SPEAKING LESSON: GIVING AND ASKING FOR DIRECTIONS
LEVEL: Elementary/Adult Beginners
OBJECTIVES: The students should be able to:
1. locate places inside a school or a small town
2. give and ask for directions to a place
MATERIALS: Teacher-made top view map of an imaginary school(for elementary students) or a small town (for adult beginners) drawn on chart paper, pictures of different places found inside a school or in a small town, masking tape, small cut-out of a person’s figure
TIME: Around one hour depending on class size
PROCEDURE:
1.) Unlock the meaning of the different places found inside the school or a small town by showing pictures of each and discussing what is done in each place.
Places inside a school:
gym, library, canteen, business office, principal’s office, faculty room, courtyard, grade school classrooms, toilets/washrooms
Places in a small town: hospital, school, church, public library, cinema, shops or stores, gasoline station, fire station, post office, bank
2.) Tape a large teacher-made top view of a school or a small town (drawn on chart paper) on the board. Make sure streets or hallways are clearly defined. The map should contain all the places introduced in the first part of the lesson. Point to each labelled rectangular representation of each place on the map and ask the students to read after you.
3.) Get the pictures of the places and flash each pic one at a time. Ask the students to locate that place on the map by going to the board and pointing to it.
4.) Ask the class to give the location of each place. For example,”The grade school classrooms are near the canteen.” It is assumed that they have a working knowledge of prepositions. Help the students if needed.
Sample Prepositions:
across, opposite, near, beside, next to, between, behind, on the left/right
5.) Introduce a list of language structures for giving directions. Choose the ones appropriate for a small town or a school.
Turn left/right.
Go straight.
It is just around the corner.
You will pass a (drinking fountain, a gasoline station, etc.) on your left/right.
It is (one, two, three, etc.) block/s ahead.
It is on the (first, second, third, etc.) block to your left/right.
Drive/Walk past the (shopping mall, clinic, etc.)
6.) Use the map on the board and the cut-out figure to demonstrate the list of language structures introduced in Procedure 5. Let the cut-out figure walk around the map. Make your own directions based on the map you have prepared.
Sample directions:
From the school gate, turn right and keep walking. Once you see the canteen on your left, stop and turn left. Go straight and walk past the canteen. YOu will see several classrooms on your right. Just continue walking and when you see a big statue, look around you and you will see the clinic just around the corner. The clinic is next to the library.
7.) Practice the structures with the class by pretending to be the figure. Ask the the question, “Excuse me. Where is the canteen/cinema?” Then, let the students give you the directions. Help them out with the structure but don’t expect them to get it right the first time.
8.) Introduce a set of questions that they can choose from.
Excuse me. Where is the (library/grocery store)?
Excuse me. Can you tell me where the (library/grocery store) is?
Excuse me. Where can I find the (library/grocery store)?
Excuse me. How can I get to the (library/grocery store)?
9.) Pair off the students. Everyone will pick a picture of a place and then ask the directions to it. The partners will give the directions using the map on the board. Encourage the students to use different questions introduced to them in Procedure 8.
