Title: A Conversation in a Restaurant

Topic: Foods/ Descriptions

Level: Intermediate

Focus Age Group: 15 to 18 years

National Standards Goals:

Communication   Cultures   Connections   Comparisons   Communities

Communicative Mode:

Interpersonal   Interpreptive   Presentational

NJ Cumulative Progress Indicators:

• 7.1.11  Interact with appropriate responses in limited social settings and basic situations
• 7.1.12  Express details of their everyday lives and of past experiences
• 7.1.13  Engage in original and spontaneous conversation in the language studied
• 7.1.14  Organize thoughts into coherent oral speech

Timeframe: One class period of 40 minutes

Description of Task:
You will be assigned one of the attached role-play situations. You will have five minutes to conceptualize and orally develop the role-play with your partner. You are not permitted to write. The presentation must be at least three minutes long. Your presentation may be videotaped.

Materials Needed: Tape recorder/camcorder, role-play situations, authentic menus

Teacher Notes:
Here is the suggested procedure:

1. Give all students a class assignment which is to be done while other students are presenting their role-play situations.
2. Randomly select pairs of students for the role-play.
3. Randomly assign role-play situations to each pair.
4. Each pair has five minutes to conceptualize and orally develop the role play.
5. After five minutes, all students must stop practicing and separate.
6. Pairs of students will be called to the front to present the role-play.
7. Other students are doing the class work which was assigned previously.

Prior to doing this task, students should have been working with food vocabulary in written and oral work. The first time the students do this type of activity, you may want to extend the time in step 4. These are spontaneous conversations, however, and extended time is not beneficial. It is suggested that you record/videotape the presentations.

Scoring Criteria:

Adaptations: These dialogues can be adapted to any of the upper levels.

Carol A. Meulener
West Windsor-Plainsboro High School
Clarksville Road,
West Windsor, NJ 08550
609.716.5050

ROLE-PLAY SITUATIONS

1. You and your boyfriend/girlfriend are in Spain and meet for dinner. You discuss the foods that you will order (drinks, appetizers, main course, desserts) and talk about your boyfriend's / girlfriend's behavior. You begin to argue and you both talk about what you want he/she to be more like (EX: I want you to be more attentive; less jealous, I want us to go out more often...) What happens? Do you break up?
2. You and your friend are in Spain and meet for dinner. You discuss the foods that you will order (drinks, appetizers, main course, desserts) and talk about your teachers. You talk about what you want teachers to be more like (EX: I want them to give less homework, to give easier tests, to be more understanding...) Your friend disagrees. Argue with each other.
3. You and your friend are in Spain and meet for dinner. You discuss the foods that you will order (drinks, appetizers, main course, desserts) and talk about your parents. You talk about what you want them to be more like (EX: I want them to let me stay out until 2:00 a.m., buy me a car...). Your friend disagrees. Argue with each other.