Conversation Class Lesson Summary
Language Resident Name: Tatiana Ermolaeva
Day and Date: Thursday, 12/03/2015
Language and Level (intermediate or advanced class): Russian, Advanced
Class theme/topics discussed: Everyday life
Goal of the class: spontaneous speech practice
How did you structure the class?
1. Warm up. Dice talk.
Students throw dice. The number on it corresponds to the number of the topics on the list below:
1. What is your biggest dream?
2. How do you make friends with people?
3. Tell about the book you’ve recently read.
4. What would you like to change in the world?
5. What would you do if you won 1 billion $?
6. What places would you like to visit?
7. Would you change anything in your life if you could?
8. What is your most pleasant memory?
9. What is your favorite holiday? Why?
10. What bothers you most of all in present moment?
10 minutes
2. Guess what the movie is about
a) http://www.kinopoisk.ru/film/839253/
Listen to the trailer (no video). Try to find out what the movie is going to be about. Develop the story. Watch the trailer again with the video this time. Does it correspond to the story you’ve invented?
b) http://www.kinopoisk.ru/film/840258/
Watch the trailer without sound this time. Try to guess what the movie is about. Watch the video for the second time with the sound.
20 minutes
3. Look at the pictures of my friends and try to guess what their life looks like.
20 minutes.
What technology, media or props did you use? (internet resources, playmobiles, handouts, etc.)
Internet, TV, dice
What worked well in this class? What did not work?
The warm up activity worked great (thanks to the previous Japanese LR for the idea with the dice!). I chose questions that can be developed into serious and long conversations so the students were able to talk a lot but not endlessly. It’s a great exercise for spontaneous speech in a target language (if questions are adequate). As to the other tasks, they were not so exciting for the students though one of them now wants to watch one of the Russian movies that I showed a trailer of. In general the class went well.
How could this class be improved/ modified?
If you have a more detailed lesson plan, please attach it below (OK to use target language for that). Please attach any handouts as well.
Questions for the 1st task:
1. Расскажи о своей самой заветной мечте.
2. Как ты заводишь друзей?
3. Расскажи о книге, которую ты недавно прочел.
4. Что ты хотел бы изменить в мире?
5. Что ты бы сделал, если бы выиграл 1 миллион долларов?
6. Какие места ты бы хотел посетить?
7. Изменил бы ты что-либо в своей жизни, если бы мог?
8. Расскажи о своем самом приятном воспоминании.
9. Какой твой любимый праздник? Почему?
10. Что тебя беспокоит больше всего в данный момент?