This activity deals with common dream symbolism and gives an interpretation of their meaning. Symbols include being chased, flying, being naked, falling and loose teeth. I used this as a cooperative learning jigsaw activity, starting with the student handout, then putting them into groups with copies of a symbol page. Students would work together and try to break the information down into the main themes, then share the themes with members of the other symbol groups. The handouts themselves are pretty challenging. Expect this activity to take almost a whole class.

Level 2 Listening and Speaking Let’s Talk Unit 9B Activity

This task is a 4-paragraph paper on the future. Students should be encouraged to write about the kind of future that they would like to have, however they could write about the future of Japan, the world, or of mankind in general. As this is the final writing project of the year, this paper should be of a higher quality than preceding efforts.

Language Skills

• Conjunctions (and, but, so)
• Time order words (first, next, after that, etc.)
• Future tense (will, going to, etc.)
• Organization (parts of a paper, thesis statement, topic sentences, etc.)

Contents

• Communicative activity
• Time line• Mind map
• And, but and so activity sheets (4)
• Time order words activity sheet
• Future tense activity sheet
• How to organize your paper
• Sample first draft
• Sample final draft

Level 2 Writing Task 3 Folder

This is an activity that can be used in both Listening and Speaking or Writing classes to work on sequence markers. I started the activity by brainstorming cooking vocabulary on the board, then gave the handout the students. I explained the pasta recipe, and drew attention to the sequence markers. Students wrote out their favourite recipes, then in pairs or groups took turns explaining them to each other.

Let’s Talk Unit 6 Recipe Worksheet

This is a companion worksheet for the Level 2 Speaking Task 2 Video, which can be found on DVD on the Level 2 shelf and on the ELP web page. It is basically a listening comprehension exercise that will require students to go over the video a few times in order to answer all the questions. As such, the video is best viewed on computer.

Level 2 Speaking Task 2 Example Video Worksheet Questions and Answers

Level 2 Speaking Task 2 Units 5 - 8

As this is a Listening and Speaking course, it is important that students be able to communicate with each other in a meaningful way using language covered from the text Let’s Talk 1. Since ability levels may differ from class to class throughout level 2, we will continue to provide different testing scenarios and rubrics for teachers to chose from in order to best evaluate their classes.

Speaking Task 2

This is a more communicative speaking task than Speaking Task 1, which will allow students to exercise more conversational initiative. The student notes contain 6 possible speaking topics that they should practice intensively prior to the testing day. As a teacher, you can decide if this is too much, or not enough for your students to handle. You are free to limit the possible number of topics to what you feel is appropriate for your class’s level of ability. There is also an optional Student Notes page that teachers can give to classes that may need more help in thinking through the various topics, their potential questions and answers.

The topics are:

1. Talking about something you have recently bought.
2. Describing a place you like to go shopping.
3. Talking about your favourite foreign (or Japanese) foods.
4. Talking about a place where you would like to take a vacation.
5. Describing a really good movie that you have seen.
6. Talking about a trip or a vacation that you took.

Contents:

• Teacher Notes
• Student Notes
• Activity Explanation
• Easy Conversation Skills Guide
• Speaking Task Preparation Translation
• English Greetings and Responses
• Conversation Skills Cards

Preparation:

Students should be made familiar with ways of starting and concluding a conversation, as well as other skill areas such as asking for clarification, showing interest, reacting appropriately to information, as well as the use of follow up questions and providing extra information. There are materials available in the binder and on OEKS to build and reinforce these skills. There is also a good deal of structured practice in the text that should be used. However, as this is a communicative task, students will have to be prepared to go beyond the target structure. In this situation, it is natural to expect some grammatical deviation. However, as developing communicative confidence and fluency is the goal of this task, teachers should be somewhat forgiving when assessing students.

*A variety of rubrics can be found in the Level 2 red binder.

Level 2 Listening and Speaking Task 2 (All Documents)

A vocabulary challenge is a good schema building activity that can get individuals, pairs or groups going on a topic.
I prefer to put students in pairs or small groups, requiring all of them to have the same answers on their sheet. Be prepared to circulate around the classroom a lot, as students often have questions about what is being asked for.
When the students have finished, you can mix the groups up and have them compare answers, or take it up as a whole class.

