Turn taking and active listening longer phrases card games

A LESSON PLAN FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHERS

Basic and more complex phrases for interrupting and not interrupting card games and brainstorming

By: Alex Case

Level: All Levels

Theme: General

Study Area: Functional Language

Download Lesson Plan (PDF) 247 KB

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Lesson Plan Content:

Turn taking and active listening longer phrases card games

Instructions for teachers

Photocopy and cut up one pack per of cards group of two to four students, putting the middle column with the words in bold in a different pack. Also photocopy one un-cut-up copy per student for them to check their answers with and keep for reference.

Give out the first and last column cards only and get students to match them up to make short basic phrases. There may sometimes be more than one possible match for some cards, but there is only one way of matching all the cards up.

When they are done or nearly done, give them the middle column cards to add to the middle to make longer phrases with to check and expand on their answers.

Give out the un-cut-up copies of the worksheet for them to check their answers with, answer any questions about the phrases, then do the brainstorming stage.

Ask them to test each other on the language in pairs, for example:

giving the longer version and asking their partner to come up with the shorter version
giving the shorter version and asking their partner to come up with a longer version
giving the left hand and middle column and asking their partner to come up with the last column
giving the left-hand column and asking their partner to come up with the middle and right-hand column
giving the end of the phrases and asking their partner to remember the beginning
saying a heading and helping their partner make suitable phrases

Speaking games

Students deal out all the cards randomly and discuss something using as many of the words and phrases in their hand as they can
Two students debate something using as many different opinions phrases as they can. The person/ people listening to them give them one point for each different phrase they use. A longer and shorter version of the same phrase count as two different phrases and therefore both phrases get points. There are no points for using a phrase that has already been used in the debate.
Two students debate something using as many different opinions phrases as they can. The person/ people listening to them give them one point for each word in the phrases that they use, meaning more points for longer phrases. There are no points for using a phrase that has already been used in the debate.

Cards to cut up/ Suggested answers

Can I

just

interrupt for a minute?

Sorry to interrupt you

in full flow

, but…

I’ll let you finish

in a minute/ in a second

, but…

That’s okay, you

have

already answered my question.

Sorry,

please

carry on/ go on.

(I’m afraid) I can’t add

anything

to that.

I’m still thinking about what

I want

to say.

I’m

still/ just

digesting what you said.

Yeah

yeah

yeah.

I know

just/ exactly

what you mean.

Do you

really

think so?

Go ahead,

please

have your say.

Sorry, can I

just

finish what I’m saying?

I can see you want to speak

about this

, but can I just add…?

Anyway,

as/ like

I was saying…

But you

probably/ almost certainly/ might/ will

know more about this than me.

Sorry for waffling/ going

on and

on.

You get the

general

idea/ gist.

That’s

pretty much/ (just) about

all I wanted to say.

Brainstorming stage

Without looking above for now, brainstorm suitable phrases into each category below. Many answers not above are also okay.

Listener

Interrupting

Changing your mind about interrupting

Ending your interruption

Turning down the chance to speak

Showing you’re listening/ Not listening in silence

Positive phrases/ Positive reactions

Negative active listening phrases/ Negative reactions/ Reactions to negative things

(Main) speaker

Allowing other people to speak/ Allowing people to interrupt

Stopping the other person interrupting

Getting the turn back/ Getting the discussion back on track

Giving the other person the chance to comment/ Inviting the other person to comment

Signalling the end of your turn

Check your answers with the cards, starting with mixed up ones. Then brainstorm more.

Check your answers as a class. You get one point for each phrase that isn’t on the cards and no other group has written. Even small differences are okay.