ACTIVITY 2

RETURNING DEFECTIVE ITEMS TO STORES

Objective: To improve grammar, build vocabulary and develop listening and speaking skills associated with a particular topic or situation & to develop assertiveness techniques for returning defective items to stores.

Situation:

Mrs. Lopez bought a pair of shoes on sale. She wore them one week and noticed

the sewing was starting to come out. She took them back to the shoe store and this is what happened:

Salesman: Can I help you?

Lopez: Yes, I bought these shoes last week and now they are starting to fall apart.

I would like my money back. (x2)

S: Do you have the sales receipt?

L: No, I don't, but I want my money back. (x2)

S: I am sorry, but we have to have the receipt.

L: I understand what you're saying, but I want my money back. If you can't help me, who can? (x2)

S: No one. You have to have your sales slip.

L: I understand what you are saying but I want my money back. If you cannot help me, who can? (x2)

S: Well, the manager. But he will tell you the same thing I am telling you.

L: I want to talk to the manager, please. (x2)

S: Just a minute. Salesman goes through a door in the back of the store, comes back in a few minutes with another man. The salesman points to Mrs. Lopez and the other man comes toward Mrs. Lopez.

Manager: Hello, I am the manager. Did you have a problem with something?

L: I bought these shoes last week and they are starting to fall apart and I want my money back. (x2)

M: Let me see the shoes, please. Oh, this is no problem at all. We can fix these for you again in no time.

L: I don't want them repaired. I want my money back. (x2)

M: It is not our policy to refund money.

L: I understand what you are saying, but I want my money back. (x2)

M: Listen, Mrs. ...?

L: Lopez.

M: Mrs. Lopez, if we refunded everybody's money, we would have a bookkeeping nightmare. We just cannot afford that. Surely you can understand.

L: I understand what you are saying, but I want my money back. (x2)

M: But you have worn these for a week. We cannot give you all your money back.

L: I know I only wore them for a week and they started falling apart and I want my money back. (x2)

M: (Sigh) O.K., come with me and I will see that you get it back.

Instructions to the teacher:

1. Explain the philosophy behind the technique, namely, persistence pays off. Point out to the

student that limited language ability should not be a disadvantage for them with this type of

technique.

2. The teacher first presents a recording of the dialogue and students follow silently.

3. The teacher does the following:

a. Choral imitation in which students all together or in large groups repeat what the

teacher has said. This works best if the teacher gives a clear instruction like "Repeat," or

"Everybody".

b. Elicitation, in which the teacher, using mime, prompt words, gestures, pictures etc.,

gets students to ask questions, make statements, or give new examples of the pattern. For

example, have students tell about times when they were wronged as customers and what, if

anything, they did about it.

c. Substitution drilling, in which the teacher uses cue words (words, pictures, numbers,

names, etc.) to get individual students to mix the examples of the new patterns.

d. Question-answer drilling, in which the teacher gets one student to ask a question and

another to answer until most students in the class have practiced.

e. Correction, in which the teacher indicates by shaking his/her head, repeating the error,

etc., that there is a mistake and invites the student or a different student to correct it.

ACTIVITY 1

Activities

#1

At the supermarket
Objectives Asking for the location of products at a supermarket. Paying for items at the checkout counter.
Vocabulary Aisle Shopping cart/basket Bag Scales Shelf Price Customer Cashier Check-out counter Cash Credit card Express lane Receipt Milk Toilet paper Soap Rice Tuna Eggs Orange juice …	Expressions Where can I find eggs? They are on aisle 3 I need some sugar. Where is it? It’s on aisle 1 Can you tell me where the toilet paper is? Sure, it’s on aisle 2, on the top shelf. Did you find everything you were looking for? Yes, I did. How much is it? It’s $49.99.
Warm-up Teacher asks some students to draw products that they usually buy at a supermarket. Presentation Teacher arranges the classroom as a supermarket with aisles and a checkout counter. Then he introduces the vocabulary using realia, flashcards or just by mimic. He repeats every item as many times as necessary. Now he introduces the expressions and dialogue Can you tell me where the toilet paper is? It’s on aisle 1 Where can I find soap? It’s on aisle 4, on the bottom shelf I need orange juice. Where is it? It’s on aisle 3. At the checkout counter Did you find everything you were looking for? Yes, I did. Thanks. How much is it? It’s $27.50 Teacher roleplays the dialogue again. This time he elicits answers from the students. Teacher also asks students to repeat the expressions individually and as a group. Practice Teacher gives a student a shopping list. The student now goes asking where the items in the list are. Classmates help the student to find what he needs until he finally goes to the checkout counter. Another student plays the role of the cashier. This exercise is done several times using different shopping lists and students Meanwhile, the teacher monitors closely and makes any correction immediately. Production Students are asked to create their own shopping lists and dialogues in pairs. Then they will roleplay for the whole class.

