Telephone
Minefields
| Level | Aims | Grammar | Time | Materials |
| junior high school to Adult | To emphasise (ize) spoken English. | any | 45 mins | Toy/real phones (x2), work sheets. |
Begin the lesson by handing out worksheets and having the S/s write their names (in English) and their real 'phone numbers in the spaces provided at the top. Then have them tear or cut along the dotted line, and collect these strips in a box, hat, or similar item for later use. Next, tell the students that you are going to present a skit. The props are arranged, and basic scene-setting is given by each character. E.g., "I'm Mike. I'm at my house. This is my telephone". If you don't have access to toy or real phones make use of pencil cases or the classroom TV remote control as 'cell-phones'.
The following skit (using any names you like) is presented 2 or 3 times:
A: (calls B)
B: Hello?
A: Hello. May I speak to Ann please?
B: I'm sorry, she's not here right now. Who's calling please?
A: This is Takamitsu speaking. I'll call again later. Good bye.
B: 'Bye.
Encourage the S/s to listen to each phrase used, and record its number in the brackets at the bottom of part A:. After three readings, check their answers. Finish this section by having the S/s draw a line between the English phase and its Japanese equivalent. Call on students to provide the translation.
Part B: of the sheet is model read by the ALT, with the students practicing after the example. Once they are faily versed in the English, explain that you are going to phone one of the students. Select an opposite gender name from the hat, and, announcing the number only, conduct the skit with that student. Students must listen carefully to hear if it's their number being 'dialed'. If the demo student was a girl, select a boy's name for her to phone, and continue the skit having girl phone boy and visa versa for as long as desired.
Next, the model dialogue is expanded using parts C: & D: of the handout. This is followed by more telephone conversations with randomly chosen students. The teacher who is not involved in the conversation helps the student when necessary. Part D: can be omitted for less advanced students.
Part E: is for the students to construct their own dialogues so that, finally, you can have the students choose numbers and call each other. This is often very amusing (as well as highly educational), so please make sure you allow enough time (15 mins) for this segment.
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