SimplyConversations(TM) How to use | How to use |
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For the simplified version of this how-to text, you can simply scroll down with your mouse past the index. |
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| Teacher Prep |
| Downloading materials |
| Printing/photocopying |
| Making your sets |
| Prep for groups/individuals |
| Control sheets |
| Timing |
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| Understanding the prompt cards |
| Storing your sets of cards |
| Using SimplyConversationsTM in your classroom |
| Your first conversation lesson |
Pre-task activities |
| Sorting your class into groups |
| In-task activities |
Game options : individuals and groups |
| Post-task activities |
| How to set the post task activity/SimplyQuestsTM |
| Watch video samples of SimplyConversationsTM in use |
| How to use, add to or edit the SimplyC.wikiTM |
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Teacher Prep
Downloading
Download a conversation set from SimplyConversationsTM.
Printing and Photocopying
Each set contains a decorative front cover followed by a set of 15 prompt cards, a standard how-to-use sheet and a SimplyQuestTM.
You do not need to print out the front page but can if you would like to use this to help you organize your different sets.
Print out the set on normal white paper and then later divide it up for copying as necessary. Using a variety of coloured card may help to enhance the game aspect of the system.
If you prefer, simply print the prompt cards directly on to card. Don't forget to change the printer settings (paper type) if you choose to do this.
Keep a black&white for cross referencing purposes. You can also highlight words that you anticipate having to pre-teach.
If you have groups which exceed 5 students, make extra copies as necessary for each of your sub-groups.
Making your sets
Laminate the cards if you would like to keep them in tip-top condition indefinitely.
Cut the sheets with scissors or a guillotine machine.
Control Sheets
Print out the Conversation ControlTM sheets: one for you (teachers' version) and one for each student (students' version) in your class.
SimplyC.wiki
The SimplyC.wiki (available July/Aug 2008) has extra tips and tricks to enhance your conversation lesson. Visit this then if you would like more pre- and post- task activities.
Timing
Depending on the level your students have and their interest in the subject matter, your students will generally talk for 2 to 5 minutes per card. (C1+ more, A2 students less.)
As you usually have 15 cards per set, the SimplyConversations take between 30 and 75 minutes of class time.
However you should also factor in the pre- and post-task activities you will do and depending on how many/what type of errors and mistakes you will have to review, feedback can take between 10 and 15 minutes.
On average each set usually lasts 1.5hrs.
Note that sometimes your students will take control of the subject in the middle of the "game" deviating the conversation on to other topics - much like in a natural "mother-tongue" conversation - this is absolutely allowed and encouraged (okay, within reason), as it is a sign of them gaining fluency.
When this happens, the best thing to do is to simply save the remaining cards for another lesson.
Understanding the prompt cards
Click here if you would like to see a powerpoint slide which explains the prompt cards in greater detail.
The questions have been designed and systematically chosen to closely adher to the CEF and to raise the level of concentration and attention of language learners.
Storing your cards
After a while when you own various SimplyConversationsTM sets you may need to implement a system with which to organize them.
You can store the sets in a card box and can organize them by either lexical set or by the structures as indicated on each card.
Click here to download a .pdf of six blank index cards.
I generally keep mine together as complete sets in plastic wallets, with a hard copy of the prompt sheet and I usually use this to write up notes regarding which ones we completed in class and with whom I've done them with. (So that I can also keep all other types of related materials together).
Using SimplyConversationsTM in your classroom
Pre-task activities
Tell students the subject of today's lesson.
Brainstorm potential words that they will need in order to effectively participate in the conversation or review words you previously taught them or simply use this time as an opportunity to go through good dictionary research skills.
Depending on the subject you've chosen for the day, you can also look at a selection of different language structures which may best fit the topic.
If you feel it necessary/useful, you could also take some time here to review functional phrases e.g. how to show interest, how to clarify a point, how to ask for more information, how to say they don't understand an answer, how to check meaning, how to disagree/agreee, how to best sequence ideas, etc.,
Tell your students the rules for playing the "game" - as chosen by yourself (see game options below).
Explain to your students that if they don't like a question, they can simply pass over it and go on to the next card.
Advise them that if they have any difficulties to ask you or another student.
Inform them that you will be taking notes on their errors and mistakes and remind them that it is okay to make mistakes, you will provide feedback post-task on their points of weakness.
Classroom organization
If you have more than 5 students in your language classroom it may be a good idea to split them up into smaller sub-groups. ie.
- 6 students (2 groups of 3ss)
- 7 students (1 group of 4ss, 1 group 3ss)
- 8 students (2 groups of 4ss)
- 9 students (1 group of 5ss, 1 group of 4ss or 3 groups of 3ss)
etc.,
In-task activities
Your main role once you are in the middle of your session is to act as a language moderator or coach.
