| Body | This activity was designed to introduce learners to the concept of politeness orientation and to help them explore related L2 conventions. It involves L1/L2 comparisons and can be adapted for learners of all language proficiency levels.
Learning Outcomes:
At the end of this activity, learners will be able to:
Mode(s): Any
Materials: Politeness Orientation Predictogram (example in English), Politeness Orientation Video
Procedure:
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Provide learners with the Politeness Orientation Predictogram (in the L1 or L2, depending on the proficiency level of the learners). Ask that they use their knowledge of language and context clues to decode and predict the meaning of any word(s) or phrase(s) that they do not know. (Important: Learners may not have enough spaces in some columns and may have too many spaces in others. The point of the activity is not to “game” the placement of words and phrases but rather to build robust schemata by making connections).
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Show learners the Politeness Orientation Video. Ask them to update their predictogram answers based on what they see.
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Debrief as a class. As you debrief, prompt learners to justify their answers and provide clarification as misunderstandings present themselves.
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Ask learners to make predictions regarding how politeness orientation manifests in a given language function (e.g., greetings, small talk, and leave takings) in the L2. Then, have them use the Internet to find three samples of the target language function to verify their predictions.
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In small groups, debrief what learners found.
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Have learners complete an exit ticket on the way out of class in which they state: (1) something they learned; (2) something they have a question about; and (3) contrast politeness orientation in the L2 with politeness orientation in the L1.
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