Explain it to me! 4

Objective & content

A mediation pair activity in two rounds. In each round, one pupil holds a document and the other holds a task that needs only part of it. In round 1, Student A has a sports centre's summer clubs and Student B must choose one for a sister of 10: free only on Wednesdays and Saturdays, she can't swim, she has no racket, and there's £30. In round 2, Student B has an online gift shop and Student A must choose a present for Gran: purple, not wool, here by Friday when today is Tuesday, and £15 with the delivery. The pupil with the document must not show it or read it all out: they explain only what their partner needs, and the partner decides. By the end, pupils can pick out useful information and pass it on simply.

Pedagogical guide

Mediation means passing on information to someone who hasn't seen it. Here the gap is not a missing word but a choice: each document holds more than the partner needs, so the explainer has to listen to the task and select. Each page has the rule, a box of four phrases for explaining (It says that ..., It's on ... / It's made of ..., That one is no good, because ... and I think the best one for you is ...) and questions to help the pupil who asks. The language is present simple, there is / there are, Wh- questions, too late, too expensive, too young, days, prices and colours. Each task has one best answer, so pairs can check themselves. Page 3 is the teacher page: the idea, four steps, the language and the key with the reasons.

Suggested procedure

One activity of about 25 minutes.

1. (3 min) Set up the pairs: copy page 1 (Student A) for half the class and page 2 (Student B) for the other half, and put pupils in A + B pairs, face to face. Nobody shows their page. Read the rule and the phrases box with the class.
2. (8 min) Round 1: B reads the task and asks; A explains from the club list. B writes the club, the day and time and the total price.
3. (8 min) Round 2: A reads the task and asks; B explains from the shop page. A writes the present, the colour, the day it arrives and the total price.
4. (6 min) Pairs swap pages and check, then tell the class: "We chose ... because ...". Check with the key on page 3.

Adaptations

[S] When a pupil is stuck, they may point to the right line of the document once.

[A] After choosing, B explains the plan to a third pupil who hasn't heard anything.

Materials & prerequisites

Print infogap.pdf: page 1 for Student A and page 2 for Student B, one copy per pupil; page 3 is the teacher page. Pupils need a pencil. They should already know numbers, prices in pounds and present simple questions. It goes well after work on sports, shopping or presents, and with the other sheets of the "Explain it to me!" set.