You should be correcting and providing feedback on errors and mistakes and keeping a record of this informaton. Do not record or correct every single little mistake: this is a waste of time and energy and may de-motivate your students.
Focus on repetitive mistakes and errors which would impede comprehension or cause a commuicative breakdown if they were talking to other non-native speakers or English speaking natives.
Game options
(Adjust as necessary for individual or groups)
| 1 | FACE DOWN First place all of the cards in one pile on the table with the text face-down. Then select the first card and answer the question yourself (at least for the first time you use the system with your students). OR read the question aloud and ask a student to answer it. Next get the student(s) to select a second question and ask or answer it. With individual students you can both take turns doing this or simply get the student to do them all. With a proficient group encourage them to all answer the same question or debate the first person's answer.
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| 2 | FACE-UP Scatter the cards on a table with the text face-up. Tell the student(s) that they may read through the questions and choose which one(s) they would like to answer. With individual students you can both take turns doing this or simply get the student to do them all. With a proficient group encourage them to all answer the same question or debate the first person's answer.
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| 3 | DIVIDE-UP Divide up the cards by the number of students and hand them out in small piles face-up or face-down depending on whether or not you would like them to have the opportunity to read through the prompts beforehand (lower levels) or if you'd simply like spontaneous responses. Get the student(s) to take turns answering OR take turns asking them one-by-one.
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| 4 | THE FIRING SQUADS Pick one student to be Questioner and he holds all the cards in his hand. (S)he selects from the rest of the class who should answer the question(s). OR Pick one student to be the Interviewee and all of the other students hold cards in their hands. They ask one student all of the questions then debate his/her answers.
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| 5 | THE BOARD GAME Download this free .pdf - photocopy and enlarge to A3 size then place card in the boxes and using a dice and markers play the game.
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Post-task activities
Feedback
You can feedback on the whiteboard - going through the sheet step-by-step or you can do this orally.
Using the Conversation ControlTM sheets, discuss the new vocabulary, interesting phrases or chunks of language they should learn, their pronunciation weaknesses and the structural errors and mistakes you heard your students making.
You can also put some of the more difficult question cards to one side for a re-visit in a few weeks.
Be sure to praise their progress and to make sure they know that you have noticed them re-activating words from previous lessons.
Ask the students to feedback to you on what they noticed learning, what was strange or unusual or what they would like to do further practice on.
Writing questions
If you have time, you can ask the students to write new questions based on the topic of the day or lexis presented, their individual knowhow of the subject matter. This is a good idea to further enhance their accuracy skills and repeat the language and structures of the day.
SimplyQuestsTM
Setting Homework
Generally try to refer to homework as a "post-task" activity. It might sound a little pretentious but is much friendlier than the word homework with all its negative connotations!
When setting the SimplyQuestTM make sure your students understand that they only have to do one of the activities on the sheet.
As much as possible, stress that they have the option to do the work in the way they choose to - the activity is for the language learner's benefit, not the teacher's! Be clear regarding your own expectations however, if you have them - if you want written work tell them so. Generally mention that you would like to hear the vocabulary (as per their Conversation Control sheets) repeated.
Set a reasonable deadline.
Praise the work no matter if it took five minutes or five hours - the point is that they learn and that they put their English to use.
Initially your students might feel a little overwhelmed especially if they're not computer proficient - they don't have to use the internet, if they have a set of encyclopedia's at home, this is fine.
In my classes, once my students have seen the quests and done one or two beforehand, they begin to really step up to the task and I have been honoured to go through the most outstanding powerpoint presentations and thoroughly written reports.
Top Tip!
When you download your SimplyConversationsTM set, if you have the right .pdf software i.e. Adobe Professional, you can save the SimplyQuestTM as a separate page which you can use to send as an email to your students.
If you do this, the students will be able to access the suggested internet addresses on the sheet by simply CTRL+ clicking on the relevant site.
Note, however, that many companies do not allow their employees to open up unauthorized documents so make sure to discuss this option with your class before sending it to them. Obviously while Kalinago English has made every effort to protect the documents from computer viruses, it accepts no liability whatsoever if damage occurs during this process.
Watch video samples of SimplyConversationsTM in use
These clips taken from a few of my lower level classes demonstrate the system, SimplyConversationsTM, in use within the language classrooom and show how students can effectively communicate even when they don't have high accuracy or a wide ranging vocabulary.
This video provides examples of the functionalities and different ways of using the prompt cards with your students and it also briefly shows some general error correction techniques.
SimplyC.wikiTM
More information available soon. But trust me - it'll knock your socks off ;-)
