MIDDLE SCHOOL AND JUNIOR HIGH ONLY

General Instructions

1. Students will work in pairs.

2. Each pair will randomly select from a deck of situation cards one of the situations listed below.

3. They will be given 5 minutes to prepare a conversation based on that situation. They may use a dictionary but cannot receive help from anyone else.

4. The pair should act out the conversation in Spanish trying to exceed at least one minute. Bonus points will be given for exceeding one minute. They will NOT be allowed to read from notes.

5. Teams will be judged on: appropriateness of conversation to situation, pronunciation, expressing enthusiasm, clarity, projection, correctness, and the time length.

SITUATIONS:

Please note that our intent here is only to provide a situation from which a conversation can be generated, not to dictate what is to be said. Within the framework of the situation, the students are free to make any imaginative elaborations necessary to expand and lengthen the conversation. Possibilities are suggested parenthetically. Boy-boy, girl-girl, or boy-girl roles may be adjusted as needed. One student should introduce the conversation by saying something such as: Somos dos amigas, y estamos hablando de la posibilidad de ir al cine; or Estamos en un restaurante–mi compañero es el mesero, y yo soy el cliente.

  • Two young people meet and one tries to convince the other that they should go to the movies. The other is reluctant and has a number of reasons not to go.
  • Two students discuss the sporting event from the night before and their team’s chances in the championship next week.
  • Two young people have just met after having returned from vacation. (They talk about where they went, what they did, what they liked, etc.)
  • Two young people have just left a movie theater, and are discussing the movie. (One liked it and the other didn’t, etc.)
  • A young person has just called a friend on the telephone and the mother (father) answers. The friend is not home. (Where is he?, When will he be back?, etc. The person calling leaves a message, etc.)
  • A student calls his/her teacher (or boss at job) to explain that he/she is sick and will have to stay home. (The teacher (boss) is a little skeptical and asks for details – plans for making up work, etc. are discussed.)
  • Two friends have just bumped into each other after 3 years’ separation. One has been attending another school. They talk about the new school. (Compare teachers, harder or easier subjects, etc.)
  • Two friends are talking about what they are going to do during Christmas vacation. (One is going to another state to visit grandparents, other has to work, etc.)
  • A customer in a restaurant has just finished a meal and complains to the waiter about high prices, poor food, poor service and so on. The customer then reveals that he/she doesn’t have enough money to pay the bill.
  • A student is talking to a doctor about health problems he/she is having. (Doctor asks questions, prescribes treatment, etc.)
  • The victim of a robbery (attack, etc.) reports the incident to a policeman.
  • A young person approaches father/mother to ask for money needed for some project, activity, or some sort of purchase. The parent asks for full information about why the child doesn’t use own money, if it is absolutely necessary, if it will be paid back, etc.
  • Two students are describing their parents and their occupations.
  • Two persons meet after the first week of school. One is taking Spanish and tells the other what the class is like.
  • The housewife (boss) is talking to the maid (employee) about some work which has not been done well, and they plan the work for the rest of the day.
  • A policeman is trying to calm a lost child and help him find his parents.
  • Two young people are talking about cars and motorcycles and mention which they would prefer, or which type of car they would like best.
  • A child has found a stray animal and tries to convince a parent that they should keep it.
  • Two friends are shopping. One likes how an article looks on the other and tries to convince the other to buy it.
  • A student has just come back from Mexico and is telling a friend about the things that are different from the United States.