Language and Language Teaching, Issue 2 - Azim Premji Foundation

. Poke one end of the string through one ofthe cups and tie a knot on the inside of thecup.c. Make the string as long as the distancebetween you and the other person.d. Poke the other end of the string through thehole in the other cup and tie a knot so it willnot pass through the cup.e. Now that you have a cup on each end ofthe string, the telephone is ready to use.f. Hold the cup to your mouth and talk a littleloudly into it. Have your friend hold the othercup to their ear. It is important that you keepthe string tight between the cups, and thatnothing is touching the string. Now yourfriend should be able to hear your messagethrough the cup.2. The teacher demonstrates a telephonicconversation (using a string phone) withanother teacher, or with another student.“Hello! My name is Sangeeta. What is yourname?”The other person will respond by saying,“My name is __________”3. Ask all the learners to demonstrate theirconversations, with their partners bygreeting them and exchanging names usingthe string phone.4. The teacher will encourage the students tocontinue their telephonic conversation inEnglish by talking about their school, parents,likes or dislikes etc.USP: The above-mentioned task would enableyoung learners to familiarize themselves withtheir classmates: Working in pairs will build theconfidence of the learners. Using a string phonemade by the learners themselves will surelyencourage them to use it for carrying out atelephonic conversation in English.Task 2: My Likes, my friend’s likesLanguage function: Expressing likesSkill involved: Listening, speakingType of participation: Group ParticipationLevel: PrimaryObjectives• To enable learners to express their own likesverbally (in English).• To enable learners to express their friend’slikes verbally (in English).Procedure1. The teacher divides the class in groups of6-7 learners each. Each group is asked tosit in a circle. The teacher herself also joinsa group.2. Addressing a member of the group, sittingnext to her, the teacher asks about his/herfavourite clothes. He/she, first, expresseshis/her own likes verbally, followed by thelikes of another member of the group sittingnext to him/her.Example: I like to wear sarees but Krishangilikes to wear frocks.3. The learners of each group are asked toexpress their likes with regard to differentthemes such as food, heroes, games, drinks,cartoon characters, etc. The studentsexpress their likes verbally (in English),followed by the likes of an adjacent memberof the group.4. The learners are encouraged to speak inEnglish. The teacher acts as a facilitator byhelping the learners wherever necessary.• USP: In the above-mentioned task, learnerswill be given a chance to express their ownlikes. Tasks related to the learnersLanguage and Language Teaching Volume 1 Number 2 July 2012 58