Title: Aclarando malentendidos (Clearing up misunderstandings)

Topic: Expressing dissatisfaction, with emphasis, and convincing others

Level: Intermediate

Focus Age Group: 16 to 18 years

National Standards Goals:

Communication   Cultures   Connections   Comparisons   Communities

Communicative Mode:

Interpersonal   Interpretive   Presentational

NJ Cumulative Progress Indicators:

• 7.1.17  Communicate and interact in a limited range of task-oriented and social situations
• 7.1.18  Respond to statements and initiate and sustain conversations with increasing linguistic accuracy
• 7.1.19  Understand a sustained conversation on a number of topics

Time frame: Two 40-minute class periods depending on class size.

Description of task:
You and your partner will be given a situation in which there are some misunderstandings and confusion. You are expected to use as much vocabulary as possible, as well as appropriate expressions, to convey annoyance, anger, and frustration. You are expected to talk for two minutes.

Materials needed: Prompts (in English) on index cards

Teacher's Notes:
To be able to perform this task, students need to know the vocabulary and expressions used to convey dissatisfaction with emphasis and to show annoyance. Obviously, they also need to know the vocabulary related to the particular situation.

Situation 1

Student A
You arrive at your friend's house ready to go to the movies with her/him as you had planned to do two weeks ago. (In order to go to the movies you had to help your parents paint the living room, and then, do all your homework, because you expect that after the movies you will go somewhere to hang out with your friend and another group). When your friend opens the door you see that he/she is all dressed up and ready to go to a party with the whole family. You are confused, embarrassed, and hurt. Try to find out what the problem is. Ask for an explanation. Try to be patient and understanding, but if your friend doesn't see the need to apologize, you must show how displeased, angry and hurt you are.

Student B
You and your family are almost ready to leave for a very important family celebration, when there is a knock at the door. It is your friend who has come to go with you to the movies. (Your mother has scolded you for being irresponsible toward your friend, but you don't remember having made such plans). You tell your friend that, and also tell him/her how annoyed you are for not calling you before, to check about the movies. Tell your friend that it is not your fault. Argue with him/her at the end you will have to apologize and make a good excuse for your behavior.

Situation 2

Student A
A month ago you bought a ticket to an important game of your favorite team. When you arrived, ready to have a good time and enjoy the game, you find that your seat is occupied. Tell the other person how unpleasantly surprised and displeased you are. Tell the occupant that you have the ticket for that particular seat and do not accept any explanations. You want the person out of there and nothing else. After arguing back and forth for a while, try to be a little understanding and agree to a solution.

Student B
You are a reporter who just arrived at the stadium to report on this important game. The ticket to your seat was waiting for you at the ticket window. The game will start in five minutes and you are just getting comfortable and ready to watch the game. Suddenly someone comes claiming to have a ticket for the seat you are occupying. You try to explain that the ticket was given to you, and that you are a reporter, but the other person doesn't want to hear anything. This annoys you and you tell him/her off. After arguing back and forth for a while, you get tired and offer a solution to the problem.

Scoring criteria:

Adaptations:
This task can be simplified by presenting the situations to the students, and asking what they would do to solve the problems. It can also be given as a written assignment, asking students to find three solutions per conflict.

Hilda A. Spevack
East Brunswick High School
380 Cranbury Road
East Brunswick, NJ 08816
732.613.6900