TEACHER AND STUDENT´S ROLES

Teacher and student’s roles.

Teacher needs to be omnipresent. During the presentation he is under the spotlight. He has to model every word and sentence perfectly. He needs to act out the scene so his students can understand what is happening. During the practice stage, the teacher has to pull the strings of the whole class as if they were marionettes, keeping them on task and correcting every little mistake as it is spotted. Finally on the production stage, where students are given freedom to use and play with the vocabulary and structures, but only if the teacher considers they are ready, then his role will be more discrete but always actively listening and eager to correct whatever needs to be corrected.

On the other side, students’ role is very restricted and dependent. They cannot do anything if they are not told to. In the beginning, they are expected to sit down, be quiet and listen. Then they will get involved in a variety of oral drills, and they will repeat the vocabulary and structures until they can do it automatically. Only then, they will be given the chance to produce on their own based on a bunch of memorized dialogues and pre-fixed expressions.

MATERIALS

Materials

First of all, a setting. Not literally physical, but the idea that the students are no longer in a classroom but somewhere else. A mental picture of wherever the content which is about to be taught is happening. Now, the use of objects, flashcards, realia will depend on the teacher’s creativity or the availability of re$ources. Besides, gestures and body language will come in handy during the presentation stage. Altogether with one purpose only which is to demonstrate the meaning of the language. However, the use of a textbook with a sequence of dialogues about the same topic but dealing with different grammatical structures is the most common resource that teachers usually take advantage of.   

WHAT IS TAUGHT?

Syllabus

The content of a situational syllabus is based on a given context, from there, a very specific list of words and common sentence patterns will be made. For example, the situation could be: at the bus station; then every word and sentence must reflect a scenario that is likely to happen at a bus station. However, this is one of the weaknesses of this methodology, it is impossible to predict every single possible scenario. But the idea is to find the most common, possible, predictable conversation that could take place and recreate it in class.

At the bus station

Vocabulary Bus Line Bus ticket Ticket booth Bus driver Arriving time Departure time Seat Boarding platform One way/round trip fare/fee transfer gate depart

A: Good morning. Can I help you? B: Yes. How much is a ticket to Maine? A: One way or round trip? B: One way, please. A: The standard fare is $126. B: Oh. Do you have any discount fares? A: Yes, we do. The fare for students is $96. B: Oh, good. And what time does the next bus depart? A: At 3:40 this afternoon. And it gets to Maine at 12:20     tomorrow. B: OK. And is that a direct bus? A: No.  You have to transfer in New York. There's a     45 minutes  layover. B: Oh...I guess that's fine. What gate does it depart from? A: It departs from gate five. Boarding begins 20 minutes     before departure.

OBJECTIVES

Objectives

The purpose of a situational syllabus is then to provide learners with the basic and practical skills to deal with specific situations or contexts by encouraging speech or speaking skills. Until the speaking skill reaches a reasonable level of mastery, then reading and writing will be introduced. But before this happens, errors in both pronunciation and grammar will be strictly addressed, corrected and solved.

THEORY OF LANGUAGE

Theory of language

Before this situational approach to language teaching, instructors had no a clear sequence of what they were doing. They were just teaching words and patterns randomly. On the other hand, under this new method the vocabulary and grammar taught were related to a single aspect, clearly identified and valued by the learner, because "language was viewed as purposeful activity related to goals and situations in the real world" (Richards, 1999). Language needs to be contextualized so learners know what they are doing and what they are doing it for.

This approach supposed that language learning was habit formation. Palmer (1957, cited by Richards, 1999) summarized the process in three stages: first, receive the input. Second, repeat it until it sticks in the brain. Third, use it automatically. Besides, this process had to occur thoroughly in the target language, no translations or explanations allowed. Every word and sentence had to be repeated until the student inductively assimilated the meanings because if the instructor interferes during this mental process as Billows said, quoted by Richards, "we weaken the impression which the word makes on the mind"(1961, cited in Richards 1999).