Getting to know you Notes for teachers Description Students do a lead-in activity in which their teacher asks them some personal questions. They then match questions on cards with the answers, and categorise questions into topics. They write 3 questions to ask their partner, then ask and answer these questions. Finally they role-play. Time required: Materials required: 25-30 minutes Handout for Section 1 (question and answer cards cut up) Handout for section 2 Aims: to familiarise students with the content and format of Paper 3, to remind students of the assessment criteria (optional) Procedure 1. As a lead in, ask your students to imagine you have never met them before. You are their new teacher and you want to find out about them. Ask different students in the class these questions: What s your name? How do you spell that? Where do you live? What subjects do you like best at school? When s your birthday? How many brothers and sisters have you got? Tell me something about your hobbies. Add any other similar questions that are relevant to your students. 2. Explain that in of the Speaking test, the situation is the same. The examiner does not know the students and wants to find out about them. 3. Copy and cut up a set of question cards and answer cards from the handout for each pair or small group. Mix up each set of cards so they are in a random order, and give one set to each pair or small group. 4. Explain that each group has 9 cards with questions on them and 9 cards with the answers to these questions on them. The questions and answers are mixed up. Tell them to match the questions and answers. Page 1 of 6
5. Check the answers as a whole class (see key). You could ask a student from one group to read out a question and a student from another group to read out the matching answer. 6. Hand out Section 2 of the worksheet. This task is to familiarise students with the topics they are usually asked about in. Ask students to fill in the table then check with their partner. 7. Go through the answers (see key). 8. Ask students to write 3 new questions to ask their partner. Elicit question words (What / where / when / who / why / which / how) and write them on the board. Give some examples if you think they need help, e.g. What s your brother s name? How do you spell that? What did you eat for dinner last night? Point out that they should avoid yes/no questions, e.g. Do you live in the city centre. The questions should be about the topics in Section 2 on the worksheet. 9. Monitor the class as they write the questions to make sure they are correct and can be answered easily. Make a note of the questions that students have written so that you can use them to practise in a later lesson. 10. Ask students to ask and answer their partner s questions. Encourage students to give more than one-word answers if they can. Give an example, by asking which answer to this question is better: Have you got any brothers or sisters? Yes, one. Yes, I have got one brother. He s called Sam and he s 10. 11. When they have finished, get some students to ask different students their questions so that the whole class can hear. Give brief (but encouraging) feedback, including noting good answers, eliciting how short answers could be extended, etc. 12. Put students into groups of three to practise of the Speaking test. One is the examiner and the other two are candidates. The examiner is going to ask the questions to each candidate, one by one, using the list of questions from the worksheet Section 2 plus any extra questions students have written. The candidates are going to answer, giving longer answers where they can. Explain that they have 5 6 minutes, like in the exam, so the examiner can ask each candidate several questions. The candidates should always listen carefully to the examiners questions and answer that question. Never try to answer a different question or give a prepared speech that does not answer the question. 13. Monitor while the students role play. When they have finished, let the students swap roles so that the examiner has a chance to answer some questions. Give brief feedback to the class at the end of the activity, focusing on any typical difficulties (avoid naming students) as well as some good examples of questions or answers. Page 2 of 6
14. If you have done the Overview activity with students, elicit the assessment criteria. Ask What is the assessor giving you marks for? Grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation and interactive communication. Key to Section 1 (Matching questions and answers) 1 What s your name? How do you spell that? H J O S E Jose. 2 Where do you live? 3 What subjects do you study at school? D in the city centre I English, geography and maths 4 What food do you like best? 5 What s your favourite colour? 6 Where did you go on holiday last year? E pizza C green B to the beach 7 What time did you go to bed yesterday evening? 8 How old are you? 9 What presents did you get for your last birthday? F 10 pm A 14 G A bike and some chocolates Key to Section 2 (Types of questions) You will see that question 10 has been put in three topics. Students might see this as a personal detail, a question about their family if they went on holiday with their family, or even daily life. Accept reasonable suggestions. Personal details, e.g. name Place of origin Study Family Daily life Likes and hobbies 1 4 2 9 3 5 6 10 10 8 7 12 10 11 Page 3 of 6
Suggested follow-up activity: Ask students to answer the questions on the question cards with longer, or full-sentence answers, e.g: My name s Jose. That s spelt J O S E. I live in the city centre, in a flat. I study English, geography and maths. I like English best! I like pizza best. My favourite colour is green. I went to the beach. I went to bed at ten pm because I was tired. I m 14, but I will be 15 in March. I got a bike and some chocolates for my last birthday. Page 4 of 6
, Section 1: Getting to know you Question cards 1 What s your name? How do you spell that? 2 Where do you live? 3 What subjects do you study at school? 4 What food do you like best? 5 What s your favourite colour? 6 Where did you go on holiday last year? 7 What time did you go to bed yesterday evening? 8 How old are you? 9 What presents did you get for your last birthday? Answer cards A 14 B to the beach C green D in the city centre E pizza F 10 pm G A bike and some chocolates H Jose J O S E I English, geography and maths, Page 5 of 6
Section 2: Types of questions In the examiner usually asks you about the topics in the table. Look at questions 1-12. Which topic is each question about? Write the number of each question in the table. Question 1 is an example. Topics Personal details, e.g. name Place of origin Study Family Daily life Likes and hobbies 1 Questions 1 What s your name? How do you spell that? 2 What subjects do you like best at school? 3 What time did you go to bed yesterday evening? 4 Where do you live? 5 What food do you like best? 6 How old are you? 7 When s your birthday? 8 What s your favourite colour? 9 How many brothers and sisters have you got? 10 Where did you go on holiday last year? 11 What presents did you get for your last birthday? 12 Tell me something about your hobbies., Page 6 of 6