon! Christina: ________________, but you better not repeat this — I don’t if I can take it one more time! Ravi: ________________ — I promise this will never happen again! Christina: All right, all right — ________________! Now buy me an ice cream, or I’ll tell everyone about this! Ravi: Really? Now who’s being mean? Ha ha! |
Resource 2a: Asking for clarifications (video muted)
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Resource 2a |
Transcript Rahila: Okay, everyone, let’s finalise our plans for the Sports Day... Lisa, Ron, Nick, Didier, Wendy — everyone, please pay attention! Wendy: Sorry, Rahila — didn’t catch it — ________________? Rahila: I just said we should start discussing our plans for Sports Day... Did you talk to Coach Andrews? Wendy: Me? No — was I supposed to? Ron: Why, Wendy, wasn’t it you who offered to meet Coach Andrews after classes on Friday? Wendy: But I thought we were supposed to meet him together — Lisa and I! Lisa: Hey — I thought I heard my name — _______________________________? Rahila: Really, Lisa, why are you always so vague? Wendy says she and you were supposed to have met Coach Andrews together on Friday. Lisa: Oops! I forgot! _____________________________? Nick: You don’t remember? I was with you when Wendy called Thursday night, and I thought she said you two needed to discuss Sports Day preparations. Lisa: I’m confused now… weren’t we supposed to meet Coach after we’d made our plans? Didier: Guys, guys, we’re moving off the tracks now — ________________________________? Nick: All right — let’s go over this once more. Everyone, please pay attention! We need to discuss how to start planning the Sports Day events. Wendy and Lisa are going to discuss it with Coach Andrews. I hope this clarifies it for everyone now. Didier: Ummm… I was thinking, like, how about drawing up a plan ourselves and getting it past Coach? We don’t have much time, y’know! Rahila: That’s not a bad idea – Didier, ________________? Wendy: Didier, remem… Nick: I have an ide… Rahila: Nick, please don’t interrupt her — Wendy, ________________________________? Wendy: What I was saying was that Didier and I were just talking about things we could do and he… Didier: Yeah, and I was saying we could divide the games into under 14, and over 15 or something like that… Rahila: Okay, I think I get it — you are suggesting we have two sets of competitions — one for kids under 14 years, and the other for the rest of us older kids, that is, 14 upwards. Nick: That sounds good… Ron: Someone ________________________________. Are we going to make a rough plan now, and everyone will contribute their ideas, and we will then take it to the Coach for confirmation? ______________? Everyone: Absolutely! Nick: Okay, everyone — let’s be serious about this: ________________________________. |
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Video |
Resource file
See in the enclosed DVD a video recording of the activity:
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Audio |
If you have trouble playing the video, you can have your students listen to the audio recording (below) of the same conversation.
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Resource 2b: Asking for clarifications (video)
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Resource 2b |
Transcript Rahila: Ok, everyone, let’s finalise our plans for the Sports Day… Lisa, Ron, Nick, Didier, Wendy — everyone, please pay attention! Wendy: Sorry, Rahila — didn’t catch it — could you say that again, please? Rahila: I just said we should start discussing our plans for Sports Day…. Did you talk to Coach Andrews? Wendy: Me? No — was I supposed to? Ron: Why, Wendy, wasn’t it you who offered to meet Coach Andrews after classes on Friday? Wendy: But I thought we were supposed to meet him together — Lisa and I! Lisa: Hey — I thought I heard my name — can someone explain what this is about? Rahila: Really, Lisa, why are you always so vague? Wendy says she and you were supposed to have met Coach Andrews together on Friday. Lisa: Oops! I forgot! Could you remind me what we were planning to discuss with Coach? Nick: You don’t remember? I was with you when Wendy called Thursday night, and I thought she said you two needed to discuss Sports Day preparations. Lisa: I’m confused now… weren’t we supposed to meet Coach after we’d made our plans? Didier: Guys, guys, we’re moving off the tracks now — can someone explain this from the beginning please? Nick: All right — let’s go over this once more. Everyone, please pay attention! We need to discuss how to start planning the Sports Day events. Wendy and Lisa are going to discuss it with Coach Andrews. I hope this clarifies it for everyone now. Didier: Ummm… I was thinking, like, how about drawing up a plan ourselves and getting it past Coach? We don’t have much time, y’know! Rahila: That’s not a bad idea — Didier, could you explain what you have in mind? Wendy: Didier, remem… Nick: I have an ide… Rahila: Nick, please don’t interrupt her — Wendy, could you repeat what you wanted to say? Wendy: What I was saying was that Didier and I were just talking about things we could do and he… Didier: Yeah, and I was saying we could divide the games into under 14, and over 15 or something like that… Rahila: Okay, I think I get it — you are suggesting we have two sets of competitions — one for kids under 14 years, and the other for the rest of us older kids, that is, 14 upwards. Nick: That sounds good… Ron: Someone please pull this conversation together for everyone’s clarification… Are we going to make a rough plan now, and everyone will contribute their ideas, and we will then take it to the Coach for confirmation? Am I on the right track? Everyone: Absolutely! Nick: Okay, everyone — let’s be serious about this: I’d like everyone to clarify their points, please. |
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Video |
Resource file
See in the enclosed DVD a video recording of the activity:
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Audio |
If you have trouble playing the video, you can have your students listen to the audio recording (below) of the same conversation:
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Resource 2c: Asking for clarifications: List of useful expressions
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Resource 2c |
Here is a list of common expressions used to clarify information that the listener did not understand. Practise using them in the classroom when you do not understand something said by your teacher or classmates. This will help you use them in real-life conversations outside the classroom.
