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Giving Verbal Directions/ESOL
Wu Manfred
Grade Level: Higher Education, Vocational Education, Adult/Continuing Education
Subject(s):
- Foreign Language/English Second Language
Duration: 1 hour
Description: An exercise on consolidation of skills in giving verbal directions by using authentic materials.
Goal: To consolidate students’ skills in giving verbal directions.
Objectives:
1. Students will be able to give verbal directions accurately.
2. Students will employ correct prepositions and prepositional phrases and adverbs.
3. Students will employ correct sequence words in giving directions.
4. Students will employ correct grammar, e.g., imperatives and infinitives, in giving directions.
Materials:
- pens/pencils
- index cards containing prepositions, prepositional phrases, adverbs, etc. (teacher-created)
- Task on Giving Verbal Directions
- Map
Procedure:
[Students’ prior knowledge: how to ask for directions politely; how to give verbal directions; prepositions, prepositional phrases and adverbs, sequence words, adverbial clauses, imperatives and infinitives in giving directions.]
Pre-Communicative Activity (10 minutes):
Students are divided into groups of 4-5. Each group is given cards containing names of places / buildings in Tsim Sha Tsui (Hong Kong), prepositions and prepositional phrases, adverbial clauses, sequence words, and infinitives. Ask students to put them into different groups. Afterwards, show answers on the overhead and collect the cards from students.
Communicative Activity (45 minutes):
Students are given a map of Tsim Sha Tsui and the situation of a tourist asking for directions. Students are asked to write a short paragraph on giving directions to a place which they randomly select. Students who have selected the same place are requested to form groups of 4-5 to discuss their answers. Help students improve their answers. Students are asked to pair up and take turns giving the directions out loud, for practice. One representative from each of the 5 groups is invited to tell classmates how to go to the particular place selected.
Recapitulation / Consolidation (5 minutes):
Summarize the steps of asking and giving verbal directions as well as its components.
Assessment: Collect students’ papers to check for accuracy and completeness.
