Cambridge University Press & Assessment
978-0-521-68951-9 — Dialogue Activities
Nick Bilbrough
More Information
Dialogue Activities
piano. Maryam really enjoyed school but I hated it. It was too strict for
me . . .
Extension
Display the Venn diagrams around the room in the next class. Ask the
students to read them and to try to work out which pair of students wrote
each one.
Variation
Instead of working in pairs, put students into groups of three to complete a
triple Venn diagram (three interlocking circles).
learnt an instrument
play the guitar at school play the piano
hated school don’t like fatty food enjoyed school
no brothers and sisters like hearing rain on wanted to be an actress
used to work in a prison the window has ridden a motorbike
not married
© Cambridge University Press 2007
8.2 Speed dating
Outline Students find out about each other quickly through talking about
chosen topics
Focus Encouraging students to find out about each other through dialogue,
and enabling teacher monitoring of speaking ability
Level Elementary plus
Time 10 minutes
Materials Each student will need a copy of a worksheet like the circular
and ‘diagram’ on p. 173.
preparation
172
© Cambridge University Press & Assessment www.cambridge.org
Cambridge University Press & Assessment
978-0-521-68951-9 — Dialogue Activities
Nick Bilbrough
More Information
Communicating
Procedure
1 Invite everyone to stand up in a space where they can move around fairly
freely. Give out a copy of the worksheet to each student and ask them to
find a partner. Tell them that one of them should choose one of the topics
to discuss with their partner but that they will only have one minute to do
it in. Emphasise that the interaction should be as equal as possible.
Demonstrate this yourself with one student.
2 When a minute is up, give a loud signal for the end of the activity and tell
them to swap partners. Each time they swap they should discuss a
different topic.
3 When students have interacted with at least three other students, or when
you consider it appropriate, ask everyone to sit down. Suggest that they
feed back to the person they’re sitting next to about who they spoke to
and what they found interesting.
ks or cold drinks?
t d r in
ho
ho
nig
us
ht
eo
work c
rf
les?
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or
ng
lu
lat
ab
c
st
bo
it y
t
s pri
e
?
g
ud
r re
o
ve
r co
summer or
y?
staurant?
r
meat o
cats or dogs?
u n tr y sid e?
ning?
cl
eve
fa m
a s s
or
ica
il y
or
nin
g
lo
frie
n ds? m or
r
ro
gs?
ck
sm ?
in
in
art
th
si d
e or c
or asu al? ew
ou o rn
tsid
e? i ngs
old th
© Cambridge University Press 2007
Note
Speed dating has become a popular way for people to meet potential
partners. Those who participate in organised schemes are given only a few
minutes to introduce themselves and to try to present their positive side.
After the allotted time a bell is sounded and everyone moves round to talk to
somebody else. At the end of the evening they tell the organisers who it is
that they would most like to meet again.
173
© Cambridge University Press & Assessment www.cambridge.org
