Conversation Inspirations

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1 Conversation I n spi rati o ns Ouer Tuo Thousand ConuersationToPics Second, Reuised Edition

/t Nancy Ellen Zeknan, Esq. Illustrated by Patrick R. Moran Supplementary Materials Handbook Three

NSSOCIATES PRO LINGUAG L7 Brattleboro, Vermont

Pro Llngus Assoclates, publlsbers P.O. Box 1348 Brattleboro, \J"TO53O2 USA Off],ce802-257-7779 Orders 8OO-366-4775 S a n 2 1 6- O 576

At Pro Lingua, our objectiae[s tofosteran approach to learningand teachingthat zuecall interplay, theinteractionof langtage Iearnersand teacherc with theirmaterials, with thelanguage andculture, andwith eachotherin actiae,creatioe, andproductiae play.

Copyright O 1986, 1996 by Nancy Ellen Zelman ISBN 0-86647 094-8 All rights reserved. Except for classroom use as specifred below, no part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted il ary form or by alry me.rns, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or other, or stored in an information storage or retrieval system without permtsston in writing from the pubhsher. Permission to copy is granted by the publisher as follows: The topics in this book may be copied by hand or photocopied pasted on index cards for use with students in the claaaroom.

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This book was designed and set by Arthur A. Burrows using Old Slrle Bookman text and display type. lt was printed and bound by BookCrafters of Fredericksburg, Virginia. Pri n te d i n t he Unit ed Sta i e s o I Ame ri c a Secondedltton. Thtrd prlnttng 2OOO 19,000coplesln ortnt

Contents Introduction

s

Plocedure for Monltored. Conuersatrcn Mistake/ Correction Cards vu Mista_ke Correction viii Mistake Card Fun: 3 Card Games rx How to Prepare your Topic Cards x

Role Plays

u[

I

Procedures for Role plags 2 Advice 3 Complaints 6 Conflict 9 Cultural Misunderstandings 12 Dating 14 Descriptions 17 Directions { cetting) ' 19 Directions (Giving) 20 Emotions/Feetings 21 Explanations 23 Famous People 25 Health 27 Introductions 31 Invitations 32 Jobs {cetting a Job) 33 Jobs (On the Job) 36 Parent-Cbild lnteractions 3Z Restaurarts 42 Roommates 44 School (Student,s View) 46 School (Teachert View) 48 Spouses 49 Telephone 52 Thank You ald Farewelt 55 Travel 56

Intenriews

59

Procedures for lnteruieus 60 The Arts 61 The Environment 62 Family 63 Foreign Countries arld Foreign Languages

iii

65

Interviews,

continued

Health 65 Intewiewing for the Job 67 Laughter 68 Law and Justice 69 Men, Women, and Relationships Minorities 72 Native Country 74 People 74 Personal Data 76 Personal Values 77 Personal Experience 77 PoLitics 78 School 79 Sports 80 Television 82 What If: 83 Work 81

Talks

71

a4

Procedures for Talks 85 Comparisons 86 Hopes and Fears for the Future 87 PersonalExperiences 88 SelJ-Description 8q Time Travel: The Year 2025 90 Tmth or Lies 9l

Group Creativity

94

Procedures for Prouerbs and SuperstiCions 95 Proverbs 96 Superstitions 99 Procedures for Chain Stories lOO Chain Stories 101 Procedures for Find Out 1O3 Find Out 104 Procedure for Get Your Partner i1s Get Your Partner 106

Discussions

LO7

Procedures for Discassions uptlrtons tu9 Philosophica.llssues 110 So ci al I s s ues 111 World Issues t 13

Postscript

J 08

114

Resources for Developing Conversation Skills

tu

1 1S

Introduction

ui +

Introduction

Monitored.

Conversation

Proced,ure

This basic procedure can be used with most of the activities and w-ith students with intermediate language skills: 1. Call two students up to the front of t}Ie class and ask thern to sit irr two chairs facing each other, while the rest of the class is seated in a serni-circle,The students seated irr the,,hot seats" get a conversation card. 2. Explain that the two students up front must speak to each other for three minutes, talking about the situation or topic on the card. 3, Explain that the cards merely function to promote Iinguistic interaction, arld that what is important is not the topic per se, but the language used by the two students. 4. Then explain the responsibility ofthe monitoring students, which is to listen to the students in the hot seats for inappropriate speech, mispronunciation, and incorrect grammar. When a mistake is heard, the listeners write down (as best they can) the phrase or sentence in which the mistal