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Resource 3a: Describing objects (pictures)
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Resource 3a |
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Resource 3b: Describing objects (descriptions)
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Resource 3b |
An open book: This is a rectangular object about the size of a shoe box. It is made of thin sheets of paper bound together. The inner sheets are encased in two covers, made of thick sheets. The object contains printed matter with margins on each side of the sheets. The object is used for gathering or displaying knowledge or information. A pair of spectacles: This object consists of two pieces of glass that are held in place with a frame made of plastic, metal or wood. The two glass pieces are cut into a round, oval, square or rectangular shape, and held in a thin frame. The frame has two long sticks, about seven or eight centimetres long, which are bent at the ends to look like the letter “l.” This object is used to view things at a distance more clearly, or small objects and written matter that cannot be viewed by the naked eye. A pencil box: It is a rectangular object, cuboid in shape, about 15 centimetres long, six centimetres wide and three centimetres high. It is made of plastic, metal or wood, and is used to store tools used for writing. A mobile phone: This is a hand-held wireless instrument used to communicate with people at a distance. It has an in-built computer that allows the user to store the contact numbers of people they wish to speak to, and many other features that enable the user to communicate with other people. This object works on a battery and sometimes includes a torch. The advanced versions of this object can be used to watch TV, audio- or video- record events and sounds, and even allows the user to be visible to the listener. A stethoscope: This is an instrument used by a doctor to listen to a person’s heartbeat. It consists of a rubber tube, about two feet in length, connected at one end to two metal tubes with earpieces. At the other end, the rubber tube is connected to a flat, round, metal object that resembles a medal. Electric iron: An instrument used to remove creases from clothes, this object works on electricity. The object, about the size of a book, is conical in shape, and has a flat metal plate on one surface, which can be heated. The flat surface is attached to a metal or plastic casing that contains wires and other heating apparatus. The plastic case also has a non-heating plastic handle for people to hold it. The object may have a wire attached at one end to connect it to an electric point, or it may be wireless. A shoe: This object is an article of clothing used by both men and women. It is made of a sturdy fabric. The object is about the size of a human foot, and is rectangular in shape, but rounded at the front and back. It is hollow and has a thick bottom called a “sole,” made of plastic or some other material that uses friction to keep it steady on the ground. The object has a soft inner lining for comfort. The fabric is stitched to the sole, and can be held in place by two laces that can be inserted into holes made in the front. A clock: This is a round object made of plastic or metal. It works on a spring that is attached to three thin plastic sticks with arrows at the end. The sticks, which go round and round constantly in a fixed time span, are made of plastic. The longest stick is about one foot long, while the other two are about seven and five centimetres long respectively. The front of the object has a paper or plastic sheet glued to it, on which is printed the numbers 1 to 12. The sheet is protected by a glass cover. The object rests vertically on two metal feet. At the top of the object, on the circumference, there is a triangular handle. On either side of the handle, two round metal buttons are attached, each about the size of a coin. When pressed, these metal coins produce a sound. |
Resource 3c: Expressions used to describe an object
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Resource 3c |
round, oval, square, flat, long, diagonal, diamond-shaped, pear-shaped, heart-shaped, zigzag, elliptical, rectangular, triangular, circular
large, small, short, tiny, enormous, huge, average, pint-sized, microscopic, mid-sized
hollow, cube, spherical, conical, cylindrical, concave (turning in), shapely, convex (turning out), bent, stretched
up, down, left, right, north, south, east, west, above, below, over, under, between, beside, along, across, beneath
red, blue, yellow, green, amber, azure, turquoise, jade, ashen, grey, brown, crimson, maroon, magenta, indigo, purple, violet, orange, pink, beige, silver, gold, bluish-green, greenish-red, purplish-yellow, inky-blue, icy blue, copper, rust
a) This object is a… b) It has… c) It is used for… d) It is made of… e) It comprises… f) It consists of… g) The size of this object is… |
Resource 3d: Shapes to describe
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Resource 3d |
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Teacher question and answer
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Feedback |
Question: Students will need to describe so many different objects in real life! How can we teach them to describe everything? How many words or sentences should one teach? Answer: It is obviously not possible to teach your students to describe everything they see around them. However, if you give them a basic vocabulary and a set of common phrases or sentences used for descriptions, and have them practise using these, they will be gradually able to modify their language to describe new things effectively. |
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