Conversation Class
Lesson Plan

Section: Advanced Conversation
Date: 8. Oktober 2009

Class theme/topics discussed: Speed Dating

How did you pick this theme or topic? I heard about this game from a friend who said that students really liked working on this. So I thought I’d give it a try in my conversation class.

How did you present the material? (handouts, group work, general discussion, student presentations, etc.)
First of all, the students created 4 different personalities. For that matter they wrote short portraits and collected pictures from old magazines. Then, we played Speed Dating. The students would talk to each other for about 5 minutes and try to get to know the other person. They would do this the same way with all their ‘4 personalities’. After each round I had the students fill out a survey to comment on their respective dates. At the end I asked my students to sum up what they thought about their dates, which ones they liked / didn’t like and why, and who they thought would be their perfect match.

How did students react?
The students had a lot of fun and told me they really liked this exercise.

Did they engage with each other and you?
Yes, they were talking to each other very much and they learned some new, useful vocabulary.

What materials or media did you use? (articles, satellite tv, digital projector, etc.)
Old magazines
Portrait sheet
Survey sheet

Would you recommend this activity for a future class? Why or why not?
Yes, definitely. It is a great exercise to make your students talk. They also had a lot of fun creating different characters and acting a little bit.