Activity 1

TOPIC Responding To Situations – Conducting Dialogues

TIME 40 minutes

PREPARATION Handout – Suggested Routine Situations

STEPS 1. Teacher presents a routine situation which involves two roles.

2. Teacher gives an example of a situation and elicits responses
from students, as the first character or the second character.
3. Teacher instructs students to work in pairs.
4. Each pair is given a situation to prepare their dialogue.
5. Each pair presents their dialogue with at least 5 statements
and/or questions orally.

Example 1

You are looking for your book. Ask your classmate whether he/she has seen it.

Dialogue

You : Siti, have you seen my book?

Siti : Which book do you mean?

You : My English book. I have looked all around the classroom, but I can’t find it. Have you
seen it?

Siti : I’m afraid I haven’t. Have you checked your bag? It could be there.

You : I’ve looked in my bag, but it isn’t there. The teacher is going to be very angry with me.

Siti : Are you sure you brought the book to school? You could have left it at home.

You : I really hope so, otherwise I will be punished by the teacher.

9
Example 2

You are at the school canteen. Your friend is not eating. Find out why.

Dialogue

You : Siti, you are not eating anything. Is something the matter?

Siti : No, I just don’t feel like eating.

You : I’m sure you must be hungry. Do you have any money at all?

Siti : To tell you the truth, I have no money. My parents cannot afford to give me any pocket
money.

You : Oh, you poor thing. Here, share this food with me. I can’t finish all of it alone.

Siti : Thank you for sharing your food with me. You are very kind.

You : The pleasure is all mine. Siti, you can share my food every day. You will be doing me a
great favour, helping me to finish it.

Siti : Thank you. I’m really very grateful to you.

You : You are most welcome.

10
HANDOUT

Suggested Situations

1. You are at a shopping centre. Someone has dropped her purse and you want to

return it to her.

2. Your friend invites you to his birthday party. Tell him you cannot attend because you

have to study for your test.

3. You want to invite your cousin to a film show. Encourage him to come, giving a

reason.

4. You have forgotten to do your homework. Apologize to the teacher, giving a reason.

5. You want to borrow a pen from your friend. Tell her why you need to do that.

6. You have to complete your project. Ask your classmate for help, giving a reason.

7. You do not understand the lesson taught. Ask your teacher to explain again.

8. Someone has left a pencil case in the classroom. Find out who it belongs to.

9. The classroom is dirty. Get your friend to help clean it up.

10. You received a new mobile phone as a birthday present. Tell your friend about it.

11. Your classmate is sad because her pet has died. Console her.

12. Your friend is spending too much time surfing the Net and neglecting her studies.

Advise her.

13. You have lost your pen. Describe it and ask whether anyone has seen it.

14. One of your classmates is injured in an accident. Tell the class about it.

15. Ask your classmate to suggest an activity for the end of the year.

16. Your plate of fried rice bought at the school canteen has a dead cockroach in it.

Complain to your teacher.

17. Your classmate is fond of playing truant. Advise him/her not to do it again.

18. Your friend always sleeps in class. Tell her not to do it again.

19. Your classmate leaves her textbooks in school. Advise her to take them home.

20. Your friend is a good athlete. Praise her.

11
Activity 2

TOPIC Responding To Situations – Individual Responses

TIME 40 minutes

PREPARATION Handout – Suggested Routine Situations

STEPS 1. Teacher presents a routine situation to the class.

2. Teacher elicits responses from students.
3. Teacher distributes a routine situation to each student.
4. Students prepare their individual responses.
5. Students present their responses with at least 2 statements
and/or questions orally.

Example 1
You are looking for your book. Ask your classmate whether he/she has seen it.

Response
Siti, have you seen my textbook? I have looked all around the classroom but I
can’t find it.

Example 2
You are at the school canteen. Your friend is not eating. Find out why.

Response
Siti, you are not eating anything. Is something the matter? Don’t you have any money to
buy the food? Why aren’t you eating? Here, share this food with me.

12
Activity 3

TOPIC Passing A Message

TIME 40 minutes
PREPARATION A list of prepared messages
STEPS 1. Students are divided into groups of five.
2. Each group leader takes the five different messages from the
teacher.
3. Each student in the group is given a message.
4. Each student conveys the message he/she has received to the
members of his/her group.
5. Messages must be conveyed in reported speech.
6. Teacher selects a group present their messages to the class.

Sample Messages

Message 1

Teacher : I want the class to hand in all their English books. Tell them to complete the
correction and everyone is to hand in her book. Tell the monitor to leave the
books on my table. I also want her to take the Grammar worksheets from my
table and distribute them to the class.