Let’s Talk Unit 8 Entertainment Vocab. challenge

A vocabulary challenge is a good schema building activity that can get individuals, pairs or groups going on a topic.
I prefer to put students in pairs or small groups, requiring all of them to have the same answers on their sheet. Be prepared to circulate around the classroom a lot, as students often have questions about what is being asked for.
When the students have finished, you can mix the groups up and have them compare answers, or take it up as a whole class.

Let’s Talk Unit 7 Travel and tourism Vocab. challenge

This is a kind of “find someone who…” activity that is based on Unit 6 “Food and drink”. However, it could be used at any time during the year as a warm up or as review. it can be used as a find someone who activity, requiring students to speak to 20 of their classmates, or you could have students interview 5 students and have them ask four questions each.
Because of the amount of time involved witht this activity (20mins. or more), I don’t require students to write the names of the students they talk to, nor the extra question that they think of themselves, just the answers.

Let’s Talk Unit 6 Activity (20 Questions)

A vocabulary challenge is a good schema building activity that can get individuals, pairs or groups going on a topic.
I prefer to put students in pairs or small groups, requiring all of them to have the same answers on their sheet. Be prepared to circulate around the classroom a lot, as students often have questions about what is being asked for.
When the students have finished, you can mix the groups up and have them compare answers, or take it up as a whole class.

Let’s Talk Unit 5 Vocab. challenge Money

This activity can be used in the FLSC, or during a computer class. Prior to going to a computer room, have students brainstorm cities in the USA, Canada and around the world. (As this is a MS Word document, you can change the countries).
In the computer room, students can work by themselves exploring the site and making notes.
At the time of writing, accuweather listed the weather as current, tonight, and tomorrow. That web page format may change.

Weather on the Internet

This is a 3 page information gap requiring students to ask about a variety of weather conditions around the world. Students are required to speak to 10 different students in order to complete their paper.

Let’s Talk Unit 4 Weather

This is a kind of “find someone who…” activity that is based on Unit 3 “Free time”, interests and sports. However, it could be used at any time during the year as a warm up or as review. it can be used as a find someone who activity, requiring students to speak to 20 of their classmates, or you could have students interview 5 students and have them ask four questions each.
Because of the amount of time involved witht this activity (20mins. or more), I don’t require students to write the names of the students they talk to, nor the extra question that they think of themselves, just the answers.

Lets Talk Unit 3 20 Questions.doc

This activity contains a map of the major lines found on a person’s palm as well as as a page of explanations. Much of the vocabulary used comes from the text unit.
Palmistry, or “teiso” is popular in Japan, and most students are familiar with the concept. The hand that is read is found by having the students put their hands together and interlocking their fingers. The hand that has the thumb over top of the other is the correct one to be read.
This activity can be used in a variety of ways. Students can examine their own hands and make written predictions about their future, or can do so with a partner’s hand. Another option is to have students trace the shape of their hand and draw in the lines that they find. Using names or student numbers, these papers can be passed around and other students can write their predictions based on the handouts. As this can be an anonymous reading, some of the predictions are often rather candid.
These are just a few suggestions of what can be done with this resource. Feel free to adapt and experiment with the explanation page provided. For now, the palm map is only available in the red binder. However, both pages are necessary for this activity.

Lets Talk Unit 2 Palmistry1.doc

This is a good activity to use with unit 1A “Let’s get to know each other!” However, it could be used at any time during the year as a warm up. it can be used as a find someone who activity, or you could have students interview 5 students and have them ask four questions each.

Let’s Talk Unit 1 20 Questions Activity

As this is a Listening and Speaking course, it is important that students be able to communicate with each other in a in a meaningful English exchange using language covered from the text Let’s Talk 1. Since ability levels may differ from class to class throughout level 2, we have provided different testing scenarios and rubrics for teachers to chose from in order to best evaluate their classes.

Teacher Notes [pdf]
Student Notes [pdf]
Student Prep. Worksheet {pdf}
Assessment Rubric [pdf]
Speaking Task 1 Script [pdf}
Speaking Task 1 Script Cloze [pdf]
Speaking Task 1 Script A [pdf]
Speaking Task 1 Script B [pdf]

Download all Level 2 Speaking Task 1 Files as Word documents

These documents are also available on Shared Files and in the Red Binders at PFC and Machida Campuses.