In this activity, A1 students practise introducing themselves and exchanging phone numbers by role-playing a first meeting.
With a little practice, students can have these exchanges as themselves. Here, however, they take on the roles of characters in a story.
- Watch and imagine. Play the video and ask students, in pairs or as a whole class, to imagine what the characters say. Revise greetings, asking for and giving names, and asking for and giving phone numbers. If the characters arrange to meet again, revise the days of the week too.
- Write the dialogue. Give each pair a worksheet with a similar story showing people meeting for the first time. Ask them to write a short dialogue to accompany the pictures. You will find an example below.
- Practise and perform. Give students time to rehearse their dialogues, then have them role-play the scene.
What do students gain from this?
Playing fictional characters allows students to ask for and give information without revealing personal details or repeating information they have already shared in class. The story also gives them a context and something to say, while taking on a role can help them feel less self-conscious about speaking English.