Message 2

Form Teacher: I am organizing a trip to Melaka next week. Tell them that each student
who is interested to go will have to pay fifty ringgit for the bus fare and
accommodation. We are leaving on Saturday morning and coming back
on Sunday. Find out the number of students who are interested to go.

Message 3

Head Prefect: I need some students to sing two songs on Teachers’ Day. Tell them that
we’ll practise on Wednesday and Friday from four to six in the evening. It
does not matter if they can’t sing very well because the Music Teacher is
going to train us. Tell them to give their names to me by tomorrow.

Message 4

Teacher: Tell your class to change into their PE attire and line up in single file outside
the classroom. After that, they are to go down to the field for the PE lesson.
Remind them not to make any noise as they walk so that they do not disturb
the other classes. Ask the quartermasters to get the apparatus from the sports
storeroom.

Message 5

13
Discipline Teacher: Ask your classmates whether anyone is interested to become a
prefect. I know the students in your class are disciplined and good
in their studies. I am sure they will make good prefects. Tell those
who are interested to see me at the staffroom by tomorrow.

Activity 4

TOPIC The Pearl

TIME 80 minutes
PREPARATION Dialogue script
Questions
STEPS 1. Select two students to role play the dialogue above.
2. The other students will listen and try to answer the given
questions.
3. After 30 minutes the students will present their answers orally
in the class.
4. Teacher and students will agree and disagree with each
others’ answers by producing supporting details.

Two students will role play the dialogue from the novel. The others listen to the dialogue and
answer the following questions orally.

THE DIALOGUE
KINO : They have taken the pearl. I have lost it. Now its over. The pearl is gone.
JUANA : Hush! Here is your pearl. I found it in the path. Can you hear me now?
Here is your pearl. Can you understand? You have killed a man. We must
go away. They will come for us, can you understand? We must be gone
before the daylight comes.
KINO : I was attacked. I struck to save my life
JUANA: Do you remember yesterday? Do you think that will matter? Do you
remember the men of the city? Do you think your explanation will help?
KINO : No. You are right. Go to our house and bring Coyotito and bring all the corn
we have. I will drag the canoe into the water and we will go.

(Adapted from the novel ‘The Pearl’, John Steinbeck)

THE QUESTIONS
1. List out any five questions you heard the dialogue.
2. What happened to the pearl?
3. Who struck Kino?
4. What did Kino ask Juana to do?
5. Based on the dialogue, give you opinion about the positive/negative aspects of both the
characters orally.

Activity 5

14
 TOPIC Guided dialogues

TIME 40 minutes

PREPARATION Dialogue cards

STEPS 1. Teacher can use guided dialogues written on cards to help

during their pair work.

2. Teacher explains to students a few examples of the target

language functions i.e. greet, invite, decline, suggest

3. Teacher asks students to work in pairs.

4. Teacher asks students to use the cards (Figure 1.0) and talk
to one another.

5. Teacher walks around the class and helps by prompting

when necessary. The support provided can be gradually
reduced depending on the ability of the students.

6. Teacher can use similar cards in the future to support other

dialogue practice with a functional focus e.g. making
excuses, apologising, explaining, suggesting

7. When students are used to the format of guided dialogue

cards, it can be more elaborate.

8. The cards can contain information for one, or both, of the

students using the cards as in Figure 1.1

Figure 1.0: Guided Dialogue cards : Inviting and declining

15
Student A Student B

Greet your partner Greet your partner

Say how you are Ask how he or she is

Invite your partner to play Decline the invitation and

tennis on Saturday afternoon give a reason

Agree on the time and date Suggest an alternative time

16
Figure1.1: Guided Dialogue cards: buying a bus ticket

Student A (Customer) Student B (Ticket seller)

Greet your partner Respond to your partner’s greeting

Ask about times of And ask if you can help

buses to Penang on
Saturday Here are bus times to Penang:

Ask about price of a Monday to Friday

ticket (return to Every hour starting at 5.00a.m. to 12.00 p.m.
Penang)
Saturdays
Ask for the ticket that
you want Every two hours starting at 6.00a.m. until 12.00 midnight

Pay money Sundays

Thank the ticket seller At 6.00a.m., 9.30a.m., 1.00p.m. and 6.00p.m.

Prices of tickets are RM 9.50 one way RM16.00 return

Sell the ticket that is required

Thank the customer

(Adapted : A Handbook for ELT Teachers 1991)

17