Conversation Class Lesson Plan

Section: Advanced Conversation
Date: February 16, 2010

 

Class theme/topics discussed: In a restaurant

How did you pick this theme or topic? My students had told me that they would like to bake or cook something together, which I plan to do the following lesson. As an introduction I thought it might be interesting to talk about food in general and do this with the help of a role-play.

How did you present the material? (handouts, group work, general discussion, student presentations, etc.)
First, I asked my students what they generally liked to eat and drink and what not so much. We had a lively discussion about American food and my students’ favorite dishes. We also talked about their favorite restaurants and great places to eat in the area around Claremont. Then, I suggested an exercise: Each student was supposed to impersonate a restaurant owner. They had to come up with a type of restaurant, a name for it, and their own menu with their favorite dishes. Then, we did different kinds of role plays, where the students would play customers, waiters, and chefs in their respective restaurants. The students practiced some restaurant-related small talk, they discussed the menus, they placed orders, and they gave feedback about the food they had ‘ordered’.

How did students react?
The students had a lot of fun were very creative when it came to their own menus. They also loved the role play.

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.)
Draft of menu

 

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 and get creative.