At the Shop

Objective & content

By the end, A2 students can carry out a simple shopping transaction: ask for items, ask the price, pay, and thank. This resource is a pair speaking activity: two self-contained cut-out role cards — a customer (Card A) and a shop assistant (Card B) — each carrying only the phrases that role needs, plus [S]/[A] variants. Prints 5 sets per A4 page.

Pedagogical guide

Roleplay cards work because each student only sees their own role, keeping the exchange a real information gap. This card set targets shopping functional language (can I have…?, quantities, prices) and pairs naturally with a food-and-drink or numbers lesson. Use it once students recognise basic shop items, quantities, and small numbers.

Suggested procedure

1. (2 min) Distribute one Card A and one Card B per pair; model one round with a confident student.
2. (1 min) Set the goal: Card A buys three items and pays; Card B helps and takes the money.
3. (8–10 min) Pairs run the transaction, then swap roles and repeat.
4. (2 min) Quick whole-class check: did students ask the price, pay, and thank?

Adaptations

• [S] Give the list with prices on it; buy one item only; phrases stay on the card.
• [A] Cover the "You can say" lines and improvise; use the complication (water sold out — offer juice instead); bonus: swap roles and run the transaction again in under 90 seconds.

Materials & prerequisites

Print the cards sheet (A4, 5 sets per sheet) and cut into cards; one set per pair. Assumes basic food vocabulary, quantities, and numbers.

Curriculum alignment

Maps to Cycle 3 "child and close environment" (FR 6e) — everyday transactions in a familiar setting.