USING AUTHENTIC

MATERIAL TO IMPROVE ESL

LEARNERS’ PHONE SKILLS

SPEECH ACTS A speech act is an utterance that serves a

function in communication. Speech acts are performed when we offer an

apology, greeting, request, invitation, compliment or refusal.

Speech acts are a major component of real-life interaction and require not only knowledge of the language but also appropriate use of that language within a given cultural context.

Speech acts are difficult to perform in part due to the fact that the learners do not know what the rules are in the second language.

WHY TEACH SPEECH ACTS??

Learners of all languages have difficulty identifying the intended meaning communicated by a speech act.

Research has shown that classroom instruction on speech acts can help learners improve their interactions with native speakers.

Misuse of speech acts can lead to misunderstandings about the speakers' attitudes and intentions.

WHY IT IS IMPORTANT TO TEACH TELEPHONE SKILLS

Telephone interaction appears to be a sensitive area for ESL learners.

ESL learners frequently state that it is difficult to talk on the telephone and for that reason they avoid or limit doing so.

People need to rely on the telephone to solve problems and communicate daily.

Telephone interaction is not taught enough in ESL classrooms and textbook treatment of telephone conversation skills is often inadequate.

EXAMPLES OF TEXTBOOK MATERIAL

NEW INTERCHANGE 1

TEXTBOOK SAMPLES

TEXTBOOK SAMPLES

Person to Person

HOW TO TEACH SPEECH ACTS

AWARENESS ACTIVITIES: These activities help students to practice identifying the various language components presented in speech acts.

AUTHENTIC MATERIAL: Allows the students to practice with actual conversations they will encounter in the real world.

PRODUCTION ACTIVITIES: These will provide learners with the opportunity to create their own sample of an actual speech act.

AWARENESS:

Comparing their own dialogues to authentic ones Having students transcribe authentic dialogues

AUTHENTIC MATERIAL: Using TV, or Movie clips that contain a speech act Recording our own conversations

PRODUCTION ACTIVITES: Modeling authentic conversations Creating role-play that include speech acts created by

students

HOW TO TEACH SPEECH ACTS

TEACHING MATERIAL Lesson plan #1Objective: Students will develop an awareness of authentic American English

telephone openings.Activities: Transcription and analysis of the openings presented in the three

different conversations taking into consideration the four types of American English telephone conversations proposed by Scheloff, 1979.

1.) Summon – Answer: which consists of the telephone ring and the first response by the answerer.

2.) Identification – Recognition: sequence in which the identification of the participants is established

3.) Greeting: sequence in which greeting tokens are exchanged.4.) Initial Inquiry: Language such as : “how are you?” and including the

responses to said inquiries.

The students will be provided with a chart that they will use to analyze theconversations and collect the information that will be included in therecordings.

Lesson plan #2

Objective: To develop students’ awareness and understanding of the nature of American telephone openings, closings, and what to say when the conversation is cut off.

Several of the utterances utilized in the opening and closings of telephone conversation were put into a table to give to provide to students as a handout that they will later be used in the production activity of the lesson plan.

The students will have to identify the formality or informality of these expressions and identify in which situations they are appropriate. The students will be given situation cards. They will be asked to role play the situation presented to them utilizing the expressions given in the first handout and or those related to opening/closing and getting cut off at the end of a telephone conversation.

TEACHING MATERIAL

Lesson plan # 3

Objective: Students will practice making phone calls to a Doctor’s office

Warm up questions about calling etiquette in their countries and the perception of making phone to a Dr.’s office in the U.S

Recognition of usual expressions used when dealing with calling to a Dr.’s office.

Game board

TEACHING MATERIAL

AUDIO SAMPLES

ORDERING FOOD

MAKING AN APPOINTMENT