View Content #19628

Renee Marshall is a Curriculum Consultant at CASLS

In the perfect world, when you invite someone to do something with you they will always say yes and there will never be any complications. However, in real life that doesn't always happen! The goal of the activity is for students to make plans with a partner. If they accept, they must set up the details of meeting up, and if they decline, they must give an excuse as to why they cannot. It incorporates a variety of language functions and vocabulary: the activity gets students inviting, accepting, asking and answering simple questions in order to make plans with someone and also making simple excuses. This sample activity was created with Novice High students in mind. Also, it assumes that you will be using the NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements. You can print out the relevant pages of this document for your students or create your own personalized version of Can-Do Statements. If you are using LinguaFolio Online e-Portfolio, which employs these Can-Do Statements, then you and your students can record evidence using it. After the activity, students will assess whether they met the Can-Do and they will set new goals for subsequent lessons.

Mode(s): Interpersonal Communication

Objective(s):

1. Students will be able to verbally invite their partner student to do certain activities. 2. Students will be able to verbally and politely accept their partner's invitation. 3. Students will be able to verbally ask and answer appropriate follow-up questions, such as where and when to meet. 4. Students will be able to verbally and politely decline their partner's invitation. 5. Students will be able to verbally and politely make a simple excuse as to why they cannot accept their partner's invitation. 6. Students will be able to self-access their language progress using NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements

Resources:

You will need copies of the Making Plans (with LFO) OR Making Plans (without LFO) handout for each student. You will need a coin for each pair of students. You will need your students to have the LFO to Go application on their phones, iPads, or other smart devices, or they will need access to a computer during class or after school. Or, instead of LFO, you will need to have the NCSSFL-ACTFL Can-Do Statements: Interpersonal Communication NOVICE HIGH check-off list for all students (or your own similar version of these Can-Do statements)

Procedure:

1. Pass out the Making Plans (with LFO / without LFO) handout to all students.
2. Have students pair up and decide who is Partner A and who is Partner B.
3. Model the entire activity for students, either on the board or with another student as your partner, or both. Student A will invite Student B to do an activity with them. Then Student B will flip their coin: If heads, Student B must accept the invitation and ask follow up questions such as where to meet and when. If tails, Student B must decline the invitation and give an excuse as to why they cannot accept. Afterwards, students switch roles. Model both an acceptance with follow up questions and also a declination with an excuse. If using LFO, remind students to record themselves at least once on their devices so they can upload it as evidence.
4. Let students do the activity, walking around the room monitoring and helping when needed, making notes of common errors that impede successful communication.
5. Once it seems that each partner has had a few turns, get students' attention. Review on the board any common errors you observed that impeded communication (if any).
6. Give students a few minutes to complete numbers 5, 6 and 7 on the Making Plans handout.
7. Call on volunteers to share their answers to number 5.
8. Extension: For an extension of this activity that takes it from speaking to writing, in the next lesson you could have students read a formal letter from a business or school offering them a job, internship, or some item they may be interested in. After examining the conventions in the letter, you can have students write a formal letter in response either accepting or declining politely. This way learners practice both informal speaking and the more formal writing on the same topic.

Note: To learn more about the e-Portfolio LinguaFolio Online, visit http://lfonetwork.uoregon.edu/